Sarah Palin

The “Older” Democratic Generation Vs. The “Younger”, Ignorant Republican Generation—Biden Vs Palin And Ryan!

Ronald 5 Comments

People who claim to be knowledgeable about politics, if they are Republicans, love to make fun of Vice President Joe Biden, emphasizing his flubs, his errors, his blunders, as if he is the only politician who is imperfect!

And they love to talk about the brilliance of Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan, as if they are both intellectuals who have real solutions to America’s problems!

Then, they are secretly embarrassed by the total ignorance and stupidity of Sarah Palin, and by the lack of details and facts and accuracy of Paul Ryan, but of course spend time attacking Biden for his refusal to suffer fools quietly!

Yes, Joe was more respectful of Sarah Palin, because, after all, she was a woman, and one had to think about antagonizing a very large constituency which might not like what seemed like male chauvinism.

But Biden was not about to suffer the silliness of Paul Ryan, who claims to be a great intellectual expert on budgets and conservative philosophy, even though he did not even understand the truth about the life of Ayn Rand, his long held ideal ideologue, that she was an atheist, who would look with disdain on Ryan’s hard hearted Catholic viewpoint, that one should not concern oneself with the poor, therefore coming into conflict with the millions of Catholics who believe the true message of Jesus Christ, to care about the poor!

So Joe laughed and challenged the “malarkey” of Ryan, more than was the case with Palin.

But what comes out of both debates of Biden with the “best” the Republican opposition had to offer, is that he WON the debate over both of them handily!

This shows that the “older” generation of Democrats, often ridiculed, understands America and the lives of ordinary Americans far better than the ignorant and arrogant “best” of the GOP “younger” generation!

Just as the fear of a Palin Presidency helped defeat John McCain in 2008, the fear of a Ryan Presidency will help defeat Mitt Romney in 2012!

Were an emergency or tragedy to occur, we would want the experienced, knowledgeable, and yes, brilliant, Joe Biden to be ready to take the reins of the Presidency!

Paul Ryan: Does He Have A Future In Presidential Politics?

Ronald 3 Comments

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, received the most exposure he has ever had in the Vice Presidential debate last night.

Sadly, he told 24 myths in 40 minutes, and seemed uncomfortable at times, but considering his challenging one of the most experienced and qualified Vice Presidents in history, Joe Biden, he certainly came across as competent and able to hold his own in debate. Compared to other Republican Vice Presidential nominees, including Sarah Palin 2008 and Dan Quayle in 1988 and 1992, he came across well enough.

Does Ryan have a future in Presidential politics? The answer is most assuredly yes, as even if he loses with Mitt Romney 25 days from now, he has comported himself well enough, for his base in the Republican Party, to be a likely front runner for the GOP nomination for President in 2016.

Whether with his ideas and ideology he could actually win the Presidency is much in doubt, but at least he did not make a fool of himself, so likely will be heard from again, assuming he does not lose his Wisconsin Congressional seat next month.

Vice Presidential Debates: Age And Experience Are Winners Three Times, And Probably Again!

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With the Vice Presidential debate in Kentucky between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan coming up this Thursday, it is worthwhile to look back at other Vice Presidential debates in which there was a much older candidate on one side.

This has happened three times, with the older candidate seen as the winner, including:

1988—Senator Lloyd Bentsen made Senator Dan Quayle look foolish.
2004—Vice President Dick Cheney overwhelmed Senator John Edwards
2008—Senator Joe Biden won over Governor Sarah Palin handily.

The same scenario is likely this time, as Vice President Biden is a skilled debater, and has no problem going on the offensive in a debate.

This is not to say that Paul Ryan cannot come across as knowledgeable, but Biden can attack Ryan on facts and truth effectively, and the expectation is that Ryan will have problems in that regard with a strong Biden attack, and that Biden will “win” the debate, as much as anyone can be said to “win”!

The “Bandwagon” Effect Begins To Take Hold: Republicans On The Run, Including Paul Ryan!

