Republican Congress

Alarming Ignorance And Stupidity Of JD Vance About Richard Nixon: A Danger Sign For A Potential Vance Presidency!

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It is truly shocking how ignorant and purely stupid Vice President JD Vance is, despite his Ivy League education.

It makes one wonder about his basic knowledge and intelligence, when he makes light of Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal, and says it is a series of events that has been overdramatized, and was caused by what he terms “the deep state”.

Trying to sanitize Richard Nixon on the scandal that brought him down is simply an attempt to undermine and trivialize the massive scandals that have occurred under Donald Trump, both in the first term, and now his second term, which make Richard Nixon look, as a “choir boy” by comparison.

Richard Nixon had some real accomplishments in his Presidency, far more than Donald Trump, but his accountability for his scandals that caused his own Republican Party to turn against him a half century ago, sadly are not being repeated by the modern day Republican Party, which is totally sycophantic and submissive in a way that will condemn individual Cabinet Officers, and members of both houses of Congress in the long run of history.

It is very concerning that the possibility exists that JD Vance would NOT follow the same course on counting the electoral vote in the upcoming Presidential Election of 2028 that Mike Pence pursued on January 6, 2021. It endangered his life at the hands of the US Capitol Insurrectionists on that day, insurrectionists which have disgracefully been pardoned for their crimes, a massive abuse of the pardon power of the Presidency.

It should be seen as very worrisome also that one wonders whether JD Vance is aware that Richard Nixon in 1961; Hubert Humphrey in 1969; and Al Gore in 2001, all had to count and verify the votes of the Electoral College where they were the losing candidates in the recent presidential elections, and did so in a distinguished and appropriate manner.

It is also very concerning whether JD Vance is indeed qualified to be Commander in Chief with such lack of historical knowledge, truth, and understanding, as no responsible person should be trying to “whitewash” the Watergate Scandal, which assisted in strengthening American democracy and the rule of law.

119th Congress So Far Most Unaccomplished Congress Since World War II!

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The 119th Congress, in its first year, has accomplished the worst record of any Congress, since records were kept since World War II.

One cannot expect the next session to be any better, and many members of the House of Representatives are either announced retirements, or plan to announce such soon.

Some are going on to run for Governor of their state or the US Senate, but most are just leaving elective office, feeling there is little motivation to stay, and in many cases, facing threats perpetrated by Donald Trump and his government against them.

The statistics are shocking!

As of now, Congress has only passed into law 128 bills, the worst since the 104th Congress (1995-1997), which had 430 bills passed into law, and was also the first Republican controlled Congress in 40 years, part of the “Republican Revolution” under Newt Gingrich!

This reality makes it seems clear that the Republicans are on the road to major losses and repudiation in the Midterm Congressional Elections of 2026!

Independence Day 2025 NOT A Day To Celebrate, As America Is In Constitutional Crisis!

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Today is the 249th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and it should be a day of celebration.

But it is extremely difficult to feel excitement or thrills, as America is on the cusp of Fascist authoritarianism after nearly six months of the second Donald Trump Presidency.

With many corporations, the Republican party in Congress, the Supreme Court, and some of the news media, kowtowing to Trump and his Cabinet and other supporters, the feeling is that what America fought for two and a half centuries ago, is being lost, without much hope of a turnaround any time soon.

The Democratic Party and the defiant news media sources continue to fight against the trends that have emerged, but now, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) having a larger enforcement budget just enacted, it is clear what is occurring.

Mass arrests and deportations are violating the major tenets of our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights is under attack, with little likelihood of a challenge, at least short term, that will reverse the damage that has been done, and is being done by the “Big and Beautiful” Budget bill that just passed into law yesterday, and was, a short time ago, signed into law at a White House ceremony!

Republican Party Will Follow Liz Truss Lead, And Cause Economic Crisis!

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British Prime Minister Liz Truss will go down in history as the shortest lasting government in British history, 45 days, and now, there is talk of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was a true disaster, and too much like Donald Trump, might come back to office.

