Mike Pence

One Year Of Vice President JD Vance: A Worrisome Scenario As Potential Successor In The Oval Office!

Ronald 4 Comments

It has been almost a full year since JD Vance took the oath of office as Vice President of the United States,

It is an extremely worrisome situation that Vance is a heartbeat away from the Presidency, at a time when we have a demented, seriously abusive Commander in Chief, who seems in rapid decline, with the thought that he is unlikely to survive the next three years in office.

Republican Presidents and Presidential nominees have had a group of horrendous Vice Presidents and Vice Presidential nominees in the past six decades, but in many ways, Vance is worse than any of them, including the least government experience of any of them.

Some history—Barry Goldwater in 1964 had New York Congressman William E. Miller as his running mate.

Gerald Ford had Kansas Senator Bob Dole as his running mate in 1976.

Bob Dole in 1996 had former New York Congressman Jack Kemp as his running mate.

John McCain had Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008.

Mitt Romney had Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate in 2012.

Miller and Palin were particularly unqualified choices for Vice President, and Kemp and Ryan were just barely perceived as acceptable, while Dole was seen as a better choice than any of them.

But then, we had Vice Presidents who were horrors, including Spiro Agnew under President Richard Nixon; Dan Quayle under President George H. W. Bush; Dick Cheney under President George W. Bush; and Mike Pence under President Donald Trump in his first term.

Agnew was forced out of office for corruption and incompetence, and Quayle was clearly mediocre and not very bright. Cheney was competent, but abusive and scary, while Pence came across as too willing to bend to Trump, until finally, at the crucial moment on January 6, 2021, he demonstrated some guts and principle.

At the same time, other Republican Vice Presidents were seen as far more qualified, including future Presidents Gerald Ford under Richard Nixon and George H. W. Bush under Ronald Reagan. Also, Nelson Rockefeller under Gerald Ford served in an admirable fashion, concerning right wing Republicans when President Ford was twice threatened by potential assassins in the month of September 1975.

Now, we have JD Vance, with only two years as a US Senator, promoted by right wing billionaire Peter Thiel, and willing to say or do anything to promote Project 2025.

Vance has disgraced himself with his utterances on a multitude of matters in one year in the Vice Presidency, including his outrageous comments about Rene Nicole Good, who was murdered by ICE agent Jonathan David Ross, in Minneapolis two days ago.

Instead of trying to avoid conflict and soothe public discourse, this man, who has completely changed his view of Donald Trump over the past decade from critic to sycophant, is willing to divide and incite in every way possible on all kinds of issues.

The thought that he could, shortly, become President, is an absolute horror, and at this point, he appears far worse than ANY Republican Vice President or running mate in the past six decades!

To be perceived as worse than Agnew or Quayle in the Vice Presidency in particular, or Palin as a potential Vice President in particular, is making clear just how dangerous the present situation is!

The crisis the nation faces, with a reprehensible combination of Trump and Vance being the leadership of our nation, is a massive constitutional crisis without an acceptable alternative at present!

MAGA Republicans, Heritage Foundation, And Turning Point USA On Road To Conflict!

Ronald 2 Comments

A massive split is developing on the Far Right in the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement.

MAGA Republicans are divided on the issue of the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal, and the slow revelation of the Epstein Files, required by a law passed through Congress and signed by the President, due to strong and vehement insistence of exposing those who abused women and young girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s island.

The Heritage Foundation, under the leadership of Kevin Roberts, formulated the horrendous Project 2025, much of which has been instituted by Donald Trump.

Turning Point USA (TPUSA), led by Charlie Kirk before his assassination in September, and now headed by his widow, Erica Kirk, has worked to gain support from younger conservatives, and has become ever more controversial, since many Far Right influencers have clashed over the purposes and programs and viewpoints that divide the Far Right.

These include the issue of support of Ukraine in its war with Russia; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and reaction to many of Trump’s actions and goals.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has broken with the Heritage Foundation, and many of its board of directors has joined Pence in forming an opposition movement, challenging Donald Trump’s policies in many particulars.

At the CPUSA convention this past week, major conflict and condemnation developed when Ben Shapiro expressed criticism of growing antisemitism in the movement, and was viciously attacked by Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and others.

Other Far Right figures, including Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes also add to the turmoil on the Far Right.

In the long run, this is good for those who believe in progressive values, and makes the idea of unity in the post Trump years much less likely!

