Socialism

Lyndon B. Johnson And Medicare: 58th Anniversary!

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It has been 58 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare Act, a pathbreaking turning point in health care, after much resistance for a half century.

Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, as the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party Presidential nominee, was the first President to suggest health care should be a national commitment.

His distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered the issue, but had enough of a battle over Social Security being legislated into law in 1935, as part of his “New Deal”.

Harry Truman promoted, as part of his “Fair Deal”, the consideration of some sort of national health care, but it went awry in the divisive politics of the “Red Scare” and the Cold War.

John F. Kennedy also pushed the issue, but did not have the clout to get it past House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Wilbur Mills of Arkansas.

Lyndon B. Johnson pushed the issue of national health care as part of his “Great Society”, and got it done, and it has been a godsend to millions of elderly people and disabled people, and added to the following year by the adoption of Medicaid.

Most Republicans opposed it then and since, and continue to call it “Socialism”, and ten states, including Texas and Florida, refuse to expand Medicaid, denying the poor the care they need, and this by a party that claims to be “Pro Life”! 🙁

And Barack Obama, in promoting the Affordable Care Act or “ObamaCare”, expanded health care, and it continues to survive despire blistering Republican and conservative attacks!

So this is a time to salute LBJ, as the savior of the promotion of national health care!

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott Declares War On The Poor, Women, Education, Immigrants And More!

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Florida Senator Rick Scott, former governor involved in Medicare fraud, but winning two terms as Florida Governor and his one term in the Senate by very small one percent margins each time, is clearly thinking ahead about running for President.

It has been said that he resembles the villain Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series in appearance, except that his nose is not punched in as in the films, lol! 🙂

Scott is a miserable human being, who has no concern or empathy for anyone, and is one of the worst of the worst in the Republican Party!

He is now promoting a Republican agenda if they win control of both houses of Congress in the Midterm Congressional Elections of 2022.

If this is not enough to motivate Independents and Democrats to organize and vote in November, then nothing will!

Scott promotes a war on the poor, on women’s rights, on the teaching of American history and government, on immigrants, and on trans and gay people!

Scott also wishes to promote gun culture and make Christianity a part of government as theocracy, as well as violate voting rights, and revive the idea of a border wall with Mexico, that would be named after Donald Trump! 🙁

The code words of “socialism”, “wokeness”, and “globalism” are used as weapons to promote an extremist right wing agenda!

Democrats Need To Go On The Offensive, Play Hardball, If They Are To Keep Control In Congress In 2022!

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The Democratic Party has a history of staying cordial, pleasant, and being unwilling to go on the offensive and play hardball.

The Republican Party, historically, and conservatives in general, are always on the offensive, play nasty and dirty, and love to stir emotions of fear and scare as regular tactics.

This was true even before the age of Donald Trump, using the words “Socialism”, “Communism”, “Liberalism”, and “Progressivism” as code words to keep uneducated and ill informed voters to support a party that only truly cares about corporations and the wealthy, and is excellent as “pulling the wool over one’s eyes”, about what is truth, facts, and reality.

From the age of Joseph McCarthy, through Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and on to Donald Trump, their strategy and tactics have been to manipulate and deceive Americans to think they are the true party of the average Americans, which is furthest from reality.

So Democrats must become more aggressive, and go on the attack, not just against Donald Trump, but the Republican Party as a whole, as a threat to American democracy and the rule of law.

And they must emphasize the details of what they are doing with their “Build Back Better” agenda, the most advanced programs since the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson.

The “Build Back Better” programs will have a dramatic effect on everyday life for tens of millions of Americans, long overdue to make the lives of average Americans along the lines of other Western democracies in Europe, Canada, and Australia!

56th Anniversary Of Medicare And Medicaid: A Salute To Lyndon B. Johnson And The Great Society!

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The nation is celebrating the 56th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, a time to salute President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society of the 1960s.

It is impossible to imagine how much worse off this nation would be if Johnson had not used his powers of “Wheeling and Dealing” to accomplish the health care legislation which has saved millions of American lives in the past half century, and made the lives of the elderly, the disabled, and the poor far better.

Government is not there just for the wealthy to get tax breaks, but also to serve the needs of the American people, and it is soothing to know how much Medicare and Medicaid have changed the lives of the American people.

Along with Social Security, passed into law under Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal in 1935, Medicare and Medicaid have transformed lives over the decades, despite the naysayers, mostly conservatives and Republicans, who love to call these laws “Socialism”!

If these transformational legislative achievements are “Socialism”, so be it!

Joe Manchin And Bernie Sanders: Polar Opposites Complicating The Ability For Legislation

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The Democratic Party is a “wide tent” party, unlike the Republicans, but being a “wide tent” creates its own issues, particularly when we have a 50-50 Senate.

