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Barack Obama And The Debt Ceiling Crisis: A Moment Of Presidential Assertiveness Needed!

Ronald 19 Comments

President Barack Obama has done his best to avoid antagonizing opponents with his use of Presidential powers.

He has shown willingness to negotiate and make deals, but the Republican House has refused to do anything, other than threaten to have the good faith and credit of the United States destroyed, a calamity that could lead to a Second Great Depression and harm to the world wide economy.

The Republican Party in the House refuses to help create jobs through federal funding, or to work on building an infrastructure repair and expansion.

The Republicans have made it clear that they are willing to hold all Americans hostage, as they promote their extreme right wing ideology, and work to take America back to the Gilded Age and the 1920s.

So therefore, it is time for action soon by President Obama, a moment of Presidential courage, to refuse to allow the destruction of our economy!

So he has two alternatives.

Invoke the 14th Amendment, which includes language on the payment of government debts.

Use the concept of a trillion dollar coin minted by the US Treasury to cover all debts already incurred and more in the future.

The point is that it was the Republican Congress which built up most of the massive debt we now face, and yet they are ready to refuse to pay the government bonds when due, unless they are able to destroy the social safety net of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

This cannot be allowed, and although Obama is highly reluctant to take controversial action in either direction mentioned above, he owes it to the nation at large to do so if no alternative is available at that time, which seems likely to be the case!

What is the worst that would happen if Obama took unilateral action?

He would be bitterly condemned by the right wing, called every name in the book, so what else is new?

There might be greater death threats against him, but there are already more than ever before as it is.

The realization is that there would be the likelihood of the Republican House choosing to impeach President Obama for “high crimes and misdemeanors” in office.

But has Obama committed such crimes, or is about to do so?

No more than Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, or Franklin D. Roosevelt arranging the Destroyers for Bases Deal with Great Britain, or thousands of executive orders utilized by many of our Presidents!

And even were he to be impeached, the odds of Obama being removed from office with a Senate of 55 Democrats is totally out of the question, since 67 Senators would be needed to remove him from office, and there are only 45 Republicans!

Would an impeachment besmirch the reputation of Barack Obama? It would certainly be part of his obituary, as with Bill Clinton, but Clinton has survived very well from the impeachment, and his popularity went up during the impeachment crisis, and the Republican reputation suffered great harm.

The Republican Party would only be putting nails in its own coffin, if it decided that our economy should be destroyed and the President impeached.

The nation and the President would be the winners in such a scenario, so it is soon time for Obama to show guts and courage and do what is necessary, knowing the consequences are something he can deal with, although regrettable that he has to go through those consequences!

Paul Krugman And Robert Reich: Sages On The Economy Too Much Ignored!

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We have two brilliant, courageous educators who have promoted the understanding that the only way to get out of the economic downturn we have been in, is to do more stimulus spending, and have proved by what is going on in Europe that austerity is a disastrous policy, but they are too much ignored by many people, who choose to believe the conservative and Republican mantra on the economy, which is to do more of the same economic policies that have failed, those of George W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan before him.

Paul Krugman of Princeton University, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and columnist for the New York Times, is a brilliant economist, and has called for a budget package that does not destroy the middle class any more than it is already!

So has Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton, and Professor of Political Economy at the University of California, Berkeley, who has advised policies that make sense, but is also ridiculed by those who do not understand our history, and the economic cycle!

To promote austerity is seen as wrong headed, and would lead to a disastrous downturn in the economy, something Great Britain’s government has discovered, and both men advise us NOT to follow the same course!

The future of the middle class and the poor is at stake, and we would be wise to respect and follow the advice and counsel of both Krugman and Reich at this delicate time!

Best Team For America’s Future Security: John Kerry For Secretary Of State, And Chuck Hagel For Secretary Of Defense

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In the midst of the “Fiscal Cliff” battle, President Obama is also deep into Cabinet selection, and it was heartening to hear that former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican who served in Vietnam and became an acknowledged expert on foreign policy in his years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been at the White House, and is a hot candidate for Secretary of Defense.

