Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Longevity Of Presidents Analyzed

Ronald 4 Comments

There is a lot of debate and discussion about Joe Biden’s age.

One needs to examine the history of Presidents and longevity.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the time of modern America, 40 percent of Presidents (8) have had a short life span, as witness:

Theodore Roosevelt 60
William Howard Taft 72
Woodrow Wilson 67
Warren G. Harding 57
Calvin Coolidge 60
Franklin D. Roosevelt 63
John F. Kennedy 46
Lyndon B. Johnson 64

Other Presidents, 60 percent, (12), have had very long life spans, including

Herbert Hoover 90
Harry Truman 88
Dwight D. Eisenhower 78
Richard Nixon 81
Gerald Ford 93
Jimmy Carter 99 on the coming October 1
Ronald Reagan 93
George H W Bush 94
Bill Clinton 77 and counting
George W. Bush 77 and counting
Donald Trump 77 and counting
Joe Biden 81 on the coming November 20

Then, in a classification by himself, is Barack Obama (62), and seemingly in great health and physical shape!

My conclusion: Presidents and people in general are living longer and healthier, and one cannot deduce from the problems of Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Mitch McConnell that President Joe Biden will be unable to finish his time in office.

But if, sadly, that becomes an issue, there is absolutly nothing wrong, and a lot very positive, about the ability of Vice President Kamala Harris to take over the Presidency.

When one considers Vice Presidents who succeeded their Presidents during a term, three of them—-Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon B. Johnson excelled—-while the other six who succeeded were far from outstanding.

But we managed to survive all of the time, and Kamala Harris is 59 years old, the general age of most Presidents upon taking office, and perfectly capable of being Chief Executive if an emergency arises!

Should There Be A Second Mount Rushmore, And Which Presidents?

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Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, constructed between 1927 and 1941, is world famous with 60 foot head sculptures of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Millions have visited Mount Rushmore, and there has been discussion at times about the concept of a second Mount Rushmore, although not clear where it would be, but likely location might be in Colorado in the Rocky Mountains, a massive undertaking if ever agreed upon to do!

The question beyond whether there should be a second such monument to four more Presidents is what Presidents should grace such a monument.

In this author’s and blogger’s view, the likely choices should be the following:

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945)

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

Barack Obama (1961- )

FDR, Ike, and JFK have been seen as highly deserving, and Obama was a turning point, for sure, in Presidential history.

Not everyone would be contented with these choices, but it would seem that these four Presidents would make the best combination.

Governorship Term Limits Likely To Affect Future Presidential Campaigns

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The American Presidency was limited in allowable terms of office by the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution in 1951, after passage by Congress in 1947, two years after Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected to a fourth term in the White House, died 82 days into that fourth term.

So even popular Presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s, Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, and Barack Obama in the 2010s, could not have returned to the Presidency at any point after their two terms in office.

The issue of term limits also affects state governorships, as 23 states limit governors to two terms maximum consecutive terms. Three other states allow a return after one four year term away from the governorship, and one allows a return after two four year terms away from the governorship. And nine states have a lifetime limit of two terms.

So a total of 36 states limit gubernatorial terms in some form. And one state (Virginia) limits any governor to one term.

So only 13 states have no term limits, including Vermont and New Hampshire, which have terms of two years, not four years!

So when one analyzes these realities, it means governors such as the following, would have to be considered potential Presidential contenders in the future!

Ron DeSantis of Florida
Jared Polis of Colorado
Gavin Newsom of California
Brian Kemp of Georgia
Andy Beshear of Kentucky
Wes Moore of Maryland
Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan
Phil Murphy of New Jersey
Roy Cooper of North Carolina
Doub Burgum of North Dakota
Mike DeWine of Ohio
Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

All of the above 14, 6 Republicans and 8 Democrats, would be out of the governorship, or finishing a second term by the time of the Presidential Election of 2028.

Besides Republicans DeSantis and Burgum, who are already seeking the Presidency, there are strong rumors that other Republican Governors, Youngkin and Noem, might enter the race belatedly, and Kemp and DeWine are long shots for now or 2028!

