US House Of Representatives

One Blessing From GOP Primaries So Far: Some Tea Party Congressmen Now Gone From Congress In 2015!

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Senate primaries so far have had one blessing at the least–the defeat of several Tea Party Congressmen who sought to move up to the US Senate!

In Texas, Steve Stockman lost to Senator John Cornyn; in Georgia, Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun lost in their bids for an open Senate seat!

Also, Michele Bachmann, under investigation for campaign violations in her 2012 Presidential campaign, decided not to seek another term as Congresswoman from Minnesota!

Any election period where four loony members of the House of Representatives are leaving is a welcome blessing!

Let’s hope more lose in primaries or in elections, and the American people get the kind of representation they deserve, instead of the anarchistic, lunatic fringe that the Tea Party Movement represents.

The Political Ticket For President With Julian Castro As Vice Presidential Running Mate In 2016!

Ronald 1 Comment

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, in his third term as Mayor of the seventh largest city, made quite an impression at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, when he gave a speech that reminded many of Barack Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

An attractive, charismatic politician of Mexican American heritage, with his identical twin Joaquin Castro a member of the House of Representatives, the San Antonio Mayor gained an image as someone to watch, and he will be only 42 in 2016.

With the Hispanic-Latino population and vote multiplying, and with Texas seen as a battleground in the future, and even possibly in 2016, Julian Castro is the ideal Vice Presidential running mate, whether for Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Martin O’Malley, Elizabeth Warren, Mark Warner, or really ANY other Democratic Presidential nominee!

Castro has run the seventh largest city with distinction, and now is being nominated to be Barack Obama’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary, moving him to Washington and the center of national politics.

Castro is articulate, knowledgeable, and puts Texas and Georgia and North Carolina into play for 2016, along with improving the odds of Virginia and Florida remaining Democratic.

His youth (42) at the time of the election is an excellent balance for Hillary (69) or Joe (74), as it offers the experience and seasoning of either Hillary or Joe, while adding the largest Southern state to the game of Democratic party advancement. His urban experiences also are a major plus.

Castro’s only negatives are his last name, which Republicans will probably utilize to leave the impression that he is related to Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul Castro. Also, the anti immigrant policy of right wingers will use the fact that Castro is Mexican American as a racist attack on all Hispanics and Latinos, which will be to their detriment, as immigration will become an issue that will harm the Republican Party, as rightfully it should!

Overall, a great move to have Castro head the HUD Department and be available as the BEST running mate for Vice President for ANY Democratic Presidential nominee, insuring a massive win for the Democrats for the White House in 2016!

Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz–All Make Deadly Errors For Their Presidential Bids!

Ronald 9 Comments

The four Republicans most talked about for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2016, and seen as Tea Party supported, all have made fatal errors that will destroy their Presidential bids!

Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan has called for cutting veterans medical benefits, at a time when there is a desperate need to spend more and do more for our dedicated veterans.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, already seen by many as not too bright upstairs, has changed his mind on voting restrictions laws in the states, first saying they were wrong (a sign of progress), and then reversing himself under attack from the Tea Party lunatics in his party.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has become a climate change denier, and indicated religion wins over science, just as it becomes clear that Florida, and particularly his home city of Miami, is to become the biggest victim of climate change, and there are, already, signs of just that.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz caused the government shutdown that cost the government billions of dollars for absolutely nothing gained.

These men are all self destructive, and at the same time, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has self destructed because of scandal, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is doubtful about running.

While all these so called “front runners” are showing their warts, then we have former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman showing himself to look better and better, but the right wing of his party is totally ignoring him, because he has brains, intelligence, vision, experience, and all the other attributes needed in a future President.

Such is the disaster that is the 2014 GOP!

Rand Paul And Rupert Murdoch As His Guest At The Kentucky Derby: A “Marriage” Made In Heaven?

Ronald Leave a comment

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is working at wooing Rupert Murdoch, and invited him as his guest at the Kentucky Derby horse race last weekend.

It made quite a splash in the newspapers and on cable tv, that the Australian tycoon in his 80s, one of the most powerful conservative giants, as the owner of Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and The Weekly Standard, was allowing himself to be the guest of the son of the libertarian giant, former Congressman Ron Paul of Texas.

The question is whether this means that Rand Paul will eventually gain the backing of Murdoch and his top lieutenants in the conservative spectrum of politics, including Roger Ailes and Bill Kristol, among others.

At this point, it would seem highly unlikely, but it could be a “shotgun” marriage, although the odds of Paul being the GOP Presidential nominee, let alone the winner of the Presidency in 2016, is highly speculative!

Economic Revival And Success Of Health Care Law Should Favor Democrats In Midterm Elections Of 2014!

Ronald 4 Comments

More than ever, many public opinion polls seem to indicate that the Republican Party is to have a major success, gaining seats in the House of Representatives, and winning control of the US Senate!

But polls have been wrong before, and it is very hard to believe with economic revival reaching the recovery of the number of jobs lost in 2008-2009, plus the clear success of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) after a difficult start, that most of the eight million and more people who have signed up are going, either to sit home, or to vote against their own economic interests!

