Vice Presidency

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!

The Biden-Ryan Debate: One Of The Most Memorable Debates In History!

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The Joe Biden-Paul Ryan debate last night will go down in history as one of the most memorable, most lively, most stimulating debates in the history of Presidential and Vice Presidential debates. The two men were aggressive and challenging toward each other, and kept the pace of the debate going well, with the excellent assistance of moderator Martha Raddatz!

With most observers seeing a fairly even division as to who won, a lot of it based on one’s own ideological leanings, one can say both candidates came across as intelligent, knowledgeable and competent to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Ryan can be seen as another life long public servant in national politics, entering Congress at age 28, similar to Joe Biden entering Congress at age 30. The two men are diametric opposites, but certainly have the equal ability to stir their bases, and one could imagine Ryan having a long career in Congress and being a factor in Presidential politics for the long term future, similar to what Biden has had in his long career of distinction.

Since both stir animosity in the opposition, and each is very willing to be confrontational in a pleasant manner, one must wonder if either could ever win the White House, but it is not impossible to imagine the two men facing each other four years from now in the Presidential Election of 2016. Stranger things have happened—such as:

Richard Nixon coming back from defeat in 1960 to be elected in 1968.
Jimmy Carter coming from oblivion to be elected in 1976.
Ronald Reagan, after being defeated for the nomination in 1976, coming back to be elected at the oldest age first term of any President in 1980.
Bill Clinton coming back from revelation of a sex scandal to be elected in 1992.
George W. Bush winning the Presidency based on a disputed election count in 2000.
Barack Obama, coming out of “nowhere”, to become our first African American President in 2008.

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.

Joe Biden Boosts Chances For Presidential Nomination In 2016!

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Vice President Joe Biden boosted his chances for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2016 with his debate performance last night.

Already one of the most colorful, charismatic politicians in national government as it is, Biden demonstrated that, although he will be 70 in November, he is far from “over the hill”, and cannot be dismissed as a potential future President!

This is a man of heart, of convictions, of passion, of principle, and is well liked as a man who will not back off in a time of challenge!

While some, particularly Republicans. certainly dislike Biden, the Vice President’s good humor and ability to respond to Paul Ryan, who could be his son, has to make many admire him as a very alert, brilliant man, who has once again proved his value to President Obama, and the reality that he has added stature and prestige to the office of Vice President of the United States!

Could Joe Biden-Paul Ryan Vice Presidential Debate Be A Forerunner Of 2016?

Ronald 8 Comments

The Joe Biden-Paul Ryan Vice Presidential Debate this Thursday could be a forerunner of 2016!

If Joe Biden performs well, and seals a Barack Obama victory in November, he will be the frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 2016.

If Paul Ryan does a reputable performance, and is not harmed by Biden, even if Biden is declared the winner on points, he becomes the front runner for 2016 as the Republican Presidential nominee, presuming a Mitt Romney defeat in 2012.

In theory, both Biden and Ryan could be running against each other–74 year old Biden with 44 years of government experience, the most of any Presidential nominee or winner of the White House in history—and 46 year old Paul Ryan, who will have had 18 years in the House of Representatives by then, assuming he wins his House seat while being on the losing Presidential team!

Certainly, one or the other could very well be on the Presidential ballot in 2016, as Walter Mondale was in 1984, after the Mondale-Bush debate of 1980; as George H. W. Bush was after the debate with Geraldine Ferraro in 1984; and as Al Gore was after the debate with Jack Kemp in 1996.

CORRECTION: I discovered after writing the above that there was no VP debate between Bush and Mondale in 1980, so I stand corrected, and that means twice in VP debate history, one of the candidates was on the Presidential ballot in the following election, not three times!

Past Presidential Debates With An Incumbent President: Naturally On The Defensive!

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When one gets away from the momentary panic that many Obama supporters had after last night’s debate against Mitt Romney, and thinks rationally, and analyzes Presidential debate history, it is not all that surprising that a challenger will go on the attack and be aggressive with a sitting President, and set him back in the first debate they have in a campaign year.

Remember that a sitting President is busy every day, and is not as up to date in debating as a challenger, who has had to survive many debates and questions in order to reach the point of a Presidential nomination.

So when we look at the past, we realize the following:

Gerald Ford was on the defensive against Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Jimmy Carter was on the defensive against Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Ronald Reagan was on the defensive against Walter Mondale in 1984.

