Ronald Reagan

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

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!

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

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!

Presidents Day 2023: The Changes In Rankings Occurring

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!

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.

The MAGA Republican Agenda Must Be Resisted By Biden And Democrats!

The MAGA Republicans who now control the House of Representatives under Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, and also have influence over some of the minority Republican contingent in the US Senate, have declared war on common decency.

Joe Biden, the Democratic Senate majority and the minority House Democratic caucus under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries have their work cut out for them to resist and defy the lunatics who are wishing to impose their agenda on the nation.

The Republicans want to negotiate over the debt ceiling when it is their party that has added most of the national debt under Republican Presidents, and specifically, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and most egregiously, Donald Trump, in their mad quest to cut taxes for the super wealthy who do not need tax cuts, and never pay an adequate tax rate.

They have no concern over the damage that would be wrought on the American and worldwide economy by holding the debt ceiling as hostage, when it covers past Congressional actions that were enacted, so it shows that they are deadbeats when it comes to payment of financial obligations. The debt limit has been raised more times than years in the past multiple decades, and without question when the Republicans controlled both chambers of Congress!

And they wish to destroy the Internal Revenue Service, and instead of income taxes, tax everyone a flat rate of 30 percent sales tax on all purchases and expenses, an idea that will destroy the middle class and the poor, and greatly benefit the wealthy, absolutely outrageous!

The Republicans also want to make massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, veterans benefits, calling them “entitlements”, when taxpayers pay for these programs in their years of paying taxes, so to cut is an outrage!

Republicans are also declaring war on the need for environmental reforms to deal with climate change; to promote “clean energy”; wanting to cut national parks and conservation lands and sell them to industrial interests; necessary investment in infrastructure; along with wanting to cut the meager investment in National Public Radio and PBS, undermining the concept of educating the American public with a miniscule investment of public funds!

The Democrats need to counter the Republicans by insisting on such programs as the following:

An increase in the minimum wage, and indexed to inflation

A significant tax increase on the wealthy

Expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) to states that have not expanded Medicaid, mostly in the South, and including the megastates of Florida and Texas

Universal Pre-K for children under the age of five

A national paid family leave program

A permanent expansion of the child tax credit

And a “compromise” might be a smaller tax increase on the wealthy, and a slower increase in the national minimum wage over a longer period of time, but in exchange, the Republicans would stop holding as hostages the national debt that they mostly created without concern.

The Republicans claim to be “pro life”, and yet they show no concern for the welfare of American children who are not from wealthy families, and refuse to consider gun regulations as more and escalating numbers of mass murders occur, with 41 such incidents in the first 27 days of 2023!

The Ten Greatest Political Heroes Of 2022!

The year 2022 has been a very tumultuous year politically, but there are great political heroes that should be noted, applauded, and given recognition.

The following ten individuals are the greatest political heroes of 2022, in no special order:

Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland

Congressman Adam Schiff of California

The above four were the key figures on the January 6 Commission investigating the US Capitol Insurrection, with Cheney and Kinzinger sacrificing their congressional careers in the name of truth, democracy, and defense of the Constitution. They are true profiles in courage!

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California—who was the greatest Speaker of the House in the modern era.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York–who was a skilled leader dealing with the concept of an evenly divided Senate, and accomplishing great progress and reforms.

Attorney General Merrick Garland–who has demonstrated great and measured leadership of the Justice Department in the aftermath of the attack on democracy by Donald Trump.

White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain–the best modern Chief of Staff, helping President Joe Biden in accomplishment of his agenda.

President Joe Biden–a much underrated President who has accomplished more in his first two years in office than any President since Lyndon B. Johnson.

Finally, Dr Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden

Fauci is the one person most committed to proper dealing with the worst health crisis in a century, the COVID 19 Pandemic, and he is celebrating his 82nd birthday today, as he retires after serving 7 Presidents from Ronald Reagan in 1984 to Joe Biden in 2022! Fauci has reaffirmed the significance of science over religion, mythology, and fake science!

Two Years Of Kamala Harris As Vice President: Very Underrated!

Kamala Harris has been Vice President for two years, but unfortunately, she has been very underrated by many observers.

Most people fail to understand that Vice Presidents have no power or influence, other than what the President gives them.

Joe Biden has been kind and engaged in making sure his Vice President has important duties and responsibilities, but the criticism of Harris fails to take into account how most Vice Presidents have had very little influence.

The only modern Vice Presidents who have stood out in a positive manner are Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter; Al Gore under Bill Clinton; and Joe Biden under Barack Obama.

