Month: September 2012

Jimmy Carter Surpasses Herbert Hoover As Longest Retired President!

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Today, former President Jimmy Carter surpassed former President Herbert Hoover for longevity in retirement, having reached the 11,554th day after leaving the Presidency.

He has been retired for 31 years, seven and a half months, and has been an extremely active former President, much like Herbert Hoover was.

Both were constantly berated in retirement and seen as failures, because they lost re-election to Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, often considered the two Presidents of the 20th century who have had the most impact on the nation in the past century!

Carter will be 88 on October 1, with only Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan at 93, John Adams and Herbert Hoover at 90, and Harry Truman and George H. W. Bush at 88, having lived longer!

Carter seems to be in excellent health, and it would not be surprising if he manages to live long enough to surpass Gerald Ford in March 2018 as our longest lived President of the United States!

From Nixon And Agnew To Romney And Ryan: Has Honesty Improved? NO!

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On this day in 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon, preventing any prosecution of Nixon for involvement in the Watergate scandal.

This highly controversial decision would undermine Ford, and help to cause his defeat in 1976, when he lost the Presidency to Jimmy Carter by the small margin of two percent, and close election defeats in Ohio and Hawaii.

Years later, it would be concluded that Ford did the right thing, but the issue of Nixon’s long career of lying and deception still remains as a troubling legacy.

And now, we have two candidates who are tallying up a record of lies and deception unseen since the time of Nixon and Spiro Agnew, his Vice President!

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been lying their way across America, since Romney announced for President, and since Ryan became the Vice Presidential running mate less than a month ago.

It could be argued that every politician lies, and cannot be trusted, and while that is a sad commentary that people believe is a given, it is not true if one compares pledges to facts.

One can pledge to do things, and much of it does not work out, for various reasons and factors.

But to make claims that are shown to be factually incorrect, and fail to acknowledge the errors, and double down on the lies when everyone knows they are lies, is a method of demagoguery that has become common to both Romney and now, belatedly, Ryan.

Do we want an administration that insults us, by lying constantly, on the idea that most people might be ignorant of the facts and the truth? Or do we want an administration which might pledge many changes, and only gets some done, but without telling lies over and over again in the process?

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are becoming the most dishonest team to run for President since at least Nixon and Agnew, and we know what happened 40-45 years ago!

Is this what the American people should have to deal with, which will only add to their cynicism and disgust with their government?

Why cannot Romney and Ryan run an honest, forthright campaign, without spreading lies, deceit, rumors, myths, and going for the lowest common denominator?

In the long run, however, it is clear that the American people, in polls, do not trust or even like Romney, and the attitude toward Ryan is also being shaped by his behavior, so this time, what Nixon and Agnew did in 1968 and 1972 will not work, but still, it is a tragedy for the nation that the honesty level of Romney and Ryan is the lowest since Nixon and Agnew!

Joe Biden: The Major Jewel And Treasure Of The Obama Re-Election Campaign!

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Vice President Joe Biden is a true jewel, a true treasure, for the Barack Obama re-election campaign, and insures that we will have a second Obama term in the Presidency!

Critics point out that Joe Biden sometimes “puts his foot in his mouth” and makes comments that are embarrassing or awkward. The answer of this blogger is “so what?” as no one is perfect, and Biden has never harmed anyone, including Barack Obama, by his blunders, only at times embarrassing himself!

Joe Biden is a dedicated, highly experienced public official, who now has FORTY years in government, 36 as an outstanding Democratic Party United States Senator, and now four years as Vice President!

He knows foreign policy and constitutional matters in a way few do, as he was intimately involved as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee at crucial times in the past four decades.

He has been a very dedicated Vice President, very close to the President, and Obama himself has stated that Biden helped get the economic recovery program begun, and also helped to bring about the logistics to end the war in Iraq. He has given more advice to Obama than just these areas, has not always carried the day, but is highly valued for his expertise and wisdom.

Biden has added distinction and decency to the Vice Presidency, after the arrogant and scandalous Vice Presidency of Dick Cheney!

One could make the case that Biden has been more significant in a positive way to Barack Obama than any Vice President, and competes for influence with Al Gore under Bill Clinton and Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter. Obama and Biden have great respect and affection for each other, which is also very important!

Biden gave a rousing, fantastic speech for the President at the Democratic National Convention, and he will matter more than anyone in the re-election campaign, as he has the ability to appeal to white blue collar workers, Catholics, labor, and women, due to his close association with these groups during his years in the Senate, and the reality that he is a rare politician, a truly genuine, sincere spokesmen for those who are not wealthy, and just want a fair shake in life!