George H. W. Bush was on the defensive against both Bill Clinton and Ross Perot in 1992.

George W. Bush was on the defensive against John Kerry in 2004.

Despite this reality, Reagan and the second Bush recovered to win, while Ford, Carter, and the first Bush lost the election that ensued.

But also realize that Ford had inherited a mess from Richard Nixon, and had never seen himself in the Presidency before being selected by Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew as Vice President, and he was strongly challenged by Ronald Reagan in the primaries in 1976.

Also realize that Jimmy Carter was challenged by both Ted Kennedy and Jerry Brown in the primaries in 1980, and faced a charismatic former actor in Reagan, and a tumultuous crisis with Iran in 1980.

And realize that the first Bush faced a challenge from Pat Buchanan in the primaries in 1992, and a double challenge from Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, which undermined his ability to win votes that Perot took away from him in the fall campaign.

Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush faced no such challenges, and were able to overcome their weaknesses in the first debate of 1984 and 2004.

Additionally, Bill Clinton, facing no challenge in 1996, simply overwhelmed Bob Dole in the first and all debates of that year, with his charisma a major plus!

If one remains calm, one realizes that Barack Obama will recover from this disappointing debate, has charisma, had no challenger in the primaries, and therefore, will do like Reagan, Clinton, and the second Bush did–win reelection—-rather than lose election as Ford did, and reelection as Carter and the first Bush did!

Patrick Murphy, Tammy Duckworth, Jim Graves, Wayne Powell, Rob Zerban, Christie Vilsack—Congressional Candidates Challenging Six Targeted Republicans In House Of Representatives!

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The Democratic Party not only hopes to keep Barack Obama in the Presidency, but also to elect a House of Representatives majority in November, and keep control of the US Senate.

Six Republicans are particularly being targeted for defeat in the House of Representatives, and were they all to be “retired”, the nation would be far better off!

So we have Patrick Murphy of Florida, challenging Allen West, who has called the Democrats Communists and Socialists and attacked Debbie Wasserman Schultz as not worthy of being treated as a lady!

So we have Joe Walsh of Illinois, challenged by Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost both legs and one arm, and yet, Walsh thinks she does not deserve respect for her heroism; and he is also a bad parent, as he owes back child support payments over $125,000 to his former wife; and also constantly insults constituents at his public gatherings.

So we have Jim Graves challenging Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, who ran for President in 2012, and has been a total terror as a Tea Party activist, calling Democrats “UnAmerican” in their loyalty, and is constantly coming across as nutty and loony in all her public utterances in the past six years in Congress. She is now seen as in serious trouble, and Graves seems to have a good chance to defeat her and remove her from public life!

So we have Wayne Powell challenging House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in his Virginia district, and the opportunity to retire Cantor, who has worked to undermine Speaker John Boehner and has cooperated with the Tea Party Movement, and shown he has no principles other than his own ambitions, makes him an excellent target! His arrogance is a good reason to remove him from Congress,and end his chances of moving higher in House leadership!

So we have Rob Zerban, challenging Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential running mate, and head of the House Budget Committee, in his Wisconsin district. The chance to defeat Ryan twice is just too good to pass up!

And we have Christie Vilsack, wife of the former Iowa Governor Tom VIlsack, who is now Secretary of Agriculture under President Obama, who is challenging long time Congressman Steve King, who has been one of the wackiest, craziest members of the Republican Congressional majority, serving for ten years in the House, and being one of the leaders of the Tea Party Movement over the past few years.

It would be a great day for sanity and reason if all, or some of these leading Republicans in the House of Representatives were kicked out of Congress! Giving campaign contributions to Murphy, Duckworth, Graves, Powell, Zerban, and Vilsack would be an excellent investment!

Five Major Targets Of Democrats In House Races: Allen West, Joe Walsh, Michele Bachmann, Steve King, And Paul Ryan!

Ronald 1 Comment

The battle for control of the next House of Representatives is in full swing, with the Democrats needing to win at least 25 seats to gain control, and therefore remove Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor from their positions of power.

Among the Republicans who are on the hit list of most important to remove, are:

Allen West of Florida
Joe Walsh of Illinois
Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
Steve King of Iowa
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin

These five, all Tea Party supporters, and extremist in their views and voting patterns, are facing strong opposition, and it would be a contribution if some, or all, were removed from the halls of Congress!

