Abraham Lincoln

Supreme Court Finally Upholds The Constitution, And Rebukes Donald Trump On Tariffs!

Ronald 22 Comments

After acting totally submissive toward Donald Trump in his first year of his second term, finally the Supreme Court majority, including two Trump appointees—Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett, along with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three Democratic women justices–have delivered a solid rebuke to Trump on the subject of protective tariffs.

This is long overdue, as the Court has developed a reputation as the most extreme right wing Court in a century, and Chief Justice Roberts presides over a majority which usually has no desire to challenge executive power of the President.

This dangerous trend, hopefully, will continue to be challenged in future cases, particularly on birthright citizenship rights, which are contained in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified after the Civil War.

Donald Trump does not care about the reality that protective tariffs are a disaster, as they were in causing the Panic of 1893 and the Great Depression of the 1930s, because Republican Presidents Benjamin Harrison (prodded on by future President William McKinley’s promotion of high tariffs) and Herbert Hoover stubbornly imposed them on the American people, destroying the economy.

With the economy not doing well, despite Trump’s delusional statements, this repudation of Trump’s tariffs should be seen as a blessing by him, as well as the American people.

But instead, Trump is railing against his own Republican Justices who have “defied” him, and one wonders how it will show up in his State of the Union Address next Tuesday.

Will he openly condemn Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett in his speech, or will he be diplomatic and maybe just lightly tease them?

This should be a very interesting moment of confrontation between the Supreme Court members who show up and the President of the United States!

It reminds one of past clashes of Presidents and Supreme Courts, including under Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson with Chief Justice John Marshall; Abraham Lincoln with Chief Justice Roger Taney; Franklin D. Roosevelt with the majority conservative Court and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes during the New Deal; and other controversies involving Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon and Barack Obama and Supreme Court decisions!

The $175 Billion raised in tariffs this past year were a financial burden on the American consumers, and should be returned to the American people with a refund per taxpayer of $1700, as suggested by Illinois Governor JD Pritzker. However, it seems that Trump has no concern of the damage done to the average American, while constantly engaged in grift for personal gain, having enriched himself in the past year, a crime against the Constitution!

The Total Preposterous And Outrageous “Prager University” Presidential Rankings Survey!

Ronald 20 Comments

The Right Wing Propaganda Organ known as “Prager University”, which is NOT a university, but a well financed attempt to distort the reality of American history, extol the virtues of unbridled capitalism, work against “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion”, and undermine science, has come out with a 2026 Ranking of American Presidents.

Anyone who would believe the virtues or veracity of this listing needs their heads examined, as it is a total distortion of the office of the Presidency to the extreme imaginable!

All Presidents except William Henry Harrison (one month) and James A. Garfield (6 months) are included, but with the decision NOT to include Donald Trump, even though he finished his first term five years ago, but using the excuse that he is presently in office, so not to be placed in the listing for now.

One can be certain when a later version of this so called “Ranking” is published in the future, Donald Trump will end up very high on the list, probably in the top five, based on the crazy order of the Presidents compiled by the propagandists promoting this pure trash of a listing.

So without listing every President, let’s look at the most significant cases of total distortion.

The survey starts off with George Washington Number 1 and Abraham Lincoln Number 2, but after that, the listing goes totally awry.

Ronald Reagan is Number 3, which is a major distortion of reality, but then is followed by, of all people, Calvin Coolidge at Number 4. That is an example of how wacky this survey is, when examined in detail. No one who has any intelligence would rate Coolidge as anything more than in the bottom third of the Presidents.

The rest of the top 10 are in order—Thomas Jefferson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Monroe, James Madison, John Adams, and Theodore Roosevelt. Monroe, Madison and John Adams in most cases would be in the middle of the second ten, not the top ten, but otherwise, not terrible, except to put Coolidge above the Founding Father Presidents and Theodore Roosevelt, as well! How crazy can one get?

Harry Truman is rated Number 12, behind Grover Cleveland at Number 11, which seems ridiculous, followed by Andrew Jackson as Number 13 and James K. Polk as Number 15, both who have otherwise collapsed to lower than Number 20 with recent reevaluations that have caused their rapid decline. Ulysses S. Grant is Number 14, higher than the rise he has gained in legitimate rankings.

