Minnesota

A Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore And A Conservative Mount Rushmore: Who Would Be On Such Mount Rushmores?

Ronald 9 Comments

Last Friday, Joe Scarborough and MORNING JOE on MSNBC had distinguished historians assess which Presidents might be on a new, second Mount Rushmore, if such a monument were ever built.

This brought to mind the idea of who might be on a Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore, and who would be on a Conservative Mount Rushmore, if such were ever constructed anywhere in America.

This is mostly just interesting scholarly speculation, but here goes my suggestions for such honoring on both sides of the political spectrum.

LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Robert La Follette, Sr.–Republican Governor (1900-1906) and Senator (1906-1925) of Wisconsin–Mr. Progressive of the early 20th century and 1924 Progressive Party nominee for President.

George Norris–Republican Congressman (1902-1912) and Senator (1912-1942) of Nebraska–the most creative reform figure and longevity of the first half of the 20th century, a bridge between the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hubert H. Humphrey–Democratic Mayor Of Minneapolis (1945-1949), Senator (1949-1964, 1970-1978) of Minnesota, and Vice President of the United States (1965-1969) and Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968, who had the most creative record of promoting reform in the years after World War II throughout the 1960s.

Ted Kennedy–Democratic Senator (1962-2009) of Massachusetts, the fourth longest serving US Senator in American history, and the most creative reformer in the years from the 1970s until his death in 2009.

A possible alternative would be Democratic Senator George McGovern of
South Dakota (1922-2012), who ran for President in 1972, and was a major critic of the Vietnam War, one of the most decent men ever in American politics, serving in the Senate from 1963-1981.

CONSERVATIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Arthur Vandenberg–Republican Senator (1928-1951) of Michigan, who opposed the New Deal and was an isolationist in foreign policy through World War II, but then became an internationalist in support of the United Nations and President Harry Truman’s Cold War policy against the Soviet Union after World War II, and potential Presidential candidate twice.

Robert Taft–Republican Senator (1939-1953) of Ohio, son of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, promoted the anti labor union Taft-Hartley Act, promoted an isolationist foreign policy, and considered Mr. Conservative by his party, and a potential Presidential candidate numerous times.

Barry Goldwater–Senator (1952-1964, 1968-1986) of Arizona, succeeding Robert Taft as Mr. Conservative, and 1964 Republican nominee for President, becoming the hero of conservatives long term, and having an effect on President Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan–Republican Governor of California (1966-1974), and President of the United States (1981-1989), after a career as a movie actor, influenced by the principles and ideas of Barry Goldwater, who he publicly backed in a famous speech in 1964.

The author welcomes commentary on these selections!

Tim Pawlenty Surges To Lead For Vice Presidential Nomination With Mitt Romney!

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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has surged to the lead in speculation for the Vice Presidential nomination with Mitt Romney for the Presidential Election of 2012!

Pawlenty originally ran for President, but dropped out early, and is seen by many as having the fewest faults and shortcomings of anyone rumored to be on the list for Vice President.

Pawlenty comes across as friendly, decent, approachable, and as someone who apparently has no “skeletons in the closet”, although his stewardship as Minnesota Governor a few years ago has been challenged for its effectiveness, much like Romney’s in Massachusetts.

The two men get along very well, and Pawlenty has been an excellent advocate for Romney in recent months.

His being an evangelical Christian would help Mormon Romney in many areas of the South and Midwest.

But, his nomination, if it occurs, has several shortcomings:

No foreign policy experience

No military experience

First time since 1948 that both the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees were Governors, with little national exposure, with neither ever having been in national government in any way.

Certainly, Pawlenty will have to be vetted totally, but he seems to have an edge right now in the struggle for who will be Romney’s running mate.

One more thing: Pawlenty was on the short list for John McCain’s running mate in 2008, and would certainly have been a better choice than Sarah Palin!

It will be interesting to see if Pawlenty actually gains the nomination, and whether he is an asset to Mitt Romney in November, but don’t expect him to be able to carry his home state of Minnesota, or Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, or Iowa!

Mitt Romney, His Auto Bailout Opposition, And The Midwest In The 2012 Election

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Mitt Romney, when all is said and done, is likely to be the Republican Presidential nominee, but he will have a great deal of trouble winning the “swing states” in the Midwest and even in Pennsylvania, because of his strong stand against the auto industry bailout pursued by President Barack Obama in 2009.

Romney, whose father was an auto executive and Governor of Michigan in the 1960s, strongly opposed any bailout and called for bankruptcy in very clear cut terms.

