Friday, July 31, 2020. We look at various candidates running to be elected president of the United States this November.
Starting
in the United States where the November presidential election looms.
The Democratic Party will begin their national convention on August 17th
and wrap it up on August 20th if everything goes as scheduled. The
party platform -- which is meaningless though people vest so much into
it every four years -- will be a bigger disappointment than usual as
items like Medicare For All, which the bulk of the party supports but
which the Joe Biden campaign sneers at, aren't on it.
The only non-disappointment next month? Finally, the endless game of who The Bachelor Joe will give his rose to will end.
Tammy
Duckworth? Because a hot head is who we think makes a good president?
A conservative Democrat in the tradition of Zell Miller is who the
country needs? Tammy has no base and she produces no enthusiasm. Joe
already has an enthusiasm gap. Picking Tammy would be as bad as picking
Susan Rice who has never held elected office but has been in the public
eye for decades and no one but the circle-jerk press has ever been
impressed with her. Picking Susan Rice, in fact, could be just the
thing to rally Donald Trump's base.
Kamala
Harris brings enthusiasm, her supporters are fierce and would provide a
rapid response team unlike anything Joe currently has. Elizabeth
Warren? I don't think anyone doubts that she could serve as vice
president and immediately step into the presidency if that was
required. (Joe has stated, alluding to his health and age, that his
selection should be someone who could take over immediately if needed.)
If she takes it, does she compromise her own image? It's more a
possible threat to her future than to his. Karen Bass? She's a member
of Congress, she's got spirit and personality. She could bring much
energy and interest to the ticket. (I know Karen and I like Karen. Were
I picking for Joe Biden, I would pick Karen.)
Those
are the real contenders. No one believes a city mayor or Stacey Abrams
is capable of being the president on a moment's notice. They lack the
gravitas and the experience. Remember, Sarah Palin was a sitting
governor when John McCain picked her as a running mate and the press
still ridiculed her well before she was doing interviews.
The
person needs to be competent, yes, but they need to be more than that,
they need to bring enthusiasm. No one gives a damn about Joe Biden's
campaign. He doesn't stir enthusiasm. The last two months, he's only
really captured the press' attention over who he might choose as a
running mate. They've spent weeks and weeks speculating.
Why?
It's cheap journalism. Doesn't cost them a damn thing. Second, it's all that's interesting about Joe.
So
to pick a Susan Rice or Tammy Duckworth would be an error -- possibly a
fatal one. The minute the woman is picked -- Joe has said it will be a
woman -- the who-will-he-pick game is over and the nominee better be
able, all by herself, to generate interest and enthusiasm.
It's
a shame that Joe's been unwilling to seriously consider even one Latina
for the position. It's good that the long process allowed Gretch The
Wretch to be eliminated (she was eliminated because of her husband,
that's when she was dropped from consideration, when he was demanding
special treatment right before Memorial Day weekend) as well as Amy
Klobuchar.(over civil rights questions stemming from her time as a
prosecutor).
Kamala, Elizabeth and Amy all
vied for the nomination. All had at least one moment of friction with
Joe during the primaries. The only female who didn't? Tulsi Gabbard
and she was never even on his long list.
Barring
any upset, Joe will be declared the nominee of the Democratic Party
next month. Donald Trump, the sitting president, is expected to be
declared the nominee of the GOP at their convention as well.
President Donald Trump met Thursday with the
family of Spc. Vanessa Guillen, who disappeared from Fort Hood in April
and whose remains were found earlier this month.
“It’s
an incredible story. It’s a terrible story,” Trump said to the family
in the Oval Office. “So we’re going to look into it very powerfully. We
already have started, as you know, and we’ll get to the bottom of it.
Maybe things can come out that will help other people in a situation
like Vanessa. We’ll be in touch with you constantly.”
A
funeral has not been held because Guillen was dismembered and relatives
are awaiting her remains, the family’s lawyer, Natalie Khawam, told
Trump.
“If I can help you out with the funeral, I’ll help you out, financially, I’ll help you,” Trump said.
“I want justice for my Vanessa,” Guillen’s mother said through tears.
During
the meeting, Khawam explained Guillen’s death to Trump and asked him to
consider the circumstances surrounding it as the reason to pass the
#IAmVanessaGuillen bill.
One of Guillen’s sisters said
that the troops who are willing to serve and protect need protection,
which is why they are asking for the bill.
