Presidential Election of 2012

Polls One Year Ahead Of National Elections Prove Nothing!

Ronald 4 Comments

National polling a year or more ahead of a national election is pointless, as much too often, it proves to be totally out of line with reality.

Also, elections are not decided nationally, but state by state, so therefore, the hysteria over the close polls on the Presidency showing a tight race should not cause people to panic.

At this point in many past election cycles, we were told Barack Obama was in bad shape in 2011; that Hillary Clinton was the guaranteed nominee in 2007; that Rudy Giuliani was the favored Republican candidate in 2007; that Howard Dean was favored in 2003; and on and on and on!

A year and more is an eternity, and the Democrats and Joe Biden still would be the favorite moving forward!

The Strange Feeling About Mitt Romney Leaving The Senate: Regret!

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The surprising news that Utah Senator Mitt Romney is retiring at the end of his term in 2024 leaves this blogger and author feeling regret.

While a major critic of Romney when he ran for President in 2012 against Barack Obama, Romney redeemed himself in the Senate since 2019, including being the only Republican Senator to vote to convict Donald Trump in both impeachment trials.

Romney also acted in a bipartisan manner with Joe Biden, although their differences are still quite clear on many issues.

But Romney was really one of a very few Republican Senators who engendered respect as decent, competent, and principled.

It has now been revealed about his strong criticism of Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and J D Vance, and his disappointment with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and this redeems his reputation mightily!

With his retirement, only Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is really the old style Republican, as even Maine Senator Susan Collins has been totally unreliable.

And whoever replaces Romney in the Senate from Utah is unlikely to have the distinction and dignity that Mitt Romney represents!

Ron DeSantis Promotes End Of Four Key Government Agencies!

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Extremist right wing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared war on the federal government and four of its agencies, in his mad campaign on trying to win away the evangelical Christian right from Donald Trump!

Besides attacking Donald Trump’s past support of gay rights in 2016 (although Trump changed his tune in office and since), DeSantis has called for the end of the following agencies, if he is elected President in 2024:

Department of Education
Department of Commerce
Department of Energy
Internal Revenue Service (and wants a flat tax instead, which would harm middle and lower classes and benefit the wealthy)

This is pure insanity, and a sign of how crazy and looney DeSantis is, and reminds us of what other loser Republican contenders for President promoted in the past, most notably former Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2011!

Chris Christie The 2024 Republican Version Of Jon Huntsman In 2012 And John Kasich In 2016!

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This author and blogger has always tried to find a Republican Presidential contender who he could consider “acceptable” if such candidate was to be the party nominee, and potentially win the Presidency.

So in 2012, former Utah Governor and Barack Obama’s Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman was seen as the “Best” choice of the opposition party, and seen as very competent and decent, although not preferred by this author and blogger over reelection of Obama. Of course, it turned out that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012.

Then in 2016, it was clear to this author and blogger that Ohio Governor John Kasich was the “Best” choice of the 17 Republicans running for President. His record was not “preferable” over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but like with Huntsman, Kasich came across as very competent and decent, over the eventual nominee, Donald Trump.

Now for 2024, while the Republican field of Presidential candidates is undesirable over the alternative of Joe Biden, it is clear that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, particularly after last night’s CNN Town Hall, is by far the best choice of a horrible lot.

Christie is, however, far from as “decent” as Huntsman and Kasich were, and one almost wishes that either or both Huntsman and Kasich were running for President now!

But while disagreeing with Christie on many matters, he is strong in condemning Donald Trump, while no other Republican candidate is willing to do so, and he comes across as rational and reasonable.

However, the so called “Bridgegate” scandal that led to blockage of traffic on the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey was a major stain on his record, and his brashness and bullying nature has some elements of Donald Trump.

And of course, he DID work with and support Donald Trump after his own failed candidacy in 2016!

This is more a case of looking for the candidate with the fewest evils, rather than the overall decency and competence of Jon Huntsman and John Kasich.

Christie is the least liked Republican candidate in the field, and is almost certainly to have very little chance of being the nominee, but again, in a field of terrible candidates, it would be “safer” for him to be the opponent of Joe Biden than anyone else in a horrendous field of candidates.

The sad situation that America is faced with in 2024 is that it is absolutely essential that Donald Trump never have a chance for a second term, and hopefully, Christie’s broad based attack on Trump will, at the least, prevent Trump from having the opportunity to be on the ballot at a time when he will be on trial for criiminal actions.

It is also urgent that the nation reelect Joe Biden as the only truly sane answer for the next term in the Presidency!

Is There A Jon Huntsman Or John Kasich In The Republican Presidential Campaign Of 2024?

Ronald 6 Comments

With the Republican Presidential race in high gear now, with the entrance later today of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, two days after the entrance of South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, the question arises?

Is there anyone in the Republican Party who has the potential to draw support and acclaim as occurred with former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman Jr. in 2012, or former Ohio Governor John Kasich in 2016?

Neither Huntsman nor Kasich went very far in the race, but both gained respect and applause as reasonably decent candidates.

But are there any such individuals now?

Theoretically, there might be with Senator Tim Scott; or possibly former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; or possibly New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu; or possibly former Texas Congressman Will Hurd; or finally, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney.

But it does seem like a long haul to compare any of them to Huntsman or Kasich, realistically!

Fascinating Senate Race In Utah: Evan McMullin Running As Independent Against Mike Lee, And Mitt Romney Remaining Neutral!

