2020 election

Calling our elections

by Dave

“If you don’t like Tucker Carlson or Rachel Maddow or Wolf Blitzer, don’t worry, they’re not making the calls.”

It is not CNN, Fox News or any other news organization which is legally tasked to declare projected winners. The states certify their election results weeks after the election.

On November 7, 2020, at about 11:20 am, the Associated Press called the election for Joe Biden, the projected winner of the election. Within 20 minutes, every network had called the election. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris celebrated that night.

Not all networks follow AP. There’s another organization called Decision Desk HQ. They also called Pennsylvania but not Arizona. CNN has not yet to call Arizona.

Some felt that Trump should concede immediately. I did not feel this way, and if Joe Biden had been the loser, I would have felt the same way. Conceding soon after an election is “called” makes sense if the candidate has lost in several states. Here, it was only Pennsylvania and I saw no reason for Trump to concede that day. The next day, the vote margin exceeded 0.50%, a vote recount could only happen with a court order, which appears unlikely.

In contesting an election, the legal challenges should be directed to the narrowest margins, namely Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. However, as these challenges may be filed, it is likely that this week, the Associated Press will call the election for Joe Biden in Arizona and Nevada, which will mean Biden no longer needs Pennsylvania to win. Georgia’s recount will not matter.

Certainly, at that point, it’s time for Trump to thank his supporters and throw in the towel.

Others opined that Trump will never concede and that will be terrible ending to his administration. For four years, Trump has been on the attack of the media, and it must appear to him that they (and not the electorate) have declared him a loser.

Obvious, the Associated Press or Decision Desk HQ can not tell a president he has lost. It has to be an independent decision. I’m sure he will listen to his lawyers on the chances of his lawsuits succeeding. In public, Rudy Giuliani will blast away at election results, and confidently announce they have solid proof of wrong doing. Yet privately, Trump will want to know the truth.

Let’s face it – our nation is polarized and so are the broadcast networks. It is sometimes incredible how the news stories vary or what is considered the most important story of the day.

Yet, they all came together as you could flip the channel and see the identical projected winners of the election. They could still disagree on everything else. Commentators on conservative networks in general did not call the results as fake, rigged or stolen, as Trump did. The keyword was election fraud is suspect.

The general public wants results as soon as possible not only the winner of the presidential race but of the 435 congressional seats that were up for re-election. It reduces a network’s credibility if they project a winner one moment, and change it a few minutes later.

See the link for more specifics on election projection by Decision Desk HQ, and the Associated Press. ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NBC News have a different method on election night. They rely on a partnership called the National Election Pool, which provides exit polling and other data to the member organizations.

The issue is always the same, if the outstanding votes can possibly change the outcome. When the difference between candidates becomes very narrow, then they have to err on the side of caution and wait for more votes to be recorded.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

How the press calls elections, explained


AP Explainer: Why did AP call the election for Biden

Thank you election workers and voters

by Dave

Poll observers and workers keep our system working. I know that the part time election workers, whether they are in the backrooms counting ballots, or at the desks checking ID’s are doing their jobs. It’s likely the person who signs you in and hands you the ballot today, got to work at 5:30 am, at least in Miami. Smile and thank them.

Turn out in 2020 is going to set new records. This is excellent. Whether the electorate votes to keep our current president for the next four years or elect a new one, it is the voters choice, as set in our constitution.

The enemies of democracy are the silence of the press and apathy of the electorate. Our election is labor intensive. At every polling location across this country, volunteers act as observers, making sure everyone gets a chance to vote. Every single legitimate vote must be counted.

In other countries, leaders find ways to engineer their re-election to perpetuate their hold on the countries. A country does not one day slip into a dictatorship, it happens through an erosion of the freedoms to assemble and speak freely and a willingness to accept corruption and autocracy.

Democracy needs participation and vigilance. Your vote counts. Bring your ID. If you are in line before the polls close and are at the right voting location, you can vote.

Stay tuned,

Dave

We’re rounding the corner

by Dave

We are, but not the way Trump tells it. Nothing about Covid-19 is getting better. Trump holds these massive rallies, and yells his slogans. We have done incredible things. I would not go near one and I am in fear of coming in close contact with anyone who has attended one.

He’s shameless and totally self-serving. He takes credit for the 2014 Veterans Choice Act. The Choice program, which allows veterans to see doctors outside the government-run VA system at taxpayer expense, was first passed in 2014 under President Barack Obama. Yes, Trump tweeked it, to make better, but it is still Obama’s baby.

I like Dr. Fauci’s statement as he was not going to jump in front of the microphone when Trump was speaking.

Robert Wilkie, the VA Administrator, is equally bad, as he claimed the veteran’s wait time is way down, based on a study. Trump loves this stuff. Problem is it is a complete distortion of the truth, as the study showing reduced wait times was from 2014 to 2017, while Obama was president.

It’s all marketing and no substance. His base will cheer and wave the American flag. The truth is out there.

We are rounding the corner on seeing the hypocrisy and outright lies of the administration. If Trump gets his way, there will be someone in each governmental agency checking to see if reports and comments are in line with Trump doctrines.

The latest target is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), because they are produce the National Climate Assessment. The assessment says climate change is getting worse, and a large part of this is due to worldwide use of fossil fuels, and particularly bad in coal.

