Democrats Said to Be Energized

According to party leaders, Democrats have been energized by Tuesday night's debate.  We must wait to see how that energy will translate itself into action.  

Democrats' Turn in the Debate Spotlight

The so-called major Democratic candidates for President will appear in a televised debate tonight.  Of key interest is Hillary Clinton's new opposition to the Trans-Pacific trade deal.  This nefarious deal, negotiated in secret, clearly favors the convenience of the large trans-national companies at the expense of American workers.  Mrs. Clinton is of course right to oppose such an atrocious arrangement.  It will be interesting to hear more of what she has to say. 

Does Grammar Count?

Lincoln Chafee Supporters Best At Grammar:   USA Today

Does grammar count when it comes to being President?  Your blog author would say, definitely, yes. Changed grammar can change the very meaning of an important policy pronouncement.  Considering that the United States remains the pre-eminent nation on earth, holding a large arsenal of nuclear weapons and influencing everything from world economics to food supplies, the President's use of language is key.  

Of course, America has survived other poor grammarians (or non-grammarians) in the White House.  Reagan and both Bushes come quickly to mind.  But the country did suffer.  For poor grammar indicates poor or inattentive thought.  

It's a big subject and I'll leave the details to the experts.  For now, the following may be of interest.  

Grammar Counts

Michael Dukakis: The Voice of Wisdom. The Voice of Reason

Michael Dukakis, Courtesy Northeastern.edu

Although a year old, the interview linked to here has Michael Dukakis (remember him?) at his best.  Gov. Dukakis is open and fresh in this interview which covers the Democratic defeat in 2014 and the prospects for Hillary Clinton in 2016.  This interview was obviously conducted before the Sanders and O'Malley campaigns.  However, because of the quality of Mr. Dukakis' thoughts, I wanted to bring it to you.


Michael Dukakis on the 2016 Campaign

Martin O'Malley No Longer to Be Mocked for Views on ISIL

Another quick link as human tragedy rapidly unfolds 


Evidence for the correctness of Martin O'Malley's views on ISIL are becoming apparent.  The Atlantic monthly details the facts at the link below.

https://youtu.be/UKfYq24eWGg

Martin O'Malley Talks Some Sense on ISIL

C-SPAN's Road to the White House: Martin O'Malley

To view the Martin O'Malley announcement speech, please copy and paste the link material below into your browser.  The actual announcement comes approximately twenty minutes into the speech.
Gov. O'Malley is now the candidate of the position papers.  He is out-thinking everyone.  Here is where the campaign started:



<iframe width=512 height=330 src=http://www.c-span.org/video/standalone/?326212-1 allowfullscreen=allowfullscreen frameborder=0></iframe>

News Is Fertile Ground

Today's news is fertile ground for research and reflection regarding the 2016 race for President.  Bernie Sanders is claiming to be leading in Iowa though the lead of one percentage point he quotes is not statistically significant.  Martin O'Malley claims progress in challenging the limiting of debates.  Hillary Clinton is hunkered down, still trying to ride out a flap over her e-mail server issue.  And Vice-President Biden is quoted as saying he's not sure he can put his whole heart into the Presidency.
It seems to me the Democratic Party is in a perilous situation, though the Republicans are worse off for reasons of the electoral map.  For the Democrats it is critical a candidate be selected who can sweep the country and defeat any Republican.  It is difficult at this point to point to an announced candidate who can claim sufficient strength to make such a sweep.

Joseph Biden has shown in the two Vice-Presidential debates that he can more than hold his own against the type of Vice-Presidential candidates the Republicans have put up.  I suspect he could do the same with any of the Republican Presidential candidates currently on the scene.

But as New York  magazine recently wrote, the Republican candidates are simply insane.  This is indeed a scary situation.  Whether it is literally true that all the candidates are clinically insane, they cannot be said to be completely mentally competent either.  So, America simply must defeat the Republicans as they now stand before us.  Which Democrat can best do this has yet to be determined. Mrs. Clinton, whatever her faults, has strong credentials which must continue to be examined, along with the others.  

Thinking As Winners

Our campaign is doing so well because we are telling the truth about the reality of American life today. We are talking about a reality in which most of the new wealth and income in this country are going to the top one percent while working families are struggling more than at any point since the Great Depression.

                                                                          -- Sen. Bernie Sanders



Sen. Sanders in Iowa (via Twitter)

Sen. Sanders has pulled within ten points of Secretary Clinton in recent polling in Iowa.  What he says about this feat above is true.  However, no candidate can lay claim to the Presidency based on poll numbers alone.  Sanders knows this.

As voters we are proxies for the conventions, whether they be Democratic, Republican, Green, or some other variety.  As such we must think about not only the Party but the country.  Where do we want this country to be in January 2017?  We have the obligation to think not only about our own lives but strategically on the part of the body politic as a whole.  Which Democrat can not only win the party nomination but go on to defeat the Republican?  Which candidate, then, can not only articulate the best message, but can mount a stiff challenge to an over-financed Republican which will almost certainly be the case in the election of 2016?

What I am setting forth here is a high bar.  But it is reality.  This reality is what is giving me angst.  Too many Democrats are thinking only of the nomination and not the fall election of 2016.  Of course, we have a long way to go and we do not know who the Republican nominee will be.  These are reasons I have been critical in the past of the excessively long campaign season we now have in this country.  (See earlier post to this effect.)  John Kennedy did not even announce his campaign until after the new year of 1960.  Robert Kennedy, owing to LBJ's announcement declining to run in 1968, was even later. 

Yes, I realize it takes time to build a campaign now that the old party bosses have been deposed and campaigning has moved to Big Media.  But my main point is we the voters must think like the bosses -- we must think like winners.  We must think like master strategists.  We cannot afford to do otherwise. 

O'Malley Features Executive Experience in Campaign

Martin O'Malley is the most experienced, under-noticed candidate in the 2016 race.  He deserves close examination.  For one thing, he advocates the re-establishment of the Glass-Steagall Act, a smart move.

I will have more on Gov. O'Malley soon.


The O'Malley Candidacy

Democratic Campaign Watch

At the list linked to below are the major announced candidates from among Democrats, Republicans, and the Greens.  

There is also a handy list of those who have declined to run.

In the past I have published complete lists of candidates, including those unknown.  I will publish this list when it is available.  

Announced Candidates Among Known Individuals