Joe Biden

A Generation Since The Iraq War, Which Was Another “Big Lie”, As The Presidential Election Of 2020!

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The Iraq War, which led to the downfall and death of Saddam Hussein, and the rise of Iranian influence over Iraq, was another “Big Lie”, based on false intelligence, and causing the death of an estimated 270,000 Iraqi civilians, and 4,600 US military personnel.

Just as Iraq was a “Big Lie”, so is the continued contention that the Presidential Election of 2020 was “stolen” by Joe Biden, and denied to Donald Trump!

The cost in the national debt due to the Iraq War was at least $2 trillion, and no WMD’s (Weapons of Mass Destruction) were found.

It is a permanent stain on President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and all of the leading figures around the Bush Presidency, with the indication that there was no concerted plan for an extended civil war that dragged on for eight long years, and undermined US policy in the Middle East.

This author and blogger recalls participating in a symposium early in 2003, and believing that such an intervention was based on false pretenses and a mistake, so what followed is seen as a major human tragedy of massive proportions.

Two Decent, Compassionate Men: Jimmy Carter Asks Joe Biden To Give Eulogy When Carter Dies!

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It is so hard these days to find a news story that can bring tears to one’s eyes, but the news that former President Jimmy Carter, who is in hospice, and nearing the end of his life, at this point, 98 years and 5 and a half months and counting, has asked President Joe Biden to give the eulogy for him at his funeral, whenever that occurs.

These are two of the most decent, compassionate, empathetic men we have ever seen in the Presidency, and one must recall that young Senator Joe Biden, at age 33, was the first US Senator to endorse the “dark horse” Jimmy Carter for President on a political trip to Wisconsin on March 25, 1976.

Biden had foresight, but clearly saw a connection with the then 51 year old Carter, which has lasted a half century.

And one must recall that Carter, with no hate in his heart, became fast friends after his Presidency, with the man he defeated, Gerald Ford, who also was a uniquely decent and compassionate man, more than any Republican President in memory.

So the Carters and the Fords became great friends, and it was arranged whoever died first, the other one would give the eulogy at his funeral, which Carter did for President Ford after his death on December 26, 2006.

So these three men, who have shared the office of the Presidency, have this unique connection which should inspire people!

And while one never knows how long anyone shall live, it would seem appropriate when President Biden passes on, hopefully after his second term in office, that his companion, President Barack Obama, give the eulogy for Biden, as Obama shares the decency, compassion, and empathy of Presidents Carter, Biden, and Ford!

Ohio Train Derailment And Nebraska Child Labor Scandal Signs Of Corporate Abuse!

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Sadly, in 2023, we have examples of corporate abuse as seen with the recent East Palestine, Ohio derailment of dangerous chemicals, on a train two miles long, with only two workers operating the train.

Also, in Nebraska, we have early teens doing dirty and dangerous work as cleaning workers in a slaughter house, breaking the child labor laws, and exploiting immigrant children.

How this is possible is due to continued big business and conservative and Republican attempts to weaken federal regulation, as occurred under Donald Trump and earlier Republican Presidents, despite the work of Barack Obama to strengthen such regulation.

The issues of government regulation of business and labor rights were dealt with in the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson; again in the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt; and again in the 1960s under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. It emerged again in the Obama Presidency, but then was backtracked on under Donald Trump, as with earlier Republican Presidents, particularly Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.

It is essential to have actions to prevent the kinds of tragedies that have occurred recently. The answer is not to attack Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and President Biden. And the Republican attack on the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal regulatory agencies must stop!

The War On Knowledge Is Horrifying And Extremely Dangerous!

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The war on knowledge is in full swing in much of America, particularly “Red” America, including the megastates of Texas and Florida, but also many other states.

War has been declared on teachers and what they teach in their classrooms!

War has been declared on librarians and book shelves in public and school libraries!