John F. Kennedy ends up Number 18 and Franklin D. Roosevelt as Number 20, with of all people, William Howard Taft in between as Number 19, clearly totally lacking in reality.

The Two Bushes, HW and W are Numbers 21 and 22, with Bill Clinton behind them as Number 23, followed by the largely unimpressive many Presidents that have been ranked low for many decades in surveys.

But once we reach the 31-42 range, the bottom of the list, we discover Lyndon B. Johnson Number 35 behind Herbert Hoover Number 33, as well as behind Gerald Ford Number 27 and Richard Nixon Number 29. How crazy can one get to come up with such rankings?

And it gets worse, as Woodrow Wilson is Number 37, followed by Barack Obama Number 38, Jimmy Carter Number 39, and then followed by two Presidents who belong in the bottom, Andrew Johnson Number 40 and James Buchanan Number 41. One might be harshly critical of Wilson, who has declined in rankings in recent years, but to put him in the bottom six of all Presidents is preposterous! And placing Obama and Carter in this bottom group is outrageous beyond belief and reality!

But one might ask, well, who is the absolute bottom at Number 42, and it is, unbelievably, Joe Biden! Whether one admires Joe Biden’s Presidency or not, to put him dead last is the height of craziness, not based on facts!

Notice that the three recent Presidents who demonstrated compassion, empathy, common decency and humanity, morals, ethics, and had no corruption—Obama, Carter, Biden—end up in the bottom five of these listings, which is testimony to how disgraceful this listing of Presidents really is!

This so called “Prager University” Poll is total garbage, and no serious scholar or intelligent citizen would accept the presposterous and outrageous compiling of this propaganda organ, that deserves to be disposed of as extremist and lunatic in nature!

Kentucky Becomes A “Wild Card” In Opposition To Donald Trump

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Who would think that the state of Kentucky, the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, would become a “Wild Card” in opposition to Donald Trump’s agenda in various ways?

This is the state of Senator Rand Paul, a well known libertarian, who has expressed strong disagreement with Donald Trump’s agenda in a number of ways.

It is the state of Congressman Thomas Massie, who has become a thorn in the side of Trump on a number of issues, most notably on exposing the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

It is the state of former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has done such damage in so many ways, but now in his last years in the Senate, has become an open critic of Trump on a number of matters.

And it is the state of Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who has managed to keep the Governorship for two terms, and has shown courage and principle in fighting the dominant Republican Party in his state.

At End Of First Year Of Second Separate Term, Donald Trump “47” Ranks Lower Than “45”, And Below James Buchanan And Andrew Johnson In Presidential Rankings!

Ronald 8 Comments

America has had 45 Presidents, and Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump have had separate Presidential terms after being defeated, so therefore, Cleveland is both the 22nd and 24th President, and Trump is both the 45th and 47th President.

With nearly a year completed of Trump 47, it is clear to anyone who judges Presidential leadership that Donald Trump 47 is far worse than Trump 45, and clearly below both James Buchanan 15 and Andrew Johnson 17, the Presidents before and after Abraham Lincoln 16, with certainty.

Trump 45 has been both ranked above Buchanan and Johnson, and at times, below, but now there is no contest with Trump 47.

Trump 45 had some Cabinet and other advisers who were able, to some extent, control his urges, and prevent the worst policies imaginable, but Trump 47 has no such individuals who can tame his destructive and unstable desires and actions.

So Trump 47, added to Trump 45, is without any debate, the absolutely worse President in American history, no debate or doubts, if for no other reason than both Buchanan and Johnson served one term and all but six weeks of one term, respectively.

So many outrages and mind blowing statements and actions on a daily basis leave America in danger of autocracy being established in such a way that American democracy and the rule of law are in dire straits.

Any sane person who is not racist, misogynist, nativist, Islamophobic, or a sympathizer with Russia and other autocracies, can perceive anything decent or reasonable coming from Donald Trump 47.

