There are only 12 days to the Presidential election on November 3, 2020. Everyone is interested in knowing who has better chances to win – President Trump or former Vice President Biden. This discussion and speculation will keep on going till the election.
All the TV networks including Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN and the mainstream media including NYT and Washington Post and the polls sponsored by them have been predicting Biden will win by a comfortable margin. How can one believe them? They predicted in 2016 that Hillary Clinton would win.But Trump defeated Clinton by 306 electoral votes, though Clinton won the popular vote by 2%.
Therefore, the decision will be made by the voters in battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In 2016, Trump’s major victory against Clinton was in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan. He won with a narrow margin of 77,000 votes combined from these four states. According to my calculations Trump has good chances to win New Hampshire, Nevada, and Minnesota this year.
The upstart Trafalgar does not see 2020 the same way everyone else does. Trafalgar’s strategist Robert Cahaly was born in Georgia and got involved in politics going door-to-door as a kid. He started a political consulting firm with some others in the late 1990s. Around 2008, he says, they realized that the polling they were getting was not very good, so they started doing their own. He says they got good, accurate results in the races they were working.
In the 2016 primaries, they started putting out some of their own polls. “Our polls ended up being the best ones in South Carolina and Georgia, “ Cahaly says. “So we started studying what it was that made those so different.”
Then there was the breakthrough in the 2016 general election. “We ended up having an incredible year,” he says. “I mean, we got Pennsylvania right. We got Michigan right. We had the best poll in five of the battleground states in 2016. And I actually predicted 306 to 232 on the electoral college. And we went from doing a little bit of polling on the side to that (being) our primary business in about 24 hours. And since then, that is what we have been doing.”
As a general matter, he discounts national polls. First, because the race for the presidency is won state by state, not on the basis of the national vote. Second, because all the methodological difficulties involved in getting a balanced, representative sample in a state poll of 1,000 people are magnified in a national survey. It is easily skewable at that point, and you start making assumptions.
So how does he see the 2020 race? Fundamentally, as a motivation race, rather than a persuasion race, with perhaps 1.5 per cent, at most, of the electorate UNDECIDED in battleground states.
The likeliest Trump electoral path to victory involves winning the battlegrounds of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and either Michigan or Pennsylvania among the former Blue Wall states (assuming he does not lose states such as Iowa or Ohio).
THIS IS CAHALY’S BREAKDOWN: He believes Trump will win North Carolina and Florida and discount’s Biden’s chances in Georgia because the Republican-base vote is too big there (the same is true in Texas).
As for Arizona, “I think Trump has the lead,” Cahaly says. “I think Republican Senator Martha McSally has some ground to make up. I see her about 5 points behind Trump, but I think Trump will probably win the state. And win it by a couple of points or more. And if he wins it big enough, McSally has a shot.”
Trump is not there yet in Pennsylvania, according to Cahaly. “Right now, we have got him down in Pennsylvania,” he says, “I think if it were held today, the Undecides would break toward Trump and there would be some hidden vote.
In Michigan, Trafalgar has Trump ahead. “I think he will win Michigan, “ Cahaly says, citing fear of the Democratic economic agenda.
Overall, Cahaly sees another Trump win. “If it all happened right now,” he maintains, “my best guess would be an Electoral College victory in the high to 270s, low 280s.”
THERE IT IS. AMONG POLLSTERS, YOU HEARD IT FROM ROBERT CAHALY FIRST, AND PERHAPS EXCLUSIVELY—A POSITION HE HAS BEEN IN BEFORE.
I must point out that the second Presidential debate scheduled for 22nd October can have an impact.
Do not forget Trump has been most unpredictable. President Obama said Trump won’t run, won’t be nominated and cannot win against Hillary Clinton. Nobody expected Trump would defeat nine veteran governors and 5 senators in the Primaries. Trump proved everyone wrong by defeating the most popular Hillary Clinton. There are more women voters than men voters.
Trump is generating more enthusiasm than Biden. The working class of America cannot forget Trump brought the unemployment to 3.4%, a 50-year record. Four organizations have nominated Trump for Nobel Peace Prize based on foreign policy achievements, especially peace in the Middle East.
THE GALLUP POLL ASKED THE AMERICANS: Are you better off today than four years ago? 56% said they are better off. This is the most favorable poll for Trump.The question was coined by President Ronald Reagan during the Presidential debate.
(Ven Parameswaran, Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee (founded 1988), lives in Scarsdale, NY. He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
NBC’s Kristen Welker maintains order for final presidential debate
As always, the “winner” of Thursday’s debate will be largely a matter of partisan opinion. The undisputed winner was journalism. After too many missteps in the Trump era when the media has fallen short of past standards, Welker did a good job of returning some respect to the profession.
The debate Thursday night between President Trump and former vice president Joe Biden was so substantive and informative it sometimes bordered on boring, reflecting a level of gravitas we need more of in politics today.
Trump, of course, can be counted on to bring at least a minimum level of bombast. He has a knack for enlivening things even when it seems safe to nod off. He was determined to inject into this nationwide broadcast claims about the business dealings of Hunter Biden, including allegations that the elder Biden was aware of — and involved in — his son’s business dealings (something Joe Biden has denied).