This will come back to haunt him in the campaign, and tonight, at the CNBC debate in Michigan, the state in which he was born, Romney will be confronted with the issue of the auto industry revival, with more than 1.4 million jobs saved, not only in Michigan, but also in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all “swing states” which are appreciative that Obama did not give up on the industry.

It was not only the auto industry itself, but satellite industries that supply parts and service for the auto industry, that won out by Obama coming to their aid.

The auto companies are paying back the loans, and the American economy, as bad as it is, would be far worse off if Barack Obama had not had the courage to do what he did.

Mitt Romney’s stand, which he cannot revoke, unlike other issues that he flip flops on regularly, will ultimately defeat him in the Presidential Election of 2012!

What The Tim Pawlenty Endorsement Of Mitt Romney Means For The GOP Presidential Race

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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, the first dropout of the Presidential face in the Republican Party, has endorsed former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for President, has agreed to be the national co-chair of his campaign, and will be at his side tonight as Romney participates in the fifth Republican Presidential debate in Tampa, Florida, which is sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express.

What does this mean?

1. It is the beginning of a concerted campaign to stop Texas Governor Rick Perry.
2. It is an attempt to draw the GOP toward the center of the political spectrum, away from right wing extremism.
3. It is an attempt to convince evangelical Christians and Tea Party activists, some of whom liked Pawlenty as a possible Presidential candidate, to come over to Romney.
4. It is an attempt to take away any possibility of Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann regaining support in Iowa,and elsewhere, as a fellow Minnesotan has firmly rejected her candidacy by endorsing Romney.
5. It is an attempt to weaken any hope of former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman somehow overtaking Romney and becoming the alternative to Perry.
6. It is also a veiled attempt of Pawlenty to remain in contention for the Vice Presidential nomination on a Romney ticket, a position he came close to gaining with John McCain in 2008, before the Arizona Senator made the fateful decision to select Sarah Palin.

So this endorsement and involvement in the Romney campaign by Pawlenty means a lot more than is obvious on the surface!

We shall see how the Pawlenty strategy works out, but clearly the GOP establishment is terrified at the thought of Rick Perry being the Republican nominee against President Barack Obama, seeing disaster ahead!

Rick Perry And Michele Bachmann Both Claim They Hate The Federal Government They Want To Lead, But Both Have Benefited From Federal Money While In Office!

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Governor Rick Perry of Texas and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann both are favorites of the Tea Party crowd, and like that radical, anarchistic group, they both rail against the “evil” federal government that they wish to lead!

At the same time they are condemning, both have benefited from the federal government they despise!

Rick Perry has been very willing to take economic stimulus money, while claiming earlier that he would refuse to take it, and that money has helped Texas to be able to create more jobs than any other state! Of course, population growth, and the fact that Texas has the second largest population, fueled a lot of the economic expansion, with much of it being from military expenditures, the space program, and the stimulus money. But even with all that, the unemployment rate is not low, being 26th in the nation, at 8.4 percent and rising, and many of the new non government jobs are minimum wage! But without these advantages, Texas would not be able to brag falsely that it is a great success story of private enterprise!

Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann, who worked for the Internal Revenue Service for years, and works now in a federal job in the House of Representatives, has been able to get federal funding for her family farm, federal Medicare money for her husband’s psychological counseling center for gays, and a federally guaranteed loan for a home purchase, even though she condemns federal housing loans!

So both are totally hypocrites and liars, just sowing distrust of a federal government which has benefited them, as it does millions upon millions of Americans every day, and which is essential in the modern 21st century world!

Michele Bachmann And Hollywood Celebrities: John Wayne And Elvis Presley!

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Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is running for the Republican Presidential nomination, but she has shown herself to be a total embarrassment when it comes to having accurate information both about American History and Hollywood celebrities. One has to wonder how one could trust her economics knowledge if she fails to have basic understanding and knowledge of what a President should know!

As is well known, Bachmann claimed that New Hampshire was the birthplace of the American Revolution with the military events at Lexington and Concord, rather than Massachusetts!

She also claimed that the Founding Fathers ended slavery, seemingly not realizing that it continued until the Civil War, and that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and other Southern Presidents all owned many slaves throughout their lifetimes.

But even more shocking is her lack of awareness about Hollywood celebrities. She earlier claimed that John Wayne, the actor, was born in Waterloo, Iowa, as she was, rather than the mass murderer John Wayne Gacy!

Now, yesterday, on the 34th anniversary of the DEATH of Elvis Presley, she wished him HAPPY BIRTHDAY! How can she NOT know the difference, and one can imagine Elvis fans, and even those who are not Elvis fans, rolling their eyes and sighing!

