Joe Biden Decides to Not Run

I think Donald Trump must be ecstatic his Democratic opponent for president of the United States, Joe Biden, has decided to not run for re-election.

Biden, under increasing pressure from colleagues in the congress and senate, announced a few hours ago he would not seek another term.  He said he will focus on running the nation for the next seven months.

Personally, I think Biden must have slipped much more than we the public know. Otherwise, if he really did have "just a bad night", I think his party would have been more supportive after the first presidential debate.  Reports today say Biden has slipped a lot, from the man who took office in January 2021.

It appears Kamala Harris is the front runner and Biden endorsed her almost immediately after announcing he would not run again. But, that won't necessarily keep the Dems from selecting someone else when they meet next month in Chicago.

Regardless of who the Dems select as their next candidate they are going to have a very hard time beating Donald Trump and the GOP.  Biden was already facing an uphill battle but now without an incumbent, the party will have to work extremely hard to hold onto the White House. I don't think they can retain the presidency.

And, that scares the daylights out of me.  Trump is a pathological liar, convicted felon (34 times) and arrogant narcissist. I fear what will become of the United States and our allies if he is elected. He served four years previously and made an ass of himself and the USA repeatedly. I also theorize that the growing divide in our country will encourage the upper middle and upper classes to make additional substantial contributions to the GOP campaign. I also think there are under educated Trump supporters who think they will be able to make this country go back in time to the 50s and 60s. Back then African Americans and other minorities had absolutely no say in running the United States.  Combine those voters, with the religious right, who would like to turn this country in a Christian fundamentalist nation. These are the same people who are critical of the radical Muslim sects, such as the Taliban, but are attempting to do the same thing in the U.S.  So, you can see why Trump has a great chance of being elected President of the United States and "leader" of the free world.  Like I said in the first sentence of this paragraph, Trump scares the daylights out of me. For more proof read, Trump and the Republican party's Project 2025 document. While, the GOP criticizes Democrats as being the radical left, the organizations supporting this document are reactionaries.

The next three and a half months will be a battle between the two parties with both sides playing for huge stakes.  Those stakes are the future of the USA, our allies and the rest of the free world.

I won't tell you who to vote for but pay close attention to everything you hear. And then fact check it for the truth. The nation's future is dependent on your vote.

More Thoughts on the Attack on the Capitol Building

 

As I write, it's two days until the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next President and Vice President of the United States.  Since my post of 12 days ago, the FBI has fanned out over the United States and arrested hundreds who attacked the capitol building on January 6th.

I've changed my mind about who these attackers are.  Initially, I wrote it was individuals who had gotten caught up in protesting what they perceived as a feckless government.  But, after doing a lot of reading, I realize I was wrong.  Many of those who attacked the cradle of our nation's democracy were driven by the rhetoric of extreme right wing radicals who wanted to strike the first blow to overthrow the US government.  But, why is there such hatred?

A lot of it comes from the public's perception that our federal government is more concerned about themselves and their party than those who are paying taxes. I certainly haven't heard anyone say "these congressmen and women are doing a great job.  Let's give them all a pat on the back and send them back to D.C."  No, if anything, the sentiment is the inverse. There is so much partisanship on both sides of the aisle that Americans are sick of it.  Unfortunately, most of our congress persons and senators are clueless as to what people are worried about outside of the beltway. My perception is they don't get home enough or believe what is being told to them when they do go home to their districts and states.  This has to change.

The actions taken by the rioters can never be justified and those who broke the law on January 6th must be held responsible for their actions.  But, the bottom line is, perhaps if congress would start working together and listening to their constituents, the citizens of this country would be better served than they are now.  Term limits and real, strict campaign financing laws must also be enacted before things will change and the American public feels it is being served by its senators and representatives as they should be served.

The Morning After

Dreamstime image

Rubble, debris and a newly certified US President are with us on this first day after the US Capitol building was overrun by a group of US citizens who were incited to riot by their president.  

Overnight the US Congress certified the election of Joe Biden of Delaware and Kamala Harris of California to lead the US for the next four years based on the Democrats win of the general election in November and the electoral college.  A spokesman for President Donald Trump says the president will work with Biden and Harris for a smooth transition.

Four people died in the violence yesterday, three due to medical conditions and one at the hands of the capitol police.  This may not be a very popular idea but I believe a grand jury should be called to examine the individual who fired the shot or shots that killed a young woman from California who was protesting the outcome of the election.  But, the role of the grand jury should be expanded to investigate why there were not enough trained police officers at the building.  They knew ahead of time and had been telegraphed by social media what was headed to Washington D.C.  And the capitol police failed to protect it.  The American public has the right to know why this happened.