They have all “distinguished” themselves in their outrageous statements and actions, and have embarrassed themselves and the institution of Congress by their behavior!

And of course, Paul Ryan is trying to become Vice President under Mitt Romney, and it would be great if he could be defeated for both that office and his Congressional seat, since he has done nothing for his district in Wisconsin, and instead gained infamy and financial support from billionaires and millionaires for his plan to gut Medicare and Medicaid, while promoting more tax cuts for the wealthy!

This election year would be a great opportunity to clean up some of the damage done by the election of new House members West and Walsh, and rid the House of longer term members Bachmann, King, and Ryan!

Joe Biden: The Major Jewel And Treasure Of The Obama Re-Election Campaign!

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Vice President Joe Biden is a true jewel, a true treasure, for the Barack Obama re-election campaign, and insures that we will have a second Obama term in the Presidency!

Critics point out that Joe Biden sometimes “puts his foot in his mouth” and makes comments that are embarrassing or awkward. The answer of this blogger is “so what?” as no one is perfect, and Biden has never harmed anyone, including Barack Obama, by his blunders, only at times embarrassing himself!

Joe Biden is a dedicated, highly experienced public official, who now has FORTY years in government, 36 as an outstanding Democratic Party United States Senator, and now four years as Vice President!

He knows foreign policy and constitutional matters in a way few do, as he was intimately involved as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee at crucial times in the past four decades.

He has been a very dedicated Vice President, very close to the President, and Obama himself has stated that Biden helped get the economic recovery program begun, and also helped to bring about the logistics to end the war in Iraq. He has given more advice to Obama than just these areas, has not always carried the day, but is highly valued for his expertise and wisdom.

Biden has added distinction and decency to the Vice Presidency, after the arrogant and scandalous Vice Presidency of Dick Cheney!

One could make the case that Biden has been more significant in a positive way to Barack Obama than any Vice President, and competes for influence with Al Gore under Bill Clinton and Walter Mondale under Jimmy Carter. Obama and Biden have great respect and affection for each other, which is also very important!

Biden gave a rousing, fantastic speech for the President at the Democratic National Convention, and he will matter more than anyone in the re-election campaign, as he has the ability to appeal to white blue collar workers, Catholics, labor, and women, due to his close association with these groups during his years in the Senate, and the reality that he is a rare politician, a truly genuine, sincere spokesmen for those who are not wealthy, and just want a fair shake in life!

The upcoming Biden-Paul Ryan Vice Presidential debate on October 11 will give the nation a clear cut image of a fighting Vice President who is nearing 70 years of age, but is still vital and alert and brilliant in his oratory and commitment, against a young 42 year old ideologue, who probably will come into the debate with a cockiness and arrogance and assumption that he will “win” the debate, despite his constant lying about his record on so many issues. Biden will teach Ryan to “respect his elders”, and show how dangerous it would be for the Wisconsin Republican Congressman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency!

And yes, Joe Biden is interested in seeking the Presidency in 2016, when he would hit the age of 74, and although there will be a long list of potential Democratic nominees a generation or more younger, don’t ever underestimate Joe Biden and his future, as he has often shown the ability to surprise people with his ability to overcome adversity in his life!

How Fortunate We Are To Have Barack Obama And Joe Biden Leading Our Nation In Difficult Times!

Ronald 2 Comments

Many people might feel that a political convention is just a lot of “hot air”, not worthy of one’s time!

Such a belief would be totally wrong, as the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, was a fantastic, thrilling experience!

The speeches of Barack Obama and Joe Biden were so exceptional in their confidence, assertiveness, honesty, and call upon the American people to recognize how much has been accomplished, and how this is not the time to go back to failed policies, because of disappointment that everything that was wrong four years ago has not fully succeeded.

There were elements of humor included, but a strong attack against the reality that Republican nominees Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan offered no details on the kind of America they were asking the American people to support!

The close relationship between Obama and Biden was made clear, and the reality that their relationship may very well be the closest and most effective we have seen, more than the Jimmy Carter-Walter Mondale or the Bill Clinton–Al Gore teams usually regarded as the most effective and trusting relationships before Obama and Biden.

It is easier to sleep knowing that we are fortunate to have these two men in charge of our government, and the essential need for them to gain another four year term in office!