Trump doesn’t like this and it is why he appointed Erik Noble formerly a White House policy advisor, and now Chief of Staff of NOAA. He fired Craig McLean, acting chief scientist at NOAA. The problem between Noble and McLean was clear, as who should set policy, review and approve research, the Chief Scientist or the newly appointed Chief of Staff, who has political ties to the White House.

You can pretty much rule out the Environmental Protection Agency from actually protecting the environment. Same with the Department of Interior, as it is completely ignoring its mission and supporting the reduction of national preserves, banning development.

I applaud Director Christopher Wray of the FBI in keeping his integrity during this election time. He has said nothing on baseless conspiracy theories on Hunter Biden. Trump has expressed his displeasure as long as Wray is there, he can’t politicize the FBI.

The minimizing of the dangers of Covid-19 and use of hydroxychloroquine as a cure, that the liberal media was covering up. Trump’s Covid-19 taskforce stockpiled 63 million doses. They even gave 2 million doses to Brazil as a goodwill gesture after Bolsonaro visited Trump’s Mar-a-Largo home in Palm Beach. Trump has deep marketing skills, and will put an unrealistic positive spin on everything.

In Bob Woodward’s book, that Trump explains why he loves big rallies. It’s simple – the networks will broadcast them, and it’s hours of free publicity. And he loves to tell people how big the crowds are. Now this isn’t particularly smart during the epidemic.

Biden isn’t doing big rallies because of Covid-19. It’s smart and respectful of people’s health.

Please vote for Biden. Elections have consequences.

Links:

Trump takes credit for Obama’s gains for vets

Fact-checking Trump’s claims about hydroxychloroquine, the antimalarial drug he’s touting as a coronavirus treatment

2020 Presidential Election

by Dave

These are the swing states. It takes 270 electoral votes to win. Neither candidate can win without winning some of the swing states.

Everyone should vote. Right now, if you have an mail-in ballot, there isn’t time to mail it in. There are drop boxes at the polling locations. You must go there in person.

The election is far from over. The map above is from a consensus of maps developed by many organizations. See www.sim538.com

For Donald Trump to win the election, he must hold on to the states he won in 2016. For Biden to win, he must flip a number of the states. The states which Biden might flip are MI, WI, AZ, FL and NC. If Trump wins the swing states, he will win the election for four more years.

I urge everyone to vote. The results may not be known on election day because so many Americans have voted by mail, and in many states, they are not allowed to tally the votes until election day. So vote and be patient for the final tally.

Stay tuned,

Dave

The only choice for the environment: Joe Biden for President

by Dave

Hurricane Zeta is on it’s way to New Orleans. Need any more convincing?

Climate change does not cause hurricanes. It is a factor in making hurricanes more frequent and wetter, because the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico allow the tropical storms to linger longer in place and intensify. A Level 1 hurricane can more easily become a Level 5 one. I’ve seen what a Level 5 does, it crushes entire communities.

Climate change alters the climate patterns, and this results in unpredictable extreme weather events, including drought, floods, and severe winter storms. The forest fires in California, Brazil amazon rain forest and Patagonia, Siberia and along the artic circle, and in Australia’s Northeast are a product of global warming.

The good scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have either been muzzled, left or been demoted. The head of the EPA, Andrew Wheeler, was a lobbyist for the coal industry. Words like global warming are no longer spoken within the halls of the EPA.

“Donald Trump is the worst present ever for the climate, our health and our safety. He views the power of the presidency not as a change for good, but as a weapon to damage the nation while enriching himself and his cronies,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brun.

This is real. The photos are from Northern California, where members of my family live. Fire rage in the San Gabriel mountains, close to where my brother lives. That makes this race pretty personal.

Sierra Club: Fall 2020

The Sierra Club is proud to be endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential election. Biden has laid out a bold vision of safeguarding our air and water, transitioning to a clean energy economy, and investing in communities that for too long have been left behind to deal with pollution caused by our reliance on fossil fuels. Vice President Joe Biden’s selection of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate made this ticket the strongest ever for proposed climate action. The Biden-Harris partnership will prioritize climate – and climate justice – in their administration while restoring the United States as the a global leader in tackling the crisis.

Make your voices known. Vote now.

Dave

Biden is the Best for National and World Problems, and Trump is Proving that every day

by Dave

Yahoo Finance on attacks on Fauci:

Just the latest example was during a recent campaign call in which Trump said, “People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots,” before going on to say, “He’s been here for 500 years.”

There are some very good people advising Trump. Christopher Wray is one, Director of the FBI. Anthony Fauci is another, member of the White House Task Force on Coronavirus. Fauci has served 6 presidents as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He was first appointed in 1984 and has helped lead the U.S. response to a range of diseases like HIV/AIDS to Ebola and Zika.

What qualifies as good and bad with Trump? First, people must give him credit for things he hasn’t done and things you know aren’t true. He’s been like that his whole life. Truth is not particularly important. Putting a positive spin on everything is all important.

All Trump wants Dr. Fauci to do is sing high praises to Trump and tell everyone that everything will be alright. All Trump wants from Christopher Wray is to smear Biden by declaring Hunter Biden is under investigation.

The sad truth is the cases of Covid-19 are on the increase in certain areas. It tells us we are not doing enough to control the spread. We are not rounding the corner.