There is a constant barrage of attacks on so called “woke” ideas, which means to have compassion, empathy, and concern about those less privileged in a society where wealthy white people prevail in control, and want to limit diversity, inclusion, and equity, for poor people, immigrants, women, people of color, and gays, lesbians, and transexuals!

The hate being promoted by Ron DeSantis in Florida is escalating elsewhere, and threatening the very existence of marginal groups, and encouraging breakdown of mental health, victimizing young people in particular, but really promoting, ultimately, a return to white supremacy and advocating Christian dominance in a society that is supposed to be one of separation of church and state!

If DeSantis, Donald Trump, or their ilk win back control of both houses of Congress and the White House in 2024, then the fear that many Americans had during the early days of World War II, that we would have American Fascism taking over, maybe in the name of aviator Charles Lindbergh back then, could very well come to pass!

American freedom and democracy could end, and who could say that there would not be those politicians who would not come up with a variation of the “Final Solution” of Adolf Hitler?

This is not light banter, but rather makes clear the very serious and growing threat to basic civil liberties, including freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly!

We could see another “Holocaust” as people of color experienced in America with widespread discrimination and brutality visited against native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and non Christians in varying degrees, history that people like DeSantis do not want to be taught!

It is time for patriotic Americans to make clear that we are not going to allow those promoting hate and division to triumph in the future, so the upcoming elections in 2024 and beyond are not a time to sit on the sidelines and just hope for a miracle!

Actions are necessary to insure the future of American democracy and freedom, and the empathy, sincerity, decency, and compassion that Joe Biden and others like him promote, MUST triumph for survival of the nation we love!

Biden In Ukraine And Poland Being Compared To Kennedy And Reagan In Berlin!

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Joe Biden spoke in Poland yesterday, after having spoken in Ukraine the day before, and he showed why so many sane individuals love his Presidency!

He spoke up for freedom and democracy against Russian tyranny, and it brought to mind the brilliant speeches of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and Ronald Reagan in 1987 at the Berlin Wall.

Also, his speech in Ukraine reminded us of Abraham Lincoln speaking at Gettysburg in November 1863, while the Civil War was still raging, taking the gamble to speak in an area similar to Kiev, Ukraine, under war footing and without adequate military forces available to protect the President.

If this does not convince people that Joe Biden is a transformational President, then nothing will!

And the Republican party opposition is split by the Russia-Ukraine War, and with Donald Trump and now, Ron DeSantis, against support of Ukraine, if either is the nominee, they are on the road to a smashing defeat in the Presidential Election of 2024!

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!

Presidents Day 2023: The Changes In Rankings Occurring

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Every Presidents Day is a time for reflection on rankings of Presidents by Presidential scholars and by ordinary citizens.

As more evidence comes out about Donald Trump, it just moves him closer to the bottom of the list with James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson.

Neither of them, as horrendous as they were, took action to stage a coup by inciting violence and bloodshed at the US Capitol, and no President was as immoral and unethical as Trump, not even Richard Nixon.

The reputation of Jimmy Carter, even before his announcement of going into hospice, has been on the rise, as it is understood that he was horribly underestimated, because of his loss in 1980 to Ronald Reagan.

The record of Barack Obama also looks better all of the time when compared to the Presidents before and after him—George W. Bush and Donald Trump!

Joe Biden is in midstream, but his record of accomplishments and his common decency and empathy are causing him to be seen in sympathetic eyes by most observers, except the hate mongers, of which there are, sadly, too many!

Gerald Ford’s reputation is also improving, as the Republican President truly seen as saving the Presidency after the tragedy and corruption of Richard Nixon. His pardon of Nixon cost him in rankings, but in recent years, Ford is seen in a different light!

Republican Governors Vs Democratic Governors: The Future Battles!

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As one looks ahead to future political battles, one cannot ignore the growing role of Republican governors being challenged by Democratic governors, usually a “fraternity” in which the members share a “camaraderie”, but not so in 2023, 2024, and beyond!