Whether Trump laid a glove on Biden isn’t yet clear, but it was to moderator Kristen Welker’s credit that, even if she didn’t invoke Hunter Biden herself, she also didn’t try to stop Trump from doing so. Biden responded mostly by trying to change the subject to Trump’s foreign dealings. Eventually, Biden will need to answer in more detail questions about his son’s foreign business arrangements, and his attempt to blame Russia for these allegations is all but certain to seem obviously nonsensical.
Over an hour and a half, the debate also covered the pandemic, health care in general, foreign business dealings, the economy, immigration, race relations, climate change, energy and leadership. Viewers were able to hear the stark and substantial differences between the candidates.
On the more than 500 children separated from their parents at the border, Biden did a good job making the emotional case for the tragedy of such circumstances. But Trump was effective in explaining efforts being made to reunite children and parents and the care that children are receiving in the meantime. And when Trump charged that the Obama administration initially supplied the notorious “cages” that housed children, Biden never answered Trump’s repeated question: “Who built the cages, Joe?”
On how governors have handled covid-19, Biden scored with his comment that he doesn’t look at states “in the way [Trump] does, blue states, red states,” saying that to him, “they’re all the United States.” Trump’s upbeat outlook on covid-19 may strike some as too rosy, but it stood in contrast to Biden’s “dark winter” and suggestion that Americans are learning not to live with the virus but “to die with it.” Voters tend to prefer optimism to defeatism. And Biden’s late-in-the-game admission, under pressure from Trump, that he would transition the country away from the oil industry might haunt him.
Trump was good Thursday evening, and probably not just because of the debate sponsors’ decision to mute microphones if necessary to allow for uninterrupted answers. The president took a different approach to this debate than he did to the first one, which was a disaster for him. Trump’s performance Thursday encapsulated what makes him frustrating for those who want him to succeed. This is the version of Trump many of his supporters want to see more often — smart, informed and even presidential. Sadly, he doesn’t show up often enough.
As moderator, NBC’s Welker offered a master class in handling the two candidates. It stood in sharp contrast to last week’s examples of what not to do at the competing town halls that replaced the canceled second debate.
Last week, Trump was aggressively — some might say rudely — grilled by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, who turned what was intended to be an audience-driven event into a one-on-one debate. Bizarrely, Guthrie spent an inordinate amount of time pressing Trump on QAnon, a fringe conspiracy movement most Americans aren’t focused on as an election issue. In the event’s opening minutes, she also demanded that Trump denounce white-supremacy groups, a favorite media topic no matter how many times Trump repudiates them.
On ABC, meanwhile, Biden was treated like an old friend dropping by for drinks. Moderator George Stephanopoulos never broached reporting in the New York Post and other outlets on emails purportedly obtained from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden. Stephanopoulos only mildly pressed Biden on whether he would pack the Supreme Court, settling for a “noncommittal committal” that Biden would answer the question before Election Day — depending on how the Amy Coney Barrett nomination turned out.
These set the stage for how Welker would moderate Thursday’s face-off. She was respectful and tough in equal measure for both candidates, allowing them to make their points but always returning to the topics she wanted addressed. Focusing on the agenda, she put both candidates on the spot. For instance, she hit Trump hard on the allegations of racism frequently leveled against him, but she also pressed Biden on negative consequences of the 1994 crime bill he oversaw as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And so it went throughout the night, fair and balanced.
As always, the “winner” of Thursday’s debate will be largely a matter of partisan opinion. The undisputed winner was journalism. After too many missteps in the Trump era when the media has fallen short of past standards, Welker did a good job of returning some respect to the profession.
(Gary Abernathy is contributing Columnist with Washington Post)
Nearly 2 million Indian-Americans can make difference in tightly contested states
NEW DELHI /NEW YORK (TIP): Joe Biden, Democratic Party’s nominee for the US presidential elections, did not touch on India during the two debates with contender and President Donald Trump.
But in an op-ed written for the influential India West media group, Biden wrote on why he is confident of the Indian-American vote going towards him.
With Trump’s “Indian air is filthy’’ comment still reverberating, Biden contrasted his “long-lasting’’ ties with the Indian-American community as opposed to the US President’s transactional nature.
“And as we value the Indian-American diaspora, we’ll continue to value the US-India relationship. For Donald Trump, it’s photo-ops. For me, it’s getting things done,” he said in a reference to Trump’s two stadium addresses with PM Modi.
The Indian-American electorate of nearly 2 million can make the difference in tightly contested states such as North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Texas.
“This lasting relationship continues on this campaign, including at the top with Kamala Harris as the Vice-Presidential nominee,’’ wrote Biden while pointing out that one of the last events he hosted at the Vice President’s residence was a Diwali reception.
“But the truth is, President Trump doesn’t share our values. As a result, today’s America doesn’t feel like the America of our dreams.’’
Biden’s observations on affordable health care and home, free education and restoring H-1B visas would be words of comfort for the largely middle class Indian-Americans seeking stability. In contrast, Trump has asked the Supreme Court to wipe out the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, clamped down on legal immigration and is opposed to free education, wrote the former US Vice President.
“It’s likely you and your family have been caught in the middle of Trump’s crackdown of legal immigration and his decisions on the H-1B visa program. And his dangerous rhetoric about immigrants has even fueled hate crimes against Indian Americans,’’ wrote Biden.