A sign reads “In Fauci We Trust,” referring to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, outside a home in Rockport, Massachusetts, U.S., July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Brian Snyder – RC2FSH9HM5N3

Trump likely will fire Director Wray after the election, because he is honest. Trump also criticized Wray over the FBI director’s testimony that antifa is an ideology and not an organization, contradicting Trump’s claim that it should be declared a “terrorist organization” engaged in attacks on cities.

“These are thugs, these are bad people,” Trump said Friday, adding “they are anarchists and they are agitators and they are looters and rioters and everything else.”

Please Vote. And vote for the man who will put what’s best for the country ahead of what is best for himself and re-election.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Final debate: October 22, 9:00 pm EST

by Dave

It should be a bit more controlled event. As each candidate is given 2 minutes to respond to a question, the opposing candidate’s microphone will be turned off.

Six topics were selected: Fighting Covid-19, American Family, Race in America, Climate Change, National Security and Leadership. This could change. See BBC link below. The basic format will not change.

Trump has already begun an attack on the selected moderator of the debate, Kristen Welker. In Arizona, Trump called her a “radical Democrat” , backed up by the New York Post and numerous Facebook postings, all completely baseless.

The “radical Dems” at this point covers about half all Americans who don’t favor Donald Trump as their president. At last count, perhaps more than half of all Americans, as noted Republicans are voting against him as well.

NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker, the moderator for the third presidential debate, has not donated money to Democrats, according to contribution data. Welker is currently registered to vote in Washington, D.C., with no party affiliation, according to the District of Columbia Board of Elections. A photo of Welker with Barack and Michelle Obama is from a 2012 White House reception for the press.

Fortunately, there are a lot better places to get your news, than the trashy New York Post, One American News or a lot of highly biased commentators on cable networks.

For those still undecided about who should be the next president, I suggest watching the debate, and checking the fact checker sites the next day to get a better understanding of who is telling the truth. Factcheck.org and politifact.com are my two favorites.

Last minute accusations of corruption, simple chants (ie: “lock her up”) or name calling are favorite tactics of Trump. The latest attack on the “Biden’s” is also baseless, and comes after a complete investigation by the Republican controlled Senate vindicated any wrong doing by Joe Biden, while Vice President. It is Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, who is currently under investigation as two of his close associates have been arrested.

Please note this site accepts viewpoints to the contrary. Your comment may not be immediately posted, but I am making a real effort to check and approve every comment that isn’t offensive, spam or off topic.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Controversy on Kristen Welker (Tagged as a radical Dem by Trump. Note that Trump congratulated her in January when she became NBC weekend anchor)

BBC News: US election 2020: Trump and Biden feud over debate topics

Biden is best for Global and National Problems – Part 4

by Dave

Character

Honesty and working for the best interests of our country instead of a political party are two essential characteristics of a good president. It was George W. Bush who suggested a third characteristic – Humility.

What I find incredible, is that after the truth is revealed, Trump does not back down. Whether it is Mexico is going to pay for the wall or some absurd conspiracy theory, he doesn’t let go of it. It’s like it becomes part of his repertoire. The best explanation comes from Jared Kushner, “Controversy elevates the message” and facts don’t really matter.

I will just add a few quotes from those closest to the President in recent years. I really like this wonderful axiom:

Facts are threatening to those invested in fraud. DaShanne Stokes.

“I think we need to look harder at who we elect and I think we should start, all of us, regardless of what our views are of politics, I think we should look at people running for office and put them through a filter, what is their character like, what are their ethics and if elected, are they willing to represent all of their constituents and not just their base.” General John Kelly, former Chief of Staff.

A former White House chief of staff, retired Marine general John Kelly, told friends that Donald Trump’s “dishonesty” is “astounding” and “pathetic”, a report has said. “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me,” the retired Marine general told friends, according to a report by CNN. “The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,” he allegedly said. As reported in CNN. See link at the bottom.

When Trump called Mexicans “rapists” in the speech announcing his candidacy on June 16, 2015, Priebus called him and said, “You can’t talk like that. We’ve been working really hard to win over Hispanics.”
― Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House

From his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, “As I’ve been saying since the beginning, Trump was a mobster, plain and simple.”

“His style is chaos itself. And when you have chaos at the top of the federal government, that creates chaos throughout every other level of government. That means, we can not perform our security functions well. Elizabeth Neumann, Former Assistant Homeland Security Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention.

The lies and deceptions are accelerating, as people are now going to the polls in many of the swing states. According to CNN:

For fact checkers, the period from Friday through Sunday was one of the most challenging of Trump’s entire presidency: he made at least 66 separate false or misleading claims over that three-day span. In other words, it was 66 false or misleading claims without even counting all the times he repeated some of those same 66 claims over the course of the three days.

Trump did have a packed schedule. On Friday, he made a speech to Florida seniors and held rallies in Florida and Georgia; on Saturday, he held rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan; on Sunday, he held a rally in Nevada.

This one is from his recent rally in Florida:

Trump boasted in Florida: “Since the China virus, we have created — a record in the history of our country — 11.4 million jobs over just a short period of months.” Yes – true, but it neglects the loss of 22 million jobs over the prior two months. Since Trump took office, there has been a net loss of jobs.

Biden is the clear winner in the area of honesty, working for the American people and at the same time, being humble.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

Fact Checking Trump’s massively dishonest weekend

Biden is the Best for Global Problems – Part 2

by Dave

Climate Change

From “A planet in peril”, New York Times, Editorial Board, Oct 18, 2020.