And certainly, Democrats on this list are not running in 2024, due to Joe Biden, but certainly, it would seem likely that Polis, Newsom, Moore, Whitmer, Murphy, and Shapiro are all likely to plan to run in 2028. Less likely would be Beshear and Cooper, but being from states that Democrats have more difficulty winning, who can say they would not enter the race for President in 2028?

Majority Of Republican Loyalists Are A Cult, Out Of Touch With Reality!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is now clear that the majority of Republican Party loyalists are a cult, out of touch with reality!

They are willing, even at this point, to continue to support Donald Trump, despite two impeachments, two indictments, and more indictments and law suits to come!

They are willing to abandon traditional conservatism, and instead promote authoritarian Fascism.

Those among them who profess to be “religious” are willing to back a man who is totally against everything Jesus Christ preached!

They are willing to continue to back a person who promoted a violent Insurrection on the US Capitol!

They are willing to back a person who embraces Communist and Fascist Governments, and particularly Vladimir Putin and Russia, which used to be regarded as the “enemy” by Republicans of past times!

They are willing to undermine our national security, our intelligence agencies, and our law enforcement agencies which are designed to keep America safe!

They have no reverence for democracy or the rule of law, and have abandoned what the party was originally founded for, to oppose expansion of slavery and slavery itself, and promote human rights for all who lived in America!

Earlier generations with principled leaders, including Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush have now been pushed aside, for a corrupt, immoral man, who has no ethics or scruples!

75th Anniversary Of Truman’s Executive Orders 9980 And 9981, Desegregating The Federal Work Force And The US Military!

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One of the most courageous and principled actions of any President occurred 75 years ago today, when President Harry Truman issued Executive Orders 9980 and 9981, ordering desegregation of all US government employment and the US Military Forces.

Harry Truman came from a Confederate heritage background, and had a record of using nasty terms about African Americans in his earlier years, but as President, he took the courageous action to move forward on the important issue of human rights.

It alienated many Southerners, and the Dixiecrats (States Rights) Party challenged Truman in the Presidential Election Of 1948, with South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond as their Presidential candidate, winning four states and 39 electoral votes.

This was the second best third party total up to that point in American history, behind Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive (Bull Moose) party of 1912, which won six states and 88 electoral votes.

Later, George Wallace won five states and 46 electoral votes as the American Independent party nominee in 1968.

Truman’s decision to take action promoted the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, aided within six years by the Warren Court decision in Brown V Board of Education (1954), and then by courageous actions by Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson over the next 15 years!

The State Of The Republican Presidential Race On Independence Day!

Ronald 3 Comments

With about 7 weeks to the first Republican Presidential Primary Debate on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the state of the race is that Donald Trump is running away with the nomination, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about thirty five points behind him, and everyone else in the dust, although Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie each have at least a few percent of the vote.

DeSantis has become a total flop, and only Chris Christie has been willing to take on Trump in an organized fashion, with all others avoiding criticism.

It now seems as even if Trump is indicted two more times, which seems highly likely, and even if convicted, that the Republican Party is selling its soul to the twice impeached President who incited the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrection.

This is very disturbing, and makes one wonder what future the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan has, with many, including this author and blogger, with the 170th anniversary of the founding of the party in Ripon, Wisconsin occurring in the summer of 2024, just as the party holds its convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Wisconsin will be one of the major battlegrounds of the Presidential race, and the Midwest will be a key factor in the Electoral College, as the Democratic Party holds its convention in Chicago, Illinois!

June 6, 1944 And June 6, 1968: Turning Points In American History!

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June 6 is a special day in American history, as two events 24 years apart have had a great effect on the nation and the world.

The sacrifices of Allied soldiers from the US, Canada, and Great Britain in 1944 at Normandy, on D Day, started the process of liberation of Europe from the horrors of Nazi Germany, and it helped to lead to an unexpected event, the election of Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the Presidency in 1952.

24 years later, New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated in Los Angeles, after having won the California Presidential primary, with the growing belief that he might become the Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968.

His tragic passing sadly ended with the election of Richard Nixon, and the rise of right wing Republican conservatism 12 years later, with the election of Ronald Reagan.

The political effects of both events shaped the future, and mostly led to unfortunate events that prevented the nation from moving in the proper direction, particularly after 1968.

