Tag: joe-biden

2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – TRUMP VS BIDEN

Trump and Biden are now the presumptive nominees of their respective political parties. Although anything can happen in politics in all likelihood they will become the official nominees at their respective party’s conventions this summer.

In my view, the 2024 presidential election will be extremely contentious. The campaign will include a surfeit of obfuscations, exaggerations and lies, even more so than usual. It is virtually axiomatic that all politicians are guilty of the above to some degree. We all know this. We don’t like it, but we accept it. A politician who tells the absolute truth all the time, like Jim Carrey’s character in the movie Liar, Liar, would never get elected.

That said, I maintain that voters should ignore all the bloviations, exaggerations and promises by the candidates and reported by the media. After a while, it all becomes so much “white noise” anyway. Promises are meaningless. Most of them never come to pass anyway. Rather than listening to what they say or promise focus on what they’ve done or haven’t done. You will find that that will clarify matters.

We can do this because in 2024 we have a very rare situation. Both candidates have actually served a term as president. Therefore, we don’t have to guess. We don’t have to predict. We can see what they’ve each done or not done as president. According to Wikipedia, Trump is only the 7th former president to run again after having left office, the first to do so since Herbert Hoover in 1940. (Only one of the previous six won – Grover Cleveland.)

The best way to analyze this election is to ask yourself that age-old question – are you are better off today under Biden’s presidency than you were four years ago under Trump’s. For example, is your quality of life better or not? Do you have more money or not? Are you able to provide for your family better or not? Regardless of what the government says, in your personal experience are prices of the necessities you buy, chiefly food, gas and shelter, higher or not? Has inflation impacted you or not? Do you feel crime is on the rise or not? Do you personally feel safer or not? Do you think the world is safer or not? Are you more or less satisfied with the US’s relationship with our friends, notably Israel, and our enemies? Do you feel the justice system is more equitable or not? Are your children’s and grandchildren’s schools educating them better or not? If you are Jewish do you feel the level of antisemitism is greater, lesser, or the same? If you are Black do you feel opportunities are better, lesser or the same? If you are a legal immigrant are you happy with special treatment of the flood of illegal immigrants that have entered the country or not? These are just some of the questions you should ponder. Your answers will make it obvious for whom to vote.

Don’t pay any attention to real or perceived personality flaws. They are largely subjective anyway. Like I said, follow your objective analysis. If you feel you and the country are better off under Biden than you were under Trump vote for Biden regardless of his cognitive status and legal issues. On the other hand, if you feel you and the country were better off under Trump then vote for him regardless of his abrasive personality and legal issues.

CONCLUSION

In my opinion, the answer to all of those comparisons strongly favor Trump. Do I like him on a personal level? I don’t know him. Never met him. But if I were to know him personally, I probably wouldn’t like him. But I say so what? Who cares? We’re not voting for senior class president. It’s not a popularity contest. We’re not going to “hang out” together. We don’t have to like him. We just have to think that he will improve things. Moreover, if you know your history you know that many of our best and most popular presidents had serious physical and/or personality flaws that were hidden from the public. Today, due to the internet and social media virtually nothing is hidden.

Furthermore, let’s not ignore the empirical evidence. We saw what Trump did as president pre-Covid. The economy was booming. Unemployment was at record lows for all ethnic and gender groups. We were energy independent for the first time in over 70 years. There were no wars. Our enemies feared and respected us. Our border was secure. Yes, some people were put off by his mean tweets and abrasive personality. Well, strap on your “big boy pants,” hold your nose and deal with it!

On the other hand, Biden’s record speaks for itself. His supporters perceive him as a nice old man. Many of them choose to ignore his cognitive decline and his nefarious, if not treasonous, activities. They voted for him in 2020 and will likely do so again. My question to them is how is that decision working out for you? I repeat, focus on what the candidates do or don’t do, not what they say or promise.

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BIDEN’S SOTU ADDDRESS – ONE MAN’S OPINION

The following blog constitutes my assessment of President Biden’s 2024 SOTU address.

