Spiro Agnew

At End Of First Year Of Second Separate Term, Donald Trump “47” Ranks Lower Than “45”, And Below James Buchanan And Andrew Johnson In Presidential Rankings!

Ronald 1 Comment

America has had 45 Presidents, and Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump have had separate Presidential terms after being defeated, so therefore, Cleveland is both the 22nd and 24th President, and Trump is both the 45th and 47th President.

With nearly a year completed of Trump 47, it is clear to anyone who judges Presidential leadership that Donald Trump 47 is far worse than Trump 45, and clearly below both James Buchanan 15 and Andrew Johnson 17, the Presidents before and after Abraham Lincoln 16, with certainty.

Trump 45 has been both ranked above Buchanan and Johnson, and at times, below, but now there is no contest with Trump 47.

Trump 45 had some Cabinet and other advisers who were able, to some extent, control his urges, and prevent the worst policies imaginable, but Trump 47 has no such individuals who can tame his destructive and unstable desires and actions.

So Trump 47, added to Trump 45, is without any debate, the absolutely worse President in American history, no debate or doubts, if for no other reason than both Buchanan and Johnson served one term and all but six weeks of one term, respectively.

So many outrages and mind blowing statements and actions on a daily basis leave America in danger of autocracy being established in such a way that American democracy and the rule of law are in dire straits.

Any sane person who is not racist, misogynist, nativist, Islamophobic, or a sympathizer with Russia and other autocracies, can perceive anything decent or reasonable coming from Donald Trump 47.

His Cabinet Officers and other advisors are the most horrendous, corrupt, and obscene group ever created, and his administration is the most corrupt in every way imaginable, far more than Richard Nixon.

There are no perceivable redeeming qualities one can acknowledge, and the thought of another three years of this monstrosity, whether or not Donald Trump survives that long, is an absolute horror.

With Richard Nixon, the thought of Spiro Agnew as a possible successor was evaded, thankfully, and we had a decent alternative in Gerald Ford, but one cannot be optimistic about JD Vance, based on his actions and utterances as Vice President, that he would improve upon or abandon the policies of Donald Trump!

Republican Vice Presidents Since 1969—Vance The Worst Of The Worst Since Spiro Agnew! :(

Ronald 4 Comments

In the past 56 years, we have had six Republican Presidents—Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump.

In that same period, we have had eight Republican Vice Presidents—Spiro Agnew, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, George H W Bush, Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, Mike Pence, and JD Vance.

It is well recognized that three of these six Republican Presidents are rated higher than the other three—meaning Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, and Gerald Ford.

George W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump are in the bottom third, with Trump nearly at the total bottom.

When one looks at the eight Republican Vice Presidents, only Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and George H W Bush are seen as above average.

Ranking the remaining five is ranking as much lower and far worse in performance, with Spiro Agnew seen as the bottom, but with Dan Quayle and Dick Cheney seen as not much better, and with Mike Pence just slightly above them.

And then, there is the present Vice President, JD Vance, who in seven months has managed to cause outrage by his utterances and his actions, making one fear the thought that he might be the successor to Donald Trump.

At age 41, if Vance became President by succession before the summer of 2027, he would be the youngest President in American history, as Theodore Roosevelt was 42 years and 10 and a half months of age when he succeeded the assassinated William McKinley in September 1901.

Compared to his predecessor, Mike Pence, Vance has managed to be much more controversial, and makes one at least admire Pence for having strong convictions, including refusing to accept Donald Trump’s assertion that he should support a rejection of the Electoral College results in the Presidential Election of 2020.

This led to the threatened hanging of Mike Pence by the January 6, 2021 US Capitol Insurrectionists, who had set up a noose outside the building.

One cannot be sure that Vance would be any improvement on Donald Trump, as he is clearly totally unprincipled and insensitive in his statements and actions, and therefore, cannot be trusted as a potential future Commander in Chief.