For anyone who cares about the health of the planet, the Trump years have been, to say the least, profoundly discouraging. Barely two months in office, President Trump order his cabinet to review and remove any regulatory obstacles to the production of oil, gas and coal; shortly thereafter, he renounced America’s support for the landmark Paris climate agreement, thus shedding any claim to American leadership on a global crisis.

It was more or less downhill from there. He methodically decapitated Obama-era rules aimed at limiting emissions from power plants and oil and gas operations and mandating increases in fuel efficiency. He also opened public land hitherto shielded from mining and drilling exploration.

There were other assaults large and small on environmental protections, but the most damaging were those that undermined rules to diminish greenhouse gases while enabling the industries that produced them. All this despite the climate-related carnage in front of his own eyes, conspicuously the fires in California – and despite authoritative studies warning that failure to wrench emissions drastically downward over the next decade will bring irreversible damage.

Emissions in America, pre-Covid-19 declined slightly thanks partly to the switch to cleaner fuels and the determined efforts of states and cities to do the job Mr. Trump won’t do. Globally, however emissions have been rising and the seas with them.

_______

So absolutely well stated. Climate change is a significant factor in recent extreme weather events includes both prolong drought and hurricanes/ monsoons. This year we went through the entire list of 24 named hurricanes and now Hurricane Delta is destroying the western areas of Louisiana and Texas. The forest fires and devastating ecological damage is occurring now in the Brazilian amazon rain forest, the incredible unique wetlands to the south (Pantanal), Australia, and all along the artic circle in Siberia, Greenland, and Alaska.

Yes, our air is clean, because the carbon pollutants go to the upper atmosphere and cause trapping of solar rays. Our planet is overheating like one big greenhouse.

Obama understood the severity of the problem and so does Joe Biden. They will put qualified people who have the interest at heart. We need global solutions, and this means action from China, Russia, India and Brazil.

Donald Trump puts fossil fuel lobbyists in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. Yes, our air is clean, because the carbon pollutants go to the upper atmosphere and cause trapping of solar rays. Our planet is overheating like one big greenhouse.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Biden is best for Global Problems – Part I

by Dave

We have super huge global problem right now, that will need addressing immediately when the new president is sworn in. This will be one of 4 to 5 posts.

Covid-19

You first have to understand where we stand today, and make some extrapolations into the future. The first is there are 26 vaccines in Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical testing. Of these 26, there are 11 in Phase 3 testing.

I am hopeful that early in 2021, the very best vaccine will be approved for the American people. I think what is most important is for Americans to have patience, and delays are very possible. In many states, the progress we made made by preventative actions, such as wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding indoor activities, and frequent hand washing, has been lost to counterproductive premature loosening of regulations, including re-opening of bars, clubs and restaurants and allowing large gatherings.

— Biden will lead the way with full vaccination program

Let’s assume that we get a vaccine. There will not be enough to go around for months. First in line to get vaccinated must be our medical workers and then our elderly. They must get priority. A lot of difficult decisions lie ahead. Vaccination programs can not become political. Bring in the top Republicans and Democrats in any vaccination program.

Our Surgeon General has been sidelined, as well as our public health officials. It would seem that the office of Surgeon General should be front and center.

Trump has not been honest on the progress, because it is complicated to explain, and good news is always makes people happy. He can’t let go of marketing approach to news. Spin a good story, and buyers will be coming. That’s marketing.

Biden will connect with the scientific community. I am hopeful that a vaccine will be found. At present, it looks very possible that it will require two shots, an initial one and a booster shot, a few months later.

Biden will need to convince Americans to take the vaccines. It won’t be easy, as Trump has eroded the trust in American institutions like the FBI. Justice, State and Defense, FBI, Chief of Staff and National Security Agency. Each one are cases where he fired the Department head, with extremely bitter remarks.

He had further accused the Director of the National Institute of Health, Dr. Fauci of “being a Democrat” even though Dr. Fauci had been completely apolitical his whole career.

So, Biden’s best allies are medical professionals, the public health officials of every state, and Republicans in Congress, who can put American’s health above everything else.

— Biden will help extend vaccinations worldwide, for the benefit of all

We have to take a leadership role in the vaccination of 7.8 billion people in the world. This means working with the World Health Organization and other countries, instead of competing with them. It we miss this opportunity, China and Russia will see a golden opportunity to extend their reach into some of the poorest countries in the world, with huge promises but little in the way of deliverables.

World leadership isn’t an option. Our economy depends on the world economy. Trump has effectively pulled out of the World Health Organization and laid the blame of the virus on 1.4 billion Chinese. We must get ahead of the virus, not behind it. There are 2.8 million Chinese tourist that come to the US every year. Good relations help everyone.

— Biden will keep American’s insured

People will be getting sick and dying as experts try work out problems with vaccine formulations, manufacture and delivery. And of course, public acceptance. In the meantime, people will depend on health insurance to help them pay for their medical needs. Hospitalization stays for some individuals can be extensive, as more treatments help fight Covid-19. As we get smarter fighting the disease, the cost increases.

This is a terrible time to lose your Obamacare insurance. But that’s Trump plan and the third reason to elect Biden.

Trump and the Republican party began in 2017 a strategy to “Repeal and Replace” Obamacare. The individual mandate tax was eliminated, for two reasons: (1) It made the program less effective as fewer young people would likely sign up and (2) It made the program vulnerable to a new Supreme Court challenge. The first reason fits a Republican strategy, of after failing to come up anything better, they made Obamacare worse, so their alternative might look better. And that’s really awful.