Republican Vice Presidents Since 1969—Vance The Worst Of The Worst Since Spiro Agnew! :(

Ronald 4 Comments

In the past 56 years, we have had six Republican Presidents—Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

In that same period, we have had eight Republican Vice Presidents—Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, George H W Bush, Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, Mike Pence, and JD Vance.

It is well recognized that three of these six Republican Presidents are rated higher than the other three—meaning Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, and Gerald Ford.

George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump are in the bottom third, with Trump nearly at the total bottom.

When one looks at the eight Republican Vice Presidents, only Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and George H W Bush are seen as above average.

Ranking the remaining five is ranking as much lower and far worse in performance, with Spiro Agnew seen as the bottom, but with Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney seen as not much better, and with Mike Pence just slightly above them.

And then, there is the present Vice President, JD Vance, who in seven months has managed to cause outrage by his utterances and his actions, making one fear the thought that he might be the successor to Donald Trump.

At age 41, if Vance became President by succession before the summer of 2027, he would be the youngest President in American history, as Theodore Roosevelt was 42 years and 10 and a half months of age when he succeeded the assassinated William McKinley in September 1901.

Compared to his predecessor, Mike Pence, Vance has managed to be much more controversial, and makes one at least admire Pence for having strong convictions, including refusing to accept Donald Trump’s assertion that he should support a rejection of the Electoral College results in the Presidential Election of 2020.

This led to the threatened hanging of Mike Pence by the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrectionists, who had set up a noose outside the building.

One cannot be sure that Vance would be any improvement on Donald Trump, as he is clearly totally unprincipled and insensitive in his statements and actions, and therefore, cannot be trusted as a potential future Commander in Chief.

Vance should be promoting the preservation of American democracy, but seems more interested in supporting the authoritarianism of Donald Trump, which presents a dire threat to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

By comparison, the Democratic Party has had four Vice Presidents since 1969—Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter; Al Gore under Bill Clinton; Joe Biden under Barack Obama; and Kamala Harris under Joe Biden.

While the view of Harris is too recent to be reliable, any estimation of the significance of Mondale, Gore, and Biden makes it clear that they are the top three Vice Presidents of modern times, and arguably, of all time!

JD Vance, An Opportunist And Untrustworthy Heir Apparent To Presidency! :(

Ronald Leave a comment

Vice President JD Vance, in his first three months as the 50th Vice President, has demonstrated that he is an opportunist who is untrustworthy.

Vance has stirred a lot of controversy with his statements and actions, making clear of his goal of being Donald Trump’s successor in the White House.

With Donald Trump’s often irrational and contradictory statements and policy changes, stirring a lot of chaos, the sense is that Vance might, at some point, succeed to the Oval Office during this term.

This is a man who has completely reversed himself from his views and thoughts about Donald Trump.

Vance has antagonized our traditional NATO allies with his anti Ukraine utterances, and his pro Russian and anti immigrant leanings make him clearly a man of no decency and compassion.

His nasty and aggressive interaction with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office was highly inappropriate!

Also, his uninvited trip to Greenland, and his aggressive stance toward Denmark, has made that nation and NATO very uneasy.

As the third youngest Vice President, after John C Breckinridge (1857-1861) and Richard Nixon (1953-1961), he is perceived as the likely MAGA Republican front runner in 2028.

The thought of Vance as the likely successor to Trump is a horror, and makes former Vice President Mike Pence look a lot better!

At least, Pence did the right thing in counting the Electoral Vote results at the time of the US Capitol Insurrection, while Vance has said he would not have accepted those results, which are meant to be ceremonial.

Early Estimation Of Potential Republican Presidential Nominees In 2028

Ronald 1 Comment

The Washington Post just published an article on ten potential Republican Presidential contenders to succeed Donald Trump in 2028.

It is a literal horror list!

At the top of the list are Vice President JD Vance, and Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr.

Vance, already, in six weeks, has compiled a public persona that has not gone over well in public opinion polls, and makes earlier Republican Vice Presidents look better by comparison, including not only broadly respected Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, but also far less impressive Vice Presidents, including Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, and Mike Pence. Only Spiro Agnew, at this point, would rate lower than Vance.

Trump Jr. is not a very smart or impressive individual, who clearly has been harmed over his life by the parental abuses his father visited upon him, with many stories of their difficult relationship.

Once we go beyond these two top contenders, we have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as number 4; and Kristi Noem, former South Dakota Governor and now Homeland Security Secretary as number 8—both having many negatives in their public record.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (formerly Senator from Florida) as number 5 and Nikki Haley (former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador) as number 6, are comparatively more palatable, but one cannot accept that either really has a great chance for the future. Rubio surving in the Cabinet for four years seems unlikely, and Haley has aliented Trump supporters by her fierce campaign against Trump in 2024.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at number 3 was a major Trump critic in the past, and outgoing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin at number 7 did not meet the expectations of many that he was a major player.