On education, he promised free college tuition for families making less than $ 125,000 a year and help Indian American families through a first-time home buyer’s credit worth up to $15,000.
Biden also sought to address India’s concerns regarding terrorism and China by promising to work with New Delhi to promote regional peace and stability where “neither China nor any other country threatens its neighbors.’’
“We’ll open markets and grow the middle class in both the US and India,’’ he also assured.
WASHINGTON (TIP): The November 3 presidential poll is an “election of a lifetime” for it being held amid a pandemic and seeing the “highest participation” of India-Americans, according to eminent community leader Swadesh Chatterjee.
A strong Democrat whose relationship with the party’s presidential candidate Joe Biden goes back to past several decades, Chatterjee (72) said even as the US has all ingredients required to handle the pandemic of this magnitude, it could not be managed properly because of the “misinformation and wrong decisions” made by the leadership of the country.
“You know, to me this campaign is one of a lifetime. This election is an election of my lifetime. I totally agree with the people that this (election) you will keep in the history book one of the campaigns, which people have not seen before,” North Carolina-based Chatterjee told PTI in an interview.
“I hope this election will determine the future of not only this country but the future of the world as well,” said Chatterjee, whose first recollection of being involved in a presidential campaign goes back to the Regan era.
Thereafter he has been involved in several presidential campaigns, in particular, that of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and now Joe Biden.
Chatterjee said Senator Kamal Harris being the vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic party was a dream come true for the Indian-American community.
“Indian-American participation is the highest this time… Quite a number of Indian-Americans already involved in the campaign, on both sides, though Biden-Harris team has got more Indian-Americans on its staff than anybody else,” said Chatterjee, who for more than three decades has been an eyewitness to US political system.
He expressed the hope that a large number of Indian-Americans would go out and vote this time to “make a change not for just for us but for the world as a whole”. There would be more participation of Indian-Americans this election, he added.
Chatterjee, who played a key role in India-US relationship right from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era, said the bilateral relationship between the two largest democracies is at a point that there will be some challenges in future, but it is not going to go down no matter who comes in the White House after November 3.
“Because the relationship is much, much deeper. Secondly, the relationship between the US and India does not depend on individual relationship like (Donald) Trump versus (Narendra) Modi, because that is not the essence of the relationship,” he said.
Trade and taxation, he noted, was one of the few issues that pose challenges to the bilateral relationship. Chatterjee exuded confidence that his friend Biden would be the “best President for India, and the US under his administration will have a deeper relationship with the country”.
SACRAMENTO(TIP): A Silicon Valley-based Indian-American couple has released a digital graphic campaign in Hindi, urging their community members to support and vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.
The campaign titled “Trump Hatao America Bachao” and “Biden Harris ko jitao , America ko aage badao“, was launched in 14 Indian languages on Monday, October 12said Biden supporters, Ajay and Vinita Bhutoria.
The focus of the campaign on the battle ground States where every vote matters and Indian-Americans can play an important role in the election results, Bhutoria said in a statement.
Battle ground States of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, along with three southern states Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, as well as Arizona collectively have 127 electoral votes.
“The Indian American Votes will be the margin of victory and make the winning difference in battleground states,” he said.
In 2016 Trump had a narrow win in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.
Democratic supporters this year are doing extensive outreach to the Indo Americans /South Asians in 14 languages through thousands of phone banking calls each week.
“We are determined to turn out the 1.3 million Indo American votes for Biden,” he said.
Earlier Ajay had released two Bollywood videos to “unite all South Asians and people of Indian origin to support Biden and Harris.
”Chale Chalo Biden ko vote do” (Let’s go, vote for Biden) the music video is now running on TV Asia as advertisement and Ajay also led by bringing Digital Graphics of “America Ka Neta Kaisa Ho Jo Biden Jaisa ho” and “Jaago America Jaago, Biden Harris ko Vote do” earlier in 14 languages.
Youth interest in voting has hit its lowest since 2000, GALLUP reports
Does Ohio provide a model?
The shy Trump vote is bigger this year…and who falls into this category should terrify Democrats. I will say it again, folks. The polling is skewed. It is a mess. Either we are right to be highly skeptical and Trump wins an Electoral College landslide, or the pollsters are right and Biden wins landslide. Young Americans are not excited about this election at all. They are not planning on voting. Gallup is reporting the youth interest in voting this cycle has hit its lowest since 2000. That is in keeping with the results from Democracy Institute’s Patrick Basham, whose polling data, which has been mentioned in The Washington Times and Forbes, suggests there will be one million fewer young people voting this cycle. Hill-Harris X Research shows younger voters are consistently more likely to say they do not plan to vote.
Basham spoke with Joseph Cotto about his new data. Pollwatch had a good thread summarizing the interview. Democracy Institute’s poll had a sample size of 1500 voters, where Trump leads Joe Biden by one point. He also noted that the “shy Trump” vote is very much alive and will be bigger this time. Suburban white women and urban black women are the two groups that are most likely to fall into the shy category for the 2020 cycle. That latter part should shake Democrats to their core. And as for Florida, a state that Biden must carry, it could already be out of his reach. Basham notes Trump cannot fall asleep at the wheel, but things are becoming more comfortable for him in the Sunshine State. And based on some recent polling from the state, it looks like the tide has shifted solidly in favor of Trump.
