Must Biden quit the Democratic Primary race?

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Should Joe Biden quit the race?   

Jo Biden...As if?

Jamil Smith of Rolling Stone contends that 2020 will end up being a fight to determine which side of racism will win the election. Will it be the white nationalist racist bigot Donald Trump, or the candidate on the left who truly believes that people of different colors can live happily together? Smith does not think Joe Biden is the latter and that he should drop out of the race now, although Biden seems to be garnering the black vote.

That last part doesn't make sense to me and Politico's Maya King substantiates that idea, but with additional input to Bernie Sanders recent growth in black American support...

"Joe Biden has amassed a staggering lead among older African Americans, commanding nearly two-thirds support of black voters 65 and older in the most recent Morning Consult poll. Bernie Sanders is the favorite of black millennials, though his margin with that group is much smaller. Among all black voters, Biden is leading Sanders, 41 percent to 20 percent."

The RollingStone article covers what it considers a multitude of gaffes by Biden on the racial issue after it trashes former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Smith started with a question on the coddling of Biden when he was attacked by Julian Castro...

"Treating the 76-year-old front-runner so delicately is arguably more insulting than questioning his mental fitness, especially considering the incumbent whom he is preparing to run against."

Joe Biden on no responsibility for 300 years ago... 

Could it come down to Joe Biden's meandering in a debate against the sheer lunacy in Donald Trump's rhetoric? In T-rump's state of deteriorating mental acuity, who knows where he'll be by the time they face each other. The Oval Office lunatic might even be in a strait jacket by then. The one thing that is clear is that Trump's racial bigotry will have to be faced head-on, and just hope that this country has not stooped so low as to fully support this ideology.

Linsey Davis, an African American from ABC, asked Biden about his "alarming 1975 comments on school segregation," which were...

“I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather, I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.”

Another Biden racist gaffe...

Biden said that "teacher raises are the first step to undoing the legacy of slavery," then rambled on with this...

"Number two, make sure that we bring in to help the teachers deal with the problems that come from home. The problems that come from home, we need — we have one school psychologist for every 1,500 kids in America today. It’s crazy.

 "The teachers are — I’m married to a teacher. My deceased wife is a teacher. They have every problem coming to them. We have — make sure that every single child does, in fact, have 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds go to school. School. Not daycare. School. We bring social workers into homes and parents to help them deal with how to raise their children.

"It’s not that they don’t want to help. They don’t — they don’t know quite what to do. Play the radio, make sure the television — excuse me, make sure you have the record player on at night, the — the — make sure that kids hear words. A kid coming from a very poor school — a very poor background will hear 4 million words fewer spoken by the time they get there."

Jamil Smith exclaimed with some shadowed doubt that this is the front-runner of the Democratic Party, talking as if this should be a surprise. My take is that Joe Biden has absolutely nothing for Progressives so it's on to Bernie and Warren as far as I am concerned. There's more and this article is well worth the read.

Can we wait to deal with Donald Trump mental illness until 2020?

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Just how mentally ill is Donald Trump? 

YES YES YES

How many times have you heard similar headlines? "Trump Is Not Well." This is from the latest coverage by The Atlantic magazine. There is actually not much in the piece we haven't heard but it is the thorough comprehensive approach used by Peter Wehner, a Republican who has worked for Ronald Reagan and both H.W. and G.W. Bush. He opposed Donald Trump in 2016 for several reasons...  

"first, I think he is temperamentally unfit to be president. I think he’s erratic, I think he’s unprincipled, I think he’s unstable, and I think that he has a personality disorder; I think he’s obsessive. And at the end of the day, having served in the White House for seven years in three administrations and worked for three presidents, one closely, and read a lot of history, I think the main requirement for president of the United States … is temperament, and disposition … whether you have wisdom and judgment and prudence.”

Whew! That pretty much nails Donald Trump to the wall, with comparisons to past presidents who may have had their faults but stood eons taller than T-rump. Wehner continues...

"Donald Trump’s disordered personality—his unhealthy patterns of thinking, functioning, and behaving—has become the defining characteristic of his presidency. It manifests itself in multiple ways: his extreme narcissism; his addiction to lying about things large and small, including his finances and bullying and silencing those who could expose them; his detachment from reality, including denying things he said even when there is video evidence to the contrary; his affinity for conspiracy theories; his demand for total loyalty from others while showing none to others; and his self-aggrandizement and petty cheating."

