Joe Biden

Donald Trump Has No Concern About The Economic Devastation He Has Wrought

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Donald Trump is the most indecent and unconcerned President we have ever witnessed!

With 93 thousand people dead, and 36 million economically devastated by the CoronaVirus Pandemic, he has absolutely no concern about the economic devastation he has wrought, with his refusal to take any action to help those horribly damaged by the collapsed economy!

Not even everyone has gained or will gain the $1200 relief checks, as if that is enough to recover from their loss of businesses and jobs.

He and his Cabinet have no intention of doing more, while the Democrats have plans that are being rejected by Republican Senators, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

So the condition economically and health wise will continue to be worse for the next eight months until Inauguration Day, and when Joe Biden takes the oath of office, he will have the worst situation since Franklin D. Roosevelt almost 90 years ago.

And if, the horrible thought, somehow Donald Trump wins again, then the Great Depression we are in, will become worse and undermine our national security and economic welfare, almost as if Donald Trump is doing the bidding of America’s enemies, particularly Russia, China, and Iran.

It is impossible to imagine that America will give us another term of Donald Trump, similar to if they had given us another term of Herbert Hoover, who despite his major shortcomings, is still far superior to Donald Trump!

From Election To Inauguration: Four Worrisome Times, And Now Again In 2020

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In American history, we have witnessed four times when the period from the election to the inauguration has been a worrisome time.

The first time was 1860-1861, when Abraham Lincoln was facing the secession of the South, and likely civil war, and even the danger of assassination threats before he took office.

The second time was 1876-1877, when the popular vote went to Samuel J. Tilden, but the electoral vote went to Rutherford B. Hayes, decided by a special Electoral Commission, which resulted in the closest electoral vote imaginable, a one vote margin of electors.

The third time was 1932-1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt faced a recalcitrant Herbert Hoover, who refused to cooperate with the President-Elect as the Great Depression worsened.

The fourth time was 2000-2001, when the electoral vote was decided by the Supreme Court, awarding Florida to George W. Bush over Al Gore, by the second closest electoral vote, only five electoral vote margin.

And now, in 2020, we have to fear that Donald Trump will refuse to concede the election, and will fight it in every possible way, if the electoral vote is contested. And even if it is an easy victory for Joe Biden, Trump might create a constitutional crisis, and attempt to declare martial law and suspend the Constitution. He also might attempt to start a war with China or Iran, in the midst of the CoronaVirus Pandemic.

So we have a lot to worry about as we move toward the Presidential Election of 2020!

The Best African American Female Vice Presidential Choice For Joe Biden

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The African American Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart today published a piece, in which he discussed four prominent African American female contenders to be Joe Biden’s Vice Presidential running mate.

Capehart wrote about Georgia former state legislator Stacey Abrams; Orlando, Florida Congresswoman Val Demings; former National Security Adviser and United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice; and California Senator Kamala Harris.

Capehart made the case for all four women, and concluded that he believed that while all four are qualified to be Vice President, and potentially succeed to the Presidency, that Kamala Harris was his choice.

This blogger and author wishes to say that Capehart is correct, that Kamala Harris is the best qualified, and in my mind, the only other one of this group who is ready to take over the Presidency on a moment’s notice is Susan Rice with her foreign policy experience, but no elective experience.

Abrams is interesting, but has never been a leader on the state executive level, and Demings has her police chief background, but has only been a Congresswoman since 2017.

So assuming that Joe Biden decides to pick a woman of color, it makes the most sense to select Kamala Harris.

If however, he decides to avoid race as a factor, then his best choice is Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar.

The odds seem good one of these Senators will be the ultimate Vice Presidential choice for Joe Biden.

Joe Biden And Stacey Abrams Put On Stellar Performance On MSNBC On Thursday Evening!

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With Joe Biden leading in all polls in most, if not all, of the “swing states” in the upcoming Presidential Election of 2020, Trump supporters and naysayers are trying to convince the nation that Joe Biden is mentally incapable to be President, as if Donald Trump is seen as mentally capable now and for the past three plus years.

Well, two nights ago, Joe Biden came on MSNBC with former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams, and both of them put on stellar, superb performances to all of the questions posed by citizens and also by Lawrence O’Donnell.

Joe Biden may not be perfect in every way, but most certainly Donald Trump is pathetic, as proved by his maniacal Twitter feed and public utterances daily.

Biden is perfectly capable of being President, and will have a strong female Vice Presidential running mate, who might be Stacey Abrams, but there are certainly others who might be preferable, including Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.

