New York City

Ron DeSantis Does Cruel,Despicable Political Stunt, Shipping Venezuelan Migrants To Massachusetts!

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has done a despicable political stunt, victimizing Venezuelan migrant men, women, and children, by shipping them without notice or support to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts!

These are victims of an autocratic leftist government in their homeland, fleeing for their lives, and being victimized as refugees by a cruel, uncaring governor of the third largest state in population, and reminds us of similar treatment of Jews wishing to escape Nazi Germany in the late 1930s!

Similar stunts have been done by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, sending migrants to Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago. This is all part of the right wing campaign against immigration reform, at a time when we have a major crisis of migrants at the US-Mexico border!

These three Republican Governors, with DeSantis and Abbott planning Republican Presidential campaigns in 2024, are competing for attention against so called “Sanctuary Cities”, part of their attack on immigration, spewing hatred and racism!

This is similar to Southern Democrats shipping African Americans to the North sixty years ago in opposition to civil rights actions by President John F. Kennedy!

DeSantis is getting most of the attention, and is reveling in his demagoguery, arrogance, and bullyish nature, and seeing adoring men and women smiling around him is enough to make one want to vomit, at the level of hatred, nativism, and racism being displayed without shame!

Ron DeSantis is reminding us of Alabama Governor George Wallace, who was a threat in the 1960s and early 1970s, but with DeSantis a much more clear and present danger, as he is riding a wave of authoritarianism that could make him a danger as a serious candidate for the Presidency!

This was something never really possible in regards to Wallace, although he did win five states, 46 electoral votes, and 13.5 percent of the popular vote in the Presidential Election of 1968!

Investigation And Accountability Of Donald Trump Moves Ahead In Multiple Locations!

The investigation and accountability of Donald Trump is moving ahead in multiple locations.

In Georgia, the move is on to form a special grand jury to pursue Trump on his interference with the Georgia Secretary of State, trying to have 11,780 votes found that would win that state for Trump, rather than Joe Biden, who won by 11,779 votes. The phone call between Brad Raffensperger and Donald Trump is clearcut evidence of illegal tampering.

In New York State, and New York City,Trump and his family are being investigated for tax fraud about his properties, and NY Attorney General Letitia James is on the case full time.

With evidence of attempts to send alternative slates of electors for Trump in states Biden won, we are having legal action in Michigan, Arizona, and five other states moving forward.

With the Supreme Court allowing Trump documents from January 6, 2021 to go to the House January 6 Committee (Trump V Thompson), we are learning about all kinds of illegal actions and conspiracies by Trump, his family, and close associates. The House Committee is getting ready to take action against Trump conspirators and the President and his family members as well, holding them accountable for the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

Andrew Cuomo A Model Of A Crisis Leader, Compared To Our Out Of Touch Leader, Donald Trump

In the midst of this CoronaVirus Crisis, as we have President Donald Trump displaying total lack of compassion, empathy, or concern with his pitiful leadership in handling the pandemic, we are seeing Profiles in Courage by state and local leaders who are proving how decent and impressive they are in stepping up to fill the void, at least partially.

Special plaudits are given to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who one could wish could step into the role of President, a position he chose not to compete for in the present Presidential Election of 2020 competition.

This author and blogger has to admit that he had never been very impressed with Andrew Cuomo, who he thought was not impressive at all in his role as NY Governor, and certainly nothing like his wonderful father, the late former NY Governor Mario Cuomo.

But now, Andrew Cuomo has proved me wrong, and I salute him for his gutsy and courageous leadership in a time when New York State and New York City have become one of the epicenters of the spreading of the virus, along with California and Washington State.

The Surge Of Michael Bloomberg For The Democratic Presidential Nomination

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent more than $300 million in his quest to be the Democratic Presidential nominee, without participating in any debates, shaking hands and speaking to citizens, or being interviewed by news media.

Can a billionaire, worth $55-$60 billion buy the Presidency is the issue. Bloomberg has surged in recent polls, to be considered as a serious possibility for the Presidential nomination of the Democratic Party.

There is no debate that Bloomberg, while he has shortcomings, actually proved to be quite a good Mayor of New York City for 12 years, from 2002-2014. It is, arguably, the second most difficult government job in America after the Presidency.

He has apologized for his “stop and frisk” policies toward minorities in New York City, and suddenly, there are hints that minorities, particularly African Americans, may be moving toward him, as the sense grows that former Vice President Joe Biden is faltering.

It seems likely that Bloomberg will be participating in the next Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas. Nevada, on Wednesday February 19, sponsored by NBC News, since the Democratic National Committee has changed its qualification rules.

There are mixed feelings about Bloomberg, but the fact that he has pledged to spend his money on defeating Donald Trump, even if Bloomberg is NOT the Democratic nominee, makes it a quandary for many Democrats, including this author and blogger.

No Thanks, Michael Bloomberg! We Do Not Need Another Aging Billionaire Muddying Up The Democratic Presidential Competition!

The rumors have been around for months, but no thanks, Michael Bloomberg!

We do not need another aging billionaire muddying up the Democratic Presidential competition.