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One of the most interesting and fascinating Senate races in 2022 is in heavily Mormon Utah, where Republican Senator Mike Lee, who has emerged as a MAGA Republican, despite being very critical of Donald Trump six years ago, faces a challenge NOT from a Democrat, but from an Independent Republican who ran for President in 2016 in protest against Donald Trump’s candidacy.

McMullin won 21.5 percent of the vote in 2016 in Utah, and half of one percent of the total national vote, close to 750,000 votes. And in 2020, he endorsed Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden. McMullin had been a CIA agent, and believed Trump was a danger to national security.

When McMullin decided to run against Mike Lee, the Democratic Party in Utah agreed to stay out of the race, and right now, the polls indicate a very close race, with Lee only ahead by 4 percent, and more than ten percent of the voters still undecided.

McMullin, a strong conservative with principle, and never a Trump loyalist, has pledged he will not join the caucus of either the Republicans or Democrats if he wins the seat.

And the controversy over this race is magnified by Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee, refusing to take a stand and endorse his Senate colleague, Mike Lee. This is causing an uproar, but remember Romney voted to convict Trump in both impeachment trials, and has been condemned by Donald Trump.

This race of Lee vs McMullin will certainly be one of the most intriguing Senate races in November!

Republican Attacks On Social Security And Medicare Arise Again: They Never Give Up!

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Social Security has been under attack by Republicans and conservatives ever since its passage in 1935 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

Medicare has been under attack by Republicans and conservatives ever since its passage in 1965 as part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society.

The Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) has been under attack by Republicans and conservatives since its passage under Barack Obama in 2010!

Most recently, George W. Bush promoted privatization of Social Security, which failed to occur in 2004-2005, luckily so, as the Great Recession of 2008 would have destroyed those who invested in the stock market, rather than having the guarantee of Social Security.

Also, Mitt Romney proposed privatization of Medicare during his Presidential campaign in 2012.

Now, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin are the biggest backers of phasing out Social Security over five years! Also, Arizona Senatorial candidate Blake Masters has backed this idea!

If the Republicans were to win both houses of Congress and the Presidency by 2024, a great tragedy would occur!

As it is, Rand Paul and Ron Johnson face reelection this November, and every effort possible should be mounted to defeat these two horrendous US Senators! And Blake Masters needs to be defeated in his quest to be elected to the Senate!

Conservative Anti Trumpers Need To Enter The Republican Presidential Race In 2024!

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For the survival and continuation of the Republican Party, it is essential that conservative anti Trumpers enter the Republican Presidential race in 2024.

And if Donald Trump or one of his lackeys ends up as the GOP Presidential nominee, an anti Trumper, who has competed, needs to form a third party or independent movement to insure that Trump or his supporter is denied the Presidency in 2024!

Some candidates who might run include:

Larry Hogan Maryland Governor
Liz Cheney Wyoming Congresswoman
Adam Kinzinger Illinois Congressman
Ben Sasse Nebraska Senator
Mitt Romney Utah Senator and Presidential nominee in 2012
Lisa Murkowski Alaska Senator
John Kasich former Governor Ohio
Evan McMillan Independent Candidate for President 2020

Bill Clinton Illness And Colin Powell Death Reminders Of Fragility Of Life

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The past few days reminds us, even if we try to forget, of the fragility of life.

First, Bill Clinton, age 75, had a dangerous urological and blood infection, that required six days in the hospital, and will require a few weeks of further recovery at home.

And this morning, we have the shocking news that former Secretary of State, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and National Security Advisor Colin Powell has died of COVID 19 complications at age 84, despite having been fully vaccinated, although he was suffering from cancer.

Powell was a truly great American, a man much admired. But his defense of the claim of WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) before the United Nations, which justified the Iraq War under George W. Bush at the time, was proven to be a lie, undermining somewhat his reputation.

Still, as a mainstream Republican, Powell supported Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Joe Biden in 2020, and was an especially leading critic of the danger represented by Donald Trump.

So we are thankful that Bill Clinton is recovering from his illness, and greatly saddened by the death of Colin Powell!

Mitt Romney Being Booed At Utah Republican Event Demonstrates How Loony The GOP Has Become!

Ronald 1 Comment

This author, blogger and scholar was not thrilled by Mitt Romney during and after his 2012 Presidential campaign, but there has always been respect for his dignity, principles, and basic virtues.

Romney, like John McCain before him, were Republicans this author would not support, but always felt that they presented basic Republican principles in a respectable manner.

Such is not the case with Donald Trump, but it is now clear that the Republican party of history is dying rapidly.

The bitter attacks on John McCain in his last years in the Senate, and the nasty attacks on Mitt Romney for repudiating Trump and voting to convict him on impeachment charges demonstrated that the Republican Party is much like a Fascist Party, controlled and dominated by a lunatic and maniac who has no regard for American democracy.

For Mitt Romney to be booed at a Utah Republican state party event demonstrates how loony the GOP has become!

By all rights, Donald Trump should be in prison for inciting the January 6, 2021 Capital Insurrection, and yet we have crazy Trump followers in the Congress and the state legislatures who bow to him as if he was Benito Mussolini or Adolf Hitler.

One does not have to agree with Mitt Romney on issues to feel sad that he is being mistreated for having basic decency and admirable principles, so we are witnessing the destruction of the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, as well as John McCain and Mitt Romney!