Trump said the DOJ and the FBI are investigating the case.
“We are going to look into it very powerfully,” Trump said. “... We will get to the bottom of this.”
Guillen’s
mother said her daughter is a part of history and she pleaded with
Trump to join with the family and be a positive part of Guillen’s story.
During
the meeting, Guillen’s family said they have not had a funeral, yet,
because the military still has Guillen’s remains because the
investigation is open.
Trump responded that he would help
Guillen’s family with costs for the funeral should they need it, and he
would intervene to help her family get the remains from the military in
order for them to have a proper funeral in Houston.
Hopefully, her family will find justice and peace.
People
talk about polling. The polls are meaningless at this point. They
show Joe ahead? Because Joe's buried himself. Like Hillary Clinton
before him, candidate Joe is someone America likes better when they
don't see him. Joe won't be able to hide forever. There's also the
issue of how polls work. You have to have a free environment. When the
press is conducting polls and the press has already decided to issue
value judgments (Trump = bad, Donald is a racist, etc), people are not
going to feel they can answer honestly. We noted that in 2016 and it's
true today. The polling was wrong in 2016. It may very well be wrong
today. Michael Moore was booed and hissed for offering the cautionary
note that it's too early to call Joe's presidency a sure thing; but
Michael was right about that. It is too early.
In addition to Joe and Donald representing the corporate duopoly, there are other candidates in the race.
Gloria La Riva is the presidential candidate from the Party for Liberation and Socialism.
While
Joe bumbles around in a daze, Gloria's protesting police brutality and
evictions. She travels to Portland to make her voice heard. This week,
Gloria has Tweeted about Jalil Muntaqim:
What a great livestream for brother Jalil Muntaqim today, in prison an unimaginable but real 49 years! He was in at 19, truly a crime against him and a crime against Black America. #CommutationNow! #FreeJalilNow! Call Gov. Cuomo to commute: 518-474-8390
If you're not part of the corporate duopoly, you have to fight for media attention and for ballot access.
David Wildestein (NEW JERSEY GLOBE) reports rapper,
designer and social influencer Kayne West filed to run in New Jersey --
800 signatures are required to make the ballot there and Kanye has
1,327. David explains:
He is one of seven independent candidates who filed.
A New Jersey resident, Gloria Estrela La Riva of Harrison, filed
1,589 signatures to run as the Socialism and Liberation candidate. She
has designated Leonard Peltier as her running mate.
Also filing as independent presidential candidates: Rocky De La
Fuente (Alliance Party); Don Blankenship (Constitution Party); Howie
Hawkins (Green Party); Jo Jorgenson (Libertarian Party); and Bill
Hammons (Unity Party).
Jo Joregenson
is the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee. Her team is currently
working to get on the Wisconsin ballot (among other states) and they
have until August 4th to gather the needed signatures. On another
stimulus package, her campaign issued the following this week:
Joseph Kishore is the presidential candidate from the Socialist Equality Party.
There is a little, though very little, commentary on the Trump admin's reference to journalists as "adversaries." A former Obama official called it "appalling and dangerous." But this is precisely the attitude of the Democrats toward WikiLeaks and Assange.
The Democrats are just as terrified of the growth of opposition in the working class as Trump. And Whitmer is enforcing the back to work campaign in Michigan, including in the auto plants.
This morning, Howie and his running mate Angela Walker appeared on NON COMPETE (above).
We're also going to note this interview from two days ago on THE SHARPE WAY.
We
are mainly noting that for one reason. Last week, Howie was falsely
smeared as a War Criminal because he served in Vietnam. We're not going
into all that nonsense but I will repeat that I do not blame US troops
who are sent into battle by the government. The War Criminal is
whomever sent them in. A Steven D. Green who goes to Iraq and plots and
carries out a gang-rape and mass murder is a War Criminal, yes. Every
US service member who went to Iraq or to Vietnam or Afghanistan or
whatever is not a War Criminal. I was offended that a sweeping claim
like that was offered on a podcast. The podcast was about trashing
Howie so anything they could throw at him, they did. THE SHARPE WAY,
beneath their video notes:
Howie Hawkins is the original Green New Dealer, the first US candidate
to campaign for a Green New Deal in 2010.
When his draft number was called in 1972, Howie enlisted in the Marine
Corps while continuing to organize against the Vietnam War.
