Corporations

Republican Views On Donald Trump

Ronald 1 Comment

Much of Wall Street is against Donald Trump, and many corporations are refusing to sponsor or support the Republican National Convention.

And many Republicans are either refusing to support Trump or, at least, are refusing to attend the convention, and or speak. Others, however, have supported Trump, and some of them are on the Vice Presidential “short list”. The incomplete list below contains 51 names.

Among them are the following who refuse to endorse Trump: (24)

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk
Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham
2012 Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker
Former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman
Former Florida Senator Mel Martinez
Former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman
Former Texas Congressman Ron Paul
Former Republican National Chairman Ken Mehlman
Former Oklahoma Congressman J C Watts
Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
President George H W Bush
President George W Bush
Bush I National Security Adviser Brent Scowcraft
Retired General Colin Powell
Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge (Also Secretary of Homeland Security)
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
South Carolina Congressman Mark Sanford
Ohio Governor John Kasich
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
Nevada Senator Dean Heller
Utah Senator Mike Lee

Among others who will not attend the convention and or do not plan to speak: (10)

New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte
South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner
Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy
Texas Senator John Cornyn
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
Utah Congresswoman Mia Love
Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Ohio Senator Rob Portman
Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker

However, others have endorsed Trump, including the following: (17)

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry
Dr. Benjamin Carson
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Florida Senator Marco Rubio
Former Georgia Congressman and Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown
Former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst
Florida Governor Rick Scott
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton
Maine Governor Paul LePage

The White Working Class And Donald Trump, The Ultimate P T Barnum!

Ronald 3 Comments

Donald Trump, a billionaire, the wealthiest Presidential candidate in American history, has particular support from the white working class, which has become victims of corporate influence in politics, including the effects of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and other free trade agreements, which have been supported by the vast majority of both Democrats and Republicans, going back to the Bill Clinton Presidency.

So many jobs have gone overseas in the past few decades, limiting the ability of the white working class to gain high wage jobs, and on top of it, the growing immigration issue of undocumented immigrants, heavily from Latin America and Asia, and the insecurity felt about the reality of minority groups collectively moving toward a majority of the population by the 2040s, fuels the Donald Trump support.

But it is truly ironic that Trump employs immigrants for his hotels and other properties over native born workers, in order to save money!

The white working class is totally with its head in the sand, not realizing that Trump is a phony, who says what they want to hear, but has no real clue on the issues, and has avoided specifics on domestic and foreign policy, other than to talk about a wall on the Mexican border; to ban all Muslims from entrance to the United States; to promise everything will be fine in the future and that the world will come to “respect” us again, while having intelligence and foreign policy experts warn that he has no clear perception of the challenges of military and foreign policy!

If someone rails against the politicians, and yet provides examples of promising what is not possible to achieve, then indeed such a person is a “used car” or “snake oil” salesman, misleading ill informed voters, and one can be sure that the ultimate disillusionment will be far greater as a result, when the white working class realizes they have, once again, been bamboozled by a true PT Barnum character!

The Republicans’ Penchant Toward Abolishing Government! Why They Cannot Be Allowed To Control The Executive Branch!

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The Republican Party has created lots of employment for people who want to run for office and be part of the government.

And yet, the Republicans are always out to abolish government, even though they are part of it!

Going back to 2012 and even further back as far as the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and even earlier to Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson,  and actually even earlier with James K. Polk and Abraham Lincoln, the Republicans would love to abolish (in no special order):

The Internal Revenue Service–Wilson

The Social Security System–FDR

The Department of Labor–Wilson

Mine Safety and Health Administration–Carter

Occupational Safety and Health Administration–Nixon

National Labor Relations Board–FDR

The Department of Commerce–TR

The Department of Health and Human Services–Ike and then Carter reorganization

The Food and Drug Administration–TR

The Medicare System–JFK and LBJ

Medicaid System–LBJ

State Children’s Health Insurance Program–Clinton

Affordable Health Care Act–Obama

The Department of Education–Ike and then Carter reorganization

Federal Aid To Education—Ike

The Department of  Agriculture–Lincoln

The Department of Energy–Carter

The Department of Housing and Urban Development–JFK and LBJ

Civil Rights Acts—Ike, JFK, and LBJ

Office of Equal Employment Opportunity–LBJ

The Department of the Interior–Polk

The Environmental Protection Agency–Nixon

Bureau of Land Management–Truman

National Park Service–Wilson

Federal Emergency Management Agency–Carter

Consumer Product Safety Commission–Nixon

Corporation for Public Broadcasting–LBJ

National Endowment for the Arts–LBJ

National Endowment for the Humanities–LBJ

Federal Reserve System–Wilson

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau–Obama

United States Postal Service–Nixon

Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)–Nixon

This is a list of 33 government agencies and programs that the Republican Party, at different times, and particularly during Presidential and Congressional campaigns, has promoted that we abolish!