  1. To no surprise, based on the post-address media coverage, generally, one’s opinion and analysis of the SOTU depends on whether one is a Biden supporter or a Trump supporter.
  2. Biden’s supporters have been ebullient over the fact that his delivery was mostly devoid of any of the fumbling, stumbling and bumbling, which have characterized his public appearances over the last few years. I concede that this was true for the most part, but I would add that that was a very low bar to hurdle, akin to a high jumper clearing a two-foot bar.
  3. Like many observers I was struck by his tone. He came across as strident, almost shouting and lecturing. I found that very odd and off-putting. It was not typical of him at all. It was like he had drunk several cups of coffee or red bull or ingested some other kind of stimulant.
  4. In my experience, Presidents use the SOTU address to try to unify the electorate. It is their rare chance to address the entire electorate, to highlight their past accomplishments, present their vision for the future, and make the case that they are the person to lead us there. Yes, they want to present their record in the best possible light, but more importantly they want to heal, or at least alleviate any fractions between the two parties. Their message is conciliatory rather than contentious.
  5. Biden, on the other hand, did not do that. His address was more akin to a campaign speech. He played to his base rather than the broad electorate. I understand that he wanted to shore up his support on the left, but nonetheless I think that was a mistake. Every presidential candidate knows one has to appeal to the middle in order to win.
  6. He doubled down on his policies, which are largely unpopular.
  7. In the process he lied and exaggerated repeatedly. The most egregious were with respect to the border and the economy. For example, after spending three years telling us the border was secure, which was an obvious lie, he maintained that Congress had to pass a bi-partisan bill, which he supports, to fix it. He blamed Trump and the GOP for Congress’ inaction. He conveniently ignored the fact that (a) the border fiasco is entirely due to his policies and (b) he can resolve the problem on his own by issuing executive orders, which is how he caused it in the first place. Regarding the economy he tried to convince us inflation was the lowest in decades when anyone who has bought food, filled their gas tank or tried to buy or rent a home knows from personal experience that is a lie. All he did was demonstrate that he is out of touch with Americans’ daily lives and problems.
  8. He claims he supports Israel, but his actions speak to the contrary. For example, he continued to insist Israel must stand down, and he continued to advocate a two-state solution, which neither Israel nor Hamas wants. Furthermore, the proposed port in southern Gaza he is supporting is ill-advised. Humanitarian aid sounds good, but there is no guarantee the aid would get to the people for whom it is intended.
  9. He continued to exhibit absolutely no compassion for those Americans who have been victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Also, he refused to honor Laken Reilly, or even say her name until he was shamed into it. And after he was, he proceeded to mispronounce her name as Lincoln Reilly, twice, even though he had her name written on a card right in front of him. He compounded his error the next day when he apologized for using the term “illegals,” saying he should have referred to them as “undocumented,” which is a “wishy-washy” characterization favored by the far left. He did not apologize to the Reilly family for mispronouncing Laken’s name, and to my knowledge he still hasn’t.
  10. He did not address the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan or the names of those Americans who were killed as a result.
  11. He still has not addressed the rampant anti-Semitism in our schools and in our society in general.
  12. He continued to offer no meaningful solution to the rampant crime wave in our cities and the coddling of criminals.
  13. He continually tried to portray Trump as soft on Russia and being subservient to Putin when, in reality it is he who has demonstrated those characteristics.
  14. He basically ignored his and his family’s corrupt dealings with Russia, China and other enemy states.

CONCLUSION

In summary, I think Biden did very little to repair his image or expand his support base. I think he will continue to lose support among Hispanics and Blacks, which will not augur well for his chances for re-election.

It will interesting and illuminating to see what the post-address polls show.

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FECKLESS JOE AND THE STATE OF THE UNION

Tonight, President Biden will deliver the annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress, members of the Cabinet (except for one “designated survivor), and the justices of the Supreme Court. The SOTU is required by the US Constitution, Article 2, Section 3, Clause 1, which states that the president shall periodically “give to the Congress information of the SOTU and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

George Washington delivered the initial SOTU to a joint session of Congress on January 8, 1790. For most of the next 100 or so years presidents fulfilled the constitutional requirement merely by submitting a written report to Congress. Then, in 1913 Woodrow Wilson commenced the current practice of delivering the SOTU in person. Later, with the advent of television and streaming the address has been delivered live throughout the entire country and much of the world.

