Okay, I want to get all my cards on the table.  I am further to the left of center than most people you know.  Additionally, beyond that statement, I know that I will continue to move further to the left when I discover that I am not far enough to the left.

Another one of my cards is the Donald provides for us is one of the greatest opportunities that we have as Americans.  We need to emphatically dump the Trump.

The Donald

We will elect Hilary Clinton in November and take over the Senate.  That is assured, which will allow balancing out the Supreme Court.  I am optimistic that this will also cut into the Republican majority in the House.  Additionally, the Donald will help Democrats at the state and local level.

Additionally, I have made three other major political predictions over the past decade.  The first was that Sen. Barrack Obama would be elected both times as president.  In fact, I received an invitation to his first inauguration.  

When Obama was running for the Democratic candidate for president, Michelle, my daughter, and I went to a rally in Gary, IN to see him.  I took dozens of photos of him at the rally.  This picture contains the invitation to the inauguration and my favorite picture that I took at the rally.   

However, the back story is that Michelle had been in Africa as a volunteer in an orphanage for children whose parents had died due to AIDS.  I went to Africa during winter break in 2006 for a month of traveling in a handful of countries.  I went to visit Michelle at Christmas.   I landed at Cape Town where Michelle met me.  After hugs and kisses, we went to a restaurant in the airport to catch-up with each other's lives. 

It wasn't long before Michelle said, "Dad, I've been out of the States for almost a year, and I haven't heard what's been happening with Barack Obama. What do you think about him and do you think he has a chance to become president?" 

I made some passing comment about he wasn't going to get anyplace and started talking about something else.  Michelle was surprised by my seeming indifference to him getting nominated and elected as president.  To explain my feelings, I added, "Michelle, I've been there and done that and don't have the heart to do it again.  Bobby Kennedy was my dream when I was your age, and that dream was dashed.  Politics hasn't been the same since."

However, I returned to the States at the beginning of January and returned to teaching.  One evening, I happened to be watching Hardball with Chris Matthews on TV.  Matthews mentioned something in passing about liberals like Obama couldn't get elected. 

For some reason, that offhand remark rattled me, even though I said the same thing a week before.  That realization about what I had said changed me.  From that day forward, I believed in what I thought was impossible.

The second prediction was that Obama would get healthcare reform passed by Congress.  That prediction was posted to my website exactly seven months prior to him signing it into law.  Again, when people were dissing Obama addressing needed healthcare reform, I knew that it would clear Congress.

 The third prediction was that Hillary Clinton would be inaugurated on my birthday, January 20, 2017, as the first female president of the United States.  It was interesting that a black man and a white woman were running against each other for the Democratic nomination in 2008.  However, while Obama won both the nomination and the presidency, Clinton went on to serve in the Senate and as Sec. of State.   

I have been correct three out of three times. That is a pretty good average.  Nevertheless, I am as confident with my next political prediction as I was of the other three.  I believe that Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of my mentors, will be Hillary Clinton's running mate in 2016.

There are several reasons for admiring Elizabeth Warren.  She has good taste in eye glasses. 

Senator and soon to be vice-president

We wear quite similar glasses.

However, beyond our choice of glasses, we both love teaching.  In fact, I was researching Warren's area of academic training and expertise.  I have often thought that I would have thoroughly enjoyed taking a class from her.  However, I discovered that Warren taught bankruptcy law.  I haven't balanced my checkbook for decades.

As for Warren being Clinton's choice, there are those that prematurely cited that two women on the same ticket isn't something that our society could handle.  Even though in our sexist country, we could handle two men as president and vice-president for over two centuries.

This is the opportunity to address sexism by voting for the Democratic female candidates.  In the final analysis, it would be far better than voting for the Donald and whoever would run with him. 

This is the moment to act and get over our national sexism.  It would be great for many Americans to come to terms with the idea that women are capable to function in leadership positions.  The converse is equally true.  Just because the Donald can't function doesn't mean that all men are dysfunctional.

Connecting the Dots

Visit the Connecting the Dots page to read more about this topic.

An Old Man and His Grandson

Visit The Mentors and Me page to read more about this topic.

Obama Signing the Affordable Care Act

Visit the Obamacare page to read more about this topic.

Best and Worst of Times

Visit the Best and Worst of Times page to read more about this topic.

07/08/16