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Foreign Affairs in 2020 Campaign

President Trump has had a tough and realistic set of foreign policies towards Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Those nations, more accustomed to administrations that sacrifice U.S. national security in return for the ability to portray a rosy but false picture of global relations, would like nothing more than to see him lose the next election. They can be expected to do all they can to achieve that goal.

Russia will continue its drive to stay ahead of the U.S. in nuclear arms, a position it achieved thanks to negotiations with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the New Start talks. 

North Korea will veer away from compromising on its nuclear program any further in the hope of a getting a new occupant in the White House who will be less militant on sanctions and less willing to fund a U.S. military that will be sufficiently capable of a kinetic solution.

Iran and the terrorists it sponsors had the benefit of eight years of the Obama presidency which, bizarrely and still inexplicably, did all that it could to strengthen and enrich the Mullah-led,  deeply anti-U.S. and anti-Israel regime. After suffering through Trump’s stringent sanctions, it will vigorously do everything possible to get another Democrat back in office.

China will do all that it can to increase tensions in Asia and the Pacific. 

More importantly, from a domestic American perspective, it will refuse to compromise in trade talks, and will engage in actions that cause pain to U.S. consumers, farmers, and others. This is a particularly frustrating problem for Washington. Beijing’s outrageous practices of intellectual property theft, technological espionage, marketplace dumping, and barriers to U.S. goods seriously damage America’s economy. 

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But the temporary pain this may cause In the U.S. will be seized upon by Democrats and their media allies as a reason to vote against the GOP.  The internal fight will be particularly tough. Far more than Moscow ever did, Beijing has mastered internal U.S. politics.

A Foreign Affairs review noted that “In the last decade, the Chinese government has committed to boosting its appeal abroad. Beijing has been developing an international media network and establishing cultural study centers around the world. While debate abounds over whether promoting China’s traditions, values, language, and culture can win it more friends, vast funds are backing programs to enhance the country’s image.”

A Diplomat article notes that “in 2014, President Xi Jinping said,’We should increase China’s soft power, give a good Chinese narrative, and better communicate China’s message to the world.’ One of Xi’s signature policies, the ‘Chinese Dream,’ has been proposed as a kind of corollary or alternative to the American Dream. This is all part of a ‘charm offensive’ that will only accelerate in years to come, especially in light of the events at the recent 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.”

Beijing built great sway on university campuses through it’s “Confucius Institutes,” in Hollywood through its purchases of media companies, and in both parties through quiet deals which enrich individual politicians. Joe Biden’s vigorous attempts to downplay China’s danger following his son’s billion dollar deal with that nation is a prime example.

Moscow, Beijing, Tehran and Pyongyang clearly understand that any of the candidates currently seeking the Democrat nomination to oppose Trump would return to the Obama Administration’s practice of sharply cutting the Pentagon’s budget, an outcome they are only too eager to have occur.

It’s going to be a bumpy ride until November of 2020.

Photo: Pixabay

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Why are Democrats Destroying Their Own Front Runner?

This article was written by the distinguished retired judge, John H. Wilson

He’s been known as “Creepy Uncle Joe” for years.  Going back to at least 2015, former Vice President Joe Biden has a demonstrable history of stroking and smelling the hair of young girls, and in general, making them feel uncomfortable.  In fact, this behavior is so well known and prevalent, there is a YouTube video called “Creepy Uncle Joe” which shows a series of these incidents caught on camera during a variety of public events. .

Also in 2015, Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show,” made light of Biden having held onto the shoulders of the wife of former Defense Secretary Ash Carter while standing behind her.  Calling it the “Audacity of Grope,” Stewart and Samantha Bee lampooned Biden’s behavior for fun and laughs..

No one is laughing about this anymore.  With polls indicating that the former Vice President would be the front runner among the Democratic nominees, Joe Biden’s “creepy” behavior has suddenly become a major issue.

The first to seriously call out Biden’s “handsy” activities was Lucy Flores, who while running for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada in 2014, was subjected to the Biden treatment – “I felt two hands on my shoulders… I felt him get closer to me from behind. He leaned further in and inhaled my hair. I was mortified…He proceeded to plant a big slow kiss on the back of my head. My brain couldn’t process what was happening. I was embarrassed.” .

Without waiting to be asked why she waited five years to reveal this experience, Ms Flores volunteered her own answer – “For years I feared my experience would be dismissed. ..But hearing Biden’s potential candidacy for president discussed without much talk about his troubling past as it relates to women became too much to keep bottled up any longer.”

