Dwight D. Eisenhower

Presidential Debates Are Worthless, Unless Donald Trump Agrees To Two Conditions: Taxes Revealed, And Fact Checker For Trump Lies!

Ronald 11 Comments

There is no point to Joe Biden agreeing to debate with Donald Trump, unless Trump agrees to reveal his tax records, as Joe Biden has done, AND it is also agreed that there will be a fact checking team approved by both candidates to be hired by the non partisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

That team would report with ten minutes left in the debate any misleading statements, phony numbers, or outright lies uttered by either candidate.

Trump lies as he breathes, as Thomas Friedman of the New York Times said last month, and Biden should not allow that to go unanswered by a fact checking team at the debate.

Since Biden is comfortably ahead in all polls, he gains nothing by debates, and by refusing to debate, will infuriate Trump, who will go even more looney.

Trump knows he is losing, and Joe Biden should just continue to make public statements before small audiences with proper distancing. Biden is being helped by various Republican groups who are dedicated to Trump’s defeat as the only way to revive the party of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Joe Biden has been right since January on the CoronaVirus Pandemic, and should make the effort to win as many states as possible, but the debates make no sense at this point, unless Trump agrees to the two conditions mentioned above, which will not occur!

The Unpredictable Supreme Court Due To Republican “Maverick” Appointments

Ronald 2 Comments

The history of the Supreme Court since 1953 has been one of unpredictability, due to Republican “Maverick” Appointments, who surprise conservatives who thought having a Republican President insured their narrow minded views of the Constitution and the law.

America has been fortunate that every Republican President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Donald Trump has made an appointment that surprised the nation, and promoted social progress long term.

Eisenhower appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren and Associate Justice William Brennan.

Richard Nixon appointed Chief Justice Warren Burger and Associate Justice Harry Blackmun.

Gerald Ford appointed Associate Justice John Paul Stevens.

Ronald Reagan appointed Associate Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy.

George H. W. Bush appointed Associate Justice David Souter.

George W. Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts.

Donald Trump appointed Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch.

So ten appointments in the past two thirds of a century have made a dramatic difference in so many ways, including racial integration, school prayer, abortion rights, ObamaCare, gay rights, and other significant areas.

Donald Trump Striving To Be Dictator, And Time For Action To Force Him Out Of Office!

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump is striving to be a dictator, claiming the right to send military forces into states to deal with the mostly peaceful protests to the death of George Floyd.

He claims the Insurrection Act of 1807 allows him to do what he wants, but that is not the truth!

It is sadly true only in the District of Columbia, which is not a state, and in 1968, after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr, armed troops were deployed in a time of civil disobedience, a horrendous moment in American history, leading to thousands of arrests and ten people killed!

The only time a President can utilize that law in the states is if a state governor refuses to obey federal courts, as with Arkansas in 1957 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Mississippi in 1962 and Alabama in 1963 under President John F. Kennedy, when those states refused federal court orders to integrate.

The state governors would have to agree unanimously to allow the President to take charge throughout the nation, and they are not about to do that under any circumstances, as it is governors who control the National Guard.

A suggestion by George W. Bush to allow such intervention by order of a President was unanimously repudiated by all 50 state governors in 2006, and was dropped as an idea!

So Trump is simply claiming a right he does not have, but the time has come to force him out of the White House by mass demonstrations that will force him to leave, as he is destroying the nation in a time of a pandemic, a depression, and massive racial abuse by police authorities!

We could be on the verge of civil war the way things are going, but the Constitution and Bill of Rights must survive!

“Red” States Are Suicidal In Thinking They Are “Safe” Due To State Lines, As If CoronaVirus Pandemic Does Not Cross Borders!

Ronald 29 Comments

We have now seen about 44,000 people die from the CoronaVirus Pandemic, increasing more than 2,000 per day.

Twenty thousand of these deaths are in the Tri State Area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

But there are even more deaths in the other 47 states, and not just the coastlines, meaning not only the Pacific Coast and Atlantic Coast.

The virus has hit everywhere, although not equally, but there is no certainty or security that numbers will not grow dramatically, in the so called “Flyover States”.

