Author: Ronald

A Massive Economic Recession, Possibly Depression, Is On The Horizon, And Timing Is Crucial

America has had its longest economic expansion in its history, more than 10 years, brought about under Barack Obama, and continuing under Donald Trump, but would have continued if Hillary Clinton had been inaugurated.

But what goes up must come down, the “gravity rule”, and Donald Trump has insured a future massive recession, maybe even a depression, by his insane policy on tariffs.

China is punishing us in the tariff wars, and Trump has lied to the American people about who suffers when such wars occur. It is NOT China, but American consumers, and American farmers, and this will lead to a massive revolt against Donald Trump 15 months from now.

If Trump studied history, he would know that two past Republican Presidents, Benjamin Harrison in 1892, and Herbert Hoover in 1932, suffered massive defeat as a result of the McKinley Tariff of 1890 and the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930. It led to the Panic of 1893 and the Great Depression of 1929.

But Trump has no knowledge of history, or economics, or of any topic imaginable, as he is easily the most ignorant, clueless, and purely stupid President we have had, and makes Warren G. Harding and George W. Bush look like scholars by comparison.

The issue is WHEN the economic collapse will come, and hopefully, before the election, as if it happens after, and Donald Trump is reelected, he will do nothing to alleviate the worst aspects of the coming recession or depression, and will have four years to impoverish America further, and incite white working class people against women and minorities, who he will blame for his own shortcomings.

Open Civil War could come as a result, and lead to the total destruction of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the great American image as the beacon of freedom and democracy could be permanently destroyed.

So we must hope that the collapse, as painful as it is, will occur in time to lead to a massive defeat of Donald Trump, with a Democratic President coming in to save us, as with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 and Barack Obama in 2009.

Time For John Hickenlooper, Steve Bullock, And Beto O’Rourke To Give Up Presidential Candidacies, And Run To Help Create Democratic Senate Majority In 117th Congress!

It is time for three Presidential contenders to give up their candidacies and run instead for the US Senate in their states, and help create a Democratic Senate majority for the 117th Congress of 2021-2022.

Former Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado; Montana Governor Steve Bullock; and former Texas Congressman from El Paso, Beto O’Rourke, have no real opportunity to continue further, although O’Rourke has qualified for the third Democratic debate in Houston in September. Despite that, and his courageous and outstanding reaction to the El Paso Massacre, it is clear that he is NOT going to progress any further to the top tier of candidates.

Bullock is fascinating, and did well in the second Presidential debate, but he came in too late, and has no traction, despite his being quite impressive.

And Hickenlooper, well, he is a massive dud, and apparently is leaving the race later today.

All three would be wonderful Senators, and the Democrats need a minimum gain of four seats, or three, if the Vice President in the next term is a Democrat, and can organize the Senate majority.

If the Democrats win the Presidency, but fail to win the Senate majority, then nothing will be accomplished, as Mitch McConnell or his successor as Senate Majority Leader, will bottleneck any agenda of any Democrat, whether it be Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, or Pete Buttigieg, the most likely choices at this point to be serious contenders for the Democratic nomination for President.

Billionaires Howard Schultz And Tom Steyer Represent Threat To Democratic Victory In 2020

The last thing the country needs is another multi billionaire who has no government experience as a Senator, a Congressman, a Governor, a Mayor, a Cabinet Officer, or a military career.

We have gone that route with Donald Trump, and while multi billionaires Howard Schultz and Tom Steyer might be considered vastly different than Trump for sure, still the reality is that they are simply running, because they have the financial means to run, and do not need to ask for public support and funding.

That in itself is an outrage, and we should not consider anyone who has not faced Americans in a voting situation in his or her past, and a proven record of accomplishment, to be our President.

The fear is that either Howard Schultz, who has said he will run as an Independent, and Steyer, who is saying he is a candidate for the Democrats but could decide to run an Independent race, could be on the ballot in all or most states, and take away votes that would favor the Democratic nominee, and throw away the hard efforts of the Democrats, and reelect Donald Trump.

Either or both could become the spoiler, as was the case with Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader being on the ballot in Florida, and taking away the election from Al Gore, in favor of George W. Bush in the 2000 Presidential election.

Democrats Need Only About 40 Percent Of White Vote To Win Presidency If Minority and Women Voting Percentage Is High And Committed To Cause

In the midst of the turmoil of the Presidential campaign of 2020, the reality is that Democrats have lost the White vote in every election for the past 40 years, except Bill Clinton in 1996.

IF Democrats gain about 40 percent of the total white vote, mostly from suburban women, college educated men and women, and socially aware whites of both genders, they can win this next election, if the following caveats occur:

Voter Suppression, Gerrymandering, and Russian collusion is able to be controlled, where it does not undermine the will of voters.

African Americans, Latino and Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and younger voters of both genders turn out to vote in larger numbers than they did in 2016, as compared to 2008 and 2012.