Bloomberg would have great trouble winning the White House, with his controversial record as New York City Mayor, and antisemitism would rear its ugly head, and the nation is not about to elect a New York City former Mayor, as most of the nation hates New York City, for no good reasons, but reality that hatred does exist.

The possibility of a brokered and divided Democratic National Convention is alarming, and would only help Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

It is time for narrowing of candidates, not broadening of the candidate pool.

If a moderate in place of Joe Biden is desired, it should not be Bloomberg, but more likely Mayor Pete Buttigieg, or Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Right now, a moderate ticket of Pete and Amy seems more likely, with their Midwest background, to have the opportunity to win the White House, certainly better than aging candidates reaching their 80s in a first term.

There will be plenty of time to evaluate Bloomberg over time, but first thoughts are, as stated above, no thanks!

Donald Trump: The Mob Boss And Massive Liar Who Wishes He Could Be President For Life!

Evidence is rapidly emerging of Donald Trump being much like a “Mob Boss”, who has had connections in the past with the Italian Mafia in New York City, and also with the Russian Mafia that has emerged under the leadership of Vladimir Putin.

This should be seen by any sane person as alarming, as the last thing we need is Organized Crime gaining an inner sanctum in the Oval Office.

Trump is also a massive liar, with more than 4,000 lies, an average of between 6-7 times a day, and rapidly accelerating.

The situation is very clear, that America is threatened by a man who has stated that he wishes to be President for life, a tyrant such as we see in totalitarian dictatorships.

That is why working to elect a Democratic Congress and more Democratic Governors is urgent for the sustaining of our democracy.

If the Republicans in Congress, who have been unwilling to hold Trump’s feet to the fire, somehow keep control of both chambers, and the majority of Governorships, then America is indeed in great danger in 2019.

Americans have not fought and sacrificed their lives to see all of their traditions and accomplishments destroyed by a would be dictator, who is mentally unhinged!

Earliest Endorsers Of Donald Trump Are Now Under Indictment For Corruption

As the Trump Presidency is teetering and tottering toward its ultimate end, it is ironic that its first two Congressional endorsers during the 2016 Presidential campaign have now been indicted and face trials, and eventual loss of their seats in the House of Representatives.

New York Congressman Chris Collins and California Congressman Duncan Hunter have both been involved in financial shenanigans, Collins with insider trading on the stock market, and Duncan with using campaign money for personal expenses.

And Hunter claims innocence, but indicts his wife, who has also been arrested, rather than take responsibility for corruption.

What kind of man or husband does that to his wife?

Both of these Congressmen, and many more in their party, are pure scumbags, and it adds to the strong image of the Republican Party being a bunch of Mafia gangsters, out to steal from the people, and enrich themselves, as if they were poor and struggling, as many Americans are doing in their lives.

And then, of course, it is the Republicans who condemn the poor and want to cut food stamps, Medicaid, and other programs to help the poorest among us.

These Republicans, and others, follow the lead of their party leader, Donald Trump, who is now being compared to a “mob boss”, as in the Italian Mafia in New York City, and the Russian Mafia.

How is Donald Trump now any different than John Gotti?

And yet, the Republican Party has nothing to say in response to the recent events undermining Donald Trump!

The Potential Exists For Youngest President In American History To Be Elected In 2020!

With disillusionment with “the older generation” widespread, the possibility now exists that America could elect a President in 2020 who could be younger than any President in American history.

Theodore Roosevelt succeeded to the Presidency at age 42 years and 10.5 months in 1901, upon the assassination of President William McKinley.

And John F. Kennedy was the youngest elected President, taking the oath of office at age 43 years and 7.5 months in 1961.

We have also had three younger Presidential nominees of a major party who lost their campaigns for the Presidency:

Thomas E. Dewey in the 1944 election, who would have been 42 years and 10 months if he had taken the oath in 1945

John C. Breckinridge in the 1860 election, who would have been 40 years and 1.5 months if he had taken the oath in 1861

William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 and 1900 elections, who would have been 36 years and 11.5 months and 40 years and 11.5 months respectively, if he had taken the oath in 1897 and 1901.

Now, in the upcoming election for President in 2020, there are seven theoretical candidates who would be younger than TR and JFK.

They include:

Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who would be 42 and three months on Inauguration Day

Congressman Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts, who would be 40 and three and a half months on Inauguration Day

Congressman Eric Swalwell of California, who would be 40 and two months on Inauguration Day

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who would be 39 and nine months on Inauguration Day

Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who is running to be Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, in June 2019, who would be 39 and eight months on Inauguration Day

South Bend, Indiana Mayor (since 2012) Pete Buttigieg, who would be 39 and one day old on Inauguration Day

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg, who has no political experience, who would be 36 and eight months old on Inauguration Day

The odds of any of these seven being the Democratic nominee are very long, and highly unlikely, as four are members of the House of Representatives (and only James A. Garfield was ever elected to the Presidency from the lower house); and two are or will be Mayors, and only Andrew Johnson, in Greeneville, Tennessee; Grover Cleveland, in Buffalo, New York: and Calvin Coolidge in Northampton, Massachusetts were mayors, although Theodore Roosevelt ran for New York City Mayor in 1886, but lost.