The outcome of Election Day 2020 would seem to be a foregone conclusion if the latest national and battleground polls are any guide as to whether President trump will win in his reelection bid.
However, the GALLUP poll has just released the results of a new survey that suggests President Trump might have a better shot than you would think.
Most Americans responded positively to the survey question asking whether they feel better off now than they did four years ago.
Trump’s odds of winning reelection seem to be growing slimmer by the day—though, it is worth remembering that we have also seen this movie play out before. This is not the first time that Trump has been in this predicament.
DOES OHIO PROVIDE A MODEL FOR PRESIDENTIAL VICTORY?
No Republican has won the Presidency without winning Ohio. Franklin D Roosevelt in 1944, and John F Kennedy in 1960 won without winning Ohio. President Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2016. He accomplished this in spite of stiff opposition from Republican Governor John Kasich. So far, all indications are Trump will easily win Ohio. Biden has been visiting Ohio but his reception has been poor. If Trump wins Ohio like in 2016, it will influence his outcome in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
POINT OF CAUTION IN READING POLLS SPONSORED BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA:
All these pollsters have been interviewing registered voters — there are much more registered Democrats than Republicans. Polling most likely voters may give a better clue. The undecideds and third parties comprise 10% of final voters.
(Ven Parameswaran, Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee (Founded 1988), lives in Scarsdale, NY. He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
WASHINGTON (TIP): U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday, Oct 15 he was willing to support a comprehensive COVID-19 coronavirus relief package larger than $1.8 trillion to make a deal with Democrats and get a bill passed.
“I would,” he said during a telephone interview with Fox Business News. “Absolutely, I would. I would say more. I would go higher. Go big or go home.”
He went on to say that he had directed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to make an offer over the $1.8 trillion package previously supported by the White House but said Mnuchin “hasn’t come home with the bacon.”
Trump said he would not accept “goodies” in the Democrats’ proposal.
House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), have been pushing for a $2.2 trillion package that would include funding for state and local governments, schools, and coronavirus testing and tracing, among other priorities.2
Republicans in the Senate support a $500 billion bill that would not offer a wide a range of measures. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the upper chamber would be working on the bill next week.
REPUBLICANS
Democrats demanding a ‘wish list’
“(Democrats) say anything short of their multi-trillion-dollar wish list, jammed with non-COVID-related demands, is ‘piecemeal’ and not worth doing,” McConnell said in a statement. “Speaker Pelosi frequently says she feels ‘nothing’ is better than ‘something.’ And she has worked hard to ensure that nothing is what American families get.”
DEMOCRATS
Republicans have the wrong priorities
“We want to have an agreement. Yet Republicans refuse to ensure that such an agreement puts #FamiliesFirst,” Pelosi said.
Why should we support or pull down the Indian -Americans running for US Congress or Senate?
The answer is simple, almost all Indian Americans have families back in our motherland, and we must support and elect candidates who subscribe to American values. You and I came to America and have cherished this nation for its values of freedom, equal opportunities, equal justice, equal dignity, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should wish the same for our fellow Indians back home or any people anywhere.
We must reject those candidates who do not want the same values as the Indians living in India and certainly pull the hypocrites down if they support the fascist Modi regime in India that is lynching, harassing, raping, and killing fellow Indians. We cannot let our motherland go down the drain with such individuals.
Law Makers Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, and Kamala Harris have proved to be patriotic Americans fully subscribing to American Values. However, we have to make a critical decision about new candidates running for the legislatures. The questionable man is Sri Preston Kulkarni, a controversial person running for the US Congress from Congressional District 22 from Houston, Texas.
He is accused of taking donations from the people who run the RSS organization in India. RSS is a paramilitary organization like the Nazis, ISIS, and KKK, which runs the Indian government and believes that the Christians (30 Million) and Muslims (200 Million) who have lived in India from the 2nd Century and 8th Century respectively do not belong in India. Through his minions, Prime Minister Modi, who has similarities with Hitler has given them three choices– convert to Hinduism, live as 2nd class citizens or disappear.
The ideology of RSS is dangerous to the social fabric of India and detrimental to India’s economic stability and prosperity. Now, it is creeping into America, and we need to stop it.
I have texted Mr. Kulkarni thrice to answer simple questions. He turned it over to Jack, his field director; both have promised to respond in vain for almost a month.
Here are few of the several questions I have asked Kulkarni.
If elected, would you initiate a bill in the house about equal rights, equal pay for women and equal justice for all citizens?
If elected, would you support a bill that would require the Indian Government to treat the Dalits, Muslims, and Christians as equal citizens with equal rights and equal justice for all?
If elected, would you support a bill to restore the full freedoms to the People of Kashmir?
If elected, would you encourage the RSS to renounce its extremist ideology and accept Indian Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and Christians as Indians and have equal rights with all citizens?
Should a conflict arise between India and the United States, and Congress is short of one vote for passing the bill, what would be your position?
Would Kulkarni make the following statements?
“I am concerned about the violations of religious freedoms in India, particularly against minorities. Being a minority myself, I will not tolerate minorities to be treated like that in any country. I am appalled to hear the statements like Muslims are termites, and, I will throw the immigrants into the Bay of Bengal is ascribed to the Home Minister of India Mr. Amit Shah a close confidant of Mr. Modi the Prime Minister.”