The upcoming Biden-Paul Ryan Vice Presidential debate on October 11 will give the nation a clear cut image of a fighting Vice President who is nearing 70 years of age, but is still vital and alert and brilliant in his oratory and commitment, against a young 42 year old ideologue, who probably will come into the debate with a cockiness and arrogance and assumption that he will “win” the debate, despite his constant lying about his record on so many issues. Biden will teach Ryan to “respect his elders”, and show how dangerous it would be for the Wisconsin Republican Congressman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency!

And yes, Joe Biden is interested in seeking the Presidency in 2016, when he would hit the age of 74, and although there will be a long list of potential Democratic nominees a generation or more younger, don’t ever underestimate Joe Biden and his future, as he has often shown the ability to surprise people with his ability to overcome adversity in his life!

“Swing” States Down To Eight, Narrowing Romney Chances Of Winning Presidency!

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The Mitt Romney Presidential campaign has decided to buy advertising time on television in only eight states, narrowing the chance that the former Massachusetts Governor can win the Presidency.

Eliminated as places of opportunity are Michigan, the birthplace and childhood of Romney, and the state that his father was Governor in the 1960s; Wisconsin, the birthplace and home of his running mate, Paul Ryan; and Pennsylvania, despite the well known white male battleground of western Pennsylvania, often thought to be an Achilles Heel for Barack Obama!

So what are the states still in play?

New Hampshire–4 electoral votes
Virginia–13 electoral votes
North Carolina–15 electoral votes
Florida–29 electoral votes
Ohio–18 electoral votes
Iowa–6 electoral votes
Colorado–9 electoral votes
Nevada–6 electoral votes

The total electoral votes in play are 100, while Obama leads with 247 electoral votes from 19 states and the District of Columbia, and Romney has 191 electoral votes from 23 states. Remember that the winner of the election must have 270 electoral votes.

So, with the updated realities that even Romney’s advertising campaign reflects, Obama wins If

he wins Florida (29 electoral votes)
he wins Ohio and Virginia (31 electoral votes)
he wins Ohio and North Carolina (33 electoral votes)
he wins Ohio and Iowa or Nevada (24 electoral votes)
he wins Ohio and Colorado (27 electoral votes)
he wins New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada (25 electoral votes)
he wins North Carolina and Colorado (24 electoral votes)
he wins North Carolina and Iowa and Nevada (27 electoral votes)
he wins Virginia and Iowa and Nevada (25 electoral votes)
he wins Virginia and Colorado and New Hampshire (26 electoral votes)
he wins Virginia, Colorado, and either Iowa or Nevada (28 electoral votes)

So these are ELEVEN scenarios where Barack Obama has the advantage–needing only between one and four states of the eight “swing” states to win the Presidency in the Electoral College!

The unemployment rate is lower than the national average in New Hampshire, Virginia, Ohio and Iowa, while higher in North Carolina, Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

So if one were to assume that the four states that have the lower unemployment rate than the national average go to Obama, he wins 41 electoral votes, for a grand total of 288 electoral votes.

Of course, there are five states, that are considered “red” or Republican states, that actually are in play, although expected to go to Romney. These are Indiana (11 electoral votes), which went to Obama in 2008; Missouri (10 electoral votes), which was won by John McCain in 2008 by only about 4,000 votes; Montana (3 electoral votes), which is becoming more Democratic; Arizona (11 electoral votes), which is moving toward Democratic over time with the growing Hispanic vote, and the controversial immigration law under Governor Jan Brewer; and Georgia (16 electoral votes), which is gaining a large Hispanic population, which means it will likely trend Democratic over the next few election cycles. Were all of these to go Democratic in a close vote situation, Obama could, theoretically, win 51 more electoral votes!

So, IF Obama were to win all of the eight “swing states” now in play, based on Romney’s decision as to what states to spend money on advertising, he would go from what seems clearly 247 electoral votes to 347 electoral votes–meaning he would have won all of the states he won in 2008, except for Indiana!

This is 18 electoral votes fewer than in 2008, when Obama won 365 electoral votes–due to the theoretical loss of Indiana (11 electoral votes), plus the fact that the states he won lost a total of 7 electoral votes due to reapportionment of seats in Congress, based on the 2010 Census.

