Author: Ronald

The Potential Exists For A Latino Presidential Dynasty Long Term With The Castro Brothers, Julian And Joaquin

Ronald Leave a comment

With the potential that former San Antonio Mayor and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro might end up as the Democratic Presidential nominee in the Presidential Election of 2020, we could witness a new long term Presidential dynasty.

Castro is a very impressive and intelligent Presidential candidate, and being from Texas, he and his identical twin brother, Congressman Joaquin Castro, could have a revolutionary effect on Texas and American politics.

His brother is expected to announce for the Texas Senate seat of Republican John Cornyn, with a good chance to win, and if both brothers are on the election ballot in 2020 in Texas, it could make Texas go Blue, and that would insure a Democratic victory.

And once Julian would be President, and him being only 46, months younger than Bill Clinton, making Castro the third youngest President, and second youngest elected President, with the potential to be President until he was 54, what would prevent a Senator Joaquin Castro, at age 54, after eight years in the Senate from the second largest state, from deciding to try to succeed his brother?

This could be the Latino version of the plan to have Robert F. Kennedy or Ted Kennedy becoming President to fulfill the family hope of a Kennedy dynasty.

And with Latinos being the largest minority in America, with two thirds of all Hispanics being Mexican, it is appropriate to say it is time for a Latino President, now that we have had an African American President, Barack Obama.

House Of Representatives Presidential Contenders At All Time High

Ronald Leave a comment

An astounding reality about the upcoming Presidential Election of 2020 is that we are witnessing an all time high in contenders who are or have been members of the House of Representatives.

In the past, there was an occasional man or woman who was serving in the lower chamber who announced , but tradition is that Governors or Senators, or cabinet officers or military generals would be the nominees.

But now, we have four announced Democratic members of Congress present or past in the race, and two more likely to join the fray.

We have former Congressman John Delaney of Maryland, and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke of Texas.

We also have sitting members of the House of Representatives who have begun their campaign, including Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Still pending and likely to join the fray are Eric Swalwell of California, and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.

At this point, O’Rourke seems the most serious candidate, but who can say that one of more of the others might not catch fire, and be a serious candidate?

In Defense Of Joe Biden: Some Extremist Progressives Are Trying To Neutralize Him For No Good Reason Other Than His Electability

Ronald 3 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden is not a perfect person, by any means.

Neither is any other potential Democratic Presidential nominee for 2020.

But Joe Biden is NOT a sexual harasser or a sexual assaulter, and to compare him to our President, or a multitude of other public men who ARE such, is outrageous!

Joe Biden is a decent, honorable, genuine, sincere public servant, who has devoted his entire life to public service, and has had more years and variety of experiences of any modern public figure, more than Lyndon B. Johnson or Henry Clay or Daniel Webster.

Biden has made mistakes in his judgment on legislation, and has, at times, been embarrassing in his public utterances, but he is not mean spirited, not desirous of dividing people, not overly materialistic as most politicians are.

In the mind of this blogger and scholar, he is the man in public life I have most admired for his life story and commitments to the public good, since the death of Hubert H. Humphrey forty one years ago.

He will go down in history as a great United States Senator, a great Vice President, and as a great human being.

And yet, there are those extremists on the left of the Democratic Party who are trying to destroy his reputation, and his potential to be the Democratic nominee for President, even though he is one of the most likely potential nominees who can retire Donald Trump, the extreme opposite of what Biden is and represents.

This should not be allowed to happen, and instead, let the voters decide the future of Joe Biden, not preposterous accusations that have no substance!

April 2, 1917: Woodrow Wilson Asks Congress To Declare War On Germany, Ending US Isolation From World Affairs

Ronald Leave a comment

On this day 102 years ago, President Woodrow Wilson transformed America forever, as he went to Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, putting America into the “Great War”, World War I, four days later.

Other than intervention in Latin American affairs, and the gaining of island territories overseas in the late 1890s, the US had avoided foreign controversies, other than Theodore Roosevelt winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for being the mediator bringing about the peace treaty at the end of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

But from this point on, with the exception of a virulent isolationism in the 1920s and 1930s, which did NOT keep us out of the necessary involvement in World War II, the United States has faced its responsibilities of world leadership since the 1940s, committing to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership and leadership in official ceremonies on April 4, 1949, seventy years ago.

Barack Obama Fortunate For History That He Is Between George W. Bush And Donald Trump In The Order Of Presidents In Office

Ronald Leave a comment

In the long run of history, where a President is in the order of attaining the Presidency really matters.

So, for instance, John Adams is between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and while Adams ranks around the middle in ranking of Presidents by historians and political scientists, he is rated much lower than the two Presidents before and after him, who are in the top ten of any listing.

The same goes for William Howard Taft, who is between Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, both of whom are in the top quarter of Presidents, while Taft is rated in the mid 20s.

And the same is true for George H. W. Bush, who is between Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, both of whom are rated higher than Bush, who is rated in the later teens as President.

On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln comes between the two men usually rated the two worst Presidents, James Buchanan before him and Andrew Johnson after him.

