America Being Undermined By Marxist Ideology

America is under siege with rampant lawlessness.  Murders in Atlanta have spiked 43%.  Rapes have soared 236.6%. Los Angeles gun violence has jumped 40% since 2020.  Downtown shootings in Chicago have increased 64%.  New York City's crime index is up 27.8%.  

Lost in the data, is the cruel fact that 181 children aged one month to 11 years old have been murdered. Two year olds are gunned down while their mothers watch in horror.  A total of 681 teenagers have died in gun violence this year.  A least 36 policemen have been killed trying to protect citizens.

George Soros-backed district attorneys responsible for prosecuting violent offenders are instead releasing the thugs into society. Criminals with long rap sheets are set free, only to be arrested again. What kind of a society allows this to happen?  Sounds like Venezuela or Tijuana, Mexico.

Much of the blame for the upsurge belongs at the feet of politicians in big cities who refuse to back police.  During the riots of 2020, mayors stood by as buildings were torched, stores were looted, police were injured and bystanders beaten.  The current vice president offered to pay bail for the rioters.  

In the bloody aftermath, defunding the police became a battlecry for politicians who wanted to cozy up to Black Lives Matter, Antifa and other violent groups.  Police budgets were slashed.  Politicians issued new restrictions on policing,  leaving citizens and businesses at the mercy of criminals.

This lawlessness extends to the Southern Border with Mexico. An unprecedented flood of illegal immigrants are brazenly invading the U.S.  In fiscal year 2022, there has been a 78% increase in the number of crossings compared to the same period a year ago.

The crisis will only grow worse as Title 42 is expected to expire soon. The Trump Administration invoked the order to restrict migrants entry into the U.S., including those seeking asylum.  Whenever it is lifted, there will be a Tsunami of crossings.   

Estimates are the end of Title 42 will boost the number of illegal alien crossings to more than 3 million by the end of fiscal year 2022.  That's more than the population of Chicago (2.6 million). Even that projection likely understates the massive tide of illegals because it does not include "getaways."

The Customs and Border Protection agency estimates 220,000 illegal immigrants evaded Border Patrol capture in just a a four-month period from October 2021 to February 2022.  These so-called "getaways" were spotted on cameras and sensors at the border but the agency lacked manpower to capture them.   

Estimates of the total "getaways" range from 400,000 to 800,000, who have stole into America undetected since January, 2021, according to former Border Patrol brass.  Although no one can say for sure, Border Patrol agents suspect many are drug and human smugglers now operating in the U.S.  

This incursion is the handiwork of powerful Mexican drug cartels. While the Biden-controlled media focuses on the bedraggled masses, the news outlets ignore the fact that every single person who enters the U.S. illegally has paid a member of the drug cartel.

Human smuggling is the dirty underbelly the media refuses to expose. Smuggling rings in Central America recruit poor citizens and then exploit them by demanding money for a ticket to the U.S.  The immigrants then pay guards at the Mexican border before they are handed off to cartel traffickers

Drugs, including Chinese-made fentanyl, are being transported by immigrants who do the cartel's dirty work as payment for entry. U.S. fentanyl deaths are setting records.  Law enforcement officials know an undetermined number of drug mules link up with Central American drug gangs in the U.S. 

The smugglers operate with impunity in broad daylight.  Why is America impotent to stop this criminal activity?  Other countries around the globe have found ways to deal with the problem.  But the most powerful country on Earth is powerless to stop these cartel criminals?  That makes no sense.  

Beyond lawlessness, the Biden Administration has overseen cataclysmic economic disruption. Inflation is running at a 40-year high.  Gasoline prices are the highest ever. Fuel costs have rippled through the economy,  driving up prices of food and other goods. Empty grocery shelves are a new reality. 

Biden upset the economic equilibrium in 2021 when he embarked on a new green deal policy offensive. His decisions shackled oil production in the U.S., driving up gas prices 66% before the Ukrainian war. American consumers are bearing the brunt of this disastrous government policy.

A fair examination of today's biggest issues leads to the inevitable conclusion that these disasters, from lawlessness, to overheated inflation, are all self-inflicted by the Biden Administration.  It could still reverse course but there appears to be no sense of turning back for this deeply unpopular president.

Biden campaigned on the promise to fundamentally change America. Few voters realized that would  involve denigrating American values, reordering the economy, shrugging at lawlessness and importing a permanent underclass dependent on Washington for food, housing, healthcare and free education.  

His ideological approach has all the earmarks of Marxism, Communist or Socialism.  Today the media refers to those who support Biden policies as progressives.  That term was coined as a distraction.  What Americans are witnessing is the implementation of a new dogma linked to Marxism.  

To buttress that view, look no further than the government sanctioned indoctrination of American children in the nation's schools. Classrooms are being turned into re-education camps, which preach anti-American themes.  Kids are taught America is a racist, patriarchical country.

Critical race theory and gender identity are high on the list of today's educator tenets Children as young as five are being treated to drag queen shows as part of their learning.  Kids are being sexualized in an effort to replace parental upbringing with a government orthodoxy about families and gender.  

Communists are masters of indoctrination of children to make the state the most important parental figure for kids.  The breakup of families is a goal of Marxism.  Why are America's schools being overtaken by powerful teachers unions with a decidedly pro-socialist viewpoint?  

Next to indoctrination, a key strategy of Communists is a takeover of the distribution of information and news.  The state controls what citizens watch, listen and read.  America is getting closer as censors at social media platforms filter the information to fit an agenda supported by the administration. 

The big media cabal no longer ferrets out truth but falls in lock step with the Biden Administration. Journalism has long since died. Activist reporting is the new rule in newsrooms.  Reporters who don't adhere to doctrine are fired.  The truth may set us free, but the media will imprison our minds. 