If disappointed far left Progressives of the Bernie Sanders variety agree to overcome their resentment, and come out and vote for a likely moderate progressive candidacy, then victory over Donald Trump is insured.

Of course, having a woman, a minority person, or a gay candidate on the ticket for Vice President would help, meaning Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, or Pete Buttigieg as the running mate, if not the nominee in any of these cases.

A Sense That Two”Old White Men” (Biden, Sanders) Are Declining, And Two Women (Warren, Harris)Are Rising In The Democratic Presidential Sweepstakes

As the summer wears on toward Labor Day, a growing feeling among many political observers is that the two “old white men”—Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders—are declining in support, and that two women—Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris— are rising in the Democratic Presidential sweepstakes.

One can see that Sanders is clearly slipping in support, while Warren, in particular, and Harris lesser so, are clearly rising, but what about Joe Biden, who remains as the front runner?

Well, Biden has been making a lot of gaffes recently, blunders that are embarrassing, and making one wonder if he is in mental decline, a sad thought, but not uncommon in the late 70s. Joe is loved by millions, and certainly is far less harmful and dangerous than Donald Trump, but the fear is that he will not be able to perform well in debates with Trump. When he debated Republican Vice Presidential candidates Sarah Palin in 2008 and Paul Ryan in 2012, he was outstanding, as he was in the Presidential debates in 2008 although he could not get voting support once the caucuses and primaries began in that year.

This is 11 and 7 years later, and it is worrisome that Joe Biden may not be up to the grueling demands of a campaign and to serve as President from age 78 to age 82 or 86. And although Bernie Sanders may seem in better shape by comparison at the moment, he would be 79-87, 14 months older than Biden in a one term or two term Presidency.

After the experience of Ronald Reagan’s decline in office, notable in his second term, and Donald Trump’s every day signs of dangerous decline, the question is whether electing either Biden or Sanders, or even Elizabeth Warren, who would be 71-79 in two terms of office, older at inauguration than Donald Trump was, is a wise idea.

So even with Warren surging, it could be that Kamala Harris, who would be 56-64 in two terms of office, might have the edge as voters look to the Democratic caucuses and primaries, and the election itself in less than 15 months.

White Supremacists Emboldened By Trump Attacks On African American And Jewish Chairs Of House Committees Investigating Trump’s Abuse Of Power

In the midst of recent white supremacist massacres in El Paso and Dayton, there should be growing concern about the House Committee chairs who are African American and Jewish becoming potential targets of hate mongers.

Elijah Cummings of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and Maxine Waters of the House Financial Services Committee are African Americans, and Jerry Nadler of the House Judiciary Committee and Adam Schiff of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence are Jewish, and all four are particularly in the center of controversy, and therefore, targets for hate, with a lot of verbal attacks by Donald Trump against them.

The investigation of the abuse of power of Donald Trump must go on, but extra security for these Chairs is essential!

The Obscenity Of Donald Trump And Melania Trump Multiplies!

We are suffering as a nation in 2019 with the most disgraceful President and First Lady in American history.

The office of the Presidency and the image of the First Lady have been irreparably damaged by Donald and Melania Trump, who have no common decency, ethics, morals, compassion or empathy.

For our President to promote the breaking up of children from their families, both in cages organized by ICE and the Border Patrol, and have the First Lady wear a jacket that indicates she has no concern about that, while on a tour of the border, is obscene.

For the President to authorize an ICE raid that leaves children coming home from school with no adult supervision, as their hard working parents, already exploited by local businesses with low wages and horrible working conditions, are taken away, just days after the El Paso Massacre, that was provoked by the Latino hatred of the President, is a crime against humanity. It left children in tears, begging that their parents be allowed to come home. Any human being who was not touched by this inhumanity and prejudice is a very sick, warped person, who has the same mental illness and evil nature of our President.

And then, finally, for the President and First Lady to visit the El Paso hospital and the two of them posing with big smiles with the orphaned two month old baby whose parents were killed by the hatred of a young man inspired by Trump’s Latino hatred, is enough to condemn them both forever in history, as a stain on our history that will never go away.

And all that Trump cared about was being seen as a “rock star”, rather than about the suffering and loss of life perpetrated by his sick mind, and his porn star wife not stopping him, and joining in the big smiles and sick behavior of her husband.

Other First Ladies helped to humanize their husbands, but not this piece of trash, who herself and her parents came illegally, through her “talents” to pose nude with other women, and has shown that after all the years she has lived here, she cannot speak decent English, while racists and bigots complain about Latinos who cannot speak perfect English!

It is beyond the pale what is going on, and one just waits for karma to visit, as what goes around comes around, as the saying goes, and one should have no pity on either Donald or Melania Trump!