Donald Trump is trying to destroy Joe Biden, but instead, he is destroying himself daily!

Trump’s New Attack Line In Desperation: “Obamagate”

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Donald Trump has spent his entire life attacking others, and lying incessantly, and now he is desperate, as he is behind in every national poll imaginable, including Fox News Channel polls.

So now, he is coming up with a new strategy, called “Obamagate”, a play on the Watergate Scandal under Richard Nixon.

Trump is claiming, without any valid evidence, that his candidacy was damaged by a plot of Barack Obama, and adding in his Vice President Joe Biden, who is now leading Trump in public opinion polls.

Never have we seen a President attack his predecessor so vehemently, and Trump is extremely jealous that Obama has a very high public opinion rating, and is rated number 12 in the CSpan poll of historians in 2017, and number 8 in the American Political Science Association poll in 2018, while Trump was rated two years ago as being in last place, number 44, under James Buchanan and Andrew Johnson!

This “Obamagate” farce will get nowhere, and Obama will continue to be rated high, while Trump will never escape the basement, as the worst President ever in our history!

Donald Trump More Desperate By The Day, As Every Poll Shows Him Losing Massively!

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Public Opinion Polls have been amazingly consistent in 2020, with even Fox News Channel Polls showing Donald Trump losing badly.

His horrific reaction to the CoronaVirus Pandemic is sealing his fate, if there was ever any doubt.

It is not that Joe Biden is a perfect candidate, but he is the alternative, and his empathy, compassion, authenticity and decency shine through, and always has.

Donald Trump is the new Herbert Hoover, without his intelligence, ability, and life accomplishments.

But the Pandemic and the highest unemployment rate since Hoover left office 87 years ago insure a major repudiation of the 45th President!

The Alternative Vice Presidential Choices For Joe Biden, And The Likely 47th President In The Future

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Former Vice President Joe Biden has formed a committee to consider 12 Vice Presidential potential choices, apparently all women, based on his pledge to select a female running mate.

While the list has not been made public, it would seem clear, subject to a surprise of course, that there would be five women at the top of the list.

They would include

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Senator Kamala Harris of California

Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Former Georgia House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams of Georgia

Harris and Abrams are of minority background, with Harris having both Jamaican and Indian ancestry, so therefore multiracial from African and Asian heritage, while Abrams is African American.

So the question arises as to who would be the best choice to be Vice President, and potentially become the 47th President if Joe Biden is unable to finish his term as the 46th President.

The view of this blogger is that two choices should be eliminated immediately, not because they are not good people, but for other reasons.

The first is Elizabeth Warren, due to her age, only six and a half years younger than Joe Biden, making for the oldest Presidential ticket in American history, not a good idea. Also, the likelihood is that the Democrats could, at least temporarily, lose a Senate seat, with a Republican governor in Massachusetts, able to make an appointment, as occurred in 2009 when Scott Brown was appointed to replace Ted Kennedy, upon his death. The Democrats cannot afford to lose a seat in a state with a Republican Governor.

The second is Stacey Abrams, who simply does not have the experience to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. It is true that the Georgia gubernatorial race of 2018 was corrupt, and that Abrams might have been the person who should have been inaugurated.

But that is theory, not reality, and then there is the issue that if Abrams had now been Governor of Georgia, with the CoronaVirus Pandemic raging, should a governor in the midst of the crisis be running for Vice President, and the answer is no!

This also brings Gretchen Whitmer under question, as she is Governor of a state, Michigan, which has had much more severe problems with the CoronaVirus Pandemic than even Georgia. Should she be taking on the campaign for Vice President when Michigan is in crisis?

She is already highly controversial, with the strong reaction in her state by some against her restrictions and quarantine she has imposed, rightfully, but still highly divisive. She served as Minority Leader of the State Senate, after first serving in the Michigan House, so has a similar background as Abrams, with a major difference being that she was successfully elected Governor in 2018.

Both Abrams and Whitmer lack long range national experience, and one wonders if a Governor is the best fit.

And for the Democrats, the Vice Presidential choice for a Presidential campaign has always been a member of the US Senate, except in 1972 and 1984, and both years, the Democrats lost 49 states!

So we come down to two choices—Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.

Harris is 56 and Klobuchar is 60, and Harris’s seat in California is safely Democratic, as is Klobuchar’s seat in Minnesota, with both states having Democratic Governors who would appoint a Democrat to the seat, not true in Massachusetts.

The one advantage of Klobuchar is that she is from the Midwest, a battleground area, while California is insured to be Democratic.

Either one would be a fine choice to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, and possibly become the 47th President of the United States!

