Jeb Bush

Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan: You Have Disqualified Yourself From The Presidency By Refusing To Uphold The Payment Of Government Debts!

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Memo to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas; Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky; Senator Marco Rubio of Florida; and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan:

You have all disqualified yourselves from becoming President by refusing to uphold the payment of government debts, when the ultimate moment of decision came yesterday, October 16, in the US Senate and US House of Representatives!

The four of you are considered so called front runners for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2016, but by doing what you have done, you have put into the forefront such contenders as:

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Governor John Kasich of Ohio

It is not as if these governors and former governors are ideal choices, as none of them are such, but they have known what it is to govern a state, and they are not looney enough as you have been, to do something which would undermine the nation and the world economy, as you demonstrated in your irresponsible vote.

So goodbye to all four of you, and have a good time associating with the Tea Party Traitors to America!

Potential Republican Presidential Candidates And Foreign Policy, As Compared To Hillary Clinton And Joe Biden

Ronald 2 Comments

The Republican Party is offering potential Presidential candidates who have no clue on world affairs, or have dangerous views on foreign policy, and/or have no experience to speak of in diplomatic situations.

The following potential candidates have NO credentials at all in this important area in a world that is changing rapidly:

Rand Paul
Ted Cruz
Marco Rubio
Paul Ryan
Rick Santorum
Rick Perry
Chris Christie
Jeb Bush
Bobby Jindal
Scott Walker
John Thune

it is true that Rand Paul and Marco Rubio sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and that Jeb Bush’s brother and father were President of the United States, and foreign policy has been discussed within that family.

But compare that to Hillary Clinton, who was Secretary of State for four years, and learned about foreign policy under her husband, President Bill Clinton, in the 1990s.

And Vice President Joe Biden had 36 years in the Senate, including time as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and now is in his second term as Vice President, intimately involved in foreign policy issues.

So NONE of the GOP potential Presidential candidates have any real, valuable experience, except in speaking out on issues they know nothing about!

Foreign policy will be a most important issue in 2016, so who could the GOP run who could compete with either Hillary or Joe, and give them a real challenge?

The only person who fits this profile is former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China, and earlier Ambassador to Singapore, Jon Huntsman, who is a moderate mainstream conservative. He is very talented, brilliant, multilingual including Chinese, and knows and understands world affairs!

But would the Republican Party have the brains and intelligence to choose Huntsman as their Presidential nominee?

The answer is ZERO, and because of that, the GOP does not offer experienced, qualified candidates for the Presidency on foreign affairs, such as Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and John McCain in the past!

Quinnipiac National University Poll Puts Hillary Clinton And Chris Christie Ahead In Popularity, And Elizabeth Warren A Surprising Third!

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Public opinion polls are endless, and often are believed to be a poor barometer of future political success, but they are fascinating as a moment in time in how those polled see political leaders and issues.

We are still in the first year of the Presidential term, but already there is speculation as to who has the advantage for the Presidential nominations for 2016, as well as interest in how politicians come across to the American people in general. In other words, which politicians are the “hottest” is part of many surveys.

So the latest Quinnipiac National University Poll puts New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead of all other politicians in the “hotness” question, with Christie somewhat surprisingly being ahead of Clinton in precise numbers, with Christie at 53.1 and Clinton at 52.1.

Right behind them are Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 49.2 in third place, and President Obama and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand tied for fourth with 47.6.

Then comes Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, with 46.8; Senator Marco Rubio of Florida with 46.5; Vice President Joe Biden at 46.2; Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley with 45.7; and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal rounding out the top ten with 45.2.

Others further down include potential Presidential candidates, including Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky with 44.8; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo at 43.9; Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan with 43.0; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker with 41.1; former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum with 40.7; former Florida Governor Jeb Bush with 40.4; and Virginia Senator Mark Warner with 39.4.