The Biden Administration has its own plan to stamp out truth.  A group is being organized behind closed doors in Washington to implement censorship.  The Orwellian squad is called The Disinformation Governance Board.  Why does a democracy need a censorship board?

Biden apologists argue the board, operating under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security, will target the spread of disinformation by agents of Russia, China and Iran.  Why does the country need a draconian Disinformation Governance Board to do that?  Why can't the FBI arrest these "agents"?  

Once the media outed the board, the Team Biden fired the director and announced a "pause."  Don't be deceived. There is no pause. There is an ongoing effort to spruce up the charter for the board to appear more supportive of free speech.  America does not need a Ministry of Truth. 

Americans routinely ask: Why is all this happening? They are stunned watching their country riddled with chaos and a loss of American values. What may seem like a coincidental confluence of crises is a deliberate breakdown of law and order and a reordering of the economy and education. 

Before democracies loose their freedoms, most undergo frenetic chaos.  That creates a power vacuum for tyrants to grab power. They control speech, control law enforcement, control the justice system, control drug supplies, propagandize the citizenry and control children's minds.   

America is reaching an inflection point.  If Americans do not get involved, then the country will simply drift into Marxism.  There is still time but the clock is ticking and each day brings more destructiveness. Soon the country could devolve into a period of unchartered anarchy.  

We the people are the last defense for the preservation of freedom and American values. Courageous citizens are suing their government, showing up a school board meetings, using their voices to call out Washington's overreach and becoming more politically active. We all must do our part.    

Surreal Presidential Election Finally Ends...Maybe

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declared himself the winner in the 2020 contest as votes were still being tallied at a snail's pace in a handful of mostly Democratic Party-controlled states.  Legal challenges by the Trump campaign are pressing forward today in the midst of the contentious election.

That's the kind of year 2020 has been.  Screwy.  Surreal. Tumultuous. Implausible. Hostile. 

Democrats and the media cabal branding the president a sore loser have inchworm memories.  In the 2000 election, Democrat Al Gore's lawyers were able hold hostage vote certification in Florida for 47 days through legal challenges.  Every candidate has a right to demand a fair and full ballot count.

Even vanquished former presidential contender Hillary Clinton warned Democrats in advance of the vote to not concede the election too early.  The media in its giddiness over the trends in tabulations anointed Biden the victor despite the fact key states had yet to certify final vote totals.  

The media and Democrats were hoping for a clear repudiation of the president.  A sweeping landslide that would shame Mr. Trump's supporters, whom the media mocks as Neanderthals.  Instead the race was tightly contested in nearly every state, except for the ones that have seemingly outlawed Republicanism.  

The latest totals for the popular vote show Biden with a 2.8% edge over the president.  Biden captured 50.61% of the ballots cast to 47.73% for Mr. Trump. As the contest inches closer to finality,  Biden's vote count stands at 75.2 million to 71 million for the president.

In 15 states, including many battleground states, the victorious candidate's margin was 9% or less.  Biden's victory was a narrow escape not a mandate as he and his media allies have contended in their post election euphoria.    

In Wisconsin, Biden won by 20,540 votes out of 3.2 million ballots.  In Arizona, Biden is currently clinging to a 17,553 vote margin.  The Democrat is up 10,196 votes in Georgia out of 4.8 million. Even Nevada, which provided the final electoral votes needed to win, was a 31,464-vote squeaker for Biden.

While vote counting agonizingly proceeds today, it appear pundits will be wrong about the turnout topping 160 million.  According to the Associated Press, 146,285,631 million votes have been tallied.  Even with more ballots dribbling in, it will be difficult to reach 155 million.

However, one election aspect is already clear.  Both Biden and the president eclipsed former president Barrack Obama's record vote total of 69.4 million. Trump managed to pull 8.02 million more votes than he did in 2016, while Biden outperformed Clinton by 9.4 million ballots.

Democrats and Republicans should be embarrassed by the unfathomable delays in vote tabulation.  Some states, such as Texas, Florida and California, handled many more ballots than Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada with timely reporting.  Why did it take so long in those states and others, such as Georgia?

Democrat apologists blame the influx of mail-in ballots that swamped election officials.  That is bogus because virtually every state had more mail-in votes than in-person ballots.  In a nation that birthed high tech, it is unconscionable to wait a week until a final vote can be certified.  We are not Nigeria.

Three states under the thumb of Democrat governors--Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin--issued orders that thwarted timely reporting of votes.  Election officials in those states were not allowed to start tabulating the mail-in ballots until election day or a few hours before.  

There were computer glitches in at least two states, Georgia and Michigan.  In Michigan, the flaw caused 6,000 votes to be incorrectly given to Biden.  After initially blaming the malfunctions on tabulation machines, both states reversed course and attributed the errors to humans.  Interesting.

The company that manufacturers the vote tabulating computers is Dominion Voting Systems, which supplied its equipment to 28 states this election.  There were no other public reports of mishaps as happened in Michigan.  But it fosters conspiracy theories about the fairness of elections.

Even if there was no chicanery involved, the snafu triggered wholesale conjecture about transparency.  The mishap fanned conspiracy flames when an enterprising reporter dug up a Washington Post story that said Dominion had donated $25,001 and $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation in 2015.

For the benefit of Democrats shaking their heads, this was verified by liberal fact-checking site Snopes. 

There were other oddities.  In Wisconsin, nearly every registered voter cast a ballot.  The Wisconsin Election Commission reported there were 3,684,726 registered voters.  The state tallied 3,296,836 votes in the presidential contest.  That's a 90% voter turnout.  No other state came close.  Hmmmm. 

