Republican Party

Having Opposition Party In A President’s Administration A Tradition!

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It is quite common for a President of one party to select a leading figure of the other party to be part of his Administration.

The number of examples abound, as follows:

John F. Kennedy appointed Republicans including:

Robert McNamara as Secretary of Defense
C. Douglas Dillon as Secretary of the Treasury
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to South Vietnam

Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Republicans including:

John W. Gardner as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr as Ambassador to West Germany

Richard Nixon appointed Democrats including:

Sargent Shriver as Ambassador to France
John Connally as Secretary of the Treasury

Gerald Ford appointed Democrats including:

Daniel Patrick Moynihan as Ambassador to the United Nations

Jimmy Carter appointed Republicans including:

James Schlesinger as Secretary of Energy
William H. Webster as Director of the FBI

Ronald Reagan appointed Democrats including:

Mike Mansfield as Ambassador to Japan
Jeane Kirkpatrick as Ambassador to the United Nations
William Bennett as Secretary of Education

George H W Bush appointed Democrats including:

Robert Strauss as Ambassador to the Soviet Union/Russia

Bill Clinton appointed Republicans including:

William Cohen as Secretary of Defense

George W. Bush appointed Democrats including:

Norman Mineta as Secretary of Transportation

Barack Obama appointed Republicans including:

Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense
Jon Huntsman Jr. as Ambassador to China
Robert Mueller as Director of the FBI
Ray Lahood as Secretary of Transportation
Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense

Donald Trump appointed Democrats including:

Gary Cohn as Director of the National Economic Council

Joe Biden appointed Republicans, including:

Christopher Wray as Director of the FBI
Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve
Jeff Flake as Ambassador to Turkey
Meg Whitman as Ambassador to Kenya

Trump And Vance “Going Off The Rails”!

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The Republican Presidential campaign, running scared, as public opinion polls show a definite move in the direction of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, is going off the rails.

Trump is employing crude sexual innuendo language toward Harris on Truth Social.

Trump went to Arlington National Cemetery on the third year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal, but inappropriately became engaged in a controversy about taking photographs to be used as campaign fodder,that was not allowable under cemetery rules.

Meanwhile, JD Vance said publicly that Kamala Harris should “go to hell”, when Harris was being criticized for something she did not say, and the idea of using such language in public is shocking!

Vance also continues to attack “Cat Ladies”, and to criticize Randy Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers for not having biological children of her own!

This crazy stuff could not be made made up in fiction, but it is reality in nonfiction!

Vance has a lower public opinion rating than Sarah Palin had at this point in 2008, and is a drag on the Republican ticket.

And Trump has again been indicted by Jack Smith, to modify charges after the Supreme Court decision on July 1 (Trump V US) that limited Trump to being indicted only on non Presidential actions, not official actions.

Joe Biden Record Exceptional On Environmental Issues!

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It is amazing how Republicans have bad mouthed Joe Biden’s record in office, lying constantly.

In so many areas, Joe Biden has been a true “star”, and one of those often ignored is his record on environmental issues.

Biden will rank among the top few Presidents on environmental matters.

Donald Trump has been the worst of all Presidents, surpassing Ronald Reagan, on the environment, and promotes the idea of more oil and coal exploration, no matter what its effect on the earth and its inhabitants.

Biden has had a great team to work on issues of climate change and global warming, including John Kerry (Special Envoy For Climate Change), Deb Haaland (Secretary of the Interior), Jennifer Granholm (Secretary of Energy), and Michael Regan ( Environmental Protection Agency Administrator).

Prospects For Democratic Congress Improve Due To Kamala Harris Candidacy

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The prospects for a Democratic controlled 119th Congress (2025-2027) have been vastly improved by the Presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, and her Vice Presidential running mate Tim Walz.

Things looked gloomy before Joe Biden decided to withdraw, but now the excitement over Harris and Walz have boosted the hopes for Democrats to regain control of the House of Representatives, and maintain and maybe gain seats in the US Senate.

Public opinion polls show a boost in the candidacies of incumbent Democratic Senators all over the nation, and the prospects for gaining seats in the House in New York, Florida, and California seem promising.

And there are hopes that possibly three Republican Senators, who are not very popular, could lose their seats.

Rick Scott in Florida, Ted Cruz in Texas, and Josh Hawley in Missouri face tight races for now at least, from Debbie Mucarsel Powell, Collin Allred, and Lucas Kunce, respectively.

If at least one of these unpopular Senators were to lose, that would be a major boost for the Democrats.

Magnificent, Dramatic, Inspiring Third Evening Of Democratic National Convention!

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What a magnificent, dramatic, inspiring third evening of the Democratic National Convention of 2024!

Among the speakers:

Bill Clinton—Nancy Pelosi—Hakeem Jeffries—Chris Murphy—Josh Shapiro—Wes Moore—Amy Klobuchar—Pete Buttigieg —Republicans Olivia Troye and Geoff Duncan—Oprah Winfrey–and of course, Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz!

The speeches by the above individuals and others were among the most exceptional that this author and blogger can remember over the decades of paying attention to national conventions.

The sense is that there is definite momentum in the Harris-Walz Presidential campaign.

It was wonderful seeing the speech, particularly, of Oprah Winfrey, which is bound to have an effect, due to the great regard millions of people have for her!