Now, the second reason is just as terrible. Trump was always saying his plan was so much better to what we have now, but the comparisons were always bad. We’ve created “junk insurance” which gives coverage, except when it is critical and really expensive.

If you destroy what we have now, there are no more comparisons. We are no longer comparing a new building to an existing building, but to a vacant lot.

Obamacare was deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court in a narrow ruling in 2012, which included the individual mandate. So, Republicans pulled out the tax mandate, and then argued that the purposely crippled Obamacare law is now unconstitutional. So, if Trump ran a hospital, he would be giving out medicine strong enough to kill a patient and still claim he cared for people. Oral arguments will begin in November soon after the elections.

So, with Biden, Americans can have affordable insurance, which admittedly has defects. With Trump, you have recycled 2016 promises and nothing else.

Biden will:

  • Lead the way with a full vaccination program
  • Extend vaccinations assistance worldwide
  • Keep American’s insured to help with medical expenses.

In my next blog, climate change will be discussed.

Stay tuned,

Dave

 

 

 

Florida – Vote for Biden

by Dave

I fear time is running out for this simple message. I live in Florida. Unlike most states, the sea water really surrounds us, so we have our choice of beaches. I guess I could include Hawaii another incredibly beautiful state. It is something very precious.

We share something else with the gulf coast states – hurricanes. Not just in frequency, but also in their ability to destroy homes. Scientists will tell you that climate change does not cause hurricanes, because a lot of factors influence the development of hurricanes. What climate change does, with the warming of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico waters, is allow tropical storms and hurricanes to intensify. So, with climate change, a tropical storm can go to a Category 1 hurricane or from a Category 1 hurricane to a Category 5. The Category 5 hurricanes are extremely destructive and deadly.

The immense forest fires recently in California are the result of many environmental conditions, and I would never blame a forest fire exclusively on climate change. The ignition of the fire can come from multiple sources, including lightening strikes and human activities. The buildup of dry material can also be blamed the difficulty of conducting periodic control burns. However, the inescapable reality is that climate change increases the size of the fire, to the extent where it is incredibly difficult to control. Climate change means a longer dry periods in the western states where the fires can start.

Pulling out of Paris Climate Accords was one of the worse mistakes made by Trump. He said it was grossly unfair to the US and many developed countries, as we would have to bear more of the burden of reducing our carbon emission. In 2016, he said once we left, everyone else would wake up to see what a mistake the US had made, and the European countries would join us in leaving.

It was true Trump, this great deal maker, to sell the public, that he could make America great, by telling everyone how clean our air is, and we have no problem. Yet, as I write, there’s talk about Hurricane Delta coming. Hurricane Delta is right, as this year, we’ve had all 24 named hurricanes and now are going through the Greek alphabet with alpha, beta, gamma, delta.

It is exactly what the scientists predicted – more extreme weather events. Why are there extensive fires in the Amazon? Why in Australia? Why in the artic regions of Alaska, Canada and Siberia?

Climate change is a global problem, solved by working together with all nations. It isn’t going to be solved easily – our carbon emissions are very high and our dependence on fossil fuels very strong. Biden is the right person to lead this country through a transition to less reliance of fossil fuels and more international cooperation in the developing countries – such as Brazil, India, China and Russia.

Vote Biden for Florida, California, the US and the rest of the world. Our house, where we live, is in trouble and it will only get worse under Trump.

A greener planet is possible but we need new leadership now.

Stay tuned,

Dave

September 29 debate – Part II

by Dave

The presidential debate was a mess, with excessive rudeness and interruptions. Wallace is trying to be neutral, but Trump felt he could overpower Wallace. Midway through the discussion, Wallace makes his frustrations clear to President Trump,

“I’m the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer your –” and before he’s finished, Trump interrupts.

See below the discussion on health care. Wallace’s question was preceded by three statements of fact: (1) The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Nov 10, 2020 on the challenge to the Affordable Care Act, (2) There is no comprehensive to replace it, contrary to Trump’s repeal and replace campaign promise and (3) You signed a largely symbolic executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions five days before this debate (Direct quote from Wallace).

The question to Trump was mired in interruptions. Wallace asks, “So my question, sir, is what is the Trump health care plan?”

Here’s the discussion from the transcripts. Note, towards the end, I have included only comments from Chris Wallace.

WALLACE: Mr. President, the Supreme Court will hear a case a week after the election in which the Trump administration, along with 18 state attorneys general are seeking to overturn —

TRUMP: That’s right.

WALLACE: — Obamacare, to end Obamacare. You had spent the last —

TRUMP: Because they want to give good health care —

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: If I may ask that question, sir.

TRUMP: Go ahead.

BIDEN: Good health care. (– Biden interrupts)

WALLACE: Over the last four years, you have promised to repeal and replace Obamacare but you have never in these four years come up with a plan, a comprehensive plan —

TRUMP: Of course, I have.

WALLACE: — to replace Obamacare.

TRUMP: Of course, I have.

WALLACE: Well, I’ll give you an —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I got rid of the individual mandate.

WALLACE: — when I finish, I’m going to give you an opportunity —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Excuse me. I got rid of the individual mandate which was a big chunk of Obama —

WALLACE: That is not a comprehensive plan.

— Trump wants to talk about Obamacare, Wallace is looking for Trump to talk about his plan, and he doesn’t want to do this.