Vance should be promoting the preservation of American democracy, but seems more interested in supporting the authoritarianism of Donald Trump, which presents a dire threat to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

By comparison, the Democratic Party has had four Vice Presidents since 1969—Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter; Al Gore under Bill Clinton; Joe Biden under Barack Obama; and Kamala Harris under Joe Biden.

While the view of Harris is too recent to be reliable, any estimation of the significance of Mondale, Gore, and Biden makes it clear that they are the top three Vice Presidents of modern times, and arguably, of all time!

Early Estimation Of Potential Republican Presidential Nominees In 2028

Ronald 1 Comment

The Washington Post just published an article on ten potential Republican Presidential contenders to succeed Donald Trump in 2028.

It is a literal horror list!

At the top of the list are Vice President JD Vance, and Trump’s oldest son, Donald Trump, Jr.

Vance, already, in six weeks, has compiled a public persona that has not gone over well in public opinion polls, and makes earlier Republican Vice Presidents look better by comparison, including not only broadly respected Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush, but also far less impressive Vice Presidents, including Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, and Mike Pence. Only Spiro Agnew, at this point, would rate lower than Vance.

Trump Jr. is not a very smart or impressive individual, who clearly has been harmed over his life by the parental abuses his father visited upon him, with many stories of their difficult relationship.

Once we go beyond these two top contenders, we have Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as number 4; and Kristi Noem, former South Dakota Governor and now Homeland Security Secretary as number 8—both having many negatives in their public record.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (formerly Senator from Florida) as number 5 and Nikki Haley (former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador) as number 6, are comparatively more palatable, but one cannot accept that either really has a great chance for the future. Rubio surving in the Cabinet for four years seems unlikely, and Haley has aliented Trump supporters by her fierce campaign against Trump in 2024.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp at number 3 was a major Trump critic in the past, and outgoing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin at number 7 did not meet the expectations of many that he was a major player.

Finally, at the bottom two slots of ten listed are former Fox host Tucker Carlson at number 10, and enterpreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (who is running for Ohio Governor in 2026) at number 9. Needless to say, they are both obnoxious beyond the pale, and make everyone else on the list comparatively palatable.

This is an indication of how horrendous the future of the Trump dominated Republican Party looks at this moment in 2025.

But the question is can the Democratic Party recover and offer a real alternative in the future?

Any chance of the survival of the American Republic beyond Donald Trump is a real question, without a clear-cut answer!

Comparing Republican And Democratic Vice Presidents Since 1961!

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America has had a total of 50 Vice Presidents in its history since 1789.

Fourteen of those Vice Presidents have served since 1961, with eight being Republicans, and six being Democrats.

Asssessing their significance, and perceptions of their performances, there is no comparison that would rate the Republicans as superior to the Democrats, and in fact, the differences are massive!

The eight Republican Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Spiro Agnew
Gerald Ford
Nelson Rockefeller
George H W Bush
Dan Quayle
Dick Cheney
Mike Pence
JD Vance

The six Democratic Vice Presidents include in order of service in the office:

Lyndon B. Johnson
Hubert Humphrey
Walter Mondale
Al Gore
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris

Nobody in their right mind would claim that the Republicans come anywhere close in background, image, and significance to the Democrats.

Only Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller, and George H W Bush are looked upon in a positive way, while all six Democrats “shine”, and particularly Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and Joe Biden.

LBJ and Humphrey do not look as “good” as Vice Presidents because their Presidents chose not to utilize their talents adequately, which is a criticism of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Harris had the extra disadvantage of being unique, as a woman and mixed race Vice President, in a country where there is still misogyny and racism, sad to say.

But the remaining five Republican Vice Presidents are really horrendous, with Spiro Agnew and Dan Quayle clearly so, and with Dick Cheney, while certainly competent, perceived as “Darth Vader”, overly autocratic and seen in a negative light.

And Donald Trump’s two Vice Presidents are perceived in a negative light, but already, JD Vance in just six weeks appears far worse than Mike Pence!

