While MAGA World Dukes it Out in the Hyped Up Iowa Caucus, the Biden/Harris Campaign Brings in Almost $100 Million at the End of 2023

Photo from A.P.

It is very amusing to watch political commentators and the news channels fawning over the Republican Presidential candidates competing in the Iowa Caucuses. The hype surrounding them is almost nauseating because, unlike the Democratic ones, the Republican Iowa events have only picked the non incumbent Presidential Nominee twice in its 48 year history. The first time was 28 years ago when Robert Dole, from neighboring Kansas, won the 1996 caucus. The last time was 24 years ago when George W. Bush, after declaring Jesus Christ as the person most important influence in his life, prevailed. 

In almost a quarter century, the Iowa caucus has struck out in selecting the eventual non incumbent Republican Presidential nominee. 

While this year may be an exception, expect a potential intra party blood bath if Nikki 'Was Slavery a Cause of the Civil War?' Haley's momentum, if true, carries her to a strong finish in Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Donald 'I killed Roe v Wade' Trump, has alway unleashed his famed attacks on his one time United Nations Ambassador. 

Expect the vitriolic venom to continue flying at the former South Carolina Governor and the other remaining credible (for today, at least) Republican Candidate, Florida 'six week abortion ban' Governor Ron DeSantis until potential primary losses dictate that they both bow out.

However, if Haley's momentum picks up (a strong possibility) or DeSantis makes a surprising comeback (do not bet on it,) do not expect the twice David Duke endorsed and enabler of the January 6 Domestic Terrorist Attack to go quietly into the night and fade away.

If Haley or DeSantis somehow pulls off an electoral upset, expect the twice impeached and 91 time indicted former American Duce wannabe to fracture the former Party of Lincoln into several pieces, forever declaring the establishment Republican wing stole the election from him and his followers from the alternate reality MAGA world. 

All of these scenarios should bring smiles to the Biden/Harris Campaign who just announced that the holidays were good to them at the end of 2023 with a reported $97 million in donations. 

In a campaign press release, the Biden/Harris team relayed they had $117 million cash on hand, the highest in Democratic Presidential campaign history. 

Think of the ads showing all of Donald Trumps sins or Nikki Haley's Reproductive Freedom and Civil War Gaffes or DeSantis Hand Maid Tale society he is creating in Florida those millions will buy. 

Think of the staff and ground game operations some of that cash will buy in the battle ground states.

Speaking to CNN, Biden/Harris Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler offered:

“If you want to talk about the enthusiasm from the Democratic base for this president, you should look no further than today’s fundraising announcement. We announced that we raised $97 million in the fourth quarter, that's $235 million since the launch of this campaign largely driven by grassroots donations. About 97% of the contributions that we got in the fourth quarter were under $200. Right? Those are folks like teachers and nurses who are giving $5, $10 at a time by going to Joebiden.com. They're doing so because they understand A) what the president has done to fight on behalf of them, but they also understand what's at stake in this election, whether or not we're going to hold on to what the president referred to as a ‘sacred cause’ of America, which is our democracy. We're excited about the enthusiasm we have seen thus far in the race. We're excited for the fight ahead. We'll be watching closely to see who emerges tonight in Iowa. We're ready to provide the American people with a stark contrast between the president fighting for more freedom and democracy, and MAGA extremists led by Donald Trump who want to tear down the fabric of American democracy.”

Commenting on the $97 million haul, Biden/Harris Advisory Co-Chair and Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg stated on MSNBC:

“When you listen to the pundits and the polls and then you actually see the results of fundraising, it could not be more disparate. You have $97 million, $235 million raised in a pre-election year. I say that again, $235 million and having the resources and the sense of urgency that we have to go out and run a great campaign and win this election, you know you need this. Now one of the things I find really interesting about this is that 97% of the donations have come from small donors and that support - so literally over one million people have contributed to Joe Biden’s campaign - so that is a level of enthusiasm and commitment and grassroots support which was essential in his 2020 campaign, which I just dont think is being reflected in the beltway gossip.”

Today marks the beginning to save American Democracy from the MAGA-Fascists that would destroy it. 