Bill Clinton gave one of his best speeches in his post Presidency, and Josh Shapiro gave a masterful performance of his oratory. Wes Moore and Pete Buttigieg are both young leaders who will be heard from in the future, and their presentations were outstanding!

And ultimately, Tim Walz, who very few knew much about a few weeks ago, is clearly a tremendous asset and talent, adding greatly to Kamala Harris’s campaign, and will inspire many Americans, not only to vote, but also as an example of compassion, empathy, and common decency, in the vein of Joe Biden!

THe Harris-Walz team will make history in November, and help to advance America!

As Democratic National Convention Convenes, Lots For Democrats To Celebrate!

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As the Democratic National Convention convenes in Chicago today for the next four days, one can reflect that the party has a lot to be proud of, and to celebrate!

The Democratic Party is the party of change and of accomplishment in so many ways in the past generation!

Meanwhile, the Republican Party has imploded, becoming captive to the lunacy and authoritarian bent of Donald Trump and his MAGA followers!

The Democratic Party brought about tremendous economic growth under Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

On the other hand, the Republican Party under George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump brought economic decline and almost no employment improvement, presiding over major economic disasters, particularly under the latter two Republican Presidents.

The Democrats gave the nation its first African American male President; its first female nominee in Hillary Clinton; and its second female and African American and South Asian American female potential President in Kamala Harris.

There is a lot to celebrate as the Democrats formally nominate Harris and Tim Walz, and show their love and admiration toward Joe and Jill Biden!

Extreme Right Influencers Among MAGA Republicans!

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As much as Donald Trump has moved the Republican Party toward an extremist right wing view, there are people out there who are even much more extreme right influencers.

Among them are:

Nick Fuentes, whose paternal line is Mexican;

Laura Loomer, who is Jewish;

and Candace Owens who is African American.

Despite their identity, these far right influencers are, in varying degrees:

anti semites

misogynists

racists

neo Nazis

white nationalists

Islamophobes

Homophobes

conspiracy theorists

All three of the above characters often fight with each other.

They are all threats to civil order, as they work to divide and exploit for their own financial betterment.

Were Trump to be elected, they might have great impact and influence on government policies.

Tim Walz-JD Vance Vice Presidential Debate Set For October 1

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CBS will sponsor a Vice Presidential debate between Democratic nominee Tim Walz and Republican nominee JD Vance on Tuesday, October 1.

The vast and dramatic differences between Walz and Vance will be on display, with Walz having made a great positive impact, and Vance being seen as a total disaster, with some Trump supporters wishing he would disappear.

Vance is making it clear that he is connected to right wing billionaire Peter Thiel, and is perceived as a threat in the future, the true heir of MAGA Republicans, as the long range leader after Donald Trump, who might not survive psychologically through a full term, were he to be elected.

Vance has jumped on “single cat ladies”, and Walz’s long military service as issues, neither of which promotes the Republican party future, as only alienating independent voters, as well as women, young people, and racial minorities, all veering toward the Democrats.

Walz comes across as a very decent, compassionate former educator and coach, in the tradition of Hubert Humphrey and other Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor party luminaries of the past, as well as the present, such as Amy Klobuchar.

The 20 year age difference between Walz and Vance will be an advantage for Walz, while the opposite is the case for the nearly 20 year difference between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, when they have their ABC debate on September 10.

Eight To Eleven States To Vote On Abortion Rights In November Election

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Donald Trump has made the claim that abortion rights will not be a major issue in the Presidential Election of 2024.

The reality is otherwise, as already, since the Dobbs V. Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision of June 2022 reversed Roe V Wade, six states have insured abortion rights–California, Michigan, Ohio, Vermont, Kentucky, and Kansas.

And now, eight states will have the issue of abortion rights on the ballot in November, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.

Additionally three other states are in process of trying to put it on the ballot—Arkansas, Montana and Nebraska.

So it could be that 11 states will join the 6 earlier that have moved to allow abortion rights, negating the Dobbs decision.

The first 6 states were evenly divided politically, with California, Michigan, and Vermont being Democratic, and Ohio, Kentucky, and Kansas being Republican states.

The eight states that have definite votes in November are 5 Democratic leaning states—Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, and New York—and 3 leaning Republican—Florida, Missouri, and South Dakota.

And the other three states in process all tend to be Republican—Arkansas, Montana, and Nebraska.

So if one adds up these 17 states, there are 8 Democratic leaning states and 9 Republican leaning states.

This is all a very interesting situation in the battle for reproductive rights for women!

Defeat Of Donald Trump Only Way To Save Republican Party And Conservatism!

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The Republican Party and conservatism have had a long history, best represented by Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan as its major luminaries, with both assuredly condemning Donald Trump, were they alive today!

Now, vast numbers of conservatives are repudiating the candidacy of Donald Trump, as they well realize he is a total electoral disaster, and his lunatic behavior is causing many of them to back the candidacy of Kamala Harris, as the only way to survive Trump.

So conservatism is still going to be a challenge to Democrats and progressive and liberal values in the future, but the sense is that MAGA Trumpism is a disease, a cancer, that must be excised before conservatism is able to offer a legitimate alternative in the future in the Republican Party.

In other words, purging is essential, and the total defeat of Donald Trump and his followers, who are a threat to American democracy, the Constitution, and rule of law.