Tag: Presidential Politics

Let’s Try This Stupidity Again

Back in the early days of the 2008 election a couple of guys wanted to build a new independent party (dammit!  I cannot recall what is was called)….their idea was to nominate a Dem and a Repub for a new independent ticket….it was a bomb and at best it was a political scam…..and now almost 20 years later another ‘well meaning’ billionaire has a ‘new’ idea.

Floridians aren’t getting John Morgan on the ballot—but he’s dangling six figures to rebrand their politics. The 70-year-old billionaire ended statewide speculation on Monday by announcing that he would not run for governor, reports Politico. However, Morgan does plan to launch a new state political party and will pay $100,000 to whoever comes up with its name. The contest rules will be laid out in the coming days. One that’s clear: Morgan can afford the reward: Forbes pegs his worth at $1.5 billion.

Morgan, who built the Morgan & Morgan injury law empire, has poured millions into successful ballot measures to raise Florida’s minimum wage and legalize marijuana, earning him the nickname “Pot Daddy.” The former Democrat, who is now registered as an Independent, previously flirted with gubernatorial runs in 2018 and 2024. In his Monday video, Morgan argued that “what ails us is the two-party system,” adding, “Most of us agree on most things, but if you put the D up and the R up, nothing ever gets done.”

Do not be fooled!  This is just another political scam by a billionaire that is hedging his vote in case Donny is shown the door.

Got It!  (Damn!  That took a lot of thinking on my poor brain)

This 2008 attempt was called Unit08

The political reform movement was founded as a non-profit organization by several political figures: Democrats Hamilton Jordan, Gerald Rafshoon, and Republican consultants Doug Bailey and Jim Jonas and the former two-term independent Maine Governor Angus King. Unity08 attempted to leverage online technology, such as secure voting, to allow American voters to determine the most crucial issues facing the country, discuss them with potential nominees, and participate in an online convention to nominate a bipartisan presidential ticket. In an interview that aired on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer in May 2006, Unity08’s founders said that the group was formed in response to the polarization between the Republican and Democratic political parties. The group also cited a poll it commissioned from Princeton Survey Research and claimed that 82 percent of Americans think that the two major political parties are unable to address the country’s problems and that 73 percent of Americans are in favor of alternatives to the two parties.

The group’s status as a non-profit organization came into question when they asked the Federal Election Commission whether the group could defer registering as a political action committee until after its candidates for the 2008 presidential election were named. A draft released by the commission in July 2006 concluded that “Unity08 must register as a policy committee and therefore is subject to the reporting requirements and limitations and prohibitions.”  In October 2006, the commission voted on the matter and declared that the group must register as a political action committee.

It stated goals were….

Unity08 had four major goals:

  • Enable Americans to rank America’s most crucial issues.
  • Empower Americans to draft or evaluate Unity08 candidates and actively engage them in debate about the crucial issues.
  • Empower Americans to nominate a bipartisan Unity ticket via an online convention and secure voting process.
  • Elect the Unity08 presidential ticket to national office.

The Unity08 presidential ticket was to consist of two candidates that come from different political parties. This bipartisan team was to propose a bipartisan cabinet in an effort to end paralysis in government. Co-founder Doug Bailey explained “What we are trying to do is to create a forum for people who are in the middle who have been left out of politics.”

Here is what ‘liberal’ bloggers thought (that would be me)

Liberal bloggers also expressed frustration with Unity08 because they contend that the group promoted “establishment” centrist or center-right politicians in the molds of Joe Lieberman and Michael Bloomberg while at the same time doing little to promote the progressive values it would seemingly represent. Chris Bowers of the political blog MyDD called the group’s supporters “rich, center-right, ‘non-partisan‘ donors who trash progressives and never criticize conservatives in power,” and claimed that the movement has no grassroots support.  Other bloggers also criticized the heavy representation of lobbyists among the organization’s officers.

It failed….why?  Lack of funds for most people saw it for what it was a political scam.

Please do not fall prey to this overt bullshit by a some billionaire to hedge his vote.

I will vote for a third party but it will not be anyone of this caliber.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

What About That Third Term?

There has been way too much to do about Trump’s insistence that he is good for a third term as president…..recently in an interview on one of those propaganda sites that pretend to bring us the news he, Donny, said that he was not joking about a third term….or possibly longer.