This election also signaled a shift in voting patterns that will likely become the new normal.  More voters cast their ballots before election day than in any previous presidential election.  By the last count, there were 101 ballots cast in early voting, more than double the number in 2016.

Mail-in voting drew both proponents and critics for increasing turnout. Eight states sent ballots to every registered voter on its rolls. The states were California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, South Dakota and Vermont.  Most other states required voters to request a mail-in ballot.  

For all the Democrat crowing, the party performed abysmally in state legislatives races in the Sun Belt and Rust Belt, handing Republicans an advantage ahead of redistricting after the Census determines the number of Congressional seats in each state.  The defeat came despite Democrats' record fund raising.

The Democrats failed to flip a single statehouse chamber in its favor, including in the key states of Texas, North Carolina and Florida.  The GOP appears poised to bolster its number of seats in the House of Representatives and has the prospect of holding the Senate, depending on two Georgia runoffs.

The biggest losers in the 2020 election, however, were the pollsters. Most polling is now designed to suppress an opponent's turnout, inflate candidate spending or deliberately mislead the public.  How else can you explain pollsters continuing failure to accurately predict outcomes and margins?

For example, the Real Clear Politics lists of polling results from various research firms showed that Biden would win by a margin of 11-to-7 percent.  One pollster had Biden with a 12% blowout.  Polling organizations also predicted toss-up races for incumbent Senators Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins.

Both candidates won by comfortable margins, but the polling data incentivized Democrats to pour nearly $200 million into the two races in an effort to flip the Senate seats. This happens too often to be coincidental.  Polling data can no longer be trusted to be accurate or authentically researched.

In the absence of demographic voting data, it is too early to critically analyze why Biden won.  However, certainly the president's handling of the pandemic was clearly on the minds of voters.  Even those who ranked the economy their top issue were worried rising virus cases would trigger shutdowns.

That said, it cannot be disputed that visceral hatred of President Trump, not Biden's appeal, was a deciding factor.  Whether Democrats will admit it, they conspired with the media and social platforms to viciously attack Mr. Trump for four years. No president has endured such orchestrated loathing.

A campaign based on searing hatred recalls the ugliness that led to Hitler's rise in Germany.  Disagreements on policies, style and personalities are natural, but it undermines democracy when bitter acrimony decides elections. In this corrosive atmosphere, Biden has issued a plea for unity.

Americans want unity and an end to the Washington belligerence. However, name a Democrat who called for cooperation instead of resistance during the past four years?  Still waiting.  That renders Biden's words hollow, political claptrap.    

Let's pray that no matter our political choices Americans can still civilly discuss our differences. We don't banish friends or family members who disagree with us.  We don't call dissenting voters miscreants for not seeing the world as we do.  Until there is mutual respect, the nation will remain hopelessly alienated. 

Email Scandal: Media Covering Up For Joe Biden

An explosive expose in the New York Post revealing emails from Joe Biden's son Hunter is gaining traction, despite frenzied efforts by Democrats, social platforms and the mainstream media to bury the article weeks before the presidential election.  It is a hypocritical display of journalistic double standards.

When the rival New York Times used "unidentified" individuals to scorch President Trump over his taxes, Democrats defended the newspaper's right to cloak its sources in anonymity.  Now those same Democrats are branding the Post bombshell "unverified" because the emails have not been authenticated by Hunter.

The Democrats reversal is all the more dubious because they colluded with Facebook and Twitter to censor the Post revelations to protect their candidate.  Yet these social media oligarchs had no problem giving free reign to the Times to post its unauthenticated hatchet job on Mr. Trump.

Twitter claims it censored the article and locked the Post account because of its "hacked materials policy."  This is the same social media platform that allowed hacked materials from Wikileaks to be shared by millions of users.  Twitter's justification is nothing more than a pretext for censorship to shield Joe Biden. 

Mainstream news outlets on television, radio and print ganged up on the Post, branding its reporting a "smear story." But the cabal has refused to investigate the scandal.  They are relying on the Democrat talking point that the Post reporting is "unverifiable to justify their lack of journalistic enterprise.  

The media's obfuscation stinks of the double standard it has employed to mask their naked bias. The New York Times has regularly used anonymous sources to bludgeon Mr. Trump, including on the tax allegations.  By definition, that makes their reporting unverifiable. It is disingenuous to claim otherwise.  

To catch up readers, the Post reported Hunter's emails were part of a cache of data recovered from a laptop that was dropped off at a repair shop in Delaware in April 2019.  Hunter Biden's signature appears on the repair order.  The Post published numerous emails and photos from the laptop.

As one example, there is this email from Vadym Pozhardskyi, a top executive at Burisma: "Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent (sic) some time together."  The email was sent a year after Hunter assumed his lucrative position with Burisma.  

Despite all the harrumphing by Democrats and their media allies, neither Hunter nor Joe Biden has denied the fact that the emails are real.  Joe Biden has refused to address the scandal, telling CBS he had "no response." No other reporters dared raise the issue for fear of being ostracized by their colleagues. 

After his CBS dustup, Biden was so infuriated his campaign on October 19 called a "lid for in-person events" while the former vice president prepared for the last presidential debate.  He remained bunkered until the last debate and has failed to publicly address the swirling allegations.        

The emails from Hunter's computer appear to debunk Joe Biden's prior claims that he had "never spoken" with his son about his overseas dealings. Hunter Biden was paid more than $83,000 a month for serving on Burisma's board during the 2014-2015 period, according to published court records.

During that same timeframe, Vice President Biden served as the "point person" on Ukraine at the direction of President Obama.  From 2014-2017, the senior Biden made five trips to the Ukraine on official government business while Hunter was dealing with scandal ridden Burisma Holdings.

