Month: April 2012

Lack Of Enthusiasm For Mitt Romney Within Republican Party: Danger Sign For November!

Mitt Romney is the least popular GOP Presidential candidate in modern history, ten points lower than John McCain was in 2008.

He is losing among women, Independents, Hispanics and Latinos, based on many public opinion polls.

He has a lack of enthusiasm among religious voters, Southern whites, Midwesterners, conservatives, and even young voters

His major support are those over $100,000 income, corporate interests, and people of his own Mormon faith in states such as Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona.

Romney simply has no natural constituency, and as things stand now, he could very well lose by a massive landslide, with Barack Obama winning close to his electoral vote total of 365 in 2008, and possibly winning more electoral votes!

Mitt Romney has become, at least at this point, a totally uninspiring candidate, and the odds of his recovery to the point of winning the Presidency seem extremely remote!

Mitt Romney And The National Rifle Association Convention: Total Hypocrisy!

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, seemingly secure in being the GOP Presidential nominee, gave a speech at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis, Missouri today, utilizing his wife Ann to mention how much they both admire all mothers, part of their hypocritical response to Hillary Rosen, a Democratic strategist and CNN contributor, who said that Ann Romney had never worked a day in her life.

Losing the woman’s vote by a vast margin at present, the two are exploiting that comment by Rosen in a despicable manner, but even worse was the pandering of Mitt Romney to the NRA, a group which has been lukewarm to him.

Why should not the NRA be skeptical of Mitt Romney? Because when he ran for Senator against Ted Kennedy in 1994, and as Governor of Massachusetts from 2003-2007, Mitt Romney emphasized gun control and criticized the NRA.

This is another example of the total hypocrisy and phoniness of Mitt Romney, and does anyone really believe him? If so, such persons are extremely naive!

And of course, after the Trayvon Martin murder in Florida, Romney should have condemned the “Stand Your Ground” laws backed by the NRA, and in effect in 25 states, but Romney has no interest in anything but winning the White House, no matter how much he comes across as disingenuous!

So Mitt Romney is really Pinocchio, as he continues to lie and deceive, and his nose is getting longer and longer!

Mitt Romney, Barack Obama And Use Of Teleprompters

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential nominee, gave a strong speech at the National Rifle Association convention today in St. Louis, Missouri.

Getting away from whether the speech was good or not in its details, Mr. Romney gave what could be considered a very effective speech, in the sense that there was no stumbling, pausing, or unplanned statements.

And why was that? Because Mitt Romney used a TELEPROMPTER, which kept him on course!

Why is this even mentioned? Because the Republican Party and talk show hosts on Fox News Channel and talk radio have been constantly attacking President Barack Obama for using teleprompters in his Presidency, ridiculing his utilizing them.

Obama has done this to make certain that he is on target in his remarks, and does not make any major speaking blunders, a strategy which makes perfect sense!

But of course, is there anything that Obama is not attacked on? You know the answer!

But now, suddenly, quietly, Mitt Romney is using teleprompters, which indeed does make him more effective in giving a speech, since Romney is not exactly the most articulate and accurate speech maker!

So it is alright for Romney to use a teleprompter, without comment by the Right Wing, but if Barack Obama uses it, criticize him, right?

Just another example of the total hypocrisy of the Republican Party, but don’t bet we will hear this very much from now on, as long as Mitt Romney utilizes teleprompters!

A Political Figure To Watch: Could Cory Booker Be The Next Black President In 2017?

Cory Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey since July 2006.

Cory Booker is a handsome, charismatic African American politician, who has been very effective as Mayor of an embattled city with a horrible reputation.

Cory Booker is well spoken and impressive on the stump.

Cory Booker has ambitions to be Governor of New Jersey, and it is expected he will run for that position in November 2013, making that race the major one to follow in an off year election year, when few major political races are conducted.

Cory Booker would have Governor Chris Christie, the hero of conservatives and Republicans as his competition, with Christie running for a second term.

Nothing could make progressives and Democrats happier than Cory Booker retiring Chris Christie from the Governorship a year and a half from now.

Chris Christie was the original “Bully” Republican Governor, setting a standard for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Florida Governor Rick Scott, and Maine Governor Paul LePage, among other GOP Governors who have warred on public workers, women, the elderly, and the middle class and the poor since 2010!

Christie is the “Godfather” of the loudmouths, the blusterers, the aggressive nasty Governors who have made clear that they are owned by right wing elements, including the Koch Brothers, and the major corporations!

Chris Christie needs to be sent back home, so we don’t have to see his blustering, his obnoxiousness, his boasting, his victimizing nature, a man truly obscene in his public utterances, making one wish to vomit in response! This kind of mean, nasty, “in your face” politics is not good for America!