11 Years Of “The Progressive Professor” And Counting

Two days from now, on August 11, this blog will mark eleven years of commentary, and this entry now is the 6,420th entry, so with the round number, the author decided to commemorate this event two days early.

This idea of a blog, originally proposed by my son David, has been an enjoyable and challenging endeavor, and I thank all readers and contributors over the past 11 years, and intend to continue this commitment into the future years, as ideas and personalities are debated, and when the Presidency is in danger from the most dangerous person ever to hold that office.

I do not intend to remain silent or complicit, and if I lose so called “friends” in the process, so be it, as I will call out anyone who defends this President, who is destroying the Constitution, and will rank at the bottom of all Presidents, unmatched by any other Chief Executive.

No reputable historian or political scientist or award winning journalist is supportive of this demagogue, and I am content that morality, ethics, decency, compassion, and empathy are on my side, and I can sleep at night knowing that!

It will take years, if not decades, to overcome the damage and harm that he has wrought, and it is essential that he be defeated in 2020, along with Mike Pence, in order to see the light of the future, which would be a loving, welcoming, acceptance of the reality that America will NOT be a white majority nation in the 2040s, but rather a nation of all nations, the epitome of the Statue of Liberty!

The Democrats Have A Great “Farm System” For The Future, While The Republicans Have A Gloomy Future!

While the Republican Party gives up its future to Donald Trump, the Democratic Party has a bright future, as it has a great “farm system” for the future.

Think about it, that all of the new Democrats elected to Congress, and all of the younger Presidential contenders who will likely not make it to the Presidential nomination, offer much new talent for future advancement.

It is easy now to recruit the new generation to run for public office as Democrats, while Donald Trump has made it very distasteful and difficult for anyone to decide to run for office as a Republican.

With the nation’s future one of diversity, already many Democrats seeking office or in office are female, or African American, or Latino, or Asian American, or Native American, or Jewish, or gay, while the Republicans have a dwindling supply of mostly white Christian men, a dying species, as any rational person would steer away from being a Republican.

It seems clear that the Republican Party is dying, and that it cannot survive as a white male Christian party for the long run, while the Democratic Party has a bright future once it gets past the nightmare of Donald Trump, which will be seen as an aberration in history.

And with the Electoral College to see gains for such states as Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina in electoral votes for 2024 and 2028, and with the growing Latino influence in those states, the Democrats have a great edge on winning the Presidency and control of Congress in the 2020s decade!

Latinos, The Largest Minority In America, Face Threats Reminiscent Of Jews In Europe In The 1930s And 1940s—Total Fear And Danger From Government Inspired Hatred!

In the wake of the El Paso Massacre on August 3, America faces the stark reality, that its largest minority group in America, people of Latino heritage, from anywhere in Latin America, face threats reminiscent of Jews in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.

Total fear and danger from government inspired hatred reminds us too much of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, and it is not too much hyperbole to state that Donald Trump has weaponized racists, misogynists, white supremacists, and white nationalists, who used to be in the shadows, to come out and promote and commit violence and bloodshed against people based on their ethnicity.

For Trump and his followers in the Republican Party to argue that there is an “invasion”, a “caravan”, when no such situation exists, is inspiring unstable people to cheer at Trump rallies when someone suggests “shoot them”, and Trump laughs and encourages such action in response.

These Latinos that are threatened include people of brown skin who are here legally, and were born in America, but feel that the nation they have grown up in is a threat to their lives, making victims of the El Paso Massacre afraid to go to the hospital to ask for medical aid.

The oppressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Border Patrol, have been given unconstitutional and illegal authority to deport undocumented immigrants without a court hearing and attorney representation by White House authorization, and they are acting much like the Nazi Gestapo.

Many are abusing children and women, the vast majority of the undocumented immigrants, who are escaping oppression, violence, and bloodshed in their homelands in Central America, in deteriorating situations encouraged by aggressive foreign policy of Ronald Reagan and other Republican Presidents since the 1980s, all in the name of backing right wing oppressive governments in the area.

Donald Trump has no intention of changing policy, and Latinos now face direct threats of violence and bloodshed and death, inspired by white supremacist websites, and young hoodlums who have mental illness and hate, and blame Latinos for their own insecurities and shortcomings, such as the disgusting photos of young white males holding a likeness of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that they are strangling. These young men should be exposed for who they are, and be condemned by name by all decent people, and it is clear that their parents did a poor job of child rearing, a sign that this anti Latino hatred is a danger to a community that is 18 percent of the nation,at 58 million Americans, and continuing to grow, even without undocumented immigrants being counted in the population.

The American Civil Liberties Union, the Anti Defamation League, People For The American Way, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and innumerable other organizations are engaged in an intense struggle to protect Latinos, and their basic health and safety, and all decent Americans must assist in protecting the rights of Latinos, as much as the basic rights of African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Jews, women, gays and lesbians, and disabled people.