Bill Clinton

$40 Trillion National Debt A Crisis For America, And Mostly Occurring Under Republican Presidents!

Ronald 33 Comments

America is faced with a crisis, as the national debt just passed $40 Trillion, and no end in sight, as Donald Trump adds massively to the national debt with his extremely large tax cuts, and the costs of the Iran War.

This presents a crisis for the funding of Social Security and Medicare, which will be unable, as things stand now, to pay out to recipients the entire amount they are due on a monthly basis by the mid 2030s, and on health care costs.

The national debt reached $1 Trillion under Ronald Reagan by his second year in office, 1982.

And when one looks at all Presidents since then, it is clear that the national debt has magnified primarily under Republican Presidents since Reagan, who tripled the national debt to $3 Trillion, as well as George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

George W. Bush started with a $5.7 Trillion national debt, and left eight years later, with $10.6 Trillion, so a doubling of the national debt.

Donald Trump started with about $20 Trillion national debt, and left after four years with $28 Trillion national debt. And in his second term, the national debt has grown from $36 Trillion up to, presently, $40 Trillion national debt.

So $20 Trillion, half the total national debt at present, but with about $3 Trillion being added annually by estimate for the next two and a half years of Trump, are due to Republican policies, including more massive tax cuts for the wealthy under Bush and Trump, and involvement in foreign wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Iran.

This is not excusing Democratic Presidents since Reagan, but the worst economic downturn, the Great Recession, since the Great Depression, explains Barack Obama adding $9.3 Trillion to the national debt in two terms; and Joe Biden, with the COVID 19 Pandemic, adding $8.5 Trillion to the national debt in his one term of office.

Bill Clinton added only $1.5 Trillion to the national debt in his two terms, and actually had balanced budgets in his second term, in league with a Republican Congress, while Republican George H. W. Bush in his one term added $1.3 Trillion to the national debt.

By comparison, Democrat Jimmy Carter in his one term only added $300 Billion to the National Debt.

AI Data Centers, And Alabama Gubernatorial Race Between Doug Jones And Tommy Tuberville

Ronald 9 Comments

The state of Alabama will have a Gubernatorial race in November between Senator Tommy Tuberville and former Senator Doug Jones.

Tuberville was a nationally renowned football coach at four universities before running for the Senate in 2020, and defeating Doug Jones.

Jones was a Senator from 2018-2021, after winning a special election after Jeff Sessions became Attorney General for Donald Trump in his first term in 2017. Earlier, he served as US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama under President Bill Clinton, and gained wide notice for the successful prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members for the 1963 Birmingham Church bombing that killed four African American girls, as well as the indictment of the Olympic Park Bomber, Eric Rudolph, who conducted his terrorist attack in Atlanta in 1996 during that year’s Summer Olympics.

Jones lost his Senate seat in a massive defeat to Tuberville, in a state heavily Republican for decades. But he is back again, trying to win the Governorship, as Tuberville gave up the chance to run for reelection to the Senate, and instead work to become the state’s governor.

Tuberville has gained an horrendous reputation for outrageous statements and actions in his one term in the Senate, and displays the worst elements imaginable in any Senator, making him close to the worst member of the Republican Party in the upper chamber, but he has the full support of Donald Trump.

Jones, who came across as quite decent in his three years in the Senate, and with his impressive earlier public career, is making the attempt to help the Democratic Party to regain the executive branch in Alabama.

He is making a key issue of the growing AI Data Centers, wanting a moratorium on their development as research is being conducted on the problems and dangers of AI Data Centers, which are mostly ending up in rural areas nationally, and affecting the power, water, and air of the areas around them.

Meanwhile, Tuberville has demonstrated no desire to promote regulation or controls of AI Data Centers, so this is becoming a major difference in the race, with the hope that Jones can exploit the issue and win the Governorship.

It would be a step forward if Doug Jones, a decent and principled man, were able to defeat the reckless Tommy Tuberville, and retire him from public life.

Shocking, Sudden Passing Of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham!

Ronald 15 Comments

The shocking, sudden passing of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham at the age of 71 is a reminder that all of us are living in an uncertain circumstance, never knowing what our lifespan is.

