Foreign Policy

Despite Critics, Joe Biden Has Accomplished More Than Any President Since LBJ!

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President Joe Biden has many critics, including those who think he should not run for reelection in 2024 due to his age.

But with recent successes, and adding to what was accomplished earlier, and despite strong attacks by Republicans, Joe Biden has actually accomplished more in domestic affairs than any President since Lyndon B. Johnson six decades ago!

The amazing difference is that Biden has had to work with a 50-50 US Senate, only the fourth time we have had an evenly divided Senate, unlike what LBJ had in the 1960s and Franklin D. Roosevelt had in the 1930s!

His long experience in the US Senate, and his ability to communicate, has led to results no one could have predicted.

Additionally, his success in unifying NATO, and gaining support for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, make the US safer, and the world safer.

And support of Ukraine in the Russian war on that nation has made Russia lose massive numbers of troops.

Just imagine if Donald Trump was President!

The domestic successes of Biden would never have been accomplished, and Trump would have supported Russia against Ukraine, and almost certainly, would have taken America out of NATO!

Extremism On Both Sides Lurks In Upcoming Midterm Congressional Elections!

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It is very sad and troubling that extremism on both sides lurks in the upcoming midterm Congressional elections.

It is much more so on the Republican side, but some Democrats are also clearly not willing to cross the aisle, and that means nasty days ahead, probably worse than now, as the nation moves closer to the possibility of inability of Congress to get anything done, despite the multitude of problems, including:

COVID 19 Pandemic
Climate Change
Escalating Crime
Mental Health Crisis
Protection of Civil Rights
Protection of Women’s Rights
Protection Of Gay Rights
Threat of Russia Against Ukraine
Threat of China Against Taiwan
Threat of Middle East War Between Israel and Iran

and many other problems and issues!

Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy Challenges In Year Two Of His Presidency

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In addition to the uncertainty and tensions domestically, surrounding the danger of Donald Trump and the Republicans striving to end American democracy, Joe Biden faces massive foreign policy challenges in year two of his Presidency.

The Russian Federation and Vladamir Putin seem poised to invade Ukraine, with NATO and the US determined to punish Russia with harsh economic sanctions if that horrible event occurs.

China seems poised to invade Taiwan at some point, with the US stating it would come to the defense of that island, without being specific, but with the reality that a direct military intervention seems unlikely or manageable.

Iran seems resistant to resuming the 2015 nuclear agreement that Donald Trump destroyed during his Presidency, and there is the danger of a Iran-Israel War on the horizon.

North Korea and Kim Jong Un continue to test nuclear weapons, and therefore, represent a clear and present danger to US interests and neighboring nations in Asia.

Other nations have become more autocratic, including Hungary, Poland, Turkey, and Egypt in recent years, and democracy seems clearly to be on the defensive.

How much America can have an impact on these “hot spots” is hard to imagine, but that is not saying that Donald Trump or any other potential President would have any more fortune in world affairs!

Nine Months Of President Joe Biden: Realism Sets In With Major Challenges Domestic And Foreign

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Today marks nine months of the Joe Biden Presidency.

This is a crucial time for Biden and the nation, as his public opinion ratings have declined, due to the constant controversy over the COVID 19 Pandemic mandates on masks and vaccinations, bitterly opposed by the right wing channels, including Fox News Channel, One America News Network (OANN), and Newsmax TV, as well as the vast number of Republican governors and members of Congress.

But also, the economic outlook is uncertain, as inflation rages, and many people are staying out of the work force, as we are seeing a massive change in the outlook of Americans toward the kind of work they have done, and wish to do in the future.

The constant debate over the social infrastructure bill is also a burden for Biden, as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and a few House Democrats are forcing a major cut in the proposed spending from $3.5 trillion to about half that amount, causing a scale back in the proposed legislation on education, health care, and most particularly on climate change actions.

Foreign policy also presents major challenges in many areas, and is always unpredictable, but the growing threat of China, international terrorism and natural disasters omnipresent, Russia, North Korea, and many other issues are always on the front burner in the White House!