Now, much like the accusers of Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein, one accuser has become a chorus of “Me Too.”  As of this writing, seven women have come forward to describe their experiences with Joe Biden as inappropriate and unwanted.  Amy Lappos, a former staffer to Congressman Jim Himes (D-Ct), describes a 2009 incident, in which Biden rubbed noses with her, while Catilyn Caruso describes Biden resting his hand on her thigh “just a little bit too long” while the two attended a fundraiser.  .

Naturally, the former Vice President denies that he ever knowingly did anything wrong:  “In many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully.”  .

But the question that arises is the same question asked after the tsunami of allegations brought against Weinstein – what motivation could his accusers have to bring these charges at this particular time?

A hint of the real reason for the timing of these charges came during the appearance of Political Analysis Joan Walsh on CNN.  When Biden had indicated that he wanted to “change the culture” of Washington, she stated that he could do just that by not running, and supporting a woman candidate:

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“Come out and support a woman. There’s six women in the race, four female senators. If you want to change it, that’s a way to change it…if you want to change it, don’t run.” .

In fact, it is obvious that the strategy of the Democratic Party since 2016 has been single-minded – put a woman in the White House.

The first accuser in the most recent accusations, Lucy Flores, has been linked to the camp of Bernie Sanders.  According to Fox News, “Flores endorsed Sanders in a 2016 Facebook post, served on the board of the Sanders-aligned Our Revolution group, and campaigned publicly on his behalf.”  . But the Sander’s camp has denied that Flores is acting at their behest, and Flores has also appeared at a campaign rally for Beto O’Rourke.

Still, the desire of the DNC to have a female candidate for President explains the machinations of then-Democratic Party Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to shut popular candidate Bernie Sanders out of primary after primary in 2016, while supporting unpopular candidate Hillary Clinton.  The fact that the Democratic Primaries were rigged against Sanders is a matter of record – in 2017, a federal judge dismissed a class action lawsuit brought against the DNC, finding that “the Court assumes (plaintiff’s) allegations are true…the DNC and Wasserman Schultz held a palpable bias in favor of Clinton and sought to propel her ahead of her Democratic opponent.”  The case was dismissed because the plaintiffs could not establish they had suffered any injury as a result of the DNC bias in favor of Clinton. .

Two years later, even though Wasserman-Schultz is no longer the Chairman, the DNC still wishes to have the first woman president be a member of their party.

After his many years in office, Joe Biden understands the desire of those in his own party who wish to see a woman in the Oval Office.  This would explain his overture to Stacey Abrams, the former candidate for Governor of Georgia, who lost that race after a narrow recount.  However, Ms Abrams appears to be equally astute. Rather than accept Biden’s offer, she is testing the waters for her own run at the Presidency.

Even if Biden survives this series of attacks, and does eventually announce his candidacy, expect to hear more about the former Vice President plagiarizing a speech he gave in 1988, . and his long-standing feud with Elizabeth Warren over regulation of banks. .

In the final analysis, however, this attempt by the Democrats to push forward a woman candidate at the expense of their potential front runner is ill considered, and ill fated.  While it is still early in the race for 2020, of the women candidates who have announced, only California’s Kamala Harris appears to have any traction, and even her polling is at only 9.8 percent.  Elizabeth Warren is behind her at 5.7 percent, and Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar polls at 1.7 percent. It’s hardly worth mentioning New York’s Kristen Gilibrand at 0.7 percent. .

Compare this to Biden’s 28.8 percent (without even being officially announced as a candidate) and Sanders at 21.8 percent, and it is obvious that the majority of Democrats support some old white men as their standard-bearers against President Trump.  Much like 2016, however, it looks like the Democratic Party remains tone deaf to the desires of their membership.

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Campaign 2016: Real Policies, Not Platitudes, Needed

The Republican convention has concluded, and the Democrat equivalent is about to begin. After viewing the speeches and balloons, the voters need the candidates to concentrate on viable proposals to address the serious issues facing the nation.

Generalities and platitudes will not be acceptable.  2016 finds the United States in deeper peril abroad than it has faced in well over half a century. At home, Americans face an unprecedented declining of the middle class, an extraordinary lack of good jobs, and an economy mired in the doldrums. The ability to address challenges in either sphere is severely hampered by a $20 trillion national debt, a figure that nearly doubled during the Obama Administration with nothing gained for all that spending.

There has been a troubling lack of accountability on the part of elected officials for America’s rapid descent during the past nearly eight years. Eight years ago, America was the “indispensable nation,” the most feared and respected country. But continuous disinvestment in the U.S. armed forces, an estrangement of allies, and a refusal to respond with any effectiveness to the aggression of Russia in Europe and China in Asia has eroded that position.