TRUMP: That is absolutely a big thing. That was the worst part of Obamacare.

WALLACE: I didn’t ask —

— Trump interrupts Wallace, to redirect the discussion to Obamacare.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Chris, that was the worst part of Obama —

WALLACE: Sir, you’re debating him, not me. Let me ask my question —

— Trump interrupts Wallace

TRUMP: Well, I’ll ask Joe.

— Trump now wants to be moderator! Wallace response is simple.

WALLACE: No —

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: The individual mandate was the most unpopular aspect of Obamacare. I got rid of it. And we will protect people with preexisting condition.

— Trump interrupts Wallace

WALLACE: I’m the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question and then you can answer your —

— Trump interrupts Wallace.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Go ahead.

WALLACE: You, in the course of these four years have never come up with a comprehensive plan to replace Obamacare and just this last Thursday, you signed a largely symbolic executive order to protect people with pre-existing conditions five days before this debate.

So my question, sir, is what is the Trump health care plan?

Trump talks about future plans to bring down cost of prescription drugs, and fails to discuss “pre-existing conditions.”

WALLACE: What about pre-existing conditions?

WALLACE: As I say, this is open discussion. Let me ask you about…

— Trump interrupts Wallace again.

WALLACE: Sir, you’ll be happy, I’m about to pick up on one of your points to ask the vice president, which is, he points out that you would like to add a public option to Obamacare, and the argument that he makes and other Republicans make is that that is going to end private insurance and will…

BIDEN: It is not. Sorry.

WALLACE: If I can ask you the question. It will end…

— Trump interrupts Wallace as he asks Biden a question. Trump is turning Wallace’s question as a statement of fact. Trump feels it is his turn to talk even as Wallace says this is a question for Biden to answer.

TRUMP: Not what your party says, by the way.

WALLACE: It will end private insurance and create a government takeover of health care.

BIDEN: It does not. It’s only for those people who are so poor they qualify for Medicaid, they can get that free in most states except governors who want to deny people who are poor Medicaid. Anyone who qualifies for Medicare — excuse me, Medicaid would automatically be enrolled in the public option.

The vast majority of the American people would still not be in that option. Number one. Number two…

— Trump interrupts Biden.

TRUMP: Joe, you agreed with Bernie Sanders’s far left on the manifesto, we call it.

— Trump now is asking the question, trying to redirect the question away, to an attack on Bernie Sanders.

===== From this point forward, I will only show Wallace’s comments.

WALLACE: Mr. President, can you let him finish, sir?

WALLACE: Please let him speak, Mr. President.

WALLACE: Mr. President… (Trump cuts him off)

WALLACE: Gentlemen, you realize that you are both speaking at the same time. Let the president — go ahead, sir.

WALLACE: I’ve got to… (Trump cuts him off)

WALLACE: I have to give you roughly equal time. Please let the vice president talk, sir.

======

So, there are a number of tactics going on. First, Trump knows oral arguments will be on November 10, so above all, he wants immediately to change the subject to what was so horrible about Obamacare. He interrupts Wallace’s question eleven times.

Trump is pushing his own accomplishments and ignores the fact that the Supreme Court case is being asked to rule that the entire law is unconstitutional because it no longer contains the individual mandate.

So, the tactics are to pre-emptively interrupt the moderator, and then answer a question more to one’s liking. Also, since the question was posed to Trump, he feels it is his time, and can interrupt Biden. A statement of fact from a moderator for Trump is a question in terms of a point of dispute.

Part III on the debate is in preparation.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Republicans who will not back Trump

by Dave

“Folks we are better than this”  Elijah Cummings favorite saying.   A new book will be coming out soon.  It may have been in preparation prior to his untimely passing.  He always had a very positive spirit.

A long list of well known Republicans will not vote for Trump,  Some will do it quietly, with no explicit endorsement of Biden.  See Forbes article at the bottom of this blog.    Many names are very familiar, such as John Bolton, Colin Powell, Jeb Bush and  George W. Bush, Chief of Staff, John Kelly recently stated he wished there were other choices.  Former Defense Department Secretary under Trump, General Mattis, has voiced opposition to Trump.   Other ex-Trump officials have spoken out against him as well, including Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert, communications staffer Omarosa Manigault, National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security advisor John Bolton,

Former Homeland Security Department Chief of Staff Miles Taylor accused Trump of withholding disaster aid from blue states and claiming “magical authorities” above the law. Miles Taylor served at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019, including as chief of staff. As so many have reported, Donald Trump looks first as policy as a marketing scheme to get himself re-elected.  It is more of what would be popular among his base.  This comes from many lifelong Republicans including the former Director of the National Security Agency, John Bolton.  Bolton is not endorsing Biden, just not voting for Trump.

Among those voting for Biden are Bush administration Secretary of State Colin Powell  and  Carly Fiorina, a former Hewlett Packard CEO and GOP presidential candidate.  She was briefly the running mate of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), so her political views are similar to Ted Cruz,  She cannot support Trump.  Carly Fiorina stated,  “Character matters, as does leadership and [Trump] has neither.”

Policy can’t be what makes the president looks good on Fox News.   His acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention contained 20 lies or misleading statements.  I will post the list soon.

