John F. Kennedy

The Two Most Inspiring Senate Candidates–Jon Ossoff And James Talarico, And Potential Presidential-Vice Presidential Ticket In 2028 Presidential Election!

Without any doubt, the two most inspiring Senate candidates in the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2026 are Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Texas Senate nominee James Talarico.

They are outstanding in promoting their views, which are enlightening, and knowing how to attack their opponents, Mike Collins and Ken Paxton, who are among the most outrageous, despicable, and corrupt, scandalous candidates that Republicans are offering to the nation in 2026.

These two Democrats are among the most decent public servants we have had in a long term, with Ossoff finishing his first Senate term, and Talarico finishing eight years in the Texas Senate.

They have humanity, compassion, decency, empathy, and common sense, and both are under age 40, with Ossoff age 39 and Talarico age 37, so a new generation of competent leaders for the long term.

Both are favored to win, and it would be a tragedy if either lost to their opponent.

And looking to the future, while neither is talking about the Presidency, they should not be dismissed as a potential team of Jon Ossoff for President and James Talarico for Vice President in 2028.

One might say they are too young, as they would be 41 and 39 respectively in 2028.

But remember Ossoff has been in the Senate for six years, and would be two more years in the Senate by 2028. And Talarico had eight years in the Texas State Senate, and would have two Senate years by 2028.

The naysayers would say NOT enough experience, but consider the following:

Richard Nixon had only six years in Congress, and was 39 when elected Vice President in 1952.

Dan Quayle was only 41 when he was elected Vice President in 1988.

JD Vance had only two years in the Senate when elected Vice President under Donald Trump in 2024, and was only 40 years old.

And William Jennings Bryan was only 36 when he ran for President in 1896.

And John C. Breckinridge was only 36 when elected Vice President in 1856.

So the idea that Talarico could not serve as Vice President at age 39 has no justification.

And Ossoff would simply be the youngest President at 41, while Theodore Roosevelt was 42 and John F. Kennedy was 43.

So the thought of a potential ticket of Ossoff and Talarico is certainly not something to be dismissed.

Donald Trump Is, By Far, The Most Corrupt President In American History!

A survey produced by the website “theleahfiles” makes clear that Donald Trump is by far the most corrupt President in American History.

The survey demonstrates the level of corruption of every President since Dwight D. Eisenhower, with recognition that any Presidency will end up with some level of corruption, but in many cases, not a serious level.

Donald Trump scores 53 in first term, and 91 in his first year and a half of his second term.

Richard Nixon scores 41, the only other President over 25.

George W. Bush scores 23; Bill Clinton 22; and Ronald Reagan 21.

Lyndon B. Johnson scores 17; George H.W. Bush 13; and John F. Kennedy 10.

All the other Presidents are in single digits in the following order:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden scored 8; Dwight D. Eisenhower 6; and Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter 2.

If one adds the scores of Republican Presidents, the total is 250, while for Democratic Presidents, the total is 67.

So clearly, the level of Republican corruption is more than three and a half times higher than for Democratic corruption.

The total number of years of Republican Presidential leadership are 42 through 2026, starting in 1953 and Eisenhower.

The total number of years of Democratic Presidential leadership are 32.

Presidents And Immigration Policies: 1961-2001

From the 1960s to the turn of the 21st century, 8 Presidents pursued varying immigration policies.

All of the eight Presidents promoted pro immigration policies, a major change from earlier policies, with the exception of Bill Clinton.

John F. Kennedy advocated immigration reform, and opposed the discrimatory national origins system that had been in effect since the 1920s. He made attempts to advance serious reforms, but was stopped in his brief Presidency from accomplishing his open minded attitude toward immigration.

Lyndon B. Johnson advocated and signed into law the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signing the new legislation in a ceremony at the Statue of Liberty, a massive reform that revolutionized migration of immigrants from around the world, as part of his “Great Society” programs. The National Origins formula since the 1920s was abolished, and a family based system was established.

The special preference for Northern and Western European migration was now expanded to include Southern and Eastern European, Latin American, Asian, and African immigration, vastly changing over time the demographic mix of the nation. This was seen as part of the changing political climate, in the time of the Civil Rights Movement of the era.