A number of former or sitting Republican governors are seen as likely to seek the Presidency, and even those who are not seeking to “move up” are engaged in “culture wars”.

Meanwhile, Democratic governors seem unlikely to enter the Presidential race for 2024, standing by while President Joe Biden moves to run for a second term, but they are “backups” in case the situation changes, and are certainly to be seen as part of the long term future of the Democratic Party, even more than sitting members of the US Senate.

The list of Republican governors includes Ron DeSantis of Florida; Greg Abbott of Texas; Kristi Noem of South Dakota; Glenn Youngkin of Virginia; Brian Kemp of Georgia; Chris Sununu of New Hampshire; and former Governors Larry Hogan of Maryland and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas.

The Democratic list of the Governorships has potential future Presidential contenders, including Gavin Newsom of California; J. B. Pritzker of Illinois; Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Jared Polis of Colorado; Jay Inslee of Washington; Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania; Wes Moore of Maryland; Phil Murphy of New Jersey; Andy Beshear of Kentucky; and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.

Never have we had so many state governors seen as potential Presidential contenders, with the reminder that in the past 100 years, we have had the following Presidents who were state governors: Calvin Coolidge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

President Biden And The State Of The Union Address: A Grand Slam Homerun!

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President Joe Biden hit a grand slam homerun last night in a magnificent State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress, lasting more than an hour, and touching on all issues that needed to be addressed.

And the MAGA Republicans hurt themselves by their horrendous behavior and lack of respect for the President, including heckling and jeering, something Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy tried to prevent ahead of the gathering, but failed in his mission to do so.

The scene of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and other extremists misbehaving in a way that was totally inappropriate in this venue will be used by Democrats in the upcoming Congressional and Presidential campaigns of 2024!

Biden confronted the Republicans on the debt ceiling issue; on the danger to Social Security and Medicare; on immigration; on the issue of gun regulations and police abuses; on climate change; and so many other issues.

The Republicans were on the defensive and denied reality that they had caused one fourth of the entire national debt under Donald Trump, and had raised the debt ceiling three times, but now are being resistant on doing so this time!

Anyone who had doubts about Joe Biden’s ability to deal with complex issues saw a President highly energetic, giving a fantastic speech that put the Republicans on the defensive.

Biden is ready to take the case of his reelection to the nation, and he will, clearly, give the opposition “hell”, as Harry Truman did in the Presidential campaign of 1948!

The Democratic Primary Calendar Change For 2024 Makes Sense!

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The Democratic Party has made an important decision regarding the Presidential primary calendar for the Presidential Election of 2024.

The system of the last half century has been that Iowa holds its caucus first, followed by New Hampshire then having its primary.

Both Iowa and New Hampshire are overwhelmingly white and rural, in a nation that is more diverse than ever, so it is, rightfully, time for change!

So the decision has been made to put South Carolina first on Saturday, February 3, followed by joint primaries in New Hampshire and Nevada on Tuesday, February 6; then by Georgia on Tuesday February 13, and then, Michigan on Tuesday February 27.

If Iowa and New Hampshire refuse to change their dates, then the delegates from those two states may not be seated at the Democratic National Convention, and the Republican Party is highly unlikely to cooperate with Democrats, so it will created a confused situation.

This could include some wayward Democrat choosing to run in the Democratic primary to challenge Joe Biden, and creating confusion and disarray.

The new situation downgrades the idea of the Presidential Caucus system, which has deteriorated from a point of about 15 states holding them instead of primaries, now down to just 3 or 4, and likely to die on the vine, with maybe only Iowa fighting the tide and doing its own thing, but with the state unable to participate in the Democratic National Convention, a situation that could also affect New Hampshire!

No system is perfect, but President Biden pushed the change, due to the fact that it was South Carolina that put him on the road to the White House, after Iowa and New Hampshire both rejected his candidacy earlier!