His Cabinet Officers and other advisors are the most horrendous, corrupt, and obscene group ever created, and his administration is the most corrupt in every way imaginable, far more than Richard Nixon.

There are no perceivable redeeming qualities one can acknowledge, and the thought of another three years of this monstrosity, whether or not Donald Trump survives that long, is an absolute horror.

With Richard Nixon, the thought of Spiro Agnew as a possible successor was evaded, thankfully, and we had a decent alternative in Gerald Ford, but one cannot be optimistic about JD Vance, based on his actions and utterances as Vice President, that he would improve upon or abandon the policies of Donald Trump!

Further Reflection On Trump’s Destruction Of “The People’s House”! :(

Ronald 11 Comments

With another 24 hours having passed, and the destruction of the East Wing of the White House, “The People’s House”, in full swing, without any hearings or approval by a Washington Landmarks Commission, this author and blogger is feeling more outraged and disgusted by the hour, and blood pressure is rising.

Who gives any President the right to abuse his position, and destroy a landmark historic building without any intervention to delay it and consider it carefully, instead of just charging ahead as if he is the Emperor, who makes decisions unilaterally?

Imagine if such destruction was to take place suddenly at the Vatican in Rome, or the Parthenon in Athens, or Buckingham Palace in London, or the Louvre in Paris, or a multitude of other historic and significant sites of history!

To create a 90,000 square feet (more than two football fields) Ballroom that will be larger than the rest of the White House structure, is a monstrosity that will harm the reputation and significance of the residence where the American President lives while in office!

What would Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Jacqueline Kennedy, all involved in throughtful renovations over the past century and more, say if they were here?

What would John Adams, the first President to occupy the White House, or James Madison, who fled during the War of 1812, when the White House was heavily damaged by the British, but began the needed renovation on the building, say?

What would Abraham Lincoln, who was always concerned that the Confederate States of America might attack the White House, think about his distant successor who had no regard for History and Architecture, and just wanted to glorify himself?

This is a travesty of injustice, and will condemn Donald Trump for all time, as the absolute worst American President, no matter what else occurs!

It is a disgrace that as we are about to commemorate, not celebrate sadly, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, that we are seeing the complete reshaping of an historic building which should have been left as it was for the long haul of history!

In The Midst Of Massive Injustice, A Moment To Salute Jimmy Carter, On What Would Have Been His 101st Birthday!

Ronald Leave a comment

In the midst of massive injustice, and living through the worst Presidency in American history, far worse than the first term of Donald Trump, we should all pause and reflect on something that can make us smile!

Today, October 1, would have been the 101st Birthday of President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on December 29, 2024, almost three months past his birthday, and the longest lived President in American history.

Jimmy Carter is diametrically opposite of Donald Trump, as Carter can be regarded as likely the most decent, humane, truly religious, sincere, compassionate, empathetic, intelligent person ever to occupy the White House, bar none!

Carter may not have accomplished the greatness of Presidents such as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and his time in office was tough, but he gave his “All”, as the hardest working President of modern times!

Carter will be remembered for the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, the most important development in modern Middle East history.

He will be remembered for his great environmental advocacy (the greatest of any one term President), and for the justice of arranging for the Panama Canal, forced on Panama by Theodore Roosevelt, to be returned to their sovereignty under international law.

He also established the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); recognized Mainland China; and presided over the creation of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services, among other accomplishments.

Carter also promoted human rights as a foreign policy goal, and created the Carter Center, post Presidency, to deal with tropical diseases and promote free and fair elections, and won the Nobel Peace Prize a generation after his Presidency, along with building housing for the poor with his own hands for Habitat For Humanity.

And he also gave America the man regarded by many experts as the best, most effective, most engaged Vice President in American history, Walter Mondale. Additionally, he struck up a close friendship with his one time rival, Gerald Ford, the closest Presidential relationship of two rivals for the Presidency since John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

Carter’s reputation will continue to rise, and the contrast with Donald Trump is stark and shocking.

God bless the soul of the 39th President, Jimmy Carter!

Past Presidential Disputes Never Anything Like Trump With His Predecessors!

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump’s incessant attacks on many of his predecessors in the White House is unparalleled in American history!