On the Left we have Bernie Sanders, who is really a Socialist more than a Democrat, and does not work well with others.

Any thought that Sanders might have been President would have been a nightmare, as he does not understand Compromise.

But then, on the Right, we have Joe Manchin, who is a Democrat, but more like a Republican, and makes life difficult for Democrats, but the alternative if he joined the Republican Party or was defeated by a Republican in West Virginia, would be worse.

So Joe Biden has to do a balancing act to gain the backing of both Sanders and Manchin, and that is extremely difficult, but important, in order to accomplish the goals of his Presidency!

Donald Trump And His Fascist Mobs Advocated Assassination Of Mike Pence And Nancy Pelosi!

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As more evidence comes out, it is perfectly clear that Donald Trump was trying to promote a coup, an insurrection, violence and destruction by right wing Fascist followers, including the assassination of the first and second people in the line of succession to the Presidency, with Trump, his family, and Rudy Giuliani cheering them on!

The Fascist mob was looking to hang Vice President Mike Pence, was chanting that disgusting chant, and were plotting to put a bullet in Nancy Pelosi’s head, and they ransacked Speaker Pelosi’ office. One rioter sat at Pelosi’s desk with his feet up on the desk, while another sat in Vice President Pence’s seat in the US Senate chamber.

The reality of what almost happened enrages and infuriates this blogger and author, and every single person who thought Donald Trump was acceptable to be reelected:

because of the rise in the stock market,

or because he was pro Israel,

or because they were afraid of Kamala Harris because she is a mixed race woman,

or because they believe the lie that Joe Biden is demented (when Donald Trump has been demented and dangerous for five years since he announced for President),

or because they believe, out of ignorance or stupidity, that Democrats being liberal or progressive, are actually Communists and Socialists,

or because they think that Trump’s vicious attacks on women, minorities, the disabled and other groups are funny or humorous,

or because they like that Trump says what is on his mind, no matter how outrageous it is.

All such individuals need to be condemned and repudiated by all decent people!

Besides people this author and blogger and others know who are guilty of this horrible misjudgment, of aiding and abetting violence and bloodshed with their disgraceful lack of character and decency, there must be accountability and punishment for, among others:

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
Senator Rick Scott of Florida
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana
Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio
Congressman Devin Nunes of California
Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida
Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas
and really all 147 Congressmen and Senators who advocated and endorsed lawlessness, and repudiation of a legal, constitutional election!

But also, all right wing news channels, including Fox News Channel, One America News Network (OANN), Newsmax Media, The Epoch Times, and others; and right wing propagandists, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Lou Dobbs, Ben Shapiro, and others!

And Twitter and Facebook, allowing right wing lies and propaganda to spread like wildfire across the internet are also to be condemned, and are guilty of promoting domestic terrorism, insurrection, treason, and sedition!

Every corporation should drop the right wing news channels for advertising, and every one of the 147 Republicans in Congress who challenged a legally legitimate election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris needs to be expelled, or censured, and be forced out of Congress by the voters.

And Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr, really his entire family, Rudy Giuliani, and many of the criminals Trump has pardoned need to face justice and life in prison.

To protect our nation, the price for all of these traitors and hatemongers must be harsh justice!

“Socialism” And “Defund The Police” Killed Democratic House Numbers, Endangering Majority In 2022

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The Democratic Party needs to realize that if it goes too far to the Left, it will doom President Joe Biden’s efforts for success!

Unfortunately, the Congressional Elections of 2020 demonstrated that the nation is still very split on what is desirable to accomplish, as the Republican opposition and Donald Trump utilized fear of the word “Socialism”, as if Joe Biden and the Democrats are equivalent of Communist leaders in Cuba, China, the Russian Federation, and other left wing regimes, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua!

This shows total ignorance of the term “Socialism”, and the reality that America is a mixed Capitalist-Socialist nation, with the Socialist party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas in the first half of the 20th century contributing many ideas, which over time, were part of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson, and many other progressive reform since then.

But it is clear that had Bernie Sanders somehow been the Democratic nominee for President, he would NOT have been able to win, as only a moderate centrist with a tip to the Left, as Joe Biden has been his whole life, could possibly have won back the Midwest states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, along with the Sun Belt states of Georgia and Arizona, and not lose any of the 20 states that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Also, while there have been too many outrageous examples of police abuse and brutality, and particularly against African American males and Latino males, and really even females, the answer is police reform and accountability, not “Defund the Police”, as they are still essential.

Sadly, the Senate only saw two Democrats elected (Mark Kelly, John Hickenlooper), while one (Doug Jones) was defeated, gaining only one seat, to 48, although Georgia creates an opportunity in its runoff election for the chance to have a 50-50 Senate, that Vice President Kamala Harris could organize as a Democratic Senate, with Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader, instead of the horrible Mitch McConnell.

