Several important people I’ve spoken with recently are convinced that Joe Biden will defeat Donald Trump in November. I think it’s too early to definitively call a winner. But, based upon the 2016 turn of events, and corresponding misreading of election polls, Biden prognosticators are likely to be disappointed.

Right now, it seems like the whole country is disgusted with Trump’s antics and anti-social perspectives. He has not backed off one iota personally. He continues to lie and exaggerate on most important issues and congratulates himself endlessly, even as problems continue and the pandemic persists.

Yet, more and more Trump antagonists are saying, if the president was not so obnoxious and self-aggrandizing, they would be lauding his performance. The fact is many Americans are ashamed to say that Trump is a better choice than Sleepy Joe, even though it’s probably true.

The president’s record regarding many important situations is pretty good. For instance, he has China and Russia on the ropes, having exposed horrible abuses and misbehavior on their part.

Even the president’s performance regarding the pandemic has been noteworthy. Unfortunately, he keeps exaggerating victories over the virus. Yet, he’s not to blame for the suffering and death that have taken place.

For 100 years, medical experts knew that future influenza threats were inevitable and dangerous, and they were existential in scope. A nuclear skirmish in one part of the world would not end mankind as we know it, but a super bug could potentially kill off the human race.

During the years since the 1919 pandemic, health experts asked for and received trillions of dollars of research money. But they were using too much of it towards many diseases that are not existential risks. Cancer research is critical, but to spend an inordinate amount to decrease this form of this disease is not more important than research to prevent another pandemic that could kill all of us.

Trump should not be blamed for the misappropriations of funds over the years. Also, Trump recruited the best minds to fight the coronavirus. Although he is making the calls about masks, distancing and logistics of the disease, medical experts are actually directing the president. Regrettably, our medical research gurus have let us down.

It’s popular to lay all the missteps on the president. I think a huge number of Americans appreciate that Trump was doing his best and implementing plans guided by his advisors. His demeanor implied something else, but his stance on opening the economy more rapidly and bringing the kids back to school are reasonable, even if you disagree with comments made on the subject.

The economy, the strongest part of Trump’s legacy, has persevered. The market is a great indicator of expectations for the future. Pessimists say the pandemic will last another year or so, but the stock market is saying otherwise. Sure, things will not be absolutely normal for a long period of time, but it seems to many that some forecasts are crazy negative. Even after 9/11, our country rallied, and all the dire predictions were overstated. If Americans in hot spots across the country follow simple rules pertaining to reining in the virus, the pandemic will subside.

Unfortunately, the reporting on the virus is not accurate. The mass media is so intent in defeating Trump that they misrepresent the truth. Most importantly is the reality that a large majority of deaths are among older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions. Young children, statistically, represent a microscopic number of deaths. Just like the measles, the bug attacks the weak and feeble. Young people are contracting the virus but very, very few are dying from it.

This misreporting is the backdrop for the decision to delay the opening of face to face teaching at the largest school districts in the country. The teachers’ unions are manipulating the decision makers politically. It’s a ploy to hurt Trump’s chances in November. Keeping the kids at home, keeping the parents from working, exaggerating the number of deaths among the young are all a means to an end, defeat Trump.

There are many silent Americans who are supporting Trump over Biden. They are not speaking up because it’s embarrassing to say you are a Trump proponent. This silent majority, just like in 2016, together with the rock-solid Trump bloc, will carry the president to victory. I’m not a supporter of the man and will not vote for him, but the reality is the reality.

And just a word on Biden. He is not mentally capable of being president. He continues to be a bumbling political hack whose only accomplishment after 50 years is that he was vice president to a substandard president.

America is approaching a critical moment in its history- a general election that includes the vote for president of the United States in the midst of a global health crisis. What precautions are government officials taking to ensure that the contest between Trump and Biden is fair, representative of the wishes of the electorate and open to all voters? And, will polling places be safe?

 

The state of affairs dealing with voting and counting ballots was in a dangerous state of flux even before the pandemic. The Russians have been interfering in our electoral process, and it seems that every election is challenged because the system is antiquated, and no one trusts the results.

