The Real Confused Candidate

Political Cartoon is by Randall Enos at Cagle.com.
 

Biden Is Optimistic About The Future - Trump Is Not

Donald Trump has an unpatriotic and pessimistic view of the future of this country. Fortunately, we have a president that doesn't believe that. Like FDR, President Biden has faith in Americans to overcome problems and build a better country. Here is how he finished his State of the Union speech:

The very idea of America is that we are all created equal, deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives. We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either.

And I won’t walk away from it now. I’m optimistic. I really am, I’m optimistic.

My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are, it’s how old are our ideas.

Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.

To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. Tonight you’ve heard mine.

I see a future where defending democracy, you don’t diminish it. I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect other freedoms, not take them away.

I see a future where the middle class finally has a fair shot and the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes.

I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.

Above all, I see a future for all Americans. I see a country for all Americans. And I will always be a president for all Americans because I believe in America.

I believe in you, the American people.

You’re the reason we’ve never been more optimistic about our future than I am now. So let’s build the future together. Let’s remember who we are.

We are the United States of America!

And there is nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.

Women's History Month (GOP Version)

 Political Cartoon is by Clay Jones in The Columbus Free Press.

The Culture War Distracts From Fixing Education Problems

 

It Is Time To Let "Dark Brandon" Off The Chain

 

About 217,000 Workers Filed For Unemployment Last Week

The Labor Department released its weekly unemployment report on Thursday. It showed that about 217,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits in the week ending on March 2nd. Here is the official Labor Department statement:

In the week ending March 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 217,000, unchanged from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 2,000 from 215,000 to 217,000. The 4-week moving average was 212,250, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 500 from 212,500 to 213,000. 

At A Snail's Pace

Political Cartoon is by Gary Markstein at Creators.com.
 

Will The GOP Heal Itself Or Die After Trump Is Gone?

The United States used to have a viable two-party system. The Republicans were conservative and business-oriented. The Democrats were moderately liberal and worker-oriented. The two parties debated and eventually compromised for the good of the country.

That system began to go wrong in the mid-1960s. As a Democratic president signed several civil rights bills into law, southern racists abandoned the party and became Republicans. The Republicans were happy to have them. They thought they could use them while controlling them, and that worked - for a while.

Then the evangelicals began to flex their muscle through the "Moral Majority" movement, and their leaders cast their lot with the Republican Party. The GOP wooed them by siding with them on the abortion issue, homophobia, and the curtailing of women's rights. Once again, the GOP thought they could use them to retain power while keeping them in check, and that worked - for a while.

As jobs fled rural America, another disgruntled group showed itself. And this grew into the "Tea Party". Since the nation had a Democratic president (Barack Obama), this new group of discounted voters allied themselves with the Republican Party. Once again, Republican leaders thought they could use them and control them, and that also worked - for a while.

Then Donald Trump decided to enter the political arena. And he was shrewd enough to see what was happening in the Republican Party. He ascended to power by cobbling together the groups that were unhappy - the racists, the fundamentalists, and the discontented tea-partiers. He used this loose coalition (under the MAGA banner) to overpower the party leadership (and actually drive out of the party any moderates who opposed him).

After Trump came to be the party's leader, he placed the malcontents in power in the party - on both the national and state level. Now the malcontents that Republicans once thought they could control are controlling the party. Now the party has replaced mainstream conservative values with new values - racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny. And Trump is in control.

But Trump is getting old. He won't be around much longer. What is going to happen with the Republican Party once he is gone?

Does it return to the conservative business-oriented party of the past? Unlikely. The extremists are now in control, and it's not likely they will want to give up the power Trump helped them get.

Will a new leader take over the coalition known a MAGA? Also unlikely. No one has been able to appeal to these extremists like Trump did.

MAGA is a coalition of extremists and haters, and I don't see a way for more moderate politicians to kick them out of power. I think the hate and extremism is here to stay in the GOP. And that's bad news for them, since the majority of Americans don't like that.

It is very possible that after Trump, MAGA extremism will be the death of the party.

When the Whig Party lost the faith of the American people, they ceased to exist, and were replaced by the Republican Party. Today's GOP might suffer that same fate. If the GOP can't heal itself, then it needs to be replaced - and soon. We need a two-party system.

With A 9-Month Expiration Date

Political Cartoon is by Lee Judge at King Features.
 

Is It Time For The Filibuster To Go?

 

The GOP Has Abandoned Integrity, Principle, Policy, & Patriotism

 

Super Tuesday Settled It - The Choice Is Biden Or Trump

Slightly less than half of the states have voted in primaries or caucuses, but for practical purposes the presidential nominating campaign is over for both parties. The Super Tuesday states settled it by putting one candidate in each party so far ahead as to be impossible to catch.

Nikki Haley was able to win one state (Vermont), but she was trounced by Donald Trump in all the others. The night left Trump with 722 delegates of the 1215 needed, while Haley has only 46 delegates. On Wednesday morning, Haley dropped out of the race.

The result was just as lopsided on the Democratic side. Biden won all the Super Tuesday states by a huge margin. His two opponents (Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson) were unable to even approach Haley's anemic numbers when combined. The night left Biden with 1,288 delegates of the 1,969 needed for the nomination, while neither opponent has any delegates (although there are 5 uncommitted delegates).

In the remaining states, both Biden and Trump will easily amass enough delegates to clinch their nominations. Like it or not, The choice in November will be between President Biden or Donald Trump -- a choice between a decent working class born man willing to compromise and a lying rich born authoritarian madman who refuses to compromise.

I know that some recent polls have shown Trump being preferred over Biden, but it is still very early to worry about the polls. Those polls have a significant number of "unsure" (people who have yet to make up their minds).

Historically, American voters have rejected extremists. Most voters are moderates, and they expect their leaders to be willing to compromise for the good of the country. If there is a huge turnout in November (and I hope that will be the case), I expect they will choose the more moderate and willing to compromise candidate -- President Biden.

It's Only OK For A Republican

Political Cartoon is by Clay Jones at claytoonz.com.
 

Most Voters Think Trump Has Committed A Serious Crime

The chart above reflects the results of the New York Times / Siena College Poll -- done between February 25th and 28th of a nationwide sample of 980 registered voters, with a 3.8 point margin of error.