Dr. Lance Dodes on Trump mental illness...

In the above you can explore Peter Wehner's research on all the bizarre behavior coming from the Oval Office lunatic. "Trump Is Not Well" is a must read for anyone who wants to understand what's going on in the maniac mind that is running the most powerful nation in the world. There's more...

"It manifests itself in Trump’s impulsiveness and vindictiveness; his craving for adulation; his misogyny, predatory sexual behavior, and sexualization of his daughters; his open admiration for brutal dictators; his remorselessness; and his lack of empathy and sympathy, including attacking a family whose son died while fighting for this country, mocking a reporter with a disability, and ridiculing a former POW. (When asked about Trump’s feelings for his fellow human beings, Trump’s mentor, the notorious lawyer Roy Cohn, reportedly said, 'He pisses ice water.')"

And the tragic thing here is that there's not a damn thing we can do until he is elected out of office in 2020 with lowlife Mitch McConnell controlling the Senate and loving everything Trump does because that means Moscow Mitch can do anything he wants to do. As an Independent, I am afraid my confidence in the current state of the Democratic Party isn't such that I feel they, alone, could win the election. It will take Progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Yale's Dr. Brandy Lee on Trump's mental state...

Wehner uses the NOAA/Alabama fiasco as a recent example of Donald Trump's slippage. T-rump used his marking pen--something he turned into a campaign favor--to point out on a map that Dorian would probably impact the state of Alabama. The U.S. Weather Service said no way. NOAA disputed the Weather Service, then put out an order to never contradict Trump. First, that was blamed on Sec. Commerce Wilbur Ross.

But later it was thought to come from Trump's Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney. Finally, we learn the order to never question Donald Trump came from, you guessed it, Donald Trump himself. Wehner makes an interesting point, "It’s said that speculating on Trump’s mental health is inappropriate and unwise, especially for those who are not formally trained in the field of psychiatry or psychology." He qualifies that with obvious observations of Donald Trump's insane actions.

Of course, there is documented evidence of psychiatric evaluation of Trump, without the actual personal examination. This was done by Dr. Brandy Lee and her team from Yale University, plus other mental health professionals. The hands down conclusion was that Donald Trump is mentally challenged. Wehner concludes with...

"Whether or not his disorders are diagnosable, the president’s psychological flaws are all too apparent. They were alarming when he took the oath of office; they are worse now. Every day Donald Trump is president is a day of disgrace. And a day of danger."

Read this article. It is terrifying. 

Weekend news catch up

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 NEWS BYTES

The latest wrapped up for Progressives   

The poverty rate may be down but there are still millions that are poor, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We carry 5 dollar bills around in the car's compartment just for the homeless that are at most intersections where we live.

Polls in the Democratic Primary are pointing to a three-way split between Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. With all his problems, Biden is still a solid first. The Bern continues to show his resilience, tied at second with Warren.

Justice Sotomayor accuses the Supreme Court of showing favor toward the Trump administration. Her reference is to "the Court order that effectively locked nearly all Central American migrants out of the asylum process."

Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC speaks of some ominous revelation we can expect from former National Security Advisor John Bolton, after being belittled by Donald Trump. To that Bolton commented, "I will have my say in due course." O'Donnell says it "could destroy the Trump re-election campaign."

Salon says in 2020, "Gerrymandered maps are being struck down by courts across the country, and the 2018 midterm elections point to massive turnout in the next election." Democrats must be cautious over the corrupt Republicans that will do anything to win.

Additional confirmation of SCOTUS' favorability to the Trump administration. The move allows T-rump "to bar most asylum seekers at the southern border while a lawsuit over the rule makes its way through the courts."

"Trump's former ghostwriter Tony Schwartz [The Art of the Deal] says Trump discards staff like 'Kleenex filled with snot'" Business Insider uses John Bolton's recent departure from the White House, and Trump's subsequent unfavorable comments about him as just one illustration.