Trump has attacked over the years not only Barack Obama, but also Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and both Presidents Bush in vehement and outrageous ways.

In the past, there were cases of “bad blood” between Presidents, but nothing on the scale of what Trump has done.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson had strong criticism of each other, as well as Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams, and neither Adams attended the inauguration of his successor. But later, Adams and Jefferson revived their former friendship, with extensive letter correspondence over the last 14 years of their lives.

John Tyler, Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan were unhappy with Abraham Lincoln’s policies during the Civil War.

Andrew Johnson had issues with his successor, Ulysses S. Grant, and refused to attend Grant’s inauguration.

Theodore Roosevelt fought bitterly against his own annointed successor, William Howard Taft, and challenged him in 1912, and both TR and Wilson were at odds very often with Woodrow Wilson.

Herbert Hoover was very bitter in his loss to Franklin D. Rooosevelt, and during the terms that FDR was in office, probably more vehement than any other situation other than Trump, and FDR never invited Hoover to visit the White House.

Harry Truman was critical of Dwight D. Eisenhower to some extent, and he and Richard Nixon were dire enemies, until Nixon brought the Truman piano in the White House to the Truman Library in 1969.

Jimmy Carter tended to be critical of other Presidents, but in the case of Gerald Ford, they became the best of friends after both had left office. Carter remained a strong critic, but in a dignified manner, of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

Despite past rivalries, both Bush Presidents and Bill Clinton became good friends in later years, and the same for Barack Obama and the two Bushes.

It is extremely inappropriate for the members of the “Presidents Club” to be lambasting others in that group, and it was refreshing that Carter and Ford became friends, and that the Bushes and Clinton were cooperative, as well as Obama with the Bushes.

But then, Donald Trump has destroyed the idea of camaraderie among the small, select group who have the opportunity to be President of the United States.

Shocking, Stunning NYC Mayoral Democratic Primary!

Ronald 12 Comments

New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a mostly obscure politician with only brief experience in government at age 33, born in Uganda of Indian parents, with his father Muslim and his mother Hindu, with him professing to be a Muslim who is pro Palestinian in his views, has stunned the Democratic political establishment in New York City and nationwide, with his shocking, stunning, seismic first round victory in the NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary, over highly favored former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo!

Mamdani, seemingly, came out of “nowhere” and has a seven point lead on Cuomo, with ranked choice voting system adopted by NYC having to wait until July 1 or later, before having a final victory in the primary, but with a solid seven point leader for Mamdani likely to hold up in the end.

The ultimate Democratic nominee for Mayor will be a heavy favorite to win in a city strongly loyal to that party. But present Mayor Eric Adams, under a cloud of corruption, will be on the ballot as an Independent, and Cuomo had previously planned to run on an Indepedent line along with what he hoped would be the Democratic nomination. So if Cuomo does that, it will be a”wild and wooly” campaign, with Mamdani, despite his strong left wing views, likely to win, but no certainty at the result in November.

At age 33, which would make Mamdani the youngest Mayor since John Purroy Mitchel (1914-1917), he would with his Muslim heritage have to combat both Jewish groups that in most cases would be against him; African Americans, who would favor Adams; Establishment figures who would favor Cuomo; and with the likelihood of great conflict in the future between a potential Mayor Mamdani and the Trump Administration.

Ranked Choice Voting is only used widely in three states–Maine, Alaska, and Hawaii, along with a number of states in local elections, and some cities, including Washington DC; New York City; Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and Oakland and San Francisco, California.

Mamdani, with his Democratic “Socialist” ideas, would be, likely, the most leftist Mayor of New York in modern times, and possibly, of any major city, and with his backing and endorsement by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, makes “fireworks” likely in NYC politics by the various opposing groups in the city and in the national government.

It reminds one of Mayor Fernando Wood, who served two rounds as NYC Mayor (1855-1858) and (1860-1861), becoming a leading critic of Abraham Lincoln, and a supporter of the Confederacy in the first year of the Civil War as a “Copperhead”, northern supporter of the South against the Union. He even proposed NYC secede from the Union!