Finally, the grand jury should have the power to examine the role of Donald Trump in inciting a riot at the capitol.  He, repeatedly lied to the public when he knew he had lost to Biden and Harris.  And when asked to call off his supporters yesterday, Trump thanked them for coming and told them "he loved them".  Trump should be indicted and tried for his role in the rioting and violence that claimed the lives of Americans yesterday.  But, at this point I would be happy if he just goes away in two weeks and becomes the poster boy for bad leaders.

A Dark Day in the United States

It has been quite a day in the United States, as the capitol building came under attack from a mob of protestors, who entered the building as congress was set to finalize the election of Joe Biden as the country's next president.

I am confused by the actions of these few who seem to have been encouraged by lame duck president Donald Trump.  I think what bothers me most is that a US citizen died at the hands of a law enforcement officer who shot her.  I was a junior in high school when the Kent State shootings took place in May 1970.  The outrage at the time divided this country much as today's actions have split this nation.  To be fair it is too early to form an opinion on today's shooting.  But, why were Capitol Police shooting at protestors?  Why weren't alternatives such as tasers or bean bags used instead of handguns.  I also would like to know why the National Guard wasn't on call when the possibility of trouble was known well ahead of time.

I will write of this more as details become available.  But, for now I have to say I am embarrassed by the "journalism" I have seen on the commercial networks today.  From talking head reporters to network announcers, including Savannah Guthrie and Lester Holt of NBC, the reporters have for the most part editorialized whenever they've felt like it.  This is not journalism.  This is reporters taking liberty with their reporting to reflect their personal opinions or insert themselves in the story.  As an example, the crowd was initially called "protestors".  But, as the day wore on the talking heads changed their description of the protestors to "rioters" or a mob.  This was due to pack journalism.  Rather than be left behind, all of the networks I watched, decided to change that designation to rioters.  I have no doubt there were a number of people at the capitol today who wanted to damage the building and raise hell in the halls of congress.  But, my guess is many more were just out to express their frustration with the system.

There were a number of things that happened today that need to be explained properly by the media.  I look forward to learning more and will write as that info becomes available.

Happy New Year!

 

The first thing that comes to mind as we greet a new year is may 2021 be a far site better than 2020.

My thoughts of 2020 will include a world ravaged and terrorized by a pandemic and in the United States a government that was feckless at times.  The year also brings back memories of many selfish people who would rather not wear a mask than help protect their fellow man.

The inconsistencies of governments also struck me as bizarre when dealing with the COVID-19 virus which did not discriminate by imaginary lines drawn on the ground.  One county in the state where I live would have all local restaurants and bars closed for safety, while you could go to the other side of the street and restaurants and bars would be wide open.  Many "leaders" of our state and local governments showed their true colors when failing to protect the general public.

But, the COVID virus wasn't the only issue we heard about repeatedly in 2020.  The presidential election in the United States was bizarre at times.  Former Vice President Joe Biden unseated incumbent Donald Trump fairly easily.  But, the post election drama was strange as Trump and his legal teams proceeded to claim the election had been stolen from them.  No court where litigation was filed ever sided with the Trump campaign but that didn't stop it from trying to have the public's decision overturned repeatedly.

Racism is still alive and well in the United States as evidenced by the death of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis murdered in late May at the hands of white police officers.  For several weeks protesters and rioters across the United States used it as an excuse to riot and loot in minority neighborhoods.  Not too far from where I live, it was described as a war zone with gunfire, fires being set deliberately and helicopters flying over the combatants.  It is something that I as a white American am not proud.

I hope 2021 is a whole lot better than 2020, but in reality unless a vaccine is rolled out quickly to everyone in the world I don't think the year will be much different than last year.  I pray this changes.

Back to the Undecided Column

A week ago, after the Democratic National Convention I had made up my mind I would vote for Barack Obama for president. But, after the Republican National Convention this week I am not so sure. In fact, I am undecided.

I am impressed with Sarah Palin and her ability to cut through the BS. Ten days ago I was not too familiar with her. But, after taking on the oil industry and good old boys in Alaska her ability to reform has impressed me.

I also thought John McCain did a great job with his acceptance speech on Thursday night. I have always liked him because he is a true war hero and seems to put the nation first. But, if he in fact voted with George Bush II 90% of the time I have some reservations. I am researching his voting record. Why? Because I don't know that I believe the people putting out that statistic.

And I also think a lot of Joe Biden as a fighter. I never really thought of him as presidential material previously, but he can certainly express himself.

In the past I thought the choices for president were poor. (See George Bush, Jr and Al Gore). But this year, we have quality candidates running on both sides. I will post more as I weight the facts and make up my mind.