On this Martin Luther King Day, the people should rise up and send the message to the MAGA-Fascists, 

"This Republic will NEVER be yours."

Editorial Cartoons for the Week

 

Editorial Cartoons for the Week

 

At Valley Forge, Biden Calls the 2024 Election "Deadly Serious," Saying "Democracy is On the Ballot."

With a welcoming audience near Valley Forge chanting "four more years," President Biden delivered a blistering attack on Donald Trump, saying "Democracy is on the ballot" in 2024.

Telling the audience and outside viewers that he was "deadly serious" about the theme of his address, the President made numerous references to George Washington, as a Revolutionary War General and as the first President under the Constitution, in highlighting the profound differences between the American Ideal and MAGA Trumpist Fascist Authoritarianism. 

The President reminded the audience that the goals of the Revolution were “Never again would we bow down to a king (a veiled swipe at Trump and his political leanings)" in pursuing the "sacred causes of freedom, liberty, and Democracy."

Toward the end of his speech, Mr. Biden reminded the audience that Washington could have been President for life but decided to retire after two terms. 

Then, in a reference to the historically illiterate and Constitutionally brain-dead mob that attacked the Nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021, the President pointed out that: 

“The mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6th, waving Trump flags and Confederate flags, stormed right past the portrait. The image of George Washington gave them no pause – but it should have."

“The artist who painted the portrait memorialized this moment because he said it was ‘one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world."

“George Washington was at the height of his power having just defeated the most powerful empire on Earth. He could have held onto that power as long as he wanted… Could have been President until he died. But that wasn’t the America he and the American troops of Valley Forge had fought for."

"In America, our leaders don’t hold on to power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people – willingly. You do your duty. You serve your country. And ours is a country worthy of service…We are not perfect, but at our best, we face head-on the good, the bad, the truth of who we are. That’s what great nations do, and we are a great nation – the greatest of nations on the face of the Earth.”

When discussing the January 6, 2021, Domestic Terrorist attack on the Nation's Capitol, the President was very blunt, saying, “On that day, we nearly lost America” because that day was "the first time insurrectionists attacked the Capitol." 

Mr. Biden then went on to attack Trump and MAGA Republican attempts to "steal" and rewrite history" by saying things on the campaign like the violent mob was peaceful and the 1200 criminally charged (900 convicted so far) insurrectionists were really patriots filled with love, not hate. 

In his address, the President called out such attempts at whitewashing the MAGA Domestic Terrorist January 6 attack by pointing out:

"At the time, even Republican members of Congress and Fox News commentators publicly and privately condemned the attack. And as one Republican Senator said, Trump’s behavior was embarrassing and humiliating for the country."

“But now as time has gone on — politics, fear, money – have all intervened. And those MAGA voices who know the truth about Trump and January 6th have abandoned the truth and abandoned our democracy. They’ve made their choice. Now the rest of us – Democrats, Independents, mainstream Republicans – we have to make our choice."

"I know mine. And I believe I know America’s. We’ll honor the truth. We’ll defend the Constitution."

At another part of the speech the President repeated a statement he had made numerous times before, saying "You can't be pro-insurrectionist and pro-American."

Mr. Biden was pointedly critical of his predecessor throughout the address, saying "The choice is clear. Donald Trump’s campaign is about him, not America, not you.” 

He reminded everyone that:

• Trump was the "denier in chief." The President went on to say that Trump and his supporters "can’t love your country only when you win.”
• It was Donald Trump who said he would be side by side fighting with the insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, but then left and let "them do the dirty work for him" while doing nothing at the White House despite pleas from staff, family, and Republican Congressional Leaders hiding from the mob at the Capitol.
• Trump lost the 2020 popular vote by over seven million votes.
• Trump lost all the 2020 recounts he or his surrogates requested.
• Trump lost all 60 of the court cases in his attempt to call out election fraud that was not there.
• Trump and his surrogates, including the recently found liable for defamation Rudy Giuliani and the commentators at Fox 'We had to pay a $700 million settlement for spreading election lies,' targeted election workers and the machines tabulating the vote count with false accusations.
• Trump called fallen veterans "suckers" and "losers." Mr. Biden said, "How dare he."
• Trump made fun of Paul Pelosi after the former Speakers husband was attacked by a Trumpist-Maga supporter. The President called him "sick" for that.
• Trump is promising to be a dictator if reelected and to bring a wave of revenge and retribution if he returns to the Oval Office.
• Trump, an admirer of Putin and Kim Jong Un is invoking Fascist and Nazi phrasing, calling immigrants "vermin" and declaring they poison "the nation's blood."
• In this election, Trump and other Republicans were running on taking away freedom and banning books.