Biden was captured on video in March of 2016 bragging how he threatened to pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees to Ukraine if the government did not fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma.  Six hours after his warning, the prosecutor was summarily dismissed.

In a desperate attempt to deflect criticism of Biden,  Democrat Adam Schiff called the Post story part of a Kremlin "disinformation" campaign.  His defense is laughable because Schiff used discredited Russian intel in a Hillary Clinton-sanctioned dossier to rig an impeachment of the president.   

Schiff vowed he had proof the Kremlin is behind the Post story. Since his allegation, Schiff's falsehood has been laid bare by the Director of National Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The Californian has only a passing acquaintance with the truth.   

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee complicated Biden's problems by announcing a probe of the emails obtained by the Post.  Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, says his committee is in the process of vetting the information contained in the emails.

News reports are circulating that the FBI has possession of Hunter's laptop.  The agency would neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.  However, the FBI plans to question Hunter's ex-associate Tony Bobulinski, who accused Joe Biden of lying about his involvement in his son's dealings. 

The Wall Street Journal obtained emails and texts from Bobulinski that implicate Joe Biden in Hunter's schemes, including those with China Energy, a Shanghai-based conglomerate.  The correspondence also corroborates the emails published by the New York Post.  

Perhaps, the media blackout can suppress the damning  emails for the remainder of the election cycle.  But what happens if Joe Biden wins? The Republicans will have a trove of incriminating allegations to justify an impeachment.  Democrats beware.  Political payback can be brutal.

But what should worry all Americans even more is that censorship has become the norm in this country.  Twitter, Facebook, Google use their muscle to ban any news or information that don't like.  That is an ominous development in a country that has enshrined free speech in the Constitution.  

The mainstream media long ago lost its title to unbiased reporting. News conspirators regularly censor legitimate stories that do not fit their expressed political agenda.  Most Americans accept their behavior as just the way things are.  But censorship endangers freedom of the press when the truth is dispensable.    

Free speech and a transparent and fair press are what every democracy requires to survive.  The United States is losing both, a disheartening development with the most defining election in a lifetime barely a week away.

A Surreal Presidential Race Gets Stranger

President Trump is not running against former Vice President Joe Biden, no matter what the ballot reads. Even Democrat voters admit the election has less to do with their candidate.  This election pits President Trump versus Donald Trump.  Running against yourself is a first in modern political history

The recent Democratic Party National Convention focused on Mr. Trump at the expense of their candidate. It was a hate-fest loaded with speaker-after-speaker who skewered the man with the orange tan. Each word dripped vitriol.  Mr. Trump was the devil in disguise with the bad comb-over.

For a majority of Democrats, their candidate might as well not exist. (And he mostly has been MIA.) They have only one candidate: ABT (Anybody But Trump). The party, since 2016, has targeted removing him from office by whatever means necessary.  Now they have a legitimate opportunity.

And let's face it, Joe Biden was not the party faithful's first choice. His resume includes two failed races for the White House.  He was trailing in the early primaries before the power brokers anointed him their guy to avoid a potential election disaster with socialist Bernie Sanders heading the ticket. 

Even former President Obama dawdled until the race was settled before endorsing his former veep, whose campaign lacked the electricity of Sanders. Biden allies are still flustered over Mr. Obama's betrayal when he embraced Hillary Clinton as his successor.  Perhaps, Mr. Obama knew Mr. Biden is unelectable.       

Mr. Biden has the charisma of a turnip.  And that's unkind to turnips. He shuffles on stage wearing a mask.  His speeches ramble. His mental flubs are legendary.  The few media interviews he has granted end in nonsensical malapropisms. He seldom ventures outside his basement to face questions.

Let's pause here for the Democrat response.  None of this matters. People loath Donald Trump.  He is the opposite of likable, kindly Joe. A reckless, strident, narcissist.  He is a science denier who allowed a virus to bring America to its knees.  He is a racist and unpresidential. And have you seen his Tweets? Gag!

Whipping up pathological revulsion for the enemy may work for Democrats.  But party leaders are clearly worried about voter enthusiasm.  That is why Sen. Kamala Harris was tapped for the second spot on the ticket.  Democrats keep reminding us she is a "woman of color."  I guess no one has ever seen her photo.

Now the newly minuted vice presidential candidate is front and center in the campaign.  Sen. Harris is likely to be the face of the Democratic Party presidential race, relegating Mr. Biden to appear groundhog-like from his bunker.  The strategy certainly appears to be on target with voters.

After Biden became the apparent nominee, polls showed the 77-year-old with a double digit lead.  Some had the former Delaware senator 15 points ahead of the president.  Now the polls are tightening with 65 days until the election and a wave of panic has risen, a disturbing  reminder of what happened in 2016.

A clear majority (58%) of Democrats say their vote is mostly "about opposing Trump."  Only three in ten Democrats (36%) admit their decision to vote for Biden is more about their candidate.  In comparison, 74% of Trump voters say they are backing their candidate rather than opposing Mr. Biden.

The nonpartisan Pew Research Center's latest survey underscores the shifting tide nationwide.  Mr. Biden currently enjoys an eight point lead, but it was 10 points a few months ago.  The Real Clear Politics average of all polls has Biden ahead by eight percentage points, down from a 10 point margin.

Just when giddy Democrats were popping champagne corks, the latest Rasmussen Reports national presidential poll was released at the end of last week.  It showed Mr. Biden holding a razor-thin lead over President Trump: 46% to 45%.  What was a runaway election, suddenly looks like a squeaker.    