President Trump told NBC News over the weekend he was “not joking” about considering a third term because a lot of people want him to do it. And when asked about the issue later aboard Air Force One, Trump added, “We have a long way to go before we even think about that, but I’ve had a lot of people (asking me).” So how serious is all this? A few takes:

  • “When Trump entertained questions on his plane about a third term, he had a faint smirk on his face, indicating that the idea hasn’t fully progressed from the joke phase into a plan of action,” writes Jonathan Chait at the Atlantic. “Trump has always understood questions about his abuses of power as a kind of compliment,” he adds. “The prospect of smashing imagined limits on his power gives him an obvious thrill. He is probing, exploring. And when he finds softness, as he so often does when he presses against a supposed boundary, he presses on.”
  • The right-wing site Twitchy is reveling in all this because of the widespread coverage of Trump’s comments in the mainstream media. These outlets “clearly cannot see when President Trump is having fun at their expense,” reads the post. “Because they are just that dumb.”
  • Pretty much every story takes note of the 22nd Amendment, which stipulates that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” But Trump told NBC there might be ways around that, and entertained Meet the Press host Kristen Welker’s idea of running as JD Vance’s vice president, then having Vance resign. For the record, constitutional scholars say that’s a no-go, per the BBC. “I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” says Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, referencing the 22nd Amendment as well.
  • As the debate continues on how serious Trump is about all this, his allies are busy. GOP Rep. Andy Ogles has proposed a change to the Constitution to make Trump eligible because of his non-consecutive terms, notes the New York Times, and Steve Bannon continues to trumpet the idea. Asked by NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo last month how they could get around the Constitution, Bannon said, “We’re working on it,” per Axios.

Personally I believe he is dead serious on his claim…..but for those that relish the idea here is a bit of facts for you….

Lets Look at the Constitution (remember that document?)

On the face of it, the US Constitution seems to rule out anyone having a third term. The 22nd Amendment states:

“No person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice, and no person who has held the office of president, or acted as president, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected president shall be elected to the office of the president more than once.”

Changing the constitution would require a two-thirds approval from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as approval from three-quarters of the country’s state-level governments.

Trump’s Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress but does not have the majorities needed. Additionally, the Democratic Party controls 18 of the 50 state legislatures.

But with all this constitutional law stuff just how could Donny pull this off?

With all this constitutional law stuff just how could Donny pull this off?

Trump supporters say there is a loophole in the constitution, untested in court.

They argue that the 22nd Amendment only explicitly bans someone being “elected” to more than two presidential terms – and says nothing of “succession”.

Under this theory, Trump could be the vice-presidential running-mate to another candidate – perhaps his own vice-president, JD Vance – in the 2028 election.

If they win, the candidate could be sworn into the White House and then immediately resign – letting Trump take over by succession.

Steve Bannon, the podcaster and prominent former Trump adviser, said he believed Trump would “run and win again”, adding there were “a couple of alternatives” in determining how.

Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican in the House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in January calling for a constitutional amendment to allow a president to serve up to three terms – as long as they were not consecutive.

This would mean that only Trump of all living presidents would be eligible – Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush all served consecutive terms, whereas Trump won in 2016, lost in 2020, and won again in 2024.

However, the high bar for constitutional amendments makes Ogles’ proposal a pipe dream – although it got people talking.

Legal scholars (I know how much most MAGA dolts hate those guys) have to say about the very idea.

Derek Muller, an election law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the Constitution’s 12th Amendment says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible to that of vice-president of the United States”.

That means serving two terms in office disqualifies anyone from running as a vice-presidential candidate, in his view.

“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” he said.

Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Boston’s Northeastern University, told CBS New there were “no credible legal arguments” for a third term.

It was the Congress that was so against the multiple terms of FDR that they added an amendment but now that some half-wit is their guy they have changed their tune.

All that said is there a loophole Donny can exploit?

The path for Trump to serve a third and potential fourth term as president until January 2037, at 90 years old, is a very real possibility.

It hinges solely on the interpretation of “election” in the 22nd Amendment and the loyalty of Vice President J.D. Vance.

The VP could choose to have Trump as his vice president in the 2028 election and, after winning the election, announce he resigns as soon as he’s sworn in.

This loophole also requires Trump to remain popular enough to win another two election cycles.  (probably not going to happen)

The text of the full 22nd Amendment reads: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”

It was ratified into the Constitution in 1951 and was a direct response to Franklin D. Roosevelt winning four consecutive elections during World War 2.

https://knewz.com/how-a-simple-constitution-loophole-could-doom-u-s-to-a-trump-presidency-until-2037/

I do not think that Donny will prevail in this pipe dream….but under his boot anything could be possible.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Praying For A Third Term

Most people know that Trump would love to have another shot at the presidency after this 4 years is up….and now a boot licker from Tennessee has tried to get the ball rolling….

The 22nd Amendment is pretty clear: “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” A GOP congressman from Tennessee, however, wants to tweak those numbers so that a president—Donald Trump, in particular—can run for a third term, reports the Hill.

