A report card on the Biden administration

[Sandy Shanks]

I know why Republicans on this forum won't defend their party or discuss what their party is doing. Since they remain completely silent on the issues, I am forced to speak for them. If I get anything wrong, I'm all ears.

It's really very simple. Forum Republicans have nothing to work with.

"The leader of the party was the Russian dictator's first choice. The leader of the party incited an insurrection on Jan. 6 caused by his insane assertion that the election was stolen from him. Then the leader of the party described those who engaged in the rampage upon our capitol a "loving crowd."

Republicans here proved my point. Complete silence from them.

This comes as no shock. They have been silent about their party's activities and leader for quite some time. They have no idea why they support Trump -- loser of the House, Senate, and Presidency within two years -- they just do.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

I know why Republicans on this forum won't defend their party or discuss what their party is doing. Since they remain completely silent on the issues, I am forced to speak for them. If I get anything wrong, I'm all ears.

It's really very simple. Forum Republicans have nothing to work with.

The Jan. 6 Select Committee began its investigation today. It is to the Democrats' advantage to drag out these proceedings deep into 2022, an election year.

It goes to depth of the problem Trump created for his party that Republicans are likely to help prolong the proceedings.

It is likely that Trump could be subpoenaed as a witness. 147 Republicans voted to overturn the election results. It is likely some of them may be subpoenaed as well. On Jan. 6, Kevin McCarthy phoned Trump, pleading with him to call off the insurrection. McCarthy could be subpoenaed. It is logical to assume that Republicans, not wishing to encourage their own demise, will fight the subpoenas in court.

Dragging out the proceedings deep into 2022, an election year.

By promoting and inciting the insurrection, Trump has placed his party between a rock and a hard place.

Republicans Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.), and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday attempted to hold a press conference in support of the extremists who invaded our capitol.

Yes, you heard that right.

The House Republican leader, McCarthy is totally confused and making a fool of himself. He didn't have time to watch today's hearing. Four capital police who protected McCarthy and his colleagues on Jan. 6 testified today. McCarthy was not interested.

But McCarthy did have time to hold a press conference. Incredibly, he blamed speaker Pelosi for the violence on Jan. 6. The Hill reports, "He teed off on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Tuesday morning, accusing her of neglecting her duty to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6 and demanding answers about her role in the violent attack that injured more than 140 police officers."

That statement from the leading Republican in the House is both disgusting and ludicrous.

The problem is, backwards, uninformed grassroots Republicans will believe all this. They are not interested in reality. They are only interested in what they want to hear. McCarthy, Gaetz, Greene, and Gohmert and the like are telling grassroots Republicans what they want to here and it matters little that much of it is lies. Great, Pelosi is at fault, not our beloved leader. Will they learn the truth? Hell, no.

Besides, that is all they hear from the leaders of their party. The responsible leadership in the Senate are completely silent as their party's leader is being prosecuted in this investigation.

How do you defend this bizarre behavior? You can't.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden finally got some good news.

The New York Post reports, "The group of senators working on a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework have reached a deal, they announced Wednesday."

“As of late last night — and really early this morning — we now have an agreement on the major issues,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), the deal’s chief GOP negotiator, said after meeting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to inform him of the final details.

“We are prepared to move forward,” said Portman.

Sen. Krysten Sinema (D-Ariz.), one of the lead Democratic negotiators with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), said she spoke Wednesday with President Biden, who was “very excited” to have a deal.

“We do expect to move forward this evening, we’re very excited to have a deal,” she added, noting that the group already has “most of the text done, so we’ll be releasing it today, and then we’ll update it as we get those last pieces finalized.”

Newsweek reports, "Donald Trump has called a bipartisan infrastructure bill a "loser for the USA." However, the Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said he will vote to proceed the bill."

"Hard to believe our Senate Republicans are dealing with the Radical Left Democrats in making a so-called bipartisan bill on 'infrastructure,' with our negotiators headed up by SUPER RINO Mitt Romney," Trump wrote in a statement on Wednesday.