Finally, at the bottom two slots of ten listed are former Fox host Tucker Carlson at number 10, and enterpreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (who is running for Ohio Governor in 2026) at number 9. Needless to say, they are both obnoxious beyond the pale, and make everyone else on the list comparatively palatable.

This is an indication of how horrendous the future of the Trump dominated Republican Party looks at this moment in 2025.

But the question is can the Democratic Party recover and offer a real alternative in the future?

Any chance of the survival of the American Republic beyond Donald Trump is a real question, without a clear-cut answer!

Comparing Republican And Democratic Vice Presidents Since 1961!

Ronald Leave a comment

America has had a total of 50 Vice Presidents in its history since 1789.

Fourteen of those Vice Presidents have served since 1961, with eight being Republicans, and six being Democrats.

Asssessing their significance, and perceptions of their performances, there is no comparison that would rate the Republicans as superior to the Democrats, and in fact, the differences are massive!

The eight Republican Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Spiro Agnew
Gerald Ford
Nelson Rockefeller
George H W Bush
Dan Quayle
Dick Cheney
Mike Pence
JD Vance

The six Democratic Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Lyndon B. Johnson
Hubert Humphrey
Walter Mondale
Al Gore
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris

Nobody in their right mind would claim that the Republicans come anywhere close in background, image, and significance to the Democrats.

Only Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and George H W Bush are looked upon in a positive way, while all six Democrats “shine”, and particularly Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and Joe Biden.

LBJ and Humphrey do not look as “good” as Vice Presidents because their Presidents chose not to utilize their talents adequately, which is a criticism of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Harris had the extra disadvantage of being unique, as a woman and mixed race Vice President, in a country where there is still misogyny and racism, sad to say.

But the remaining five Republican Vice Presidents are really horrendous, with Spiro Agnew and Dan Quayle clearly so, and with Dick Cheney, while certainly competent, perceived as “Darth Vader”, overly autocratic and seen in a negative light.

And Donald Trump’s two Vice Presidents are perceived in a negative light, but already, JD Vance in just six weeks appears far worse than Mike Pence!

In any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the top three Vice Presidents in history would be in order–Walter Mondale, Joe Biden, and Al Gore.

And in any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the bottom three would include in order—Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and likely JD Vance!

The fact that Dick Cheney and Mike Pence would be rated above these three disastrous Vice Presidents, is quite a testimony to how horrendous Agnew, Quayle, and Vance have been to the office, with Vance “accomplishing” this failure in six weeks and by his statements and viewpoints expressed making the possibility of his succeeding Trump in the future as quite scary, to say the least!

Another Disastrous Republican Vice President In A Long Line!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party has had an amazing ability to find a group of horrendous, often unqualified, Vice Presidential nominees, many of them becoming Vice President of the United States, in the past six decades since 1964.

Barry Goldwater in 1964, himself a highly controversial Presidential nominee, selected New York Congressman William E. Miller, totally unqualified to be a heartbeat away, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Thank goodness Goldwater lost to Lyndon B. Johnson and his highly qualified Vice President, Hubert Humphrey.

In 1968 and again in 1972, Richard Nixon had Spiro Agnew as his Vice President, until he was forced out due to scandal and resignation in October 1973. Agnew was a true nightmare, and the thought that had he not been forced out, that he would have been President in 1974, was a literal nightmare scenario!

Fortunately, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as his Vice President to replace Agnew, a blessing, and Ford selected Nelson Rockefeller, former NY Governor and three time Republican Presidential contender as his Vice President, both appointed under the 25th Amendment.

When Ford selected Senator Bob Dole as his Vice Presidential running mate in 1976, while controversial for his utterances, Dole was at least qualified for the Vice Presidency, as was George H. W. Bush for the eight years of Ronald Reagan.

But then came Dan Quayle as Vice President under George H. W. Bush, a man who came across as not very bright and a bit terrifying to imagine him succeeding to the Presidency, when Bush had a heart issue, that thankfully was resolved successfully, and lived on to 2018.

In 1996, losing nominee Bob Dole had former Congressman and Housing Secretary Jack Kemp as his running mate, not horrible but not preferable to Al Gore, Bill Clinton’s two term Vice President.