 

I hasten to point out that the pandemic, and the widespread order to distance and avoid crowds, is only going to make the process that much more inefficient and undependable. American are already skeptical about a fair election. Do our current representatives appreciate this situation? I, for one, have seen little on the subject.

 

Many people will likely avoid polling places. They will crowded. Lines will be long. The importance of just one vote may seem to be unimportant compared to the present dangers of participating, but every person’s vote is critical to our democratic ideals.

 

We have been taught that the election of our leaders is one of our most important civil responsibilities. The people we elect have the power of the purse, and one man has the ability to instigate a nuclear war. We must strive to elect qualified people to manage our money and our foreign affairs.

 

The pandemic is probably going to decrease the number of voters that show up on election day. Generally, that means the Republicans have an edge. But, this election, in the minds of many, is a very important moment for America. Solving the pandemic problem, dealing with national deficits, responding to Russian and Chinese misbehavior, ensuring women’s rights and Black rights, and scores of other issues are on the table in this election cycle. And the most urgent objective of many Americans is to end the Donald Trump masquerade as the most powerful person in the world.

 

What’s going to happen on election day? Will it represent the true feelings of the majority of the citizens, probably not? Will the vote be an uncontested mandate for the winner, probably not? Will enough people vote to make the election a clear statement of how Americans want their country to be governed, maybe?

 

What if the election is chaotic and inconclusive because of light voter turnout, greatly impacted by the pandemic? Will people not vote because they are frightened about contracting the virus? Have any of our leaders and lawmakers considered the issues that will surround an election in November, long lines and extended periods of waiting? Exposure to disease?

 

The time is right to encourage absentee ballots on a widespread basis. It’s easy to vote in this manner, and there are no health risks. Our government should be encouraged to change the system from waiting for hours on a line to a simple mail in process. Maybe then we will have a fair election, a significant majority of voters will show up to cast a ballot and the most qualified people will win. And most important, nobody will get sick in the process.

 

The New York Times published a piece yesterday, reminiscing about Barack Obama’s many achievements and what he might do to help Joe Biden.

It’s unclear to me why the article was written because, in my humble opinion, the president was a dismal failure for his constituents and for all of America. Clearly, the authors miss the good old days when Obama was mismanaging the White House.

Usually there’s minimal blowback as liberals forget about the bad and emphasize the good about the 44^th president. But even still, the “good” moments of the former president were complete disasters and set the stage for the revenge of Donald Trump. You may ask yourself, how was it possible for a total neophyte (Trump), a universally despised person, to become president? Obama set the stage along with Hillary Clinton for four of the worst years in American politics.

No doubt about it, Obama and Trump hate each other. It’s clear that they are not sending holiday cards to each other. Why is it so surprising that a new president representing a different party is intent on undoing the missteps of his predecessor? In the case of Obama, he convinced liberals that his terrible policies would be beneficial to America. Let’s address some of them for the umpteenth time.

Obamacare is a misguided entitlement that was enacted at the wrong time. The system was poorly conceived, too expensive, too difficult to use and was based upon an unconstitutional mandate that robbed young people to pay for the old.

You may not agree that Obamacare nearly bankrupted the nation in conjunction with all the other ill-conceived social giveaways, but it’s true. Obama was inexperienced. His efforts in ramming a multi-trillion dollar entitlement down the throats of the opposition party set the stage for Democrats to lose a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Let’s put it this way, Obama masterminded the proposal and his administration was then relegated to mandated governance. He was unable to enact any significant new legislation, which paved the way for Republicans to retake the government.

The other bone-headed initiative that created an existential threat to our country was the Iran nuclear deal. The agreement did not prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power. It only delayed it for a short period of time. And why would any savvy politician trust the Iranian regime to abide by any agreement? Why would any world leader think that Iran would not use its newfound atomic capability to threaten and intimidate all of its enemies in the Middle East? The deal is a “bomb,” literally and figuratively.

Trump determined the deal was a gift to Iran and abrogated it when he came to power. For economic and political reasons, the other parties to the agreement continue to support Iran. This is another mystery. But then again, China seems to be comfortable with North Korea wielding nuclear weapons at its doorstep.