The Potential Of Justin Amash To “Mess Up” The 2020 Presidential Election Is High

Ronald 33 Comments

Michigan Congressman Justin Amash, elected as a Tea Party Congressman in the Republican “wave” of 2010, went on to a ten year career, including heading the “Liberty Caucus” and being a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, an extreme right wing group that warred against Speaker John Boehner and his successor, Paul Ryan.

Amash went on to vote for the impeachment of Donald Trump in 2019, and to leave the Republican Party, and now he is an announced candidate for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination.

Considering that Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee received about 3.3 percent of the popular vote and 4.5 million votes in 2016, it is a concern whether Amash could perform at the same level in 2020, and whether it would harm Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the election.

Amash is complicated, as he supports the following that could bring over disaffected Democrats who wanted Bernie Sanders:

He voted against religious institutions being eligible for FEMA grants.

He supported gay marriage being left alone after the Supreme Court ruled in favor in 2015.

He has stated his opposition to political gerrymandering.

He voted against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2011.

He voted against the Trump executive order banning migrating of people from seven majority Muslim nations.

He has stated his support of transgender American rights.

He has opposed building a Mexico Wall.

He has refused to support Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without agreement that there have been abuses that need to be addressed, while believing in the basic mission of ICE.

He has opposed US support of Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen.

He has voted against any war against Iran by executive decision, only if Congress agreed by majority vote of both houses of Congress.

And of course, he has been a consistent critic of Donald Trump from the beginning.

So, while Amash is a big Trump critic, he could get disaffected Democrats who are not thrilled with Joe Biden, to vote for him, and that could be a decisive factor in his home state of Michigan and other “swing’ states!

Six Months Out Projection On US Senate: A Democratic Majority

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Having projected the Presidential Election of 2020 yesterday, today I will project, six months out, subject to change as we get closer to the election, the likely Senate balance in 2021-2022.

It seems very likely at this point that the Democrats will win the majority of the US Senate, and kick out Mitch McConnell as Majority Leader.

And I think the odds of Kentucky defeating McConnell for reelection are growing.

So let us look at state by state for the Senate in the 2020 election cycle.

There will be 12 Democratic held seats and 23 Republican held seats up for election.

This insures that the Democrats will gain seats, and it would seem highly likely that they will gain at least 3 seats, enough for control if Joe Biden wins the Presidency, as his female Vice President would be able to organize the Senate, and break any potential tie votes.

Much more likely is that the Democrats might gain up to 7 additional seats, by winning 8 races, but likely losing Doug Jones in Alabama, but that loss is certainly not an automatic result so the total number of Democrats could go to 53-55 as a maximum.

Other than Doug Jones, who has proved to be an inspiration that Alabama has potential for growth, the other 11 Democratic seats seem safe.

Tom Udall is leaving his New Mexico Senate seat, but it seems safely Democratic, as does Ed Markey’s seat in Massachusetts, although he might lose the Senate primary to Joe Kennedy III, but the seat will stay Democratic.

Turning to the Republicans, the following 11 seats seem safe:

Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming, although Lamar Alexander in Tennessee and Mike Enzi in Wyoming are leaving office, but still both of those states seem safe for Republicans.

So that leave 11 seats safe, but the other 12 unpredictable.

Most likely to go Democratic are in likeliness to occur:

Martha McSally seat in Arizona

Cory Gardner seat in Colorado

Kelly Loeffler seat in Georgia

Susan Collins seat in Maine

Steve Daines seat in Montana

Thom Tillis seat in North Carolina

Less likely to switch parties are in likelihood of occurring:

Joni Ernst seat in Iowa

Pat Roberts (retiring) seat in Kansas

David Perdue seat in Georgia

John Cornyn seat in Texas

Lindsey Graham seat in South Carolina

Mitch McConnell seat in Kentucky

My judgment is that one of those last six seats, likely Iowa, will also go Democratic, which means a gain of 7 seats to 54 or 53 if Doug Jones loses his seat.

But also, Kansas and Georgia (David Perdue) could surprise, and we can hope for a “miracle” that the two most despicable of a horrible group of Republicans, Graham or McConnell, might actually be defeated, along with Cornyn.

So in the best of all worlds, which would be a dream, imagine if the Republicans lost all 12 seats in contention, and did not defeat Doug Jones in Alabama, and we would have the grand total of 59 seats!

But reality sets in, and expect 53-55 seats for the Democrats, subject to changing dynamics, so we will look at this again in October.