An extremely controversial member of the US Senate for 24 years, and before that for 8 years in the US House of Representatives, Graham engendered both scorn and admiration for his engagement in both domestic and foreign policy controversies under five Presidents.

Graham was a close associate of Arizona Senator John McCain and a major critic of Donald Trump, telling America the harsh truth about Trump during the Presidential Election campaign of 2016.

But then, Graham “sold his soul” to Trump, and became what was regarded by many as being Trump’s “lapdog”.

Graham first became controversial when he was one of the leaders pursuing the impeachment of President Bill Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the late 1990s.

But Graham also promoted immigration reform until Donald Trump came along and became the worst possible nativist bigot.

So Graham leaves a very mixed and controversial record, as a supporter of Ukraine against Russia, but also a massive supporter of Israel, even during the US-Gaza War that began after the October 7, 2023 Massacre.

Graham also was a major supporter of the present Iran War, which has led to great turmoil in both domestic and international affairs.

Whatever one thought of Graham’s views and policies, everyone could agree that he was an engaging, warm personality, but he faced great criticism over bowing down to Donald Trump, which would have angered his close friend, Senator McCain, who had been constantly attacked by Donald Trump.

“Democratic Socialists” Vs Democratic Party

Ronald 23 Comments

The Democratic Party has brought about in the past century, since Franklin D. Roosevelt onward through Joe Biden, a massive number of major reforms.

The vast number of them came under FDR and the New Deal in the 1930s, and Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society in the 1960s, both periods where the Democratic Party had massive majorities in both houses of Congress.

Under other Democratic Presidents, fewer reforms were possible, but there were domestic accomplishments and advancements under Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

Now, however, so called “Democratic Socialists” are trying to turn the Democratic Party further to the left, and have succeeded in electing Zohran Mamdani as NYC Mayor and likely will elect Janeese Lewis George as Washington DC Mayor in November.

The best known “Democratic Socialist” is Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democratic Party, and is seen by others as a “model”, but is not technically seen as part of this updated “Democratic Socialists”.

Also, there are three members, presently, in the House of Representatives;

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
Greg Casar of Texas

In the upcoming 120th Congress (2027-2029), the following additions are to be added to the House of Representatives:

Dairaliza Avila Chavalier of New York
Claire Valdez of New York
Melat Kiros of Colorado
Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania

There are others who are termed as “The Squad”, but do not call themselves “Democratic Socialists”, including

Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts
Delia Ramirez of Illinois
Summer Lee of Pennsylvania

The “Democratic Socialists” and “The Squad” membership could be a problem if the Democrats gain the majority in the House of Representatives by only a small margin, as that could interfere with the ability of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York to become the first Black Speaker of the House.

“Democratic Socialists” promote the following:

32 Hour Work Week
Minimum Wage of $30
Medicare For All
High Taxation of the Rich
Housing Reform And Universal Rent Control
Cuts In Military Spending
Opposition to NATO and Aid to Ukraine
Replacement of Capitalism
Hostility To Israel Since Israel-Gaza War

This author and blogger, proud to be a “Progressive”, sees these goals as unrealistic or objectionable.

Lowering the work week to less than 40 hours is possible, and a minimum wage goal over time of $25 seem reasonable.

Movement toward Medicare to cover Americans over 50, and some taxation of the rich is also reasonable.

Housing Reforms including for renters in a moderate way is also reasonable.

Some Cuts in Military Spending, but support of NATO and of Aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia is the proper way for the future.

Capitalism will not be replaced, but could come under greater regulation and controls.

Criticism of Israel, and ending military support of the government due to its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, can occur, but not total hostility to the right of Israel to its own nationhood.

So there is potential for reforms and change, but not to the extreme promoted by the “Democratic Socialists” and “The Squad”.

They will continue to “make noise” as their small number in Congress grows, but the Democratic Party is not going to go as far left as these groups promote, as they are totally unrealistic.

Presidents’ Common Birth Years, And Death Dates, As Three Presidents Reach Age Of 80 In Next Eight Weeks!

Ronald 29 Comments

The year 1946 witnessed the births of three American Presidents, in reverse order of date of birth, and all three will reach 80 years of age in the next eight weeks:

Donald Trump June 14
George W. Bush July 6
Bill Clinton August 19

But there are other Presidents who share similar birth years, although no cases of THREE Presidents, rather TWO, who have the same birth year.