“I support the request of the US Government to the Government of India to issue visas to the commissioners of the USCIRF to investigate the human rights violations and earn a clean certificate and or fix the problems and earn a clean certificate – clean chit as they call it in India.”
“I do not support the exclusionary policies of the RSS, that advocate Indian Christians and Muslims to disappear from India, live as 2nd class citizens or convert to Hinduism. Indeed, I oppose that policy and urge India to have a place among civilized nations.”
“I urge the Government of India to withdraw the unnecessary citizenship laws like the CAA** – Citizens Amendment Act. It will stop the protests and restore political stability and social unrest. As Americans, we want a stable India to invest and build a healthy relationship.”
“America is my home and my motherland, and I pledge to defend her constitution.”
Lastly, talks are going on quietly about booting the Indians out of America if they boot Christians from India.
Given the unilateral decisions Trump has taken, disregarding the societal norms, and if the White Supremacist take over the governance, all of the Indians maybe kicked out of the nation.
If we don’t correct the rogues who run the Government of India, we deserve to be kicked out. Modi was not allowed to come to the United States; it may happen again once Trump is gone. Modi should not bring shame to India.
I love my India and hate to see the RSS extremists destroying her; as an Individual, I will do my share of the work to save my motherland from the men hell-bent on destroying her. All those who are supporting Modi now will come to regret. One by one, he will push the South Indians, then the Bengalis, Marathas, and finally you. All he wants is power. Modi is a power-hungry man. If the country is destroyed, he will walk away with his jhola (shoulder bag) as if nothing has happened; he does not care about Indians.
(The author is the founder and president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC and offers pluralistic solutions to the media and policymakers on issues of the day. For more information, visit www.TheGhouseDiary.com)
WASHINGTON (TIP): Named by President Donald Trump as a member of the President’s Export Council, Indian American Technology entrepreneur Vinson Palathingal says removing the trade barriers to US products is critical to increase its exports.
“I am really honored to be appointed as a member of the President’s Export Council,” said Vinson, a serial entrepreneur, Asian American community leader, and a free market advocate hailing from Kochi, in Kerala State, India.
“With great pleasure and humility, I thank President Trump for this recognition,” said the McLean, Virginia, resident who has lived in the US for about 27 years.
“US has so much potential to increase our exports. Removing the trade barriers for our products is very critical to make the playing field level,” Palathingal said. “Plus, US EXIM bank need to focus more on small business exporters by simplifying credit guarantee process.”
Palathingal hoped he “will be able to use my experience as a small business exporter to advice the President in key export related policy making.”
With a bachelor’s degree in engineering from India and master’s degree in engineering from University of Nevada, Reno, he has run multiple small businesses in the US.
The winner of the SBA Small Business Exporter of the Year award in 2013, Palathingal has vast experience with engineering and technology industries over the last three decades ranging from buildings and road construction to block chains and artificial intelligence.
A proactive leader in the Indian American Community, Palathingal engages closely with the Indian diaspora. He intends to leverage the community’s success from technology to mainstream America.
In 2015, Vinson started the Indo-American Center, a free-market think tank spreading the message of liberty and small government ideals in both India and the US.
Vinson’s wife Asha Palathingal, too, is a technology leader. They have two children, Xavier & Stephen.
He believes that his Catholic upbringing in Kerala obviously contributed to his conservative values and worldview.
Last year, Palathingal had run unsuccessfully to the Fairfax County School Board.
Donald Trump says no to virtual debate with Joe Biden
WASHINGTON (TIP): The Commission on Presidential Debates said Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden will appear from remote locations, while voters and the moderator will ask them questions from the original debate site in Miami.
President Donald Trump vowed Thursday, October 8, not to participate in next week’s debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden after organizers announced it will take place virtually because of the president’s diagnosis of COVID-19.
“I’m not going to do a virtual debate,” Mr. Trump told Fox Business News, moments after the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the changes.
The shakeup comes a week before Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden were set to square off for the second presidential debate in Miami. Mr. Biden’s campaign insisted its candidate was ready to move forward, but the future of the event is now in serious doubt.
The Commission on Presidential Debates made the decision unilaterally, citing the need “to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate.”
When Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris squared off for their only vice-presidential debate in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, October 7 night, they shared a stage but were separated by plexiglass to prevent the spread of the virus.
Mr. Trump’s campaign said the president would do a rally instead of the debate.
“For the swamp creatures at the Presidential Debate Commission to now rush to Joe Biden’s defense by unilaterally canceling an in-person debate is pathetic,” Bill Stepien, Trump campaign manager said in a statement. “The safety of all involved can easily be achieved without canceling a chance for voters to see both candidates go head to head. We’ll pass on this sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden and do a rally instead.”
Trump was hospitalized for three days but is now back at the White House recovering. He has vowed to return to the campaign trail soon. Still, the commission’s move is yet another indication that the presidential election is being dominated by the virus – defying the president’s months long attempts to underplay it and declare that the country was ready to move on.
Trump is thought to be trailing in key battleground states. Even before his COVID-19 diagnosis, he was widely criticized for his chaotic performance during last week’s first presidential debate in Cleveland. Next week’s debate, and a third one set for the following week in Nashville, would have been a chance for him to attempt to reset the election and potentially change its trajectory.