Richard Nixon generally pursued what Johnson had accomplished, and arranged for admission of Vietnam War refugees to come to America, and Gerald Ford continued the policies, including passage of the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1975.

Jimmy Carter continued the same pattern of openmindedness toward immigrants and refugees, including passage of the Refugee Act of 1980.

Further reforms occurred under Ronald Reagan, with amnesty for three million undocumented immigrants, under the Immigration and Control Act of 1986. In his Farewell Address in 1989, he applauded the importance and signicance of permitting immigrants into the nation as as advancement of America’s role in the world.

George H. W. Bush further expanded immigration reform, first promoted by Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, with passage of the Immigration Act of 1990.

This expanded legal immigration and promoted a diversity lottery, which included allowing migration of homosexuals, which had been prevented in the Johnson 1965 law.

Under Bill Clinton, with a Republican Congress in control in both houses for the first time in 40 years, restrictions on illegal immigration, under the Illegal Immigration Reform And Immigrant Responsibility Act in 1996, were put into place.

Deportation proceedings led to removal actions on a large scale. Bars to re-entry in the nation were instituted, and establishment of barriers on the US-Mexico Border were promoted.

So after more than three decades of immigration reform, new restrictions were being imposed in the mid to late 1990s.

Historically, Midterm Elections Favor Party Opposing The President!!

With the Midterm Congressional Elections of 2026 now two months away, the odds look good for Democrats to regain control of the House of Representatives and the US Senate under Republican President Donald Trump.

The Republicans are trying to argue that such will not happen, but history tells us this is a normal scenario throughout most of history, particularly since 1946, the first midterm after World War II.

The only times that this scenario did not occur was in 1998 under Bill Clinton, and 2002 under George W. Bush.

In 1998, the Democrats actually gained 4 seats in the House, and kept the 45 seats they had in the Senate, so the Republicans actually gained nothing in that election year, although they continued to have control of both houses of Congress.

In 2002, with September 11 being an influential factor, the Republican Party actually gained 8 seats in the House, and 2 seats in the Senate, therefore actually gaining control of the upper chamber after being in the minority previously.

But otherwise, the party out of power in Congress ended up gaining control in 1946, with Republicans gaining control of both houses of Congress under Harry Truman, with Democrats losing 54 seats in the House and 10 in the Senate.

In 1950, Truman’s Democratic Party kept control of Congress, but lost 28 seats in the House and 5 seats in the Senate.

Under Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954, the Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress, which they had won in 1952, losing 18 seats in the House and 2 seats in the Senate.

In 1958, Eisenhower saw a loss of 48 seats in the House and 12 seats in the Senate.

In 1962, in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Democrats lost 4 seats in the House of Representatives, but gained 4 seats in the US Senate.

In 1966, in the midst of the Vietnam War under Lyndon B. Johnson, the Democrats lost 47 seats in the House, and 3 seats in the Senate, but still had massive margins.

Under Richard Nixon, in 1970, 12 Republican seats were lost in the House, but 2 seats were gained in the Senate.

Under Gerald Ford in 1974, in the midst of the Watergate Scandal and the resignation of Richard Nixon, the Republicans lost 48 seats in the House and 4 seats in the Senate.

Under Jimmy Carter in 1978, Democrats lost 15 seats in the House and 2 seats in the Senate, but retained control of both houses of Congress.

Under Ronald Reagan in 1982, Republicans lost 26 seats in the House and no seats in the Senate. Then, in 1986, Republicans lost 5 seats in the House, and lost 8 seats in the Senate, losing control of that chamber it had gained in 1980.

Under George H. W. Bush in 1990,, the Republicans lost 8 seats in the House and 1 seat in the Senate.

Under Bill Clinton in 1994, the Democrats lost control of both houses as part of the “Republican Revolution”, losing 54 seats in the House and 9 seats in the Senate. Then, in 1998, a surprise as Democrats gained 4 seats in the House and no change in the Senate, while the Republicans kept control.

Under George W. Bush in 2002, after September 11, the Republicans gained 8 seats in the House and two seats in the Senate, gaining the majority in the Senate. But in 2006, Republicans lost control of both houses of Congress, losing 32 seats in the House and 6 seats in the Senate.