In any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the top three Vice Presidents in history would be in order–Walter Mondale, Joe Biden, and Al Gore.

And in any scholarly ranking of Vice Presidents, the bottom three would include in order—Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and likely JD Vance!

The fact that Dick Cheney and Mike Pence would be rated above these three disastrous Vice Presidents, is quite a testimony to how horrendous Agnew, Quayle, and Vance have been to the office, with Vance “accomplishing” this failure in six weeks and by his statements and viewpoints expressed making the possibility of his succeeding Trump in the future as quite scary, to say the least!

Shocking Confrontation Of Trump And Vance With Zelenskyy In Oval Office Indicates “Sellout” Of Ukraine And Europe!

Ronald 14 Comments

In an event that will reverberate for the long term future, Donald Trump and JD Vance had a shocking public confrontation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine in the Oval Office yesterday, repudiating US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began with a massive invasion by Vladimir Putin’s military forces three years ago.

Nothing like this incident has ever occurred before, and certainly, not in the public eye for all to witness.

It made clear that Trump is abandoning the close relationship the US has had with European democracies since World War II, and instead is embracing a close friendship with the aggressor, and major threat to world peace, Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation.

This presents a threat to the survival and viability of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has keep peace and stability for 75 years since 1949.

Shockingly, most Republicans are backing Trump and Vance in their “ambush” of Zelenskyy, and the idea that Vice President Vance would interject himself in the confrontation so directly, was beyond the pale, clearly designed to promote his own Presidential candidacy to succeed Trump in 2028.

Vance has now made himself the most despicable Vice President in modern times, surpassing Spiro Agnew and Dick Cheney in being a confrontational second in command.

All good, decent people will support Zelenskyy and Ukraine, and reputiate the despicable, corrupt, and authoritarian orientation of both Trump and Vance, and of their sycophants in the Cabinet and elsewhere in the US government.

And already, people who had been strongly anti Russian for good reason historically and contemporarily, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and others have clearly decided that they will advance their own agendas, and give up their principles.

If Rubio in particular had any guts or ethics, he would resign, but that clearly is NOT going to happen.

America is in a very dangerous time in so many ways, and this after less than six weeks in office in the second Trump Presidency.

There is a lot of “buyer’s remorse” apparent among voters, who allowed themselves to be bamboozled by a man who was already impeached twice, had 86 indictment charges in four cases, and was convicted on 34 felony charges of those counts for falsifying business records in New York State.

The anarchy and chaos being promoted in both domestic and foreign policy is mind-blowing, and puts the US in a very dangerous condition for the future under Donald Trump!

Another Disastrous Republican Vice President In A Long Line!

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The Republican Party has had an amazing ability to find a group of horrendous, often unqualified, Vice Presidential nominees, many of them becoming Vice President of the United States, in the past six decades since 1964.

Barry Goldwater in 1964, himself a highly controversial Presidential nominee, selected New York Congressman William E. Miller, totally unqualified to be a heartbeat away, to be his Vice Presidential running mate. Thank goodness Goldwater lost to Lyndon B. Johnson and his highly qualified Vice President, Hubert Humphrey.

In 1968 and again in 1972, Richard Nixon had Spiro Agnew as his Vice President, until he was forced out due to scandal and resignation in October 1973. Agnew was a true nightmare, and the thought that had he not been forced out, that he would have been President in 1974, was a literal nightmare scenario!

Fortunately, Nixon appointed Gerald Ford as his Vice President to replace Agnew, a blessing, and Ford selected Nelson Rockefeller, former NY Governor and three time Republican Presidential contender as his Vice President, both appointed under the 25th Amendment.

When Ford selected Senator Bob Dole as his Vice Presidential running mate in 1976, while controversial for his utterances, Dole was at least qualified for the Vice Presidency, as was George H. W. Bush for the eight years of Ronald Reagan.

But then came Dan Quayle as Vice President under George H. W. Bush, a man who came across as not very bright and a bit terrifying to imagine him succeeding to the Presidency, when Bush had a heart issue, that thankfully was resolved successfully, and lived on to 2018.

