Joe Biden

A Major Turnover In 119th Congress To Occur!

A major turnover is coming in the 119th Congress, which will meet from January 2025-January 2027.

Already, eight Senators and 43 House members are not running for reelection, and turnover by defeat is likely in many other cases.

Among the US Senators who are retiring are the following:

Mitt Romney of Utah
Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Ben Cardin of Maryland
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Tom Carper of Delaware

At least 11 Democrats and 14 Republicans are leaving the House of Representatives.

Additionally, a few well known individuals ran for the Senate and have been eliminated, specifically Katie Porter and Barbara Lee in California, while Adam Schiff is on the way to likely Senate membership after ending up first in the California Senate primary.

Dean Phillips of Minnesota chose to challenge Joe Biden in a lost cause, and is leaving the House as a result.

Elissa Slotkin in Michigan; Alex Mooney in West Virginia; Colin Allred in Texas; Andy Kim in New Jersey; and Ruben Gallego in Arizona are among those leaving the House of Representatives to run for the US Senate seats in their states.

A lot more turnover is likely, as many other incumbents face the possibility of defeat this November.

“Battleground” States Should Be Expanded By Democrats!

With an expected very close race for the Presidency between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, and with three independent or third party challengers being an additional threat to take away votes from the major party candidates, it is urgent that the list of “battleground” states be expanded by Democrats!

The usual belief is that the following states are the “battlegrounds”:

Pennsylvania (19)
Michigan (15)
Wisconsin (10)
Georgia (16)
Arizona (11)
Nevada (6)

Total 77 Electoral Votes

But in addition, the following states need to be considered potentials for extra attention financially and through campaign appearances by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and numerous Democratic supporters in public office:

New Hampshire (4)
Virginia (13)
North Carolina (16)
Florida (30)
Minnesota (10)
New Mexico (5)

Total 78 Electoral Votes

Additionally, the Second District of Maine which has gone Republican in the past (2016 and 2020) should be focused on, as well as retaining the Second District of Nebraska, which has gone Democratic two times in the past (2008 and 2020), with both states allowing divided electoral votes for President.

So a total of 12 states and one Congressional District in Nebraska and Maine should be focused on to insure a Democratic victory in November!

So out of 538 Electoral Votes total, 157 are in play!

Crucial Senate Battles In November

Thirty three Senate seats will be up in November, with Democrats having to defend 23 seats and Republicans only 10 seats, so a major struggle for Democrats to keep control of the Senate, which right now is divided 51-49 with three Independents helping the Democrats keep the majority.

The major battles to take Republican seats will be in Texas (Ted Cruz); Florida (Rick Scott); and Missouri (Josh Hawley).

The most dangerous Democratic seats are Arizona, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

It would seem certain that West Virginia, with the retirement of Joe Manchin, will go to the Republicans, and Maryland, normally a strong blue state, has the problem of popular former Governor Larry Hogan running for the Senate, which makes it seem likely that the state will flip to the Republicans.

Ohio with Sherrod Brown, and Montanea, with Jon Tester, are also in danger, while Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin more likely to remain Democratic.

So assuming West Virginia and Maryland go Republican, that would mean a 51-49 Republican controlled Senate, unless the Democrats can win at least one seat from the three Republicans who are contestable–Texas, Florida, and Missouri.

And this is assuming Joe Biden wins a second term, and Kamala Harris is there to break a possible 50-50 tie in the Senate.

A Magnificent, Fiery, Combative Speech As Joe Biden Begins The Fight Against Donald Trump And Maga Republicans!

Last night’s State Of The Union Address by Joe Biden was a magnificant, fiery, combative speech as Joe Biden begins the fight against Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans!

Anyone watching who is objective must admit that Joe Biden did a “tour de force”, and showed vigor and energy for a man who is 81 years old!

Biden has demonstrated perfect capability and knowledge to lead our nation in a difficult national and international climate, but also to care about and promote what is good for the vast number of Americans, not just the wealthy!

It was unbelievable how Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who did NOT do the usual introduction of the President, was constantly frowning and rolling his eyes, to the point that he looked totally ridiculous. Johnson refused to applaud on almost every issue, because he is the captive, as are 95 percent of Republicans in Congress, to the evil Donald Trump!

It was sad seeing conservative Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, a cosponsor of an immigration bill approved by the Chambers of Commerce and the Wall Street Journal, but rejected by House Republicans, mouthing his agreement with President Biden on the value of the proposed legislation.

It was disgraceful how Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled and gestured in a disgusting manner, showing total lack of respect for the President.

The Republicans in the House chamber just sat on their hands, but knowing Joe Biden has become like Harry Truman in 1948, ready and willing to “Give Them Hell” over the next eight months!

Decency and compassion and vision and competence will ultimately win out over the evil and threat to the Constitution and rule of law represented by Donald Trump.

And anyone who chooses to vote for a third party, and most particularly the embarrassing and unstable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, who is no match for his father or the family name, is undermining the struggle to sustain American democracy.

And if by some fluke, Trump wins and establishes a dictatorship, such voters will go to their graves knowing they contributed to the destruction of the American nation as we have known it!

The 6th Date Of Four Months: The Story Of The Presidential Election Of 2024

It is ironic that the 6th day of four months sets up the Presidential Election of 2024.

January 6, 2021–the US Capitol Insurrection led by and incited by Donald Trump, which has led to four indictments and 91 counts, in process in a court system which has faced constant delays, but eventually will lead to justice.

March 6, 2024–three years and two months since the Insurrection, and the election is set between Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the Super Tuesday primaries.