IF Cory Booker indeed does run for Governor, and wins the office, a very powerful office, one of the most powerful Governorships of one of the major top fifteen states of the Union, he would have to be seen as a prime front runner for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the Presidential Election of 2016!

Booker is not only very articulate, but he is also very courageous and bold, as shown by the news that he rescued a neighbor yesterday from a raging fire, and sustained second degree burns and smoke inhalation. This proves just what a hero he really is, adding to the admiration many have for him.

With seven and a half years as Mayor of a major urban area, Newark, and three years as New Jersey Governor, how could one argue that Cory Booker is not qualified to become our second black President, and as it turns out, second CONSECUTIVE black President?

This is the kind of person we need to focus on as a strong possibility to succeed President Barack Obama, or if unfortunate enough to have President Mitt Romney in office, to deny him a second term in the White House!

Cory Booker is definitely a man to watch over the next few years! He would be a youthful 47 upon taking the oath as President in 2017, the same age as Barack Obama was when he took the oath of office in 2009. We could do far worse than a President Cory Booker!

A good friend of MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow when they both attended Stanford University, he not only earned a degree at Stanford, but also a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and a law degree at Yale University. He also has been given credit for urban transformation reform, a real leader in reviving declining urban areas such as Newark, producing a renaissance! He has been subject to threats of death from gang elements who do not want to see Newark and other urban areas transformed away from crime and drug infestation and toward economic renewal, and is a true example of courage more than almost any American politician!

So do NOT take your eye off Cory Booker, as he may be the future of the Democratic Party!

Vice Presidents Who Just Missed The Presidency: Hannibal Hamlin, Garret Hobart, John Nance Garner, Henry A. Wallace, Spiro Agnew, Nelson Rockefeller

American history records that we have had 43 Presidents of the United States.

What is often NOT recorded is how six Vice Presidents came so close to the Presidency, but circumstances prevented them from doing so.

Three situations involved the timing of the death of the President; while two involved the fortune of two attempted Presidential assassinations failing to succeed; and one involved a Vice President being forced from office before the President in office resigned in disgrace.

Imagine if any of the following Vice Presidents had become President, how it would have changed history!

Hannibal Hamlin was the first term Vice President under Abraham Lincoln from 1861-1865, and then was replaced on the electoral ticket by Andrew Johnson. Six weeks after Hamlin left the Vice Presidency, Johnson became President, upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and is seen by many as a true disaster, possibly the worst President in American history, and in any case facing an unsuccessful impeachment in office which he survived. One might imagine that Hamlin, a former Senator from Maine, would have, somehow, avoided the fate of Andrew Johnson and dealt with Southern Reconstruction in a different way that would have affected the nation long term.

Garret Hobart was Vice President in the first term of William McKInley, but died in office in November 1899, after about two years, eight and a half months in office. He had been a leader in the New Jersey state legislature, and was considered to have added to the Vice Presidency by his regular presiding of the US Senate, his being considered a Presidential adviser, and his being often called an “assistant President”, a new term at the time. Had he not died in office, he would have been on the ticket with President McKinley in 1900, and would have succeeded McKinley as President when McKinley was assassinated in September 1901. Instead, Theodore Roosevelt became President, and changed the course of American history in massive ways, and ushered in the Progressive Era!

John Nance Garner had had a long career in the US House of Representatives, and was Speaker of the House, when chosen by Franklin D. Roosevelt to be his Vice President in the 1932 Presidential Election. As President-Elect, FDR was subjected to an assassination attempt in Miami, Florida, on February 15, 1933, just 17 days before the inauguration. Fortunately, the assassin’s bullets did not hit FDR, but instead Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, and FDR was spared. Otherwise, Garner would have become President on March 4, 1933, but with his conservative and southern (Texas) heritage, it is highly doubtful that the New Deal would have occurred, denying us the most important and greatest President of the 20th century, and making one wonder how America would have dealt with the Great Depression.

During FDR’s third term as President, Henry A. Wallace, formerly Secretary of Agriculure, became his Vice President, and actively pursued the issue of civil rights, and also the issue of relations with our World War II ally, the Soviet Union. He alienated conservatives and Southerners in the Democratic Party, and when FDR decided to run for a fourth term, he replaced Wallace with Harry Truman, who became President 82 days after the fourth term began with FDR’s death, and changed the course of history. One has to wonder how Wallace would have conducted himself as President, particularly since he was highly critical of Truman’s Cold War policy toward the Soviet Union after World War II.

Spiro Agnew was Vice President for four and a half years under Richard Nixon from 1969-1973, and was loyal to Nixon, making himself controversial as he attacked liberals and the news media in Nixon’s behalf. But Agnew was forced out by personal financial corruption in the office of the Vice Presidency, as well as revelations about earlier such corruption in the office of the Maryland Governor and Baltimore County Executive in his years in public office before the Vice Presidency. Nixon, himself under attack in the Watergate scandal, did nothing to support Agnew, and Agnew resigned. Had this corruption not been revealed, Agnew would have become President upon the resignation of Richard Nixon on August 9, 1974. Instead, we had the Presidency of Gerald Ford for two years, five and a half months, after Ford had been a member of the US House of Representatives from Michigan, and Minority Leader of the House for almost nine years, with only a goal of someday being Speaker of the House.

