Why Bobby Runs

For John, BLUF:  While it appears Mr Kennedy is wasting his time, in fact he is picking up side benifits, from paid speaking engagements to a cabinet position.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Real Motive

Here is the sub-headline:

He’s not actually trying to become president.

From Politico, by Writer Jack Shafer, 10 July 2023, 02:23 PM EDT.

Here is the lede plus two:

If Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s three-month-old presidential campaign were a newly opened restaurant, it would have already succumbed to its negative reviews and closed its doors. Members of his own family have declined to back him. “Due to a wide range of Bobby’s positions, I’m supporting President Biden,” said his sister, Rory Kennedy. “I support President Biden,” said cousin Patrick Kennedy, a former member of Congress. And, most damning, the bookies say he has next to no chance of winning.

Kennedy — and this comes as a surprise to nobody — is about as likely to win the Democratic Party’s nomination as, say, Donald Trump. A sharp CNN piece last month by the network’s analyst Harry Enten attached an anchor to Kennedy’s chances and sunk it into the depths of the Mariana Trench. According to Enten, the party faithful overwhelmingly approve of Joe Biden’s presidency, while a poll of “strong Democrats” registers as 50 percent unfavorable to Kennedy. Seeing as it is Democrats and not the press or tech billionaires who select the party’s nominee, and the fact that Kennedy shows no sign of exceeding the sub-20 percent level of support among Democratic voters, his candidacy is stillborn.

This inevitable defeat is self-evident to everybody, including Kennedy, one suspects. But RFK Jr. doesn’t care about losing because there’s little evidence he was very interested in becoming president in the first place. Those with genuine presidential ambitions tend to establish foundational political careers, putting in at minimum a term or two in elective office. If they run and get beaten, they get back up and run again and again, as Biden did.

The author would have us believe he is running for the fun of it.  For the side benefits.

That may well be so, but such cynicism is based on the idea that as an incumbent, President Joseph Biden is secure in his position.  I don't think so.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Whither the Democrats?

For John, BLUF:  This election year has been one of the more interesting, and not in a good way.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Will the Democrats junk Joe?

Here is the sub-headline:

Amid the coronavirus crisis, Democrats have found a new Great Left Hope in Andrew Cuomo

From The Spectator, Columnist John Fund, 1 April 2020.

Here is the lede plus four:

Joe Biden is the presumptive Democratic nominee.  Yet many Democrats have ‘buyers’ remorse’ as the COVID virus has driven Biden off centerstage and into a hastily-built basement studio in his Delaware home.

Biden has tried to remain relevant to the public through TV broadcasts, but those appearances have been gaffe-prone and interspersed with lapses in lucidity.  Last Friday, he announced on CNN that ‘I speak to all five of my grandkids,’ which must make his very much alive sixth grandchild feel a little neglected.  Dave Catanese of McClatchy found his interview last Monday painful to watch:  ‘Joe Biden struggled mightily at the top of his MSNBC interview where he looked to be reading from notes to answer a question.’

Democrats openly worry about the lack of enthusiasm for Biden.  A new Washington Post/ABC poll found 86 percent of Trump supporters enthusiastic about their choice.  Only 74 percent of Biden backers said the same thing.  Most ominously, the poll found that 15 percent of Democrats who still back Bernie Sanders say they’d vote for Trump, not Biden, in November.  That’s more than the 12 percent of Sanders voters who plumped for Trump in 2016.

The fear that Biden could buckle before a relentless GOP negative campaign or Trump’s bullying in debates is palpable among many Democrats.  Lloyd Constantine, a former senior policy adviser to New York governor Eliot Spitzer from 2007 to 2008, is unsparing:  ‘Biden is a melting ice cube.  Those of us who have closely watched as time ravaged the once sharp or even brilliant minds of loved ones and colleagues, recognize what is happening to the good soldier Joe.’

Constantine and others have found a new Great Left Hope.  New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo has caused many pundits to swoon with his blunt no-nonsense daily briefings on the virus.  Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post concluded ‘The governor’s in-charge demeanor and straight talk remind us of what a leader looks like and acts like.’  Last week, cable news networks even skipped covering a speech by Biden to cover a Cuomo news conference.

My wife noted the attraction of Governor Andrew Cuomo when Fox News first started televising his daily news briefings.  I am thinking Governor Cuomo is a real threat to the nomination of former Veep Joe Biden.  It is a long way to the convention, 13-16 July 2020.  Even further to November and the election.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Suppressing Candidates?