At this point, an objective observer would likely give Biden a B Minus, but with hope that it may rise to B Plus or A Minus grade by the end of the year, but sadly, if the major goals are not accomplished, and if voting rights legislation and criminal justice reform are not attainable, it could go down to the C range in judgment by experts and general public opinion!

Joe Biden Associated Press Public Opinion Poll Puts The President at 63 Percent!

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The Associated Press Public Opinion Poll out today shows President Joe Biden’s ratings continue to soar.

Overall, Biden’s rating is at 63 percent, but on the COVID 19 Pandemic, he is even higher, at 71 percent, including 47 percent of Republicans.

Regarding the overall direction of the nation, the rating is 54 percent, the highest since 2017.

On the direction of the economy, the numbers are 57 percent.

However, on the issue of immigration and the problem at the Mexican border, only 43 percent support Biden.

48 percent support Biden on the issue of guns and mass shootings escalating, with 49 percent opposed.

And on foreign policy, 54 percent support the President on an area still in process of development.

Considering that Donald Trump NEVER reached 50 percent at any time since he first announced for President, and right up to now, it is clear Joe Biden is in very good shape, despite massive margins of Republicans remaining loyal to the twice impeached, twice loser of the popular vote 45th President!

76th Anniversary Of FDR Death, And His Impact On The Nation Continues!

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Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away on this date in 1945, being the last President to die of natural causes in office.

The debate about many actions and policies of FDR continue 76 years later, but there is no doubt that his impact on the nation was the greatest of any President other than Abraham Lincoln.

Right wing critics still condemn FDR in so many ways on domestic and foreign policy, even in 2021, but can one imagine what the nation and the world would have been like if FDR had never been President?

So much of America today is based on FDR and the New Deal, and even those elderly citizens who are right wing conservatives, are not about to repudiate Social Security, and they all benefited in so many ways from FDR policies in other ways that many may not be even aware of.

There are certainly plenty of issues and policies that even an FDR scholar, such as this author, can find fault with, particularly the Japanese American internment, and the issue of the Holocaust, but in FDR’s defense, he was faced with a myriad of issues and also health problems that it is hard to imagine any future President handling the circumstances at the time any differently.

One Month Anniversary Of The Biden Presidency: Tremendous Initiatives And Goals And Early Success!

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It is today one month since Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States, and there is a sense of great optimism.

The basic decency, compassion, empathy of Joe Biden is very evident, and he has staked out goals in foreign policy and domestic policy, canceling out most of the damage done by Donald Trump in his horrendous four years in office.

Biden has embraced NATO and our democratic allies in Asia;

has made clear that America will hold authoritarian governments around the world accountable for their outrageous violations of basic freedoms;

has selected an exceptional group of Cabinet and other advisors to deal with the myriad of issues he faces, greater than anyone since Franklin D. Roosevelt nine decades ago;

has committed himself to the fight against climate change;

has dedicated himself to the need for immigration reform, and to protect DACA recipients who have been living in uncertainty for the past five years;

has worked to promote the environment and conservation after the worst environmental record of any American President;

has been moving forward on a major economic relief bill;

has surpassed his goal of daily vaccinations against COVID 19 and made it a national commitment, not just left up to states alone;

has made the fight for civil liberties, civil rights, and the struggle against racism, nativism, misogyny a major commitment;

has endorsed full protection for the gay and lesbian community;

and above all, has restored the dignity and prestige of the American Presidency which was in rapid decline.

Joe Biden may not be able to accomplish everything he wishes, due to political realities, but his heart is in the right place, and he clearly is out to promote progressive goals and work against domestic terrorist groups which endanger American democracy.

Joe Biden Finally Able To Move Ahead And To Select A Talented Team Of Cabinet Advisors

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Joe Biden has hit the ground running, officially selecting today a group of seven talent Cabinet advisors to cope with foreign policy, economic policy, homeland security and intelligence matters, and with the crisis of climate change.

