US House Of Representatives

The Possibility Of A Latino President: Julian Castro

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The idea of a Latino President is becoming more possible, as former Obama Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, who also was Mayor of the 6th largest city, San Antonio, Texas, has reached the 130,000 donors needed to be able to participate in the third Democratic debate in September.

This development, along with his excellent performance at the first debate and making fellow Texan former Congressman Beto O’Rourke look weak by comparison, elevates Castro to a much more serious candidacy.

With people of Hispanic ancestry being one of every six Americans, and with Mexican Americans being two thirds of all Hispanics, Julian Castro can be seen as a possible President.

There is no larger minority in America than Mexican Americans and of Hispanics totally, and Castro has proved he can govern a major city, and a major federal bureaucracy as a cabinet officer.

Castro would be 46 at the time of the next Presidential inauguration, the third youngest President in American history, about a month younger than Bill Clinton, and about six months younger than Ulysses S. Grant.

It would also mean that “a new generation” of leadership–with John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama—would be added to by Julian Castro, making them the second, third, sixth, and fourth youngest Presidents in American history.

Is Beto O’Rourke Finished As A Presidential Candidate?

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Former Texas Congressman Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke of Texas, who came within a few points of defeating Senator Ted Cruz in 2018, seems to be on the road to oblivion at this point.

After a heralded amount of attention during the Senate race and when he came out as a Presidential candidate, O’Rourke seemed to be a hot item.

But he has deteriorated in his polls and raising of money, and his performance at the first Democratic Presidential debates was lackluster at best, and fellow Texas Julian Castro challenged him, and came out the winner, and has seen his prospects improve, as O’Rourke’s prospects have deteriorated.

It is not yet the time to write him off, but right now, Beto O’Rourke is in a decline, and he will need to restore his fortunes at the second Democratic debates at the end of July in Detroit, or else his candidacy will likely be finished.

75 Years Since D Day: The Ultimate Moment Of Courage, As Now The Battle Against Donald Trump Requires Equivalent Courage And Commitment

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Three quarters of a century ago, young men, many actually still boys, demonstrated courage and selflessness when they committed to the liberation of Europe from the evil of Nazi Germany, by storming the beaches of Normandy, France.

Several thousand went into battle with the recognition of the likelihood that their lives would end, but with the sacrifice of their lives, western civilization would be saved from the horrors of Nazism and Fascism.

These men did not think about their own selfish needs and interests, and instead thought about their nation and the promotion of democracy.

Now we have a President who embodies none of the character and principles of that World War II generation, and not only those on D Day, but also those who fought and died throughout that war, and not only in Europe but also in Asia against Imperial Japan.

We have a President who has no respect for anything or anyone, and only is concerned about his own aggrandizement, and whose children are the most corrupt offspring in American history, bar none. The whole family deserves to be prosecuted and imprisoned for the rest of their lives, but whether that will happen is hard to predict.

But there is such a concept as karma, and what goes around comes around, and sometimes in ways one cannot perceive before they happen.

The major problem 75 years later is to eradicate the short and long term dangers of the new move toward totalitarian dictatorship, and stop it dead in its tracks, and that is the job of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, which must move toward impeachment, exposing all of the details of this cancer–Trumpism–which is attempting to destroy everything decent and accomplished in the history of the American Republic.

Laurence Tribe And Andrew Napolitano Vs. Alan Dershowitz On Obstruction Of Justice Of Donald Trump

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Laurence Tribe is a Harvard Law School professor, highly renowned and respected.

Andrew Napolitano is a well known Fox News Channel legal commentator and an attorney, known for his conservative views.

Alan Dershowitz is, like Laurence Tribe, a Harvard Law School professor, well known for drawing attention to himself, and controversial for the people he has represented in court, including O J Simpson 25 years ago.

Tribe, a well known liberal, and Napolitano, a well known conservative who often has been supportive of Donald Trump, have joined together in their assessment of the Robert Mueller report and recent statement, making it clear that Donald Trump is guilty of obstruction of justice, and should face impeachment. Napolitano also has said that a sitting President can be indicted, despite the statements of Robert Mueller. Tribe has also said that America could lose its soul and constitutional democracy if Trump does not face impeachment.