Obama’s foreign policies were considered empty after he backed down against Syria and Assad. The president drew a line in the sand and Syria crossed it without any real repercussions. In fact, Obama’s mishandling of the situation created a stronger Syria (and Assad) with the support of Russia and Iran.

These are only some of the reasons why many people are not sad that Obama has been relegated to playing golf, writing a book for many millions and being stingy with his support of fellow Democrats. To his credit, he tried to not criticize Trump. But that was impossible to do.

Democrats are in a difficult position going into the final stages of the presidential campaign. Obama has been quiet because he knows that being dragged into the fray will divert him from working on his crappy legacy and making hundreds of millions of dollars in book royalties and speaking fees.

The growing power of Joe Biden, greatly enhanced by the missteps of Trump, and certainly not his oratory skills or his knowledge of current events, has forced Obama to make a move to interfere in the election. But do you recall that a serious number of voters were bamboozled by the Obama administration? Millennials and blacks, two of his biggest constituencies, lost ground during the Obama years and the economy did poorly economically. What does Obama bring to the table? Not much more than Hillary Clinton.

Barack Obama is going to attempt to deliver the killing blow that will get Trump out of office. Will he be successful? Can Biden win without enthusiastic support from Obama? Will Americans really vote for Biden? I’m not sure.

It must be horrible to be one of the most despised people in the world. For more than four years, Trump has been the prime target of every progressive person in America. It appears that even fellow conservatives are now prepared to throw him under the bus. The only thing Trump has going for him is that his opponent for the presidency is almost as pathetic as he is.

What kind of commander-in-chief has cabinet officials and aides that criticize him publicly? What president has had to deal with illegal leaks daily that involve national security issues? What president has ever openly boasted about his misogynistic adventures? What president has ever made up insulting nicknames for the politicians and world leaders he despises? What president has ever been so self-centered, so self-aggrandizing and so overly confident that he ignores expert advice and acts exclusively on his own gut feelings?

The answer to these questions is there has never been anyone like Donald Trump. Everyone wants to take the man down. Why does he put up with this crap? He allows his Secretary of State and other aides to contradict him. He attempted to fire an Attorney General, and the man refused to leave his office (Trump then fired him). John Bolton, the former National Security Advisor with the biggest mouth in Washington, flat out says Trump is a menace and could single handedly set back the world. Trolls allegedly absconded tickets for a Trump rally in Tulsa over the weekend. Many didn’t show up purposefully, so it appeared that the president was unable to fill the stadium. And it goes on and on.

What force keeps him in office? Why would he run for president again? Supposedly, he’s a billionaire. He thinks any beautiful woman is fair game. With his hair do, I’m not sure it’s true. Why doesn’t he tell America, “I had a great time busting your chops. I really didn’t mean it. I’m quitting now. Adios.”

It would be interesting to see who would take Trump’s place on the ticket. Perhaps Mike Pence. We would then have and even more horrible choice for president. Imagine Biden versus Pence. Spare me. No one would tune into the debates. Too boring.

I don’t know what kind of person thrives on 24-hour, seven day a week criticism and personal insults. Alec Baldwin’s portrayals on SNL would be enough to drive most any politician from office. They are so degrading (and funny).

I don’t know what’s going to happen. Will the pandemic go away? Will protesters orchestrate a violent civil revolution? Will our enemies continue to laugh at our president behind his back? Who will win in November? Trump, of course, when the economy rebounds, and after Joe Biden convinces the electorate that he is the most incompetent man ever to run for president.

What initiatives will Bernie Sanders espouse if he defeats Joe Biden in the primaries and wins the general election against Donald Trump?

His principle objectives will include decreasing income inequality, significantly reducing US engagement in overseas military operations, opening our borders, providing free health care to every citizen and illegal aliens, extinguishing student loans, emasculating large corporations and banks and decreasing police forces around the country.

The reduction of income inequality will be one of Sanders’ most immediate ambitions. In one generation, Sanders will try to decrease the compensation of the most innovative and brightest among us. Supposedly, this action will result in more for middle class and poor Americans. We will see the end of US technological superiority, as no one will be incentivized to be “more” creative. Additionally, the profitability of high tech companies will nose dive, paving the way for layoffs and other reductions of the work force. And, individuals with high net worths will be subjected to a wealth tax, which will retroactively steal money earned in the past. In summary, America will experience a gigantic effort to redistribute wealth at the expense of one economic class.