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We are now seeing polls showing Barack Obama with a double digit lead in several states–Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida— and leads widening in Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire.

The “bandwagon” effect has begun to take effect, and Republicans are on the run, backing away ever more from Mitt Romney and his clearly failing campaign for President.

And all that Romney and his supporters can say is that the polls are wrong, and that the media are against them, even though even Fox News Channel polls show Obama’s lead widening.

So in other words, trust Romney, even though he constantly lies and deceives, and believe that he can win the election.

Gamblers are not taking bets that Romney will win, and instead the odds of Obama winning are about 80 percent, to 20 percent for Romney.

So Senate and House candidates are running scared, and many will likely go down in a massive Romney defeat six weeks from today!

And it turns out, even Paul Ryan, the Vice Presidential running mate, has come to recognition that he must save himself and his future, which looks a lot more cloudy now than it did before he accepted the Vice Presidential nomination.

Now, Ryan is in danger of losing his Congressional seat in an Obama landslide in Wisconsin, along with presiding over the US Senate and having illusions of being a future President!

So it has been reported by Politico that he is “going rogue”, as Sarah Palin did in 2008, doing what he wants at campaign rallies, saying what he wishes to say, ignoring direction from Romney aides, so as to make himself stand out and save his own skin.

One can sense that the relationship between Romney and Ryan is not what it was, and the body language shows it when they appear together, with Romney seemingly jealous that Ryan gains more applause than he does.

The possibility of a Democratic House and Senate seem more likely by the day, with the rapid implosion of Mitt Romney in evidence!

Two Weeks In: Is Paul Ryan A Positive For Mitt Romney?

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Tomorrow morning, it will have been two weeks since Paul Ryan was selected as the GOP Vice Presidential nominee.

The question is whether or not it has been a positive for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party.

The answer is both yes and no, but with the no side more obvious!

In a positive way, Paul Ryan has come across as a photogenic candidate, a man who is intelligent, bright, and an outstanding speaker at political events, and in the latter area, far outdistancing Mitt Romney, his running mate.

But on the negative side, the political focus has been on issues that harm him and the Republican Party, going into their convention in Tampa next Monday to Thursday.

The first week was dominated by his proposal to make Medicare a voucher program for future Medicare recipients, and while many observers give Ryan credit for his courage in pushing the idea in his Ryan budget, it is clearly a negative on the campaign trail, scaring many seniors who, theoretically, will not be affected by the plan, since it only affects those under 55. It also antagonizes many who are a bit younger than 55, and do not appreciate that what they are paying for in payroll taxes may lead to a system far less supportive of them when they are seniors, than their older brothers and sisters or parents are entitled to.

The fact that Paul Ryan supported every spending program of the Bush Administration, and wishes to avoid any spending cuts for defense, although he originally supported such cuts, also hurts.

As bad as the Medicare and spending issues have been, the abortion, rape and Todd Akin controversy this past week has done a tremendous amount of damage among a majority of women, particularly since Ryan had the same view on the subject as Akin, while the GOP was throwing Akin “under the bus”, so to speak. And since Akin refused to leave the Missouri Senate race, he is an albatross around Ryan’s and Romney’s neck for the remainder of the campaign.

So in antagonizing senior citizens, and those near senior citizen status, in the not so distant future, and women who have a sense of dignity and pride about the control of their own bodies, Paul Ryan has been much more a negative factor than a positive one.

And the ultimate irony is that he has provided, basically, no “bump” for Mitt Romney, far less than Sarah Palin did in the beginning for John McCain four years ago!

A New Type Of Republican: The “Drawbridge” Republicans (Wealthy And Wishing To Deny Others Becoming Wealthy)!

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Columnist Matt Miller came up with a new term yesterday in the Washington Post for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan—two wealthy men who wish to “raise the drawbridge” so that others have no chance to become wealthy and be successful as they have been!