Apparently, with a disaster for his party unfolding in the House, McConnell has decided it was time for his party to think positive instead of looking like complete idiots, which is the case with Trump and the Jan. 6 investigation.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This could be very good news for the Republican Party.

Uninformed, intelligence challenged grassroots Republicans have an iron grip on the GOP. Their loyalty to Trump is absolute, and a Trump endorsement in the primary is required or its over for the candidate. It explains why many Republican lawmakers have acted so foolishly of late.

The Dallas Morning News explains, "When he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month in Dallas, former President Donald Trump bragged about his lofty win total in the GOP congressional races in which he’s endorsed a candidate."

“Every day, more people are realizing that we were right on all of the key issues, and that this is one reason why our endorsement has become…the most powerful weapon in politics,” Trump said. “One-hundred and twenty of the one-hundred and twenty-two candidates we endorsed in Congressional primary elections won.”

There may be a chink in that armor. The market value of a Trump's election endorsement just took a hit.

USA Today reports, "A Trump-endorsed candidate lost Tuesday to a fellow Republican in a closely watched Texas congressional race, undermining Trump's claims that his endorsement is essential to a candidate's success and emboldening his political opponents ahead of the 2022 elections."

And Politico offers this insight. "Trump crashed into the race during the first round of voting in May, tapping Wright out of a crowded all-party primary and turning the contest into an early test of his post-presidency clout. He held two tele-town halls for her and taped a robocall for her, making the loss more painful."

The Republican Party needs to move away for the self-centered, narcissistic, dangerous, and somewhat dense Donald Trump. If the GOP moves away from Trump, we may get some sanity around here. Ever since Trump entered the political picture there has been nothing but chaos in Washington and the nation has become bitterly divided.

Many followers of the Putin backed Trump are delighted with the chaos and division. Some of them ransacked our capitol on Jan. 6 with Trump's blessing

This must end.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden finally got some good news.

The New York Post reports, "The group of senators working on a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework have reached a deal, they announced Wednesday."

The Times reports, "The Senate voted on Wednesday to take up a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure deal, as Republicans joined Democrats to pave the way for action on a crucial piece of President Biden’s agenda."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

The A.P. reports, "President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the “American tragedy” of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.

"Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks — and to set an example for private employers around the country.

"However, pushback is certain to Biden’s action. It puts him squarely in the center of a fierce political debate surrounding the government’s ability to compel Americans to follow public health guidelines.

"The federal government directly employs about 4 million people, but Biden’s action could affect many more when federal contractors are factored in. New York University professor of public service Paul Light estimates there are nearly 7 million more employees who could potentially be included, combining those who work for companies that contract with the government and those working under federal grants."

The issue of the DOD and those in the armed forces is up in the air right now. It is being worked on.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

However, pushback is certain to Biden’s action. It puts him squarely in the center of a fierce political debate surrounding the government’s ability to compel Americans to follow public health guidelines.

Many Republicans have chosen to make a political statement over the issue of vaccinations. The consequences of their decision affect many beyond themselves. Their children, friends, and co-workers are also likely to be affected.

Four out of 10 Republicans say they do not plan to get a vaccine, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll.

The Director of the National Institutes of Health says data shows more than 99 percent of people in the hospital with COVID are unvaccinated.

The Post reveals, "Many Republicans have declined to say whether they have been vaccinated, although they represent areas with the biggest spikes in infections."

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In 2016 and again in 2020, the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, wanted Trump to be our President. A test of Trump's loyalty came in July 2018 at Helsinki when Trump rejected American intelligence and accepted the statements from Putin.

By far Trump is the worst President in our history, and his term in office culminated with his involvement in an insurrection against our government.

Trump is so bad -- as this and related threads show -- his followers are unable to support him.

As of this moment, Trump continues his assault on America's elections.

It should come as no shock that Trump attempted to pervert the Department of Justice in his quest to overturn the will of the American people in the 2020 election.