When Gerald Ford was President, he chose Nelson Rockefeller , former Governor of New York and three time Presidential aspirant, as his appointed Vice President under the 25th Amendment. Then, Ford was subjected to TWO assassination attempts in Sacramento and San Francisco, California, seventeen days apart in September 1975. Both assassins missed the President, but had either been successful, Rockefeller would finally have achieved what he wanted the most, the Presidency of the United States.

So imagine how Hamlin, Hobart, Garner, Wallace, Agnew and Rockefeller MIGHT have changed the course of American history has they become President–instead of Andrew Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Gerald Ford!

The Controversy Over Ann Romney: A Cover For The Horrible Record On Women Of The Republican Party!

Ann Romney, the wife of Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is a very attractive and pleasant lady, without doubt.

Ann Romney is, obviously, a great mother, who has nurtured five handsome, accomplished sons.

Ann Romney is a wonderful wife to Mitt Romney, very dedicated to his success and advancement, and wishes to make him happy.

There is no debate about the goodness of Ann Romney, and were she to become First Lady of the United States, she would fulfill the roles of that position with grace, dignity, and class.

The controversy over Ann Romney, stirred up by Democratic operative Hillary Rosen, while regrettable, is really quite ridiculous on its surface, however.

Hillary Rosen, NOT a spokesman for the Obama Presidential campaign, simply said that for Mitt Romney to say that his wife can provide him with a real indication of the problems of American women, is preposterous, and that is totally a true statement!

Ann Romney, like her husband, Mitt Romney, does not and cannot understand the reality of life for middle class and poor Americans, no matter how hard they try, and to claim she is an expert on women’s needs, based on the fact she is Mitt’s wife, is ridiculous to the sublime!

Ann Romney has not experienced what 99 percent of other women face–the daily problems of how to keep a family going in a country in which most women need to work, besides those who desire to work, and a country in which there are too many single mothers who struggle every day to be good parents, while juggling the bills and two to three jobs in many cases.

Ann Romney is a privileged aristocrat, very fortunate and blessed to have a situation that very few women will ever have, and while she may have done some volunteer work, that is not the same as facing work, PLUS child care.

One has to wonder whether Ann Romney really brought up her own sons all on her own, without paid help! It is hard to believe that a man with such wealth growth did not provide staff to help his wife bring up their sons.

And as tough as her five sons might have been at times, being kids, it is hard to imagine a strict Mormon family in which the kids are that unruly and disrespectful, as to make her life that difficult and challenging!

There is no debate that being a full time mother is a tough job, and the most important job a woman can have. But very few women today have the ability to just be mothers, and not also have to work, so if one is doing both, it is automatically rougher than what Ann Romney had to deal with on a daily basis!

We can give tribute to Ann Romney as a great mother with great sons, but it must be accepted that her life was NEVER as tough and complex, as challenging and overwhelming, as the middle class or poor couple, or middle class and poor single mothers, trying to deal with the stresses and strains of everyday life that most American parents, and single mothers, face!

What is clear is that the Republican Party has so messed up their relationship with women, and the issues that women care about, that now they see an opening to put the Obama Presidency on trial, as if saying that a housewife such as Ann Romney has an easy job, a false and petty assertion, is enough to make them look sympathetic to women, and make them look great as Mother’s Day comes this Sunday!

Just face the facts: Ann Romney is very privileged, fortunate and thankful for her circumstances, and good for her!

But the reality is that Ann Romney lives in a parallel universe, which only a small sliver of women in America join her in, and it is still the fact that the GOP has declared “war” on women, without, of course, using that term. But it is fact, not myth, and the Republican Party will suffer in November because of their self imposed harm and damage, demonstrating suicidal tendencies on what women will accept from politicians in the 21st century!

Mike Wallace: The Death Of A Journalistic Icon

This coming Sunday, CBS’s Sixty Minutes, the longest news “magazine” in television history (since 1968), will pay tribute to its longest lasting correspondent, and a true journalistic icon, Mike Wallace.

Wallace died last weekend at the age of 93, after having served with CBS News for more than half a century, and being one of the originators of Sixty Minutes, which set a standard for journalism that has not been matched anywhere for hard hitting, investigative, and controversial news coverage.

Mike Wallace was famous, or infamous depending on who was giving an opinion, for aggressive, challenging and persistent questioning of famous, and not so famous, people, including Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran, and every American President since Gerald Ford.