And yet, the “Red States”, the Republican states of the “hinterland” are living in a delusion that they can conveniently “open up” in the next few days or week, particularly in the Southern states of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, and Florida planning to join this “suicide mission” in effect soon, as well!

These states, which tend to be highly religious, as compared to most of the nation, and are so oriented toward Pro Life on the issue of abortion, seem ready to sacrifice loss of life because the capitalist system demands opening up, even if workers are endangering their own lives, and that of their families!

And we have people who cannot tolerate delaying haircuts, having their nails done, going bowling, and a myriad of other activities, and are not concerned that they are endangering their own family members and friends, and strangers too, along with themselves, because they are so spoiled and only think of “Me, Myself, and I”!

We are losing an American life every 32 seconds right now, and have lost more than the top five European nations combined, but profit and greed still rule in Republican states, as if the virus does not cross state lines!

Within the next two weeks if not sooner, we will have lost more Americans in two months than all of the years of the Vietnam War–58,000–which took 12 years, not 60 days!

When will Republicans and Southerners value life over profits? This is what Donald Trump has done to the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, Reagan and H. W. Bush, a total disgrace!

The Vice Presidency More Crucial Than Ever Before In The Presidential Election Of 2020

Ronald 37 Comments

The office of the Vice Presidency has become an office of real substance and significance since the time of Richard Nixon as Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953-1961.

Before that, the Vice Presidency was an office ignored and forgotten, except when a President died in office.

Only three Vice Presidents, all early on in American history (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren) had been elevated to the Presidency by election, rather than succession due to death of the President.

Only when George H. W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan by election in 1988, did we again have a Vice President elected directly to the Presidency.

However, we did have Nixon lose the Presidency after Eisenhower, only to win it eight years later in 1968. And we did have Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale, and Al Gore run for President and lose.

Now, we have former Vice President Joe Biden having a good chance to be the Presidential nominee of his party in 2020.

But in many ways, even more significant now than the Presidential race, is the reality that the odds of a future Vice President succeeding during the term is magnified by the fact that all four leading individuals who might be President in 2021 are old men–Donald Trump at 74, Joe Biden at 78, Michael Bloomberg at 78, and Bernie Sanders at 79, when the term begins in January 2021.

All except Bloomberg have known health issues–Trump both mentally and physically, Biden mentally, and Sanders physically. Bloomberg at this point seems free of any mental or physical health issues.

But the reality that the three Democrats will reach 80 in either the first or second year of the next term is alarming and worrisome, and magnifies the importance of choosing the right Vice Presidential choice, with the odds growing that whoever it is, he or she is likely to occupy the Oval Office before January 2025.

It is a sobering thought, but one must face reality, so the choice of a running mate is more crucial than ever before.

The Republican Party Has Disgraced Itself, And Has Undermined The Rule Of Law And The Constitution

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican Party–the party historically of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush–has disgraced itself, and has undermined the rule of law and the Constitution.

The party, founded on principles of anti slavery and promotion of human rights in 1854, is now a party that endorses lawlessness, nativism, racism, misogyny, worship of money as all that matters in life, and no compassion for those less fortunate.

It is a party that represents a dying America, one of white Christians who want to bring back the America of the 1950s, and prevent the reality of a multi racial, diverse population that is on the horizon in a generation from now, when they will be the majority of the population, a trend that cannot be changed.

The Republican Party has sold its souls to an evil, corrupt leader, and have doomed their reputations in history.

They have destroyed the American experiment in a democratic republic, and the future looks gloomy.

If there was ever a need for a commitment to “throwing out the rascals”, it is in this upcoming Presidential election. This may be the last chance to save the America from a cancer that will totally destroy the nation, making it a country that will no longer be the shining star for refugees who want a new life, the dream fulfilled of generations of immigrants.

So all Democrats and those who have left the Republican Party mantle must work night and day for the next nine months to expunge Donald Trump and his ilk, including members of the party in both houses of Congress, from their power centers!

Despicable, Disgraceful Behavior By Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Marsha Blackburn, Rand Paul, In Midst Of Impeachment Trial Of Donald Trump

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The first week of the Donald Trump Impeachment Trial has shown despicable, disgraceful behavior by Republican Senators, including Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, Marsha Blackburn, and Rand Paul, among others.