CNN reports, "Former President Donald Trump pressured acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen to declare that the election was corrupt in an attempt to help Republican members of Congress try to overturn the election result, according to notes of a December 2020 call Trump held with Rosen and acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue.

"During the December 27, 2020, call, Trump pressured Rosen and Donoghue to falsely declare the election "illegal" and "corrupt" even after the Justice Department had not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud."

"Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen," Trump said on the call, according to Donoghue's notes.

Donoghue's contemporaneous notes on the call Trump had with Rosen and Donoghue were turned over to the House Oversight Committee.

"These handwritten notes show that President Trump directly instructed our nation's top law enforcement agency to take steps to overturn a free and fair election in the final days of his presidency," House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney said in a statement.

CNN continued, "Trump's suggestion that he and Republican lawmakers would be able to intervene in the election result is the latest evidence that Trump believed he could overturn the election through the January 6 congressional certification of the Electoral College results, in which Trump's allies attempted to throw out the election results of several states.

"Trump also pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to ignore the Constitution and prevent certification,

"Both Rosen and Donoghue could end up testifying before Congress about their interactions with Trump after the election, after the Justice Department this week told the House Oversight and Senate Judiciary Committees it was not asserting executive privilege over DOJ officials' January 6 communications with Trump."

There are those who wonder if the Russian dictator is pleased with the chaos his protégé is creating.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden's infrastructure plan is coming along just fine.

In the Senate.

The A.P. reports, "The Senate further advanced a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan Friday with a bipartisan group of senators helping it clear one more hurdle and bracing to see if support can hold during the next few days of debate and efforts to amend it.

"Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the chamber should be able to process the legislation quickly given the bipartisan support. But as the day dragged into evening, the full text of what promises to be a massive bill was not finished by the time lawmakers adjourned.

"Senators will return for a rare Saturday session as they push through a lengthy process."

“We may need the weekend, we may vote on several amendments, but with the cooperation of our Republican colleagues I believe we can finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill in a matter of days,” Schumer said.

The biggest problem Biden has in getting this bill on his desk will be Democrats.

Pelosi has stated there won’t be an infrastructure bill vote unless the Senate also passes the more ambitious package, too, meaning the far more extravagant strictly partisan $3.5 trillion spending package. The progressives in the House say the infrastructure bill doesn't go far enough, and the more far-reaching bill must accompany it. If not, Biden's infrastructure plan will not pass in the House.

Or, so say the progressives now.

Because of the push being made by the progressives, Biden and the Democratic Party could end up with nothing.

In this case, progressives are causing more problems for the Democratic President than are Republicans.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is really weird.

My wife and I live in Southern California. We are currently in the middle of a very serious drought. We are currently in the middle of a heat wave.

The West currently has 87 large fires burning over 1.7 million acres of land. California and Oregon are experiencing extreme fire conditions, with the country's two largest fires growing to consume hundreds of thousands of acres.

We also are experiencing concerns over flooding.

CNN reports, "Strong thunderstorms bearing heavy rainfall, lightning, and gusty winds are possible across the region. Although the moisture could help improve drought conditions, the risk of flash flooding is high.

"Flash flood watches are scattered across half a dozen western states on Sunday due to heavy rainfall continuing through the early part of the week.

If you don't think we are experiencing climate change, think again.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In 2016 and again in 2020, the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, wanted Trump to be our President. A test of Trump's loyalty came in July 2018 at Helsinki when Trump rejected American intelligence and accepted the statements from Putin.

Is Trump acting very much like a Russian agent?

The reader can decide, but we know this. His followers on this forum run and hide. They offer no defense for the former President's actions.

NATO is a gun aimed directly at the heart of Russia. As President, Trump alienated our traditional allies, meaning members of NATO, and attempted friendship with the communist dictators of Russia, China, and North Korea.

As President, Trump destroyed the nuclear agreement with Iran, a devout enemy of our country, and, as a consequence, that enemy is very close to a nuclear weapon today.