1767—John Quincy Adams (July 11) and Andrew Jackson (March 15), consecutive Presidents but reverse dates of birth.

1822—Ulysses S Grant (April 27) and Rutherford B. Hayes (October 4).

1913—Richard Nixon (January 9) and Gerald Ford (July 14).

1924—Jimmy Carter (October 1) and George H. W. Bush (June 12), non consecutive Presidents but reverse dates of birth.

At the same time, there are only three sets of cases of death dates of American Presidents dying on the same day of a year, with two in the same year:

July 4—John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (1826) and James Monroe (1831). But Jefferson died a number of hours before Adams on the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and supposedly, Adams’ last words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives”, which was not the truth!

March 8—Millard Fillmore (1874) and William Howard Taft (1930)

December 26—Harry Truman (1972) and Gerald Ford (2006).

Donald Trump Has Added Nearly One Third Of All National Debt Since 1789!

Ronald 45 Comments

President Donald Trump has managed, in his five and a half years in the Presidency, to add more to the national debt than any other President.

His debt increase has been close to one third of the entire national debt, with 8 Trillion Dollars added in his first term, and so far, nearly 3 Trillion Dollars in his second term, and with the national debt presently at about 39 Trillion.

Trump has added overwhelmingly to the national debt with his two massive tax cuts in 2017, and even more so, in 2025.

Sadly, the COVID 19 Pandemic caused a massive increase under Joe Biden of 8 Trillion dollars, so the national debt has risen from 19 Trillion when Trump entered office until now, nearly ten years later.

The national debt has increased seven fold since 2000 when Bill Clinton was about to leave the Presidency, and has doubled since Trump came into office in his first term in 2017.

Donald Trump Presidency Easily The Most Corrupt In American History, Bar None!

Ronald 86 Comments

If there was any doubt about the level of corruption of Donald Trump in his first term in the Presidency from 2017-2021, his one year and four months so far of his second term, with two thirds of the term still ahead of us, settles the issue. It has escalated to the certainty of a multitude of observers, that his Presidency is the ultimate level of corruption without any debate on other Presidents and their administrations.

It is also fact that there can be no debate that the Presidencies that stand out as corrupt are all Republican Presidents.

Richard Nixon’s Presidency was seen as the worst and most corrupt, but now Trump replaces Nixon at the top of the list, without any debate.

Once we get past Trump and Nixon, the remaining Presidencies with high levels of corruption, would include

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George W. Bush (2001-2009)

No other Republican President comes close to the level of corruption and scandal of the above six Republican Presidents.

So Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush are not to be compared with the horrendous record of the six Republican Presidents who had large scale illegalities in their administrations.

And one would have to scrape very far to find any Democratic President since Andrew Jackson established the “Spoils System” in the 1830s to attempt to put any leaders of that party on the level of corruption being discussed here.

There is no such thing as perfection, but other than personal scandal, sometimes known in their lifetime, and other times not known, not one Democratic President—Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden—comes anywhere near the scandal ridden times of the six Republican Presidents.

Four Octogenarian Presidents In Next Three Months!

Ronald 14 Comments

America has had 45 men serve as President, and 12 of them have reached the age of 80, and with three more to be added to the list between June and August 2026.

So one third of our Presidents will have reached the age of 80, with six of them reaching the 90s up to 100, and nine reaching the age of 80 plus.

Those in their 90s include Jimmy Carter, who reached age 100, followed by George H. W. Bush (94); Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan (93); John Adams and Herbert Hoover (90).

Those in their 80s include Harry Truman (88); James Madison (85); Joe Biden (who will be 84 in November 2026); Thomas Jefferson (83); Richard Nixon (81); and John Quincy Adams (80).

In the next three months from today, Donald Trump will reach 80 on June 14; George W. Bush on July 6; and Bill Clinton on August 19.

Seven of these 15 are Republicans (HW Bush, Ford, Reagan, Hoover, Nixon, Trump, W Bush); 4 are Democrats (Carter, Truman, Biden, Clinton); 1 is Federalist (Adams); and 3 are Democratic Republicans (Madison, Jefferson, JQ Adams) in party affiliation.