If one is to take this poll seriously, that would put Chris Christie in a very good position for 2016, but the poll also indicates that his popularity is as high as it is because of independents and Democrats, and he ranks only eighth in this poll among fellow Republicans. How could Christie win the GOP nomination, by having to fight in Iowa’s caucuses and New Hampshire’s primary, where the right wing Republicans tend to win, and how could he carry enough delegate votes if he is well received by Democrats and Independents?

This poll also draws attention to two women other than Hillary Clinton, who could be other choices in replacement of her–Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, both who rank ahead of Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo, Martin O’Malley, and Mark Warner, alternative Democratic possibilities. all male.

At this point, the poll is basically food for thought, as it is still much too far ahead to make a judgment as to what is likely to be the scenario for 2016 for the Presidential race. But certainly, it should, as it always is, be a fascinating series of events and personalities that will emerge over the next three years!

Sniping Back And Forth Among Republicans: Wonderful To Witness!

Ronald 8 Comments

It is very clear that the Republican Party is bitterly divided on strategy toward President Obama, and on the issue of foreign policy and national security.

So we are witnessing sniping back and forth, and this is a hint of what is to come, as the Presidential rivalries heat up in the coming months!

Examples of the sniping are that between Arizona Senator John McCain and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, with it being clear that the two Senators have no love lost for each other.

At the same time, we see Governor Chris Christie supportive of the gathering of intelligence by the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, due to the reality that New Jersey suffered the second most losses on September 11, 2001, and being critical of those who are libertarian, such as Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky!

Also, New York Congressman Peter King of Long Island has attacked the Tea Party Movement Republicans who were against aid to New York and New Jersey after Super Storm Sandy last fall!

And Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee of Utah, and Marco Rubio of Florida have been criticized for their threat to shut the government down if ObamaCare is not defunded, with major critics being John McCain, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Roy Blunt of Missouri, and Richard Burr of North Carolina!

And Establishment Republicans such as former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, former Republican National Chairman Michael Steele, and George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove are shaking their heads at the splintering of the party, and the recklessness of many of the younger members of the party in the House of Representatives and Senate, as they well know that the future of the party is in tatters, if this extremist wing is allowed to become the face and image of the party! Finally,

Finally, Iowa Congressman Steve King’s ranting against immigrants has led to condemnation by Speaker of the House John Boehner and others in the Republican Party.

It looks more than ever as if the GOP is on the way to the worst Presidential defeat for their party since the demise of Barry Goldwater in 1964, nearly fifty years ago, and even Goldwater now looks “moderate” by comparison, and far less reckless!

The Florida “Stand Your Ground” Law, George Zimmerman and Marissa Alexander

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Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law was used to justify what George Zimmerman did, the killing of Trayvon Martin.

But the same law was used to justify the 20 year prison term of a black woman, Marissa Alexander, who fired a warning shot into the ceiling to ward off the threat of a beating by her husband, who had already been cited for abuse of Alexander.

Marissa Alexander did not kill anyone, only used a gun to threaten a husband who was threatening to her, and how can anyone see this as fair, to give her 20 years without parole possibility, and have her child conceived with this husband brought up by him, with her having little or no contact with her own child?

How can anyone NOT see the injustice in this, and the fact that the jury in her case only took 12 minutes to convict her? Is it any wonder that African Americans see this as open season for whites who are racists to fire guns on blacks and get away with it through the justice system?

Is it any wonder that the offices of Governor Rick Scott have faced sit ins, insisting that the Governor and the legislature do something about Marissa Alexander? Should not this law be repealed, as Attorney General Eric Holder declared yesterday? Should not Jeb Bush, the former Governor, and brother and son of two Presidents, explain how he can justify this law he signed in 2005, and should he not be expected to lead the fight to have this unjust, discriminatory, and dangerous law repealed?

And should not “Stand Your Ground” laws be reviewed as dangers to the civil rights of minorities, giving whites open season for a new, different form of lynching, as in the Jim Crow Era of Segregation?

