World War II

The Most Historic Turning Point Trial For American Democracy’s Survival!

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American democracy’s survival is the crucial point for all Americans to understand, as Donald Trump, now indicted for the third time, in the most crucial of all cases, will face justice sometime in 2024.

If he fails to be convicted, it will mean that the concept of the rule of law has been destroyed, and it will cause the death of the American experiment two years short of its 250th anniversary in 2026!

If Donald Trump gets away with the abuse of power, what can stop either him or a future authoritarian tyrant from doing it again, and leading to violence, bloodshed, and potential civil war?

America’s place in the world will be compromised if Donald Trump is not convicted, and it will embolden Russia, China, North Korea and Iran to exploit the result, and destroy NATO and our other alliances around the world!

This upcoming trial is one of the crucial moments in American history, alongside the Civil War; the Great Depression; entrance into World War II; the Cuban Missile Crisis; and the September 11 attacks!

Those who continue to defend Donald Trump will go down as villains in American history, their reputations besmirched for a man who has no concerns except for himself!

The War In Ukraine Becomes More Painful And Real With Attack On Odesa!

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The Russian war on Ukraine has been going on for more than 17 months now, and that nation, the homeland of many Americans through their descendants, is suffering mightily!

This author and blogger always thought he was a descendant of Russian immigrants, not realizing that actually they were Ukranian immigrants fleeing a country that had been occupied and dominated by the Russian Czars.

Odesa, the Black Sea port, through which most grain is exported around the world, and home in the past of hundreds of thousands of Jewish families, has sustained horrendous attacks that have destroyed UNESCO World Heritage sites.

It is the ancestral home city of my ancestors, and at one point, I thought of traveling to Odesa with my older son to trace our roots, but of course, that is no longer conceivable!

Odesa has been compared to New York City in its Jewish population totals in its past before World War II, and it has warm weather similar to Miami, Florida in the summer months, making it a tourist mecca in the past.

The news of the tragedy of Odesa, along with the continuing attack and forced migration of millions of Ukranians to other nations in Eastern Europe, is heartbreaking in a very personal manner!

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the courageous Ukranian President, who has been compared to Winston Churchill and Great Britain in World War II, has proved to be a world statesman, and appreciates what the United States and the NATO alliance is providing to his nation to resist the Russian aggression.

The Biden Administration and principled Republicans in both houses of Congress have backed sustained aid to Ukraine, seeing it as a test to stop Russian aggression against its former neighbors which used to be part of the forced Soviet Union from 1945-1989.

But at the same time, Donald Trump and his minions have no concern about Ukraine’s fate, and wouuld have no issue over Russia seizing that nation, a shocking situation of support of Vladimir Putin and his murderous regime.

The future of Ukraine is a warning sign of Putin’s intentions to retake military control of former forced allies, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and other nations in eastern Europe.

The fear is that World War III is in the offing, but this author and blogger is strong in his conviction that the Western world cannot abandon Ukraine, so even more aid and support is needed!

Joe Biden At His Prime: State Of The Union Speech And Ukraine Visit!

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President Joe Biden is clearly at his prime at the beginning of his third year in the White House!

First, he gave a magnificent State of the Union Address, and disarmed his Republican critics, forcing them to back away from the threat to “sunset” Social Security and Medicare!

It was hilarious how Florida Senator Rick Scott and Utah Senator Mike Lee were stunned by Biden going after them on the issue of these programs, paid by taxpayers over their lifetime, being threatened by their bullyism.

Biden was at his best also by surprising many observers by traveling to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and meeting with President Zelenskyy yesterday, demonstrating how the US and its NATO allies are determined to continue to assist that war torn nation that has been subjected to the worse war situation since the end of World War II!

Biden made it clear, as did Vice President Kamala Harris a day earlier, that Russia has engaged in war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and that Vladimir Putin and his government will be held accountable under international law!

For a man who is three months past his 80th birthday, Joe Biden is clearly in top shape for the battles ahead, including against a growing number of Republicans, who are proving, like former President Donald Trump, that they are leagued with Putin and Russia over the interests of freedom and democracy!