Sanders will stifle military engagement overseas including those that are meant to fight off terrorism, human rights violations and imperialistic regimes. Middle East hotspots such as Afghanistan, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran will foment new organizations that want to recreate another 9/11 attack. Military responses to human rights violations will not happen exposing million of individuals to genocide and religious discrimination. This type of intervention is among the most honorable of all actions, yet, the new president will not endorse them.

Our borders will be even more porous under a Sanders administration. New illegal immigration will be re-characterized as legal, as I.C.E. and other border protection agencies are disbanded. The objective would be to encourage more poor people to come to the US to increase the number of liberal voters. This would effectively change the distribution of voters throughout the country. The result of such an outrageous policy will be more crime, more hardship for border states and greater unemployment.

Health care will be in turmoil as one-payer insurance replaces thousands of private plans. Millions of Americans will lose protection they are happy with, replaced by mundane free benefits. Carte blanche access to hospitals and doctors will overload our health system, and our care will degrade into a socialized system characterized by long waits for doctors and hospital beds and poor treatment. Just like Obama, Sanders will ram this new system down the throats of all Americans. To make matters worse illegal residents will receive free services.

Student loans will be extinguished. The unfairness of this proposal is mindboggling. Students who drew down loans without consideration of how they would repay them would get a free ride. In the meantime, millions of students who have been paying would not be reimbursed. One should keep in mind that many conscientious students worked while attending school and/or borrowed money from family to pay for their education. There is no way to fairly establish a system to extinguish debt. Rather, students should be given more time to pay debts they incurred. Repayment should mirror their current earnings.

It is politically fashionable to criticize corporations and banks. People like Sanders see evil in profit-minded corporations and executives. In the meantime, corporations employ millions of people, and banks provide the capital to businesses to grow and hire more Americans. To demonize a staple of American capitalism is idiotic and naïve. Emasculating these essential institutions makes no sense, but Sanders is set on doing it.

The reason why America is peaceful is because most of its citizens are civilized, and they obey the law. The police are an essential part of our society. They need to be overseen, and the rules that govern their actions must be clear. But, Sanders suggests that we should decrease the presence of our first responders, and many are outraged. The back and forth between the police and minorities can be worked out only if both sides are inclined to work towards that end. Decreasing protection in high crime areas is folly as is making police shy about meting out justice. Sanders favors less police intrusions in our lives. This would be a horrible mistake.

A vote for Sanders will bring us closer to chaos and financial disaster. What was left unsaid was the insane amount of money it would cost to deliver the entitlements that Sanders proposes to bestow on Americans.

 

Note: Most of the aforementioned changes cannot occur without cooperation of Congress, which will not happen unless the House remains in the hands of Democrats and the Senate flips to Democrat control.

 

 

This essay was taken down. Sorry for the inconvenience.

The Democratic establishment’s preference in the primary is clear. It’s not Bernie Sanders. Now why is that the case?

For one thing, Sanders is a socialist who has spoken kindly about despised communist leaders throughout his career. Supposedly, he abhors totalitarian regimes, but appreciates the contributions to society made by leaders such as Fidel Castro. You don’t have to be a political scientist to know that Sanders wrote off Florida by lauding Castro. Keep in mind, Florida has been a must win state in general elections for years.

How can a presidential candidate make any headway in this country if he or she is a socialist? There are millions of immigrants in the country who have escaped evil and corrupt despots that espoused socialistic ideals. Why would any of these voters support a candidate who wants to install socialistic principles?

Why would Americans believe that socialism is a productive way of life? Every major socialistic experiment has been a bust throughout history. Many Latin American countries have dabbled with a new social contract, and have crumbled from poverty and dictatorial leadership.

Even Russia and China have seen the light. They still hold on to totalitarian rule, but economically they have turned to capitalism.

There are other reasons why powerful Dems are supporting Biden (and even Bloomberg) and not Sanders. Nothing Sanders has proposed is consistent with the aspirations of a vast majority of Americans. Most of them appreciate that an entity (a person or a country) cannot spend more money than they earn in perpetuity. In other words, the needs of society will not be satisfied if a government must continue to borrow to pay for entitlements. Sanders wants the 1% to carry the 99%, and the arithmetic does not work. Everything in life cannot be free for most of the country.