Finally, Zuckerberg would only be the second person never in public office after Donald Trump, and seemingly, a real long shot. If Zuckerberg were to become President, he would be the youngest nominee ever, three and a half months younger than William Jennings Bryan in 1896.

The Octogenarians And The Presidential Nomination Battle In 2020—Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Jerry Brown, Michael Bloomberg

Soon, once the midterm elections of 2018 are over, no matter what happens, we will start to see the beginnings of the Presidential Election of 2020 campaign.

And in the Democratic Party, we have, in theory at least, FOUR soon to be Octogenarians who MIGHT decide to run for the nomination of their party.

All four would be in their 80s during the next term.

First, we have former Vice President Joe Biden, who would be 78 days after the 2020 election.

Then, we have Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who would be 79 at the time of the 2020 election.

We also have soon to be former Governor Jerry Brown of California, who would be seven months past 80 at the time of the 2020 election.

Finally, we have former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who would be three months short of 79 when the 2020 election occurs.

So all four would be in their 80s during their first term of office.

All but Bloomberg have actually been Presidential candidates, with Bloomberg flirting with it, but never taking the step.

Biden ran in 1988 and 2008, while Sanders ran in 2016, and Brown in 1976, 1980, and 1992.

The least likely to announce is Brown, but knowing his past history, who can say he would not announce?

Bloomberg seems second least likely to run, but is spending $80 million to help Democrats win the midterm elections in Congress and the states.

Both Biden and Sanders seem certainly to announce, in a field that could include more than 10 potential candidates.

If one had to project whether any of these four men might actually be the Democratic nominee, it would be Joe Biden, who is the most centrist of the four.

With both Sanders and Bloomberg being “independent”, outside the party membership, and both very unwilling to compromise or negotiate with party leaders, and with the Democrats insisting that only party members run for the White House, there would be massive conflict with either trying to take the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.

Truthfully, the best scenario would be a “NEW GENERATION”, someone in their 40s, 50s, or low to mid 60s, becoming the future of the party, rather than an “old timer”, who we would need to worry about more than normally, as to who their Vice President was, since the odds of an octogenarian serving a full term in the Presidency, would be quite a gamble!

State Politics Much More Complicated Than Often Realized: The Cases Of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, California

Anyone who follows American politics historically and contemporarily often seems unaware of the complexity of state politics around the nation.

We hear discussion of “Blue” states and “Red” states, but state politics is much more complicated that that.

Gerrymandering often distorts the reality of political loyalties in many states, and also the reality of about one third of voters being “Independent”, rather than loyal to Democrats or Republicans.

There are many examples of this across the nation, particularly noticeable in larger, more populated states.

Just a few examples:

New York State is often thought to be strongly Democratic, but not true in the state legislature, and New York City is vastly different in political culture from upstate New York areas, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany. Even Long Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, often reflect different views than the five boroughs of New York City, and within New York City, Staten Island, is vastly different from Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn, with Queens County more balanced than the other boroughs in the city.

Pennsylvania is a state where gerrymandering has given the Republicans until now a great advantage, but new court ordered mandates may change that balance in Congress and the state legislature. Philadelphia has a very different political orientation than western Pennsylvania, often called “Alabama” outside of the city of Pittsburgh.

Virginia is well known to have a very liberal Democratic northern section (often called NoVa), reflecting the influence of being the Washington DC suburbs, while much of the rest of the state is reliably conservative and Republican.

Florida is strongly Democratic in the southern counties, particularly Broward and Palm Beach Counties, with somewhat less so in Miami Dade County due to the influence of Cuban Americans, but even that is diminishing, since it is now 60 years since the rise of Fidel Castro, and those directly affected negatively by Castro, are mostly no longer part of the population in Miami. At the same time, Central Florida is the real battleground in the state, the area that decides most elections. North Florida is much like Alabama or Georgia, its neighbors.

Ohio is strongly Democratic in the northern and central sections, particularly in Cleveland and Toledo, and the capital of Columbus, but in the more rural parts and in southern Ohio, near Kentucky, including Cincinnati, it is strongly Republican.

Illinois is dominated by Chicago in the northern part, but down state Illinois is much more Republican in orientation.

Michigan has Detroit as strongly Democratic but in western and northern Michigan, it is much more rural and Republican.

Texas has Democratic strongholds in the state capitol, Austin, and in Houston, while other portions of this very large state, including the rural areas, are strongly Republican.

California has Democratic strongholds in San Francisco and Los Angeles, but the Central Valley, San Diego, and cities like Bakersfield, where House Majority Leader and possible next Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy resides, are strongly Republican.

The next race for the Speaker of the House could be between two Californians of totally different mentalities–Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.

A basic reality is that urban areas are always much more likely to be Democratic while rural areas are certain to be more Republican.

Suburban areas are what often decides the politics of a state and in Congress and the Presidential election, as they are the balancing force that determines a state vote, and recently it seems clear the suburban areas, often Republican, are starting to move away from that long time loyalty.