Several polls rate some of the most important swing states as toss-ups after Mr. Biden was ahead in earlier research. The two candidates are virtually tied in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.  Since the election is decided by the Electoral College, state polls are a better barometer than national surveys. 

Mr. Biden's slippage can partly be attributed to a growing suspicion among voters about his diminished mental capacity. Political research firm  Zogby International polled 1,007 likely voters and found that 55% believe Mr. Obama's former wingman "is in the early stages of dementia."

A breakdown of the results shows 55% of independent voters and 32% of Democrats agree with the premise of intellectual impairment. Even worse for Democrats, a majority of women (50%) are on board too. Women are a key demographic for the Democrat presidential candidate.  

Democrats who suggest the subject of Mr. Biden's dementia is off limits have convenient amnesia.  The party and its candidates openly questioned President Ronald Reagan's mental capacity during his campaign for a second term.  No one thought it was inappropriate given his age.

For the record, Mr. Reagan was 77-years old when he left office in January, 1989.  Mr. Biden will be the exact same age on January 20, when he will be sworn in if he wins the presidential office.  At the time of his election, Mr. Trump was age 70. 

Of course, Democrats have trashed Mr. Trump's mental acuity since his election and every day since.  The man is certifiably bat poop crazy, their lackeys in the media hee-haw at every opportunity.  If mental health is legitimate issue for Mr. Trump, then it certainly should be applicable to Mr. Biden.

Voters even predict Mr. Biden will not serve out his first term, if elected.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national survey finds 59% of likely voters believe the former veep's running mate will become president before the first term concludes.  That includes a near majority (49%) of his own party's voters.

So Democrats have to wonder.  How does a politician who voters believe may be mentally unfit and too old to serve out a four-year term appeal to the electorate? The current strategy appears to be avoiding the media except for the occasional friendly MSNBC or CNN interview, while Sen. Harris shines.  

There so many other strange qualities about this race.  The Coronavirus has shutdown the normal campaigning that flourishes at this juncture in the race.  Virtual campaigning is a non sequitur. The excitement of a crowd is missing.  There is little emotion. Interest is dwindling among the electorate.

If you doubt that assessment, consider the viewership for recent political conventions.  Both parties failed to garner the same audience ratings as they did in 2016.  Interestingly, the most watched evening of the Democratic Convention was the night former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke.   

The Coronavirus also has stolen Mr. Trump's secret campaign weapon: large indoor rallies.  His packed rallies in 2016 built voter enthusiasm and turned political elections on its head. No one had campaigned that way, eschewing media advertising for the most part to increase turnout. 

Both parties are anguishing over voter turnout, the key to winning any election. Since Trump voters are more motivated according to polling, that cannot be good news for Democrats.  They are counting on Trump Derangement Syndrome to galvanize their legions to return their mail ballots.

Issues have taken a backseat to hatred.  The Democrats top theme is how Mr. Trump bungled the handling of the Coronavirus. With many schools still closed and businesses struggling to reopen, the Democrats are mining the rich vein of anger about the seemingly endless quarantine regime.

However, Democrats have served up a prime issue for Republicans. Incessant rioting in Democrat-controlled cities and the steady march to defund police departments has struck a chord with many voters. Republicans are drumbeating the issue of "law and order," a winner in past elections.   

In the aftermath of rioting, Mr. Trump's approval rating soared to 52% last week in a Zogby analytics poll.  "The president has recorded his best job approval rating on record," said pollster Jonathan Zogby.  Mr. Trump's job rating among African-Americans climbed to 36%, an alarming trend for Mr. Biden.     

Despite the news, Democrats are maintaining a facade of confidence. Mr. Biden has already hinted at some of his likely cabinet choices, including the likes of Elizabeth Warren and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. His minions probably are considering ideas for redecorating the Oval Office. He is a shoo-in.

In fact, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently shocked some political pundits when she openly suggested Mr. Biden should skip the presidential debates.  "I don't think there should be any debates," she said, claiming President Trump will make any confrontation "an exercise in skullduggery."

With a comfortable lead in national polls, other Democrats share Ms. Pelosi's opinion but have expressed their views privately.  They picture the debates as a lose-lose proposition for Mr. Biden.  They don't trust him on the debate stage because of his penchant for verbal mischief and think he will be bested by Trump.  

That may explain why Democrats are preparing for the worst.  Two organizations with Democrat fingerprints have been formed with the mission of ensuring Mr. Trump leaves office when he is vanquished and preserving election integrity.  The groups are Stand Up America and Indivisible Action.

Despite their stated purpose, some suspect their real intent is to unleash a storm of protests if Mr. Trump wins the election.  One of their leaders admitted on One America News that his group would stir up chaos about the results, raising issues about outside interference in the election.  Sound familiar?

And the Biden campaign has assembled a group of 600 lawyers and thousands of others to prepare for possible "chicanery" in the November election. According to his campaign, about 10,000 volunteers have signed on to stake-out polling places.  That seems odd in light of Democrat focus on mail-in voting.

An anticipated record number of mail-in ballots raises the specter of delays in announcing the state results on election night.  In a tightly contested race, this could drag on for weeks or even months. It heightens the prospect of a contentious political legal battle like the nation has never experienced.

That would be the capstone on this surreal presidential race.     

Analysis of Democrat Presidential Race

Democrats worst nightmares might be coming to fruition.  With Super Tuesday looming on March 3, frontrunner Bernie Sanders frightens the Democrat establishment because of his full-throated socialist agenda.  Now there is speculation that Democrats may be hurtling toward a brokered convention.

Neither scenario bodes well for the Democratic Party's chances to reclaim the White House.  After a disastrous start to the primary season with the Iowa caucus debacle, Democrats had to be shaking their heads wondering what else could go wrong.  The answer is Senator Sanders heading the ticket.