Traditionally, the president uses this opportunity to review his administration’s accomplishments, outline what he hopes to achieve prospectively, and foster unity among the voters. In this case, however, I wouldn’t count on it. As I have written many times I cannot think of any positive accomplishments by the Biden administration. Moreover, I doubt that he will be able to achieve any in the remainder of his (hopefully only) term. Finally, the notion that he will unify the country, or even try to, is a joke. On the contrary, thus far his administration has done everything to demonize and criticize Republicans and, in particular, Trump and his supporters.

Those of you who have been paying attention over the last three years are cognizant of the following Biden lowlights, and I apologize for wasting your time by repeating them here, but for those of you who have been drinking the Dem Kool-Aid below please find a brief summary:

  1. Opened the border to virtually anyone who wants to enter the US. Millions have entered in the last three years. We don’t even know the identity of these people, how many there are, where they’re from or their intentions. What we do know is they done significant damage to our country economically, politically, criminally, and socially. And that doesn’t even address the real threat of terrorism they present. The negative ramifications of this action are incalculable and will be long-lasting.
  2. Suspended the production of oil and gas. Succinctly put, this took us from energy independence to energy dependence and in the process damaged our economy. Additionally, it has propped up the economies of many of our enemies, such as Russia and Iran. As a result, Russia has used its oil revenue to prosecute the war against Ukraine, and Iran has been able to finance terrorist activities in the Middle East and elsewhere.
  3. Created massive inflation through profligate spending. Don’t believe the government’s publicized inflation numbers. Anyone who has bought groceries, filled up their car’s gas tank, or tried to buy or rent a home knows they don’t reflect reality. We’re being gaslit.
  4. The evidence of his and his family’s corruption continues to grow. It’s getting to the point where only his most ardent supporters can deny their guilt of corruption and maybe even treason. In my view, he has been the classic “Manchurian candidate.”
  5. There are wars and conflicts all over the world. His weakness has encouraged Russia to invade Ukraine, Arab terrorists to attack Israel in the most heinous fashion, and China’s saber-rattling vis a vis Taiwan. The botched exit from Afghanistan was a disastrous embarrassment and caused the loss of hundreds of American lives. Furthermore, his tepid support of Israel should make every Jew very uncomfortable.
  6. The rise of crime due to the proliferation of “no bail” laws and woke DA’s reluctance to prosecute crimes has made all of us unsafe.
  7. He has done nothing to curb the very disturbing rise of anti-Semitism in the country and indeed the entire world. He has not taken any action, not condemned it, not even spoken out. I am not saying Biden is an anti-Semite, but his lack of support for Israel and Jews makes one wonder. Based on the foregoing, it is beyond me how any self-respecting Jew could vote for him.

It has taken over three years, but voters are finally catching on. All the polls speak loudly and clearly. Voters are beginning to realize that “the emperor [really] has no clothes.”

  1. According to the latest NY Times-Sienna poll Two-thirds of voters say the country is “heading in the wrong direction.”
  2. The latest CBS News/You-Gov poll has revealed that only one-third of voters think Biden’s presidency has been “excellent” or “good.” Some 61% of voters say he is “too old to be an effective leader.” It’s not just his chronological age. Many people have been lucid and effective well into their 80s. Contrary to what his supporters say, anyone who has seen Biden speak or even move around can readily see he is declining cognitively. It brings to mind the old Groucho Marx joke: “Are you going to believe what I tell you or what you see with your own eyes?”
  3. Despite the Dems’ and their supporters attempts to discredit Trump with bogus claims, even to get him disqualified from the ballot in some states voters are not being fooled. In fact, these false claims have served to boost Trump’s popularity. People are coming to realize that what’s being done to him could easily be done to them. Presently, the latest polls indicate that he leads Biden in every battleground state. This has led to widespread panic among the Dems. Some believe Biden may be replaced on the ticket, possibly at the convention.

CONCLUSION

I believe that tonight’s SOTU speech will be very interesting. I am anxious to see how Biden conducts himself. I’m not interested in what he says so much as how he says it. The pressure is on him to be articulate, cogent, coherent, and lucid. How will he justify his record? Will he attack Trump and his supporters? How many “Pinocchio’s” will he get. Who will deliver the opposition rebuttal, and what will he or she say?

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