The following Presidents were responsible for these government agencies and programs:

James K. Polk–1  Abraham Lincoln–1–TR—2–Wilson–4–FDR–2–Truman–1–Ike–4—JFK–3—LBJ–8—Nixon–5—Carter–5–Clinton–1—Barack Obama–2.

So THIRTEEN Presidents of both parties—nine Democrats and four Republicans— have presided over the creation of government agencies and programs that have made life better for the American people!

If one gave the Republican Party total control, we would see our government decimated, and only private corporations and the greed of the elite upper class would rule and regulate every aspect of American life!

Watching the South Carolina GOP debate yesterday, this is always their game plan–abolish, abolish, abolish!   Hate government, undermine government, defund government, fear government, distrust government!

Why do the Republicans advocate all this, and yet wish to be the government?

The answer is that their hatred and suspicion of government is promotion of anarchy and chaos, without regulation to promote a level playing field, and give average  Americans a fair shake and the possibility of advancement!

This is why the Republican Party cannot be entrusted with control of the executive branch, as that is one way, no matter what happens with the Congress, to protect the government agencies that have made life better for vast numbers of Americans in the last century and even earlier!

 

 

 

 

“We Must Take Our Government Back!”—To What, May We Ask?

Ronald 13 Comments

Carly Fiorina said it last night in the GOP debate; Donald Trump has said it; so has a multitude of others in the Republican Party debates so far—“We must take our government back!”

Back to what, is the question!

Back to a time when women were “dutiful” housewives who stayed home, avoided education and employment, and were totally dependent upon their husbands?

Back to a time when “Negroes” were segregated by law and custom and “knew” their place not to complain?

Back to a time when “Negroes” were lynched at will and no one seemed to notice?

Back to a time when gays and lesbians were openly discriminated against in all areas of life without any protection or support of their rights?

Back to a time when child labor existed as young as six years old, and they and poor women who worked were paid far less than men?

Back to a time when there was no Social Security system for the elderly and disabled?

Back to a time when immigrants were barred from coming to America if they were Jewish or Catholic or Asian in origin?

Back to a time when labor unions did not exist, and work places were totally unsafe, and there was no workers compensation for injuries at work?

Back to a time when corporations “raped” and pillaged the environment for their own selfish purposes?

The list could go on and on, and who would “love” if all this was to return, from the 1950s, 1920s, and the “Gilded Age” of the late 19th century?

Conservatives who have fought against and resisted all of these changes and reforms brought about by progressives such as Theodore Roosevelt; Progressive Era reformers at all levels;  Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition; Harry Truman; John F, Kennedy; Lyndon B. Johnson; 1960s reformers at all levels; Jimmy Carter; Bill Clinton; Barack Obama; and the constant battle of modern progressives and liberals to protect and expand all of the great political, social and economic reforms of the 20th century, hard fought, and the battle goes on in 2015!

 

September 2015–A Month Of Federal Budget Deadline, Pope Francis Visit, Iran Agreement Debate For Congress!

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When Congress gets back from its summer recess after Labor Day, it faces, along with President Barack Obama, a very challenging and significant month of major events.

The budget deadline is coming on September 30, and as usual, the Republicans in Congress are threatening yet again to shut down the government, with the issue of funding of Planned Parenthood being the major stumbling block, along with fights to cut “safety net” programs and promote yet more tax cuts for the corporations and the wealthy.

Pope Francis, certainly the best Pope in his progressive vision since Pope John XXIII (1958-1963), will be visiting the United States and speaking before a joint session of Congress. He will deliver a message that progressives will love, including concern for the poor; acceptance of change in the Catholic Church on many conservative doctrines, including an open mind on gays and lesbians and divorce; condemnation of unbridled capitalism; and advocacy of the need for action on climate change and the environment in general. The Republican controlled Congress will be uncomfortable over his message, but it will boost the Obama agenda and legacy.