At the least, Marissa Alexander needs to be released immediately, have her child given back to her with the father not allowed to have contact anymore because of his abusive behavior, and compensation paid to Alexander for her unjust conviction and time in prison!

George W. Bush And Immigration Reform: Is Bush The Last GOP President We Will Ever See?

Ronald 6 Comments

Former President George W. Bush, who has been very quiet, and stayed out of the public spotlight for four and a half years, has come out in full support of the Senate bill on immigration reform, a cause he lost in 2007, but feels deeply about, and he was able to gain 44 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2004, compared to Mitt Romney’s 29 percent in 2012.

Bush spoke of a “benevolent spirit”, of a “confident and successful nation” which embraces immigration, but the Republican Party of 2013 is very different than the “compassionate conservative” image that Bush cultivated, and he has little clout or respect among Republicans today.

So it is clear that unless the Tea Party Movement cancer is overcome, we are likely going to look back in the future, and say that George W. Bush was the last Republican President we would ever see take the oath of office as the occupant of the Oval Office!

A new moderate, centrist political party will eventually arise to replace an extremist, right wing party that fails to understand that the American people will not accept their mean spirit, their refusal to accept the demographic changes in America, their desire to make the rich wealthier and push the middle class into poverty, and denounce those who are poor, blaming them for their own degradation!

The American people want an optimistic spirit, a compassionate government, and on this issue, at least, former President George W. Bush; his brother Jeb Bush; Senator John McCain; former China Ambassador Jon Huntsman; and a small percentage of Republican Senators and others affiliated with the party understand this, and could be the basis of a new party which gets the message of the vast majority of the American people!

The Beginnings Of The Republican Field For The Presidency In 2016 Start To Emerge: More Circus Like Than 2012!

Ronald 11 Comments

Anyone who is clear headed knows that the GOP Presidential field of 2012 was a circus, with such horrible, embarrassing candidates as Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann, and Newt Gingrich, all having the effect of making Mitt Romney the LEAST horrible candidate for the White House!

But already, in July 2013, we can see the likely Republican field for the Presidency in 2016 emerging, and if anything, it is more circus like than 2012!

It begins with the two “Ricks”, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry, both true embarrassments to themselves and to others, but both believing that God is behind them, and that they will emerge as the next President of the United States, despite the reality that they both represent regressive, mean spirited, and reactionary views out of tune with the changing American electorate!

Then, there are the following potential candidates, all of whom have major flaws and shortcomings that insure they will have a rough time becoming the nominee of the Republican Party for President:

Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
John Thune
Paul Ryan
Scott Walker
Bob McDonnell
John Kasich
Bobby Jindal

Then, there are the potential candidates who would have some appeal to the mainstream, but likely will self destruct due to their catering to the Tea Party Movement, or their refusal to do just that, including:

Marco Rubio
Jeb Bush
Chris Christie
Jon Huntsman

Also, do not dismiss the concept of a Senator Liz Cheney, daughter of the former Vice President, running for President if she wins the Wyoming Senate seat coming up in 2014!

But in the end, the Republican battle for the Presidency is a lost cause, as it is clear that Hillary Clinton, or any other Democrat, will have the Electoral College edge for the Presidency, along with the popular vote edge in a nation moving away on a long term basis from the Right Wing message that the Republican Party seems bent on perpetuating, at its own destruction!

The Coming Battle For The GOP Presidential Nomination: Marco Rubio Vs. Ted Cruz, With Rand Paul As Wild Card!

Ronald 86 Comments

It is becoming increasingly clear that the battle for the GOP Presidential nomination in 2016 is going to be between Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky being a “wild card”!

The possibility of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, or Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to be the nominee seems very distant.