For John, BLUF:  The coronavirus is making campaigning hard, and harder still is the need to collect signatures in order to get on the ballot.  And our General Court is not doing much to help.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Why did Democrat leaders on Beacon Hill fail to address signature requirements in elections bill?

From a Mass GOP Press Release, Commmunications Director Evan Lips.

Here is the lede plus six:

Entrenched Democrat leaders on Beacon Hill appear to have ignored an electioneering factor they somehow never saw coming during the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- the crucial person-to-person gathering of ballot signatures.

“From my own perspective I’m doing most of it (signature collecting) by mail,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo told reporters Monday, after he and Senate President Karen Spilka finished touting an elections bill fast-tracked to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.

Massachusetts Republican Chairman Jim Lyons pointed out that most candidates -- especially challengers -- don’t have the luxury of DeLeo’s $780,000-plus campaign war chest.

“The so-called ‘robust mail-in balloting’ program promoted by Speaker DeLeo and President Spilka only addresses the upcoming special elections and not upstart campaigns preparing for November,” Lyons said.  “We even saw the Massachusetts Teenage Republicans and the Massachusetts High School Democrats -- two opposing groups made up of young people typically on the front lines of signature-gathering efforts -- join together to urge the Legislature to act on this problem, only to see Democratic leadership ignore it.

“Their inaction guarantees well-heeled incumbents will receive a free pass.”

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin O’Connor, whose 86-year-old father has been hospitalized as a result of the virus, must gather 10,000 signatures by the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s May 5 deadline to ensure his place on the ballot.

“We want the Legislature to bring the law into alignment with the social distancing requirement,” O’Connor said in a recent interview.

This seems like negligence on the part of the General Court.  Or, it is self-serving political skullduggery.

I ma not impressed by this.

Regards  —  Cliff

Today's Mission

For John, BLUF:  If you don't like your Party's candidates, get out and run.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Tomorrow is Election Day…

From The New Neo, by Neo herself, a New England Blogger, 5 November 2018.

Here Is what Blogger Sarah Hoyt made of it:

Nobody knows anything, but dear LORD.  Even if you hate your local GOP knucklehead, even if he is a RINO loser….  [D]o you want Nancy “Grey Goose” Pelosi in charge of the House again?  Do you want those idiots on the left to think — as they have since they successfully demonized the squishy GWB — that they need to keep turning up the insanity and drama and lies?  They’re already too crazy.  Worse, do you want them to enact their contract on America, from higher taxes to throttling our energy production?  Are you NOSTALGIC for the Obama years?

I for one would like a chance to dig myself out of the financial hole those years left me in.

Vote for your local Republican knucklehead.  Even if you’d like someone better.  You go to war with the underwear you got on.  Vote against the democrat lunatics.  It’s important.

And here is the team which will resist the likes of Ms Pelosi:

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Dem 2020 Gang

John, BLUF:  The Democrats are getting an early start on the race to be Jack the Giant Slayer (alternative view—pick up an easy win) in 2020.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Long List of Top Democrats Have 2020, and Money, on Their Minds

From The Old Gray Lady, by Reporters Kenneth P Vogel and Rachel Shorey, 2 September 2017.

Third paragraph:

In interviews, more than three dozen leading Democratic donors, fund-raisers and operatives agreed that it was the earliest start they had ever seen to the jockeying that typically precedes the official kickoff to the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. It is a reflection of the deep antipathy toward President Trump among Democrats, and the widespread belief that the right candidate could defeat him, but also of the likelihood that the contest for the nomination could be the longest, most crowded and most expensive in history.

At least they are beginning to figure out that Antifa just generates more Trump voters.  And Senator E Warren is highlighted in Sunday's Boston Globe in a puff piece on her religion,because some of those votes needed are out in Fly Over Country.

Mentioned in the NYT article were:

• Senator Kamala Harris of California
• Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand of New York
• Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia
• Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont
• Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
• Representative John Delaney of Maryland
• Former Vice President Joe Biden

Maybe you have your favorite Democrat candidate for President in 2020.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Running (Politically) in Lowell

For John, BLUF:  We need to encourage citizens to run.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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If you are going to run for office in local elections (and why wouldn't you?) this is the year.