Their goal is to help the wealthy, and do everything to impoverish the middle class and the poor, by withdrawing the social safety net, and even raising taxes on those classes below the wealthy while creating the greatest maldistribution of wealth in the entire history of the United States, and NOT be embarrassed or upset about that reality!

As Miller says, both Romney and Ryan lack empathy, and do not seem to care how badly they appear. So Romney defiantly refuses to release more information about his taxes, despite the tradition of multiple years being released by all other Presidential candidates. And Ryan “forgets’ to include a great inheritance in his vetting materials required under government rules about Congressional income, and for Romney, when considering him for Vice President. He acts as if being worth $7 million through inheritances is something to be kept secret, while calling for cuts in Pell Grants and Food Stamps for our children, whether of college age or of younger age and needing nutrition!

These “Drawbridge” Republicans are the most selfish, greedy, heartless Presidential team in living memory, as John McCain showed concern for illegal immigrants, and George W. Bush promoted a prescription drug plan for the elderly, and made attempts at improving education.

Romney and Ryan offer no such programs or concerns, except for themselves and their class, an absolutely disgraceful situation!

Oh, and by the way, the news is out: Paul Ryan provided NO BUMP for Romney after ten days, and even Sarah Palin four years ago provided a temporary bump for John McCain! So there is a disaster in the making for the Republican Presidential ticket in November!

The Attack On Joe Biden By Rudy Guiliani And John McCain: Laughable!

Ronald 3 Comments

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Arizona Senator John McCain were on the attack against Vice President Joe Biden over this past weekend, making clear that Barack Obama should drop Biden from the Presidential ticket, with ridiculous statements that make them look very bad!

Guiliani made it seem that Biden was out of his mind because of recent statements, what could be called gaffes, that the Vice President has made. He made it seem that maybe Biden was too old, that he needed to be locked up, for the remainder of the campaign, and that one needed to wonder if he was qualified to become President if that were to happen during the next term.

What a ridiculous assertion, as Joe Biden is the best qualified person EVER to be Vice President, with maybe the exceptions of Lyndon B. Johnson under John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey under Johnson in the 1960s, and Nelson Rockefeller under Gerald Ford in the 1970s, and the argument could be made that he has had more total experience on national issues and foreign policy issues than even those three distinguished Vice Presidents.

Could it be that Guiliani is trying to get revenge for Biden’s past statement about Guiliiani during the 2008 campaign wars, when Biden said that when one thinks of Guiliani, one thinks of September 11 and nothing else?

And, for John McCain to argue that Biden should be replaced and had looked foolish, who is he to say anything on this topic, when he burdened us with Sarah Palin for Vice President, a true embarrassment, and a woman we cannot get rid of, as she constantly issues outrageous, ridiculous utterances, as she continues to exploit gullible people who see her as a savior!

Neither Guiliani nor McCain are experts on what the Vice Presidency is all about!

The Republican Call For Joe Biden To Be Dropped For Vice President: Delusional And Hypocritical!

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Vice President Joe Biden has been a major asset to the nation with his 40 year career, 36 years in the US Senate, and nearly four as Vice President!

Biden had a distinguished career in the Senate, including stints as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and at other times, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Biden has been an important part of a lot of the history of American politics and policy making for four decades!

Biden entered the Vice Presidency with the most insight and experience of any Vice President in history, and has been an important player in the shaping of foreign policy and domestic policy under Barack Obama.

He is a likeable, sincere, dedicated public servant, who, like any human being, can make mistakes, utter gaffes that are embarrassing, and come across at times as foolish, but never in a way that harms American politics in a disastrous way!

When one hears that Republicans have suggested that Biden should be dropped for Vice President, it causes an intelligent person to laugh heartily, particularly when Sarah Pain has promoted such an idea, stating that Hillary Clinton should replace him on the Democratic ticket, as if Barack Obama is going to listen to a person totally unqualified to be Vice President, a woman who comes across as ignorant, moronic, and an embarrassment to the American political system! She proved it when she debated Biden in the 2008 Vice Presidential debate, and called him “O Biden”!