The Conservative Party of Great Britain is in free fall, but they do not have to call for a new election for two years, so difficult times are ahead, whether or not Johnson returns to power!

But yet, the Republican Party in American politics seems ready to go down as the British equivalent of an economic disaster, if they gain control of either or both houses of Congress in the Midterm Elections of 2022!

Liz Truss tried to follow the old “supply side Economics” of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, copied by former President Ronald Reagan. The goal was to lower taxes on the wealthy, and cut social spending, and it hit the middle and lower classes in both Great Britain and America hard in the 1980s.

The national debt tripled in America, and there was lots of corruption in the Reagan Administration, but it is glorified by conservatives, who also loved when George W. Bush and Donald Trump gave even more massive tax cuts to the wealthy.

So if Kevin McCarthy and his ilk gain control, they will promote more tax cuts to the wealthy, while setting out to destroy the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare), Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans’ benefits.

So while there are troubles with inflation, if the American people vote in a Republican Congress, they will discover the disaster that Great Britain is now experiencing!

Why Don’t Republicans Abandon Donald Trump, And Promote A “True Believer”, Mike Pence?

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A growing question, in the midst of ever expanding Donald Trump corruption regarding Russian Collusion, Obstruction Of Justice, Violation of the Emoluments Clause, Stormy Daniels Scandal, and the Michael Cohen controversy, is why Republicans do NOT abandon Trump, and promote a “true believer”, Vice President Mike Pence.

For those of us are who progressives, the thought of a President Mike Pence is a horror, as Pence is clearly a man who promotes theocracy in a manner that is clearly dangerous.

This is a man who was losing, at least in polls, his original plan for reelection as Indiana Governor in 2016, when Donald Trump “rescued” his career, by selecting him as his Vice Presidentila running mate.

Pence had a record of being allied with the Tea Party Movement while a Congressman, that arose in the wake of the election of Barack Obama in 2008.

Pence had a record of promoting the tobacco industry, and denying that cigarette smoking caused lung cancer.

Pence had a record of advocating conversion therapy to undo the “sin” of being gay or lesbian, even though he has denied that, but it is fact that he was and is a vehement opponent of gay rights and gay marriage, and that he wears his evangelical Christianity on his sleeve.

Pence had a record of being a leading misogynist, vehemently opposing the right of a woman to choose in regards to abortion, and his wife Karen has had a strong influence on his thinking on this, and on issues involving women’s equality in other areas.

Pence has a very good relationship with Republican leaders and many conservatives, as well as right wing evangelical leaders, so it would seem logical that at some point, the pressure will be on for these groups to pressure Trump to resign.

An upcoming meeting of right wing evangelicals, scheduled for Tuesday June 19 with President Trump, could become the motivation to tell Donald Trump the gig is up, and that if he does not resign, that the move will be on to force him out.

That day will mark 23 days after the length of time of Zachary Taylor in the White House in 1849-1850 before his death, a total of 492 days. So on the 515th day of his Presidency, one might expect the pressure to grow on Trump, and to lead to his resignation shortly after, making him the fourth shortest term of any President in American history!

A total of 10 Presidents have served less than a full term, but seven of them had at least two years and five months, but the likelihood of Trump lasting two years to January 20, 2019, can now be seen as extremely unlikely. And to expect him to last five more months to June 20, 2019, and surpass the fourth shortest Presidency, that of Warren G. Harding from 1921-1923, is certainly a long shot!

The Moment Of Reckoning Has Arrived: The Syria Crisis Enmeshed With Trump Domestic Crisis, Most Dangerous Moment Since Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962!

Ronald 4 Comments

It is now almost 15 months since Donald Trump took the oath of office, and the nation has been fortunate that no major crisis had arisen.

But now, it has arrived, the Syria Crisis, enmeshed with Trump’s abuse of the Constitution, and the threat to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller and or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, with the raid on the offices, home, and hotel rooms of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

The Republican Congress has been unwilling to pass legislation to prevent the firing of Mueller or Rosenstein. And Trump is threatening Russia and Iran over the Syrian use of chemical warfare, and Russia has interfered with American drones over Syria, so this is a massive crisis, which could lead to a major war in the Middle East with the US vs Russia.

