Hurricane Sandy

Total Outrage Over Denial Of Hurricane Sandy Relief By Republican House And Speaker Of The House John Boehner!

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The decision of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to refuse to give disaster relief aid to New York and New Jersey for Hurricane Sandy, an action by Speaker of the House John Boehner, is a total outrage, and has led to bitter denunciation by both Democratic and Republican leaders in both states.

Particularly outraged are New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Congressman Peter King from Long Island, both of whom blamed Speaker Boehner by name. There could not have been a stronger attack by some Republicans on others, with King suggesting that no one give any financial support to the Republican Party for the future, due to the attitude of callousness displayed by Speaker Boehner.

The fact that libertarians and Tea Party activists in the House majority are against federal aid of any kind on anything, and want to destroy the federal government, led Boehner to repudiate his responsibilities and to cave in to their pressure!

The Republican Party is starting to disintegrate as a united party, as a result of recent events since the election, and the future of the party as a legitimate entity is in great doubt!

The “Blue” States Support The “Red States: Time For Republican States To Take Care Of Themselves!

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The “Blue” or Democratic states are mostly donor states, more prosperous, who give much more in tax money to the federal government than they gain in return.

The “Red” or Republican states are mostly poor states who give much less in tax money to the federal government, and benefit from the generosity of the “Blue” states.

So we have Speaker John Boehner refusing to call up a bill for disaster relief for New York and New Jersey, due to the damages wrought by Hurricane Sandy!

But in “Red” states, disaster relief is much more quickly dispensed, as for instance, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005!

This is eminently unfair, and due a lot to envy and jealousy of the advantages in so many ways of New York and New Jersey, culturally, educationally, and otherwise, by states that are in many cases still backward, and living more in the 19th century, while New York, New Jersey, and other “Blue” states live in the 21st century!

Not all “Blue” states are donor states, but 17 of 26 which are include:

New York
New Jersey
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Delaware
Florida
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Colorado
Nevada
Washington
Oregon
California

The only “Red” state which is a donor state is Texas!

It is time for change on this matter!

Chris Christie’s Weight: A Disqualifying Factor For The Presidency?

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was asked last night by Barbara Walters of ABC whether his weight was a disqualifying factor the Presidency in 2016.

His response was negative, with the comment that he has done eighteen hour days, particularly in the recent Hurricane Sandy crisis which devastated the shoreline of his state.

But his statement does not remove the concern about whether the 50 year old New Jersey Governor is healthy enough to take on the burdens of the Presidency in four years, and for a theoretical eight years beyond 2016.

William Howard Taft was our heaviest President at 325-350 pounds, and is famous for taking long naps in the middle of the day, and being much less active than his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, and his successor, Woodrow Wilson.

Grover Cleveland was the second heaviest President at about 250 pounds, and no other President has been anywhere near as heavy as Taft and Cleveland. However, Bill Clinton did have problems with weight from his fast food habits before and during his White House years.

It is believed that Christie is far heavier than Taft, and it is a serious matter, as to whether he would have a long life span, and could handle the pressures of the Presidency with such an obesity problem.

At the least, it would have to be required that Christie provide detailed health information, and if he refused, a la Mitt Romney failing to provide detailed financial information, then he should be eliminated as a potential Presidential nominee, as we need a vigorous, healthy person running for President!

Advice To Newark Mayor Cory Booker: Leave Chris Christie Alone, And Run Instead For US Senate In 2014!

Ronald 1 Comment

With New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announcing for reelection, shortly after the Hurricane Sandy emergency led to a 72 percent rating in a Quinnipiac Poll among New Jersey voters today, it is clear the Newark Mayor Cory Booker needs to face reality, and drop the thought of challenging Christie in what would be a very difficult race for Governor.

And since Christie most certainly will never be President, let him have the consolation prize of being New Jersey Governor for a second term, allowing Christie the chance to shoot off his mouth, as he is prone to do, which will only harm him with primary voters in his Republican party, and along with other factors mentioned in an earlier blog entry, will assure that he will never be President of the United States!

Meanwhile, the bright and talented Cory Booker will avoid a likely humiliating defeat, which would derail his future. Instead, he can run to replace likely retiring Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg, who is the oldest Senator, and will be 90 in 2014. The likelihood that Lautenberg would run again is miniscule to zero, having already served three terms from 1982—2000, retiring, and then coming back in 2002 when a vacancy developed, and now serving again from 2002—2014, a total of thirty years service.

Booker would have a national audience as a Senator, and would be a true star, and could be the next African American Presidential candidate, or compete for that role with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick!

And face it–it is a MUCH easier job to be a United States Senator, make speeches, and not have the same accountability that a Mayor or Governor has, for such mundane matters as natural disasters, and petty local issues!