If the polls are correct, then the people are at fault, either for failing to exercise their right to vote, or can simply be told that they have, out of lack of knowledge and understanding, voted against what makes common sense, support for the Democratic Party!

The old saying is that people get the government they deserve, so if millions of people choose to support a party that has undermined the middle class and the poor, nothing else can be said except maybe, some day, they will learn their lesson, and realize the mistake they have made, that has only enriched the very wealthy at their expense!

Florida The Ultimate Battleground For 2016

Ronald Leave a comment

The state of Florida is the ultimate battleground for 2016, as it was in 2000, 2008, and 2012, and Hillary Clinton, at this point, the presumed Democratic nominee, is clearly ahead in polls, even over Florida Senator Marco Rubio and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the two leading Republicans in the state, other than Governor Rick Scott.

The argument for either Rubio or Bush is that they can win the Sunshine State in 2016, but that is far from certain.

Bush has not run for office in Florida since his second term election in 2002, and Rubio won his seat in a midterm election, and may face primary opposition, as well as strong Democratic challenge in the next Presidential election and or his Senate reelection campaign.

The fact that more than one million Floridians have signed up for ObamaCare, despite the opposition of Florida Governor Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio, and much of the Republican dominated state legislature, is an indication that Florida is up for grabs, and former Florida Governor Charlie Crist, now a Democrat, is running ahead of Scott in the polls, and is a strong supporter of ObamaCare.

Ironically, if Crist wins the Governorship a second time, now as a Democrat, he could, in theory, challenge Rubio for his seat, a race that he lost to Rubio in 2010, but could run for without losing his Governorship if he lost, and would probably love to try to unseat Rubio and become a national figure in the Senate, delayed six years, but never too late!

Hillary and Bill Clinton are well regarded in Florida, and the Cuban community, particularly the younger generation, is no longer a guaranteed GOP vote, even as it might have been in 2010, when Rubio beat out Crist and Congressman Kendrick Meek.

So Florida, the third largest state any day now, and with 29 electoral votes, is very much a likely Democratic win, which would insure that Hillary Clinton, or arguably, any other Democratic nominee, victory in 2016 for the White House!

What If Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, And Jeb Bush Do Not Run For President?

Ronald 4 Comments

So much attention has been paid to the concept that Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Jeb Bush will run for President, but what if none of these three career politicians choose to run?

There are some hints that Hillary will not run, and there has been concern about her health, her age, and whether she wants to go through the “hell” of running for President, knowing that she is soon to be a grandmother, and will be in her 70s nine months into her Presidency. There seems to be the belief that she wants to be President, but does not relish running for the job. The vicious attacks have begun anew, as when she was First Lady, and she could have more leisure time, and make more money by writing more books, doing more lectures, and being a “statesman”, instead of being a politician.

The problems to be faced by the next President in domestic and foreign affairs are overwhelming, and cannot make her feel that there will be any sense of peace or tranquility, with the total chasm between the Democratic and Republican Parties. And despite lack of criticism openly by the Left in the Democratic Party, many would rather see Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, or Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland, running as fresh faces. Some even imagine Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont as an alternative, although both he and Warren are not good on the age factor, with Sanders in his 70s, and Warren entering it late in the next term of the Presidency.

Vice President Joe Biden faces the same situation–age and health issues, and the desire to spend more time with his family, with him reaching the age of 74 shortly after the next Presidential election. Biden loves his job, but is he, maybe, having second thoughts as well about the challenges ahead, and after 44 years of public service, it would not be surprising if he decided not to run.

Jeb Bush is being promoted by his brother, George W. Bush, and his dad, George H. W. Bush, while his mother, Barbara Bush, advises against his running for President. Jeb has a quandary, as the “establishment” in the party wants him, as Chris Christie flounders with his scandal in New Jersey, but it is clear that he has strong doubts, as to the wisdom of running, and facing vehement opposition from the Tea Party Movement and others in the right wing dominated GOP, that it would be a tough battle to win the nomination, and he is behind, even in Florida, to Hillary Clinton. Also, remember that Jeb has not been public office for ten years by 2016, and will not have faced a campaign since 2002, by 2016, and his experience does not come anywhere near that of Hillary and Joe.

But the question arises, what happens if these three “leaders” do not run for President? Who would benefit, come out of the shadows, and become the new John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, or Barack Obama for the Democrats (all not considered front runners in the second year of the Presidential term before they were elected)? And who would become the man able to demonstrate the experience and ability of Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, and John McCain, which led the GOP to pick people with foreign policy expertise as their candidates (even if Dole and McCain did not win the White House)?

Would another woman be likely to run if Hillary did not run, and to have a real chance to win–such as Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, or Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota? Or would a Northeastern Governor, such as Martin O’Malley of Maryland or Andrew Cuomo of New York be the best bet? Or would another African American Senator, Cory Booker, be the way to go? Or would the Democratic Party go to the moderate center, and pick Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, or go out to the Mountain West and pick former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer? Or could Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont really have a chance to be the nominee?