After winning the popular vote in both Iowa and New Hampshire, Sanders vaulted into lead on the strength of a stellar ground game.  Sanders has no trouble recruiting young volunteers to staff his statewide campaign offices.  The 78-year old also draws the largest and most enthusiastic crowds.

Many Democrat voters are not spooked by Sanders' endorsement of socialism.  A 2019 Pew Research Study found nearly two-thirds (65%) of Democrats have a somewhat positive or very positive view of socialism.  Republicans and GOP leaning independents are diametrically opposed: 84% against. 

Money is usually a strong indicator of the staying power of a primary candidate.  Just released Federal Election Commission figures underscore Sanders' appeal.  He raised $107.9 million in the latest reporting period, far outdistancing his primary rivals.  Sanders is not going away.

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, a virtual unknown a year ago, surprised pollsters by nipping at the heels of Sanders in the first two contests.  The Buttigieg campaign has steamrolled more well known opponents and has attracted better educated, upper income voters.

However, national polls show that among African-American Democrats only one percent back his candidacy.  If those polls are accurate, it spells trouble for Mayor Pete.  He will face tough sledding in upcoming primaries in which African-Americans are a larger share of Democrat voters.

In a national presidential match, a Democrat cannot win the Oval Office without high African-American voter turnout and a sizable margin over Mr. Trump  That leaves the Democrat establishment in a quandary because Buttigieg, like Obama in 2008, is a needed fresh face.

Buttigieg is polished, articulate and media friendly.  All assets Obama enjoyed in 2008.  Buttigieg also raised $75 million in the latest quarter.  He is the darling of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.  Both have shoveled millions of dollars into the Buttigieg campaign.

Rising political star Sen. Amy Klobuchar's stock is soaring after her third place finish in New Hampshire.  She represents the moderate lane in the party race.  Her strategy of a laser focus on the first two contests paid off.  But her campaign may be derailed by lack of funds.

Among the top tier candidates, she raised the lowest amount of money, $28.7 million in the recent quarter.  That was less than Sanders, Buttigieg, Warren and Biden.  She and Buttigieg are competing for the same big donors, who prefer a progressive without the socialist baggage.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren's campaign is cratering. Although she raised $81.7 million, she has underperformed in the opening round. After the woeful New Hampshire showing, he has turned more strident.  If she drops out, the chief beneficiary will be Sanders, who shares common views.

Former Vice President Joe Biden needs to throw a Hail Mary pass.  His campaign is flagging and donors are beginning to have doubts about his chances.  Biden is pinning his hopes for a jumpstart in Nevada and South Carolina primaries.  The states appear to be friendlier territory for Biden.

However, the latest Quinnipiac Poll finds Biden's support among African-Americans is eroding in South Carolina. That does not bode well for a comeback.  Plus his campaign is haunted by disappointing defeats.  Voters often are influenced by early results when they go to the polls.

Biden entered the race with a huge advantage in name recognition and his past association with the Obama presidency.  Neither have proven enough to woo the majority of Democrat voters who are looking for a populist candidate who will shake up Washington.  He represents the status quo.

Biden also suffered collateral damage in the impeachment trial.  Democrats aimed at Mr. Trump but struck Biden, whose son Hunter's affiliation with a corrupt Ukraine gas firm received glaring attention during the trial.  The mainstream media tried a blackout of news coverage to protect Biden.

It failed because social media was ablaze with juicy conspiracy theories and catty comments about the Bidens.  Although no Democrat will ever admit it, Biden's reputation was sullied.  Clever Buttigieg defended Biden in a debate, which only called more attention to the Biden imbroglio. 

When the inevitable happens, a Morning Consult Poll shows Sanders is the top second choice for Biden supporters with 27% claiming they would vote for the senator.  Fully 35% of Warren voters indicate they will switch to Sanders.  Assuming both drop out, Sanders will solidify his lead.

When former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg leaped into the race, there was early chatter about him claiming the middle ground and uniting the party.  Recent revelations about Bloomberg's views on minorities and crime have all but crippled his opportunity to ride his billions to the nomination.

That isn't Bloomberg's only achilles heel.  He is a billionaire in a candidate field that preaches disdain for the wealthy.  He is a solid but uninspiring campaigner.  Bloomberg lacks charisma that even money can't buy. He is anathema to the socialist wing of the party. Can he overcome his shortfalls?

But make no mistake about it.  Bloomberg is the Democrat establishment candidate.  His campaign has just recently unleashed ads attacking Sanders' supporters, a dubious tactic that could backfire.  For all the fawning over Bloomberg, he has yet to prove he can win a single primary.

Super Tuesday represents the last remaining test for Sanders.  Fourteen states will hold primaries, including delegate-rich Texas and California.  A total of 796 delegates will be at stake.  If Sanders emerges with the most delegates, his challengers will face daunting odds.

That leaves Democrats staring at the likelihood that Sanders will have bagged the most delegates prior to the convention in Milwaukee in June.  The question is: Will he have enough delegates to anoint him the presumptive nominee before then?  The prospect of a brokered convention portends.

If there is a brokered convention, where the frontrunner is short of securing the nomination, history suggests the eventual winner will be too bloodied to win.  The most recent brokered convention occurred in 1984 when Walter Mondale eventually won the nomination and then lost in a landslide.

Party purists are jittery about embracing Sanders, who runs for office in his home state of Maine as an Independent eschewing the Democrat label.  Knots of Democrat House representatives and senators openly worried about the down ballot effect of Sanders in a recent New York Times article.