However, the predominant theme President Biden continually emphasized in his speech was the battle to protect and preserve American Democracy. 

Among the President's remarks were:

“Today we are here to answer the most important of questions: Is democracy still America’s sacred cause?
This isn’t rhetorical, academic, or hypothetical. Whether democracy is still America’s sacred cause is the most urgent question of our time. It is what the 2024 election is all about.”

 “Democracy is on the ballot…Without Democracy, nothing else is possible...If Democracy falls… we lose the power of freedom and to shape our destiny.”

"America is the only nation in the world built on an idea that all men and women are created equal…and they should be treated equally."

“Freedom, liberty, Democracy is still a sacred cause.”

"I’ll promote  “decency and honor, and the idea that everyone deserves a shot.”

“We still believe in the We the People.”

“That’s the America I see in our future.

“We get up. We carry on. We never bow. We never bend. We speak of possibilities – not carnage. We’re not weighed down by grievance. We don’t foster fear. We don’t walk around as victims. We take charge of our destiny.

“We get the job done – in America-to help people find their place in a changing world and dream and build the future we all deserve.

“None of you believe America is failing. We know America is winning. That’s American patriotism.”

“We all know who Donald Trump is. We have to answer who are we.”

Reacting to the Biden address, Arizona House Congressional District One Candidate Andrei Cherny commented:

"Let's be blunt. I'm running for Congress because Democracy is on the ballot in 2024 and our Congressional District is ground zero for fighting extremism. My family knows what it's like to have Democracy fall around you. When my parents fled to the United States to build a family, they left behind a country racked with extremism and corruption. Today, President Biden reminded us that defending Democracy is a sacred cause. My opponent, David Schweikert, voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and roll back the clock for millions of Americans by fighting for a total ban on abortion. Come November, we will finally defeat David Schweikert and take back the House."

Earlier in the day, the Arizona Democratic Party Chairperson Yolanda Bejarano issued a statement on Donald Trump and the January 6 Insurrectionists attacks on Democracy, offering:

“Three years ago, Arizonans watched as Donald Trump and Arizona Republicans encouraged a violent mob to storm the United States Capitol and attack law enforcement in an attempt to remain in power. Trump’s continuous assaults on the foundations of our country drove our democracy to the brink of ruin on January 6, 2021, and he’s threatening to throw our nation into chaos once again. Arizonans value our democracy and our freedoms and we want them strengthened, not attacked which is why in November we will once again reject Republican extremism.”

Ahead of President Biden's Speech at Valley Forge, His Reelection Campaign Launches the Ad "Cause"

With President Biden due to deliver a major address at Valley Forge on the anniversary of the Trump-inspired Domestic Terrorist Attack at the Nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021, his reelection campaign team has released an ad called "Cause" in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The ad starts with the President saying: 

"I've made the preservation of American Democracy the central issue of my Presidency." 

The ad further quotes the President and Vice Presidents' commitment to free and fair elections, unhindered by MAGA Republican suppression tactics. 

The President then pivots and discusses that "there is something dangerous happening in America." With pictures of white nationalist events, MAGA Trump rallies, and the January 6, 2021, Domestic Insurrectionist Attack on the Nation's Capitol in the background, the President goes on to say:

"There's an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs in our Democracy."

Mr. Biden then calls the citizens of the country to action, asking:

"What will we do to maintain our Democracy? History is watching. The world is watching. Most importantly, our children and grandchildren will hold us responsible...I ask every American to join me in this cause."

The President, in a Humphrey-Reagan-Clinton-Obama opportunistic approach, concludes the ad by stating:

"America is still a place of possibilities where the power resides with we the people. That's our soul. We are the United States of America. There is nothing beyond our capacity when we act together."