But IF Obama were to win the “red” states that could be in play, listed above, a total of five states with 51 electoral votes, his highest theoretical total of electoral votes would reach 398 electoral votes, meaning Romney would win only 140 electoral votes, with Obama winning 32 states and the District of Columbia, and Romney winning 18 states!

The ultimate point of this discussion is to make it clear that the odds of Obama being re-elected are very high, despite the supposedly tight popular vote on a national level, which really proves nothing, as the polls on popular vote in the eight “swing” states demonstrate that Obama is ahead in all of them, except in North Carolina and Colorado, so to bet against Obama would be a losing bet, best thought about before being placed, as the odds of losing large amounts of money is extremely a likely occurrence!

How Fortunate We Are To Have Barack Obama And Joe Biden Leading Our Nation In Difficult Times!

Ronald 2 Comments

Many people might feel that a political convention is just a lot of “hot air”, not worthy of one’s time!

Such a belief would be totally wrong, as the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, was a fantastic, thrilling experience!

The speeches of Barack Obama and Joe Biden were so exceptional in their confidence, assertiveness, honesty, and call upon the American people to recognize how much has been accomplished, and how this is not the time to go back to failed policies, because of disappointment that everything that was wrong four years ago has not fully succeeded.

There were elements of humor included, but a strong attack against the reality that Republican nominees Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan offered no details on the kind of America they were asking the American people to support!

The close relationship between Obama and Biden was made clear, and the reality that their relationship may very well be the closest and most effective we have seen, more than the Jimmy Carter-Walter Mondale or the Bill Clinton–Al Gore teams usually regarded as the most effective and trusting relationships before Obama and Biden.

It is easier to sleep knowing that we are fortunate to have these two men in charge of our government, and the essential need for them to gain another four year term in office!

Bill Clinton Hits A Grand Slam At The Democratic National Convention!

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Coming off two nights where the Washington Nationals managed to hit six home runs for two games in a row, something that has only been done twice before in major league baseball history, another “former” resident of Washington, DC, former President Bill Clinton, looked as if he was part of the Washington Nationals lineup last night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina!

In baseball lingo, we could say that Bill Clinton hit a grand slam home run, as he defended the Barack Obama performance in office; linked his own time in office with that of his Democratic successor; showed the hypocrisy of Paul Ryan on policy and was laudatory toward Vice President Joe Biden’s contribution to the Obama Presidency; and destroyed the idea of Mitt Romney that the answer is to go back to the failed policies of the Bush Administration which got this nation in the economic mess it is in, which Clinton said no President in the past could have rectified completely in just four years!

Clinton, a masterful and charismatic orator, excited the convention, adding to the drama of this gathering, in a way that was very special and unique. The dynamism and electricity of the thousands of delegates and guests could be felt in every home that tuned in to the dramatic 45 minute address, much of it ad lib, by a man who has had his ups and downs historically, but is now riding a wave of popularity in the mid 60s in public opinion polls.

If Bill Clinton could convince white working class males to think of their future, instead of the appeal to their prejudices by the Republican Party, then he will have vindicated his goal of moving his party and the nation toward a continuation of the Obama Administration, which has much to be proud of, and has, indeed, made America a better nation than it was four years ago.

So Bill Clinton reminded us, that despite much work left to do, we are “better off” than we were four years ago, an old refrain used by Ronald Reagan, who attacked Jimmy Carter in 1980, on the basis that we were NOT better off, and managed to convince the country to elect him, not realizing that Reagan would pursue economic policies that would start the decline of the American economy and help to cause the massive government debt, mostly occurring under Republican Presidents Reagan and the two Bushes.

Only Clinton was able to balance the budget several times, slowing up the debt’s growth, and actually leaving a surplus for George W. Bush, which was then squandered by two wars in Iraq and Afghaniatan, a Medicare prescription drug plan unpaid for by taxes, and a policy of deregulation of Wall Street which led to the Great Recession of 2008, all thrown into the lap of Barack Obama in 2009, creating the worst economic times since Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression in the 1930s!

The Democratic Platform And Israel: An Unnecessary Blunder By Barack Obama! UPDATE: NOW RETURNED TO LANGUAGE OF 2008 PLATFORM, A GREAT MOVE!

Ronald 12 Comments

The decision of the Obama Administration and the Democratic Platform Committee at the Democratic National Convention, to eliminate language which was in the 2008 platform–referring to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and language dealing with the terrorist group Hamas, and the issue of negotiation of the fate of displaced Palestinian refugees by Israel—is an unnecessary blunder that should have been avoided.