In 1996, losing nominee Bob Dole had former Congressman and Housing Secretary Jack Kemp as his running mate, not horrible but not preferable to Al Gore, Bill Clinton’s two term Vice President.

Then, George W. Bush had Dick Cheney of Wyoming as his Vice President, certainly competent, and actually having a great impact in the first term of Bush, but seen as very arrogant, nasty, and corrupt, and having great responsibility for the Iraq War, based on false information.

Then, an all time low was Sarah Palin as John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate in 2008, the most scary and incompetent running mate in modern history, making even Dan Quayle look better.

This was followed by Mitt Romney in 2012 having Paul Ryan, later Speaker of the House, but seen as similar in right wing extremism to Cheney.

And then we had Mike Pence under Donald Trump, dutiful and obedient, but seen by many as a religious extremist, and yet repudiated by Trump, who endangered him at the time of the January 6 Insurrection for failing to stop the Electoral College Vote Count, and by Trump not calling off the mob attack that was threatening Pence’s life.

And now, we have JD Vance, who quickly is demonstrating how right wing extremist and undiplomatic he is on his first involvement in international affairs, along with his divisive domestic comments. His connection with powerful technology executives, including Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk, is totally horrifying!

The thought that Vance, at age 40, is a heartbeat away from the Presidency is terrifying!

JD Vance: Another Horrendous Republican Vice Presidential Nominee!

admin 39 Comments

The Republican Party, historically, has often selected horrendous Vice Presidential nominees, and unfortunately, some of them end up as Vice President, making one concerned even more than normally, about the health and safety of the Republican President.

JD Vance of Ohio adds to a list of such nominees, including:

William E. Miller, running mate of Barry Goldwater in 1964
Spiro Agnew, running mate of Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972
Dan Quayle, running mate of George H. W. Bush in 1988 and 1992
Sarah Palin, running mate of John McCain in 2008

Also, others, such as Jack Kemp, running mate of Bob Dole in 1996; Dick Cheney, running mate of George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004; Paul Ryan, running mate of Mitt Romney in 2012; and Mike Pence, running mate of Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, while all “qualified” and experienced, had many negative aspects to their candidacies.

The only exceptions one could claim were fully qualified and acceptable were Nelson Rockefeller as Vice President to Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush as Vice President to Ronald Reagan, and also Bob Dole as running mate of Gerald Ford in 1976.

And now we have JD Vance, who has only served 18 months as a Senator from Ohio, and who has completely changed his views on Donald Trump from what they were in 2016. And Vance comes across as a MAGA extremist who is unwilling to support Ukraine in its war with Russia; wants no exceptions for rape or incest with a total ban on abortion; and is clearly perceived as a “mini Trump”, who could carry on the Trump views in the future Republican Party.

And realize Vance called Trump a potential Adolf Hitler eight years ago, and now embraces him! If that is not a danger sign to voters, then such voters have no principles or conscience!

Kamala Harris Would Be Favored, If Joe Biden Decided To Withdraw: So What?

admin 9 Comments

If Joe Biden were to decide to withdraw as a candidate, after the disastrous CNN Presidential debate five days ago, it is clear that Vice President Kamala Harris would be favored to be the Democratic Presidential nominee against Donald Trump.

So what is this author’s and blogger’s response, as Harris is perfectly capable of being President, and arguably more so than a number of recent Vice Presidents or Vice Presidential candidates.

Would any rational observer say that Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, or Mike Pence were better qualified, or that Dick Cheney, with his authoritarian qualities, would have been a preferable choice? And what about Sarah Palin, who was a potential threat to be Vice President?

Most of the opposition from the right wing about Harris is based on her gender and race, as she proved to be perfectly qualified as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and California US Senator.

While there would be those who would prefer alternatives, Harris is a hearbeat away from the Presidency already for three and a half years, and is perfectly capable of being President, and doing a good job of upholding the Constitution, American democracy, and the rule of law, and certainly far better than Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump!