Howie was a co-founder of the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he was also a leader in the anti-apartheid
divestment movement to end US corporate investment in the racist system
of oppression and labor exploitation in South Africa.
Howie moved to Syracuse in 1991 to develop cooperatives for CommonWorks,
a federation of cooperatives that promoted cooperative ownership,
democratic control, and ecological sustainability in the local economy.
From 2001 to 2018, he worked as a Teamster unloading trucks at UPS. Now
retired, he remains a supporter of Teamsters for a Democratic Union, US
Labor Against the War, the Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare,
the Labor Network for Sustainability, and the Labor Notes network.
www.howiehawkins.us
www.facebook.com/runhowierun2020/
Support the show by liking and subscribing to all Sharpe Way Social
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I did not know he
was organizing against the Vietnam War. Possibly, the two who trashed
him did not know either. I hope they both regret trashing him as a War
Criminal and I hope that we will not hear that ludicrous claim again
this year.
Yesterday, Howie's campaign released the following:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Keivn Zeese, Press Secretary
KZeese@HowieHawkins.US
303-996-6582
Hawkins Says HEAL Act will “spread the pandemic and deepen the economic collapse”
Urges Both Parties to Rewrite Bills So They Are Adequate for the Crises
The Green Party candidates for president and vice president, Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker have published Red Lines for COVID and Economic Recovery, which describes the Republican and Demoratic proposals as a danger to public health and the economy.
“The bill proposed by the Republicans
will turn schools and workplaces into superspreaders in their
communities. It fails to include the essential steps of rapid testing,
hundreds of thousands of tracers, and fully-funded COVID treatment,
which are needed to safely re-open the economy,” said Howie Hawkins.
“The Democrats have put forward an inadequate bill and failed to alert
Republicans to red lines that are essential in a successful bill. The
two parties’ proposals will spread the pandemic and deepen the economic
collapse.”
The campaign has published Red Lines For COVID and Economic Recovery.
The Hawkins/Walker Red Lines will (1) Ensure the November Election, (2)
Not Make Schools Super Spreaders for More Illness, (3) Protect Workers
and Employers, (4) Stop the Pandemic, and (5) Stop Job Loss and Business
Destruction.
“Failure to properly act now will
mean more than 250,000 people in the US will be dead by Election Day and
the economy will have sunk from a deep recession into a long-term
depression. We will see mass evictions and foreclosures on levels never
seen before along with record unemployment and rising poverty,” sad
Hawkins. “By the time of the election, the fact that the two governing
parties are presiding over failed state will be evident to all.”
# # #
Two Iraqi commanders were killed in attacks claimed by the Islamic State in Sunni tribal-dominated areas in the second half of July.
The first was just north of Baghdad in Tarmiya, where a sniper
shot a popular general on July 17. The second came on July 29 near the
western Anbar town of Hit, where the commander of the 29th Brigade of
the Army’s 7th Division was killed.
The 7th Division seemed generally well liked among the local population in Anbar when this journalist accompanied it on operations to liberate western Anbar in late 2017. Many of its officers have received training from the international coalition.
On July 25, when a mukhtar from a
village near Samarra in Salahhuddin province and members of his family
were killed, parliamentarian Muthanna al-Samarraie, whose family also hails from Samarra, called for arming local tribes to deal with security threats themselves.
IS has long focused much of its efforts on attacking Sunni provinces and fostering insurgency in them.
Though tribes in Iraq’s Shiite-majority
south are also important, Shiite anti-IS tribe-based militias do not
exist in those areas as IS does not try to win over Shiite areas and IS
attacks on them are rarer. Many from the south are instead involved in
the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), including ones linked to Iran that
claim to be fighting as part of a religious jihad and operate in
Salahhuddin.
Iraq has a Shiite-majority
population but much of the Anbar, Salahhuddin and Nineveh provinces,
where IS held significant territory from 2014 until 2017, has a Sunni
majority.
Salahhuddin Trial Sheikhs Council
spokesperson Marwan al-Jbara, from the Jabouri tribe, told Al-Monitor
via WhatsApp July 28, “We don’t need security reinforcements so much as
involvement of locals in security-related decisions.”
The Jabouri tribe is one of the largest in Iraq and some local PMUs in Salahhuddin are largely made up of its members.
Sounds like they're calling for a return of Sawha, Sons (and Daughters) of Iraq, Awakenings.
The following sites updated:
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