Also, the bitter battle over the Iran nuclear deal is extremely divisive, with American Jews divided; Democrats divided; and Republicans in unison against the deal, and advocating military force against Iran. All that Obama needs to sustain the agreement is one third plus one of the votes in one or both houses. That seems assured now in the House of Representatives with the assistance of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, but in the Senate, it will be more difficult, since future likely Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has come out against the agreement. But as long as at least one house cannot override the veto, the President will triumph.

So a month of “fireworks” is assured, and who knows what else will occur, particularly with the 2016 Presidential race in full swing, and already highly controversial!

The First Woman President Could Be Elizabeth Warren, Not Hillary Clinton, If Warren Were To Enter The Presidential Race!

Ronald 16 Comments

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wowed the California State Democratic Convention this past weekend, and it almost seemed as if she was running for President, despite her denials.

Warren came out fighting mad about the outrageous utterances and actions of many of the Republican candidates or potential candidates, and one had to wonder how any sane person could possibly think of voting for any of them.

But there is a cynicism about Hillary Clinton, a disillusionment that she has sold out to Wall Street and the corporations; that she is not passionate and committed in the way that Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have demonstrated; that she is too hawkish in foreign policy based on her Senate record; and that her husband Bill Clinton reminds us of the 1990s, and that Hillary seems old and stale and does not enthuse voters.

Hillary is seen as representing the past, while Warren, despite being only two years younger, represents the new and the future.

Warren is exciting and dynamic, while Hillary is unexciting and stale, and that is a major problem for the Democratic Party.

If the Democrats lose the White House, the Supreme Court will be lost for the next generation, and the nation will be set back a few generations by a reactionary President.

The nation call ill afford being concerned about Hillary Clinton’s ambitions to be the first woman President, when we can have the first woman President in Elizabeth Warren!

It seems clear that Elizabeth Warren can excite the masses of Americans who want to believe in a future of progressive reform, and she can add on to the accomplishments of Barack Obama, and arouse the public to get out there and vote, in a way that will not happen with Hillary Clinton!

It is time for Elizabeth Warren to declare for the Presidency, as she can bring a future of brightness and change so desperately needed, and millions will wish to work for her election.

So, Elizabeth Warren, run, run, run!

The Evangelical Right And The Republican Party Future In 2016

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The evangelical Right has an important impact in the Republican Party, but it also is a guarantee of failure for the GOP in the Presidential Election of 2016.

The evangelical Right can affect the results in the Iowa Caucuses and the South Carolina Primary, and in much of the South and the Great Plains and parts of the Midwest, but its candidates cannot win the Presidency.

Out of all of the potential and real GOP Presidential candidates, the following would have the ability to appeal to the evangelical Right:

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

Retired Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson

Texas Senator Ted Cruz

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry

NONE of the above six will win the GOP nomination, and the majority of the nation’s people (including mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Jews) believes in just the opposite of what the Evangelical Right believes:

They support gay rights and gay marriage as acceptable.

They support gun control laws of some kind.

They support abortion rights for women, possibly with restrictions, but the basic right of women to control their own bodies and future.

They are against religious interference in government policy making.

They support immigration reform, although disagreeing on details.

They support Obama Care, possibly with changes and modifications.

They support protection of the environment from the power of powerful energy companies.

They support a higher minimum wage and other labor reforms.

They are against corporate domination of the campaign finance system.

They are concerned about right wing extremism of all kinds.

The average American is much more tolerant and open minded than the evangelical Right, which, at most, might be able to gain backing of about one third of all Americans, and also of actual voters.

So appealing to the evangelical Right is NOT a path to victory for the Presidency, or even the nomination!

70th Anniversary Today Of Greatest 20th Century President’s Passing: Franklin D. Roosevelt!

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On this day, April 12, 1945, 70 years ago, the greatest 20th century President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, died in Warm Springs, Georgia, after 12 years and 39 days in office. Many Americans could not recall any other President, as FDR had played a dominant role in the lives of Americans and in world affairs, through the two greatest crises since the Civil War under Abraham Lincoln—the Great Depression and the Second World War!

FDR had initiated a massive set of domestic reforms, known as the New Deal, which had changed the lives of millions of Americans in a positive way, and give the nation hope and confidence in the future, at a time when we had a higher unemployment rate, 25 percent, than we would ever have again. FDR transformed the role of the federal government, and brought about such permanent reform programs as Social Security; Unemployment Compensation; Minimum Wage; Labor Union recognition; the accomplishment of massive public works projects; federal insurance on bank deposits; agricultural subsidies; regulation of banks, the stock market and corporations; public housing; aid to the disabled and dependent children; conservation of natural resources; and so many other programs and ideas.