Harris would unify African American women, racial minorities in general, and white progressives and moderates who would see Donald Trump as “a clear and present danger”. She would perform very well against Trump in a debate format, as well.

Her Vice Presidential running mate could be Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who has proved he could win a “Red” State more than once; or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, leader of a crucial “swing state”.

The Negativism About Kamala Harris As Potential President Is Unwarranted!

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The propaganda being spewed against Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential successor to Joe Biden at some point in the next five years is totally unwarranted.

Vice Presidents, historically, have been panned as not acceptable alternatives, but that is simply political propaganda by the other side of the political spectrum.

John Tyler was the first Vice President to suffer from ridicule and criticism, when William Henry Harrison died after one month in office in 1841, and he was called “His Accidency” by critics who refused to accept that his succession to the Presidency was legitimate.

There was great trepidation when Harry Truman succeeded to the Presidency after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, but Truman, despite bitter attacks, is now regarded as one of the top six Presidents.

No one wanted to imagine Lyndon B. Johnson as President in 1960, but he succeeded John F. Kennedy in 1963, and ended up being the best domestic President since FDR.

Gerald Ford is seen as having saved the nation by his leadership after the Watergate Scandal led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

Kamala Harris has excellent credentials in her career of being San Francisco District Attorney from 2004-2011; California Attorney General from 2011-2017; US Senator from 2017-2021; and now Vice President for the past three plus years.

She has been a strong support for President Joe Biden, and is clearly more competent and experienced than many earlier Vice Presidents have been, including Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, and Mike Pence were.

Most of the opposition is sexist and racist against Harris, and it is disgusting that the right wing issues vicious attacks against her with no factual basis or justification.

If the need arose for Kamala Harris to become President, the nation would be in good hands, and would be well served!

Kamala Harris Starting To Demonstrate Her Strengths As Vice President, And Potential Future President!

Ronald Leave a comment

Kamala Harris has been Vice President for two and a half years now, and she has had a poor public image, being often portrayed as weak and ineffective, in public opinion polls.

A lot of this is pure right wing propaganda, with heavy elements of misogyny and racism.

If one examines earlier Vice Presidents of the Republican variety, one realizes how horrendous they were:

Mike Pence, unwilling even now to stand up to Donald Trump for his transgressions, including the threat to the lives of Pence and his family on January 6, 2021.

Dick Cheney, technically qualified, but a miserable wretch of a human being.

Dan Quayle, a total disaster and embarrassment as Vice President.

Spiro Agnew, a crooked felon, forced out of office.

And then the Republican Vice Presidential nominees who, thankfully, never were in that role:

Sarah Palin 2008

Paul Ryan 2012

Jack Kemp 1996

William E Miller 1964

And then, the potential Vice Presidential list for Donald Trump, if he became the Presidential nominee again, a total nightmare of lunacy and insanity!

Meanwhile, Democratic Vice Presidents and nominees were superior by far:

Hubert Humphrey 1964
Edmund Muskie 1968
Sargent Shriver 1972
Walter Mondale 1976, 1980
Lloyd Bentsen 1988
Al Gore 1992, 1996
Joe Lieberman 2000
Joe Biden 2008, 2012
Tim Kaine 2016

The only terrible choices were Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and John Edwards in 2004.

Harris has had an impressive career in California Government, and has been, by necessity, the most active Vice President, due to the narrow division of the Senate, necessitating that she break more tie votes in the Senate than any Vice President, surpassing John C. Calhoun under President Andrew Jackson from 1829-1832, recently!

Harris is now becoming significant, as she makes the issues of women’s rights and civil rights the center of attention, including attacking the end of abortion rights, and the promotion of outrageous interference with the teaching of American history and slavery, as advocated by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and spreading nationwide in Republican states!

This is raising her profile, as she would certainly be the frontrunner to be President after Joe Biden, either when he leaves office, or if he was unable to finish his time in office!