And now, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is showing he is another Russia apologist, who see the Russian war against Ukraine as a conflict America should not engage in, a stunning admission by this arrogant, authoritarian leading challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican Presidential nominatoin in 2024.

So a future battle between Joe Biden, and either Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis will be centered over opposition to or support of the Russian threat to world peace!

Republicans, Democrats, And The Economy: The Truth!

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Republicans for generations have claimed they are the “better” political party for the American economy, than are the opposition Democrats!

This is a bald faced lie, but gullible people keep on “drinking the KoolAid”!

The Republican party continues to call for the demise of Social Security (passed under Franklin D. Roosevelt); Medicare and Medicaid (passed under Lyndon B. Johnson); and in the past 12 years for repealing the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare).

Right wingers condemn the Affordable Care Act because it was an African American president who promoted this expansion of health care that was first promoted as a basic right by Republican President Theodore Roosevelt as the Bull Moose Progressive Party nominee for President in 1912.

It took a generation for the cousin of TR to move toward social justice; and 50 years for Johnson to promote the health care initiatives of Harry Truman; and another nearly 50 years for Barack Obama to go beyond Medicare and Medicaid. Note that all of the Presidents engaged in this quest, except for Theodore Roosevelt, were Democrats.

But beyond that, all of the economic downturns since 1953 took place under Republican Presidents, with the exception of the brief recession under Democratic President Jimmy Carter in 1980, which led to his defeat for a second term. But there were three recessions under Dwight D. Eisenhower; one under Richard Nixon and one shared by Nixon and Gerald Ford; one under Ronald Reagan; one under George H. W. Bush; and two under George W. Bush. This list included the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression under Reagan and the “Great Recession” under George W. Bush, which set back the economy for years. Additionally, the COVID 19 Pandemic led to an economic crisis under Donald Trump.

The latest economic report shows the lowest peacetime unemployment rate since World War II; the unemployment rate lowest since 1969 at 3.4 percent; a tremendous economic recovery since the COVID 19 Pandemic; 33.8 million jobs over the sixteen years of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; 12.1 million jobs in two years of Joe Biden, an all time high; while only 1.9 million jobs under Republican Presidents George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump were created for 16 years; and with Donald Trump the first President since Herbert Hoover to have a net loss of jobs!

Also, Gross Domestic Product has been 3.4 percent under Joe Biden, as compared to 1 percent under Trump; and more jobs created under two years of Biden than any President in four years! And the uninsured rate on health care is down to 8 percent due to Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) than it has ever been, and if Texas and Florida had agreed to expansion of Medicaid, it would be MUCH lower! Additionally, more businesses are being formed than ever before, and wage growth, while not keeping up with inflation, has been rapidly expanding.

Once the inflation struggle, affected by the Russia-Ukraine War and the machinations of oil nations, are dealt with, inflation, already coming down, will be mastered. But no President can alone prevent or provoke inflation!

So the Democrats can be proud of their accomplishments economically over the long haul, and it is time for the myth of Republican “prosperity” to be laid to rest as yet another myth that needs to be retired!

The Republican Party is there for the wealthy, the privileged, and the bigots who promote white supremacy, racism, nativism, and misogyny, and with the political corruption under Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump being massive, while Democratic Presidents have NOT presided over corruption at a notable level, but rather mostly manufactured by Republican propagandists!

Republicans are “better” in promoting propaganda, while Democrats are far better in accomplishment of improving economic opportunity for the American people!

Two Year Anniversary Of Joe Biden Presidency: Should He Run For Second Term?

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Today at 12 Noon marks the two year anniversary of the Joe Biden Presidency!

Considering the difficult political circumstances, of an evenly divided Senate for only the fourth time in American history, and a five seat margin in the House of Representatives, Joe Biden accomplished a great deal in his first two years in office.

From a progressive view, he was the most successful in his first two years domestically than any President since Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s with his “Great Society” legislation, which was far greater, but with a massive margin of his party in control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Biden accomplished more than Democrats in the Presidency after Johnson, including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and even Barack Obama, after their first two years in the Oval Office!

Foreign policy has been difficult, as it always is, but Biden’s strong support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, and backed by NATO, has been a very strong example of his promotion of democracy against totalitarianism, reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt coming to the aid of Great Britain in 1940-1941, before America’s entrance into World War II.