Six Months To The Presidential Election Of 2020: A First Assessment

Ronald 33 Comments

With six months and three days until the Presidential Election of 2020, it is time to make a first assessment of the upcoming election.

This author has just published an article on History News Network under my blog “Ronald L Feinman” stating that this upcoming election is the most important since 1940, and one of the five most significant elections in American history, along with 1860, 1864, 1932, and 1940.

Donald Trump is reported going totally off the rails on this, the 75th anniversary of the suicide of Adolf Hitler, and it gets one to think about what may yet happen, as Trump is falling behind Joe Biden in every imaginable poll nationally, and in the “swing” states, including the crucial state of Florida with its 29 electoral votes.

If Trump loses Florida, where many senior citizens retire and are dying in the midst of this CoronaVirus Pandemic, there is no practical way for him to win reelection.

With the pandemic which he is refusing to deal with rationally, only thinking about his election, and willing to endanger any crowd that might gather in Arizona or Ohio in coming weeks, and also wanting children back in school even if it undermines and threatens the lives of their parents and grandparents, Trump is clearly on the road to a massive defeat in November!

So, subject to change, here is my assessment of the upcoming election:

Joe Biden will win the 20 states that Hillary Clinton won:

All 6 New England states and add the second district of Maine, which went to Trump in 2016–33 electoral votes

Middle Atlantic States of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, plus Virginia–72 electoral votes

Midwest States of Illinois and Minnesota–30 electoral votes

Mountain States of New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada–20 electoral votes

Pacific Coast States of California, Oregon, Washington State, and Hawaii–78 electoral votes

So the “base”, adding the second district of Maine to the total, is 233 electoral votes of 270 needed.

Adding to that are the crucial states that Hillary Clinton lost in the Midwest—Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania (really considered more Northeast but also considered in western section as Midwest)—46

That brings the electoral vote total to 279, enough to win the Presidency for Joe Biden.

However, the trend is strongly in favor of other states turning “Blue”, with the Second Great Depression upon us, along with the CoronaVirus Pandemic, and the reality that Trump policies have alienated many groups:

Senior Citizens

Suburban Women

College Educated

Lower and Middle Income Voters

Racial Minorities (African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans)

Jews, Social Justice Catholics, Mainline Protestants

Young People Under 35

Independents

Moderate Republicans

Conservative Intellectuals

Of course, one is not saying that all of these groups will vote “Blue”, but it seems highly likely enough will vote that way and cause a smashing defeat for Donald Trump!

So what other states seem likely to go Democratic, in some cases, by small margins?

In order as follows:

Arizona–11 electoral votes

North Carolina–15 electoral votes

Florida–29 electoral votes

Nebraska–2nd Congressional District–1 electoral vote

Ohio–18 electoral votes

Georgia–16 electoral votes

Iowa–6 electoral votes

Montana–3 electoral votes

Kansas–6 electoral votes

Texas–38 electoral votes

So my estimate at this time, six months before the election, is a maximum of 32 states and DC for Biden and 18 for Trump, and 422 electoral votes to 116 for Trump.

The 116 electoral votes for Trump in 18 states would be:

West Virginia 5

Kentucky 8

South Carolina 9

Alabama 9

Mississippi 6

Louisiana 8

Arkansas 6

Tennessee 11

Missouri 10

Indiana 11

North Dakota 3

South Dakota 3

Nebraska 4 (not including 2nd District)

Oklahoma 7

Utah 6

Wyoming 3

Idaho 4

Alaska 3

But actually, Missouri (10) and Indiana (11) could, by earlier history, surprise, and also vote against Trump and support Biden by small margins, meaning there could be 34 states and a grand total of 443 to 95 in the Electoral College for the Democrats!

Remember that Indiana voted for Barack Obama in 2008, and Missouri was always with the winner since 1900, except in 1956, 2008 (both by small margins of about 4,000 votes) and 2012 when the margin was larger for the defeated candidate, Mitt Romney!

So the exact parameters of the Donald Trump defeat are not final, but this would seem to be the maximum, as another nearly 4 million Americans today filed for unemployment, a total of about 30 million, one out of five workers in the nation, approximately, which would mean a 20 percent unemployment rate, and growing.

If it goes over 25 percent in coming weeks, it will be worse than even the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the American people soundly defeated Herbert Hoover in 1932, and elected Franklin D. Roosevelt!

And realize that the average family size can be considered probably a family of four although there are many households of fewer than four, but if one considers that as a statistic, that means one out of three people directly are affected by unemployment, an astounding 33-35 percent rate, unimaginable and horrific!

The next President will have a challenge on the level of FDR and Abraham Lincoln!