So it will be two Hispanic (Cuban) Senators battling one another, one trying to work with Democrats on an immigration reform bill, and the other on the warpath against all Democrats, as well as Rubio himself, unwilling to make any deals or promote any cooperation with the “enemy” And hoping to benefit from the battle between Rubio and Cruz is Rand Paul, who with his libertarian bent, will have a major problem attracting many conservatives, including the neoconservatives and the Establishment Republicans of Wall Street.

In the end, it will not matter, as no Republican can overcome the Electoral College advantage of the Democrats, as outlined yesterday in a blog entry.

And the concept that Cuban American Senators, who represent three and a half percent of Hispanics and Latinos, will be able to convince large numbers of Mexican Americans, who are 65 percent of all those with Spanish heritage, to vote Republican, is laughable.

So it will be an interesting sideshow, the battle among Rubio, Cruz and Paul, but at the end, we are likely to have Hillary Clinton as our next President!

The Republican Whom Hillary Clinton And Other Potential Democratic Presidential Nominees In 2016 Should Most Fear: Jon Huntsman!

Ronald 41 Comments

Former Utah Governor, former Ambassador to China, and former GOP Presidential contender Jon Huntsman is on MORNING JOE as I write, and thinking ahead to 2016, one realizes that this is the Republican whom Hillary Clinton and other potential Democratic Presidential nominees in 2016 should most fear as a rival!

Huntsman is so SUPER qualified, it is a no brainer, as compared to ANY other potential GOP nominee for President! He walks all over Jeb Bush; has foreign policy experience which NO other potential nominee has; and has NEVER said or done anything to make him look ridiculous or looney, which cannot be said of any other potential nominee, including Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, and the other wing nuts who are seen as potential nominees!

This man had a fantastic record as Governor of Utah, and is a foreign policy genius, and other Republicans show their total ignorance of the world out there, and seem to think that the only answer is either to send troops (a la Lindsey Graham and John McCain), or turn off the outside world (a la Rand Paul)!

If the GOP had their druthers, they would see that Huntsman is their best shot for the Presidency, and would give Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden or any other Democrat a real run for their money!

And if, by chance, Huntsman were to win, we would have a sane, decent, mainstream Republican inheriting the Oval Office, and we could sleep at night, secure that our nation was in safe, experienced hands!

Barbara Bush Is Correct, But That Is Negative For The Republican Party Future!

Ronald 1 Comment

Former First Lady Barbara Bush is disarmingly frank and outspoken, and her statement that her son Jeb Bush, the former Florida Governor, was very well qualified to run for President, but should not, as there have been enough Bushes in the Presidency, is an assertion which will reverberate through the Republican Party, and not for the good of the party’s future!

The fact that the former First Lady said this on the day of her older son’s opening of his Presidential library, with just about everyone knowing that his administration was a near total disaster, is telling.

It is clear that Jeb Bush is smarter, more competent, and would have made a better President than George W, but that is water over the dam!

The fact is that she is correct that a family should not have a monopoly of the Presidency, and that we should not have dynasties, and the reality that the Bushes took up twelve years in the White House, plus eight years in the Vice Presidency, is certainly enough for any family, more than any other family in history!

But when one looks at the potential Republican field of Presidential candidates for 2016, one has to say that, in many ways, Jeb Bush MIGHT be the best candidate the party could field, other than Jon Huntsman, former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China, but it is clear Huntsman has ZERO chance to be the GOP nominee for 2016, because he is too smart, too qualified, too mainstream, too sane, to be chosen by this disaster of a party in 2013!

What is left is Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Chris Christe, Scott Walker and a few other also rans, and when one looks at this list, it is clearly pitiful for a great political party with a dignified and distinguished history of great Governors, Senators, and even a few Presidents!

So if a sane, competent guy, who can also appeal to Hispanics and Latinos, but sadly has the wrong last name, and a mother telling him not to run, decides to stay out of the Presidential race, then ANY chance of a real Presidential competition in 2016 is totally over, and the GOP might as well concede to Hillary Clinton or any other Democrat who might be the alternative!