Terrorists have had unparalleled success, controlling more territory than ever in the Middle East, regaining strength in Afghanistan, and moving into vast new territories on the African continent. Terrorist acts in the West are no longer confined to single, horrible events that occur at long intervals; they have become part of everyday life. The failure to forcefully attack ISIS, and the lack of any retaliation for Benghazi have encouraged this trend.

These events in Europe, Asia, and the Islamic World did not occur in a vacuum. They are the direct, specific end products of dramatically mistaken policies. America’s unilateral cuts in nuclear and conventional strength and its reluctance to confront, even with substantive diplomatic responses, aggression gave a clear signal that it was open season for hostile acts.

The weakness in the U.S. economy is not the result of a cyclical downturn, an unexpected disaster, or even the recession of 2007—2008. Major handicaps have prevented what was once the world’s most dynamic marketplace from maintaining its traditional strength. Some of these were in place long before the current Administration.  The Clinton Administration’s transfer of advanced technology to China, and its move to give Beijing virtually unrestricted access to American consumers had a dire impact. The continuation of America’s highest-in-the-developed world corporate tax rate absolutely encourages an exodus of jobs from the U.S. The rising impact of regulatory control over private business, and disincentives to hire over the past several years (especially those in the Affordable Care Act) have had an extremely detrimental impact.  So, too, has the transfer of vast sums from the private sector to unproductive government spending. Whatever the motivation or rationale, hikes in welfare-type entitlements and the so-called “stimulus” package which spent over $800 billion without producing any positive impact on the economy were a major drawback.

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Donald Trump needs to provide consistent responses that contain specific actions he will take. He  describes the problems, and has begun to detail some responses.  More must be done.

Hillary Clinton’s statements to date are troubling. She promises to essentially continue President Obama’s domestic, military and foreign policies.

In international matters, that is not unexpected since in her role as his Secretary of State she had a substantive role in both developing and carrying them out.  But those choices led to a disastrous downturn in America’s national security, and an increase in danger both from other nations and terrorists.

The politically popular but financially untenable positions she has taken in policies such as the promise of free college tuition are equally distressing.  It is painfully obvious that a nation with a $20 trillion debt which continues to grow year after year, an economy that cannot encourage businesses to stay, and a woefully inadequate middle class job market cannot sustain further giveaways. It is inevitable that committing funds to those ideas will come at the expenses of more urgently needed programs, such as Social Security.  It is not coincidental that as the Obama Administration spent vast sums on his unsuccessful stimulus, his 41% increase in food stamps, and other new expenses, seniors had to endure an unprecedented lack of social security cost of living increases, and veterans and active duty service members saw their needs go unmet.

Americans face major challenges, some unprecedented in the history of the nation. Platitudes and unfulfillable promises have no place in this election.

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The Issues Each Presidential Candidate Must Address

The presidential campaign season has begun at a time when America faces extraordinary crises at home and abroad.  Although it is a consistent cliché that the “next election is the most important in a lifetime,” the reality is that this time, it happens to be true.

Due to the gravity of the economic, diplomatic, national security, societal, constitutional and other challenges facing the United States, it is vital that candidates be judged on their comprehension of the problems affecting the nation, proposed solutions, ability to achieve their goals, and the honesty with which they outline all the above. Personal integrity should be examined. At this crucial juncture, voter decisions based on any other criteria, including party loyalty, special interests, personal appearance, personality, race, ethnicity, gender, or campaign slogans are clearly counterproductive.

There will, of course, be debates in both the primary and general elections. Sadly, these affairs have failed to provide genuine opportunities to rate those seeking the nation’s highest office. Inadequate formats, the lack of a sufficient number of direct questions on the issues, and the toleration of evasive answers has sharply limited their usefulness.  Several instances of biased and ill-informed moderators have also resulted in disappointing outcomes.

These are the direct questions each candidate should be able to respond to with thoroughness and accuracy, both in debates and through campaign literature:

 THE ECONOMY

 The U.S. labor participation rate is the lowest in several decades. Long term unemployment remains extremely high. The few jobs that have been created in the past several years have largely been minimum wage positions without substantial benefits. Inner city unemployment rates for minority youth are at Great Depression levels. What will you do to address this?

For many years, the number of business failures has exceeded the number of start-ups. What will you do to reverse this?

American jobs and American companies continue to flee overseas.  What will you do to stop this?

American companies remain at a competitive disadvantage due to international competitors that pay lower corporate tax rates and face a less substantial regulatory regime. What will you do to address this?