Graham has made it clear he is more concerned about having unlimited Presidential power than the Constitution, but when a Democrat is President again, he will quickly reverse course.

Mitch McConnell is trying to shorten the trial, and deny new evidence and any witnesses, making the trial a mockery, if that occurs.

Marsha Blackburn has attacked one of the impeachment witnesses, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, for having testified, and accusing him of a lack of patriotism, an outrageous charge.

Rand Paul has been mocking the idea of listening to the trial, and has shown lack of respect for the prosecutors, and argued that there should be no witnesses, a strange idea for a person who claims to be a libertarian, who should care about the dangers of unlimited Presidential authority.

These Republicans, and really all of the party in Congress, is making themselves a disgrace to the history and traditions of the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

Thanksgiving Day A Day To Be Thankful For In Many Ways

Ronald 1 Comment

Today is Thanksgiving Day, and we have a lot to be thankful for.

We are thankful that we have a democratic system of government, where there is accountability for one’s behavior in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

We have violations in our history much too often, but the Constitution and Bill of Rights have ability to be utilized to counteract such violations.

Thank goodness that the Democrats won the House of Representatives in 2018, and are putting Donald Trump’s feet to the fire, no matter what happens in the US Senate.

The Republican Party is sealing its long term doom if it continues to back the lawlessness and corruption of Donald Trump.

Donald Trump, no matter what happens in 2020, will have his historical reputation in tatters, as his lack of ethics, morality, common decency, and concern for those less fortunate, guarantee his condemnation in the long run of history.

While neither political party is ideal or perfect, the Democratic Party is triumphant in the long run of history for having concerned itself with the advancement of average Americans from FDR to LBJ to Barack Obama.

There is plenty of room for improvement, but the Republican Party of Lincoln, TR, and Ike is long gone, and the GOP stands condemned for its lack of concern for average Americans since the inauguration of Ronald Reagan onward.

Republican Party Totally Unprincipled On Trump Impeachment, While Going After Bill Clinton On Flimsier Grounds Twenty Years Ago

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush has gone totally bonkers, as the 2019 Republican party has demonstrated it is totally unprincipled on the growing evidence of the clear cut obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and other crimes that call for President Donald Trump to be impeached.

By comparison, Bill Clinton was a choir boy, with the worst action he took being engaging in sex in the Oval Office, and lying about it, for which the late 1990s Republican Party impeached him on far flimsier grounds.

Now, we see those engaged in going after Bill Clinton, including Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Newt Gingrich, and a multitude of other hypocrites, willing to overlook every misdeed by Donald Trump, and sacrifice their reputations to defend a President who deserves no defense.

It is as if a religious cult has emerged, and as if Donald Trump is a God like figure. Republicans are willing to sacrifice their reputation in history, as they will not stand up well in the future for their willingness to bow down to Trump, when he is always willing to throw them under the bus, having no loyalties to anyone, and only concerned about his own selfish, greedy desires to grab more power and destroy the US Constitution.

Will the Republican Party ever come out of its fog and unreal state of consciousness?

The Insult Of Considering Inviting The Taliban Terrorists To Camp David Around The September 11 Commemoration Anniversary

Ronald 5 Comments

Just as the 18th anniversary of the September 11th attacks was about to be reached, Donald Trump decided he would invite the Taliban terrorist group which harbored Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda to peace negotiations at Camp David.

Camp David, where Dwight D. Eisenhower invited Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union.

Camp David, where Jimmy Carter invited Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt.

Inviting the Taliban, who have no intention of making peace, and only want to suppress women and deny music and other modern ideas of civilization, is an insult to all those who died on September 11.

Thankfully, after an American soldier was killed by the Taliban, Trump abruptly changed his plans, but it led to a breach with National Security Adviser John Bolton, leading to his either being fired or resigning.

No one is trying to defend Bolton, who is a serial hawk responsible to a great extent for the Iraq War, and wants to go to war with Iran and North Korea without any thought.

But on this issue of the Taliban, for once, John Bolton was correct, and what the President has done by even considering dealing with the Taliban, is an insult to the nearly 3,000 victims of September 11, and the 2,500 military who have died in Afghanistan since 2001, along with about 20,000 wounded!