All that said, Democrats are wary of denying Sanders the nomination. In 2016 after Sanders lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, his voters were dispirited by what they viewed as a rigged system against their candidate.  As a result, most stayed home on election day.

Alienating Sanders and his base will create a chasm in the Democratic Party.  If another candidate emerges as the nominee, there is a real threat his supporters will remain on the sidelines. This is Sanders' last shot at the presidency.  A snub might compel him to run as a third party candidate.

The current Democratic Party dilemma may sound familiar to Republicans.  Not so long ago in 2016 the GOP establishment was bonkers about the prospect of Trump at the top of the ticket.  Although he drew the largest crowds, he wasn't conservative enough, a former Democrat and anti-establishment.

Grudgingly, old guard Republicans accepted the reality that he would be the nominee and abandoned efforts to sabotage his candidacy. The Democratic Party could learn a lesson from this.   Denying Bernie Sanders the nomination through skulduggery will likely sink the Democrat ship.

Joe Biden: His Son And The Ukraine Oligarch

Democrats accused President Trump of a quid-pro-quid deal with Ukraine in a veiled move to distract media attention from a controversy engulfing Joe Biden and his son Hunter.  Details continue to emerge about the son's involvement with a Ukrainian oligarch's corruption-plagued gas company.

The former vice president and Democratic Party presidential candidate initially shooed away reporters asking questions about his son's questionable activities and the apparent conflict of interest.  The stonewalling ended when Biden was finally prodded into publicly proclaiming to the media:

"I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings."  However, Biden is on shaky ground based on credible information in the public domain.

To set the stage, President Obama appointed the vice president his "point person" on Ukraine in February of 2014.  From 2014-2017, he made five trips to the Ukraine in his official capacity as vice president as Russian aggression escalated tensions in the Eastern European country.

During the diplomatic shuttling, Biden's son with two business partners were deep in discussions about a deal with the scandal ridden natural gas firm Burisma Holdings.  One of Hunter's partners, Devon Archer, arranged for a meeting with the elder Biden on April 16, 2015 at the White House.

Official White House records show the meeting lasted until 11:59 p.m.  There are no details on the subject of the discussion.  However, less than a week after their chitchat Archer was invited to join the Burisma board  Three weeks later Hunter Biden became a board member, too.

It is not credible to think the vice president knew nothing about his son's Ukraine dealings after the meeting with Hunter's business partner, especially given the timing of the appointments to the Burisma board.  Unless of course, they just talked about grandchildren.  (Sarcasm intended.)

After the board appointments, Burisma touted its newest member, Hunter Biden.  It prominently mentioned he was the vice president's son.  His official role, as vaguely described by Burisma, was to provide "consulting" for the company on "various matters" and to offer "strategic guidance."

Even while the younger Biden had been negotiating with Burisma, the natural gas company was the subject of an investigation into suspected fraud. Great Britain's Serious Fraud Office froze assets of Burisma as part of a money laundering probe.  The assets were later unfrozen when Ukraine sued.

This wasn't the only brush with controversy for Burisma.  It had been suspected of corruption both inside Ukraine and by the United States.  The secretive company's founder Mykola Zlochevsky was also the subject of official Ukrainian inquiries, including for tax evasion.

None of this appeared to matter to Hunter Biden.  Bank records from 2014 and 2015 show Hunter Biden was personally paid more than $850,000.  Burisma does not release compensation details for board members, but the records were uncovered in U.S. litigation into an unrelated case.

Seneca Partners LLC, which included Biden and his two associates, received regular transfers of usually more than $166,000 per month during the 2014-2015 period, according to the same banking records cited above.  These payments came under scrutiny by the Ukraine's general prosecutor.

It was reported that the prosecutor had made plans to "include interrogations and other crime-investigation procedures into all members of the executive board, including Hunter Biden." Both Hunter Biden and the former vice president have declined to comment on this allegation.

This is where the story about the vice president's unawareness of his son's business dealings begins to crumble.   In March of 2016, Biden addressed a public meeting of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, bragging how he had bullied Ukrainian officials into firing the general prosecutor.

Biden described in detail as news cameras rolled how he threatened to pull $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees if Ukraine didn't immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin.  In Biden's own words, here is what he remembered telling Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in March 2016:

"I am going to be leaving here in I think about six hours....If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money," he recalled telling Poroshenko.  "Well, son of a bitch, he got fired.  And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."

There was one tiny fact Biden omitted.  The prosecutor who was summarily fired was leading a far ranging corruption probe into the natural gas company Burisma Holdings, which employed his son as a board member.  And there is more proof that the elder Biden had to know what was happening.

A New York Times article on December 8, 2015, appeared four months before the firing of the general prosecutor and included information about Hunter Biden's role in Burisma.  Biden's office was quoted as acknowledging that the younger Biden was indeed a Burisma board member.

Bloomberg News recently reported the following: "Joe Biden has said that he's never spoken with his son about his foreign business dealings.  Hunter told the New Yorker earlier this year that he once touched on Ukraine obliquely.  "Dad said, 'I hope you know what you are doing' and I said, "I do."

There is no better example of a possible quid-pro-quid arrangement between a top U.S. official and a foreign government than this case.  The former vice president has publicly admitted he threatened to withhold U.S. foreign aid if a Ukrainian prosecutor was not dismissed.

Joe Biden has skated around this issue by repeatedly claiming he was clueless about his son's business dealings.  Now it is time for the Department of Justice to open an official inquiry to determine if the former veep used his office and American aid to spare his son from prosecution.

There is far more evidence in the public record about influence peddling by Joe Biden than the thin accusations against Mr. Trump for his discussion with the Ukraine president about Hunter Biden. The media and Democrats can no longer cover up for the Democratic Party presidential candidate.