And it is now clear that Barack Obama, rated 11th in one poll, 8th in another poll, and 17th in a third poll, all within the two years he has been out of the Presidency, is fortunate to have George W. Bush, rated in the 30s, and Donald Trump rated either at the bottom under Buchanan and Andrew Johnson, or at most just above them, insuring he will, like Lincoln, always be rated much better.

Quandary For Democrats: Progressive Or Moderate? Man Or Woman? White Or Nonwhite? Young Or Old? Senator/Governor Or A Nontraditional Candidate?

Ronald 1 Comment

As we enter the month of April, and as more Democratic candidates for President are expected to announce, and as the first Democratic Presidential debate is set for Miami, Florida, on Wednesday and Thursday, June 26 and 27, the quandary for Democrats and the future remains.

Should the Democrats nominate a progressive, such as Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren? Should they nominate a man or one of the many women who are running? Should they nominate a white man such as Beto O’Rourke or Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders, or a non white such as Cory Booker? Should they nominate an old guy such as Biden or Sanders, or a young man such as O’Rourke, Julian Castro, or Pete Buttigieg? Should they nominate, as traditionally is done, a sitting or former Senator or Governor, or nontraditional candidate, such as a sitting or former member of the House of Representatives, or a sitting or former Mayor, or a person who hs served as a cabinet officer, or someone who is openly gay?

This is the amazing list of alternatives facing the Democrats, with the ultimate question being who can defeat Donald Trump, or if he leaves, Mike Pence in the 2020 Presidential election.

Victory is essential, and trying to figure out which strategy is best is a massive challenge to Democratic voters in the upcoming primaries and caucuses which start ten months from now.

Donald Trump Declares Mexico Border Will Be Closed, Which Would Cause Massive Economic Disaster

Ronald 2 Comments

Donald Trump is acting more wacky and crazy by the day, and now declares he will close the Mexico border down next week if Mexico does not crack down on immigration at the border.

This is an unconstitutional action, as it would cut off multiple billions of dollars in trade and other economic activity with a major trade partner that shares a nearly 2,000 mile boundary with the United States.

It would also heavily damage the economies of Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico, and would prevent people who cross the border daily for work or for family needs to do so.

It is a threatened reckless action, and something needs to be done to insure that such threat is not followed through on, as it is another clear sign of maniacal behavior dangerous to the nation and the world.

Newt Gingrich The True Villain: In The 1990s, Out To Divide And Create A Chasm In American Life That Set The Stage For Donald Trump

Ronald Leave a comment

Newt Gingrich was for four years Speaker of the House of Representatives (1995-1999).

He became the model for Donald Trump in the mid 1990s, promoting division and creating a chasm in American politics, ending an era of “crossing the aisle” to promote bipartisanship.

Instead, his goal was to add to his own ego, and declare war on the opposition party, a plan hatched in the mid 1980s when he came to Congress, after having been a history professor with a Ph. D., who saw an opportunity to strive for House leadership, and promote a “revolution” in the way the House of Representatives worked.

Gingrich is the true villain, who can be credited or blamed for promoting a chasm in American life, dividing America in a bid for absolute power. It is clear that had Newt Gingrich somehow been elected President in 2012, or had been chosen by Donald Trump to be his Vice Presidential running mate in 2016, that he had set the model for the abuses that have become every day life in America in the age of Trump.

Donald Trump Creates More Turmoil As He Promotes War On The Rule Of Law

Ronald 2 Comments

Donald Trump and his underlings are creating more turmoil as he promotes war on the rule of law, determining to use military expenditures to build his Mexico Wall.

That is unconstitutional, as only Congress appropriates funds for any spending in the national budget.

There will be a court case pursued on this, and the Supreme Court will rule on this, and it is hard to imagine them upholding a President misusing federal funds that have not been passed through Congressional committees and a vote of both houses of Congress.

Donald Trump Declares Open Warfare On ObamaCare, Harming Tens Of Millions Of Americans, With No Alternative Plan

Ronald 1 Comment

Donald Trump, fresh off his “victory” in the Mueller probe, at least as interpreted by Attorney General William Barr, has now declared warfare on the lives of tens of millions of Americans who rely on and depend on ObamaCare, the Affordable Care Act, by suing in federal court to attempt to wipe out the entire law, now nine years old, without an alternative plan.

Trump had said all Americans would have “great” health care, and that pre-existing conditions would remain covered, and children up to age 26 would be protected, but that was all a bunch of lies, as the Republican Party has not come up with an alternative plan, and has been unable, legislatively to destroy ObamaCare. Now the courts are being used as a means to do what could not be done by Congress, and also to stop the prevention of Medicaid.

This is open warfare, and the Democrats will fight tooth and nail, as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared yesterday, to protect those who have had the benefits of ObamaCare.

The Republican Party, supposedly the party of “Pro Life”, is now making clear that millions of American lives do not matter.

This must be the number one issue of the upcoming Presidential and Congressional elections of 2020, after a successful Midterm election of 2018, where health care was the key issue, and the Democrats won 40 seats in the House of Representatives.