Bachmann praised Elvis, which is also interesting, as it is Evangelical Christians, which she says she is, who CONDEMNED Elvis, his clothes, his gyrating hips, and his music 55 years ago, when he first appeared on the musical scene.

Having visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland two weeks ago, and seeing the film footage of evangelical Christian ministers saying Elvis was in league with the Devil and other things more horrible, it makes one laugh at their bigotry, narrow mindedness, and backwardness, and makes one wonder how well Michele Bachmann understands her own religious beliefs, or is she simply propagandized, and now wishes to perpetrate her propaganda on the rest of us with her holier than thou statements on gay rights, abortion, and many other issues–and in the process taking away personal freedoms as those ministers 55 years ago wished to do in the field of music!

Time For Reality Check On Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment And Third Party Potential For Success In Presidential Elections

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Unfortunately, many Americans, probably a vast majority, live with a false set of facts about American government, as it stands under the Constitution. There is a major need for a reality check!

Many people, including Republicans in Congress, seem to think that a balanced budget amendment will solve our economic problems, when there is absolutely no chance of that occurring! Any constitutional amendment required a two thirds vote of the House of Representatives, followed by a two thirds vote of the US Senate, and then a majority vote in each of the two houses in three fourths or 38 of the 50 states, with the only exception being Nebraska, which only has a one house or unicameral legislature.

We are not ever going to bring about 290 out of 435 votes in the House of Representatives and 67 out of 100 votes in the Senate for such an amendment! Only 36 proposed amendments have EVER achieved this two thirds vote, and the number of failed amendments is in the hundreds over our history!

But notice, even with 36 amendments making it through the Congress, we have only 27 amendments, telling us that NINE amendments failed to gain a three fourths support of state legislatures. Another way to put it is that IF there is a one vote majority in one of the two houses of the state legislatures against an amendment in just THIRTEEN states at a minimum, the amendment fails to be added to the Constitution.

There is no realistic possibility of a balanced budget amendment EVER making it into the Constitution, no matter what politicians say! And were it to happen, it would create a strait jacket, paralyzing us in a time of economic collapse, war, or natural disaster, no matter what limitations are put into such an amendment. It is time for serious minded people to give up the idea that such an amendment will EVER pass, and instead, take responsibility for the fact that the federal government IS necessary, and that we are all going to have to pay more taxes, whether we like it or not, and that it is PATRIOTIC to pay our fair share, including the super wealthy being thankful for their good fortune, and paying the tax level they used to pay from the 1940s through the 1970s, and certainly at the least, the levels of the Bill Clinton years in the White House!

It is also time for “dreamers”, who have the view that a serious third party movement could lead to the election of a President, to get a reality check as well!

Our electoral college system, which can only be changed by a constitutional amendment, which is not going to happen either, prevents a third party candidate from winning, with Theodore Roosevelt performing the best as a third party candidate of the Progressive Party in 1912, but only winning six states and 88 electoral votes, about a third of what is needed to win the White House. The only reason even he did that well was that he was a former President and extremely popular. Such a scenario will NEVER happen again, particularly with the 22nd Amendment, which limits Presidents to two complete terms in office, something not existing in 1912, when Theodore Roosevelt ran for what would have been a third, but non consecutive term as President.

Even if such a thing could happen, a third party candidate without major party backing would have an impossible situation gaining support to govern effectively, as indeed, independent Governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota discovered in his term from 1999-2003!

For good or for bad, we are stuck with the two party system, and we will be electing a Democrat or a Republican for the Presidency for the long term future!

So forget the constitutional amendment route for a balanced budget, and ignore the thoughts of a third party movement electing a President, and instead accept the reality of the American future–we need to work within the system and just pick better people for public office, as we always have the right to do by voting and organizing, and stop hating our government, which with its faults, is still essential and necessary in our daily lives, as much as we would wish otherwise in our dreams!

Michele Bachmann: Mentally Unfit And Mentally Unstable To Be President!

Ronald 1 Comment

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann may be surging in the polls, as compared to all other GOP Presidential candidates, but she has proved herself mentally unfit, as well as mentally unstable, to be President of the United States!

With her reckless use of myths and falsehoods and invocation of God telling her what to do in her life and career, she has demonstrated that she is loony and nutty enough to be a danger in the Oval Office, with the power and authority to unleash nuclear weapons!

With her insensitivity and narrow mindedness toward those she portrays as having the wrong views about social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, racial relations, and immigration reform, she has disqualified herself from being able to unite the country around a common unity!

A President Bachmann would cause even further division and turmoil than we have right now, and would lead us to a right wing fascist mentality toward those who don’t agree with the narrow view of evangelical Christianity that separates “them” from “us”!