Wallace was not shy or reserved in any form, and that was what was most admirable about him. He made a lot of enemies, and wore their hatred as a badge of honor.

He represented the best in American journalism, believing that his job was to expose evil, wrong doing, and scandal, no matter where or who it fell on. He never apologized for his hard hitting style, and became a model for future journalism.

Journalists are not what they are to glorify or cover up for those who govern in any nation. They are not there to support wrong doing, or be concerned about attacks by politicians or foreign leaders. They are not there to do the whim of an employer, and are not to play politics themselves. Wallace was always true to his principles and beliefs.

Journalists are there to promote truth, and inform the public of that truth!

Mike Wallace set a standard for others that will not easily be matched in the future, but we are far better for his commitment to his profession! He will not be forgotten!

An Eventful Four Days In American History–April 12-15

Every day in the calendar year one can find historical events of great significance, but in many ways, the days from April 12 to 15 are particularly outstanding for turning point moments in American history.

April 12 is the day the Civil War began at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina in 1861.

April 12 is also the day of the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union, to go into space in 1961, followed by American astronaut Alan Shepard on May 5 to go into space.

Sadly, April 12 is also the day of the death of the greatest President of the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.

April 13 marks the birthday of one of our greatest Presidents, Thomas Jefferson, in 1743.

April 14 is another sad day, marking the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, our greatest President, shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, and dying the morning of April 15, 1865, at 7:22 AM, at the Peterson House across the street.

Also, on April 15, 1947, the nation witnessed the racial integration of baseball with the courage and skills of second baseman Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Any four day period that includes the birthday of a President, the death of our two greatest Presidents, the beginning of the most significant event in American history (the Civil War), the ushering in of the Space Age for the United States, and the integration of major league baseball, is simply an amazing four days!

Chris Christie And “Couch Potatoes”: The Gall Of The New Jersey Governor!

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, riding a wave of popularity in public opinion polls, is at it again, with outrageous, and bullyish comments, while instead it would be best if he kept his mouth shut!

Christie claims that Americans are becoming “Couch Potatoes”, waiting for the next check to arrive from the government, and that we are becoming a “paternalistic entitlement society”!.

At a Republican gathering in New York City, which included former President George W. Bush in attendance, Christie went on to say that hard working Americans who use their ingenuity, honor and integrity, will succeed in life.

One would think that Christie would understand that the recent Great Recession has put people who are hard working and have ingenuity, honor and integrity into an impossible situation, with the collapse of the economy under the Bush Administration, and contributed to by their reckless tax policy, resulting in loss of millions of jobs and millions of home foreclosures!

But instead, he blames the victims for their plight, rather than the capitalist ruling class on Wall Street and in the Republican Party, which brought this about, and now wants to further enrich the top one percent with the Paul Ryan plan to cut the social safety net in tatters!

Considering Chris Christie’s tremendous girth, he should look in the mirror at the TRUE “Couch Potato”, who has benefited very handsomely as a member of the New Jersey legislature and as Governor of the state, and has no problem pontificating about others, for whom he fails to see the plight they are in!

This is all part of Chris Christie’s hope that maybe, just maybe, he could end up as Vice Presidential nominee for Mitt Romney, and if Mitt loses, then Chrisitie would be the front runner for 2016!

Just what we need: Two egotistical, insensitive, materialistic, greedy, politicians who do not give a damn for the American people, just for themselves and the wealthy one percent they represent!

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Barack Obama, And Mitt Romney

The first accomplishment of Barack Obama as President was the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for women in February 2009.

This is one of the proudest moments in Obama’s Presidency, but Mitt Romney and his staff seemed to be unaware of the facts of the law yesterday, when asked about whether the Republican Presidential nominee supports continuing the law.

After having endorsed the passage and signing of a repeal of equal pay for women in Wisconsin by Governor Scott Walker, Romney was caught off guard, and only late yesterday, did the campaign say he was supportive of the Ledbetter Act.

But is he? He NEVER seems to know what he is for or against, and it changes daily for Mitt Romney!

It is infuriating to watch Mitt squirm on EVERY ISSUE!

What it comes down to is that Mitt Romney is only committed to FOUR things in his life:

They are:

His ego.
His constant acquisition of wealth, and desirous of keeping it secret.
His passionate desire to be President of the United States even though he has no idea of what he stands for, and is a true “wild card”.
His family (notice this is listed last, as it seems to be to most observers who are harsh on Romney’s motivations)!

This man has no soul! He is the best example of an evil, greedy capitalist, obsessed by money and power, without any intention to do good for the American people, but instead only for himself and the small ruling class of the top one percent!

IF George Romney was here today, he would NOT be proud of his son’s greed, materialism, selfishness, and egotism!

This is NOT what we need in an American President in the times we live in!

Romney will be punished in November, and richly deserve it!