Biden aides argued that Mr. Trump’s pulling out could be a boon to their candidate. Given reactions to the chaotic first debate, they believe most voters, especially undecided voters, will see the president as avoiding a second debate out of his own interests, not because he dislikes the format.
“Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people,” deputy Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.
Mr. Biden said earlier in the week that he was “looking forward to being able to debate him” but added “we’re going to have to follow very strict guidelines.” He said he and Mr. Trump “shouldn’t have a debate” as long as the president remains COVID positive.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced early Thursday the candidates would “participate from separate remote locations” while the participants and moderator remain in Miami, it said. Moments later, Mr. Trump vowed to skip the event entirely.
Mr. Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus a week ago, but in a Tuesday, October 6 tweet said he looked forward to debating Biden a second time, “It will be great!” he tweeted.
Mr. Trump was still contagious with the virus when he was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, but his doctors have not provided any detailed update on his status. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 can be contagious for as many as – and should isolate for at least – 10 days.
It’s not the first debate in which the candidates are not in the same room. In 1960, the third presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy was broadcast with the two candidates on opposite coasts.
Reports have come in, at the time of filing this story that Trump has obtained a certification from a doctor that he would be fit to resume normal work from Saturday, October 10.
MICHIGAN (TIP): More than a dozen men were arrested on federal and state charges in connection with an alleged foiled plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, authorities said Thursday, October 8.
Six were apprehended and charged with federal crimes, while another seven were picked up on state charges, officials in Michigan said.
All are members of two militia groups “who were preparing to kidnap and possibly kill me,” Whitmer said in an address from Lansing late Thursday afternoon following the arrests.
“When I put my hand on the Bible and took the oath of office 22 months ago, I knew this job would be hard,” Whitmer continued. “But I’ll be honest, I never could have imagined anything like this.”
She thanked federal and state law enforcement for bringing criminal charges that “hopefully will lead to convictions, bringing these sick and depraved men to justice.”
The arrests grew out of an FBI-led probe which began in March and focused on militia groups’ discussing the “violent overthrow” of certain government and law enforcement officials.
Each of the federally charged men faces up to life in prison if convicted on all charges, authorities said.
Those six suspects facing federal charges in the alleged kidnapping plot used encrypted messaging to communicate about the plot, conducted coordinated surveillance on the governor’s vacation home and detonated an improvised explosive device wrapped with shrapnel, officials said.
Based on court documents, the FBI was well aware of the activities of the six men charged Thursday and there does not seem to have been an imminent threat posed to Whitmer.
The documents identify the defendants as Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta.
At a meeting in July, allegedly attended and recorded by one of the informants, the men “discussed attacking a Michigan State Police facility, and in a separate conversation after the meeting, Garbin suggested shooting up the Governor’s vacation home,” authorities said.
Then at a July 27 meeting, Fox and an informant discussed a possible kidnapping of Whitmer, with the defendant allegedly saying: “Snatch and grab, man. Grab the f—ing governor. Just grab the b—-. Because at that point, we do that, dude — it’s over.”
“Fox said that after kidnapping the governor, the group would remove her to a secure location in Wisconsin for ‘trial’,” according to the criminal complaint.
The alleged conspirators used code words and encrypted platforms to shield their discussions from authorities, according to U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge for the Western District of Michigan.
They used terms such as “cake” or “cupcakes” for bombs, a “chemistry set” for components of an improvised explosive device and “baker” for an explosives manufacturer, according to the complaint.
“Fox and Croft in particular … discussed detonating explosive devices to divert police from the area of the (governor’s vacation) home,” Birge said.
The federal investigation involved at least one member of a Michigan militia group who was involved in a Second Amendment rally at the Michigan Statehouse in June.
That member allegedly told the FBI that the group was considering killing police officers and agreed to become an informant.
But the involvement of that militia in the plot to kidnap the governor appears to be minimal as the group that was charged Thursday allegedly discussed keeping the broader militia out of their actual plan.
In a YouTube video from May, Caserta claimed in a 30-minute diatribe that “the enemy is government.” He shot the video in front of an anarchist’s flag and a map of Michigan.
Caserta did not post on YouTube again until three weeks ago. In that video, Caserta does not speak, and simply loads and poses with a long gun off camera while wearing a shirt that says “F— The Government.”
The seven suspects facing state charges were identified as Paul Bellar, 21, Shawn Fix, 38, Eric Molitor, 36, Michael Null, 38, William Null, 38, Pete Musico, 42, and Joseph Morrison, 42.
They’ve all been charged with “providing material support for terrorist acts” and “carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony,” according to state prosecutors.
The seven are linked to the Wolverine Watchmen militia and sought to “instigate a civil war” and had “engaged in planning and training for an operation to attack the Capitol building of Michigan and to kidnap government officials, including the governor of Michigan,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.
For months, Whitmer has drawn the ire of militia groups and others opposed to her restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
Armed protesters took to the streets of Lansing, the state capital, during the early days of Whitmer’s coronavirus lockdown orders. And President Donald Trump famously tweeted “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” in April.
“The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire,” Trump tweeted May 1. “These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal.”
(Agencies)
U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, who heads federal prosecutions in the Eastern District of Michigan, acknowledged the fraught political climate in which these arrests were made.
“All of us in Michigan can disagree about politics,” he said. “But those disagreements should never, ever amount to violence.”