Jerry Falwell Jr. is a Trump supporter, so are we to assume this "supposed" religious leader is in favor of T-rump's womanizing and, yes, his lying. The eighth Commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” in short, it condemns lying. Apparently these people don't read the Bible.

Saturday News Bytes

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 NEWS BYTES

News you can use...   

Check your state's Dept. of Motor Vehicles and you will probably find that they are selling your personal information again, if they haven't been all along, There's a treasure trove there and junk mailers plus the business community in general thrive on this data.

The Koch brothers have always been very secretive because their political tactics are so underhanded that they fear exposure. One just passed away, David, but Charles has always been the mastermind. This article divulges the ‘secret history’ of the conservative empire.

Only a maniac like Donald Trump could come up with a gun control measure like this: "White House considers gun control plan that monitors phones of mentally ill." Not only is mental illness the primary cause of gun violence-too many guns on the street is--but the mentally ill most certainly have a right to privacy.

Now here is something Donald Trump said that needs no explanation other than the fact that this ego maniac is out of his mind: "Trump claims ‘there was nobody here’ in America 25 years ago so ‘they probably had cleaner water.’"

Apparently Donald Trump has been "grifting" on his Turnberry Resort for some time. As it turns out the "Air Force says it sent crews to Trump’s Scottish resort up to 40 times." And we knew this folks before the Oval Office maniac came to the White House.

North Carolina is one of the racist states in the country, as well as most corrupt when it comes to politics. Republican gerrymandering is rampant and now this:
"Secret files reveal how North Carolina Republican systematically stopped black people and students from voting." Where are the Progressives when you need them?

Input on who won-lost #3 Democratic debate

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 NEWS BYTES

My take...no winners, no losers... 

Sanders/Warren-Is there something we should know?

I watched the debate without any distractions and felt most of the contenders did a good job. No one was great. No one was lousy. When it was over, I frankly could not pick a winner or loser, unless you consider Joe Biden a winner and Julian Castro a loser for Castro's criticism of Biden's memory. The audience didn't like it and the pundits didn't like it. But to me it was meaningless, and, anyway, I questioned whether it was some kind of movement to bring Biden down.

Cody Fenwick in RawStory says the debates began "unfortunately" on the health care question and "failed to focus much on foreign policy." It is true that health care has been labored over repeatedly in past debates, but it is clear that, along with climate change, they could be leading issues in 2020 for both sides. Donald Trump has no foreign policy [only bizarre antics], so anything the Democrats do will be an improvement.

Debates were heavy on health care...

         
Since Fenwick's winners/losers did not even include a Bernie Sanders mention, I looked further and found that the Washington Post agrees with me, "The winner of the debate? Nobody." Molly Roberts mentioned Beto O'Rourke's mandatory buyback on assault rifles adding, "it’s too late for him." Then, Kamala Harris came on too strong too soon, as has been her approach in earlier debates. Roberts commented...

"Of course, candidates are going to take shots at one another, sometimes tinged with substance and sometimes all sound bite. Of course they’re going to “go on … twice over!” as Joe Biden complained. How else are they supposed to get noticed?

Julian Castro got noticed in his attack on Joe Biden's memory suggesting he might be a little old for 2020. Roberts thinks his intentions are for a vice president slot, of course, with another candidate. In a continued analysis...

"Did anything stick? We’ll see soon enough. Mostly, though, the evening seemed winnerless. Slightly longer answers offered slightly more substance; distinctions on policy points became more distinct still, especially when it came to health care. The debate wasn’t useless for America, but it might have been relatively useless in changing anything meaningful about the race. So congratulations to Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders."

Want to watch full debate?...

Look at the RealClear Politics polls and notice the drop offs that occur after Biden-Sanders-Warren. Kamala Harris dives a full ten points from Warren, Buttigieg 12 points, Yang almost 14, O'Rourke and Booker almost over 14, then it's 1.3 for Gabbard down to 0.7 for Bennet. In between are Klobuchar, Castro and Steyer; Tom Steyer has just qualified for the debates and think he should be heard. Otherwise, it is time to cull the candidate to focus on strength.