Even such outstanding individuals as Lyndon B. Johnson under John F. Kennedy; Hubert Humphrey under Lyndon B. Johnson; Nelson Rockefeller under Gerald Ford; George H. W. Bush under Ronald Reagan; and Dick Cheney under George W. Bush had far less impact than one would have expected.

It seems clear, sad to state, that much of the criticism of Kamala Harris is due to her being a woman, and of mixed race ancestry!

One would think such bigotry would be gone, and much of it promoted by extremist religious factions, both Christian and Jewish! But sadly, it is still a reality!

White House Chief Of Staff Ron Klain A True Star!

The position of White House Chief of Staff, the person closest to the President on a daily basis, has existed since the Truman Presidency after World War II.

Some have lasted very short times in that position; some have proved to be disasters; and a small number have turned out to be exceptional in their dedication to progress under their Presidents.

The true disasters include:

Sherman Adams under Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1958)
H. R. Haldeman under Richard Nixon (1969-1973)
Donald Rumsfeld under Gerald Ford (1974-1975)
Dick Cheney under Gerald Ford (1975-1977)
Hamilton Jordan under Jimmy Carter (1979-1980)
Donald Regan under Ronald Reagan (1985-1987)
Reince Priebus under Donald Trump (six months in 2017)
Mark Meadows under Donald Trump (2020-2021)

The success stories include:

Kenneth O’Donnell under John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
James Baker under Ronald Reagan (1981-1985)
Howard Baker under Ronald Reagan (1987-1988)
John Sununu under George H. W. Bush (1989-1991)
Leon Panetta under Bill Clinton (1994-1997)
Erskine Bowles under Bill Clinton (1997-1998)
John Podesta under Bill Clinton (1998-2001)
Andrew Card under George W. Bush (2001-2005)
Denis McDonough under Barack Obama (2013-2017)
John F. Kelly under Donald Trump ((2017-2019)
Ron Klain under Joe Biden (2021- )

When one looks at these lists, it is clear that Ron Klain stands out as one of the top few White House Chiefs of Staff of all time, with Kenneth O’Donnell, James Baker, Leon Panetta, Andrew Card, and Denis McDonough also on the list of the best!

Dr. Anthony Fauci Being Maligned Is A Massive Injustice!

Dr. Anthony Fauci is retiring this month from public service as adviser to seven Presidents from Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, while leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

He has been priceless in his expert medical advice through many epidemics and pandemics,including the AIDS epidemic and the COVID 19 Pandemic, and has been unjustly maligned by so called “science experts”, who do not have a clue to what they are talking about!

The fact is that Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Twitter, and many Republicans in Congress and the states are totally unethical and immoral in their bitter attacks on him, and causing threats to his wife and family, totally infuriating!

Dr Fauci has sacrificed being in the public eye, and yet has no image of being an egotist wanting public attention, instead just going about his business of saving lives!

The Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to cause stress and grief for Dr. Fauci by demanding he testify in 2023, but Fauci will make all naysayers look like the fools and morons they really are!

So a salute to a great American hero, who was honored by President George W. Bush with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007!

The Republican Party Has Gone Fully Racist, Nativist, Misogynistic, Homophobic, And Willing To Ignore Anti Semitism In Its Midst!

In the past, we had elements of racism, nativism, misogyny, homophobia, and anti Semitism emerge among some members of both political parties.

But now, as the Republican Party is about to take control of the House of Representatives in January, the party that once was graced by Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H W Bush, has gone fully racist, nativist, misogynistic, homophobic, and ignoring elements of anti Semitism in its midst!

What used to be veiled and secretive is now openly displayed, with no sense of shame or embarrassment!

This shows up every day by the utterances or actions of those who admire Donald Trump, and Republican politicians who overlook his extremist behavior and promotion of hatred and violence and inciting domestic terrorism!

Members of the Republican Party in Congress and in many states accentuate their narrow mindedness and willingness to ignore the Constitution and Bill of Rights!

As things stand, the party is in its death throes long term, as those who are conservatives but have decency in their veins, are abandoning what has become an extremist right wing party!

So we have individuals such as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Larry Hogan, and a small number of others in the party who still uphold common decency.

But the cancer of Donald Trump and his supporters permeate the party, and the disaster of Kevin McCarthy as the likely Speaker of the House, or being replaced by someone even more horrendous, make clear that the party, as we once knew it, is in its death throes.

It must be replaced by a respectable, dignified Conservative Party, that does not promote as part of its plaform the evils of racism, nativism, misogyny, homophobia, and anti Semitism!