Under Barack Obama in 2010, the Democrats lost the massive number of 63 seats in the House, and 6 in the Senate, losing control of the House to the Republicans. In 2014, the Democrats lost 13 seats in the House and 9 seats in the Senate, losing control of the Senate to the Republicans.

Under Donald Trump’s first term, in 2018, the Republicans lost control of the House, losing 41 seats, but gained two seats in the Senate, and retained the majority in the Senate.

Finally, under Joe Biden in 2022, Democrats lost control of the House by 9 seats, but gained one in the Senate, and kept control.

In 2026, two months from now, we will see what transpires.

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Presidential Nominees More Than Twice In American History

The history of Presidential Elections shows a total of 13 individuals who have been nominated more than twice for the White House.

Seven of these individuals ended up in the Presidency, and six others never made it to the White House.

This includes four nominees of third or minor parties who were on the ballot more than twice in a Presidential election.

The all time “champion” is Franklin D. Roosevelt, nominated and winning four times–1932, 1936, 1940, 1944–before the 22nd Amendment, ratified by 1951, prevented any future candidate to have more than two terms.

Thomas Jefferson was nominated for President in 1796, when he lost to John Adams but became his combative Vice President, and 1800 and 1804, when he twice won the Presidency.

Andrew Jackson was nominated for President in 1824, when he won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College to John Quincy Adams. Then, he won the Presidency in the next two elections, 1828 and 1832.

Martin Van Buren was nominated for and won the Presidency in 1836, but then lost the Election of 1840, and later ran as the third party Free Soil nominee in 1848.

Grover Cleveland won the Presidency in 1884, but although winning the popular vote in 1888, lost the Electoral College to Benjamin Harrison, but then came back and defeated Harrison in a rematch in 1892, making him the first of two Presidents to have nonconsecutive terms of office.

Richard Nixon lost the Presidential Election of 1960 to John F. Kennedy, but came back and won the Presidency in both 1968 and 1972.

Donald Trump won the Electoral College in 2016, despite losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, and then was defeated by Joe Biden in 2020. In 2024, although not winning a majority of the popular vote, he finally accomplished winning the popular vote edge over Kamala Harris, and is now serving his second nonconsecutive term, sharing that distinction with Grover Cleveland

Two major party nominees were nominated three times, but lost all those elections—Henry Clay in 1824, 1832, and 1844—and William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900, and 1908.

Two Socialist nominees were nominated and ran five and six times—Eugene Debs in 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, and 1920—and Norman Thomas in
1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, and 1948.

Ralph Nader ran as either the Green Party candidate, or as an Independent, in four consecutive elections—1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008, with his impact being significant in the Presidential Election of 2000, in “throwing” the election in Florida to George W. Bush over Al Gore.

Jill Stein ran as the Green Party nominee three times, in 2012, 2016 and 2024.

Of the seven Presidents who were nominees more than twice, five of these Presidents were elected twice (Jefferson, Jackson, Cleveland, Nixon, and Trump) with Van Buren only winning once, and FDR being the lone exception of four times being elected, which now can never happen again in the future.

The Rapid Rise Of Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff In Presidential Speculation For 2028!

With the Midterm Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections of 2026 taking place about 100 days from now, speculation is growing on who will benefit from upcoming election races.

The person gaining the most attention, and experiencing the most rapid rise in public opinion polls, is Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is ahead in polls by 13 points over his Republican opponent, Congressman Mike Collins.

Ossoff is the youngest Senator elected since 1980, being 33 when taking the oath of office in 2021, and still under the age of 40 when election time comes in November.

Were he to be elected President in 2028 and took the oath of office on January 20, 2029, he would enter the White House at 41 years and 11 months of age, making him the youngest President by more than a year younger than Theodore Roosevelt who was just short of age 43, and more than a year and nine months younger than John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected President, who was age 43 and almost 8 months of age upon taking the oath.

Of course, Ossoff denies any plan to run for President, but that is par for the course when one is running for reelection, but once that election is over, it seems likely he will announce for President.