This author has long raved about the credentials of Hagel, and suggested him for the cabinet in the first term, and it now seems more likely that he might become the head of the Pentagon when Leon Panetta leaves soon.

This would be continuing the tradition of past Democratic Presidents to decide to choose reputable Republicans for the Defense Department, and it even goes back to when it was called the War Department before 1947.

The historical record shows Franklin D. Roosevelt having Henry Stimson, former Secretary of State under Herbert Hoover, as his Secretary of War, along with Frank Knox, who had been the Republican Vice Presidential nominee in 1936, being named Secretary of the Navy, both in 1940, when Great Britain was being attacked by the German Air Force in World War II, and the threat to America was seen as dire by many as a result.

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson utilized Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense in the 1960’s.

Bill Clinton had former Maine Senator William Cohen, a responsible and reputable Republican Senator, as his Secretary of Defense in the second term, and he received kudos for his performance.

And Robert Gates, George W. Bush’s second Secretary of Defense, became Barack Obama’s first Secretary of Defense, and did a wonderful job for more than two years.

So the reasoning to pick Hagel is clearly there, but to make the foreign policy-defense team complete, the President also needs to choose Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a Vietnam War veteran too, and 2004 Democratic Party Presidential nominee, to replace Hillary Clinton at the State Department, after 28 years of service in the US Senate, and chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry has had a distinguished career, and would be an excellent choice, and the team of Kerry and Hagel would be sensational.

In a time of trouble and turmoil, America needs its strongest team on national security, and Kerry and Hagel fit the bill, without any question or doubt.

Susan Rice, the UN Ambassador, is also outstanding in many ways, but quite frankly, is not on the same level as Kerry, and her nomination would cause unnecessary turmoil over the issue of Libya, a sad commentary, but a distraction which should not be allowed to continue by choosing her, when Kerry is really a better choice!

So, Mr. President, pick John Kerry for State and Chuck Hagel for Defense, and America will be very well served at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon!

Texas, Louisiana, Florida, And Other States Have Secessionists Petitioning For Separation From The Union: Adjust, Or Seek Out Better Pastures Which Do Not Exist!

Ronald 1 Comment

This is the whacko season, and suddenly, as a result of the Presidential Election Of 2012, we have petitions from thousands of people in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and 17 other states, mostly the Red states, demanding secession from the Union, because they are unhappy with Barack Obama as President.

The answer to these people is to remind them that the Civil War, 150 years ago, settled this issue.

But if these Americans are that unhappy, they are welcome to leave the country and find better pastures!

However, if they go to any other English speaking nation, such as Great Britain, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, they will discover that all of them have much more advanced social programs, have much better health care systems, and all prevent religion from having as much of a foothold in politics as we allow in this country!

And if they choose to move to other advanced industrial nations that do not speak English, such as France, Germany, the Scandinavian nations, Italy, Japan, or Israel, they will find out quickly that they also are way beyond our concept of social justice, religious freedom and separation, and regulation of business.

So, instead of acting like spoiled children, these secessionists should adjust and work to make America a better place for all, not just the rich and privileged!

Teabaggers: Don’t Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out To Canada Or Australia!

Ronald 2 Comments

The moronic Tea Party Movement has suffered a major defeat in the Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2012, and many are planning a move out of America to other English speaking nations, specifically Canada and Australia.

They do not wish to go to Great Britain, where the Conservative Party is in charge of the government, because their brand of conservatism is not conservative enough, and they actually have national health care and believe in global warming and climate change, so horrors to the idea of living in such a nation!

Now Canada sounds good to them, and has a conservative Prime Minister, but these Teabaggers seem not to be aware that they also have national health care and other socially advanced programs, more so than the United States.

Now, Australia sounds good, but they have a “radical” government led by a woman who is an atheist, so damn it, that is no good either!