It isn't that hard.  For one thing, the nice people down at the Lowell Election and Census Office are more than willing to walk you through the minimal requirements to stay street legal.♠

Here are key dates:

• 1 June — Nomination Papers available
• 8 August — Turning in Nomination Papers

At this point you need 50 signatures to run for either City Council or School Committee.♥

Hat tip to the Eda Matchak.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The physical address is City Hall, 375 Merrimack Street, Basement, Room 5, Lowell, MA 01852.
♥  If, before 1 June the General Court, down on Beacon Hill, approves our "Home Rule" Petition, the number of signatures for City Council will go to 150, still an easy number to make.

Local Elections / Local Candidates

For John, BLUF:  And get on City Life.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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You Should Run

Not that I want to see any of my friends defeated, but there are seats to be contested on the :

• City Council (9 Seats)
• Lowell School Committee(6 Seats)
• Greater Lowell Technical High School School Committee (Who knows?)♠

If you need help or encouragement, I am willing to pitch in for you.

I can't be your Treasurer—The City pays me a minuscule amount to be on the License Commission and thus I am excluded from that campaign office.

However, I have a current list of registered voters and I can help you sort through it.  I have it as an Excel Spreadsheet.  I also have data on who voted in previous elections.  I would be happy to sit down and share with you.

EMail me at "crkrieger" at "me" dot "com".

And, there is help to be had from the Elections Office, in the Southwest corner of the basement of City Hall.  Nice people, happy to help.

If you are wondering about financial statements, here is our local City web page.

Get in the swim!

UPDATE:  There are no seats open for GLTHS School Committee this election cycle.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  This local governmental organization is moving to the State Ballot and will appear in 2018.  This is due to the new and convoluted way GLTHS candidates will run and be elected.  More in 2018.

Trump and the Law of Armed Conflict

For John, BLUF:  So, was Secretary of State Clinton properly advising the President when we overthrew the regime in Libya?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the Web Presence The Conversation we have retired Air Force JAG Charlie Dunlap on "Trump’s campaign rhetoric, ISIS and the law of war".

Here are the last two paragraphs:

Looking ahead, it is significant that Trump recently acknowledged that the U.S. “is bound by laws and treaties” and that as president he would “not order a military officer to disobey the law.” Instead, he said he would “seek [the] advice” of military and other officials.

This is good news, and something all the candidates – and their critics – ought to embrace, as applying the law of war in the 21st century is much more complicated than many think. Words do matter, and where the nation’s security is concerned, no words can be more important.

The author explores not just the Law of Armed Conflict, but also Just War and other aspects of what nations are permitted, or not permitted to do, such as reprisals.  A very interesting read and it applies to all the Candidates.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Retired Major General Dunlap, a graduate of the National War College, has a particular interest in civil-military relations.  He is the author of The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012, which was his award winning paper at the National War College, exploring issues of how civil-military relations can go off the rails.  Smart students are easy students to advise.

Running in Lowell

For John, BLUF:  Candidates are emerging.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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On City Life this morning Host George Anthes asked former City Councilor Joe Mendonça if he would be running this year, for City Council, and Joe said yes.

Then Host George Anthes asked GLTHS Committee Member Ray Boutin if he was running for anything this year and Mr Boutin said he would be running for a full term at Greater Lowell Technical High School.

Not on the show, last Sunday, someone asked me if I would be running for Lowell School Committee.  My response was like that of then Episcopal Father (later R/C Cardinal) Henry Edward Manning, "Only if they need me to solve a crisis".♠  I said that if no one else ran I would, but I would rather not.  I say let Fred Bahou run.  He has the time and this time it would pay him some money.  Yes, I think that is a winner.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  He had been asked about making Bishop in the Anglican Church.

Quality of Candidates

For John, BLUF:  Some earn victory.  Some have victory force on them.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Back to Tuesday's election in Florida, and back to the Althouse post "Last Night War Scary, Ann."  Here is a comment at the blog post:

Bill, Republic of Texas said…
Last night was scary

They should be scared.  Obama won that district in 2008 and 2012.  Sink won the district when she ran for governor in 2010.  Sink was very well known, liked and extremely well financed.

The Repub candidate was a disaster.  He was a political aid and then lobbyist.  He is recently divorced and was campaigning with his 25 year old girlfriend.  He was flat broke after the primary.

"They" would be the Democrats.

Regards  —  Cliff