Dershowitz has argued against impeachment, and claims that there is no evidence to demonstrate that Donald Trump has done anything to deserve such proceedings. He is often on Fox News Channel, and is seen as an apologist for Donald Trump. He has been sharply critical of the Robert Mueller investigation and its conclusions.

The battle over possible impeachment is riling the Democratic Party and the House of Representatives, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi still opposed to action short term, and instead wanting a buildup of evidence before such a move commences, while many say there is already a tremendous amount of material to promote such an initiative.

Senator Lindsey Graham, A Despicable Turncoat Against The Principles Of His Friend, John McCain!

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The most shocking and surprising turn of events in the US Senate is that South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has become a despicable turncoat against the principles of his friend, the late Arizona Senator John McCain.

There were no too better friends in the Senate than Graham and McCain, and both were condemnatory of Donald Trump in the 2016 Presidential campaign, including when Trump said McCain was not a war hero for being captured and tortured for over five years in the Vietnam War.

Graham said extremely critical points against Trump, and yet now, he has transformed totally to be a Trump lackey, including even when Trump still brings up McCain’s name in a critical manner.

Graham sees no obstruction of justice, abuse of power, violation of the Emoluments Clause, or Russian collusion, despite ample evidence of such impeachable crimes.

This is precisely the opposite of 20 years ago, when Graham as a House member, led the charge to impeach Bill Clinton on charges far less egregious than Trump has committed.

Graham was always a bit of a character, but now he has lost all credibility and legitimacy. Hopefully, he can be defeated for his Senate seat in 2020.

11,037 House Members And 1,983 Senate Members Since 1789

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In the 230 plus years that Congress has been in existence since March 4, 1789, we have had 11,037 people serve in the House of Representatives, and 1,983 people serve in the US Senate.

10,360 members served only in the House of Representatives, while 1,306 members served only in the US Senate, and 677 members have served in both bodies of Congress.

29 members of the House of Representatives have served 40 or more years, with John Dingell of Michigan serving the longest, 59 years from 1955 to 2015.

16 Women in the House of Representatives have served 25 or more years, with Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, having served 36 plus years since 1983, the longest of any woman, and still serving, with Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, being the third longest serving at nearly 32 years and counting from California since 1987.

25 US Senators have served 35 and a half years or more, with Robert Byrd of West Virginia serving nearly 51 and a half years from 1959 to 2010. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii served nearly 50 years from 1963 to 2012, while Strom Thurmond of South Carolina served 47 and a half years and was past age 100 when he left the Senate. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts served 46 years and more than 9 months from 1962 to 2009. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, still in the Senate, is 5th longest serving at 44 plus years since 1975.

The Battle In The Democratic Party Over Impeachment Vs. Democratic Goal Of Accomplishment Of Party Agenda

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The battle is in full swing now to move the House of Representatives toward impeachment hearings against Donald Trump.

But Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is still reluctant to move ahead, and it is causing a split within the Democratic caucus.

Donald Trump is refusing to cooperate in any fashion, including stonewalling any testimony by anyone connected to Trump, including by subpoena, and going to court to block any investigation of Trump tax returns.

Many Democrats are saying that the main emphasis of the Democratic Party should be to promote their agenda for the upcoming election, including dealing with Health Care, Global Warming, Environmental Protection, Education, the Minimum Wage, Civil Rights, and so much more.

The argument is that Donald Trump, even if impeached, will not be convicted by the Republican controlled US Senate, but the argument for doing what can be done is that it is needed to set a standard for future Presidents, so that never again, hopefully, will we have a lawless President on the level of a Donald Trump.

Despite Democratic desires to accomplish their legislative goals, the reality is that little actual legislation is possible as long as there is a divided Congress, where both parties control one chamber.

America is now, in many ways, in a greater crisis than we have had over the future of our Constitution and Bill of Rights since World War II, already seen as far greater than the Presidency of Richard Nixon. Then, many Republicans cooperated in doing what was essential to do, to get Nixon out of office, but sadly that is not the agenda now for a party which can only find one person, Congressman Justin Amash of Michigan, committed to impeachment and punishment for President Trump.