Whitmer on Thursday said Trump was “complicit” through his rhetoric. She specifically linked the alleged actions of the suspects in her case to Trump’s refusal, at a debate last week, to forcibly denounce white supremacist groups.
“Just last week the president of the United States stood before the American people and refused to condemn white supremacists and hate groups like these two Michigan militia groups,” she said.
“Stand back and stand by,’ he told them … hate groups heard the president’s words not as a rebuke but as a rallying cry, as a call to action.”
Whitmer was elected as the state’s 49th governor in 2018, defeating Republican Bill Schuette by nearly 10 percentage points.
The governor on Thursday continued to defend her actions during the pandemic.
Michigan residents are now testing positive at about a 3-percent rate, one of the lowest in the nation, according to a rolling count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
“It’s not over yet, but here’s what I know: We’re Michiganders. We have grit. We have heart and we are tough as hell,” Whitmer said.
WASHINGTON (TIP): The debate between two skilled debaters- vice presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris presented a pleasing picture of a civil discourse despite of Pence drawing extra time to make his statements and often interrupting Kamal Harris who politely pointed out to Pence that she was speaking. There was no lack of civility, but surely a lack of honest and truthful claims and counterclaims. Their debate on October 7 was far easier to watch than last week’s chaotic presidential debate.
Both Pence and Harris engaged in mild overstatement and rhetorical flourishes at times. That’s normal in politics. Harris, for example, exaggerated the job losses that President Trump’s trade war with China has caused. But Pence was far more dishonest. At several points, he seemed to want to run on a record that didn’t exist.
CNN provided a “partial list” of false and misleading statements made by Pence during the debate.
“On day one, Joe Biden is going to raise your taxes,” Pence said. This is false: Biden has proposed tax increases only on households making more than $400,000 a year.
Pence said he and Trump had a plan to “protect pre-existing conditions for every American.” The administration has repeatedly attempted to take health insurance away from Americans, and the number of uninsured people has risen during Trump’s presidency.
Pence claimed that Trump had “suspended all travel from China.” He did not. Although Trump claimed to have done so, hundreds of thousands of people traveled from China to the U.S. after the coronavirus appeared.
Pence said the Trump administration would “continue to listen to the science” on climate change. The administration has defied or ignored the views of scientists on climate change.
Pence said Biden would “ban fracking.” Biden would not.
Pence said Trump revered members of the military. In 2015, Trump publicly mocked John McCain because he had been a prisoner during the Vietnam War. More recently, Trump has described Americans soldiers killed in war as “losers” and “suckers,” The Atlantic has reported.
Pence said voting by mail created “a massive opportunity for voter fraud.” This contradicts all of the available evidence and history about mail voting.
Pence said he and Trump have “always” told the American people the truth.
The most disappointing aspect of Pence’s performance is that he has deep disagreements with Harris and Biden that don’t depend on distortions. It’s entirely possible to make a fact-based case against higher taxes on the rich; or widely available abortions; or high levels of immigration; or new restrictions on police.
But that is not what Pence did.
A strong moment for each candidate: Harris’s opening remarks, taking the administration to task for the terrible toll of the coronavirus on the U.S.; Pence’s celebrating the Trump administration’s turn to a more hawkish approach to China, which has since become a bipartisan consensus.
Speaking time: Despite the vice president’s repeated interruptions, the two debaters spoke for nearly identical amounts of time over all: almost 36 minutes and 30 seconds.
Questions unanswered: Harris refused to answer Pence’s direct question about whether Democrats would expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Pence didn’t answer when the moderator asked him why America’s pandemic death toll is disproportionate to its population and what he would do if Trump refused to accept the election results.
Post-debate instant polls: 59 percent thought Harris won, 38 percent thought Pence won, CNN’s poll found.
On the lighter died, there was an uninvited guest: A fly that landed on Pence’s head for more than two minutes became a star on social media.
Trump: “We’re talking about airlines and we’re talking about a bigger deal than airlines. We’re talking about a deal with $1,200 per person, we’re talking about other things”.
Prof. Indrajit S. Saluja
WASHINGTON (TIP): The deal under discussion would include new $1,200 stimulus checks, renew enhanced unemployment benefits, and provide $75 billion for coronavirus testing and tracing, among other provisions. When talks broke off Tuesday, October 6, Democrats were pushing for language ensuring a wide-scale testing strategy. Pelosi said Thursday, October 8, they were still waiting to hear back on that and that she had reminded Mnuchin of that.
And Trump said: “We’re talking about airlines and we’re talking about a bigger deal than airlines. We’re talking about a deal with $1,200 per person, we’re talking about other things, but it’s not anybody’s fault, they were trying to get things, and we were trying to get things and it wasn’t going anywhere, I shut it down. I don’t want to play games. And then we reopened, and I see the markets are doing well but I think we have a really good chance of doing something.”
The labor market remains weak, with another 840,000 Americans filing for unemployment claims last week, more than six months after the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States.
It remains highly uncertain that any deal can be reached, on airlines or anything else. Talks have been on again and off again for months, but ultimately Congress and the administration have been unable to strike a deal since the spring when they passed around $3 trillion in aid.
Multiple programs approved at that time have since expired, including enhanced unemployment insurance for individuals.
