Abraham Lincoln

April 12: Beginning Of Civil War (1861) And Death Of FDR (1945)–Two Key Moments In US History!

Today, April 12, is one of the most influential days in American history!

It is the 161st anniversary of the outbreak of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, an event which still strongly affects American politics and society ever since, despite the loss of the Confederate States to the Union four years later on April 9, 1865.

It is also the 77th anniversary of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the most significant President of the 20th century, and only surpassed in influence by George Washington in the 18th century and Abraham Lincoln in the 19th century.

The impact of FDR remains massive on American government and society, despite the desire of Republicans over the decades to wipe out the effects of the New Deal on America.

No other events match the Civil War and the New Deal in their impact on America long term!

Joe Biden Becomes A Wartime President

Joe Biden has become a wartime President, alongside James Madison, James K. Polk, Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.

At this point, he looks more like Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, Truman, and George H. W. Bush than the rest of the group.

If fortune goes against him, he might look more like Madison, who saw the nation divide during the War Of 1812 and the White House being burned; like Polk, who caused a split over slavery expansion during the Mexican War that helped to lead to the Civil War a decade later; like LBJ, who divided the nation over Vietnam just as he promoted the Great Society; like Nixon, who continued an unpopular war in Vietnam that ended up in a tragic loss; and like George W. Bush, who started two wars based on poor tactics and planning, and dominated by lies and deception in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Nightmare Battle For The Republican Presidential Nomination In 2024

What a nightmare the Republican Party faces in 2024, as trying to find a nominee who is decent, competent, and NOT tied to the disaster of Donald Trump is a long haul!

We begin with Donald Trump himself, who is rapidly losing support, but still has clout in the party, even though he is actually a cancer destroying the image and reputation of the party of Lincoln, TR,Ike, Reagan and George H. W. Bush!

Then we have former Vice President Mike Pence, whose only good deed was counting the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021 properly and correctly, but there is no way imaginable that he could win the Republican Presidential nomination, and his religiosity is a real turn off to moderate voters.

Then there is a slimmed down former Secretary of State and Central Intelligence Agency Head Mike Pompeo, but his admiration of Vladimir Putin insures he is not going anywhere!

Then we have former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who once had stature and respect, but has lost all of that reputation being so much a lackey to Donald Trump, and at the same time, changing her mind regularly on the former President

Then, we have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, all of whom are competing with each other to be further Right Wing than the others, including warring on truth, history, racial justice, women’s rights, and gay rights, as well as attacking the concept of masks and vaccinations during the COVID 19 Pandemic.

Florida is unique in that it has three Republicans all ambitious enough to think they should be President, including DeSantis, but also Senators Rick Scott (involved in Medicare Fraud), and Marco Rubio, who was a major critic of Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican competition for the Presidency, but has, like most Republican officeholders caved in and given up all principles in bowing to Trump throughout his Presidency, and refusing to strongly condemn the January 6, 2021 Insurrection!

The Senate is full of Presidential wannabes, besides Scott and Rubio, including Insurrectionist promoter Josh Hawley of Missouri, who put up his fist in support on January 6; Tom Cotton of Arkansas; Rand Paul of Kentucky; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Ted Cruz of Texas; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; and Tim Scott of South Carolina.

One can add to that list Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

There are also clear anti Trump Republicans, including Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger; Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney; Maryland Governor Larry Hogan; Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse; and Utah Senator Mitt Romney.

CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) A Mockery Of Conservatism And The Party Of Lincoln!

The annual CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) took place for four days last week in Orlando, Florida, the home of three of the absolutely worst political leaders imaginable–Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator and former Governor Rick Scott, and Senator Marco Rubio!

White Supremacists and lovers of Vladimir Putin, who is waging war on Ukraine, dominated the four days of speeches, and showed just how authoritarian oriented these so called conservatives are, who have made a mockery of conservatism and the party of Lincoln!

There was no support of the brave Ukranians, fighting against the most dangerous man on the planet, Vladimir Putin, but lunatic support of Donald Trump, the most dangerous man in America, who keeps his legions of supporters loyal to his anti democratic, anti NAT0 and Fascist authoritarianism, which waged war on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021!

The CPAC poll for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination had Trump winning 59 percent of the vote, to Ron DeSantis and 28 percent, second year in a row of CPAC still supporting the traitor and seditionist Donald Trump!

The true conservatives—the Lincoln Project—and such leaders as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker, Chris Sununu, along with fellow former Republicans outside of government—are working to undermine the Trump legions, and save the party future!

Presidents Day 2022: New Documentaries On Abraham Lincoln And Lyndon B. Johnson, And New Siena College Research Institute Presidential Survey

Today is Presidents Day 2022, and yesterday and continuing are documentaries on Abraham Lincoln on History Channnel (Sunday to Tuesday); and on Lyndon B. Johnson on CNN (Sunday and Monday).

And Siena College Research Institute, which conducts a Presidential survey among historians, political scientists, and expert journalists, in the second year of each Presidency, just posted a new survey form, as they always do one year into a new Presidency.

So sometime later in the year 2022, the results of the survey will be announced.

And this Presidential scholar, a participant, has just indicated how he ranks the Presidents, including Joe Biden for the first time.

It will be interesting to see what, if any changes, will occur now that Donald Trump is out of the White House, and Joe Biden has served one full year!

Republicans Divided Over January 6 Insurrection Defense By Republican National Committee!

It is interesting how Republicans are splitting around the January 6 Insurrection defense (legitimate political discourse) of the Republican National Committee!

Mitch McConnell being critical, along with Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Larry Hogan, and others on one side are challenged by Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and a multitude of others on the crazy side!

Whether one agrees with the former group on every issue, they are the only hope for the Republican Party to survive, and the lifeline is getting weaker!