Ossoff has drawn attention with his sharp questioning of Trump Administration officials, particularly on the Iran War, but also on the inflationary economy it has caused, as well as the widespread corruption of the Trump White House.

Ossoff is likely to be one of a number of Jewish Presidential contenders in 2028, which if it led to one of them being elected to the Presidency, would make for the first Jewish President.

“Democratic Socialists” Vs Democratic Party

The Democratic Party has brought about in the past century, since Franklin D. Roosevelt onward through Joe Biden, a massive number of major reforms.

The vast number of them came under FDR and the New Deal in the 1930s, and Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society in the 1960s, both periods where the Democratic Party had massive majorities in both houses of Congress.

Under other Democratic Presidents, fewer reforms were possible, but there were domestic accomplishments and advancements under Presidents Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

Now, however, so called “Democratic Socialists” are trying to turn the Democratic Party further to the left, and have succeeded in electing Zohran Mamdani as NYC Mayor and likely will elect Janeese Lewis George as Washington DC Mayor in November.

The best known “Democratic Socialist” is Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democratic Party, and is seen by others as a “model”, but is not technically seen as part of this updated “Democratic Socialists”.

Also, there are three members, presently, in the House of Representatives;

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
Greg Casar of Texas

In the upcoming 120th Congress (2027-2029), the following additions are to be added to the House of Representatives:

Dairaliza Avila Chavalier of New York
Claire Valdez of New York
Melat Kiros of Colorado
Chris Rabb of Pennsylvania

There are others who are termed as “The Squad”, but do not call themselves “Democratic Socialists”, including

Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts
Delia Ramirez of Illinois
Summer Lee of Pennsylvania

The “Democratic Socialists” and “The Squad” membership could be a problem if the Democrats gain the majority in the House of Representatives by only a small margin, as that could interfere with the ability of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York to become the first Black Speaker of the House.

“Democratic Socialists” promote the following:

32 Hour Work Week
Minimum Wage of $30
Medicare For All
High Taxation of the Rich
Housing Reform And Universal Rent Control
Cuts In Military Spending
Opposition to NATO and Aid to Ukraine
Replacement of Capitalism
Hostility To Israel Since Israel-Gaza War

This author and blogger, proud to be a “Progressive”, sees these goals as unrealistic or objectionable.

Lowering the work week to less than 40 hours is possible, and a minimum wage goal over time of $25 seem reasonable.

Movement toward Medicare to cover Americans over 50, and some taxation of the rich is also reasonable.

Housing Reforms including for renters in a moderate way is also reasonable.

Some Cuts in Military Spending, but support of NATO and of Aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia is the proper way for the future.

Capitalism will not be replaced, but could come under greater regulation and controls.

Criticism of Israel, and ending military support of the government due to its actions in Gaza and the West Bank, can occur, but not total hostility to the right of Israel to its own nationhood.

So there is potential for reforms and change, but not to the extreme promoted by the “Democratic Socialists” and “The Squad”.

They will continue to “make noise” as their small number in Congress grows, but the Democratic Party is not going to go as far left as these groups promote, as they are totally unrealistic.

New York 12th Congressional District: Can Jack Schlossberg Revive The Kennedy Family History?

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 23, the 12th Congressional District of New York State, covering Midtown Manhattan, the Upper West Side, and the upper East Side, and the smallest and most population dense Congressional District in America by area in the United States, will elect a new Democratic member of the House of Representatives. It is among the wealthiest and oldest districts in the nation, and has the most college graduates, and a very large percentage of Jewish voters. All the major television and cable news networks, along with the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal are based there.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler is retiring after serving since 1992, and the fight for the seat, guaranteed to the Democrats, involves four major contenders, with the most attention being paid to Jack Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy, and the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy.

However, it seems likely that Micah Lasher, endorsed by Nadler, or Alex Bores, who is promoting AI regulation, will win the primary, as polls show the main battle between them, with Schlossberg, with little work or government experience, way behind.

There is also former Republican George Conway, who divorced his wife KellyAnne Conway, over her involvement with Donald Trump after the first year of the first Trump term, who is running as a Democrat, wanting to work to remove Donald Trump, a basically lost cause, but Conway is adding publicity to the race.