Everyone who is fair minded knows that Barack Obama’s Presidency has been one of full support of Israel on all matters that impact them, while occasionally disagreeing on tactics and approaches of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, and the Israeli President, Shimon Peres, have both praised Obama, and declared him as strong a supporter of Israel as any President, since the founding of the Jewish state in 1948.

But the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Mitt Romney Presidential campaign are now jumping on the removal of the platform language, and it puts Obama and the Democratic Party on the defensive, when keeping the language would have avoided this problem, and would have done no harm.

So it is not the issue of being angry with Obama, although some Jews, obviously, will be so, but rather, why, oh why, did the President decide to “shoot himself in the foot”, and create an issue which might impact the election in the swing states, particularly Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Nevada, in particular, and might also make the victories of the President in other states with substantial Jewish populations a bit closer, and might affect Congressional or Senate races.

The Jewish vote, if a large percentage abandon the President and the Democratic Party, could have long range implications that no one is thinking about now.

And it could make the Islamic world think that Obama might not support Israel to the extreme, in case of an Iranian crisis, even though one should have no doubt about the matter, in reality. But perceptions often matter more than reality, so this is something that Barack Obama and the Democrats will regret, as it gives unnecessary ammunition to the Republican Party!

It has just been learned that the 2008 Platform language on Jerusalem being Israel’s capital city has been returned to the document, a GREAT MOVE!

The Night Of Bill Clinton: The High Point Of His Post Presidency Tonight At The Democratic National Convention

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Former President Bill Clinton will be the center of attention this evening when he delivers the nominating speech for President Barack Obama.

Having gone through the hell of being President and having strong GOP opposition, and being impeached by the Republican House on flimsy grounds, Bill Clinton has survived heart surgery, promoted the Clinton Initiative, and become popular to the point that over 60 percent of the American people, in a public opinion poll, have a favorable view of him, and even the Republicans have rewritten history, and now tend to speak of him favorably, as part of their tactic to attack Barack Obama.

This is a first, for a former President, to give the nominating speech for one of his successors, but Bill Clinton is a master wordsmith, and his speech tonight will boost Obama greatly.

In a way, it is quite amazing that this is happening, as four years ago, there was bad blood between Obama and both Bill and Hillary Clinton, due to the struggle for the Democratic Presidential nomination, but Hillary ended up as an exceptional Secretary of State for President Obama, and the Clintons now have a good relationship with Obama.

What this might mean for Obama and any plans of Hillary Clinton to run for President as his successor is unknown, but certainly the Clintons will remain in the public eye, even after Hillary Clinton leaves the cabinet in 2013, for a well deserved rest, and to consider her future!

What An Inspiring, Emotional Night At The Democratic National Convention!

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It was hard not to be emotional about the speeches at the Democratic National Convention this evening.

There were so many good speeches, that it is hard to rank them, as they all hit home!

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro all did a magnificent job in their speeches!

Many of the above can be seen as potential future rivals for the Presidency in 2016 or beyond, with particular attention given to Booker, Castro, and O’Malley. There is a lot of “fresh blood” in the Democratic Party to follow Barack Obama, along with the “Establishment” figures, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden!

And First Lady Michelle Obama gave the best public speech ever delivered by a First Lady, including Hillary Clinton, and she made us all proud, that we are fortunate to have such a talented, brilliant First Lady available to help her husband when he needs advice, counsel, or just a friendly pat on the back or a hug, in difficult times!

Tammy Duckworth: Heroic Veteran Who Should Be Elected To Congress To Replace Despicable, Disgraceful Congressman Joe Walsh Of Illinois!

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Tammy Duckworth, a candidate for a Congressional seat in Illinois, and war hero, who lost both legs in Iraq, gave an inspirational speech tonight at the Democratic National Convention.

Duckworth is needed in Congress, to replace the despicable, disgraceful Joe Walsh, a Tea Party lunatic, who has said and done all the wrong things in his one term in Congress, including the ridicule of Tammy Duckworth’s sacrifice in war.

Walsh owes back payments for child support to his former wife, and has insulted constituents, and ranted and raved at public meetings, and he is an embarrassment to the House of Representatives, and is on the short list of the Democrats to be kicked out of Congress, if at all possible.

All Americans should be proud of Tammy Duckworth, and it is hoped she will be serving in Congress in 2013!