American manufacturing has plummeted since the start of the 21st century. What steps will you take to reinvigorate it?

 THE FEDERAL BUDGET

The federal government has taken in record amounts of revenue recently, but continues to run high deficits. What will you do to balance the budget?

The national debt has nearly doubled during the current administration, with nothing substantial to show for all that spending. What will you do differently? What areas will you cut or protect?

What will you do to address the tremendous increase in public assistance programs over the past several years?

What will you do to insure that Social Security remains solvent?

There is widespread dissatisfaction with the Internal Revenue Code. Should the income tax system be changed? If so, in what manner? Are taxes too high?

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES & NATIONAL SECURITY

Since 2009, the Russian government has invaded a neighbor, committed vast resources to a dramatic conventional and nuclear arms buildup, re-established cold war bases, threatened Europe both militarily and economically, sold nuclear technology and conventional weaponry to Iran, militarized the Arctic, resumed nuclear patrols along American coastlines, and violated arms accords. What will your administration do in response?

China continues its own dramatic arms buildup at a rate greater than that of either the USSR or the USA at the height of the cold war. It has threatened and bullied its neighbors, stolen assets from several of them, and committed significant cyberattacks on American and other civilian, military and corporate targets. It has provided inappropriate assistance to Iran. It continues to engage in human rights violations, and its environmental record is troubling. It continues to engage in intellectual property theft on a massive scale. How will you amend Sino-U.S. relations?

Terrorist forces are more powerful and widespread than ever, controlling more territory and financial resources than at any other point in history. ISIS continues to commit atrocities on a massive scale. Al Qaeda is resurgent and expanding its worldwide influence. What can be done to counter this?

North Korea has developed a powerful nuclear weapons capability and Iran is heading in that direction as well.  How will you deal with this?

America’s national security is at its weakest point since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.  International adversaries have extensively increased their armed forces, and for the first time in history, the U.S. is in an inferior position in nuclear deterrence. The Army is at its lowest strength since before World War 2, the Navy, since World War 1. The Air Force has reached an historic low point. These armed forces face adversaries who are technologically equal or, in some areas, superior to America, and with greater numbers. The U.S. defense industrial base is weakened, and many essential components are purchased overseas. What will you do to keep America safe?

How will you repair damaged relations with allies such as the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland?
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What will you do in response to the growing presence of Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and terrorist military interests in Latin America?

 CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES

Describe your views on the appropriate use of executive authority.

Do you agree with the concept enunciated in the Declaration of Independence that there are “unalienable rights” that the government may not infringe upon? Define your version of those rights.

Regulations enacted not by the legislative process but by bureaucracies play an increasingly large role in the lives of Americans. Do you believe that is appropriate? If not, what will you do to change that?

The 9th & 10th Amendments to the Bill of Rights proclaim that rights and powers not expressly given to the federal government are reserved for the people or the states. Do you believe the federal government has ignored those provisions?

What are your views on the Second Amendment right to bear arms?

Do you believe that the U.S. Constitution can be infringed upon by United Nations treaties, agreements, or other actions?

There have been accusations that various portions of the Executive Branch have been used for partisan purposes. Significant examples include the IRS targeting of the Tea Party, and the refusal of the Justice Department to act on complaints of fraudulent or inaccurate voter registration, as while as balloting improprieties. Charges have been made that the State Department covered up evidence of what actually occurred in Benghazi. What are your views on these issues, and what guarantees of governmental transparency are you willing to make?

THE ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY POLICY, SCIENCE, & EDUCATION

What are your views on the theory of man-made global climate change? Are you willing to listen to both sides of the issue?

Do you believe that the use of coal, nuclear power, or hydrofracking should be curtailed? If so, what energy sources can fully and affordably replace them?

Should federal lands be made available for energy exploitation?

The U.S. has not been capable of putting a human in space since 2011, and NASA’s plans to do so will not remedy this for many years. What will you do to restore America’s manned space capability?

What steps must be taken to insure American preeminence in science?

What are your views on Common Core?

U.S. schools continue to underperform in relation to other industrialized nations, despite spending more per student. What can be done to address this? Is this a federal or state responsibility?

SOCIETAL ISSUES

How will you stem the tide of illegal immigration? How should those illegals, both those here for many years and those recently arrived, be treated?

What can be done to improve race relations within the nation?

Increased prices, lower Social Security cost of living increases, and increased difficulty keeping or finding employment have particularly affected older Americans.  What will you do to address this?

What are your views on the Affordable Health Care Act? Should it be retained as is, amended, or repealed? What alternatives or changes would you seek to implement?