Midterm Congressional Elections Of 2022

Justice Stephen Breyer Retirement Brings First African American Female Justice In Future!

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Associate Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, with 28 distinguished years on the Supreme Court, announced today in a meeting with President Joe Biden, that he will retire at the end of the Supreme Court term in late June.

Breyer is a very distinguished jurist, appointed by Bill Clinton in 1994, and adding stature and common decency to the Court in the past three decades.

However, Breyer will be 84 this August, and clearly, to insure a Biden appointment to the Court, because of the possibility of a Republican controlled Senate in 2023, it was urgent for him to leave the Court now.

Breyer will be the 22nd longest serving Justice when he leaves the Court, out of a total of 115 Justices in the Supreme Court’s history, so will be in the top 20 percent of all time service.

Biden will appoint an African American woman to be the first on the Supreme Court, a pledge he made when he was running for President, just as Ronald Reagan pledged to pick the first woman for the Court, who turned out to be Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981.

Diversity on the Supreme Court is essential, and will bring youth to the Court, even though the balance of power is still with conservative Republicans with their 6-3 advantage.

It is, however, a moment to celebrate Stephen Breyer, and celebrate another barrier to advancement in the judicial branch, long overdue!

Newt Gingrich Threatens Jail For January 6 Committee Members For Investigation Into Insurrection!

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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has created controversy by stating that the members of the January 6 House Committee, investigating the US Capitol Insurrection, will face jail time when and if the Republican Party gains control of the House of Representatives in the 2022 Midterm Congressional Elections this November!

This is a stunning statement, as what is being done by the January 6 House Committee is perfectly legitimate, as the events of January 6 were a breakdown of law and order, an illegal act of violence, sedition, and treason by all who participated in that tragic event, or encouraged it by their words and actions!

Gingrich is well known for corruption and scandal during his years in the House of Representatives, and is a loose cannon who craves attention, since he is no longer a factor in the Congress, and hardly noticed on the political scene.

This craziness only adds to the image of a man who has an historical record of negativism that no sane person would wish as his legacy!

He can be held responsible for the decline in civility in American politics, that began in the mid 1990s, and was utilized by Donald Trump!

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!

Republican Criticism About Biden, Harris, Pelosi Is So Petty And Infantile!

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The Republican Party and its right wing organs–Fox News Channel, OANN (One America News Network), and Newsmax TV–along with radio and print sites–are going full scale into petty, infantile attacks on the top three people in the American government—President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

For a party that worships obscene wealth, and worships a former President who has no ethical or moral values, witness:

Criticism of Joe Biden spending Thanksgiving in Nantucket at the home of a wealthy supporter.

Criticism of Kamala Harris for purchase of a $375 Cooking Pot on her recent diplomatic trip to Paris.

Criticism of Nancy Pelosi for the false rumor that she is purchasing a $25 million mansion on Jupiter Island, Florida.

It is perfectly fine for Republicans to associate with the wealthy, purchase properties, have vacations at resort locations, and buy whatever pleases them on a trip, but god forbid that the Democratic leaders of the national government have the same rights!

When one compares Joe Biden to Donald Trump; Kamala Harris to Mike Pence; and Kevin McCarthy or Paul Ryan or John Boehner to Nancy Pelosi, one realizes that Republican propaganda is pure stupidity, to be dismissed as ridiculous!

Republicans these days are more petty and infantile than ever, and they do not deserve any control of the national government, and all decent people must work very hard in the next year to insure the Democrats keep control of the future of America!

Republican Party Is Selling Its Reputation To Donald Trump, Who Is Hellbent On Destroying The Party!

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The Republican Party is in the process of destroying its legacy, and selling its reputation to Donald Trump, who is hellbent on destroying the party in his quest for absolute power, and destruction of American democracy!

Whether one agrees or not with the conservative philosophy of the Republican Party throughout its history, the party has added to the constant debate over the nature of government.

The Republican Party had its great leaders with courage and convictions, from the time of the party being founded as a reform party in the 1850s, through its various highs and lows over the past 167 years from 1854 onward.