Then, George W. Bush had Dick Cheney of Wyoming as his Vice President, certainly competent, and actually having a great impact in the first term of Bush, but seen as very arrogant, nasty, and corrupt, and having great responsibility for the Iraq War, based on false information.

Then, an all time low was Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate in 2008, the most scary and incompetent running mate in modern history, making even Dan Quayle look better.

This was followed by Mitt Romney in 2012 having Paul Ryan, later Speaker of the House, but seen as similar in right wing extremism to Cheney.

And then we had Mike Pence under Donald Trump, dutiful and obedient, but seen by many as a religious extremist, and yet repudiated by Trump, who endangered him at the time of the January 6 Insurrection for failing to stop the Electoral College Vote Count, and by Trump not calling off the mob attack that was threatening Pence’s life.

And now, we have JD Vance, who quickly is demonstrating how right wing extremist and undiplomatic he is on his first involvement in international affairs, along with his divisive domestic comments. His connection with powerful technology executives, including Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk, is totally horrifying!

The thought that Vance, at age 40, is a heartbeat away from the Presidency is terrifying!

New Case Of Prosecutor Jack Smith Against Donald Trump On January 6 Insurrection Meets Supreme Court Challenge!

admin 3 Comments

Prosecutor Jack Smith has gathered plenty of evidence against Donald Trump that seems likely to overcome the restrictions set by the Supreme Court in the case of Trump V US, where the Presidency cannot be held accountable for “official” actions while in office.

Absolute immunity from criminal prosecutions having been granted for “official” actions, the decision required Smith to go back and gather evidence of “unofficial” actions, dealing with the plot of Trump trying to convince Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to accept the electoral votes of the fifty states on January 6.

These “unofficial” actions of a President seeking reelection led to the US Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, which endangered the life of Pence, along with law enforcement officers, including five who died, and 140 such personnel injured.

The evidence now shows that Trump had no concern about the dangers to Pence, proclaiming “So What?”, a shocking new revelation, added to lots of other evidence that, hopefully, can be used to prosecute Trump, as “unofficial” actions, not related to his Presidential duties and responsibilities.

Republicans Opposing Trump Grow Massively!

admin Leave a comment

The number of Republicans who oppose Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign has grown by leaps and bounds.

This includes staff who worked for Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

It also includes many who worked for Donald Trump, including Cabinet level officials and other White House officials.

It includes former Vice President Mike Pence and people who worked for him.

It includes former Vice President Dick Cheney, his daughter, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger.

It includes Cabinet level officials under other Presidents.

It includes former Republican Senators and some sitting Republican Senators (Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins), and also includes two former Republican Speakers of the House (John Boehner, Paul Ryan), and numerous other past members of the House of Representatives.

It also includes many Republican Governors past and present; state and local officials; and many conservative commentators including SE Cupp, George Conway, David Frum, Jonah Goldberg, Bill Kristol, and George Will among others.

Of course, not all of the above are actually backing Kamala Harris, although many are, but they are vehement in opposition to Donald Trump returning to the White House!

JD Vance: Another Horrendous Republican Vice Presidential Nominee!

admin 39 Comments

The Republican Party, historically, has often selected horrendous Vice Presidential nominees, and unfortunately, some of them end up as Vice President, making one concerned even more than normally, about the health and safety of the Republican President.

JD Vance of Ohio adds to a list of such nominees, including:

William E. Miller, running mate of Barry Goldwater in 1964
Spiro Agnew, running mate of Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972
Dan Quayle, running mate of George H. W. Bush in 1988 and 1992
Sarah Palin, running mate of John McCain in 2008

Also, others, such as Jack Kemp, running mate of Bob Dole in 1996; Dick Cheney, running mate of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004; Paul Ryan, running mate of Mitt Romney in 2012; and Mike Pence, running mate of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, while all “qualified” and experienced, had many negative aspects to their candidacies.

The only exceptions one could claim were fully qualified and acceptable were Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President to Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, and also Bob Dole as running mate of Gerald Ford in 1976.

And now we have JD Vance, who has only served 18 months as a Senator from Ohio, and who has completely changed his views on Donald Trump from what they were in 2016. And Vance comes across as a MAGA extremist who is unwilling to support Ukraine in its war with Russia; wants no exceptions for rape or incest with a total ban on abortion; and is clearly perceived as a “mini Trump”, who could carry on the Trump views in the future Republican Party.

And realize Vance called Trump a potential Adolf Hitler eight years ago, and now embraces him! If that is not a danger sign to voters, then such voters have no principles or conscience!