Joe Biden

The Abuse Of The Filibuster By The Senate Minority: Time For Reform!

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As the political year ends, the record shows that the use of the filibuster tactic by the Republican minority in the US Senate has reached an all time high.

It used to be that the filibuster was utilized by Southern Democrats opposed to the passage of civil rights legislation.

Now it is used as a weapon to stop ALL action in the Senate, with simply the threat of a filibuster preventing progress on legislation, or presidential nominees for the federal courts and other offices.

The number of motions for cloture has doubled in the past few years, and has nearly quadrupled since the 1970s and 1980s, and was used in the single digits until the 1970s.

It used to be that mounting a filibuster meant a group of Senators taking turns in speaking on the floor for hours and hours, while now just the threat stops action.

Is this proper use of the filibuster, just to say a group will mount a filibuster, and all action is paralyzed as a result?

Of course, the answer is no, so the Democratic majority and Senate President and Vice President Joe Biden will have one chance to change the rules of the Senate, on opening day of the 112th Senate on January 5, 2011.

The move to reform the filibuster is being led by junior Democrats, including Senators Tom Udall of New Mexico, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and Mark Warner of Virginia. But senior Democrats, including Tom Harkin of Iowa and Carl Levin of Michigan also back the idea of reforms.

The problem is to realize that the Democrats could be in the minority in the Senate in 2013, and the desire to retain influence if they are the minority, so tinkering with the Senate rules on the filibuster, as well as other tactics, such as the ability of one Senator to use the “hold” tactic on action, must be carefully considered, so as not to reverberate on the Democrats in the future times when, inevitably, they will NOT be the majority!

Vice President Joe Biden On Way To Becoming Most Influential Vice Presidency In History! :)

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The Vice Presidency has been growing in authority and influence since the days of Richard Nixon in that office, the first Vice President to have a great impact on a Presidency.

After Nixon, Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Mondale, George H W Bush, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney added to the office in so many ways.

But it looks likely now that Joe Biden may eventually be seen as the most influential and powerful Vice President, even surpassing the role of Dick Cheney under President George W. Bush.

Originally a rival of Barack Obama for the Presidency, Biden is rapidly becoming more significant, particularly now that the Congress will be divided for the first time since 1987.

Biden, with his contacts on Capitol Hill, and good relations with members and leaders of both political parties, is the perfect person to negotiate for the administration, and comes across as a more “affable fellow” than Rahm Emanuel was, or really, any other person around President Obama.

Biden has been involved in the negotiations over the tax package, and also is working hard on the START Treaty that is soon coming up for a vote, and requires GOP support to pass with a two thirds vote.

Biden and Obama have truly bonded over time, and while Biden might not win every battle, as with Afghanistan policy, who can say that Obama will not eventually go Biden’s direction and lower our involvement in that forsaken nation?

Biden is totally loyal to Obama and a great team player, and he is proving to be a tremendous asset in so many ways.

And his big plus is everyone likes Joe, while many detested Dick Cheney.

Personality can get one far in politics, and Joe Biden has always been a “nice guy” who can get things done, and proves that it is not always true that “nice guys finish last”.

Difference In Image Of Obama-Biden As Compared To Bush-Cheney!

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George W. Bush has revealed in his memoir, due out this week, that he seriously considered replacing Vice President Dick Cheney with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist in the 2004 Presidential campaign, due to the image that Cheney was really making the decisions as the President, and that Bush relied on him too heavily. Therefore, replacing Cheney would improve Bush’s image as the “decider”!

This shows how insecure Bush was and is, that he would be concerned what the American public thought of him, and that he might be considered by them as not qualified for the Oval Office! His upset that Kanye West called him a racist for his slow reaction to Hurricane Katrina is further evidence of that fact!

Compare this to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the image is VERY different!

Many might say that Obama is not qualified to be President, but only the right wing talk show hosts really spread that propaganda, and Obama has a strong enough self image that he does not spend a minute worrying about that assertion! And if he was to be upset over every character assassination which has been visited upon him by critics, he would be totally unable to function! But Obama is very secure in his own skin!

