The Struggle for the Soul of America: How Harris and the Dems Beat Trump

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Getting out the vote is the key to winning the presidential election. If Vice President Harris can get the constituencies that strongly support her out to the polls in great numbers, she will be victorious come November. That is particularly critical in the seven battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which will determine the outcome.

Forty-one million members of the Gen-Z generation will be eligible to vote in this year’s election.[1] Young voters under the age of 35 account for roughly 29% of the national electorate.[2] Today’s young people are among the most electorally engaged in recent decades.[3] They support Harris over Trump by 50% to 34%.[4] With a 16% margin in her favor, the Harris campaign must ensure that Gen Z has a huge turnout this election.

The issues that concern young voters the most are the economy, inflation and healthcare, including access to abortion.[5] With inflation now at 2.5%, the lowest level in three years,[6] and interest rates coming down 50 basis points for the first time in four years,[7] the Democrats could produce a big youth vote that would boost their chances this November.

Another very pro-Harris group is women. Harris leads Trump among women by 13 points (48% to 35%). Women favor Harris more than men across every racial and ethnic subgroup. On the other hand, Trump leads among men by only eight points (47% to 39%).[8]

The top three issues for all women in this election are the economy, healthcare/reproductive rights and the cost of housing.[9] Vice President Harris strongly supports a woman’s right to choose. In addition, she has reframed healthcare as an economic issue. She has proposed capping out-of-pocket drug costs for everyone at $2,000 per year and insulin copays at $35 per month, enhancing Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium support, speeding up Medicare drug price negotiation, and expanding efforts to cancel medical debt.[10]

Harris has addressed women’s concerns regarding the high cost of housing by proposing the construction of 3 million new affordable homes with tax initiatives for builders who create them. She would also provide $25,000 down payment assistance for 4 million first-time homebuyers.[11] With a consumer-friendly platform like that, Harris’s support among women can only increase, and hopefully, among men as well.

Regarding Black voters, Harris has a huge lead with 82% indicating they support her.[12] Black women, in particular, have her back. They are working diligently to bring more black men on board as well.[13] In the Hispanic community, Harris is favored by Latinos in Spanish-speaking and bilingual households by nearly 60% compared to 32% for Trump. In English-dominant homes, 51% of respondents supported Harris, while Trump stood at 38%.[14] Harris is strongly courting non-white communities.[15]

Overall, following the September 10^th debate, Harris leads Trump 50% to 45%, an increase of one or two points from prior to the debate.[16] The Vice President is addressing voters’ primary concerns, and, for the most part, they like what she is offering.

Of course, there are a few issues that are not so easy for Harris and the Dems to address. Like the Israeli-Hamas War and America’s reliance on non-renewable energy, esp. oil. So far, they have not impeded her expanding campaign to any significant degree.

Every day it’s looking more like Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States.

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com. https://protectthevote.net/), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/41-million-members-gen-z-will-be-eligible-vote-2024

[2] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-economic-concerns-are-shaping-the-youth-vote-in-2024/

[3] https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/gen-z-voted-higher-rate-2022-previous-generations-their-first-midterm-election

[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/poll-half-gen-z-voters-support-kamala-harris-one-third-back-donald-tru-rcna169025

[5] https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/24157594/young-voters-are-just-normies-poll-biden-economy

[6] https://www.bankrate.com/banking/federal-reserve/latest-inflation-statistics/

[7] https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/18/fed-cuts-rates-september-2024-.html

[8] https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/09/12/harris-holds-a-slight-edge-over-trump-and-its-driven-by-women-poll-finds/

[9] https://www.glamour.com/story/election-2024-the-state-of-the-union-for-women

[10] https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/harris-is-reframing-health-as-an-economic-issue/

[11] https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/9/18/what-housing-plans-do-us-presidential-candidates-trump-and-harris-offer

[12] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/09/harris-trump-biden-black-americans/

[13]

[14] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/harris-campaign-aims-bolster-latino-support-spending-blitz-rcna171113

[15] https://www.lemonde.fr/en/united-states/article/2024/09/19/harris-continues-to-court-minorities-after-saying-she-s-working-to-earn-the-vote-of-black-men_6726551_133.html

[16] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4876880-harris-widens-lead-over-trump-in-post-debate-poll/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump Found Guilty: Now What?

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Donald Trump is finally being held accountable. That is a good thing for democracy and the rule of law. Still, no one knows how Trump’s guilty verdict on all 34 felony counts will affect the November elections. Will it increase his support at the polls this fall? I seriously doubt it. If anything, the guilty finding will likely give a number of undecided voters a reason not to support him. How many go that route could be critical to the final outcome.

That does not mean, however, that those voters will support President Biden. They could stay home or vote for third-party candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. or someone else. Yet, anything that reduces Trump’s vote count should help Biden’s re-election bid.

Here are some other factors arising from the verdict that may significantly affect the election. First up is the sentencing of Trump on July 11. The harsher the sentence the more outraged Trump’s supporters will be. But I still don’t believe it will increase turnout for him in November. Rather, it will likely make the campaign uglier and turn voters off.

As important as Trump’s sentence is, presiding Judge Juan Merchan’s remarks at the sentencing hearing may be just as compelling. While a judge must remain impartial during the trial, he can be very revealing about his reasons for the sentence he is imposing. That is, Merchan can point to Trump’s outrageous behavior, his disrespect for the court and the jury, and his lack of remorse in explaining his decision for Trump’s sentence. The judge’s laying this all out in open court could sway some undecided voters not to support Trump.

Another interesting result of the verdict is how Trump’s team will handle the appeal. Until now, Trump’s strategy has been to delay all court proceedings for as long as possible, hopefully until after November. That would prevent any adverse decision from hurting his election prospects. But now that he has been found guilty, Trump may very well reverse strategies. That is, he might move for a quick appeal on the chance that an appeals court would reverse his guilty verdict before the election. While not likely, a desperate Trump might try to pull that off to improve his chances of being elected.

Then there’s the Republican National Convention beginning four days after Trump is sentenced. Given the strong support for Trump from most Republicans following the jury’s verdict, it appears that Trump will still be the Party’s nominee for president. I can’t believe the convention’s ignoring the verdict and going full tilt for a convicted felon will go over well with swing voters still trying to decide for whom to vote. By the same token, those undecided voters may not be able to stomach voting for other down-ballot Republicans who want a felon to be our next president. It’s hard to imagine how this goes well for Trump and his Republican Party.

Finally, there’s the overriding issue of the survival of American democracy. The Republicans are trying to convince the public that this whole affair is just about politics. As Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, put it: “The conviction of former President Trump on politically motivated charges is an outrage and disservice to the nation.”[1] Really?

Isn’t everything Trump does politically motivated to win the presidency, give him authoritarian power, and eliminate any opposition to his authority? Trump’s conspiring with Michael Cohen and others to conceal the fact that he had sex with a porn star while his wife was home caring for their newly born child was motivated by his desire to win the 2016 election. If moderate Republican women and others had known the truth before they voted, Hillary Clinton may very well have been our 45^th president. Our world would be a lot different today under those circumstances. But conspiring to conceal facts that could change the outcome of a presidential election is just politics according to most Republicans. Why should the American people care?

Well, the DOJ during Trump’s administration cared enough to prosecute Michael Cohen for the same campaign finance violations. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison.[2] Why shouldn’t the leader of the conspiracy be treated the same way? Biden and the Democrats need to make that perfectly clear to every voter before Trump steals another election.

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/disservice-nation-former-vp-pence-154731149.html

[2] https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/michael-cohen-sentenced-3-years-prison

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump’s Delaying Strategy May Backfire on Him

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Ever since Donald Trump was charged with multiple crimes in four different jurisdictions his main strategy for beating these charges has been delay. If he could only delay the trials until after the November elections, Trump believes he would be elected president and have the charges dismissed. However, this would not apply to the two cases brought in state courts, namely the trial now proceeding in New York and the Georgia conspiracy case.

Still, Trump’s strategy does apply to the most important case, the election interference charges in D.C. Since that case involves Trump’s conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, it’s not only the most important but also the one that has gotten the most attention. While it’s clearly the case that voters most want to know the outcome of the trial before the election, it’s the one that Trump most wants to delay.

But here’s where it gets tricky for Trump. If Trump succeeds in delaying the DC trial until after the election, which now seems likely, and he wins the election, then the American people will never know the truth. So, the only way we will get to the truth about Trump’s involvement in the attempt to overthrow the election is by re-electing President Biden.

The majority of Americans, including 52% of Independents, want a verdict in the DC case prior to the election.[1] Since that is not likely at this point, Trump’s successful delaying tactic would frustrate those voters and make them more prone to support Biden. In addition, it stands to reason that Trump’s desire to delay the trial indicates he believes he’s guilty. If he thought he was innocent, wouldn’t he want to be vindicated before the election to allay Americans’ doubts about voting for him?

Thus, Trump’s delaying strategy is handing Biden and the Democrats a huge campaign issue: If you want to know the truth about Trump’s alleged unlawful interference in the 2020 elections, the only way to guarantee that you will learn what really happened is to vote for Biden.

Bruce Berlin

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/politics/cnn-poll-trump-verdict-election-charges/index.html

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Back Home Refreshed and Recharged

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Back home in New Mexico after a month in Panama. It felt like another world there, and for the most part, it was. Above all, my trip gave me the time and space to reflect on the past, more clearly see the present, and imagine future possible directions around the next bend or two. Not just for my future, but for my relationship with my partner Margaret, for the various communities I’m part of, and for our country.

I highly recommend finding the time and space to take such a journey. It was a truly valuable experience for me. And, you don’t have to go all the way to exotic Panama to do it. Just set aside a day or two in a quiet place in your home or somewhere nearby.

The most insightful realization I received on my trip is that I need to slow down. Being in Lago Bay certainly pointed me in the right direction. But given the critical nature of this year’s elections, truly slowing down to a relaxed, simple pace is not likely to happen until I’ve done whatever I can to affect the November results.

There are only seven months until this monumental election. That the outcome of this year’s voting could be the demise of our democratic republic form of government is just, well, hard to believe. If you have any doubts about that, you are not alone. Doubt is good, but we cannot let it stop us from doing whatever we can to ensure that such a calamity does not befall our country.

While many people agree with this assessment, I often hear them say, “I’m only one person. What can I do that will make a difference?” Well, millions of us pulling together can make a huge difference. In the swing states (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) where the election will most likely be decided, a relatively small number of votes will put one candidate over the top.

Our phone calls, postcards, door knocking, texts, and emails to undecided and reluctant voters can make all the difference. We don’t want to be saying after Election Day, “If only I had spent one more day campaigning or made 20 more phone calls…” or whatever. Now is the time to resolve to go the extra mile to ensure our democratic republic survives the Trump-led onslaught by the far right.

Personally, I am still weighing my options. I may go work for Biden and the Democrats running for Congress in Arizona or Pennsylvania. And/or sign up for regular phone banking in one or more of the swing states. I just know I don’t want to one day be telling my grandchildren, “I could have done more to save our country from authoritarian rule.” Once I’ve done everything I can to help save our country, then it will be time to really slow down as I approach my 80^th birthday.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will History Repeat Itself?

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In the summer of 1968, the Democratic Party held its national convention in Chicago to nominate its candidates for president and vice president. This summer, 56 years later, the Democrats will again gather in Chicago for their national convention.

Back then, the Vietnam War was raging. Thousands of our soldiers were dying in Southeast Asia and millions of Americans were marching against the war here at home.[1] Now, while no American soldiers are currently fighting in the Middle East, the United States is funding Israel’s war against Hamas. Thousands of innocent Gazans are dying, and Americans are again protesting.[2]

The anti-war demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic Convention were televised across the world. As the party’s nominee, Humbert Humphry, pledged to continue the war, the protests grew outside the convention hall. The scene became bloody when the Chicago police tried to turn back the demonstrators by beating them with their clubs.[3] It most likely contributed to the Democrats losing the election to former Republican vice president Richard Nixon that fall.

Now President Biden with bipartisan support is unconditionally providing billions of dollars in aid for Israel’s merciless prosecution of the war in Gaza. Despite mounting opposition, Biden has failed to call for a permanent ceasefire. If he does not change course and stop the free flow of U.S. weapons and funds to Israel, Biden will be seriously hampered in his election campaign by his support of what some are calling Israel’s genocide in Gaza.[4]

Biden and the Democrats can ill-afford this self-inflicted wound in their effort to hold onto the White House and the Senate as well as win back the House.[5] Predictions are this will be a close election.[6] We must not let history repeat itself. Instead, we must demand that Biden and the Democrats call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, and stop the unconditional support of Israel’s war in Gaza NOW!

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moratorium_to_End_the_War_in_Vietnam#:~:text=The%20Moratorium%20to%20End%20the,Moratorium%20March%20in%20Washington%2C%20D.C.

[2] https://apnews.com/article/protest-gaza-israel-palestinians-london-29d5cd664c81654283344d1874691a4f

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Democratic_National_Convention_protests

[4] https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227078791/icj-israel-genocide-gaza-palestinians-south-africa

[5] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/28/biden-netanyahu-israel-gaza-war-2024-election

[6] https://www.racetothewh.com/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

(Note: On Tuesday, Margaret and I began a month-long trip to Panama. So, my blog posts may be sporadic and possibly shorter this month. I’ll do the best I can, under the circumstances, until I return at the end of the month.)

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court granted cert to Trump’s appeal of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision that he does not have complete immunity from criminal liability for acts taken as president. The Court has scheduled oral argument for April 22, which means a decision would not come down until late May or, perhaps, the end of June when the Court’s 2023-24 session concludes.

Assuming Trump loses his appeal (which seems likely, but you never know with this Supreme Court), the D.C. insurrection trial will probably not begin before late summer or early fall. It’s highly doubtful a decision would be rendered before the November election. Clearly, a victory for Trump.

Bill Kristol recently referred to a quote from Judge Learned Hand’s 1944 Spirit of Liberty speech regarding what this truly means:

I often wonder whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These are false hopes; believe me, these are false hopes. Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it.[1]

If you had any doubt before, it’s now crystal clear the Supreme Court does not uphold the principles enshrined in the Constitution or serve the interests of the American people. The same may be said of the Congress as well. If it had adhered to Constitutional principles, Trump would have been found guilty by the Senate after he was impeached by the House in 2021. And even the Department of Justice cannot be relied upon by the American people. If it had served the people’s interests, Trump would have been brought to trial long before now for fomenting the January 6^th insurrection.

Yet, there is a silver lining here. All those who still believe in democracy – Democrats, Never Trump Republicans, and Independents – now know that they, including everyone reading this and myself, must double their efforts to ensure the re-election of Biden and save our democratic republic. By the time the election rolls around next fall, very few voters will have any question about Trump’s efforts to provoke the January 6^th insurrection and overturn the 2020 election. Of course, Trump’s loyal followers will stand by “their president” no matter what. That’s what cults do.

As Ben Franklin said on the last day of the Constitutional Convention on September 18, 1787, we have a republic, “if you can keep it.” It is now up to us, the American people, after 237 years, to make certain that we keep it. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1737454546073309352

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Trump’s Border Betrayal

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

One of Trump and the Republican Party’s top priorities is the urgent need to protect our southern border. They have been hammering Biden and the Democrats for years about their failure to secure the border and stop massive illegal immigration into the States from Mexico. To that end, the GOP has been planning to make the lack of border security a major issue in this year’s elections.

Then finally, after months of negotiations, Senate Republicans and Democrats reached a bipartisan agreement on a border security bill over last weekend.[1] Suddenly, Trump opposed the deal[2] hoping to keep this campaign issue front and center while urging Republicans to turn their backs on their own solution. By tying Ukraine’s military assistance to tough border security, Republicans believed that the Democrats would never accept the compromise, allowing them to continue blaming the Dems for the uncontrollable surge of migrants at the border.[3] It appears they were very mistaken.

But it gets even worse for Trump and his GOP lackeys. In both the 2016 and 2020 elections, the U.S. Border Patrol union endorsed Trump for president due to his hardline stand on immigration reform. The union has repeatedly slammed Biden for his handling of our border with Mexico. But on Monday the labor organization which represents 18,000 agents endorsed the Border Act of 2024 stating it is “far better than the current status quo.”[4] At the same time, Trump denigrated thousands of hardworking union members by contending that “only a fool, or a radical Left Democrat, would vote for this horrendous Border Bill.”[5]

Due to Trump’s opposition and the stranglehold he has on his party, the bipartisan bill did not pass.[6] Ironically, that will hand Biden and the Democrats a big campaign issue. They can now rightly claim that the Republicans killed the solution to one of America’s most pressing problems. Immigration/border security polls alongside the economy as the two most important issues to voters this year. And the Democrats plan to make sure the public knows who was responsible for not solving the problem when the opportunity presented itself.[7]

Trump’s flipflop on border security may well hurt his election chances in another important way as well. Obtaining endorsements from major unions provides presidential candidates with significant support. In addition to campaign contributions, unions supply campaign volunteers, lists of voters, and more. Millions of Americans either belong to a union or have friends or relatives who are members.

The Border Patrol union’s support of Biden after previously twice backing Trump[8] sends a strong message to working-class voters. It may help convince other unions to get on the Biden bandwagon, too. In the last year the UAW, the very large autoworkers union, endorsed Biden, as did the AFL-CIO with its 12.5 million members.[9] The powerful Teamsters which endorsed Biden in 2020 is now deciding whom to support this year. That Trump is losing favor with the workers of America is a good sign for Biden and our democracy.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-unveils-118-billion-bipartisan-bill-tighten-border-security-aid-2024-02-04/

[2] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4448556-trump-calls-border-bill-a-death-wish-for-republican-party-dont-be-stupid/

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/us/politics/border-republicans-ukraine-bill.html

[4] https://news.yahoo.com/conservatives-balk-u-border-patrol-234523412.html

[5] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4448556-trump-calls-border-bill-a-death-wish-for-republican-party-dont-be-stupid/

[6] https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/senate-vote-border-bill-aid-02-07-24/index.html

[7] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/immigration-emerges-key-2024-wedge-issue-trump-vulnerability/story?id=106635907; https://news.yahoo.com/biden-determined-stunning-trump-backed-051927272.html

[8] https://www.mediaite.com/politics/border-patrol-union-that-endorsed-trump-comes-out-in-favor-of-bill-he-staunchly-opposes/

[9] https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cio-votes-endorse-president-biden-re-election; https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-01-24/uaw-backs-biden-in-major-2024-endorsement

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Biden’s Election Dilemma

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Like many progressives, I am very disturbed, if not outraged, by President Biden’s continued, unconditional support of Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, over 25,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed, the majority of whom were women and children.[1]

I support Sen. Bernie Sanders’s position in this critical matter. Sanders, who like me is Jewish, has called for the Senate to reject the Biden Administration’s supplemental funding bill. The senator explained that the bill “includes $10 billion of unconditional military aid for the right-wing Netanyahu government to continue its brutal war against the Palestinian people. Enough is enough. Congress must reject that funding. The taxpayers of the United States must no longer be complicit in destroying the lives of innocent men, women, and children in Gaza.”[2]

In addition to his position on Israel, other issues have contributed to Biden’s sinking poll numbers. Foremost among them are the lack of a sound immigration policy on our southern border and his presidential competence at age 81. As a result, his support among younger voters and minorities (especially Arab Americans), as well as progressives is eroding.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has won the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries and appears to have all but locked up the Republican nomination for president. Still, Biden looks pretty good compared to the corrupt Trump who sexually abuses women[3] and may be a convicted criminal by the time next November rolls around.

Then there’s the real possibility of a third-party candidate like Kennedy or Manchin drawing votes away from Trump and/or Biden. So, the key to a Biden re-election may well be whether those disaffected Democratic voters support a third-party candidate, stay home, or hold their noses and vote for Biden.

Fortunately, Biden is receiving help from an unexpected source, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. The longer she stays in the race for the Republican nomination, the more Trump will be battered by her as well as Biden. By the time Haley runs out of money and Trump secures his party’s nomination, he will look even worse to independent voters as well as Haley’s supporters. Trump’s pressure to kill an immigration bill favored by Republicans so he can make border security a central campaign issue will only further lower his standing with those same voters.[4]

Additionally, Biden has to decide whether to stick with his current unpopular positions while taking some pep pills to enhance his image or make some policy changes to draw those disaffected voters back into the fold. Therein may lie the answer to who ultimately wins the presidency next fall. But all in all, the election is starting to look like Biden is a better bet than Trump.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Israel%E2%80%93Hamas_war#:~:text=Since%20then%2C%20over%2025%2C000%20Palestinians,civilian%20casualties%20in%20its%20reports.

[2] https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-senator-bernie-sanders-calls-for-no-more-u-s-funding-for-netanyahus-illegal-and-immoral-war-against-the-palestinian-people/#:~:text=Bernie%20Sanders%20(I%2DVt.,Israel%2DGaza%20is%20not%20complicated.

[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/nyregion/trump-trial-e-jean-carroll.html

[4] https://georgiarecorder.com/2024/01/25/u-s-senate-republicans-insist-they-wont-bow-to-trump-demands-to-quit-immigration-talks/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Biden Under Fire While Trump Has His Own Problems

Posted on January 18, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

(Note: Since my computer was in the shop getting software fixes for some days, there was no blog post last week.)

While it’s still early, the 2024 elections look like a nail-biter. Unless one of them falls seriously ill or Trump ends up in prison before November, the presidential election will most likely be a tight race between President Biden and Donald Trump.

Usually, an incumbent president has an advantage in his bid for re-election. But only a third of those surveyed in a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll approved of President Biden’s job performance — a record low for any president in the last 15 years. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating is eight points higher than Biden’s.[1]

Still, Trump’s not in great shape either. A recent poll of Iowa voters conducted days before Monday’s caucuses found 43 percent of those who supported Nikki Haley said they would vote for Biden over Trump in a general election.[2]

Another sign of Trump’s general election weakness is a number of his former staffers speaking out publicly against him. Sarah Matthews, a press aide on Trump’s 2020 campaign and in the Trump White House who resigned on Jan. 6, 2021, noted, “I would support Biden over Trump…I won’t support someone who refused to participate in a peaceful transfer of power, tried to overthrow a free and fair election, and incited a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol.”[3]

At the same time, Biden’s strong support of Israel in its war against Hamas is definitely hurting his re-election chances. In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, 57 percent of respondents disapproved of his handling of the war.[4] With over 24,000 Palestinian civilian deaths due to Israel’s massive bombings, Biden is being sued for complicity in Israel’s alleged commission of genocide in Gaza.[5]

Biden’s immigration policy at our southern border is also not popular. Many feel that too many poor, illegal immigrants are entering the country.[6] While lower, nagging inflation is yet another issue pulling his approval ratings down.

Then there’s Biden’s age. He sometimes appears unsteady on his feet or unsure of his words. He often does not present a strong leadership image. Two-thirds of Democratic-leaning voters want their party to nominate someone other than Biden for president.[7] Additionally, MSNBC pundit and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough noted that every Democrat he has spoken to privately believes President Biden is “too old” to run for reelection.[8]

Though there’s nothing he could do about his age, Biden and his Democratic colleagues seem unwilling or unable to change course regarding some of these other issues. This is particularly true when it comes to Israel. As a result, he is losing a good portion of the youth vote that got him elected in 2020. And they are not just frustrated with Biden, they are actually angry with him.[9]

Both candidates have their work cut out for them. Trump needs to figure out how to convince skeptical Republicans to stick with him. On the other hand, if Biden does not start listening to the people who elected him, he may not only fail to win this critical election, but he may also be responsible for losing American democracy to authoritarian rule.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4408318-bidens-approval-rating-drops-to-new-low-poll/#:~:text=In%20an%20ABC%20News%2FIpsos,percent%20approved%20of%20his%20performance.

[2] https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-may-help-republicans-against-110000920.html

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/19/us/politics/biden-israel-gaza-poll.html

[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/14/us-president-biden-sued-for-complicity-in-israels-genocide-in-gaza

[6] https://cis.org/Arthur/Why-Biden-Implementing-Immigration-Policies-Few-Americans-Favor

[7] https://www.axios.com/2023/09/07/poll-biden-2024-second-term-democrat-voters-cnn

[8] https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4202366-scarborough-says-democrats-privately-say-biden-too-old-to-run/

[9] https://www.vox.com/politics/24034416/young-voters-biden-trump-gen-z-polling-israel-gaza-economy-2024-election

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Are You Really Going to Sit on Your Couch and Let Trump Destroy Our Democracy?

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Without a doubt, 2024 promises to be one of the most challenging years in American history as the very survival of our democracy is at stake. The question each of us must ask ourselves is what am I willing to do now to save American democracy?

Donald Trump has clearly stated his authoritarian leanings. His autocratic positions mandate that he must be stopped from regaining the White House or it’s curtains for our democracy. For example:

He intends to be a dictator on day one if he is elected.[1]
He expects to use the federal government to punish critics and imprison opponents should he win a second term.[2]
He plans to create a federal workforce that can be fired by the president at will and must follow his personal whims;[3] and
He wants to pardon people convicted of federal crimes for their involvement in the January 6^th assault on the U.S. Capitol.[4]

Defeating Trump and his autocratic agenda is critical. We cannot wait for Biden and the Democrats to take action. Nor can we count on the courts to find Trump guilty of undermining our democracy. Given Trump’s delaying tactics and the slow-moving legal process, there is at least a fair chance that the courts will not finally settle the ex-president’s legal culpability before November’s election.

It is up to us, the people who still believe in the Constitution, to step up and make sure that voters understand that the survival of our democracy is the central question in this year’s elections.

Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, put it this way:

My hope for 2024 is that the silent majority of Americans who still believe in freedom will stop wallowing in despair and waiting for the worst. Instead, these voters should rise up from their couches, get organized, and start taking action to save democracy now, and not 10 months and one week from now when it will be too late.

There needs to be an active, pro-democracy movement in the United States that is bigger, more visible, and more determined than the MAGA movement that seeks to destroy it. They should be organizing right now, crafting new messages, posting on TikTok, making themselves known, knocking on doors, registering every voter, and talking to—and listening to—millions of disillusioned young people.

We can enter a new year with high hopes, and not existential dread, but we have to remember that hopes only come true through action.[5]

Now is the time for all of us to take action. Write letters to the editor, register voters, connect with disillusioned youth, campaign door-to-door, attend town halls, primary debates, and political rallies, and talk with friends and neighbors.

We must make democracy the issue. If we don’t stop Trump, our voices and our votes will be crushed, and America will be changed forever. We must organize and act now before it’s too late.

Bruce Berlin

Subscribe to this blog at https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog-3/. Join the movement to revive our democracy. Together we can save the soul of America.

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/12/trump-says-hell-be-a-dictator-on-day-one/676247/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/05/trump-revenge-second-term/

[3] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/donald-trump-15-most-dangerous-statements/675970/

[4] Ibid.

[5] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/save-democracy-in-2024