Having said all the above, the question now is should Joe Biden, having reached the age of 80 precisely two months ago, run for a second term, and would he win a second term?

This author and blogger has always had great and warm feelings toward Joe Biden, going back to when he gravitated toward Biden as, in my mind, the replacement in commitment and personality traits of Hubert Humphrey, who was this author’s original political “hero”!

I wish that Biden had been able to run for President in 2016, but his son Beau’s death prevented that, as I believe he would have won the nomination, and would have defeated Donald Trump, and saved America from the nightmare four years of horrendous policies and criminal actions.

Hillary Clinton had too many barriers, including controversies surrounding her and her husband, along with simply being the first woman nominee for President. Of course, Hillary Clinton still won the national popular vote by 2.85 million, and only lost because of Russian collusion with Trump that threw the Electoral College vote to him in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Even a Republican controlled Senate committee came to that conclusion, despite the continued lying and deception that continues unabated to the present.

But the present is the issue, and this author and blogger sincerely believes that while Joe Biden would win a second term, against Donald Trump or anyone else on the horizon, that for the future of the Presidency and of Joe Biden’s own lifespan, that he should announce that he will retire.

It would make him a “lameduck President”, but freed from politics of his own ego, he could be seen as a statesman, helping to bring the future of the nation toward a Democratic Party successor, who would pursue his principles, goals, and common decency and compassion!

We need a future President who has the character traits of Joe Biden, as we do not want to promote selfishness, greed, nastiness, and lack of compassion and common decency, which too many Republicans who plan to run for President, possess as their basic character traits!

This way, Joe Biden can leave office at age 82, with head held high, having accomplished a decent record under difficult circumstances, having assisted for his own succession. And he can have peace of mind, planning his own Presidential Library and Museum, writing his own memoirs, and enjoying his wife, Dr Jill Biden, and his family in a relaxed, well deserved retirement, which is likely to lead to a longer life, than having the stress of another four years in office!

He should not join the list of Presidents who either died in office or had very short retirements, such individuals as Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Lyndon B. Johnson!

So, President Biden, do what is best for you and for the nation you have served so well, and announce your decision to leave office two years from today, having insured the succession of a Democratic President who will carry on with your commitment to decency, fairness, and compassion!

White House Chief Of Staff Ron Klain A True Star!

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The position of White House Chief of Staff, the person closest to the President on a daily basis, has existed since the Truman Presidency after World War II.

Some have lasted very short times in that position; some have proved to be disasters; and a small number have turned out to be exceptional in their dedication to progress under their Presidents.

The true disasters include:

Sherman Adams under Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1958)
H. R. Haldeman under Richard Nixon (1969-1973)
Donald Rumsfeld under Gerald Ford (1974-1975)
Dick Cheney under Gerald Ford (1975-1977)
Hamilton Jordan under Jimmy Carter (1979-1980)
Donald Regan under Ronald Reagan (1985-1987)
Reince Priebus under Donald Trump (six months in 2017)
Mark Meadows under Donald Trump (2020-2021)

The success stories include:

Kenneth O’Donnell under John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
James Baker under Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
Howard Baker under Ronald Reagan (1987-1988)
John Sununu under George H. W. Bush (1989-1991)
Leon Panetta under Bill Clinton (1994-1997)
Erskine Bowles under Bill Clinton (1997-1998)
John Podesta under Bill Clinton (1998-2001)
Andrew Card under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
Denis McDonough under Barack Obama (2013-2017)
John F. Kelly under Donald Trump ((2017-2019)
Ron Klain under Joe Biden (2021- )

When one looks at these lists, it is clear that Ron Klain stands out as one of the top few White House Chiefs of Staff of all time, with Kenneth O’Donnell, James Baker, Leon Panetta, Andrew Card, and Denis McDonough also on the list of the best!

Happy 80th Birthday, President Biden, A True Treasure To American Democracy!

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Happy 80th Birthday to President Biden, who has been a true treasure to American democracy!

When history is written of these times, the years after Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump attempted to destroy American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, it will be recorded that Joe Biden came along as the savior of our heritage of freedom, joining with Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War in the early 1860s, and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the World War II era in the early 1940s!