First Republican Presidential Debate On Wednesday August 23 In Milwaukee

Ronald 1 Comment

The first Republican Presidential debate is set for Wednesday August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention will be held from July 15-18, 2024.

Wisconsin was the birthplace of the Republican Party in 1854 at Ripon, and the 170th anniversary of the party’s founding will be a moment of decision as to the future of the party that once had such luminaries as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan as its standard-bearers.

Whether Donald Trump will continue to dominate the Republican Party will determine if the party is on its last legs, meaning doomed to distinction.

Can Tim Scott, Chris Christie, or Chris Sununu save the party and its future, as they seem to be the “best” of a bad lot of potential nominees, but if they and others must follow through on a loyalty oath to back whoever the party nominee is, then the party is doomed!

Supreme Court Justice Quality Way Down From Decades In The Past!

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Republican Party Presidents since 1953 have selected the vast majority of Supreme Court Justices!

Dwight D. Eisenhower 5
Richard Nixon 4
Gerald Ford 1
Ronald Reagan 4
George H. W. Bush 2
George W. Bush 2
Donald Trump 3
Total 21 with William Rehnquist listed twice under Nixon and Reagan

in 40 years of Republican Presidents

Democratic Party Presidents have had far fewer appointments!

John F. Kennedy 2
Lyndon B. Johnson 2
Jimmy Carter 0
Bill Clinton 2
Barack Obama 2
Joe Biden 1
Total 9

in 32 years of Democratic Presidents

So twice as many Repubican appointments as Democrats!

Eisenhower had Chief Justice Earl Warren, Associate Justice Potter Stewart, and Associate Justice William Brennan stand out!

Nixon had Chief Justice Warren Burger and Associate Justice Harry Blackmun stand out!

Ford had Associate Justice John Paul Stevens stand out!

Reagan had Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy stand out!

H W Bush had Associate Justice David Souter stand out!

On the Democratic side:

Kennedy had Associate Justice Byron White stand out!

Johnson had Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall stand out!

Clinton had Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice Stephen Breyer stand out!

Obama had Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Associate Justice Elena Kagan stand out!

Biden had Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stand out!

So 9 Republican appointments and 7 Democratic appointments have stood out!

Now, sadly, we have a group of appointments by Republican Presidents (the two Bushes and Donald Trump) that have been extremist and involved in conflicts of interest, and are not interested in being in the moderate center of constitutional law!

These include Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and sadly, Chief Justice John Roberts!

Donald Trump Raves About Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, And Republicans Stay Silent!

Ronald 3 Comments

Former President Donald Trump is demonstrating yet again how dangerous and crazy he is, and yet the Republican Party acts prostrate toward him!

Trump went on Fox News Channel and was interviewed by Tucker Carlson, who we know has said he hates him, but still has him on his show, as the goal is, ever after, to make money for Carlson and Fox News Channel by allowing Trump to spew forth his authoritarian impulses!

Trump praised Communist dictators Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, Xi Jinping of China, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea, lavishing them with glowing statements about how smart they are, and how brilliant they are, despite their well known record of human rights violations against their own populations, and threats to their neighbors.

And although one might say Putin is NOT a Communist, since the Russian Federation supposedly replaced the Soviet Union in December 1991, reality is that Putin WAS a Communist functionary in the Soviet KGB in the 1980s.

Imagine this, Communism was the enemy to decades of Republicans from the time of the Russian Revolution to the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

It made the careers of innumerable Republicans, including the infamous Senator Joseph McCarthy, President Richard Nixon, and a massive number of others.

But along comes Trump, glorifying and praising these dangerous and unstable authoritarians, who could also be termed “Fascists” in their tactics, such as past horrors as Adolf Hitler of Germany, Benito Mussolini of Italy, Juan Peron of Argentina, and Francisco Franco of Spain in the 20th century.

The differences between “old line” Communists and modern Fascists are miniscule, and to have an American President praise such tyrants, and his party stays silent, is truly proof that the Republican Party and Fox News Channel are a danger to American freedom, security, and democracy!

How is it that Republicans have completely changed their perception of foreign enemies, and are engaged in similar tactics to undermine the civil rights and civil liberties of millions of Americans, who do not fit the image of white supremacy Christianity?

What has happened that the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan has reached this point?