Why anyone would prefer being Governor, and in most states, having to reside in a backwater state capital, over living in Washington, DC, and having that national press constantly following you, is beyond this author’s understanding.

Booker, with his Mayoral experiences, and a career in the Senate getting national attention, would be far better for his future than wanting to be Governor of a state which is difficult to manage in good times, let alone in bad times. So let Chris Christie have his Governorship, as it would advance Cory Booker, and NOT advance Chris Christie’s Presidential ambitions!

Why Chris Christie Will NEVER Be President Of The United States!

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has indicated he will run for reelection in 2013, an off year when only the New York City Mayoralty and Virginia Governorship compete for attention.

But with a new NYC Mayor and a new Virginia Governor to be selected, identity unknown, Chris Christie will be focused on more than usual, because he is a potential Presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2016. He already leads Marco Rubio, Condoleezza Rice, Jeb Bush, and Paul Ryan, respectively, in a public opinion poll on 2016.

There are those who think Chris Christie might be the next President of the United States, but this author and blogger will explain now why Christie is NOT going to be the next President, for many reasons, in no special order. So here goes!

Chris Christie could very well be defeated for reelection by the charismatic Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker. It should be a competitive race.

Even if Christie wins a second term, he will not become President because:

1, He is much too outspoken, controversial, opinionated, to become our President. He rubs many people wrong, comes across as a bully to many, is crude and rude, and would wear thin in a Presidential campaign, with plenty of documentary evidence already available as to his unpleasant, annoying personality!

2. If he were nominated, he would not even be guaranteed to win his home state of New Jersey, which tends Democratic in Presidential elections.

3. He would be unlikely to win any Northeastern or New England state, except maybe New Hampshire.

4. He would not be able to compete in the Pacific Coast states or Hawaii.

5. He would have a rough time carrying Virginia or Florida, which Barack Obama won twice.

6. He would have a difficult time winning the upper Midwest or Illinois, but with some chance of winning Ohio and Iowa.

7. He would be unlikely to win Hispanics and Latinos in Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada, and would likely lose those states.

8. Christie might win New Hampshire and Ohio, and Iowa, potentially, but that would give him only 28 more electoral votes than Mitt Romney, a total of only 234.

9. Christie’s handling of the Hurricane Sandy situation helped him at that point, but will be forgotten by 2016, and will hurt him among mainstream conservatives, angry that he cooperated with President Obama, and took attention off Mitt Romney.

10.Christie is unacceptable on “social issues’ for his party base, issues such as abortion rights, gun control and acceptance of gay rights, although opposing instituting gay marriage in in New Jersey.

11. Christie has no background or experience in foreign policy, and imagine his personality on the international scene, where with his big mouth, he could cause grief in diplomacy big time! A gruff bully, which Christie is, is not fit to be President of the United States, although it may please the anti foreign tendencies of his party, who think the world is inferior to American “exceptionalism”!

12. This final point is not said in jest or ridicule, or designed as an insult, but to believe that we are going to elect a President as large as William Howard Taft in modern times is to believe in miracles, as Christie is a terrible model for health and physical fitness, and that will be to his detriment, right or wrong, in a Presidential campaign!

So forget about Christie’s own delusions of grandeur, as he is NOT going to be President of the United States in 2017!

Joe Biden And Marco Rubio Starting Early On Presidential Quest For 2016

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While Hillary Clinton is avoiding the subject of the Presidency due to her active involvement in policy making continuing for now, with no date set to leave as Secretary of State, her good friend and ultimate rival for the nomination of the Democratic Party, if she seeks the Presidency, Vice President Joe Biden, is leaving no stone unturned in his quest for the Presidency.

Joe Biden has always been a sincere, committed man in public life, so the fact that he visited New Jersey this weekend as a followup to the Hurricane Sandy disaster, as did Barack Obama before leaving on his Asian trip, is not all that unusual. But he did make reference to the fact that he had visited the New Jersey shores when growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and that he was committed to follow through on all necessary aid for restoration and rehabilitation of the coastline of the Northeast that was damaged by the super storm.

Also, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, already on the short list of many for the GOP nomination in 2016, having come off criticism of Mitt Romney for his “gifts” statement as the reason Barack Obama defeated him, had made plans to visit Iowa, the site of the first vote in 2016, the caucuses at the beginning of January, 2016, His visit on this past Saturday night, supposedly to celebrate Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s birthday, was obviously a first step toward a candidacy for the White House. He emphasized the importance of immigration reform, and his Hispanic ancestry as a Cuban American is hoped to be a winning point for other Hispanics and Latinos, mostly Mexican Americans, to take a good look at the Republican Party for the next Presidential election.