For the Republicans, would former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, easily the most qualified in foreign policy and effective in domestic matters while governing Utah, be able to gain “establishment” support, and overcome the Right Wing extremism of the Tea Party Movement? Or would the party go to a Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, or John Kasich of Ohio, or Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, or Rick Perry of Texas? Or would they go for the newcomers in the Senate–Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida, or go for 2012 Vice Presidential nominee, Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin?

The reality is that IF Hillary, Joe, and Jeb were to choose not to run, the 2016 Presidential campaign would be wide open, and probably chaotic, path breaking, and historic, and no one could possibly predict the ultimate outcome!

Republican “Retreads” Emerge, Demonstrating The Sad State Of Their Presidential Race For 2016!

Ronald 1 Comment

The Republican Party has a long list of potential Presidential candidates for 2016, many of them “new,” including Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie, and even Paul Ryan and Jeb Bush, who have never run before for President.

Then, they have the “retreads”, including Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum, those three being a sorry lot as alternatives.

All three are way out of the mainstream of American politics, with Rick Perry making a total fool of himself in 2012; Mike Huckabee, once seen as fairly “moderate” in 2008, having converted into a right wing extremist due to his Fox News Channel weekly show; and Rick Santorum, well just a total embarrassment to himself and everyone around him!

The Republican Party is a sorry lot, with lots of candidates on the bench, but none having the slightest chance to become President!

Instead, the GOP looks completely past former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (also former Ambassador to China and Singapore), the only solid, foreign policy experienced, sensible, mainstream candidate, who could attract support across the aisle, and make Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, or any other Democratic nominee squirm, as he did for awhile in the Barack Obama campaign in 2012, with them considering Huntsman a real threat.

Huntsman is sitting on the sidelines, and considering an independent run on a “No Labels” campaign, and reminding people that the Republican Party of the pre Ronald Reagan era is the only hope for a revival of GOP fortunes, as the country has passed by the anti immigrant, anti gay, anti women, anti labor, anti environment mentality of the Tea Party Movement, which may be able to win gerrymandered Congressional seats, but cannot win the US Senate majority or the White House anytime soon!

Widespread Sense Of Anger, Unhappiness, Discontent, Despondency In Electorate Favors Democrats!

Ronald Leave a comment

Many political observers seem unaware of a widespread sense of anger, unhappiness, discontent, and despondency in the electorate, and fail to understand that this favors the Democrats, not the Republicans, in the midterm elections of 2014.

The Republican Party in the House of Representatives has produced the most horrible record of lack of achievement, lack of concern for the middle class and the poor, and has simply come across as a party of obstruction in the past four years.

While the Democrats have far from a perfect record, they have been the party to bring about a health care plan that is covering millions of people for the first time; have fought for an increase in the minimum wage; have argued for an extension of unemployment compensation for the long term unemployed; have battled to make sure that the food stamp program is not gutted for the poor, the elderly, the children, and the disabled; have promoted the need for infrastructure spending and education, including a solution for students heavily indebted; have defended the need for environmental protection; have backed the need for strong labor protections; have supported fair treatment for gays and lesbians, including marriage rights; and have worked for immigration reform in a fair and balanced way.

For those who are angry, unhappy, discontented, and despondent to sit on their hands and do nothing, and NOT vote in the midterm elections, both state and Congressional, would be the height of stupidity, as no change can come if people stay home.

So the job of Democrats is to come out of their shell, fight for what they believe in, be proud of what they have done and stood for, stand proud, and motivate those who usually do not vote, to do so this time, and give the Republicans a well deserved defeat in the House of Representatives, keep the Democrats in control of the US Senate, and work to defeat Republican “Bully” Governors elected in 2010, who have been a literal nightmare for the masses of people who are not wealthy, and not part of the one percent oligarchy which is taking over American politics in an alarming way, while the middle class and the poor sit on the sidelines, lacking motivation to react in their own self interest!

Republicans, The Lincoln Lie, And Rand Paul’s Ambitions For President In 2016

Ronald Leave a comment

The Republican Party loves to claim a connection to Abraham Lincoln, even though they have totally repudiated everything he stands for.

They honor his memory, particularly now on the 149th Anniversary of his assassination by John Wilkes Booth. But they favor states rights, nullification, and support back tracking on civil rights, all of which the Confederate and Border South advocated when they were Democrats, and now when they are Republicans, and control most seats in Congress and most state legislatures in those states.

But when seeking the Presidency, these Southern and Border state Republicans have no problem in trying to appeal to groups they have been working against.

A great example is Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, known for his doubts about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and about overseas military bases and involvement in world affairs.

Suddenly, while in New Hampshire appealing for support for President, he expresses concern for groups that have been totally ignored by his party, including African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics, women, and poor people, although there is no evidence of a real transformation.

And now he is no longer willing to condemn Dick Cheney and the Iraq War, and backs away from his isolationist views of the past, and that must make his father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, wince!

It is clear that Rand Paul is a total charlatan, a phony, who cannot be believed or trusted, either the “old” libertarian Rand Paul, or the newer, transformed model, to be our President!