I boycotted Trump's
SOTU speech. I cannot look at him nor hear his inane thought process
that is inexorably dividing the nation, rounding up immigrant human
beings even soon ones protected by DACA, creating a constitutional
crisis surrounding his treasonous hand-holding an adversarial Russia to
help throw the 2016 election to him and even sending us, unthinkably, to
nuclear war. Trump spews so many lies the truth gets buried in an
avalanche of them. His speech I knew would be directed to Republicans
and his 35% base complete with its immigrant and minority bashing.
Instead, I Youtubed Joe Kennedy's opposition speech.
I
thought his speech was quite inspiring and his delivery was emphatic.
It was refreshing to hear a speech of unity
and not division, love and not hate, inclusion and not exclusion. It
was refreshing to hear one whom I know would exalt science, protect our
environment, protect the press, create infrastructure, new technological
jobs, who will fill important State Department and ambassadorial
positions believing in diplomacy and not war.
It is important to
have a candidate who will not tear down our national investigative
offices compromising the nation and its national security. It is
important to have a person in the presidency who would eschew a
permanent oligarchic rule by the 2% richest, crushing the middle class
while denigrating the rule of law but rather believing the president is
not above it. It was a speech that encouraged me to relax rather than
be in a constant vigilant state of anxiety waiting for the next shoe
Trump might drop to kill the middle class, attack minorities or attack a
foreign nation that could march us to war even incredulously nuclear
war -- an existential threat to our world.
Kennedy of the Mass.
4th and Scott Moulton of the Mass. 6th are two rising
stars in the Democratic Party but there are others. I was motivated to
produce a preliminary list of candidates for the 2020 presidential after
Democrats demolish Republicans in Congress in 2018. It gives me hope
instead of cowering in fear and wallowing in electoral depression or
hiding under the covers. The list I compiled so far is one that
reflects Congressional Democrats who would open the windows of the oval
office and give it a breath of much needed fresh air. I have not
thought yet about governors of states (except for possibly NY Governor
Andrew Cuomo) who may be qualified Democrats for the high office of the
presidency or vice presidency.
My short list of hope so far is one of charismatic Democratic possibilities
for President: Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders (age makes
him a maybe), For VP Kennedy (Mass 4th) Seth Moulton (Mass. 6th) or
Elizabeth Warren or Markey (Mass 5th), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Dick Durbin
(Illinois), Gillibrand (NY), Maria Cantwell (Washington) Kamala Harris
(CA), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Tom Udall (New Mexico), Michael Bennet
(Colorado), Maggie Hassan (N. Hampsire), Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Ron
Wyden (Oregon) or DNC chairman Tom Perez.
There are many I know I have left out.
Until the hope begins RESIST!