Joe Biden is playing a very important role for President Obama, and they get along splendidly, but there is no sense of rivalry between the two men, no self doubt on the part of Obama that he can do the job!

It goes to show that we need to have a better way to judge a candidate’s mental health, as that is an important part of what makes him able to handle the pressures of the Presidency!

It is clear that we have had Presidents, particularly Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, who based on their mental state, should not have been President, as they harmed the country in many ways because of their own insecurities!

Newsweek Poll Shows Turnaround On Support Of Obama And Democrats!

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With nine days to go to the midterm elections of 2010, suddenly a Newsweek poll shows a revival of support for Barack Obama and newly emerging enthusiasm for the Democrats! 🙂

Obama’s public opinion ratings have surged to 54 percent from the low 40s, and the generic congressional ballot shows a lead of 48 to 42 for Democrats over Republicans!

Among those who have voted early, the Democrats lead the GOP 52-42, and is evidence that Democrats may have finally reacted to the message of President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton–that this is not an election to sit out, and allow those who brought us the Great Recession to regain control of the national government!

There are increasing signs of women, Latinos, African Americans, and young people–all of whom made a difference in 2008–starting to commit themselves to vote this year, and those are good signs for the Democrats in a very difficult economic climate!

While anything is possible next week, it may be that Yogi Berra, the Hall of Fame Yankee catcher, may be correct when he uttered: “It ain’t over till it’s over!”

Christine O’Donnell In Debate: Another Sarah Palin! :(

Ronald 2 Comments

Christine O’Donnell, the GOP candidate for the Delaware Senate seat, debated her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, yesterday, on a nationally televised debate on C Span and CNN!

What stood out about the debate was that O’Donnell was aggressive, interrupted Coons constantly, evaded the specific questions that were asked, came up with vague generalizations designed to promote “code words”, and showed her lack of knowledge of specific Supreme Court cases, a la Sarah Palin two years ago! 🙂

Coons made a point of saying that a lot of what O’Donnell was saying made no sense, had no relevance, and was just plain erroneous, but that the debate format made it impossible for him to refute much of what she said in a brief one or two minutes!

Coons acted like a gentleman, so that he could not be accused of “beating up” on a woman, similar to how Joe Biden handled Sarah Palin in the Vice Presidential debate two years ago!

The impression gained is that Coons showed more command of the subjects of the debate, but that O’Donnell might have gained a bit just by not doing a “Jan Brewer” type of total panic reaction, as occurred in the Arizona Governor debate a few weeks ago!

But polls indicate that Coons is far ahead of O’Donnell, and it seems doubtful that a majority of Delaware voters will be swayed to back a candidate seen by many as not qualified to serve in the Senate!

Christine O’Donnell: Witchcraft, Masturbation, Monkeys, And Dishonesty! :(

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The most ridiculous candidate for national office this year, of so many outrageous candidates, is GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell of Delaware, who hopes to gain the seat held for 36 years by Vice President Joe Biden!

O’Donnell loved to express her views publicly on television years ago, particularly on shows hosted by the comedian Bill Maher, and she was often the comedy more than the host of the show!

She indicated that she had been engaged in witchcraft; railed against masturbation as working against the idea of virginity before marriage; and wondered how evolution could be correct since monkeys do not turn into human beings before our eyes!

She also, in several campaigns for public office, demonstrated that she was effective in utilizing campaign funds to pay her rent, food, and even bowling outings, all illegal activities with campaign money!

She also exaggerated her educational background, implying connections with Oxford University in Great Britain, as well as Claremont Graduate University in California, and Princeton University in New Jersey, and managed to claim a degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, although she only finally gained an actual degree a few months ago, after years of owing money to the university for work completed long ago!