Also, the pushing of ABC News correspondent Brian Ross by aides of Bachmann, when Ross tried to purse an answer to a question, is totally unacceptable behavior, and reminds one of Huey Long “goons” during the early to mid 1930s in Louisiana! The nation will not tolerate a President who permits such mishandling of media as Bachmann seems to have no problem accepting!

Finally, the issue that Brian Ross was trying to bring up is crucial as well: the confirmed report that Bachmann has suffered for 15 years from migraine headaches that are extremely intense and required medical treatment many times, with indications, denied by Bachmann, but confirmed, that these migraines incapacitated her for periods of time and required lots and all kinds of pills! To top it off, Bachmann claims the migraines are caused by high heels, even though there is no correlation ever noted by any medical doctor between high heels and migraines!

Sounds as if Bachmann is at it again, with loony and nutty explanations, that just add to the image that she is, more than ever, mentally unfit and mentally unstable to be Commander in Chief!

Potential “First Man” Marcus Bachmann: His Controversial View On Gay Americans!

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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is scary enough on her own, based on her past statements and actions, but now we have to deal with potential “First Man” Marcus Bachmann as well, and that is literally terrifying!

Not only is Marcus Bachmann accepting federal funds for his counseling center which works with gays trying to make them “ungay” through Christian “intervention”, but also he had gained funds to help people with drug addiction, chemical dependency, and mental illness diagnoses! A total of at least $137,000 in Medicaid payments has been paid to Bachmann’s counseling center!

Meanwhile, Marcus Bachmann has stated that gay people are “barbarians” who need to be disciplined and educated to understand that just because one has feelings and thoughts does not mean that they have to follow through on such feelings and thoughts.

Marcus Bachmann is trying to say that being gay is simply a choice, when there is much evidence that it is inborn, innate, and that denial of one’s sexuality can cause depression and suicide.

The thought that such an individual could become the “First Man”, rather than Bill Clinton would have been if Hillary Clinton had won the Presidency in 2008, is another reason to oppose Michele Bachmann as a divisive figure who would cause further division in this country, at a time when we have too much division as it is!

The Shutdown Of Minnesota Government: Is It A Microcosm Of What Will Happen With The US Government?

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Minnesota certainly is the center of controversy recently, what with the contested Senate race between Senator Al Franken and former Senator Norm Coleman in 2008-09; the decision of former Governor Tim Pawlenty to run for President after having presided over a $5 billion dollar state budget deficit; and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann embracing the Tea Party Movement and suddenly emerging as a serious Presidential candidate for the Republican Party.

But now, Minnesota may be a microcosm of what will happen nationally, as the Democratic Governor Mark Dayton, faced with a Republican state legislative majority in both houses, has become engaged in a battle over the budget, forcing the shutting down of much of the Minnesota state government and many of its functions!

Dayton insists that those citizens with more than $1 million income, three one hundreds of one percent of the population, about 7,700 individuals, pay higher taxes, so that budget cuts on education, health care and other essential programs, be limited.

But the Republican legislature, just as on the national level, refuses to consider ANY tax increases, so Dayton is playing it tough, showing courage and conviction!

In a way, it is a microcosm of President Bill Clinton fighting the Republican Congress in 1995, and winning the struggle over Speaker Newt Gingrich and Majority Leader Bob Dole, after a shutdown lasting a couple of weeks.

The Minnesota debacle may go on for a long time, but Dayton is becoming a model for President Obama, who needs to stand up to the Republicans over the debt limit crisis.

Since constitutionally, the 14th Amendment, Section 4, allows the government to pay its debts no matter whether or not the Congress formally raises the debt ceiling, Obama should declare he will use that constitutional method and wait for the GOP to bend, as they must, or else we have reached a reality level that we are a plutocracy, where the rich dominate and dictate to the rest of us, and that CANNOT be allowed!

Talking tough at his press conference, and comparing the procrastination of the opposition party to his daughters doing their homework ahead of time, Obama angered the Republicans, who did not appreciate being compared to children, but that is exactly what they are doing–acting childish, and not doing their job, and having the gall to suggest that Obama should not do anything other than deal with the fiscal crisis, while in fact, he has to deal with multitudes of issues all of the time, unlike them, who take many holiday breaks and vacations!

Obama has taken fewer vacations or holiday breaks than George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan, both infamous for constant vacations and holiday breaks, sometimes leaving the impression that they were away from their responsibilities more than they were on the job!

Mr. President, use Governor Dayton of Minnesota as a model, and give the Republicans “hell” as Harry Truman used to do, and you will win the battle of public opinion as Bill Clinton did in 1995!