Trump has made clear he will bomb Syria in a tweet this morning, after having said he would not give out military information before it occurs, and that has only ratcheted up the rhetoric and threats between Trump and Vladimir Putin’s government, and one wonders if it is just rhetoric, or whether direct conflict between the US and Russia is in the offing.

It is certainly proper that the US react to the chemical warfare by Syria, but the way it is being done is alarming, and signals a crisis which may get out of control.

The true test of how disastrous Donald Trump can be is now in the offing, and we all need to pray, even if not religious, as this is a major test of American leadership, and the protection of American values!

Tariffs And Republican Depressions: Benjamin Harrison, Herbert Hoover, Now Donald Trump?

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Protective tariffs made sense in the time of Alexander Hamilton and the time of Henry Clay.

But in the late 19th century, big business corporations were able to create higher tariffs that were detrimental to the American worker, consumer, and economy, with the assistance of the corrupt Republican Party of the period.

In 1890, under Republican President Benjamin Harrison, we saw the passage of the McKinley Tariff, named after the future President, and it undermined the economy and contributed to the disastrous Panic of 1893, which affected the nation until 1898.

In 1930, months after the Stock Market Crash, Republican President Herbert Hoover, ignoring the pleas of hundreds of economists, signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which caused a great worsening of the developing Great Depression.

As the decades went by, most Republicans and intelligent Democrats realized that high tariffs were not good, and free trade agreements developed in the 1990s.

Some far left liberals and some far right conservatives joined forces to fight this, and now Donald Trump has declared the inception of “Tariff Wars”, which will bring down the American economy, harm consumers and farmers, and cause unemployment to rise.

Trump is alienating the whole world–including China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and more–and instead will destroy the economic lives of millions of his own supporters, if he is not stopped from his crazy, lunatic actions!

Assuming we cannot stop what he is doing, the Republicans will suffer a blood bath, that will put the Republican Party in the dustbin of history.

It is time for Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and the Republicans in Congress to show some “cajones”, and turn against Trump before he totally destroys the nation economically, and takes unto World War III against North Korea, who would be helped by China, and Iran, who would be helped by Russia.

The Plot To Privatize The Department Of Veterans Affairs, And The Firing Of Secretary David Shulkin, Just A Beginning To Privatize Much Of Federal Government

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It is clear that Donald Trump, and his right wing friends, billionaires Charles and David Koch, and other right wing extremists, are out to destroy the Federal government involvement in just about every government agency other than the original cabinet agencies created in 1789–State, Treasury, (War)Defense, and Justice.

So the firing of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin is clearly a move to make Veterans Affairs privatized, which is a horrible idea, as taking care of our veterans should not be based on the profit motive. There is also a plan to privatize Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Education, the Post Office, and other government agencies.

Those who care about a responsive national government being protected must understand that “war” has been declared by the extremists on the right, who do not give a damn about the lives of 325 million Americans, only downgrading federal government as it has operated since the beginning of the 20th century and President Theodore Roosevelt.

Regulation and intervention has advanced America, but the big corporations and the elite wealthy want to reverse, and destroy, all progress for average Americans to make our nation more humane and responsive.

This is the time for liberals, progressives, and Democrats to work to deny the success of this plot, so every caring American must work to get rid of the Republican majority in Congress, so that the fight against the evil of the Trump Presidency can move forward.

Tip Of The Iceberg? Some Republicans Warn Mueller Should Be Allowed To Finish Investigation

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It is interesting to note that some top Republicans have stated over the past weekend that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to finish his investigation into Donald Trump and his administration on charges of possible Russian Collusion, Obstruction of Justice, and other charges, without any intervention or action by Donald Trump.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina made that very clear.

So did Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy and Arizona Senator John McCain. Also, Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has spoken up.

But notice that Graham and Rubio are not facing voters this fall; McCain is in the hospital; and Gowdy and Flake are not seeking reelection.