So there is no respite from politics, as the unofficial campaign for 2016 has begun!

Two Issues On Each Side Of Presidential Campaign Will Decide The Election

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As we look back on the Presidential campaign of 2012, it is clear that the election being decided within hours will be based on two issues that affected each side, and occurring within the past two months.

If Mitt Romney wins, it will be because of:

The attack on the Libyan Consulate in Benghazi,which has caused grief for President Obama.

The lackadaisical performance of Barack Obama in the first Presidential debate.

If Barack Obama wins, it will be because of:

Romney’s “47 Percent” speech in Boca Raton, Florida, revealed in September.

Hurricane Sandy last week, and Obama’s reaction to it, including the “bromance” of Obama with Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and the Romney campaign’s criticism of Christie.

Much will be written about the campaign, but these factors, arising in the last two months, will be seen as key factors in what occurs!

Mitt Romney Shows His True Character, With His Campaign Criticizing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Ronald 1 Comment

Mitt Romney’s campaign is rapidly imploding, and Romney’s spokesman is now criticizing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for praising President Barack Obama for his quick response to Hurricane Sandy, including touring the area of devastation with Christie.

Rupert Murdoch and other conservatives are already laying the base for blaming Romney’s defeat on Christie, and Romney aides are claiming that Christie is annoyed that he was bypassed for Vice President.

This whole event just demonstrates further how Romney is not fit to be our President, since he does not give a damn for the “47 percent”, and for the Northeast, since he knows he will not be gaining their electoral support on Tuesday. The fact that Christie is doing what he needs to do for his state does not seem to cross Romney’s selfish, mean spirited personality, but it is clear that he is not the proper person to lead us into the future!

Final US Senate Projections: Democrats Gain One Seat, Should Have A Margin Of 54-46

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This author has stated in the past couple of weeks that the US Senate would stay Democratic, and that seems more certain now than ever.

With any gain by Mitt Romney in polls stopped by Hurricane Sandy and the working of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with President Barack Obama, it seems likely that the Democrats will win what was predicted before, a one seat gain. In some states, the popularity of the Democratic Senate candidate might actually carry Obama over the top, rather than the other way around.

So here are my final projections:

The Republicans have ten seats up for election, and will keep six–but lose in Arizona, with Democrat Richard Carmona defeating Republican Jeff Flake; in Indiana, with Democrat Joe Donnelly defeating Republican Richard Mourdock; in Maine, with Independent Angus King defeating his two opponents in the major parties; and in Massachusetts, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren will defeat Scott Brown.

The Democrats have 23 seats up for reelection, and should keep eleven without any trouble, leaving 12 up for play, and are likely to win five others that are in contention—Bill Nelson in Florida; Debbie Stebanow in Michigan; Claire McCaskill in Missouri; Jon Tester in Montana; and Sherrod Brown in Ohio.

That leaves seven seats which will definitely have a new Senator–and Virginia should see Democrat Tim Kaine defeat Republican George Allen; Democrat Chris Murphy win over Republican Linda McMahon in Connecticut; Democrat Tammy Baldwin defeat Republican Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin; and Democrat Mazie Hirono defeat Republican Linda Lingle in Hawaii.

However, three other Democratic seats will probably be lost, regrettably—including Democrat Bob Kerrey losing to Republican Deb Fischer, a Tea Party favorite in Nebraska; Democrat Martin Heinrich losing to Republican Heather Wilson in New Mexico; and Democrat Heidi Heitkamp losing to Republican Rick Berg in North Dakota.

So this all adds up to four seats taken from the Republicans, but three seats taken from the Democrats, so that adds up to a Senate of:

54 Democrats (including Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine)
46 Republicans

So therefore a ONE SEAT gain by the Democrats!

Nate Silver Convincing That Barack Obama Will Be Reelected President On Tuesday

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Nate Silver, the most legitimate prognosticator on the American political scene, who writes for the NY TIMES, has upped the ante on the reelection of Barack Obama to the White House with his declaration that the odds for Obama have been raised to 85 percent, based on 19 of 22 polls in the “swing states” in the past few days, showing him ahead.

Silver has always put Obama in the lead, but now, after Hurricane Sandy, his odds of winning have gone up.

So despite the Gallup and Rasmussen polls that show a near deadlock, Silver claims that Mitt Romney winning is a real gamble, and would not be worth a bet, unless one is prepared to lose a large amount of money!

We all know about the Gallup polls of 1948, which were totally wrong, but this is NOT 1948, and the thought is that the Gallup and Rasmussen polls are wrong, and that Nate Silver and the polls that show Obama winning are correct.

This author has always believed that Obama would win, based on his record, and the multiple faults and weaknesses of Mitt Romney and his campaign.

In about 60 hours, we shall know!