But there is danger of the House of Representatives, in a midterm election, going back to the Republicans, since they have gained at least 5-7 seats in the 117th Congress, and with the reality, that the party in the White House usually loses seats in the following midterm election.

The Senate will have, again, twice as many Republican seats up for election in 2022, but this scenario did not work out in 2020, so no assurance there either of retaining or gaining a Democratic Senate majority, which is so urgent to make Joe Biden a successful President!

Donald Trump Uses Independence Day To Promote A Culture War Rather Than Unite Us!

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President Donald Trump spent Independence Day promoting a culture war, rather than uniting us on our national patriotic holiday.

He demonstrated that promoting the retention of Confederate statues, monuments and symbols is more important than convincing Americans of the need to wear masks and promote public health and safety.

He applauds the law enforcement community and the military, while ignoring the horrible record of law enforcement toward racial minorities. He also claims that evidence of Russian payments to the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers is a hoax, rather than stand up to Vladmir Putin as part of promoting national security and protection of Americans fighting overseas.

As with his Inaugural in 2017, Trump promotes darkness, pessimism, fear, conspiracy theories, and demonstrates his total lack of understanding of totalitarian leaders who undermine American democracy.

He does not even know what Fascism is, when he speaks about “left wing Fascism”, when any expert who is not a right wing extremist knows that Fascism refers to right wing totalitarianism, such as Benito Mussolini of Italy, Adolf Hitler of Germany, Juan Peron of Argentina, and Francisco Franco of Spain, among others. While all of them might at some point seemed to appeal to so called “Socialists”, all worked to undermine, persecute, and torture and kill those groups on the Left, all of which vehemently opposed them.

Donald Trump’s aim is only to divide and conquer, and to spread lies and deceit, including making his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton out to be a monster, a crook, an extremely corrupt and tainted person, much like he is now attempting to portray Joe Biden as the same. And the reason for this is that both Clinton and Biden are connected to Barack Obama, which brings out the total, maniacal, and racist hatred of Trump for his predecessor.

Further Reflection On Elizabeth Warren: Improved Prospects For Nomination

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The performance of Elizabeth Warren in the Las Vegas Democratic Presidential debate has sunk in, along with interviews she has had on CNN and MSNBC since her devastating criticism of former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

It now looks as if Warren might very well be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, despite his calling her Pocahontas, as she has the support of many people who see her genuine nature and law school professor expertise as appealing. She has a very appealing personality and character, and grows on you as you watch her statements in interviews, and respect her intelligence and energy.

Warren would be a great debater against Donald Trump, who is not good at debates, as he is far better in appealing to partisan audiences who worship him.

This blogger and author now think that while he supports Pete Buttigieg for the nomination, that an alternative of Warren for President and Pete for Vice President would be a good team against Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

Imagine Warren against Trump and Buttigieg against Pence, scenarios which would definitely favor the Democrats!

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders would carry the burden of being a “Socialist”, which this author knows is no threat, but would be seen as so by many Americans.

This, along with Sanders’ age, his recent heart attack (which he has recovered from so well), and his grouchiness, make him not the ideal choice for the Presidency. The reality is that what he wants to do would never make it through the next Congress, unless it was an FDR or LBJ Congress, meaning 60 percent or more Democratic, which will not happen!

The Las Vegas MSNBC Democratic Presidential Debate: Combative, Confrontational, And Fascinating, All At The Same Time!

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Yesterday’s Las Vegas MSNBC Democratic Presidential debate can be described as combative, confrontational, and fascinating, all at the same time!

The six way debate, adding former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the mix, clearly made Elizabeth Warren look much better, as she challenged Bloomberg, and made him look weak and befuddled.

It seems clear that Bloomberg has lost his image of invincibility gained by spending nearly $400 million in advertising.

Bernie Sanders also did well, and clearly is the front runner, but the question remains if he can overcome the “Socialist” label, which is misunderstood by millions of Americans, who think it is the same as Communism, which it most certainly is not.

The fear is that Sanders will lose the election due to the “Socialist” label, and that greatly concerns this author and blogger.

Joe Biden showed improvement in the debate, but the question remains if he is capable of the challenge ahead, as he seems to many to be a bit slower in response and debate skills, from what he was in 2008 and 2012, when he debated Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan.

Pete Buttigieg put in another good performance, and helped to promote an image of Amy Klobuchar as temperamental in her reaction to his challenges to her about failing to know who was the President of Mexico.

Overall, the loser of the night was Bloomberg, and the major winner was Warren.

We shall see what effect this debate has on the upcoming Nevada Caucuses and South Carolina Primary.