Excerpts from  Miles Taylor:

The president has tried to turn DHS, the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, into a tool used for his political benefit. He insisted on a near-total focus on issues that he said were central to his reelection — in particular building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. Though he was often talked out of bad ideas at the last moment, the president would make obviously partisan requests of DHS, including when he told us to close the California-Mexico border during a March 28, 2019, Oval Office meeting — it would be better for him politically, he said, than closing long stretches of the Texas or Arizona border — or to “dump” illegal immigrants in Democratic-leaning sanctuary cities and states to overload their authorities, as he insisted on several times.

John Kasich ran for President as a Republican.  He will Biden a unifier.  He talked about restoring and rejuvenating America.

The Honorable John Kasich
Former Governor of Ohio
Democratic National Convention
Monday, August 17, 2020

America is at a crossroads. Sometimes elections represent a real choice, a choice we make as individuals and as a nation about which path we want to take when we’ve come to challenging times. America is at that crossroads today. The stakes in this election are greater than any in modern times.

Many of us have been deeply concerned about the current path we’ve been following for the past four years. It’s a path that’s led to division, dysfunction, irresponsibility, and growing vitriol between our citizens. Continuing to follow that path will have terrible consequences for America’s soul because we’re being taken down the wrong road by a president who has pitted one against the other. He’s unlike all of our best leaders before him, who worked to unite us, to bridge our differences, and lead us to a united America.

I’m a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country. That’s why I’ve chosen to appear at this convention. In normal times, something like this would probably never happen, but these are not normal times. I’m proud of my Republican heritage. It’s the party of Lincoln, who reflected its founding principles of unity and a higher purpose. But what I have witnessed these past four years belies those principles.

Many of us can’t imagine four more years going down this path, and that’s why I’m asking you to join with me in choosing a better way forward. I believe the best of America lies ahead, but only when we rediscover our shared belief in the United States of America, for our children’s future, which can be bright, hopeful, and inspired if we choose to make it so.

I’ve known Joe Biden for 30 years. I know his story of profound grief that has so deeply affected his character. I know Joe is a good man, a man of faith, a unifier, someone who understands the hopes and dreams of the common man and the common woman, a man who can help us to see the humanity in each other. He knows that the path to a restored and rejuvenated America lies in respect and unity and a common purpose for everyone.

Yes, there are areas where Joe and I absolutely disagree. But that’s OK because that’s America. Because whatever our differences, we respect one another as human beings, each of us searching for justice and for purpose.

We can all see what’s going on in our country today and all the questions that are facing us, and no one person or party has all the answers. But what we do know is that we can do better than.

August 17-20, 2020

____

Former cabinet officials have witnessed Trump’s craziness.   I hope to add to this blog.  Please see the Forbes article.

Stay tuned,

Dave

Links:

All The Republicans Who Have Endorsed Joe Biden For President

Day 1 Democrat convention

by Dave

This is the week for Democrats.  I watched the entire 2 hours, form 9:00 to 11:00 pm.  I’ll have to admit that everyone’s perspective is different, and each night, the Democrats will try to convince you that their candidates are the right choice.  Then it will be time for the Republicans.  I’ve already seen a couple of Trump’s interviews, and their campaign is built on some sensationally false narratives, particularly strong on the failure of the Obama administration.

The two issues that began dominated the first 2 hours were the coronavirus epidemic and the black lives matter movement.  The convention priorities seemed to turn to the headline news.  Plus, as the convention closed for day 1, Michelle Obama attacked the personal character of Donald Trump.   I would have like to have seen a long list of his lies.  I hope this will be coming today.

One of these false narratives will date back to 2016, when Trump will say that our economy was ready to collapse.  By any economic measure, in 2016 our economy was booming.  It had really plunged into recession under George Bush’s administration during the housing or subprime crisis.   Bush deserves credit for supporting the TARP program, with an unprecedented  700 billion dollar package designed to help our economy in 2008.   It was hard for Bush to do, as it was admitting that the economy was in terrible shape, yet he was working with his advisors to fix things.   The actions of Bush, made it possible for Obama to continue to add to the stimulus package.  Yet,  it wasn’t until late 2009, that the stimulus finally started working.  Unemployment dropped from over 10% in 2009 to less than 5% in 2016.    The economy was not revived by Trump.   The same boom started by Obama continued through the Trump years.

On the economy,  if tomorrow we have the miracle vaccine, perhaps the Sputnik 5 really does work, then we still will not be “open for business”  with a massive government deficit and enormous unemployment.  This means less federal revenue in 2021 and the prospect of higher inflation.   So, if Biden is elected, he will be inheriting a mess which comes from the trillion dollars of stimulus.  The only way out is cutting government spending.  There will be an attempt to rollback the Trump tax cuts, but it is a heavy lift.   It is crazy, but the Democrat party must become more “republicanized” and promote improving trade relations with China and numerous other countries,  and cut government spending.

Trump will say with 100% conviction that a vote for Biden is one small step towards economic disaster.   He will say that let the Democrats run government, will be like handing the keys to the kingdom to the Chinese and illegal immigrants.  The stock market is still on a roll with Biden in the lead in the swing states.   I see the recent upsurge in the stock markets in solar and fuel cell technology as a very positive sign of a better future ahead, with cleaner energy sources.   Fossil fuels are not going away, as there is too much invested in a gasoline based transportation system.   But a higher percentage of our energy needs can be met with other sources of energy, and it will be a strong positive in an recovering economy.

Stay tuned and keep watching the online  DNC convention.