Due to his poor performance as President, Trump was soundly beaten in the Presidential election in November 2020, clobbered by over seven million votes. Trump, without even a hint of evidence, only rhetoric, claims he won by a landslide. He also lost 60 court decisions plus the Supreme Court and countless state audits.

"It is now clear that first in Georgia, and then by trying to wield presidential power to force the Justice Department to declare the election soiled by fraud where none existed, the ex-President sought to incite a coup to stay in office. When that failed, he called a mob to Washington, incited it with false claims of voter fraud, and then it invaded Congress, obliterating a peaceful transfer of power," CNN.

During his presidency, the Trump show -- with its crazed West Wing antics and his craving for attention -- was exhausting and distracting, but ultimately not a threat to the republic. But while many Americans wish he no longer dominated the headlines, it's now clear that warning signs are flashing everywhere about Trump's future intent. If anything, the peril he poses to democracy has grown in the last six months, as much of the Republican Party itself has turned against cherished bedrock political values. -- Stephen Collinson, CNN

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNBC reports, "President Joe Biden called on Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign Tuesday, following an official report that said Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women.

“He should resign,” Biden told reporters at the White House.

"Asked whether Cuomo should be removed from office if he refuses to resign, Biden said, “I understand the state legislature may decide to impeach, I do not know that for a fact.”

"Shortly after Biden’s response, New York State House Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, announced that the chamber would seek to quickly conclude its impeachment inquiry into the governor.

"In calling on Cuomo to step down, Biden joined nearly every other major Democratic lawmaker in both Albany and Washington. But from atop the party leadership, Biden’s demand carries more weight than others.

"Cuomo’s press office did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC on the president’s remarks.

"The report released Tuesday by state Attorney General Letitia James summarized a monthslong probe by concluding that Cuomo “sexually harassed multiple women, and in doing so violated federal and state law,” James said at a press conference."

Now that last is interesting since, according to Politico, "James said while the report reveals “a deeply disturbing yet clear picture of the governor’s actions, the matter is civil in nature, and does not have any criminal consequences,'"

 

[iceberg]

Taxes may be necessary. We may need to roll back the trump bush and Reagan tax breaks.

How about ending bullshit entitlements and giving away money.

Lets do that first.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

As millions of Americans face being forced out of their homes, President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration would announce a new "safety valve" action.

ABC News reported, "Shortly afterward, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order barring evictions for 60 days in counties with "substantial and high levels" of community transmission."

The way things are going, that is nearly every county in the U.S.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the agency had determined the evictions of tenants for failure to make rent or housing payments could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread and that the eviction moratorium in the designated areas would apply until Oct. 3.

"This moratorium is the right thing to do to keep people in their homes and out of congregate settings where COVID-19 spreads," Walensky said in a statement.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

In 2016 and again in 2020, the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, wanted Trump to be our President. A test of Trump's loyalty came in July 2018 at Helsinki when Trump rejected American intelligence and accepted the statements from Putin.

Trump appears to act very much like a Russian agent?

NATO is a gun aimed directly at the heart of Russia. As President, Trump alienated our traditional allies, meaning members of NATO, and attempted friendship with the communist dictators of Russia, China, and North Korea.

As President, Trump destroyed the nuclear agreement with Iran, a devout enemy of our country, and, as a consequence, that enemy is very close to a nuclear weapon today.

Due to his poor performance as President, Trump was soundly beaten in the Presidential election in November 2020, clobbered by over seven million votes. Trump, without a shadow of evidence, claims he won by a landslide. He also lost 60 court decisions plus the Supreme Court and countless state audits. '

First in Georgia, and then by trying to wield presidential power to force the Justice Department to declare the election soiled by fraud where none existed, Trump sought to incite a coup to stay in office. When that failed, he called a mob to Washington, incited it with false claims of voter fraud, and then it invaded Congress, obliterating a peaceful transfer of power.