Michigan Congressman Justin Amash The Only Elected Republican Willing To Stand Up To Donald Trump On Obstruction Of Justice

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Michigan Republican Congressman Justin Amash is not someone who progressives would admire, but on the issue of Donald Trump and impeachment, he is the only Congressional Republican willing to stick his neck out, and call for the impeachment of the President for Obstruction of Justice.

Amash is a right wing Republican who has served since 2011, and is one of the most conservative members of Congress, with libertarian beliefs, and a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus and a founder and Chair of the Liberty Caucus in that legislative body. He was an original Tea Party activist in 2009-2010 after Barack Obama became President.

His parents are Palestinian and Syrian Christians, so he is of Arab descent, and he represents western Michigan, including Grand Rapids, the area of Michigan represented by Gerald Ford for 25 years before he became Vice President and President.

He has been a critic of Trump from the beginning, and refused to endorse him, and now House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has repudiated him, claiming he votes with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi more than with his party, which is purely a lie.

Amash has voted against funding for the border wall; has been critical of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement); voted against the Muslim Ban from seven nations promoted by Donald Trump in 2017; opposed renewal of the Patriot Act in 2011 and and is a critic of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; has served on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; and believes in Congress having the final say in the commitment of troops to combat overseas.

It seems as if he is a man without a party now, and it is rumored that he might run for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination in 2020, which if he does, he could help affect the election and help to cause the defeat of Donald Trump, which would be true justice!

Geographical Locations Of Democratic Presidential Candidates 2020: Every Area Represented

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One thing is clear as the Democratic Presidential race heats up: Every area of the nation is represented, unless one wants to list the Great Plains as a separate geographical area.

We have three people from New England—Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Seth Moulton.

We have five people from the Mid Atlantic states—Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, John Delaney, Andrew Yang (Entrepreneur and Philanthropist).

We have three people from the South—Julian Castro, Beto O’Rourke, Wayne Messam (little known African American Mayor of Miramar, Florida).

We have three people from the Midwest—Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Tim Ryan.

We have three people from the Rocky Mountain West—John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock (not yet announced)

We have five people from the Pacific Coast—Kamala Harris, Eric Swalwell, Marianne Williamson (Author, Lecturer, Activist), Jay Inslee, Tulsi Gabbard.

And the latest news and leaks say New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is about to announce.

And also, while no one takes him seriously, former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel (1969-1981), who is 88 years old, and also was an announced candidate for President in 2008, is also an announced candidate.

So if you count every candidate, even those who are not serious, we have 24 candidates announced, or soon to be announced.

No more than 20 will be in the debates, and one can be assured that Messam and Gravel will be unlikely to meet the threshold required to make the debates, and that de Blasio, Bullock, and Bennet, coming in after so many others, may not make the deadline either for the first debate at the end of June.

If one leaves out the two people who are not politicians along with Messam and Gravel, with none of those four seen as having any real chance to be the nominee, we are left with:

7 Senators–Sanders, Warren, Gillibrand, Booker, Klobuchar, Bennet, Harris

6 House of Representatives or former members–Moulton, Delaney, Ryan, O’Rourke, Swalwell, Gabbard

3 Governors or former —Hickenlooper, Bullock, Inslee

3 Mayors or former—Buttigieg, Castro, de Blasio

1 Former Vice President and Senator–Biden

Censure Of President Trump An Alternative To Impeachment, Since Conviction Impossible With Republican Senate

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With the latest poll indicating that 56 percent of Americans do not favor the impeachment of Donald Trump, it might be wiser for the Democrats to consider a censure motion instead, much less controversial and likely to gain some Republican support.

Censure was done by the Senate against Andrew Jackson in 1834 over the National Bank issue, and the House of Representatives agreed to censure of James K. Polk over the Mexican War prosecution in 1848.

Attempts to censure John Tyler in 1842, Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and Bill Clinton in 1998 failed.

It is far from an impeachment, but it would be a strong statement by either house were censure to be considered in place of impeachment, which would never get a two thirds vote of the Senate for conviction.

It looks more than ever that impeachment will NOT happen, due to the circumstances that are present, and it sets a bad standard for the future regarding Presidential abuse of power.