And if one wants to look at a Vice President who was truly an embarrassment, and came across as a moron, it was Vice President Dan Quayle under President George H. W. Bush!

For Obama to drop Biden would only benefit the Republicans and hurt the President, as Biden is a loyal supporter who will do whatever the President asks him, and he deserves to be re-elected with Obama!

And to claim that Biden is starting to “lose it”, as some Republicans declare, is also laughable, as one can think of Ronald Reagan REALLY losing it in his second term in an obvious way; Arizona Senator John McCain also acting weirdly at times in his public utterance in recent years; and even Mitt Romney, only 65, making one wonder at times has he lost it, with his massive number of gaffes and “flip flops”, much more than Biden has ever had in his career!

If Biden is to drop out, then years ago, Reagan should have resigned: McCain should resign from the Senate; and Mitt Romney should resign now because of massive blunders on issues that really matter, but of course, all these suggestions did not and will not occur, so Joe Biden is not going anywhere, other than to a continuation of a brilliant campaign as an “attack dog”, and an impressive winning debate against Paul Ryan in the Vice Presidential debate, coming up in October!

Vice Presidental Nominees: Ready On “Day One” Or Not?

Ronald 8 Comments

It has often been said that Presidential nominees do not think of their Vice Presidential nominees as replacing them in office, because of death. No one likes to think about that unpleasant, potential possibility.

But Presidential nominees NEED to think about that, because it should be the most important factor involved in selection of a running mate.

When one looks at Presidential elections since 1960, it is clear that Vice Presidential nominees fit into two categories: those ready on “Day One” to take over the Presidency, and those NOT ready on “Day One” to take over the Presidency.

Those Ready on “Day One” (15)–10 Democrats and 5 Republicans

Henry Cabot Lodge
Lyndon B. Johnson
Hubert H. Humphrey
Edmund Muskie
Sargent Shriver
Walter Mondale
Bob Dole
George H. W. Bush
Lloyd Bentsen
Al Gore
Jack Kemp
Dick Cheney
Joe Lieberman
John Edwards
Joe Biden

Those NOT ready on “Day One” (6)–1 Democrat and 5 Republicans

William E. Miller
Spiro Agnew
Geraldine Ferraro
Dan Quayle
Sarah Palin
Paul Ryan

The selection of the Vice Presidential nominee is the first, and in many ways, the most crucial decision a Presidential candidate makes. In that regard, the Democrats have been dramatically more careful than the Republicans!

Paul Ryan: Big Spender When Corporations Or Republican Party Wants It, But Not Under Democrats Or Barack Obama!

Ronald 1 Comment

Conservatives and delusional people believe Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential running mate, is the solution to BIG government and high spending levels.

The truth is that is ONLY true when Barack Obama is President, or the Democrats had control of Congress, beginning in 2007!.

Paul Ryan backed the Wall Street bailout when the economic collapse was occurring in the Fall of 2008.

Paul Ryan voted for all spending on the Iraq War, having no doubts.

Paul Ryan voted for all spending on the Afghanistan War, having no doubts.

Paul Ryan voted for the Bush Prescription Drug Plan in 2003, without making an issue of adding to the national debt, by refusal to pay for the plan with taxes.

Paul Ryan has become a deficit “hawk” only when Barack Obama became President, and when Ryan became head of the House Budget Committee in 2011.

Paul Ryan has a career of being a big spender, except when it was politically convenient to make an issue of every funding bill under President Obama.

Paul Ryan is, therefore, not what his supporters think he is, and already, there is “buyer’s remorse”, a fear among Congressional Republicans that they will have trouble being reelected with the burden of the Ryan Plan on their backs.

Some see a major disaster in the making, a nearly total wipe out of GOP gains in Congress in 2010, after only two years in the majority!

Ryan may turn out to be worse for the party’s fortunes than Dan Quayle or Sarah Palin! Who would have thought that?