  • Amendment: Rep. Andy Ogles, part of the House Freedom Caucus, introduced a constitutional amendment on Thursday that would allow a president to run for no more than three terms, with an addition that “no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice” (that last part says “more than once,” not “twice,” in the current incarnation of the 22nd).
  • Ogles’ take: Trump “has proven himself to be the only figure in modern history capable of reversing our nation’s decay and restoring America to greatness, and he must be given the time necessary to accomplish that goal,” Ogles says in a release. “This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs.”
  • Trump’s take: The president has previously said he wouldn’t push for a third term, though he “joked” about it with GOP lawmakers shortly after he won the 2024 election, telling them, per the Hill: “I suspect I won’t be running again, unless you do something. … Unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we have to just figure it out.'”
  • An Obama vs. Trump matchup? Don’t get too excited that former President Obama could then make a run for his own third term, as that’s not happening in Ogles’ proposal: He’s added in that a president can’t run again “after being elected to two consecutive terms,” meaning the remaining living ex-presidents—Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush—wouldn’t be eligible for Term No. 3.
  • Constitutional commotion: It’s not yet clear how constitutional “originalists” who’ve insisted that the Second Amendment can’t be adjusted for modern times in an effort to stem America’s gun violence would square Ogles’ plan to upend the 22nd Amendment, or Trump’s latest bid to nix birthright citizenship, which would essentially subvert the 14th Amendment.

So far I have seen nothing to show me t5hat the working people were nothing more than a tool for an election….I see no concern for their plight….

I this what the idiots voted for?

Wake up and smell the manure you are being fed.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Polls Are In

Daily we see the media report on the polling numbers….Trump ahead by 2%…..then Harris ahead by 4….and then the two candidates are in a dead heat in some swing states….and on and on….

These polls are never very accurate they are at best a snapshot of the day that are taken or even worse they are not accurate because people will say anything to get off the phone.

I have never made my decision on who to vote for by poll numbers and neither should anyone else.

The commercials seem wall-to-wall, the media coverage is intense, and the pressure—not just on the presidential candidates—is building. And the nation has more than three weeks of this left. Ezra Klein suggests one way Americans can ease their stress is by ignoring the polls. They’re not going to tell us which candidate will win anyway, Klein writes in an opinion piece in the New York Times. The polls could be more accurate than they have been in the past couple of elections and still be off by 2 percentage points in battleground states. “That would be consistent with Harris winning every swing state,” Klein writes. “It would also be consistent with Trump winning every swing state.”

That’s not overstating the indecision in the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump race, Klein says, pointing out that Nate Silver’s model calls the most likely result “Harris sweeping all seven swing states. And the next most likely is Trump sweeping all seven.” Pollsters are taking steps to avoid the mistakes in previous elections, but there are problems with those measures, too. There are undecided voters even now, and there are voters who have decided but won’t cast ballots. Events that appear to be major losses or victories for Trump or Harris barely budge them in polls. America will have its answer soon, but Klein says it won’t come from the polls.

Klein’s column can be found here.

Please look over the candidate and vote for the one that best describes what you want for this country….polls are just numbers that can be tweaked to say whatever it is the pollsters want them to say…..so it depends on who is asking the questions.

Vote for the best person that will serve the US….not a bunch of worthless numbers and stats.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2024–Is This Good News?

Most of this year the news from the election front has been really bad, that from the point of view of a Dem, that is, Biden was polling horrible especially after the dismal debate performance then the Dems turn against him and forced him to drop out at this late stage of the game….then the focus on the GOP side was on the Heritage tome, Project 2025, that most see as some form of authoritarianism….the news just kept getting bad….

Then a glimmer of good news came out….voter registration was up….

The group behind a popular get-out-the-vote technology platform said Friday that it’s registered more than 100,000 new U.S. voters since President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race, a surge that came amid mounting Republican efforts to make it harder to register and vote.

Vote.org said that 84% of voters registered in the new wave are under age 35. Nearly 1 in 5 new registrees is 18 years old. Andrea Hailey, the group’s CEO, said that “since 2020, we have led the largest voter registration drive in U.S. history,” with more than 7.8 million people registered.

After dropping out, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to face former Republican President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) in the November election. The new presumptive Democratic candidate has already earned endorsements from many Democrats in Congress and groups advocating on issues including climate, labor, and reproductive rights.

Vote.org’s success comes as Republicans at the federal level are proposing and passing legislation creating obstacles to the ballot box.

Earlier this month, U.S. House Republicans passed Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-Texas) Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of American citizenship to vote in federal elections. Republicans claim the bill is meant to fix the virtually nonexistent “problem” of noncitizen voter fraud.

However, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) slammed the bill as a “xenophobic attack” meant to silence “Black voices, brown voices, LBGTQIA+ voices, [and] young voices.”

Lee said the SAVE Act underscores the need to pass her recently introduced Right to Vote Act, “which would establish the first-ever affirmative federal voting rights guarantee, ensuring every citizen may exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/u-s-voter-registration

This indeed does sound like good news….there is always a ‘but’….

Those thousands of new voters that were registered is NO guarantee that they will get off their butts and actually vote.

In a country where less that half of the registered votes actually vote this is not all that positive in my book….I hope I am wrong….and we shall see….

Let’s not forget the words of the Lord High Master of the Right…..