Now, another 80 years after 1860 and 1940, Joe Biden committed himself to defy the dictatorial nature of Donald Trump, and restore faith in America and its heritage of freedom and democracy!

Like Lincoln and FDR, Biden has been subjected to relentless character assassination and ridicule, but like Lincoln and FDR, he has stood tall and proud and brave, and has committed his later years to his country!

Do not forget that Biden is finishing 50 years of public service, since he was elected to the US Senate a few weeks short of the minimum age of 30 in 1972!

And he has been a public servant in office for all of that half century, except for the four years after leaving the Vice Presidency, having chosen not to try to run for the Presidency in 2016, due to his deep mourning for his son Beau, who died in 2015!

Just as Biden suffered through the loss of his first wife and young daughter in a traffic accident weeks after his Senate election and before he took the oath, so he suffered again in 2015 with the loss of his older son!

But he rose from a low moment to serve his nation and the world, and save it from not just foreign terrorism, but the ever greater threat of domestic terrorism!

His record in office has been superb for his first two years, and was good enough to promote the least loss of power and influence in the past 90 years in a first term midterm election!

His decision whether to run or retire should be respected, and while reaching the age of 80 is a daunting number to have so much responsibility for the nation and the world, Joe Biden, despite some shortcomings at times, runs rings around Donald Trump in knowledge, ability, intelligence, and most importantly, compassion, empathy, and common decency!

May God bless him to a long life, and commitment to his nation and the world, as history records the greatness of this man!

Most Dangerous Times Since Cuban Missile Crisis 60 Years Ago This Week!

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Sixty years ago this week, America and the world faced the potential of nuclear war, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the time of the Presidency of John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev.

It was a very terrifying time, which this author and blogger, a college freshman at the time, remembers very well, but thankfully, the issue of possible nuclear confrontation was resolved peacefully.

Now, however, the threat of the Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin, in its eight month war against Ukraine, using nuclear weapons, presents a challenge as great as sixty years ago.

Now we have President Joe Biden leading the challenge to Russia, with the support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but the Republican opposition, led by potential House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is indicating that it will not insure continued military and financial support to Ukraine.

This is exactly the wrong message to give to Putin, and encourages him to continue his aggression, which presents a real threat to all NATO nations!

So we could be facing World War III, a horrifying concept, and Joe Biden will have to fight in the way that Franklin D. Roosevelt fought eighty years ago in World War II, to refuse to reward aggression, which will only make the world more dangerous!

International Relations Becoming More Dominated By Authoritarian Leaders

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The world in 2022 is becoming more dominated by authoritarian leaders than any time since World War II, a sign of major challenges for President Joe Biden.

Already, the Russian Federation, China, North Korea, and Iran are constantly challenging America and its democracy.

But now, Saudi Arabia, under Mohamed bin Salman, in cooperation with Vladimir Putin, is cutting oil production, and creating an economic nightmare of higher oil prices, just as the Midterm Elections of 2022 come upon us in one month.

The Democrats already have problems with inflation and higher mortgage rates and this despicable action by Saudia Arabia, in lead with Putin, could very well undermine the push to protect American democracy in the upcoming elections, and prevent protection of abortion rights.

This will be a very difficult month, with growing sense that MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump could end up in control of government, and undermine, in league with an extremist right wing Supreme Court, many of the progressive
advancements in government and civil rights that have occurred in the years since the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson!

Constitution Day: 235 Years And Counting, But Question About Its Survival In Future!

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Today is Constitution Day, the day in 1787 when the Founding Fathers signed the Constitution.

No one in their right mind would think that those who signed the Constitution believed there should be no changes ever made, or that what was in the Constitution was cement that could not be altered.

And yet, today, we have a majority Supreme Court which thinks we should go back to 1787, what is called “Originalism”.

This is pure insanity, and undermines the ability of government to adapt to changing times.

Most of what is considered “normal” today in constitutional terms is far from just the original document, and reflects the changing times.

And we are faced with a threat, greater than the Civil War or the Great Depression and World War II, to our ability to maintain a constitutional government based on the rule of law, as Donald Trump and his minions are a dire threat to America’s democratic future!