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| John Cuneo's June 10 New Yorker Cover, 'A Man of Conviction' |
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Without immediately sending you off to a 'link,' here are the last three sentences of David Remnick's comments in the June 10 issue of the New Yorker magazine of which he is the editor. They cap off a summary of the transgressions of the former president, now a convicted felon awaiting sentencing. They say it all:
'American democracy, any democracy, is by nature fragile, and even the most summary assessment of Trump's rhetoric, actions, and intentions makes clear that the election in November is a matter of emergency. To return an unstable and malevolent authoritarian to the White House risks wounding American democracy in ways that would likely take decades to repair. That is not the only issue on the ballot, but those are the stakes.'
(If you've been vacationing out in space since 2016, and during the recent trial in lower Manhattan, you might want to read the full article, just visit https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/10/trump-is-guilty-but-voters-will-be-the-final-judge or CLICK HERE.)
This is why I have been urging Democrats (or anyone else) who are hesitant about supporting President Biden's re-election to set aside their doubts about his positions on immigration at our Southern border, on Ukraine, on providing military equipment to Israel, or on other issues.
Even with such objections, the vast majority of those who have them will undoubtedly end up voting for Biden, recognizing the risks his opponent poses, and which Remnick points out are a much greater danger to our democracy. In the meantime, however, the reluctance of some to forcefully support his re-election can only serve to benefit the campaign of the convicted felon, presently awaiting sentencing, whom the Republicans will undoubtedly nominate.
JL
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JL
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More Reasons to Re-Elect Biden
Beyond David Remnick's message, there are many solid reasons to vote to re-elect Joe Biden in November. Here is a summary of the differences between him and the convicted felon, presently awaiting sentencing, who the dying Republican Party will offer to America's voters. Biden's accomplishments make him the obvious choice for re-election.
· Trump - economy lost 2.9 million jobs. Biden has gained 15 million, so far.
· Trump - unemployment rate rose by 1.6 percentage points to 6.3 percent. Biden - unemployment under 4 percent for the longest stretch in over 50 years.
· Trump campaigned against the trade deficit with China. In the first three years of the Trump administration (before COVID-19), it worsened, averaging almost $379 billion per year.
· Under Biden, America’s trade deficit with China has improved dramatically, falling by $103 billion, or 27 percent, to $279 billion. It’s the lowest bilateral deficit in goods since 2010.
· Under Biden, the stock market has soared. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average hovers at about 40,000 for the first time in history, exceeding the market’s annualized return under Trump.
· Under Trump, the national debt rose from about $19.9 trillion to about $27.8 trillion, an increase of about 39 percent, and more than in any other four-year presidential term, because of his enormous tax cuts for wealthy Americans and big corporations. The Trump (and Bush) tax cuts have added $10 trillion to the debt and are responsible for 57 percent of the increase in the debt ratio since 2001. Under Biden, the national debt has grown at a far slower pace.
· Under Trump, Americans lacking health insurance rose by 3 million. Under Biden, enrollment in Obamacare has surged from 12 million in 2021 to 21.3 million today. In addition, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed by President Biden, in addition to their popular economic features, expanded and extended the refundable tax credits to help Americans purchase health insurance. His administration also attacked prescription drug prices, bringing about a $35 cap for insulin for those on Medicare, with promises of more such limits to come..
· Meanwhile, the actual prices of goods and services is lower today than it was four years ago under Trump, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That’s because incomes have grown faster than prices over that four-year period.
· Biden's investments in infrastructure, semiconductors, and green
technologies are rebuilding the middle class. Biden is making the biggest
investment in infrastructure in sixty years. Trump never did. Spending on new factories has almost tripled over the past three years, as
companies rush to locate in the U.S. market. Construction employment in April hit an all-time high of 8.2 million workers.
· The CHIPs Act, besides creating large numbers of manufacturing jobs, also activates the Davis Bacon Act, requiring that contractors and subcontractors pay the prevailing wage. It commits companies receiving grants to allow workers to unionize. It builds new plants in areas that have suffered job losses and decline. And it commits companies getting
grants to include daycare facilities in their new plants.
Trump and other Republicans pretend to be on the side of average working
Americans, but actually cut taxes on big corporations and the wealthy. By contrast, Biden made it easier for workers to qualify for overtime pay and made it easier to unionize. He was the first president in history to walk a picket line.
Trump's record on antitrust enforcement was abysmal. By contrast, Biden has been the most activist trust-buster in a half century.
· When it comes down to the Democrat's core goal of rebuilding the middle class, Biden's administration has been the most successful over the past forty years. Trump’s was the least successful and in fact, his policies from 2016 to 2020 increased the pressure on the middle class to keep up. Of course, he does not hesitate to lie about this, blaming it on Democrats, minority groups, and of course, President Biden. It bears repeating that in terms of their core goal of rebuilding the middle class, Biden’s administration has been the most successful of any administration over the past forty years.
Despite usually unrelenting Republican opposition, President Biden has been able to find those rare areas where compromise, leading to cooperation, is possible. His many years in government has provided him with the skills to do this.
There is no way that the convicted felon can deal intelligently with our friends and enemies abroad in regard to problems such as Russia's Ukrainian aggression, China's economic growth, maintaining a unified NATO and European community, or Israel's facing the challenge of those dedicated to its demise ... or the immigration problem challenging our own Southern border. Biden has the political skills to manage problems like these. Donald Trump wouldn't know where to start other than bluster, trickery, lies, and ways to personally profit.
The only skills Trump has are in lying, misrepresenting, and as proven in court in New York, paying off people. If the remaining litigation against this convicted felon ever gets off the ground in Georgia (where he asked its Sec'y of State to fiddle with the voting results), in Florida (where he hid classified documents he illegally took with him on leaving office in 2021), and in Federal court in D.C. (where he instigated a riot to prevent the counting of electoral votes), further indefensible sins are certain to come to light.
Meanwhile, Republicans are working hard to delay these trials forever, the best way being to elect their scoundrel candidate to the presidency again. Tragically, democracy will permit many who, for a variety of unwholesome reasons, will vote for the Republican/MAGA/Convicted Felon/Scoundrel candidate, Donald John Trump, or a third party candidate designed to drain off Biden votes in 'battleground' states. That's why your vote for Joe Biden's re-election is vitally important. That is what David Remnick wrote about.
JL
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JL
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Newark Airport - 1960
I've always been a fan of political bumper stickers, but nowadays prefer a placard (see above) in a car's rear window which doesn't damage a car's finish, bumpers now being a part of most vehicles' body itself. I feel that either way, they create support and get votes. Here's a story that brings to mind.
Back in 1960, during John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s presidential
campaign, he flew out of Newark International Airport after an event in New
York City. Along with other members of Newark’s
South Ward Young Democrats, I was there with a few hundred others to see JFK
off on his flight. He made a few remarks
and threw his arm around Bob Peacock, a local candidate for Congress. Not knowing enough about Peacock, Kennedy just said 'Bob, I’ve seen your bumper stickers
and they are really great and ought to get you a lot of votes. Good luck on Election Day,’ and with that, he
waved and walked up the ramp to his waiting plane.
FYI: In 1960, JFK carried N.J. but Bob Peacock lost. Nevertheless, I still remain a believer in bumper stickers or placards in cars' rear windows,
JL
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A Jailbird Speaks Out. Will Donald Listen?
A while back, Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to fourteen years for attempting to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat, once Obama had won the presidency in 2008. He only served eight years, eventually being pardoned by Donald Trump. It's only right that Rod return the favor with some advice for Donald, who may (although I doubt it) face similar incarceration.
The June 17 issue of the New Yorker magazine contain Rod's advice to Don, if he ends up in the 'Big House,' rather than the White House. CLICK HERE to read the article or take the time to copy and paste this on your browser line.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/06/17/rod-blagojevichs-tips-for-prison-survival-just-in-time-for-trump?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_Paid_061024&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&utm_term=tny_daily_digest&bxid=5c941c22b90c2f4a9f76d533&cndid=56749612&hasha=02fa158150d34dc186b01b1b8ec7a224&hashb=272a72a5c15a7235afb1dfcb769372a42fe06d21&hashc=033d2070fe1faa4dfea53a4950e7d0ed837513fd06d41e88f2d7b6b7c74af785&esrc=subscribe-page&mbid=CRMNYR012019
The article would be funny, were it not overwhelmingly sad that our democracy has difficulty separating its politicians from its criminals.
JL
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Some Like It Hot
During an outdoor rally in Phoenix the other day in the broiling sun, the defeated former president said he didn't want people to keel over because of the heat. While that made him appear considerate of the audience's welfare, it also revealed his real feelings toward them. His precise words were: 'We need every voter. I don't care about you. I just want your vote. I don't care.' I hope the attendees were listening.
JL
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Housekeeping on Jackspotpourri
Strange “Hits’! The large number of those accessing Jackspotpouri from Singapore has suddenly ceased. In their place, however, there have appeared large numbers of ‘hits’ on each posting in the hundreds, and as was the case with those from Singapore, but this time from Hong Kong! I suspect that the Chinese are playing around with internet transmissions, possibly to try to identify who is reading them.
Email Alerts: If you are NOT receiving emails from me alerting you each time there is a new posting on Jackspotpourri, just send me your email address and we’ll see that you do. And if you are forwarding a posting to someone, you might suggest that they do the same, so they will be similarly alerted. You can pass those email addresses to me by email at jacklippman18@gmail.com.
Forwarding Postings: Please forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it. Friends, relatives, enemies, etc.
If you want to send someone the blog, you can just tell them to check it out by visiting https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com or you can provide a link to that address in your email to them.
There’s another, perhaps easier, method of forwarding it though! Google Blogspot, the platform on which Jackspotpourri is prepared, makes that possible. If you click on the tiny envelope with the arrow at the bottom of every posting, you will have the opportunity to list up to ten email addresses to which that blog posting will be forwarded, along with a brief comment from you. Each will receive a link to click on that will directly connect them to the blog.
Either way will work, sending them the link to https://jackspotpourri.blogspot.com, or clicking on the envelope at the bottom of this posting.
Again, I urge you to forward this posting to anyone you think might benefit from reading it, particularly if they are a registered voter. This is an election year. Spread the word.
JL
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