Dave

Economic Policy of Barack Obama administration 

Economic policy of Donald Trump administration

 

 

The US Post Office Scandal and the Pushback

by Dave

I can hear Elijah Cummings saying, “Folks, we are better than this.”   The USPS is on a rampage to slow down mail service, right in the middle of the coronavirus epidemic.   First step is installing a Postmaster General whose only qualification is that he donated millions to the Trump campaign.   There were no announcements when the post office began removing vital sorting machines from their backrooms.  The Washington Post reported 671 sorting machines each capable of sorting up to 35,000 letters per hour, have been removed.   Actually, they can sort outbound mail at up to 55,000 letters per hour.  This is exactly what the States need to send out ballots.  Obviously, each state would be sending out a huge number of ballots perhaps millions all at once in mid-October.  Trump can say he’s against mail-in ballots,  but he really crossed the line on this one.  He had a long standing dispute on the rates the Post Office charges for packages – but this is a completely different issue.

So far, the slowdown of postal service under the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy are:

  •  Disabling or removal of 671  sorting machines
  •  Removal of drop boxes nationwide
  • Denying overtime for postal employees.
  • Firing of 15 post office executives

GOP leadership has praised the new postmaster general as a man of strong action and leadership.   People involved in shipping have seen long delays in recent weeks.   Then legal counsel for the Post Office sent 46 letters to the Secretary of State of each state warning that the ballots might not arrive on time to be counted.   Florida allows residents to request mail-in ballots at 10 days before election day.   The USPS is saying this isn’t enough time.

Trump champions cost cutting and privatization.  But pulling our vital sorting machines about 100 days before an election, has nothing to do with cost cutting.   Yes, there had been a slump in general post office services, along with everything else, as our economy plunged.  But everything coming out of the White House has been rosy forecast of recovery, about how we’ll have a vaccine soon and we’ll be back in business.   To think we are gutting our postal services because of the current downturn in the economy is absurd.

Louis DeJoy is a wealthy man, and likely his investments will benefit from taking an axe to the  post office services.    He founded XPO logistics, and sold it in 2014 for 2014, but still retains stock in the company.

The news media didn’t catch the action of DeJoy to disable these huge sorting machines in  June.    I assumed the post office just ordered the machines shut off, and immediately mail piled up.  It just takes two people to run the machines, so do the math:  671 machines x 2 people = 1342 employees.   Maybe it’s twice this, if there are two shifts.  Now, how many letter per day are not sorted:  35,000 letters/hour x 671 machines x 8 hours per day (a guess assuming just one shift)  = 187 million letters per day not sorted.   If the machine operators are long gone, there has just been one massive slowdown of our mail.

The removal of mailboxes was first noticed in Billing, Montana.   Why there?   Surveys show that Trump is likely to win in Montana.   But Montana is an enormous swing state in control of the Senate by Republicans, with just 6 senate seats in the toss up category:  Montana (1),  Colorado (1),  Georgia (2),  North Carolina (1) and Maine (1).   Fortunately,  both Republicans and Democrats have renounced the mailbox removal and this has stopped.

Polls tell us that low voter turnout favors Republican candidates. From the recent Quinnipiac University  poll of Texas voters:

38. Thinking about the election for president in November, do you think you would feel comfortable or uncomfortable voting in person?

                                                               WHITE........
                                                               4 YR COLL DEG
                     Tot    Rep    Dem    Ind    Men    Wom    Yes    No
 
Comfortable          60%    84%    31%    60%    65%    54%    64%    73%
Uncomfortable        38     14     67     38     33     43     34     25
DK/NA                 2      2      2      2      2      2      3      2

Look at the second line “uncomfortable”  and skip to the third number in that row –  67% of Democrats polled are uncomfortable with voting in-person verses 14% of Republicans. This is a dramatic difference.  Biden’s supporters tend to be older and  more educated.   I’m sure this has not escaped the view of Trump. Nothing else makes this kind of difference. There have been dozens of surveys all coming back saying that Democrats are more worried about the spread of coronavirus, are more reluctant to go out to bars, restaurants and yes, polling places.

I don’t know what Plan B is for Louis DeJoy.   He’s  picked up a slew of drop boxes.  You can’t exactly sell a mailbox except for scrap.  Same goes for the sorting machines.  Probably have to first strip off all that expensive scanning equipment which have really evolved over the years, so they can be efficiently maintained.  Louis DeJoy is an investor and ardent Republican supporter.  He’s never worked a day for the US Post Office or any government agency.  His wife has been nominated as ambassador to Canada.  While DeJoy and his wife are getting excellent returns on investing in Trump,   I imagine a lot of the postal workers will be looking at their pension plans.

So, if Joe Biden gets elected, he’ll have a long uphill battle to restore postal services.

So I’ll end with where I began,  “Folks we can do better than this.”

Stay tuned,

Dave

Who Is Postmaster General Louis DeJoy?

Postal Service calls off removing mailboxes around Montana

Rachel Maddow “Pressure works” Aired 8/14/2020

 

I tape the show.   Unfortunately it will be expiring soon.

Louis DeJoy was one of four members of the Republican National Committee – Finance team working under Steve Wynn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Wynn , Elliot Broidy, Michael Cohen and Louis DeJoy on April 3, 2017 were “long time friends of the Party.”  So, what have these fine people done lately.   Sexual misconduct, financial fraud, and writing a soon to be released best seller.