It would  be ironic if the Democrats pursuit of the Ukraine connection with Mr. Trump would instead force the party of impeachment to reconsider the candidacy of Joe Biden, whose interference in a foreign country's justice system weakens his chances in the presidential race.

Democrat Primary Shaping Up As Donnybrook

And then there were 21.  Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially joined the mushrooming list of Democratic Party candidates for president after months of speculation.  His announcement means Democrats will square off in one of the most hotly contested primary races in decades.

Democratic Party candidates who have announced they are running, includes governors, mayors, congressmen, senators, a former tech executive and a best-selling author.  Among the eclectic gaggle are six people of color, six women and one self-proclaimed member of the LGBT community. 

A least four other Democrats sitting on the sidelines are contemplating a run which would swell the ranks to 25, far eclipsing the 16 GOP candidates in the 2016 primary.  No one predicted Mr. Trump's primary victory and the Democrat winner may also be an improbable underdog.

At the outset, there are some trends developing that suggest an early winnowing of the field.  The latest Monmouth University poll shows Biden and Sanders garner support of nearly 50 percent of Democrat primary voters.  All the other candidates are lagging far behind in single digits.

Name recognition artificially inflates early poll data, reducing the numbers to fool's gold.  Anyone remember Hillary Clinton's double-digit lead over Barrack Obama in 2007?  It is nearly 10 months until the first primary on February 3 in Iowa.  Events can cripple or catapult a candidate's chances.

In sizing up the race, there are a couple of political wind vanes that are pointing to the likelihood that a dark horse might emerge from the pact.  One obvious sign is that former President Obama has remained on the sideline up until now.  That is a significant development for Biden.

Many assumed that Biden, a loyal sidekick during eight years of the Obama presidency, would nab an early endorsement.  But there are indications it may never happen.  After four women accused Biden of sexual misconduct, the former president never rose to defend his vice president.

The timing of the accusations is suspect, too.  In the run-up to Biden's expected announcement, allegations of inappropriate touching suddenly burst into the news.  This is not coincidental.  Likely someone in the Democratic Party or a candidate orchestrated the leaking of the allegations.

The suspicion here is that powerful donors and party insiders cannot abide the idea of Biden as the nominee.  His baggage includes two unsuccessful presidential campaigns (1988-2008). He is 76 years old, gaff prone and carries scars from his days in the Senate, including the Anita Hill episode.

The other front-runner Bernie Sanders was rejected in the last Democratic Party presidential primary.  He is older than Biden at 77.  Sanders, while popular with young voters, is not considered a "real" Democrat since he campaigns in Vermont as an Independent.  Labels matter to party kingmakers.

Party operatives working behind the scenes sabotaged Sanders in 2016.  Many remain in power.  Sanders is viewed by some party leaders as too strident, too much of an ideologue. His age, image as a party outsider and anti-business tone are non-starters for a clique of mega money moguls. 

Some media outlets and Democratic strategists are already asking aloud: "Should a White Man Be the Face of the Democratic Party in 2020?"  For many, the answer is a resounding "NO!"  Fervent purists in the party are demanding a fresh face, preferably a woman, African-American or Hispanic.

The problem for Democratic Party pundits is that none of the other candidates, except South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has gained traction with voters, but his fund raising efforts pale in comparison to other candidates.  The mayor has taken in $7.09 million, far behind Sanders $18.2 million.

Mayor Pete, a military veteran, has attributes that swept Obama to victory in 2008.  He is youthful at age 37.  He has served in obscurity as a mayor since 2012.  He is eloquent, intelligent and confident.  He is openly gay, which earns extra credit with Democrats insisting on diversity.

As a bonus, Buttigieg is not a Washington insider.  Being part of the established Beltway political class is no longer seen as a plus as President Trump proved.  Buttigieg can attack the mess in Washington instead of having to defend Democrats' obsession with impeachment.

Outside of Buttigieg, the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party is fond of Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Corey Booker.  However, the triumvirate has not penetrated the news cycles to increase their profile.  The trio are searching for a lightning bolt to ignite their campaigns.

Their low standing in the polls is certainly not for lack of money.  Warren is second to Sanders with $17 million banked, but has raised just $6 million. Harris has a $12 million campaign war chest. Booker trails in fund raising in the first quarter with $5 million, damaging his chances.

Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rouke, who lost a senate race to Ted Cruz, entered the campaign with enthusiastic fanfare.  He has Bobby Kennedy looks but lacks the gravitas for the glare of a presidential run.  However, he has raised $9.4 million in campaign funds giving him staying power.

By the end of March, the race will crystallize.  Democrats have front-loaded the primaries in key states such as California, Texas, Florida, Ohio and Illinois with big delegate counts.  Twenty-nine states will have voted in primaries before April.  Expect a clear front runner to emerge by then.

The big unknown for Democrats is the influence of the socialist wing of the party as exemplified by Alexander Ocasio-Cortez, the first-term representative from New York.  Although small in number, they have been very vocal about demanding the party embrace a socialist agenda. 

Thus the battle for the soul of the party could turn raucous, roiling the process all the way to the convention in Milwaukee in 2020.  Both parties in the past have suffered chaotic primaries that left wounds that failed to heal before the general election.  That is a legitimate concern for Democrats.

The other political booby trap is overconfidence.  Listening to Democrats, beating President Trump will only require a warm body.  They are sounding like it's 2016 again.  Expect a drapery designer to show up in the Oval Office any day to choose colors for the new Democrat occupant.

General elections are not won in the primaries.  But the presidential race can be lost in a tumultuous primary.  Especially if a candidate enters the national contest with his/her reputation bruised and saddled with a divided party.