During a recent campaign rally, former President Donald Trump appeared to suggest that voting in elections will be a thing of the past if he gets a second term in office.

The 45th president of the United States made the remarks while addressing a crowd of evangelical supporters at the Turning Point Action summit in West Palm Beach, Florida. After former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson introduced Trump, he launched into a speech that culminated with him calling on evangelicals to vote for him. The former president insinuated that 2024 would be the last election they would have to participate in because society would be “fixed.

“And again, Christians: Get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore,” he said. “In four years you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not gonna have to vote.”

https://www.alternet.org/trump-supporters-vote/

Do you think this will make a big difference?

Is that what you want?   Never to have to vote again?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Harris: A Look Forward

Harris will most likely be the Dem nominee unless there is some amazing theatrics at the convention (I can only hope it would be interesting)…..so now is the time to see what is happening in Kamala’s world…..

As long as ‘Uncle Joe’ stayed in the race donors were pulling back….and now that he has bowed out how does the bribe money look for the Dem candidate?

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign says it raised a stunning $81 million in the 24 hours after President Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed her. The Harris campaign says it is the largest 24-hour fundraising haul in the history of presidential elections, CBS News reports. According to the campaign, more than 888,000 donors were involved and 60% of them were making a donation for the first time in this election cycle.

Democratic donors opened their wallets after President Biden closed the door on his reelection bid. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign says she raised more than $50 million in less than 24 hours after Biden quit the race and endorsed her, the New York Times reports. The ActBlue donation-processing portal says that around $50 million in donations for Harris received by 5am Eastern were part of a larger haul of more than $80 million for Democratic candidates after Biden’s announcement.

How nice eager interests buying the person who can do the most for them.

If she is the nominee how will she handle the Trump machine?

Will she attack or be the typical Dem?

As Kamala Harris consolidates her position to be the Democratic nominee in quick fashion, strategists in both parties already are feeling out what a race between the vice president and Donald Trump might look like. Coverage:

  • Three words: A story at CNN based on interviews with more than a dozen Harris advisers and allies suggests the VP’s strategy could be summed up succinctly as “prosecutor versus felon.” Harris served as San Francisco’s district attorney before becoming a senator, and she played up the “prosecutor for president” angle in her own 2020 run.
  • Six words: In an appearance on the Morning Joe show, former Obama adviser David Plouffe suggested a campaign message that struck the same chord with three extra words: “She’s a prosecutor. He’s a criminal.” Plouffe also suggested a Harris campaign could immediately flip the he’s-too-old card on Trump, who would be the oldest candidate ever nominated, per Mediaite.
  • Against Harris: The Trump campaign and allied super PACs will attempt to tie Harris to high inflation and unpopular border policies, reports the Wall Street Journal. A video on the latter already is out. Republicans also are playing up the narrative that Harris misled the public about Biden’s fitness to serve. A video on that is out as well, tagged, “Kamala was in on it.” Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been among the prominent Republicans pushing that narrative. “The number one question that she’s going to have to answer now is, why did she lie to the American public?” McCarthy said on Fox.
  • Against Harris, II: A post at Popular Information has more details on the expected lines of attack against the vice president.
  • As a prosecutor: The Trump team will be scouring Harris’ record as district attorney for attack points, but it’s complicated. As the Washington Post notes, she was criticized by Democrats in her 2020 race—amid the fallout from the George Floyd killing and Black Lives Matters protests—for her “tough-on-crime” policies. In 2024, however, a tough-on-crime message might resonate more against an opponent who happens to be a “convicted felon,” per the Post. Her prosecutorial skill of understanding both sides of an argument in order to “unpack” it for a jury should help her as well, an ally says.

Attack, attack!  But will it be enough?  Keep in mind she will be dealing with a proven dick and liar and a con man partner.

News came out as I was writing this draft that Harris has the ‘votes’ she needs to secure the nomination….

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an AP survey, as top Democrats rallied to her in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to drop his bid for reelection. Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California. By Monday night, Harris had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot, according to the AP tally. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP, and no major Democrat has announced plans to challenge Harris.

The AP tally is based on interviews with individual delegates, public statements from state parties, many of which have announced that their delegations are supporting Harris en masse, and public statements and endorsements from individual delegates. Still, the AP is not calling Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because the convention delegates are still free to vote for the candidate of their choice at the convention in August or if Democrats go through with a virtual roll call ahead of that gathering in Chicago.

Indeed, despite Harris being overwhelmingly favored, the Democratic Party plans to push forward with a virtual roll call, the rules of which will be approved at a convention rules committee meeting Wednesday. But the AP saw a draft, which indicates Harris, and any other potential Democrat willing to challenge her, will be required to submit 300 electronic signatures from convention delegates, not more than 50 of whom can be from the same state. The vice president, and any other candidate qualifying, would then have a few days to lobby delegates for their support before a virtual vote is held, possibly as soon as Aug. 1. Multiple rounds could be required, but the process would be completed no later than Aug. 7—or 12 days before the party’s convention begins.