In fact, all three nations believe in science, have advanced health care, and none of them allow religion to have such a foothold over their politics as we tend to do, or did until this recent election, when the religious zealots, who want a theocracy, lost out, along with the Teabaggers!

Where are these ignorant, moronic Teabaggers to go? Well . . . ..

I have an idea! Get a rocket ready at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and do not charge the Teabaggers for the cost of the trip!

And you ask: Where would they be going in the rocket?

How about a one way trip to the moon, no possibility of return to earth?

Now that is a NICE thought! Have a good evening!

Tea Party Nasty, Mean Spirited Conservatism Lost Big: The Republican Party MUST Change Or Be Replaced!

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The Tea Party Movement of 2010 has lost BIG in 2012, and the nasty, mean spirited conservatism it represents must be overcome by the Republican Party, which MUST change or be replaced!

Congressman Allen West of Florida, Congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois, Senate nominee Todd Akin of Missouri, and Senate nominee Richard Mourdock of Indiana headline those who lost.

Never again can the Republican Party try to dictate to women about their reproductive lives; never can the GOP attack Hispanics and Latinos in a nasty, mean spirited way and expect to gain their support; never can the party of 2012 allow itself to let religious extremists to control its destiny and dictate religious doctrine to the nation at large; never can they promote foreign wars and aggression as the neoconservatives did under George W. Bush; never can they promote lack of concern for the middle class and the poor, as Mitt Romney made clear in his “47 percent” speech; never can they allow themselves to become the captive of billionaires such as Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers; never can they allow Donald Trump and other jerks like him to take control of their public message: never can they allow racists and talk show hosts, such as Rush Limbaugh, and other extremists and hate mongers to dictate to them—and in many other ways, they must liberate themselves from their demons, or become part of the dustbin of history!

They must become more like the Conservative Party of Great Britain, which is far to the left of the present Republican Party, but still to the right of the Labour Party of Great Britain!

It is up to them, and purging and house cleaning must begin in earnest!

150th Anniversary Of Bloodiest Military Day In History Of American Wars: The Battle Of Antietam, September 17, 1862

Ronald 2 Comments

Tomorrow will mark the 150th Anniversary of the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War and of all American history—the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland, which took more loss of life than even D Day on June 6, 1944.

Almost 23,000 casualties on both sides occurred on September 17, 1862–with almost 3,700 dead, and 17,200 wounded and 1,800 captured or missing.

The total losses that day surpassed double the total of the entirety of the War Of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Spanish American War combined!

This battle stopped the Confederate advance further north than it had ever been in the war, and only the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 saw a further advance, also stopped by the Union Army.

The battle decided that the British and French would hold off on recognition of the Confederacy, and also led to the decision of Abraham Lincoln to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

This author was fortunate to have visited the Antietam Battlefield in 2011, and today, there is a reenactment of the battle being conducted, and being covered by C Span 3, an excellent source for American history on a regular basis.

Visiting Antietam would sober anyone as to the loss of life, and yet, the principles being fought about during the Civil War, which led to such massive deaths, would be better understood!

The Growing Bond Between Barack Obama And Bill And Hillary Clinton

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It is hard to believe that in 2007-2008, Barack Obama was involved in a heated “war” with Hillary and Bill Clinton, as Hillary sought the Democratic Presidential nomination, her husband became intimately involved, and bad words and thoughts and accusations reigned on a regular basis between the rivals.

But then, Barack Obama made the smartest move of his Presidency, selecting Hillary to be his Secretary of State, taking a page from Abraham Lincoln, who picked his leading rival in 1860, Senator William Seward of New York, to be his Secretary of State.

So a political leader from Illinois selected a political rival from New York in both circumstances, and now we can say that in both cases, it made a dramatic difference in the success of the Lincoln and Obama Presidencies!

Seward was massively important to Lincoln in the trials of the Civil War, in conducting diplomacy with Great Britain and France to keep them out of the Civil War.