Adding to the evidence that Trump is doing the bidding of the Russian dictator, he has attempted to keep his tax returns a secret. There is no law that says a President must disclose his tax returns. Nonetheless, with the exception of Gerald Ford, who released a tax summary, every President from Nixon to Obama has released his full tax returns to the public. Incidentally, Ford was never elected President.

The tradition continues with Biden. Investopedia reports, "With the exception of Gerald Ford, who released a tax summary, every president from Nixon to Obama has released his full tax returns to the public.

Even now, as a private citizen, Trump wants to keep the information about his tax returns from the American people. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, "Former President Donald Trump's legal team formally stepped into a long-running fight over a U.S. House request for his tax returns, claiming Trump's financial history is being unfairly pursued by Democrats for political reasons and seeking to end House Ways and Means Committee investigations into the ex-president and his companies."

Does Trump have financial ties to Moscow? There are many factors that point to that conclusion, and none are denied by Trump's followers or Republican lawmakers.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Twenty years late!

ABC News reports, "For the first time in 50 years, a Senate committee has voted to repeal decades-old war powers measures that twice launched the U.S. into war with Iraq, giving a green light to then-President George W. Bush's ill-fated plan to invade that country to topple its despotic president, Saddam Hussein, under the later-discredited justification of ridding that country of weapons of mass destruction never found.

"The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday voted 18-14 to repeal both the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) with supporters saying it was long past time for Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to declare war.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

President Biden's infrastructure plan is coming along just fine.

In the Senate.

The biggest problem Biden has in getting this bill on his desk will be Democrats, more specifically, progressives like AOC and her "squad."

Pelosi has stated there won’t be an infrastructure bill vote unless the Senate also passes the more ambitious package, too, meaning the far more extravagant strictly partisan $3.5 trillion spending package. The progressives in the House say the infrastructure bill doesn't go far enough, and the more far-reaching bill must accompany it. If not, Biden's infrastructure plan will not pass in the House.

Because of the progressives, Biden, the Democratic Party, and the American people could end up with nothing.

It wouldn't be the first time the progressives caused a major disaster for the American people.

Bernie Sanders and his progressive followers were largely responsible for the Trump administration!

Newsweek reports, "Sanders supporters switched their allegiance to Donald Trump in large enough numbers last November to sway the election for the real estate billionaire, according to an analysis of voter data. 12 percent of those who backed Sanders actually cast a vote for Trump.

"The impact of those votes was significant. In each of the three states that ultimately swung the election for Trump—Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—Trump's margin of victory over Clinton was smaller than the number of Sanders voters who gave him their vote."

In Wisconsin 51,000 Sanders supporters voted for Trump. Trump won Wisconsin by 22,000.

In Michigan 47,000 Sanders supporters voted for Trump. Trump won Michigan by 10,000.

In Pennsylvania 116,000 Sanders supporters voted for Trump. Trump won Pennsylvania.

Bernie Sanders voters helped Trump win and here's proof

Under the circumstances I don't believe the progressives deserve much loyalty from Americans. Congressional Democrats as a whole should strongly consider the wishes of the Democratic President.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

This is the typical Republican reaction to the delta variant that is devastating our country right now.

Seven states -- Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah -- that have prohibited mask mandates in schools at the state-level. Each are run by Republicans.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is the Republican fair-haired boy. At the recent CPAC conference, DeSantis was second as the conservative choice for the Republican nominee for President in 2024. Believe it or not, the number one choice was Donald J. Trump, who led an insurrection against our government in January following a failed coup in December.

The GOP can sure pick 'em.

Anyway, back to the delta variant. How is Ron's state doing? Not so good.

CNN reports, "Florida reported 134,506 new Covid-19 cases over the last week on Friday, more than any other 7-day period during the pandemic.

"Data published Friday by the state health department shows the state, which releases Covid-19 data on a weekly basis, reported an average of 19,215 cases each day.

"This week's total is about 22% higher than last week, when the state reported 110,477 total cases, for an average of about 15,782 new cases each day."

About 20% of all "Covid-19 cases have been reported in Florida over the past couple weeks, though the state accounts for less than 7% of the US population, according to US Census Bureau data."