Then, FDR faced the dangers of Nazism in Germany, Fascism in Italy, and the aggression of Imperial Japan, when it looked as if democracy would be snuffed out worldwide, including in the United States. The greatest military effort since the Civil War created many problems in the postwar world, as the Soviet Union rose out of the war to become the new challenger to freedom in what became known as the Cold War, something FDR was trying to figure out how to deal with, when he died suddenly of congestive heart failure in the early months of an unprecedented fourth term, prevented from happening again by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.

One has to wonder how the nation would have fared had FDR been forced to leave office in January 1941 by term limits, as there was no obvious good alternative leader to FDR at that time. The challenge of overcoming isolationist sentiment, and then the Axis Powers aged FDR and caused his premature death at a delicate time when the war in Europe was one month from ending, and the war against Japan seemed likely to go on for several years. Fortunately, Harry Truman took up the mantle and handled the crisis of ending the war and the postwar world, as well as could be expected, as one looks back 70 years.

FDR had his shortcomings as all Presidents do, but the United States was blessed with a great, dynamic leader that we remember today on the 70th anniversary of his passing!

In 2015, What Does It Mean To Be Middle Class?

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Just about everyone likes to say they are part of the vast “middle class” in America, whether they are really poor, working class, struggling middle class, upper middle class, or wealthy, as it is the “in” thing to be!

The vast middle class concept developed in the years after World War II, when millions of Americans moved to the suburbs, more Americans went to college, and the idea of “conspicuous consumption” became part of the “American dream.”

That dream has vanished for tens of millions, including many who live in the suburbs, many of which are deteriorating, and with property values often down, and many in bankruptcy or near bankruptcy.

Many college graduates now are working in minimum wage or near such income jobs, far removed from their earlier expectations, and tens of millions live paycheck to paycheck and have no savings for retirement; do not have adequate or any health care; cannot afford to take vacations that educate and enlighten them and their children; have very few benefits of any kind at work since labor unions, which created the middle class to a great extent, have declined rapidly since the time of Ronald Reagan; and have no expectation that life will get better anytime soon.

This rapidly declining middle class includes millions of minority population, both African American and Latino; but also untold many millions more who are white and thought that by their race alone, they had an advantage, but no longer the case.

Banks and corporations have caused a great deal of this growing poverty in the former middle class, both from their abuse of their work force, but also from encouraging materialism and greed on the part of people who cannot pay for what they desire, but get suckered into signing on the dotted line of their credit cards and mortgages, automobiles and boats, second homes, and more personal acquisitions than they ever need, but are seen as essential to leave the image to others that they are “well to do,” when that is precisely what they are not.

Capitalism is looked at as the promoter of wealth, when for most Americans, it has made them slaves for the truly wealthy, the billionaires, and the super multimillionaires!

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders: Too Good To Be True!

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If there is one United States Senator who is truly committed in a full sense to the advancement of the average American, to the working people of America, it is Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, 73 years old and white haired, is a democratic Socialist, and that last word will scare many clueless and ignorant people away from him, thinking he is a dangerous radical, which could not be further from the truth.

Sanders, a Jewish guy from Brooklyn, New York, who moved to Burlington, Vermont, and became its mayor in the 1980s, and then went on to Congress in 1991, has the distinction of being the longest serving Independent member of Congress in its entire history.

Serving in the US House of Representatives for 16 years from 1991-2007, he is now in his second term as a United States Senator, and has won each race for either house of Congress easily over Democrats and Republicans in a state that used to be strongly Republican over the long run of history.

Sanders runs his races on a “dime”, very little campaign funding, but the people of his state KNOW he is truly committed to their advancement, and has always attacked powerful corporations, political corruption, and the military industrial complex.

Sanders is fully committed and genuine in his desire for the advancement of women, minorities, immigrants, gays and lesbians, labor and the environment. He allows no special interests to influence him, and he is a purely authentic politician, and there are very few others in Congress or in government at any level.

He has been considering running for President, but reluctant to ask for financial support, and can only get it or will only accept it from the so called “little” people, and is reluctant to trash his potential opponents in the Democratic Party, including Hillary Clinton.

Therefore, he is uncertain about running, and wonders if his message of progressive principles could gain any headway, and that is a tragedy for America, as Bernie Sanders is precisely what and who we need to deal with the sickness that is American democracy in 2015.

The nation would be blessed by a Bernie Sanders Presidential candidacy, and by the very long shot that he might win, which would be a miracle beyond belief!