Beyond all this, Christine O’Donnell comes across as not very bright, and it makes one wonder about the concept of citizen-legislators! Should not a person who wishes to serve in our legislative bodies, either national or state, meet the basic acid test of knowledge and intelligence? 🙁

Christine O’Donnell is way behind her opponent, Chris Coons, in the Senate race. Were she, somehow to win, it would not be a triumph for the masses of the people, but a sign of the problem this country faces: the rise of total mediocrity to high office! 🙁

An Obama-Clinton Presidential Ticket In 2012? Don’t Bet On It!

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Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, who has just published OBAMA’S WARS, his new book on the Obama Presidency, is spreading the rumor that the nomination of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Vice President in 2012 is “on the table”!

This rumor has been spreading for awhile, and Woodward makes it seem more legitimate, but it is hard to imagine it occurring!

It is true that Vice President Joe Biden always wanted to be Secretary of State, but it is unlikely that having been Vice President and living in the VP mansion, that Biden would want to step down to the State Department. If asked, Biden would be a team player, but it just seems highly unlikely that it would occur!

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is dismissing such speculation, and she seems to enjoy her job. On the other hand, moving up to the Vice Presidency would put her into a better position to run for President in 2016!

Obama and Clinton get along very well, and the old rivalry of 2008 seems gone, and Bill Clinton has been helpful to Obama. But if Obama decided to switch Biden and Clinton, it would be an admission that he thought he could not win without Clinton!

Hillary Clinton could bring blue collar workers, senior citizens, and women to Obama’s support, three groups he seems to have trouble with electorally, so it could be a productive development, but still, looking at history, it is highly unlikely!

Very few Presidents have ever switched running mates for the second term bid–only Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt (actually switching for third term and then again for fourth term). Only Lincoln really did so for electoral reasons, and unfortunately, it gave us Andrew Johnson in the Presidency, as a result! 🙁

So while the thought is fascinating, don’t bet money on it! It is highly likely that Joe Biden will be leaving the Vice Presidency before 2017, unless Obama loses the election in 2012!

The Florida US Senate Race: Charlie Crist The Best Choice!

Ronald 2 Comments

For those who are progressive, the US Senate race in Florida is a difficult choice!

The Republicans have nominated former Speaker of the State House Marco Rubio of Miami, a favorite of conservatives and the Tea Party Movement! He is a Cuban American who would help promote the conservative agenda, and has sometimes been called the Cuban Barack Obama, a young man who could be imagined to be a seeker of higher office than the Senate were he to win the seat!

The Democrats have nominated Miami Congressman Kendrick Meek, who has gained the support of President Obama, Vice President Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and former Vice President Al Gore! Meek has a strong liberal record, and is the only African American candidate for the US Senate this year, and were he to win, he would become only the seventh US Senator of his race, and only the fourth to be elected by popular vote!

And then there is Governor Charlie Crist, who has been a Republican his whole political career, until he recognized that he could not win the GOP nomination in a primary race with Rubio, witnessing an extremely rapid drop in polls over a period of about six months late in 2009 and early in 2010! So he proceeded to leave the Republican Party this past spring and announce a candidacy as an Independent!

Crist has had a comparatively moderate record as Governor, but has been criticized as having no principles, except his own advancement, but he actually comes across as a person who has shown courage and willingness to cross the aisle, and pledges that is what he would do if elected to the Senate! The one thing that remains troubling is his refusal to indicate how he would side in organization of the Senate were he to win–that is, would he join the Republican caucus which has already rejected him in favor of Rubio, once he bowed out of the primary race, or would he join the Democratic caucus, in either case probably keeping an official Independent status, as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman have asserted!

For a progressive, it is a tough choice as to who should be supported, but the key point is who has the greater likelihood of stopping Marco Rubio and the Tea Party Movement from gaining the Senate seat!

It is extremely hard to imagine Kendrick Meek winning the seat, and he remains in third place! So it seems likely that a vote for Meek would help Rubio defeat Crist, an unfortunate and tragic circumstance were that to happen!