What is Ron's reaction to all this? "I think the question is, we can either have a free society or we can have a biomedical security state, and I can tell you Florida, we're a free state," DeSantis said. "People are gonna be free to choose to make their own decisions about themselves, about their families, about their kids' education and about putting food on the table."

Ron is right. Floridians have the right to be free. They have the right to decide not to get vaccinated, to become hospitalized, and to spread the disease to their children, friends, and co-works. They have the freedom to all that, but it is a leader's job during a deadly pandemic to discourage dangerous choices.

Instead, Ron encourages the wrongheaded thinking.

NPR reports, "More than 97% of people entering hospitals right now are unvaccinated."

But Ron isn't through making a complete fool of himself. "Joe Biden suggests that if you don't do lockdown policies then you should quote 'get out the way,'" DeSantis said. "But let me tell you this, if you're coming after the rights of parents in Florida, I'm standing in your way. I'm not gonna let you get away with it."

Ron isn't paying attention. Our President is not suggesting a lockdown. Ron was lying. Our President is encouraging a rapidly expanding economy. The Times reveals, "The gain of 943,000 [jobs in July] was the best showing in nearly a year, and unemployment was 5.4 percent, the lowest since the pandemic began."

Does that sound like we are going into lockdown? Ron is clueless.

"If you're coming after the rights of parents in Florida." Ron apparently is unaware that parents in Florida bow to state law in hundreds of cases, especially where survival is concerned. For example, Florida tells the parents of teenagers to wear a seatbelt when driving.

DeSantis is an idiot.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

CNBC reports, "The highly contagious delta strain of Covid currently accounts for at least 80% of new infections nationwide.

"Still, hiring rose last month at its fastest pace in nearly a year, despite fears over the delta variant and as companies struggled with a tight labor supply.

"Nonfarm payrolls increased by 943,000, while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.4%, according to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. The payroll increase was the best since August 2020.

"The number of new jobs beat economists’ expectations by nearly 100,000, and the unemployment rate fell three tenths of a percent lower than experts had predicted it would."

That said, President Biden was not in a celebratory mood. He demurred taking a victory lap on Friday following the release of strong July jobs numbers, instead telling the country that rising Covid cases pose an urgent threat to the economic recovery.

Biden knew there was a problem with that report.

CNBC explains, "July’s strong topline numbers do not accurately reflect a troubling new development in recent weeks: the rise in Covid infections and hospitalizations attributed to the delta variant.

"That’s because the actual numbers for BLS monthly jobs reports are calculated during just the second week of the month, based on that week’s data.

"In the three weeks since the July jobs figures were calculated, hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units have begun filling up again in parts of the country."

 

[bripat9643]

President Joe R. Biden, how refreshing that sounds. What a refreshing day. Our divisive, erratic, foolish, conspiratorial, narcissistic President is gone, replaced by a President who deeply wants to unite us. Barring ill-advised preconceived notions about President Biden, his task should be easy. We are all Americans.

That said, although I voted for Biden for obvious reasons, not unlike 81 million Americans who did the same, I am a conservative Independent. That's official. In CA, we have to declare our political posture. Until I was driven out by Trump, for over a quarter of a century I was a declared Republican. I voted for Biden, but I have some reservations concerning him, mostly having to do with taxation and spending.

I said all that because I want to be honest with readers. I want them to know where I am coming from.

Whether or not Biden will be a good President is obviously an open question, but I think he is a good man. He will do his best to unite us and adopt policies that benefit all Americans, while removing those policies that do us harm. He wants the United States to rejoin the community of nations, and the days of isolation and making unitary decisions that involve other nations, in particular our traditional allies, are over.

The European Union's top politician, Ursula von der Leyen, said it best. "After four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House."

For the first time in four years, there is optimism in America created by a popular President. 59% of Americans approve of Biden.

On day one, Trump's approval rating was 40%, and, although it went lower than that, it never got much higher. Thus the reason for American optimism.

"I am a conservative Independent."