Right now the strength is definitely Joe Biden [26.8 on RCP], Bernie Sanders [17.3] and Elizabeth Warren [16.8]. But keep in mind Joe Biden was 41.4 back in May. Since hitting 26 territory the beginning of July, he has been pretty consistent with some up and down fluctuations. Kamala Harris, perhaps Pete Buttigieg might be able to make substantial gains, but that will have to be done fast, certainly before debate #4, Tuesday, October 15, and may extend to Wednesday, October 16.

As they say, it is time to fish or cut bait, the reckoning of who you want to be the next president. International Business Times says, "Biden Weathers Democratic Debate But Uncertainty Persists."...

"In extended exchanges that highlighted the party's ideological schism over health care and the cost of shifting to a government-run universal coverage system, Biden was often in the limelight, occasionally going on the offensive against rivals."

But is that good enough to beat Donald Trump? 

Thursday night's Democratic debate imposing

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Who won, who lost...you decide...  

If we could wrap all ten Democratic contenders from last night's debate in a neat package of two, we'd have great candidates for 2020. RealClear Politics defined it, "10 Candidates, 10 Strategies on Display." And there lies the diversity of the Party of the Left, with little animosity, unless you consider Julian Castro's attacks on Joe Biden. Castro said they weren't personal, and they weren't really attacks, rather strong disagreements.

Taking it from stage right, Amy Klobuchar, from Minnesota, who makes a lot of common sense, but only ranks 1.2 on the RealClear Politics polling. Her primary statement was, "if you feel stuck in the middle of the extremes in our politics and you are tired of the noise and the nonsense, you've got a home with me." She is definitely against Medicare for the Medicare for All proposals championed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Next, Corey Booker, talking about growing up in unsafe Newark, NJ neighborhoods, and definitely on the band wagon for more gun control, when asked by Dana Bash if Joe Biden is too old, replied definitely not. But, on the other hand, he was concerned about Biden's meandering, in the past and on that evening. In addition to gun violence, Booker reminded us of the problems with our water supply nationwide. He is 2.3 in RCP. 

Pete Butigieg talked about coming out, and will likely lend support for the LBGTQ community if elected. Butigieg had an earlier surge, and there was talk that he would at least come in as a potential vice-presidential candidate, but he has lost ground and comes in at only 4.8 on RCP. He made the statement, “This is why Presidential debates are becoming unwatchable,” referring to Castro's attack on Biden.

And then there's Bernie Sanders, who should be President of the United States today, but for a DNC unethical move by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is second on RCP with 17.3. There would be no Democratic Party today without the Bern, even considering his leftness, it is far more discernable than the politics of Nancy Pelosi/Chuck Schumer. Think Bernie was losing his voice last night, but only physically, since his political voice will live on forever.

Joe Biden was, well, Joe Biden, and thankfully no huge gaffes last night. Julian Castro said his challenge to Biden was not personal, but I wonder if there is some movement to unseat the former vice president from his number one position in the polls. Joe Biden is a solid 26.8, leading Bernie by almost 10 points. Biden is able to 'work across the aisle' as is described by many, but in my mind is too moderate for the new wave of Progressives he just doesn't understand.

CNBC says Elizabeth Warren is rising in the polls [16.8 RCP] due to a base "more intense than any other candidate." She, along with Bernie Sanders fought with Joe Biden on Medicare for all; Biden prefers to just improve on Obamacare. My gut tells me the pair will not sell MFA until they make it clear how it will be paid for, using actual numbers. It wouldn't bother me to get rid of health insurers, but that may be a hard sell. Warren still favors reigning in corporate America.

Kamala Harris was riding the high road for a while, but apparently hit a speed bump. Her primary thrust was and has been against Donald Trump, although following the debate she chided ABC for asking no questions about abortion and reproductive rights. She is fourth in the polls at 6.5 RCP, which has been a plateau for her recently. A body language expert said she was less passionate than other candidates in the first hour. Her big money supporters were watching.

Beto O'Rourke brought the audience to their feet with applause when condemning assault weapons and saying he is for a mandatory buyback law. He was criticized saying this would certainly help Republicans in 2020. I don't think so, and if I'm wrong the voting public is completely hopeless on gun control to save the lives of innocent Americans. You have to wonder if O'Rourke is a bit too early but a prime candidate for 2028? He is 2.8 on RCP.