Its low points included 1912, when William Howard Taft won only two states, 23 percent of the vote, and 8 electoral votes; to 1964, when Barry Goldwater won less than 40 percent of the vote, and only 6 states; to the shock of a reckless businessman, Donald Trump, who was able to hijack the party and its principles in 2016, and now has set out to destroy the party and the nation by refusing to concede defeat in the Presidential Election of 2020, and is a dire threat for the future!

Where are the “Profiles in Courage” that put the welfare of the nation over their own ambitions, and are willing to stand up to Trump Fascism, and its promotion of white supremacy and domestic terrorism, as demonstrated in the January 6, 2021 Insurrection on the US Capitol!

Only a small group is putting the nation and American democracy ahead of their own naked ambitions!

So on this Thanksgiving Day, we have to be thankful that Joe Biden is President, and do everything to insure that the Democratic Party overcomes history, and keeps control, and gains seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2022!

Two Profiles In Courage: Liz Cheney And Adam Kinzinger Voting To Censure Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar!

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This author and blogger is not a fan of conservatism, and definitely not a fan of former Vice President Dick Cheney, or his daughter, Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming.

He is also not a big fan of Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, whose conservative views are not his idea of leadership.

But both of them, Cheney and Kinzinger, have shown they have principle and are true profiles in courage, who someday will have an historian write a book on their willingness to stand up to extremist Fascist rhetoric and the danger of Donald Trump!

Both are on the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 US Capitol Insurrection, and both voted to impeach Trump after that event.

And both now have condemned Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar, just about the most extreme member of the Republican Party, who put a anime cartoon on Twitter which portrayed the assassination of New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a sword combat of Gosar with President Joe Biden.

This advocacy and portrayal of violence is not a laughing matter, and led to the censure of Gosar in the House of Representatives, with only Cheney and Kinzinger, of all Republicans, joining the Democratic majority to take such action, which has only occurred 23 previous times in the history of the lower chamber since 1789!

Gosar should be expelled from the House of Representatives, but that cannot happen unless there was a bipartisan vote of two thirds of the chamber, which will not happen.

But for Republicans to defend the advocacy of violence, and for Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to refuse to condemn Gosar’s action is an outrage that will cause much grief in the future, and particularly if the Republicans, due to gerrymandering, are able to regain control of the House of Representatives in the midterm Congressional Elections of 2022!

This whole situation reminds historians of the Congressional violence and advocacy of violence in the pre Civil War period, particularly in the decade of the 1850s!

Terrifying to think that Congress itself is becoming a battleground of extremism and violence, due to the extremism and danger of Donald Trump!

Growing Threats To Election Officials In States, Members Of Congress From Right Wing Trump Supporters!

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The refusal of Donald Trump to concede in the Presidential Election of 2020 one year later and counting has created a poisonous, threatening situation for dozens of election officials in many states, AND members of Congress who have been courageous enough to be critical of Trump, including supporting his impeachment and support the infrastructure legislation that passed by a bipartisan vote.

It has also caused threats and confrontations of election board and school board members in many states, including threatening phone calls and emails, designed to discourage people from participating in promotion of American democracy and educational curriculum and more.

Private security and police support is required for so many public officials and staff who never had to worry before now about dangers to their lives and families.

We are in the midst of a “Reign of Terror”, by domestic terrorists and white supremacists, egged on by the 45th President, and yet, so far, nothing seems to be working to hold him accountable, and deal with the horrific situation the nation faces.

And the next rounds of elections, state and congressional in 2022, and the presidential election of 2024, seem highly likely to be a time of potentially greater crises and threats than even the events of the past year, from the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021 onward!

There is a growing sense that America may experience the kind of Fascist authoritarian threat presented in the mid 20th century by Fascist Italy and Benito Mussolini, and Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler, as well as other authoritarian leaders in other nations past and present!

A Year After Joe Biden Election, Major Economic Advancements In Midst Of COVID 19 Pandemic!