Hillary Clinton has been very important as an equally loyal supporter of Barack Obama, sharing the burdens of foreign policy with the President, and becoming closer to him as a result.

And then last week, Bill Clinton, who seemed to hate Barack Obama in 2007-2008, made the most effective speech possible to help Barack Obama, at the Democratic National Convention, and now Obama has gained in every public opinion poll imaginable, and just as that occurs, the crisis in the Middle East has joined the President and Hillary together emotionally and physically as they have dealt with the crisis, and presided today over the return of the four victims to the United States in a dignified way.

Obama and Hillary Clinton are dealing together with the issues involved in the Middle East, as well as the irresponsible Republican Party opposition, in a very dignified and sophisticated manner.

The performance of Hillary Clinton makes her more than ever someone who must be considered for President in 2016, even though she professes weariness, and desire to retire from politics completely next year.

But if she changes her mind about running to succeed Obama, one has to wonder how Obama would deal with the obvious conflict that might result. That is, should Obama be loyal to her candidacy, or instead be loyal to his honorable, committed team mate, Vice President Joe Biden?

This may be the ultimate quandary for President Obama in 2015 and 2016, depending on events!

Foreign Policy Finally Moves To The Forefront Of The Presidential Campaign! The Test For Mitt Romney!

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Foreign policy has finally moved to the forefront of the Presidential campaign of 2012, and Mitt Romney is going to have to prove his capability in that area, with a grade so far of F!

His rhetoric on Iran; his calling Russia the major threat to the United States; his insulting Great Britain about its preparation for the Olympics and talking about their security apparatus openly while in London; his willingness to exploit his personal friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a way to undermine the Obama Administration policy on the Middle East; and his rush to judgment without facts about the tragic attack in Libya, as well as Egypt, which caused the death of our ambassador to Libya, and three other diplomatic personnel, has so far made him seem dangerous, too easily “shooting from the hip”, and too willing to consider the use of military force before exhausting diplomacy and sanctions, as against Iran, for example.

From now on, and for the next eight weeks, Mitt Romney will be micro analyzed on everything he says or proposes in foreign affairs, and he will have to battle to get up to a C grade, if that!

And on October 22, at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, he will be confronted with a full scale debate just on foreign policy, opposite President Barack Obama, who is judged as very strong in that area of policy making, in the last of the three Presidential debates.

The eyes of the world, not just those of Americans, will be on the former Massachusetts Governor, as to whether he is up to the job. He had better start studying at a ferocious pace, and control his mouth, or he will end up looking like an utter fool after that last debate, with his Presidential campaign in flames, much like the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya is this sad morning!

A Day To Celebrate: 77th Anniversary Of Social Security Act Signed Into Law By Franklin D. Roosevelt!

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Today is indeed a day to celebrate, the 77th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act into law, in 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, his signature domestic accomplishment among many of his New Deal programs.

Social Security gave dignity to the elderly, to widows, to children and orphans of a deceased worker, and to the disabled and handicapped!

It gave a sense of security to people at vulnerable times in their lives, and it came decades after similar actions in Germany, Great Britain, and France, the other major industrialized nations!

It has worked very well, and is only seen as in trouble because the Social Security fund has been raided constantly by reckless Congresses!

The future of Social Security long term could be guaranteed by raising the limit of $110,000 income being taxed to be what Medicare is, an unlimited income being taxed!

Also, if unearned income was taxed as earned income is, it would have no problems for an eternity of time.

But the Republican Party, most members opposed at the time to the legislation,; then having Barry Goldwater in the 1960s wanting to destroy it; and now Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan continuing the assault, makes this election a battle to preserve this key to the social safety net, and to promote common decency toward those who depend on it, and have contributed to it over their work lives!

Franklin D. Roosevelt should be saluted for his great leadership in guaranteeing a dignified life to those who, at different times and situations in their lives, need protection from government. This is not something that churches and synagogues and charities could possibly provide on an adequate level!