With the announcement today that former Congressman Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, who knows and admires Crist, but worked in the House of Representatives with Meek, is about to endorse Crist, it comes across to the author that despite what Obama, Biden, Clinton and Gore have done to back Meek, that the stance of Wexler makes a lot of sense!

If Meek somehow should gain the seat, it will be a surprise victory, but under the circumstances that exist, and with Crist being a moderate likely to organize (hopefully) with the Democrats while remaining an Independent, the author has decided that he will support and vote for Charlie Crist as the next US Senator from Florida, and hopes that Marco Rubio will be denied that seat in what is now a very close race between Rubio and Crist! May Charlie win and accomplish a distinguished record in the Senate for the state of Florida over the next six years!

The Money Battle For Congress Favors Democrats!

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The public opinion polls may show major Republican gains for Congress this November, but the money battles favor the Democrats!

New statistics show that the national committees of the two major parties are very uneven in fund raising and money on hand, with the Democrats having over $13 million on hand, to the GOP’s almost $5 million!

In the House campaign coffers, the Democrats have $39 million to the Republican total of $26 million!

Only in the Senate campaign fund raising do the Republicans have a slight edge with $24.5 million as compared to the Democrats with $23 million!

Meanwhile, state party fund raising demonstrates that the Democrats are ahead in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Washington, Illinois and Iowa, while the Republicans are ahead in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Colorado!

So based on money raised, the Democrats are, overall, more competitive than the polls suggest!

It all comes down to voter turnout, and that means the Democratic message over the next 41 days will be crucial, requiring active campaigning by President Obama, Vice President Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and others, to convince the country that the Democrats are going in the proper direction, but that unfortunately, patience is required, and that slow progress is being made!

As Bill Clinton said yesterday to Wolf Blitzer on CNN, give the Democrats a whole term in office, rather than prejudging in less than two years, and consider what the opposition party offers as an alternative, which is NO POLICY, just attacks!

The point is, the election is far from over! Or as the former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra once said: “It ain’t over till it’s over!” 🙂

Christine O’Donnell: Questions About Her Competency, Integrity, And Motivations! :(

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Delaware GOP Senate nominee Christine O’Donnell is a new Tea Party favorite, but one who makes you wonder about the competence, integrity and motivations of this right wing Republican associated movement! 🙁

Questions have been raised about her competence, including the fact that she has lied about being a college graduate, which she only became this year after finishing one more course and paying much belated fees and bills due to Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey from the 1980s!

Also, O’Donnell has not held a paying job for years, and seems to have used campaign funds to pay her personal expenses, including rent and credit card bills! And she has alienated campaign staff who have not been paid for their services in past campaigns for the Senate! 🙁

O’Donnell also has in the past promoted a very narrow minded view of sexuality, including arguing against any sexual activity outside of marriage, including masturbation, and yet lives with a boyfriend, and seems unlikely now to be practicing celibacy, which she pushed as a religious issue in the 1990s!

She claims to be an expert on the Constitution, but has never written or expressed orally any specific knowledge of government issues, and just seems to be a professional office seeker, with three attempts for a Senate seat, but with no actual credentials! 🙁

This woman is extremely attractive, but comes across as not very bright or knowledgeable, in many ways a clone of Sarah Palin!

The Delaware Republican Party repudiated her before she defeated Congressman and former Governor Mike Castle in the primary by a small margin of votes, and Castle will not endorse her as he states that she has lied consistently, which indeed seems to be totally true, including claiming that she had won two counties in Delaware against Joe Biden in 2008, when she won none of the three counties in the small state! 🙁

Karl Rove, former adviser to George W. Bush, may be switching gears under pressure to back O’Donnell, after criticism of his strong stand against her competency, integrity and motivations, but the fact he has switched views does not take away from his earlier views, which seemed indeed legitimate!

Karl Rove may be objectionable in many ways, but he truly knows politics and candidates backwards and forwards, and his initially strong doubts about O’Donnell have to be seen for what they were! CHRISTINE O’DONNELL IS NOT QUALIFIED TO REPRESENT DELAWARE IN THE US SENATE! 🙁