Anthony Blinken will be Secretary of State; Janet Yellen will be Secretary of the Treasury; Alejandro Mayorkas will be Secretary of Homeland Security; Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be US Ambassador to the United Nations; Avril Haines will be Director of National Intelligence; Jake Sullivan will be National Security Adviser; and former Senator, 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee, and Obama Secretary of State in the second term John Kerry as Climate Czar to deal with the climate change crisis.

These are all experienced in their fields, and have worked in the government for decades, and they are all decent, honorable people who wish to do a job to promote recovery of the nation from the multiple crises it faces as Joe Biden gets ready to take the oath of office as the 46th President of the United States.

The group includes three women; a Cuban immigrant; an African American woman; two Jews; and age wise, they range from the 40s to the late 70s.

Any decent person can feel a sense of satisfaction already, and there are still many other appointments to come!

An Emotional Day, As Joe Biden And Kamala Harris Win The Election, And Give Historic Speeches!

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Saturday, November 7, 2020, has been an extremely emotional day, as the nation and the world witnessed the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the Presidential Election of 2020, after four long days of vote counting.

It was followed by historic speeches by the future President and Vice President of the United States, restoring our hope, and giving us inspiration for the future, that the nightmare of Donald Trump will, to a great extent, be overcome by executive orders initiated by President Biden on January 20 and in future days and weeks on so many issues, both in domestic and foreign policy.

The return of sanity, decency, morals, ethics, compassion, and of character, with these two wonderful public servants, revives the greatness of past leaders who came to the rescue in times of crisis, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are on the road to joining the annals of American leaders who work toward making “a more perfect Union”!

It is nice after four years of gloom and doom, and of horrors and stresses, that finally, we are being liberated, with the first step being the formation on Monday of a committee of doctors and scientists by President Elect Biden to come up with plans to resolve the crisis over the COVID 19 Pandemic, which is escalating to an all time high of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths!

The Best Candidates To Be Vice President For Joe Biden

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Within the next few weeks, Joe Biden will be selecting his Vice Presidential running mate, with the strong possibility that the woman he chooses could be the next President after Biden, whether by succession, as Biden would be the oldest first term President on Inauguration Day, or by election after Biden has left the Presidency.

There has been much speculation about a very large number of potential choices, but this author believes that three candidates stand out above all others in their credentials.

My first choice, and preferred, is former National Security Adviser and earlier Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice. She has more foreign policy experience than any other potential candidate. She would be 56 on Inauguration Day, the precise average age of all Presidents when combined together, and she has worked for many years with Joe Biden, and gets along very well with him.

The two together would be a fantastic team on foreign policy and national security, an area badly damaged by Donald Trump, and an area not as much paid attention to by many, but really significant. Her major liability may be that she has never been elected to any political office, but she has tons of experience under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

My second choice, which is speculated about as a “dream”, would be former First Lady Michelle Obama, who would be 57 by Inauguration Day. Many observers feel that if she was the choice of Joe Biden, it would guarantee victory in November.

Michelle Obama is much admired and respected, is very intelligent, and knows a lot from being the wife of the 44th President, but she also has never been elected to office, although that is not a requirement. However, she has given no hint of interest, and it highly unlikely that she would accept the Vice Presidency, but she would be a fantastic choice.

My third choice is California Senator Kamala Harris, who would be 56 on Inauguration Day, with the interesting point that all three ladies in this group were born in 1964, with Obama in January, Harris in October, and Rice in November.

Harris has been a Senator for four years, and earlier was District Attorney of San Francisco for seven years, and California Attorney General for six years, before being elected to the Senate in 2016. Being an elected official who campaigned for President, she has more controversies about her career in law enforcement and her votes and viewpoints as a US Senator than does Rice or Obama, but she would be an inspiring choice, often called the “female Barack Obama”.

We shall see if one of these three is the nominee, but this author and blogger feels all three are way above the competition, and whoever is selected will play a major role in the future of American government!