Commenting on the ad in a press release, Biden/Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote:

“Led by Donald Trump, MAGA Republicans are running on an extreme platform of undermining the will of the American people who vote in free and fair elections, weaponizing the government against their political opponents, and parroting the rhetoric of dictators in service of forcing their extreme, unpopular agenda. Over the last three years, MAGA Republicans haven’t shied away from the Big Lie – they’ve doubled down. This ad serves as a very real reminder that this election could very well determine the very fate of American democracy.”

The Four Issues for 2024: The Economy, Law and Order, Freedom, and A Vision for Tomorrow: All Issues Republicans Are Failing On

Photo from Public Policy Institute of California.

Happy New Year Blog  Readers. 

It is an even year so that means there will be major national, statewide, and local races across the country. The major headline of course will be the probable 2020 Presidential rematch between Joe 'I Saved the Country' Biden and Donald 'I Killed Roe v Wade' Trump.

In the political mystery of the decade, some polls show the twice impeached, twice popular vote loser, twice David Duke endorsed, found liable for sexual assault, the person responsible for taking away a woman's reproductive freedom, and four-time indicted Liar in Chief and January 6 Domestic Insurrectionist Instigator, competitive and leading in some instances. 

Other polls show the MAGA party is more trusted to handle vital issues like the economy, crime, foreign policy, and the border.

One recent poll shows Mr. Trump leading among Latinos or Young voters.

These polls are living proof of why there should be more history and civic education in K-12 education and college in order to make better-informed citizens. 

It is mystifying that polls (no matter how far away from the election and how unreliable) give the Trumpists, Republicans, and MAGA fanatics such advantages considering their track record including:

• Which party was in power when 9/11 occurred?
• Which party was in power when this nation went into an ill-advised war and occupation in Iraq?
• Which party enacted debt-busting tax cuts for the rich in 2001, 2003, and 2017 that did not pay for themselves?
• Which party aggravated the situation on the Southern Border by not supporting a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Plan that some of their own leaders helped write?
• Which party approved Supreme Court Justices that have taken away a woman's reproductive freedom and health care options?
• Which party was guilty of publicly mishandling the spread of the Coronavirus Pandemic?
• Which party did not support combatting climate change, fighting rising global temperatures, and reducing the costs of prescription drugs?
• Which party is the one who has shown a repeated willingness to shut down the economy with a government shutdown and create chaos and financial friction? Look for a big confrontation in the first weeks of 2024.
• Which party is aiding Vladimir Putin by holding up aid to Ukraine?
• Which party has Presidential Candidates that say they will pardon the currently four-time indicted and found liable for sexual assault of former White House occupant? Remember how well that decision worked for President Gerald Ford in the 1976 elections. So much for being for Law and Order.

With that track record and the poor quality of Republican Presidential candidates, President Biden and Vice President Harris should be leading in the polls in all 50 states. 

This year, the election will be decided over four general issues: The economy, law and order (that includes public safety and border security,) freedom (that includes reproduction, civil rights, and protecting Democracy,) and a vision for tomorrow. 

On the four major issues that should decide this election, there is really no contest.

The Economy

Look at the economic performance of the country in 2023. Job Growth is steady including in the Green Collar sector of clean energy. The unemployment rate is under four percent. Inflation is down. Incomes for all socioeconomic groups are up with the working class getting the highest raise of all. 

https://twitter.com/SteveRattner/status/1742165781243134076

https://twitter.com/SteveRattner/status/1742165343387132322

Bideonomics: The Biden/Harris philosophy of building the economy from the Bottom Up and the Middle Out and the programs it has signed into law like the Infrastructure Law, CHIPS Act, American Rescue Plan, and Inflation Reduction Act seems to be contributing some positive results going into 2024. 

Law and Order?

Let us discuss the border surge in the South? Which party is holding up funding to beef up border security so it could formalize draconian MAGA immigration goals? Also, remember that it was the Republicans who have made this situation worse by not embracing Comprehensive Immigration Reform. 

The crime rate. Despite an unhealthy dose of misinformation, it is actually falling with homicides "plummeting."

Freedom. 