Andrew Yang wants to save traditional retail and attacked Amazon to make his point. He also suggested a $1,000 monthly giveaway for an entire year to 10 American families, if you believe that you can solve your own problems better than any politician. This drew chuckles from other debaters, and one deemed the idea at least original. Later, he said he left the debate not “encouraged” for the Democrats’ future. He is 3.0 on RCP leading O'Rourke and Booker.

Finally, Julian Castro, already mentioned criticizing Joe Biden for his contradiction. Castro also attacked Biden for his references to former President Barack Obama throughout the primary campaign. This I don't understand since Biden was an integral part of the Obama administration. He is only 1.0 on RCP but at one time was considered an up and comer in the Democratic Party. This debate was no help

RealClear Politics poll rankings.

The chronicles of Moscow Mitch corruption

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 NEWS BYTES

Analyzing a corrupt Mitch McConnell a la Moscow Mitch  

Moscow Mitch: Money-power-corruption

The House hasn't yet given up on impeachment with 131 Democrats in favor. They need a majority of the House, 217 Democrats, plus independent Justin Amash. "Rep. Jerrold Nadler said an impeachment inquiry might begin in late fall, after hearings this month and next." The Daily Beast says there's a holdup because of "a faulty analysis of the politics of impeachment...

They’re still caught in the grips of myopic conventional wisdom about the way the whole thing would actually play out in a trial in the Senate.

Here's the scenario...

"Sen. Michael Bennet repeated the familiar argument that the Senate will not remove Trump from office. If the House impeaches him, Bennet said, Trump 'would be running saying that he had been acquitted by the United States Congress.'”

Julian Castro shot back: “If they don’t impeach him, he’s going to say, ‘You see? You see? The Democrats didn’t go after me on impeachment, and you know why? Because I didn’t do anything wrong.’”

"Conversely, Castro continued, if the House impeaches Trump, the public would conclude that 'his friend, Mitch McConnell, Moscow Mitch, let him off the hook.'”

The answer, dishonor "Trump by impeaching him, and blame McConnell when he is acquitted in the Senate." If this is done fast enough, it could lead to both T-rump and Moscow Mitch losing in 2020? The only other impeachment case, Bill Clinton, is not a good comparison, although it was during a Republican controlled Senate too. DB gives a good run-through that is worth reading, and of course there is a different SCOTUS Chief Justice, John Roberts.

Moscow Mitch blocking election security bill...

AlterNet says, "For most Democrats, beating Mitch McConnell in 2020 has become almost as important as defeating Donald Trump." Even non-Kentuckians probably feel this way about the tyrannical racist Moscow Mitch due to the way he has run the Senate as his own domain simply to thwart anything the Democrats try to accomplish. He has literally brought the U.S. Government to a standstill under his reign, starting with Barack Obama's administration.

Right now Moscow Mitch's approval ratings in his home state are 14%, and you wonder how anyone could win an election with numbers like that. Well, he did it in 2014 when he beat his challenger, Alison Lundgren Grimes, by over 15 points. Amy McGrath is running against McConnell in 2020 and you have to think, no matter how loyal these people are--a la Donald Trump supporters--they will too wake up and see what this moron is doing to our country.

Amy McGrath says Mitch McConnell must go...

The difference with Lundgren Grimes is that she was soft on everything Democrat like Obamacare, "even skirted answering a question about whether or not she had voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012." McGrath is coming on strong about just how bad Moscow Mitch has been for Kentucky and the country. As an example...

"McConnell blocked a measure that would have funded pensions and health care for coal miners in his home state of Kentucky, not long after steering almost the same Treasury Department funds to an aluminum plant linked to a Russian oligarch."

This is a clear connection between Mitch McConnell and the Russians, leading to more speculation he was involved with Vladimir Putin's hand in the 2016 elections to help Donald Trump win. Then you compound this with the fact that Moscow Mitch has fought and defeated all legislation to strengthen voting machine equipment across the country, and the charge that he is a Russian asset becomes the reality that it is.

We cannot afford another six years of the most corrupt politicians this country has ever experienced. Alongside Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell has brought the United States to the lowest point it has ever been, both domestically and internationally. But we can do something about both in just over a year, and if the current trend is any indication, the Democrats can expect the kind of results that will will rid us of the top two political scumbags.