Interestingly, 4 of the 15 Presidents were from the first 6 Chief Executives. Then, all of the remaining 11 Presidents who will have reached the age of 80, are a full century later after JQ Adams.

And after Hoover and Truman, and from Nixon onward in succession, every President from Ford, Carter, Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, W Bush, Biden and Trump, will have reached that accomplishment, with only Barack Obama still nearly 15 years away from being an octogenarian.

Midterm Elections With Presidential Approval Ratings Below 50 Percent

Ronald 52 Comments

The history of Midterm Elections and Presidents has, historically, not been a good one for almost all Presidents in modern history,

The one major exception is 1934, two years into the first term of Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal, when his party gained supermajorities in both houses of the 74th Congress, up from 60 to 75 seats in the US Senate, and up from 309 seats to 333 seats in the House of Representatives.

In the 106th Congress (1999-2001) under Democrat Bill Clinton, his party gained five seats in the House of Representatives, and one seat in the Senate, although the Republicans kept the majority.

And in the 108th Congress (2003-2005), under Republican President George W. Bush, and after September 11, Republicans gained six seats in the House of Representatives, and one seat in the Senate.

Finally, in the 118th Congress (2023-2025) under Democrat Joe Biden, the Democrats actually gained one seat in the Senate, while losing the House of Representatives majority to the Republican opposition.

Otherwise, the party in the White House has suffered major losses in seats, connected particularly with the modern approval ratings of Presidents falling below 50 percent.

So in 1946, under President Harry Truman, the Democrats lost 55 House seats and the majority in both houses.

Lyndon B. Johnson lost 48 seats in 1966; Ronald Reagan lost 26 seats in 1982; Bill Clinton lost 54 seats in 1994, and control of both houses; George W. Bush lost 30 seats in 2006, and control of both houses; Barack Obama lost 64 seats in 2010 and control of the House of Representatives; and Donald Trump lost 42 seats in 2018 and control of the House of Representatives.

Two New Presidential Libraries And Museums Opening In June And July!

Ronald Leave a comment

For all those who care about and devote their lives to the study and analysis of the American Presidency and its occupants, celebrations are in order, as two new Presidential Libraries and Museums are opening within about two weeks of each other in June and July 2026.

On June 19, Juneteenth, the Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum in Chicago will be dedicated, and then the next day, it will be open to the public. It will be the first Presidential Library totally digitized, although hard copies will be available at a separate facility. The Center will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus. A landscaped urban park and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library will be on the property.

On July 4, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will be opened in Medora, North Dakota, which is connected to Theodore Roosevelt through his times in the mid 1880s that he spent in the “Badlands” area of North Dakota, escaping from the death of his wife and mother on Valentine’s Day 1884.

The Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, was the home of Theodore Roosevelt throughout his life, along with his birthplace at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan, New York City, and both are open to tourists and scholars. But now, there will be a true Presidential Library in a state that Theodore Roosevelt claimed had a great impact on him, and that he would not have been President without the experience as a rancher.

It must be pointed out that every President since Herbert Hoover has an official Presidential Library and Museum, and both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are in early stages of planning such projects.

Earlier Presidents have historic sites, but not officially part of the National Archives and Records Administration, and in many cases, are based on their homes, including:

George Washington–Mount Vernon, Virginia
John Adams and John Quincy Adams–Quincy, Massachusetts
Thomas Jefferson–Charlottesville, Virginia
James Madison–Charlottesville, Virginia
James Monroe–Fredericksburg, Virginia
Andrew Jackson–Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee
James Buchanan–Philadelpia, Pennsylvania
Abraham Lincoln–Springfield, Illinois
Andrew Johnson–Tusculum, Tennessee
Ulysses S Grant–Starkville, Mississippi
Rutherford B Hayes–Fremont, Ohio
Grover Cleveland–Princeton, New Jersey
William McKinley–Canton, Ohio
Woodrow Wilson–Staunton, Virginia
Warren G Harding–Marion, Ohio
Calvin Coolidge–Northampton, Massachusetts

This author, scholar, and blogger has visited the historic sites and homes of George Washington, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt in NY, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson in Virginia and DC, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.