Wood also served in the US House of Representatives from 1863-1865, as well as later terms, and promoted continuing opposition to Lincoln and the Civil War, and opposed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, ending slavery. He was also married three times, including his third marriage at age 48 to a 16 year old!

Most certainly, Mamdani will shake up American politics if he becomes Mayor of NYC, with its 8 plus million people, larger than all but 12 of the 50 states in America!

250th Anniversary Of American Revolution, And America Faces Existential Crisis Worse Than Civil War, Great Depression, And World War II! :(

Ronald 30 Comments

Tomorrow, April 19, 1775, saw the first shots of the American Revolution!

This is the beginning of celebrations, which in less than 15 months, will be the celebration of the Declaration of Independence.

There is much to celebrate about the accomplishment of independence and the establishment of a democracy with a Constitution and Bill of Rights that made American a beacon for the world of what is possible when good intentions prevail!

But sadly, America faces an existential crisis, the greatest since the Civil War, the Great Depression, and World War II!

However, as tragic as those events were, America was fortunate to have two great Presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Frenklin D. Roosevelt, to follow the masterful statesmanship of George Washington to resolve these major moments of challenge to the rule of law.

But now, we have an existential crisis with the return to the Presidency of the most dangerous, unethical, and corrupt Chief Executive the nation has ever faced, and presenting massive challenge to the economic stability, the civil liberties, and the international role of America, which is being upended daily by Donald Trump, and his minions, his sycophants, who have no concern other than their own aggrandizement!

As a scholar and professor, who has just retired from the classroom, but will continue to give lectures to senior citizens and other adults, and also continue to express his views on this blog, the present and future are extremely alarming.

There is a sense of foreboding as to whether the American Republic and democracy will survive the onslaught against the basic principles enunciated 250 years ago, and reasserted 85-90 years later in the Civil War Era, and then again 70-80 years later in the Great Depression and World War II Era!

All good, decent people must be willing to speak out and challenge any attempt to stifle freedom and advocate support of totalitarian ideologies, as the present Administration is in the process of working to accomplish!

Trump State Of The Union Address: Highly Divisive And Lies, Lies, Lies! :(

Ronald 14 Comments

Donald Trump gave the longest State of the Union speech ever delivered last evening, about 9,900 words lasting about 100 minutes, surpassing Bill Clinton’s State of the Union speech in 2000.

The speech was highly, extremely divisive, unusual as Presidents usually try to promote a sense of unity when giving the State of the Union address, even with the opposition party, but instead Trump was gloating about his victory, which he exaggerated regarding its magnitude.

Trump, as usual, lied, lied, and lied some more, distorting and exaggerating reality, facts, and truth.

Trump lied about Joe Biden’s record, calling him the worst President in US History (which was an example of projection about himself).

Trump also took a dig against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the primary promoter of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that became law under Barack Obama, but now is on the chopping block.

Trump also claimed that there are people over 100 years of age, up to 300 years old, who are collecting Social Security, a clearcut attack on that program that has existed for 90 years since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is fear that Social Security may not be paid in future months, due to the claims of waste, fraud, and abuse that are totally preposterous, and with layoffs of civil service employees in that agency.

Trump also promoted the idea of seizing the Panama Canal and taking over Greenland from Denmark, which will antagonize Latin America and NATO respectively, as Trump promotes “imperialism”.

Watching the smirks of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance was infuriating, as the nation clearly is evenly divided, but there was no interest in crossing the aisle and promoting cooperation, with the Congress more divisive and the majority unconcerned about compromise and negotiation.

Trump’s promotion of tariffs with Canada, Mexico, and China will raise the cost of living dramatically, and soon, and goes against the record of history, that tariffs are counterproductive.

Plaudits to newly elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, and introduced herself to the nation as a legislator who should be respected and paid attention to in the future of the Democratic Party.

The battle ahead for the average American taxpayer and families will be a long, bitter struggle, but the Democrats must not sit on the sidelines, but instead march, demonstrate, organize, and vigorously fight with every bone in their bodies against the extreme right wing tilt of the Republican Party, which has repudiated so much of their heritage over 170 years of their history from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan!