The Struggle for the Soul of America: The Democrat’s Failure Enabled Autocrat Trump’s Win

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

A variety of explanations have been provided for why Harris and the Dems lost the 2024 election. A few stand out.

For instance, the Dems lost because they failed to listen to and address the concerns of the working class.[1] And, the powerful right-wing media “fed their audiences a diet of slanted and distorted information that made it possible for Trump to win.”[2] And, Harris failed to distance herself from Biden’s foreign policy, especially regarding his unconditional support of Israel in its brutal annihilation of the people of Gaza.[3] These and other factors all played a part in Trump’s win over Harris.

Still, Professor Peter Bloom sees a more basic issue that for decades has prevented the Democrats from realizing their professed goal of a society of true equality, justice, and sustainability. He argues that the Democrats mistakenly put all their ‘eggs’ in one basket: electoral politics. Bloom calls this the “Goldilocks complex,” which “manifests in the perpetual search for the perfect capitalist politician who can somehow thread the needle between radical change and mainstream acceptability…The fundamental flaw in this approach is the misguided belief that true systemic change can come through electoral politics alone, particularly within a party fundamentally wedded to capitalist interests.”[4]

Bloom believes, “This myopic focus prevents the development of alternative structures and intersectional movements necessary for genuine socialist change…Real progress demands building grassroots organizations, reinvigorating labor movements, creating mutual aid networks, and fostering broad coalitions that address the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression.”[5]

In Bloom’s view, the principal culprit in the Democrats’ futile efforts is capitalism itself. The Party’s failure to address its structural limitations keeps it “beholden to corporate interests and wedded to capitalist ideology.” Bloom concludes that as long as the Democrats continue to work “within a system designed to prioritize profit and maintain existing power structures,” they will not achieve true economic and social justice. We all “must recognize that the solutions to our most pressing problems lie outside the confines of capitalist politics.”[6]

Perhaps Trump’s victory will finally force the Democrats to take Bloom’s advice and move beyond capitalist politics. For years, Sen. Bernie Sanders has urged the Party to adopt Democratic Socialism. He rightly maintains that “the issue of unfettered capitalism is not just an academic debate, poverty, economic distress and despair are life-threatening issues for millions of working people in the country.”[7] Restrained by capitalist politics, the Democrats have not effectively addressed these issues and met the needs of the working class.

Sanders explains, “The challenge we confront today as a nation and as a world is, in many ways, not different from the one we faced a little less than a century ago…Then, as now, deeply-rooted and seemingly intractable economic and social disparities led to the rise of right-wing nationalist forces all over the world.” It is unclear whether the Democrats truly understand this.

The question before the Democrats and all Americans is: Will we meet the challenge of Trump’s authoritarianism and the right-wing Republican Party by going beyond capitalist politics before it’s too late and American democracy dies?

(Note: I will only be publishing my blog occasionally for the next several months so that I will have more time to complete my memoir, From Camden to Kathmandu.)

Bruce Berlin, J.D.

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is 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 is also the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America. (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.). Contact him at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

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

[1] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/why-democrats-lose-to-republicans

[2] https://newrepublic.com/post/188197/trump-media-information-landscape-fox

[3] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/biden-s-middle-east-failure;

[4] https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/progressives-democratic-party

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.vox.com/2019/6/12/18663217/bernie-sanders-democratic-socialism-speech-transcript

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will Harris Ride a Blue Wave in November?

Posted on October 19, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

According to a number of polls, Vice President Harris’s support has slipped. She now leads Trump by only one or two points.[1] Assuming the polls are accurate, which is not always the case, this race appears to be going down to the wire.

On the other hand, I believe a Blue Wave is still quite possible. Three voting blocs may very well create such a flood. First, massive support by women for Kamala will be a significant indicator of a Big Blue Wave. While Harris leads Trump by 14% with women, Trump has a 14% edge with men.[2] The important difference, however, will be in turnout. Women will come out in record numbers to vote for the first woman president. That Harris fully supports a woman’s right to choose, unlike her opponent, will further boost turnout for her.

The second element of the electorate that will help build a large margin of victory for Harris is traditional Republicans who refuse to support Trump. A recent NYT poll found nine percent of likely Republican voters plan to back the Democratic candidate in November, up from five percent in the last New York Times/Siena College poll just a month ago.[3] I suspect that number will be twelve to fifteen percent by election day.

The list of prominent Republicans supporting Harris keeps growing. On September 18^th, 111 former Republican officials and members of Congress endorsed Harris in a letter published in the New York Times. They wrote that “she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not…” Moreover, they denounced Trump’s “unusual affinity for other authoritarian leaders, contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior, and chaotic national security decision-making.” The list includes a host of national security and foreign policy figures who served under the last four Republican presidents, including Trump.[4] Well known and respected, they are bound to get the attention of their fellow Republicans who are having difficulty backing Trump.

The third ingredient of the Harris victory pie will be the youth vote. A new poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics shows that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, Harris holds a 31-point lead over Trump among likely voters.[5]

Of course, other segments of the electorate strongly support Harris as well. Seventy-eight percent of Black voters[6] sides with her, and she has a 25-point lead over Trump with Hispanic voters.[7] But those constituencies make up the Democratic core and are already baked into the Harris election pie.

One final factor in this election that gives Harris a great advantage is Trump himself. Harris is right when she states the former president is “unstable and unhinged.” As the Washington Post observed, he plays “on hatred of immigrants and revenge fantasies.” He denigrates his political opponents as “the enemies from within … those people are more dangerous than Russia and China.” Harris “is running against the oldest man ever to be nominated by a major party for the presidency, someone who is keeping secretsabout his health and degenerating before our eyes.”[8]

In line with the likelihood of a Harris victory, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) indicates “a 72% probability that the Democratic candidate wins in November… Historically, when the Dow’s year-to-date gain by mid-October exceeds 10% — as it does this year with a 13.4% rise — the incumbent party wins 78% of the time.” Financial analyst Mark Hulbert stresses that “the Dow’s indication of who will win the presidency deserves to be taken seriously,” as the stock market has proven to be a reliable predictor in over 30 elections.[9]

And then there’s this recent sign favoring Harris. Undecided voters are notably breaking toward Harris, with 60% of those who decided in the last month now supporting her, compared to just 36% for Trump.[10]

While Harris’s candidacy does have serious drawbacks (e.g. her Middle East and energy policies), unlike Trump she stands for democracy and all the people. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a Blue Wave washing up on the shores of America next month.

Bruce Berlin

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

[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/harris-trump-polls-tracker-election-campaign-latest-b2629835.html

[2] https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-trump-lead-shrinks-new-poll-1971354

[3] https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-support-among-republicans-almost-doubles-nyt-siena-poll-1965611

[4] https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/republicans-endorsing-kamala-harris-trump-1235096939/

[5] https://iop.harvard.edu/youth-poll/latest-poll

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/17/trump-harris-election-black-voters

[7] https://www.newsweek.com/kamala-harris-surging-back-key-voting-group-new-poll-shows-1970186

[8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/18/newsletter-harris-attack-trump-weakness/

[9] https://www.yahoo.com/news/wall-street-predicts-kamala-harris-191008486.html

[10] Ibid.

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Will the Democrats’ Get-Out-the-Vote Campaign Nullify the Republicans’ Voter Suppression Efforts?

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

The Democrats left their National Convention in Chicago last week with the wind at their backs. While they, and many others supporting the Harris-Walz ticket, are flying high, we would all be wise to keep our feet solidly on the ground and focus on building a huge GOTV (Get-Out-the-Vote) campaign to counter the Republicans’ aggressive voter suppression efforts.

The Republicans know that the only way they can win the November election is by suppressing the vote in as many ways as possible. For instance, the Republican National Committee urged “the Supreme Court to intervene in an Arizona election dispute this week and block up to 40,000 of the state’s registered voters from casting ballots in the presidential race.”[1] On Thursday, while the Court rejected the Republican effort to disenfranchise those voters, it did allow “some parts of a law requiring proof of citizenship to be enforced.”[2]

In Michigan and Nevada, Republicans are seeking to force election officials to remove voters from the rolls, despite federal law limiting such actions in the months preceding an election. In another Nevada lawsuit, the RNC is trying to block mail ballots from being counted if received after Election Day.[3]

In Georgia, the Republican-controlled state Board of Elections passed a new rule that allows local elections officials to halt vote counting[4] and even outright refuse to certify the election results.[5]

Meanwhile, Republicans are also recruiting thousands of poll monitors in battleground states to try to intimidate voters and disrupt the elections in Democratic cities.[6] At the same time, Democratic groups like Swing Left[7] are training and organizing poll watchers to protect voters’ rights at the polls.[8]

These are the acts of scared, desperate Republicans who will do just about anything to gain power. It is a very sad state of affairs. Not that the Democrats are above reproach. But the Republicans have now thrown democracy out the window at the behest of a two-bit con man who would readily throw any of them under the bus if it served his huge narcissistic appetite.

Republicans are anxiously trying to get Trump to stay on message by focusing on the economy and immigration. But Trump refuses to. He loves going personal, making fun of people, and calling them names. Something an 8-year-old might do.

Fortunately, the Democratic standard bearer, Kamala Harris, is a no-nonsense prosecutor, among other valuable skills. If anybody can beat Trump and ensure that he’s brought to justice, Kamala is answering the call “for the people.”

Still, we all must stand with Kamala. An overwhelming voter turnout created by a massive GOTV campaign must make it crystal clear that the American people support democracy and reject Donald Trump’s authoritarianism. As Kamala declared on the final night of the convention, “We’re not going back!…We’re moving forward.”

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://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-08-19/republicans-urge-supreme-court-to-block-40-000-arizonans-from-voting-for-president-in-november

[2] https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-citizenship-elections-arizona-62b7e777cfdbb99242510e562de00781

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/10/republican-trump-election-voting-lawsuits/

[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/25/democrats-fair-election/?utm_campaign=wp_follow_jennifer_rubin&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl-jenniferrubin&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3ed245a%2F66cb1bd654e7751dec229478%2F5ddffac0ae7e8a7319e6966d%2F6%2F23%2F66cb1bd654e7751dec229478

[5] https://www.wabe.org/new-rule-may-allow-georgia-election-boards-to-halt-certifying-results/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrKu2BhDkARIsAD7GBouoq-EE2PBQxXlDGo37Y75v_Jx8-7jiBJdzIgsbEQ4rRvO-Cm24JX0aAgOlEALw_wcB

[6] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/gop-poll-monitors-suburbs-democratic-cities-rcna159059

[7] https://swingleft.org/p/strategy?utm_source=google-search&utm_campaign=volunteeracquisition24&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_term=volunteer_democrats

[8] https://protectthevote.net/

The Struggle for the Soul of America: We are Living in One of the Most Critical Times in the History of Our Country

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

The next four months will be the most critical time for our country since at least the Civil War, if not in the entire history of the republic.

What’s at stake is the survival of American democracy. If Donald Trump is elected president in November, he has assured us that the United States will become an authoritarian country under his control.[1] His MAGA base has taken over the Republic Party and he’s gotten most other members of the party from Mitch McConnell on down to fall in line behind him. This after those same leaders had strongly denounced him after the January 6^th insurrection.[2] And now he’s gotten the Supreme Court to back him up as well.

In Trump v. the United States, the Supreme Court sided with Trump over our country, ruling that a former president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within his “conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.” The Court also found that a president is entitled to presumptive immunity for all other official acts.[3] And so, Trump (and all presidents), is above the law. This decision further ensures that Trump would have the green light to become a dictator for all practical purposes if he wins the election. The American people cannot allow that to happen.

At the same time, President Biden’s re-election is even more in jeopardy now. While his recent debate performance was a disaster, his post-debate efforts to re-ignite his campaign have only raised more questions about his ability to win in November. And millions of voters are doubting his capacity to preside over the government for four more years. A CNN analysis concluded that Biden, the Democrats, and the entire country are in a growing political crisis.[4]

While Biden insists he’s in the race to stay, the pressure for him to withdraw is intensifying.[5] Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris is becoming the top choice to replace Biden in the race for the White House if Biden does drop out. Party insiders believe that she is better positioned to beat Trump than other possible Democratic nominees.[6] Still, others think an open convention is the way to go.[7]

Ironically, the Supreme Court immunity decision should help Biden or whomever the Democrats ultimately put at the top of their ticket. We already know that a second Trump presidency threatens our democracy. With the Court’s permissive ruling, it becomes an even more frightening danger and the most critical issue in this fateful election.

The question is: Which Democrat is the best messenger to effectively deliver that message to the American people and beat Trump in November? I and a great many other Americans who want to save and strengthen our democracy do not believe Biden is that person. We need a strong, clear voice from a new generation of leaders to call on all Americans to save our democracy from Trump’s authoritarian rule.

It may be Kamala Harris or one of several other prominent Americans, in or out of politics. But time is running out. The Democratic Party, including President Biden, has to come together very soon for the good of our nation. It’s the only party that can and wants to save our democracy. And we, the people, can’t just sit back and watch this movie play out. Call your Senators and Congressperson ASAP and tell them how you feel. Tell them it’s time for a new president from the next generation who will inspire the American people. A leader we can vote for with enthusiasm.

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.wbur.org/onpoint/2024/02/26/trumps-authoritarian-playbook-for-2025-and-what-it-means-for-democracy

[2] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/mcconnell-says-jan-6-capitol-attack-was-provoked-by-trump-and-others-in-power#:~:text=6%20Capitol%20attack%20was%20’provoked’%20by%20Trump%20and%20others%20in%20power,-Politics%20Jan%2019&text=Senate%20Majority%20Leader%20Mitch%20McConnell,in%20the%20video%20player%20above.

[3] https://americancornerstone.org/an-overview-of-the-supreme-courts-presidential-immunity-decision/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-ai0BhDPARIsAB6hmP7r1PD-EmcHvvZzmUSGjkZ74AOoocsDLst5QZ-pRbDoR7jy73xbygsaAqENEALw_wcB

[4] https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/06/politics/biden-abc-interview-analysis/index.html

[5] https://www.axios.com/2024/07/03/house-democrats-biden-jeffries-withdraw

[6] https://www.newsweek.com/support-kamala-harris-grows-among-democrats-worried-about-biden-1921704

[7] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/02/james-carville-joe-biden-democrats

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

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: The Issues Likely to Decide the 2024 Elections

Posted on April 13, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

There are so many diverse issues in this year’s elections that it’s hard to tell which ones may determine the outcome next November. Of course, the economy, including inflation, will play an important role in the election. It always does.

But I believe four other issues will be critically important in this election. Specifically, abortion, the Israel-Hamas War, immigration, and democracy. Let’s them take one at a time.

Abortion. Like Biden, the great majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose. That includes 43% of Republicans. About 1 in 8 voters (12%) now say that abortion is the most important issue for their vote in the 2024 elections.[1] While Trump recently declared that the abortion issue should be left up to the states, he takes pride in having appointed the three Supreme Court justices responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade.

Given the opportunity, the Republican Party will likely enact a national ban on abortion. Despite his latest statement, I doubt Trump would risk the fury of conservatives by vetoing an abortion ban bill. As president, he would undoubtedly sign a national ban. Abortion rights supporters know that voting for Biden is the only way to absolutely prevent that from happening. A strong turnout by them in critical swing states could very well be the decisive factor in the election. In fact, the Democrats could win both the House and the Senate as well with a compelling pro-choice campaign.

Israel-Hamas War. On the other hand, Biden’s handling of the war has cost him support among youth,[2] Arab-Americans, and others. Many Democrats, including Sens. Sanders and Kaine who come from different wings of the party, have criticized Biden’s failure to condition U.S. aid to Israel and to demand a ceasefire.[3] Recently, the president appears to finally be pressuring Israel, but it could be too little too late. He needs to stand up to Prime Minister Netanyahu and force Israel to end the war by cutting off unconditional aid.

Unfortunately, the end to the war is nowhere in sight. This could cost Biden the election. We need to lobby the Biden administration to take immediate steps to severely limit civilian casualties, demand a permanent ceasefire, and make further aid to Israel conditional.

Immigration. This issue offers Biden a significant challenge as well as a great opportunity. The Republicans blame Biden for the huge number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. from Mexico. Yet, it was Trump who pushed the Republicans to reject their own border security bill, which would have gone a long way toward solving the crisis at our southern border.[4]

The challenge for Biden is to reframe immigration as beneficial in the minds and hearts of Americans. We are a nation of immigrants who came to the United States seeking a better life. Immigrants make valuable contributions to our country in farming and numerous other endeavors. We need them to keep our economy strong. They want to be here and, on average, are more law-abiding than native-born Americans.[5]

If he reframes the issue, Biden has an opportunity to turn immigration into a winner for Democrats. While we must secure our borders and control the number of immigrants entering our country, immigrants are a valuable asset to America. Trump formulates immigration as a crime and security issue. Actually, it’s an economic and humanitarian matter. Biden needs to confront Trump head-on and set the record straight.

Democracy. If elected, Trump wants to be a dictator on day one of his presidency. He idolizes autocrats like Russia’s Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and envisions having the supreme power they have. Since the great majority of Republican officeholders support Trump and desire the same control over America that he does, they all need to be defeated. The Democrats need to make this clear to the voting public.

Whether American democracy survives could be the biggest issue in this year’s election. Biden and all Democrats running for office in November should make the survival of our democracy the central theme of their campaigns. Will we, the people continue to have a voice in determining abortion, immigration, and all other public policies? Or will the United States become an authoritarian regime led by Trump?

The path to victory for Biden and the Democrats is clear. Whether they have the vision and wisdom to take it is another question.

Bruce Berlin

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

[1] https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/press-release/1-in-8-voters-say-abortion-is-most-important-to-their-vote-they-lean-democratic-support-biden-and-want-abortion-to-be-legal/

[2] https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/24125496/young-voters-trump-biden-polling

[3] https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/04/05/congress/bernies-advice-to-biden-on-israel-00150808

[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-kill-border-bill-sign-trumps-strength-mcconnells-waning-in-rcna137477

[5] https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/mythical-tie-between-immigration-and-crime

The Struggle for the Soul of America: Biden, I Wouldn’t Bet Against Him Yet

Posted on February 24, 2024 by Author: Bruce Berlin

Joe Biden is in the race of his life. For an old guy, he still has some pretty good legs on him. The way he’s running right now, I wouldn’t bet against him despite my warning in last week’s blog post.[1]

First, take a look at how much campaign money Biden has raised. At the end of January, his campaign had $56 million on hand. Donald Trump only had $30 million on hand. In addition, much of Trump’s funds are going to pay off legal fees while Biden’s are all going into his campaign for re-election.[2] Of course, money isn’t the only important factor in this race.

Second, Biden does not have any serious competition for the Democratic nomination. Trump, however, is still fending off a primary challenger, former Gov. Nikki Haley, which is another drain on his campaign chest.[3] While she doesn’t have any real chance of winning the Republican nomination at this point, Haley’s increasingly sharp attacks on Trump make him more objectionable and help strengthen Biden’s case for his re-election.

Just the other day, Haley “jabbed Trump for taking three days to acknowledge Navalny’s death and then for failing to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for it. She’s cast her former boss as “ weak in the knees” when it comes to Russia. She’s slammed him for criticizing NATO at a time when many in the West see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a threat to European stability. And…, Haley unleashed some of her most pointed criticism yet of Trump’s relationship with Putin:

“Trump is siding with a dictator who kills his political opponents,” Haley said. “Trump sided with an evil man over our allies who stood with us on 9/11. Think about what that told them.”[4] Not only does this get Biden off the hook, but it labels his opponent as a supporter of evil and further illustrates Trump’s preference for Russian autocracy over American democracy.

Third, the Republicans have been trying to undermine Biden’s re-election campaign for some time by impeaching the president. But their effort just ran into a brick wall with the FBI’s arrest of their star witness, Alexander Smirnov. He was arrested on charges of providing the FBI with fraudulent information. An FBI informant for over a decade, Smirnov was further discredited after a DOJ report Tuesday indicated he was not only lying to the FBI about Biden but had “contacts with multiple foreign intelligence agencies.”[5]

Those contacts included someone who controlled “groups that are engaged in overseas assassination efforts,” as well as a “high-ranking Russian foreign intelligence service officer.”[6]

Fourth, the recent demise of the Republicans’ own border security bill due to Trump’s opposition exposes their strict immigration demands as a sham. It demonstrates their fealty to the former president is greater than their desire to fix one of our country’s most critical problems. Biden was willing to give the Republicans just about everything they wanted regarding border security in order to fix our southern border problem. Trump rejected the bill so he could still use the lack of border security as a campaign issue. Now the tables are turned, and Biden and the Dems can use it against Trump and his Congressional lackeys.[7]

Then, fifth, there’s the abortion issue. The recent Alabama Supreme Court decision ruling frozen embryos are ‘children’[8] will only increase the indignation and voter turnout of the majority pro-choice electorate which overwhelmingly favors Bien and the Dems. Calling the ruling “outrageous and unacceptable,” Biden asserted that the decision was a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.[9]

Sixth and finally, Wednesday’s Quinnipiac University poll found that 49 percent of registered voters said they support Biden, compared to 45 percent who chose Trump. Despite his age and steadfast support of Israel in its war against Hamas, Biden leads Trump by four points.[10]

Of course, there is a long way to go between now and the November election. But, right now, all things considered, I wouldn’t bet against Biden.

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://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/us/politics/biden-trump-campaign-money.html

[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-haley-announcement-2024-race-donald-trump-south-carolina/

[4] https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/22/in-south-carolina-haley-is-running-hard-on-russia-00142552

[5] https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/republicans-scramble-save-biden-impeachment-informant-1234972867/

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-kill-border-bill-sign-trumps-strength-mcconnells-waning-in-rcna137477

[8] https://www.npr.org/2024/02/21/1232742485/alabama-supreme-court-frozen-embryos-ivf-in-vitro-fertilization

[9] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-blasts-alabama-supreme-courts-outrageous-unacceptable-frozen/story?id=107454671

[10] https://news.yahoo.com/biden-holds-4-point-lead-194943812.html?.tsrc=fp_deeplink

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: Can Trump Be Stopped?

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Author: Bruce Berlin

In a recent Washington Post column, Editor-at-Large Robert Kagan wrote, “Let’s stop the wishful thinking and face the stark reality: There is a clear path to dictatorship in the United States, and it is getting shorter every day….The idea that he (Trump) is unelectable in the general election is nonsense — he is tied or ahead of President Biden in all the latest polls…”[1]

Kagan calculates that Trump will wrap up the Republican nomination three months from now on Super Tuesday. Once that happens, Kagan asserts that Trump will “become far more powerful than he already is” and people will be “falling into line.”[2]

One Republican who will not be “falling into line” is former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney. She has vowed “to do everything I can to stop Donald Trump,” which may include a third-party run of her own for the presidency next year.[3]

But it’s not just about stopping Trump in Cheney’s view. She wants the Democrats to win the majority in Congress as well in 2024. Cheney believes that a Republican majority presents a ‘threat’ to the nation: “We have to ensure that we don’t have a situation where an election that might be thrown into the House of Representatives is overseen by a Republican majority.”[4]

It is not at all clear that a Cheney third-party run would help prevent Trump from taking the White House. It could boost his chances if her campaign attracted Independents, conservative Democrats, and moderate Republicans who might have otherwise voted for Biden. In fact, any third-party candidacy that draws support from potential Biden voters will actually help Trump.

In addition to Cheney, numerous groups are working to defeat Trump’s campaign for the presidency. In last week’s blog,[5] I recommended joining Indivisible and reading its A Practical Guide to Defeating MAGA.[6] Other groups you might want to join and support are:

1. Protect Democracy (https://www.protectdemocracy.org) is dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy.

2. Call To Activism (https://www.calltoactivism.com/) helps Democrats with messaging by defining issues on strong emotional terms that resonate with voters. It strives to stop the GOP from winning arguments and the Democrats from playing defense.

3. The Lincoln Project (lincolnproject.us/) works to protect the American Republic from Donald Trump and those who identify (publicly or privately) as MAGA supporters. It agrees with Trump on only one thing: 2024 is a battle for America’s future.

Finally, there is one other way of stopping Trump. Lawsuits in several states are now seeking to disqualify Trump from running for president under section 3 of the 14^th Amendment. Section 3 disqualifies anyone from holding public office if they have taken an oath to the United States and subsequently “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same” unless Congress votes to remove that disqualification by a two-thirds vote. In Colorado, the state supreme court just heard arguments on the matter. In Michigan, a state appeals court will soon render a decision. And, in Minnesota, the state supreme court dismissed a similar case for the time being.[7]

In the end, it all comes down to you and me. How much do we care about the future of our country? How much time, energy and money are we each willing to contribute to saving our democracy? We all must pitch in and do whatever we can to defeat the greatest threat to our fragile American Republic since the Civil War. Contact one of the above groups to find out how you can help. Your country needs you now more than ever!

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.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/30/trump-dictator-2024-election-robert-kagan/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_popns&utm_campaign=wp_opinions_pm

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.npr.org/2023/12/05/1217282237/liz-cheney-oath-and-honor-memoir#:~:text=Former%20Wyoming%20representative%20Liz%20Cheney,can%20to%20stop%20Donald%20Trump.%22

[4] https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/03/liz-cheney-would-rather-see-democrats-win-2024-00129796 / bm

[5] https://breakingbigmoneysgrip.com/my-blog/

[6] https://indivisible.org/sites/default/files/2023-01/20220104_Indivisible_%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Defeating%20MAGA.pdf

[7] https://www.politico.com/news/2023/12/06/colorado-supreme-court-trump-insurrection-00130271;

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/04/can-trump-be-removed-ballot-insurrection-clause-colorado