November 6, 2024–the day after the Presidential Election of 2024, exactly eight months, and the decision as to whether democracy survives or autocracy destroys the Constitution and rule of law

January 6, 2025–the counting of the Electoral Votes in a joint session of Congress, exactly two months after the election, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, in the same position and responsibility that Mike Pence faced on this date in 2021.

Super Tuesday Results In Vermont, Arizona And North Carolina Positives For Democrats In Upcoming National Elections In November!

The Super Tuesday election results were predictable, with both Joe Biden and Donald Trump performing well.

But Trump has some major negatives moving forward, including:

Nikki Haley winning Vermont and DC, and taking about a third of all votes in a number of other state primaries, a sign of Republicans who are not likely to support Trump in November. Since Trump did not ever have a majority of popular votes in 2016 or 2020, he can ill afford to lose the Haley votes, but it will be hard for him to gain that, while facing 91 indictment counts!

The decision of Independent Kyrsten Sinema to give up reelection to the Senate in Arizona makes the Senate race a direct battle between MAGA Republican Kari Lake and Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, with Lake being a flawed candidate who already lost the gubernatorial race in 2022 to Governor Katie Hobbs.

The nomination of MAGA Republican Mark Robinson to oppose state Attorney General Josh Stein in North Carolina for the Governorship is another burden for Republicans to bear, realizing that Stein won two races for Attorney General in 2016 and 2020 when Trump was on the ballot in the state in his two Presidential runs.

Both Arizona and North Carolina are crucial states in the Presidential Election of 2024, and Democrats have just gained an edge in both states!

Trump V Anderson Supreme Court Case Demonstrates A Bitterly Divided Court!

The right wing Supreme Court has determined that Donald Trump cannot be barred from Presidential primary ballots, despite many conservatives, including former Circuit Court Judge J. Michael Luttig among many others, stating that his inciting of the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021 violated the 14th Amendment, Section Three.

The decision was that it is up to Congress to bar anyone from running for President, not individual state governments.

In so doing, the decision demonstrated a bitterly divided Court, as the four women on the Court, three Democrats and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, while part of an unanimous vote, made clear their discomfort with the issue of Donald Trump being able to avoid responsibility for his actions on January 6.

If Trump had been removed from the ballot in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, it would have led to further incitement by Trump on the basis that he was being denied the right to be judged by the American people.

So the understanding is that ultimately it is up to the American people and their voting to repudiate this Insurrectionist by reelecting Joe Biden in November!

The Supreme Court has lost all credibility, and its public opinion rating is an all time low, with particularly two of its members—Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—being seen as corrupt and personally obnoxious—and the Court being the most right wing since the early 1930s.

Most Dangerous Time In Foreign Affairs Since World War II!

America has been through a lot of crises in foreign affairs since World War II, with the 45 Years Cold War with the Soviet Union ending in 1991.

But now in 2024, we not only have to face the twin crises of the Russia-Ukraine War (the most massive war on the European continent since World War II), but also the Israel-Hamas War, which could spread throughout the Middle East.

And we have a former President, Donald Trump, seeking to come back to the White House, who consorts with autocratic leaders, including Vladimir Putin along with many others.

Trump promotes a return to the “America First” mentality advocated by Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, and their ilk in the years before World War II, and the first two years and three months of that war, before Japan pushed America into prosecution of that war.

With eight months to go, the crisis facing America is totally horrifying, and with some public opinion polls showing Trump defeating President Joe Biden!

This cannot be allowed to happen, as it portends the end of American democracy and the rule of law, and the promotion of Fascist authoritarianism, autocracy, and the destruction of the 250th anniversary of independence in 2026!

Nikki Haley 40 Percent Reminds Us Of Eugene McCarthy 42 Percent In 1968!

Although Donald Trump won nearly 60 percent of the vote in the South Carolina Republican primary on Saturday over the 40 percent won by Nikki Haley, the fact that Haley did as well as that number, when supposedly, Trump was leading in polls by 30 percent, is a sign of dissatisfaction among Republicans and Independents, who gave Haley 40 percent.

This brings back memories of the New Hampshire primary for the Democratic Party in 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson won just 50 percent, with Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy winning 42 percent!

This surprisingly close vote did not lead to McCarthy being the Democratic Presidential nominee, but it helped to lead to Johnson backing out of the race.

No one is saying that Trump will back out, but it is clear that his support is not as great as one would expect, and Haley staying in the race indicates problems for Trump in the Fall campaign against Joe Biden.

The Negativism About Kamala Harris As Potential President Is Unwarranted!

The propaganda being spewed against Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential successor to Joe Biden at some point in the next five years is totally unwarranted.

Vice Presidents, historically, have been panned as not acceptable alternatives, but that is simply political propaganda by the other side of the political spectrum.

John Tyler was the first Vice President to suffer from ridicule and criticism, when William Henry Harrison died after one month in office in 1841, and he was called “His Accidency” by critics who refused to accept that his succession to the Presidency was legitimate.

There was great trepidation when Harry Truman succeeded to the Presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, but Truman, despite bitter attacks, is now regarded as one of the top six Presidents.

No one wanted to imagine Lyndon B. Johnson as President in 1960, but he succeeded John F. Kennedy in 1963, and ended up being the best domestic President since FDR.

Gerald Ford is seen as having saved the nation by his leadership after the Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

Kamala Harris has excellent credentials in her career of being San Francisco District Attorney from 2004-2011; California Attorney General from 2011-2017; US Senator from 2017-2021; and now Vice President for the past three plus years.

She has been a strong support for President Joe Biden, and is clearly more competent and experienced than many earlier Vice Presidents have been, including Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and Mike Pence were.

Most of the opposition is sexist and racist against Harris, and it is disgusting that the right wing issues vicious attacks against her with no factual basis or justification.

If the need arose for Kamala Harris to become President, the nation would be in good hands, and would be well served!