There must be a serious uprising against Donald Trump soon, or else there IS no future for the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan!

The best bet is that the “dark side” will win out, and a new “Conservative” Party will have to form as an alternative to the Democratic Party in the future!

The Republican Party Has Gone Bonkers, And Conservatives Need To Leave And Form New Party!

The Republican Party and its long history is ending, effectively, with the crazy decision of the Republican National Committee to censure Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, and Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois!

And the party apparatus has declared that the January 6, 2021 Insurrection was “legitimate political discourse”, an absolutely lunatic statement that is having all past Republicans shamed, and many principled moderates and conservatives in the party today stunned beyond belief!

The party can be considered to have committed suicide, and all decent people in and out of government, need to make clear that they are abandoning the party, as many already have, and start a new conservative party, based on principles, not lawlessness, bloodshed, and violence!

Can any sane person imagine any of the great Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and those connected to past Republican Presidents and nominees who would not be appalled by the total recklessness and conceding to a tin horn lunatic named Donald Trump that has now occurred?

What would Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush say?

What about all of the other luminaries of the Republican Party past and present?

How can such Republicans today as Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse, Mitt Romney, and others NOT quit the party and denounce what they have declared about the January 6 Insurrection, and the mistreatment of Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger?

The Donald Trump Mafia And “Religious” Type Cult Controls The Remnants Of The Republican Party!

It is time to recognize that Donald Trump is like a Mafia Chieftan, a gang leader, a cult leader, with many so called “religious” people, both right wing evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews, following his lead, and believing he is the savior of their America!

The Presidential Election of 2020 was the only time when America did not experience a peaceful transfer of power, as even after Lincoln was elected in 1860, his inauguration went forward without direct threat, although there was a “Baltimore Plot” that was prevented from success and open bloodshed!

Their America is one of racism, sexism, nativism, misogyny, Islamophobia, and even antisemitism, as well as worshipper of guns, and homophobic!

Donald Trump is clearly still a threat to national security and to American democracy, and it is essential to ban him from being able to run again for President, utilizing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, as this author and blogger wrote about on this blog a few days ago.

But also, the conspirators of January 6, 2021 must be prevented from holding public office, as they are the true scum which has no regard for human life and safety!

Even when one of the worst conspirators of all, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, has a relapse and admits the terrorist attack, along comes the evil Tucker Carlson of Fox News Channel, who intimidates him back into obedience to the cult!

The Republican Party is a very sick party, and a threat to the future of American democracy, and must be overcome on all levels, a battle for the ages to redeem what Abraham Lincoln spoke for during the Civil War!

The Republican Party Of History Is Gone! 1854-2022!

The Republican Party of history once stood for human rights, civil rights, racial equality, in the age of Abraham Lincoln.

The Republican Party of history once stood for progressive reforms, in the age of Theodore Roosevelt, Robert LaFollette, Sr., and George Norris.

The Republican Party of history once stood for promoting internationalism and fighting the Cold War for democracy and against the threat of totalitarianism, in the age of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.

The Republican Party of history once stood for Civil Rights in the age of Senators and Congressmen who joined with Democrats to promote political and social reform.

The Republican Party of history had its elements which were evil and divisive, but the party overall stood for basic principles of decency while promoting conservatism and the concept of limited national government.

But now, the Republican Party has promoted massive give aways to the wealthy, while having no concern about the needs of the middle class and the poor.

But now, the Republican Party consorts with authoritarian regimes of the Left and the Right, including collaborating with Vladimir Putin to fix the Presidential Election of 2016, and to make concessions to the Russian Federation during the era of Donald Trump.

But now, the Republican Party has the craziest conceivable elements in its party, who promote sedition, treason, and attacks on the Constitution and the rule of law.

Only a small element of the 2021-2022 Republican Party is part of the mainstream of American politics, and they are outnumbered and attacked for their commitment to decency, honesty, and the tenets of American democracy. Plaudits to Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Anthony Gonzalez, Peter Meijer, John Katko, Tom Rice, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Mitt Romney, Pat Toomey, and a small group of other courageous, principled Congressmen and Senators!

Donald Trump and his ilk, which include millions of ignorant, prejudiced white supremacists, antisemites, Islamophobes, racists, nativists and misogynists, represent a dire threat to the American republic, and must be combatted by every legal tool available, to allow America to reach its 250th anniversary in 2026 as a nation still keeping its values and heritage that are a model for democracy around the world in the 21st century!

Republican Party: From Joseph McCarthy In The 1950s To Kevin McCarthy In 2021!

The Republican Party has fallen from the time of such leaders as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and innumerable decent Republican Senators and Governors over the years!

But there has always been an ugly side to the Republican Party since World War II, characterized by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin in the 1950s and now the disgraceful leadership of House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California!

The first McCarthy set out to destroy the lives of Americans by labeling them “Reds” or “Pinkos”, and now the modern McCarthy, NOT a family member or relative, has set out to destroy any decency in the Republican Party by backing a criminal attempt of Donald Trump to come back to the Presidency, “by hook or by crook”, with emphasis on the latter, and by promoting the “Big Lie”!

Kevin McCarthy is willing to destroy any honest, decent Republican in his quest to be two heartbeats away from the Presidency, even though he personally condemned Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol!

Joseph McCarthy was a horror and a villain in the 1950s, and now another McCarthy is a villain in the 2020s!

It is essential that Kevin McCarthy be required to testify in the House January 6 Committee investigation, and that his immoral, unethical behavior be called out, and that he should pay the price for undermining American democracy!

America survived the first McCarthy after nearly a five year nightmare, and America needs to survive the era of the modern demagogue, Kevin McCarthy!