Philosophically, Americans want to live in a system that rewards exceptionalism, ranging from new ideas that create billionaires, all the way down to earning a larger bonus for outstanding performance on the assembly line. Ambition and hard work are ingrained in our society. Those who practice these ideals can create a very comfortable and rewarding life for themselves.

The proof is in the pudding, Buttigieg and Klobuchar know that Sanders is unbalanced and his arithmetic is imbalanced, so they dropped out of the race and backed Biden. Butt and Klo are very liberal and want to raise taxes on the wealthy. But there’s a limit. The numbers that Sanders proposes are as crazy as he is. He will, no doubt, bankrupt the country with his out of date perspectives, if elected. Every able-bodied American has to participate to make capitalism work effectively. You can’t have a tiny minority supporting the multitudes.

So where does this take us? I guess in the end Biden or Bloomberg will overtake Sanders. It will be a sad day when and if the Dems nominate Biden, a man who won his first state primary on Saturday after two other attempts to become president. He is a man who has never been eloquent and now is unable to utter a coherent sentence.

If you want to get rid of Trump, you need a candidate more qualified than Sanders and Biden. All that’s left is Bloomberg, but he’s a billionaire, white and relatively unknown.

The results in South Carolina were predictable. Black voters dominated the primary after Jim Clyburn (D-SC) rallied his followers to give Joe Biden a big victory that may have saved his campaign. But is South Carolina representative of the rest of the nation? Hardly.

The fact is that Biden can’t win the election by drawing only on people of color and blue-collar workers. In fact, he won’t even be able to find a plurality in most other states with such limited support. It’s true that Buttigieg’s followers will likely flock to Biden after the former dropped out of the race. This should strengthen Biden going into the Super Tuesday extravaganza this week.

When you assess the Democratic primary short and long term, you can imagine any number of scenarios. First of all, the polls could be misleading. Voters are unpredictable and confused. The choices are so radical (politically) that voter turnout and momentum could move in any direction.

Sanders’ opponents are struggling to prevent the current favorite from scoring a pre-convention victory. All they need to do is keep Sanders from obtaining 50% plus 1 delegates going into Milwaukee. This goal seems eminently achievable, so long as the field of Democrats doesn’t shrink any further. If Warren drops out, her supporters would likely flood to Sanders. If Klubochar gives up, her delegates would likely split between Biden and Bloomberg. If Biden falls to the sideline, Sanders will probably be the nominee.

Another x-factor is something that has not been given much press to this point. The Democratic establishment still has a lot of stroke and can influence the outcome of the primary convention drastically.

For instance, it can create a convention rule that definitively states that a nominee must have a majority, not just a plurality, to win. If Sanders has 45% on the first ballot and the other contenders split the remaining delegates, he may fall off in subsequent ballots, as delegates are free to vote as they see fit. Party bigwigs would broker the convention. Many of these people are establishment hacks who don’t believe Sanders can defeat Trump in the general election.

Another wild card is the staying power of Sanders’ supporters. Many are very young and not so dependable. Are they really committed to socialism, especially if so many who oppose Sanders will be critical of it every day until the election? And, will young people who support Sanders in polls actually turn out on Election Day?

In the meantime, Bloomberg is waiting in the weeds. Intuitively, he believes Sanders is going to be thrashed in the general election. Mike needs to make America understand that a crazy, old, tired and historically ineffective socialist lawmaker from Vermont will be no match for Trump. The latter is the master of the Internet and king of large political rallies. Trump is the prototype of a 21^st Century politician, excluding his obnoxious personality. Bloomberg is going to spend more and more money exposing Sanders’ vulnerabilities.

The bottom line is that Sanders will not accrue a majority of delegates before the first round of voting at the convention. Biden will fizzle out or step on his own toes or say something really stupid that will disqualify him. This will be Bloomberg’s moment.

You should anticipate that Trump is going to snipe on the Democrats as they fumble their way to Milwaukee. Another McGovern landslide loss is in the making.