Look at what these Republicans are campaigning for? Limiting access to the ballot box. Taking away reproductive freedom and women's health care options. Restricting what you can read in school. Letting businesses decide whether they can discriminate against LGBTQ individuals and couples. Banning Muslims from entering the country (those people not thrilled with the Biden reaction to the war in Gaza should consider the alternative if they chose to sit out, support a third-party candidate, or actually vote for Trump.)

Not exactly a freedom agenda a major political party should be promoting in the Twenty-First Century. This is more an American Nazi Party Agenda which sadly the former Party of Lincoln, after decades of embracing Dixicrat positions, has become.

A Vision for Tomorrow. 

Which party is offering an agenda that promotes Democracy, an inclusive society where everyone is equal, social justice policies that protect civil liberties and lift people up, reproductive freedom, common sense law and order initiatives, comprehensive immigration reform, and investments in clean energy and the future industries of tomorrow?

Not the party whose lead Presidential contender says immigrants from the nonwhite parts of the world are poisoning the blood. 

On issue after issue that should decide this 2024 election, Republicans are failing miserably.

Voters need to recognize that and elect the public servants who will work to grow the economy, lift people up, promote la

On January 6 Anniversary, Biden to Deliver Address at Valley Forge on the Dangers Posed by Trump and MAGA Republicans to Democracy and Freedom

Photo from AP. 

With Biden/Harris Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez saying that "we are running a campaign like the fate of Democracy depended on it," the leaders of the Biden/Harris Presidential Reelection Campaign held a press call yesterday (January 2, 2024) to outline some of the immediate steps President Joe Biden, Vice President KamalaHarris, and other members of the campaign would participate in over the next message to convey the message of how dangerous Donald 'I Killed Roe v Wade' and the other leading Republican Presidential contenders (Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis) from MAGA World are to American Democracy, Freedom, and the economic foundations the current administration has laid. 

The main headlines coming from the event were that the President and Vice President would make campaign stops across the country over the next week highlighting the threat MAGA Republicans pose to the nation and how the current administration has endeavored to protect freedom and build an economy that expands the middle class and lifts up the poor (Bidenomics.)

President Biden will headline a campaign stop this weekend on January 6 at Valley Forge (the site of the famous Revolutionary War Event that helped turned the tide for George Washington's army and the American colonists,) to lay out the stakes in this election which are:

• Preserving and Protecting Democracy is on the ballot. In discussing this stop, Biden/Harris Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks said in the press call that "Democracy and freedom remain central to the fight we are in today." Having this event on the anniversary of the Trump enabled Domestic Insurrectionists' attack at the Nation's Capitol three years ago serves as another reminder that, as all members of the Biden/Harris Campaign team said, Trump, if reelected to the Presidency would launch a dictatorial administration focused on "revenge and retribution." Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler emphasized that "January 6 was an attack on Democracy that should not be forgotten."
• Ensuring freedoms and civil liberties like a woman maintaining her health care options, the right to vote unhindered, the ability to read what you want, going to school safely, and equality for everyone including the newly instituted ones afforded to members of the LGBTQ community is on the ballot. 
• Making sure the economic course plotted by the Biden/Harris Administration (Bideonomics) that focuses on expanding the middle class and lifting the poor is not replaced by the return of the discredited trickle-down supply-side tax cuts for the wealthy programs of the Republicans. 

On Monday, the President will travel to Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina to both honor the nine victims of a White Supremacist mass gun shooting and to note what racially biased-white nationalist nation Mr. Trump and the other leading Causes of the Civil War ignorant Republican Presidential contenders (Haley and DeSantis) would encourage with their statements and policies. 

Vice President Harris will launch a protecting freedom tour in states like South Carolina and Wisconsin with an emphasis on women's reproductive freedom and health care rights. 

When asked if the Biden/Harris Campaign presumes that Trump will be the Republican nominee, Fulks reminded the journalists that the positions of the other leading Republican Presidential contenders (like on reproductive freedom, promoting book banning and historical illiteracy, and an economy geared to making the rich richer) were "just as dangerous and unpopular."

He also said that the Campaign is scaling up operations in all key battleground states and they would work tirelessly to "earn everyone's vote" in every community across the country. 

To watch the entire press call, please click below.