I am a international relations voter and Kamala’s record here is spotty and dismal in my opinion.

Since Gaza is on-going her blindness is typical of someone who has money shoved in their pocket by AIPAC.

Harris has been a staunch supporter of Israel for years. In 2017 she addressed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual conference and reminded attendees that the first resolution she co-sponsored as a senator was aimed at combating “anti-Israel bias” at the United Nations.

“Let me be clear about what I believe. I stand with Israel because of our shared values, which are so fundamental to the founding of both our nations,” she told the crowd.

“The vast majority of people understand the importance of the State of Israel,” she added later. “Both in terms of its history and its present in terms of being a source of inspiration on so many issues, which I hope we will talk about, and also what it means in terms of the values of the United States and those values that are shared values with Israel, and the importance of fighting to make sure that we protect and respect a friend, one of the best friends we could possibly have.”

That is a paid endorsement.

Nothing about what Israel is doing is a shared principle of the US and especially the Founders.

But people want me to disregard everything I believe in and hold my nose and vote for someone that would not represent anything I hold dear.

That is the question I must answer for myself….and I will write about my decision.

Of course some Red State idiot has files articles of impeachment against Harris….

Kamala Harris is even more of a target now that she’s the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, so perhaps it’s not surprising that a House Republican on Tuesday filed articles of impeachment against her. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee added to articles already filed against the vice president, the Hill reports. His new article claims Harris “knowingly misled the people of the United States and the Congress of the United States, principally to obfuscate the physical and cognitive well-being of the President of the United States, Joe Biden.” He says she should be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, though Fox LA reports he did not give specific examples of alleged crimes. Forbes calls it a “political stunt” that is unlikely to have any impact.

The original article of impeachment, which has not gone anywhere after being introduced in June of last year, takes issue with Harris on immigration. It claims she “willfully and systematically refused to uphold the immigration laws, failed to control the border to the detriment of national security, compromised public safety, and violated the rule of law, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.” In a statement announcing his move, Ogles said Tuesday that Harris “has disgraced the Office of the Vice President and willfully disregarded her oath to uphold and defend the Constitution,” and says she should invoke the 25th amendment to remove Biden from office because he is “mentally and physically” unfit.

These idiots never get tired of playing games so they do not have to do any actual work…..and people vote for them…..amazing!

As a PSA I will write about her, Harris,  political side since she is pretty much an unknown factor as of right now….look for it.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Should He Go Or Should He Stay?

Since the debate a few days ago there has been a wealth of ink passed around on whether Biden should step aside or should he stay the course for November.

I have made my thoughts known….I think he should step aside but then I have never been a supporter of Biden so my thoughts are my own and in no way is acceptable to most people.

Biden has made it clear that no one is pushing him out….win or lose.

A flurry of new developments on the President Biden front:

  • New poll: A well-regarded poll has bad news for the president in the wake of last week’s debate, reports the Hill. The New York Times/Sienna College poll has Donald Trump up 49% to 43% among likely voters, up 3 percentage points from a week ago, before the debate. Among registered voters, his lead is even bigger, 8 points.
  • Defiant: In a call with all staffers on his campaign team, Biden sounded a defiant note Wednesday. “Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can and as simply and straightforward as I can: I am running,” he said, per CNN. “I’m the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one’s pushing me out.” Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday that Biden is “absolutely not” considering bowing out, adding that he “understands that it is fair for people to ask that question.”
  • Acknowledgment: Despite the show of bravado, both the New York Times and CNN report that Biden confided to an unnamed ally that the next week or so is critical in determining whether he can stay in the race. It’s seen as the first acknowledgement by Biden to surface publicly that he might not be the nominee. Biden has an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Friday, in addition to campaign stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
  • High-profile lunch: Biden ate lunch with Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, who is seen as the top contender to replace him as nominee should he drop out. Jean-Pierre cautioned against reading too much into that, reports the BBC, saying they regularly have lunch.
  • Another dent: The editorial page of the Boston Globe called on Biden to leave the race, notes Politico. It’s the latest big newspaper to do so, with the New York Times also on that list.

He does not care what would be best for the country he just wants to keep the spot on the throne room.

Nate Silver, a person that looks at the numbers and trends thinks it is time to go….

“You don’t need another pundit telling you that [President] Biden should quit the race,” writes stats guru Nate Silver in the New York Times. Instead, Silver suggests Democrats listen to what the polls are saying—and they are saying Biden should quit the race, he writes. Silver isn’t talking about post-debate polls. He cites “remarkably consistent” data from polls showing that Democratic candidates for Congress in swing states outperform Biden, and Silver sees this as a “silver lining” for the party. “Voters in these polls like Democratic candidates for Congress just fine. More than fine, actually: It’s Mr. Biden who is the problem.” In short, Biden was in trouble before the debate—Silver had him with a 35% chance of winning—and now he’s in even deeper trouble.