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A year since Joe Biden was elected President, the nation has seen major economic advancements in the midst of the COVID 19 Pandemic.

We have seen 5.6 million jobs created, the greatest of any President in nine months in office.

We have seen 531,000 jobs created in October alone.

We have a 4.6 percent unemployment rate, similar to what Barack Obama left the nation when he finished his Presidency in January 2017.

The Stock Market is at an all time high as I write this!

We have seen major Pandemic relief legislation, and now a massive Physical Infrastructure bill ready to be signed by Joe Biden.

The Social Infrastructure legislation is making progress, at a lower rate than originally planned, but still in the range of $1.75 trillion.

We are seeing greater progress than was possible by Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and even Barack Obama in their first year.

Joe Biden is on the way to being the most successful domestic President since Lyndon B. Johnson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

This is the time to promote and publicize the great advancements, and make the case for the Democrats to have expanded majorities in both houses of Congress in 2022 and beyond.

Finally, The Physical Infrastructure Legislation Is Passed In The House Of Representatives With Bipartisan Vote!

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Finally, overnight, the House of Representatives passed the Physical Infrastructure bill that had passed the US Senate with a bipartisan vote of 69-30 in August.

And happily, there were 13 Republicans who supported the legislation in the House, making the legislation truly a bipartisan accomplishment, with a final vote of 228-206.

This is a major victory for Joe Biden and the Democrats, despite the tortuous delay of more than two months, and the $1.2 trillion of spending on roads, airports, bridges, rail systems, broadband, environmental cleanup, and electric vehicles will advance the American economy dramatically!

The nation desperately needed this legislation, and it will help the Democratic argument to keep them in the majority in the 2022 Midterm Congressional Elections a year from now!

However, with all of the excitement that this legislation engenders, it IS a fact that without the 13 Republicans, including a number who voted to impeach Donald Trump the second time, the legislation would NOT have passed, as 6 “Progressives” voted against it, including

Jamaal Bowman of New York
Cori Bush of Missouri
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan

The latter four have been called the “Squad”, and the first two have been considered to be additions to the group by the news media, and seemingly, have indicated they are glad to be part of the group.

Four of the 13 House Republicans who supported the legislation also supported impeachment of Donald Trump in January 2021:

Adam Kinzinger of Illinois (not running for reelection)
Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio (not running for reelection)
Fred Upton of Michigan
John Katko of New York

Even without the other nine Republicans, those four principled Republican House members who did the right thing on both impeachment and the infrastructure bill, basically saved the legislation, as with their votes alone, the legislation would have passed 219-215!

The present House of Representatives has 221 Democrats, and 213 Republicans, so there is a working majority of just three members, although the Democrats have eight more members than the Republicans.

Democrats Need To Go On The Offensive, Play Hardball, If They Are To Keep Control In Congress In 2022!

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The Democratic Party has a history of staying cordial, pleasant, and being unwilling to go on the offensive and play hardball.

The Republican Party, historically, and conservatives in general, are always on the offensive, play nasty and dirty, and love to stir emotions of fear and scare as regular tactics.

This was true even before the age of Donald Trump, using the words “Socialism”, “Communism”, “Liberalism”, and “Progressivism” as code words to keep uneducated and ill informed voters to support a party that only truly cares about corporations and the wealthy, and is excellent as “pulling the wool over one’s eyes”, about what is truth, facts, and reality.

From the age of Joseph McCarthy, through Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and on to Donald Trump, their strategy and tactics have been to manipulate and deceive Americans to think they are the true party of the average Americans, which is furthest from reality.

So Democrats must become more aggressive, and go on the attack, not just against Donald Trump, but the Republican Party as a whole, as a threat to American democracy and the rule of law.

And they must emphasize the details of what they are doing with their “Build Back Better” agenda, the most advanced programs since the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson.

The “Build Back Better” programs will have a dramatic effect on everyday life for tens of millions of Americans, long overdue to make the lives of average Americans along the lines of other Western democracies in Europe, Canada, and Australia!