And a spokesman for Speaker of the House Paul Ryan issued a similar statement for Ryan. Ryan has all along proved to be a gutless wonder, who may yet decide not to run for reelection, but in any case, is not willing to stick his neck out too much.

One can be sure that if Barack Obama had dared to behave like Trump has for 14 months, the Republicans would be out to get his head immediately!

Is this “the tip of the iceberg”? Will the Republican Congress demonstrate candor and take their responsibilities of oversight of the executive Branch seriously, and the protection of the Constitution, or allow abuse of power by Donald Trump?

Hard to say, as other Republicans totally ignored the rantings and ravings on Twitter by Trump this past weekend on Mueller, and fired former Deputy Head of the FBI Andrew McCabe, and former FBI head James Comey.

At the same time, former intelligence officials such as former CIA head John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former retired Four Star Army General Barry McCaffrey unleashed attacks on Trump as a danger to national security, with his continued unwillingness to criticize Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

There is no question we are in the midst of a massive constitutional crisis, far worse than Richard Nixon and Watergate 45 years ago!

17 Democratic Senators Have Learned Nothing From Great Recession, And Are To Be Condemned For Joining Republicans To Cut Back Banking Reforms

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In 2008-2009, we saw the collapse of the American economy, with the biggest banks and Wall Street firms guilty of causing it.

None of those banks or Wall Street firms paid a price for their illegal, unethical activities, which destroyed the economy in a manner unseen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Under Barack Obama, the Dodd-Frank Law was passed to insure accountability of banks and Wall Street, so that what happened a decade ago would never happen again.

But now, under a Republican Congress, the action to destroy the Dodd_Frank Law is occurring, and has been assisted by 17 Democratic Senators, and only with at least 10 of them, could such action to eliminate Dodd-Frank have moved forward.

It is shocking to see 17 of the 49 Democrats and Independents in the Senate become turncoats who effectively joined in this evil act, and all 17 need to be called out and denounced.

The problem is too many politicians gain campaign contributions from the big banks and Wall Street, so it compromises their ability to represent their states in a proper manner.

The problem is that if these Democrats are repudiated, it would only aid Republicans in possibly gaining their seats, so the issue is that it is preferable to have Democrats who will support the party on many issues, even if not on this issue.

Liberals and progressives will argue that they should be “primaried”, but the reality is that would only help promote more Republican senators, so we are in an area that could be described as “between the devil and the deep blue sea”!

But we must at least list these 17 Senators, so we are all aware of their “treason”:

Michael Bennet of Colorado
Tom Carper of Delaware
Chris Coons of Delaware
Joe Donnelly of Indiana
Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire
Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota
Doug Jones of Alabama
Tim Kaine of Virginia
Angus King of Maine (Independent)
Joe Manchin of West Virginia
Claire McCaskill of Missouri
Bill Nelson of Florida
Gary Peters of Michigan
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
Jon Tester of Montana
Mark Warner of Virginia

Ten of these 17 Senators face an election in 2018—Carper, Donnelly, Heitkamp, Kaine, King, Manchin, McCaskill, Nelson, Stabenow, and Tester.

Of these 10, only Carper, Kaine and King are in states that went to the Democrats. The other seven were Republican states, and makes the task of keeping their seats ever more difficult.

Of the 17 Senators, only 8 of them, those from Colorado, Delaware (2), New Hampshire (2), Virginia (2), and Maine came from states carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

So, sadly, we do not have the privilege and ability to call for the defeat of the ten who are running this year, but even true of the seven who are not running, as they are still better than Republicans to hold the seats.

Otherwise, the Democrats will lose all chance of ever gaining a majority, if they stick to an extreme progressive view of who is acceptable as a Democratic member of the US Senate.

However, one point should be made clear, that none of this list above should ever be considered seriously for President, with the reality that only the two Virginia Senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, are even talked about at all as potential nominees.

Tim Kaine may have run for Vice President with Hillary Clinton in 2016, but his support of repeal of the Dodd Frank Law should disqualify him and Warner for future Presidential consideration.