What to do? Silver suggests Democrats stage a truncated nomination process, maybe with two or three debates coupled with straw polls across the country to give delegates at the convention enough information to pick a plausible substitute. (Silver personally would lean toward a swing-state winner such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.) But above all, Democrats must do something, he writes. “Poker players like me … understand the importance of working with incomplete information,” he writes. “And they understand that sometimes doing nothing is the riskiest plan of all.”

Read the full column.

Some good ideas but time is draw nigh and it will be too late to make any changes and still have any hope of winning in November.

Keep in mind that Silver projected Trump win in 2016 and Biden win in 2020….so he has a track record.

Something needs to change for Biden is looking weaker and weaker both in the polls and physically.  (One report says Biden’s lapses appear to have gotten worse in recent weeks.) 

Now there is a growing number of Dems that are looking at VP Harris in case Biden takes a powder….

President Biden’s bid to prove he should not withdraw from the 2024 race gets a major test Friday night when his interview with George Stephanopoulos airs on ABC. Simply put, it’s “the biggest interview of Joe Biden’s life,” as laid out by the Politico Playbook. Even if the president nails it, however, the talk of VP Kamala Harris replacing him as the nominee is in full throttle.

  • On Harris: A “widening group of leading party officials” already has moved beyond the question of whether Harris should replace Biden to who her running mate should be, reports CNN. For the record, the story mentions North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as in the top tier, with others including Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, JB Pritzker of Illinois, and Tim Walz of Minnesota.
  • The Shift: At New York magazine, Gabriel Debenedetti writes that “among Harris’s longtime donors, supportive professional Democrats, and friends, there is a growing sense of nervous anticipation alongside a hardening belief that her elevation to the top of the ticket is increasingly probable.” The story tracks how this shift occurred in the days after the debate. Harris herself and her closest aides have been careful to stay mum, even in an off-the-record sense, offering not “even any teeny, implicit hint of receptiveness.”
  • Trump: Axios (which previously laid out why Harris would be the near-certain replacement to Biden should he withdraw) looks ahead to how Donald Trump would go after her. “He’d argue Harris is too liberal, too hostile to business and secure borders, and too inexperienced, weak and phony to be president,” per the analysis. On the other hand, her relatively young age of 59 would flip the narrative of which party has a president too old to assume office.
  • Blunder? In the Atlantic, Elaina Plott Calabro takes Biden and the White House to task for a broken promise. What’s happening now “is precisely the sort of moment that the 81-year-old Biden had once professed to anticipate, or at the very least to be ready for: when, after assessing soberly the diminishing returns of his leadership, he would stand aside for a new generation,” she writes. “But if you believe Biden ever took seriously that it could come to this, that he would be pressured to cede his party’s leadership to her, then I have a bridge to sell you in Wilmington.” In the end, Biden’s best promotion of Harris was an “inadvertent” one—his disastrous debate performance.
  • Donors: In a story not explicitly pegged to Harris, the New York Times reports that “many wealthy Democratic donors” have begun waging their own efforts to pressure Biden to withdraw. Some are threatening to withhold future contributions unless Biden steps down—including a Disney heir—and others are planning to direct their money to down-ballot candidates should he remain in the race. The moves “expose a remarkable and growing rift between the party’s contributor class and its standard-bearer,” per the Times.

I am not a fan of Harris so my thought is that it would be a mistake to run Harris….might as well stick with Biden.

The clock is ticking on a decision….one way or the other.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

The Debate Of A Lifetime?

Last night the worse possible thing for TV was the debate between Biden and Trump…..billed as an ‘anticipated moment’ left me a bit flat and a bit giggly…..it has been thrown around that it is a pivotal moment in history….can’t see that either.

Plus some said this debate could have been the ‘most consequential’ in history….not once did I consider that option…..and whoever made that statement was smoking crack.

I said early on that it would be a clown show….and I was not disappointed.

The reports are in….shall we dive in?

The short analysis….Trump lied….Biden stumbled.

So you want more?

First let me say that the idea of asking about UFOs did not make the cut  (thank god)

Early on the debate became chaotic….Biden looking out of sorts….

—the first-ever debate between a sitting president and a former president. The first question of the night for President Biden and former President Trump centered on the economy, but another early focus has been on stumbles made during the debate by Biden:

  • “Things were in chaos,” Biden said of the state of the economy he inherited by Trump, per the New York Times. The president blamed his predecessor for contributing to that by mismanaging the pandemic. “All he said was, ‘It’s not that serious, just inject a little bleach in your arm.'”
  • Trump rejected all of the above, declaring that he created “the greatest economy that we’d ever seen,” per CNN. And he hit Biden on a crucial point in the eyes of voters: “Inflation is killing our country.”
  • In an another early question, Biden “appeared to just lose his train of thought, concluding (incongruously) with, ‘We finally beat Medicare,'” writes Reid J. Epstein at the New York Times. Trump quickly took advantage: “He did beat Medicare—he beat it to death.” Biden likely meant to say, “We finally beat pharma,” notes the Washington Post.
  • Quick analysis on that: “Not only was that a tough moment—and the kind of moment Biden’s allies feared—it also teed up Trump to go on offense on Medicare,” writes Phil Mattingly at CNN. “That’s an issue Democrats always view as their advantage. Trump just grabbed it from Biden.”
  • On that front, Cleve R. Wootson Jr. of the Washington Post noted, even before the Medicare moment: “In these early moments, how Biden is talking seems to matter as much as what he is saying. His voice is a little raspy, even strained. Voters routinely, without prompting, bring up concerns about his age. I don’t know if he’s assuaging those concerns.” Colleague Josh Dawsey adds: “It’s hard to follow exactly what Biden is talking about on some of these answers on abortion and immigration.”
  • About 20 minutes in, Trump said of Biden after an immigration answer: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence,” per Politico. “I don’t think he knows what he said either.”

Then of course the attacks got all personal…..

  • Biden: “The only person on the stage that is a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said. This came after Trump called Hunter Biden, the president’s son, a “convicted felon,” notes the Washington Post.
  • Trump: “Joe could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office.”

Then the age old (no pun intended) question of age was thrown at them….

Biden: Moderator Dana Bash of CNN pointed out to Biden that he would be 86 at the end of his second term and asked him how he would reassure voters worried about his age. Biden began by joking that he was for much of his political career considered young in comparison to his political peers. He then talked about his accomplishments as president as proof he can do the job. “I’m not sure this Biden answer is helpful when it comes to concerns about his age,” writes Abby Phillip at CNN.

Trump: The former president would be 82 at the end of his term, and he was asked the same question about worried voters. “I took two cognitive tests—I aced them,” Trump said, challenging Biden to do the same, per the New York Times. He added, “I just won two club championships, not even senior. To do that, you have to be quite smart, and you have to hit the ball a long way.”

Golf handicaps? Biden suggested Trump has lied about his weight. “Take a look at what he is,” he said, adding, “I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him.” The two then argued a bit about their golf handicaps. “Let’s not act like children,'” Trump said. Biden shot back, “You are a child.”

This was when the silly reared its ugly head.

My favorite part of this whole night was the question about election results…

One of the last questions put to former President Trump during Thursday’s debate was on whether he will accept the results of the 2024 election even if he loses. He declined to make that pledge unequivocally:

  • Dana Bash: “Will you pledge tonight that once all legal challenges have been exhausted, that you will accept the results of this election, regardless of who wins?” asked the co-moderator, per the Guardian. “And you will say right now that political violence in any form is unacceptable?”
  • Trump: “Well, I shouldn’t have to say that, but of course, I believe that it’s totally unacceptable,” said the former president, focusing on the notion of political violence.
  • Trump II: “But the answer is, if the election is fair, free, and I want that more than anybody—and I’ll tell you something, I wish he was a great president, because I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be at one of my many places, enjoying myself.” He then began a critique of Biden, accusing him of putting the US on a path toward war.
  • Trump III: The third time Bash pressed him for a direct answer on accepting the results, Trump said: “If it’s a fair and legal and good election, absolutely.” As the New York Times notes, however, Trump already has begun accusing the Democrats of fraud.
  • Biden: The president pointed out that Trump’s 2020 fraud claims have been rejected by the courts, per Politico. “I doubt you’ll accept it,” Biden said of the 2024 results, “because you’re such a whiner.”

This was more interesting than I had originally thought….but the viewers learned nothing other than the days of quality candidates has long slipped away.

This was a slap fight of two old geezers trying to look important….and they failed.

You want winners and losers?

Winners….not a goddamn person.

Losers….Two old farts, CNN, and especially anyone interested in our country…..I weep for the nation and its people.

Dems are in a panic after a dismal night for their candidate….

Politico uses the term “freaking out” to describe how Democrats are reacting to President Biden’s debate performance Thursday night, and that seems to be a near-universal take when following analysis of the first presidential debate of the 2024 election:

  • “Toast.” Politico was texting with Democratic operatives and activists during the debate, and one—the co-chair of Martin O’Malley’s 2016 presidential campaign in New Hampshire—said, “Biden is toast—calling it now.” Another said, “Time for an open convention.”
  • Biden’s health: At least two Democrats familiar with Biden’s condition said the president has a cold, which would explain his raspy voice and, perhaps, the seemingly confused nature of some of his answers.
  • Even so: On MSNBC, Joy Reid said that despite the president’s cold, the Democratic campaign operatives she was texting with throughout the debate had a reaction she described as “somewhere approaching panic,” noting that Biden actually performed worse than some had expected. Watch it in our gallery or here.
  • “An embarrassment.” On NewsNation, Chris Cuomo said Biden, Donald Trump, and the entire debate are all an “embarrassment” to America. However, he warned an open Democratic convention would be “chaos,” and suggested no Democrat is going to attempt to force Biden to take himself out of contention unless the president agrees.
  • “Personally painful.” That’s what Van Jones said it was like to watch Biden’s performance, and he said, per the Daily Caller, “we’re still far from our convention and there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward if he will allow us to do that.”
  • “I’ve seen enough.” That was Nicholas Kristof’s take in a piece at the New York Times. “We see the world through narratives, and one of the narratives about Biden is that he is too old. His performance reinforced that narrative when he needed to shatter it. Biden, unable to puncture Trump’s repeated falsehoods, allowed a convicted felon to win the debate,” he writes. But he echoes others in saying that Biden will need to make the choice himself to step aside in order for it to have any shot at working.

No one was converted to the other side by either performance…..the only reason people watched was to see if the other guy screwed up….no minds were changed.

In a society that is ate up with youth and beauty and these are the best people to represent the country….it just baffles me.

Let the spin begin!

I am at a crossroad for my vote (a post is forthcoming).

Are the two most capable candidates….think long and hard on your vote.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Another Choice For November

We are pretty certain that Dems have their candidate for the 2024 election as well as the GOP….but there will be others on the fringes for everybody’s consideration.

Recently the Libertarian Party has announced their candidate in the upcoming competition….Chase Oliver will get the nod.

The Libertarians have chosen their 2024 nominee, and his name isn’t Trump or Kennedy. Instead, the party chose Chase Oliver—a former Democrat from Georgia who describes himself as “armed and gay,” reports the New York Times. Donald Trump, who spoke to the convention Saturday night and heard plenty of heckling, wasn’t an official candidate and received six write-in votes. In a Truth Social statement on Sunday, Trump said he didn’t file paperwork to be the third party’s nominee but could’ve won if he wished. (Stormy Daniels received one write-in vote.)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received a warmer reception than Trump when he spoke Friday, but the independent was eliminated in the first round of voting, per the Hill. Oliver got the nod after seven rounds of voting. “Rule No. 1: If you want to elect a real political outsider, don’t elect somebody with the last name Kennedy,” he said, per the Times. In regard to Trump and President Biden, Oliver added that younger voters “don’t want octogenarians running their lives.” The party won 1% of the vote in the 2020 election, notes the AP, which adds that it could play an outsize role in 2024 given how close the Biden-Trump matchup is expected to be.

My first question is….Trump is a shoo in for the GOP nomination then why was he trying hard for the Libertarian Party nomination?

At least RFK, Jr did not get the nod….he will have to be happy with an independent run.

I think the Libertarians could do well in November pulling disgruntled Repubs and even some centrist Dems….but will it be enough to help the odds?

Probably not and then anyone that votes Libertarian will have to suffer the accusations of helping elect the ‘other’ guy.

The first thing the Libertarians need to do is introduce the candidate because most of America has never heard of this guy and that could be a major setback in 2024.

Check them out.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s Grip Is Still Slipping

Most people seem to not give a crap how this election is going…..most have made up their minds or should I say resigned themselves to one way or another……they just shrug off all info in favor of some sort of epiphany that they have….

Biden is losing the voters that Dems have counted on for decades….the young, blacks and Hispanics….not a good sign at all…..

I wrote recently about Biden’s problem with the young voter……

More Crappy News For Biden

The most dependable bloc for Dems were blacks and Biden has successfully driven them away as well….all Biden’s antics to drive the political conversation away from the top stories of the day has fallen on deaf ears….unfortunately recent polls show Biden slipping into darkness.

President Biden is behind in most of the states that could decide the election, a new poll from the New York Times, Siena College, and the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests. Results in a head-to-head matchup in six states, all of which were won by Biden in 2020:

  • Pennsylvania: Trump 47, Biden 44
  • Arizona: Trump 49, Biden 42
  • Michigan: Trump 49, Biden 42
  • Georgia: Trump 49, Biden 39
  • Nevada: Trump 50, Biden 38
  • Wisconsin: Biden 47, Trump 45; the only swing state where Biden leads in this poll

Three key groups: The president’s numbers are lackluster among Black, young, and Hispanic voters. The two candidates are tied in the latter two categories, in contrast to Biden’s 60% pull in the last election, and while Biden has a big lead among Black voters, Trump’s 20% is relatively strong.

Inflation: A separate poll by the Financial Times hammers home how inflation in particular is damaging Biden—80% of voters list it as one of their biggest financial challenges. In this poll, 58% disapproved of Biden’s economic policies, up from 55% last month, and only 28% say Biden helped the economy.

May I suggest that people wake up and smell the manure in the races….if you ignore then all the bad predictions will indeed come to fruition…..and then you will have no one to blame but your lazy ass…..plus you will have 4 years of BS and corruption….I believe we have had enough of that so I continue to pay attention and write.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”