In the present circumstances, the Kennedy “Mystique” seems unlikely to be revived, as two Kennedys lost elections in recent years:

Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy III (2013-2021) lost US Senate primary to Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts in 2020.

Christopher G. Kennedy lost the 2018 Illinois Democratic Primary for Governor to JD Pritzker.

But when it comes to the Kennedy name, one cannot be sure what the results of the upcoming primary will be.

So Tuesday’s New York State primaries will be fascinating to watch.

Donald Trump Presidency Easily The Most Corrupt In American History, Bar None!

If there was any doubt about the level of corruption of Donald Trump in his first term in the Presidency from 2017-2021, his one year and four months so far of his second term, with two thirds of the term still ahead of us, settles the issue. It has escalated to the certainty of a multitude of observers, that his Presidency is the ultimate level of corruption without any debate on other Presidents and their administrations.

It is also fact that there can be no debate that the Presidencies that stand out as corrupt are all Republican Presidents.

Richard Nixon’s Presidency was seen as the worst and most corrupt, but now Trump replaces Nixon at the top of the list, without any debate.

Once we get past Trump and Nixon, the remaining Presidencies with high levels of corruption, would include

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)
Warren G. Harding (1921-1923)
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)
George W. Bush (2001-2009)

No other Republican President comes close to the level of corruption and scandal of the above six Republican Presidents.

So Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush are not to be compared with the horrendous record of the six Republican Presidents who had large scale illegalities in their administrations.

And one would have to scrape very far to find any Democratic President since Andrew Jackson established the “Spoils System” in the 1830s to attempt to put any leaders of that party on the level of corruption being discussed here.

There is no such thing as perfection, but other than personal scandal, sometimes known in their lifetime, and other times not known, not one Democratic President—Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden—comes anywhere near the scandal ridden times of the six Republican Presidents.

Two New Presidential Libraries And Museums Opening In June And July!

For all those who care about and devote their lives to the study and analysis of the American Presidency and its occupants, celebrations are in order, as two new Presidential Libraries and Museums are opening within about two weeks of each other in June and July 2026.

On June 19, Juneteenth, the Barack Obama Presidential Library and Museum in Chicago will be dedicated, and then the next day, it will be open to the public. It will be the first Presidential Library totally digitized, although hard copies will be available at a separate facility. The Center will be located in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus. A landscaped urban park and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library will be on the property.

On July 4, the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum will be opened in Medora, North Dakota, which is connected to Theodore Roosevelt through his times in the mid 1880s that he spent in the “Badlands” area of North Dakota, escaping from the death of his wife and mother on Valentine’s Day 1884.

The Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, was the home of Theodore Roosevelt throughout his life, along with his birthplace at 28 East 20th Street in Manhattan, New York City, and both are open to tourists and scholars. But now, there will be a true Presidential Library in a state that Theodore Roosevelt claimed had a great impact on him, and that he would not have been President without the experience as a rancher.

It must be pointed out that every President since Herbert Hoover has an official Presidential Library and Museum, and both Donald Trump and Joe Biden are in early stages of planning such projects.

Earlier Presidents have historic sites, but not officially part of the National Archives and Records Administration, and in many cases, are based on their homes, including:

George Washington–Mount Vernon, Virginia
John Adams and John Quincy Adams–Quincy, Massachusetts
Thomas Jefferson–Charlottesville, Virginia
James Madison–Charlottesville, Virginia
James Monroe–Fredericksburg, Virginia
Andrew Jackson–Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee
James Buchanan–Philadelpia, Pennsylvania
Abraham Lincoln–Springfield, Illinois
Andrew Johnson–Tusculum, Tennessee
Ulysses S Grant–Starkville, Mississippi
Rutherford B Hayes–Fremont, Ohio
Grover Cleveland–Princeton, New Jersey
William McKinley–Canton, Ohio
Woodrow Wilson–Staunton, Virginia
Warren G Harding–Marion, Ohio
Calvin Coolidge–Northampton, Massachusetts

This author, scholar, and blogger has visited the historic sites and homes of George Washington, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt in NY, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson in Virginia and DC, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.