The Cares Act from March included a Payroll Support Program for airlines that expired Oct. 1. Democrats have been pushing an approximately $25 billion bill to renew the program, but it’s unclear if the administration supports the Democrats’ approach and Pelosi has now dropped the idea of advancing it on its own.
The developments Thursday, October 8, were just the latest confusing events in days full of them. While hospitalized at Walter Reed over the weekend, Trump tweeted a demand for a new stimulus bill, only to abruptly pull out of talks on Tuesday, a day after getting released from the hospital.
He began backtracking within hours as a number of Republicans in tough re-election races criticized his move and urged him to re-engage.
Trump said Thursday, October 8, he was hopeful the talks would bear fruit even though he commented that Pelosi is “not my favorite person, she impeached me for no reason.”
Both the Democrats and Republicans are acutely aware of the immediate need for an infusion of financial aid to individuals and companies to enable them to survive. They also fear, a failure to come up with an aid may damage them in the elections. No American would like to see the daily bread being denied.
VIRGINIA (TIP): Indian American business consultant Puneet Ahluwalia is running for the Republican nomination for Lt. Governor of Virginia saying the state needs a new leadership to attract investment, jobs, growth and wealth.
“Virginia is in trouble right now, and we’re running out of time as Democrats offer the same old tired promises,” stated the 55-year-old resident of McLean, just outside Washington DC announcing his run.
‘Virginia needs new ideas and a business environment that will attract investment, jobs, growth and wealth,” wrote Delhi-born Ahluwalia in a note to his supporters.
“Virginia needs to support its hard-working and courageous police, protect 2nd Amendment rights, and stand up for law and order.”
A Delhi Public School (DPS) alumnus, who immigrated to the US in 1990, Ahluwalia serves as a consultant to international businesses on client acquisition, marketing, and strategic affairs with The Livingston Group.
“I am Pro-Life, Pro-Liberty, and Pro-Virginia First. We need to reopen our schools, reopen our economy, and get our lives back together.”
“I wasn’t born an American, my wife and I are Americans by choice,” wrote Ahluwalia. “I am not a politician; I am a proud American living the American dream.”
“My first job was delivering electronics to retail stores and since then I have built businesses and created jobs and opportunities for others,” he recalled.
Ahluwalia, who has been active in the Republican Party politics for over two decades, also serves on the Northern Virginia Republican Business Forum.
He accused the current Democrat leadership in the General Assembly of being “distracted by a far-left social and cultural agenda that simply doesn’t serve the interests of the vast majority of Virginia citizens.”
“All they do is blame (President Donald) Trump, then fade into the background. That’s not leadership. It’s finger-pointing. No more excuses,” Ahluwalia wrote.
“Progressive Democrats, who run most of our largest cities and counties, discourage job growth, deter small business start-ups, and restrict children to failing schools.”
“Democrats continue policies that ensnare generation after generation of minorities that believe there is no hope. No wonder people are frustrated and angry,” Ahluwalia wrote.
“I promise to bring a message of hope, growth, and opportunity to every person, every family, and every community in Virginia.”
As immigrants, he and his wife Nadia chose to become Americans, for good reason, Ahluwalia wrote. “This is the greatest country in the history of the world, but we can’t take our prosperity, or our freedom, for granted.”
“We must work every day to protect and preserve the unity and the values so many of our fellow Americans have sacrificed and bled to preserve.”
The first Presidential debate on September 29 was watched by 73 million people. Trump is a gambler, and not just because he owned casinos. He ran one of the biggest gambles of his life in the debate, and whether it pays off now is very uncertain. The President’s ultra-aggressive performance in the first presidential debate—aggressive to the point where moderator Chris Wallace had to ask him three times to simply let challenger Joe Biden answer a question—can’t have been an accident. It was an effort by a candidate behind in the polls to shake up the race by driving home his principal line of attack: that Biden is too weak to be the president of America.
Trump chose not simply to say that his opponent is too weak, or too old, or too afraid of his party’s left wing, but rather to try to demonstrate it before a world-wide audience by attacking and belittling him. The subliminal message: If you can’t stand up to me, how can you stand up to the leader of China, or those perpetrating violence in the streets of Portland?
And perhaps it worked. Nobody who watched was left in any doubt about the core argument of Trump’s campaign, which is in large measure about the assertion that his foe is not up to the demanding job of sitting behind the Resolute Desk.
Biden did, at times , seem taken aback by the relentless ferocity of the onslaught—and if the plan was to get the challenger to overreact by calling the president a “clown,” well, that did happen at one point. This is what those who call Trump undisciplined don’t entirely grasp: He is very disciplined in driving home his main message, and will do so again and again, without remorse or apology, as he did Tuesday night.
It is important to recall how Trump used almost the same technique in defeating 16 Republican candidates in 2016 and Hillary Clinton. He succeeded in burying Bush and Clinton dynasties, against all odds, including vehement opposition of the mainstream media, continuous investigations, impeachment he has won. Therefore, it is possible his strategy to defeat Biden could work.
Trump was able to impress the audience that he was for law and order and strong economy. He also took credit for appointing 200 judges and 3 Supreme Court judges in his first term (third appointment is in process).
There was little likable about the presidential persona that came across in the debate stage. Maybe that does not matter as much as it used to in politics. Trump has demonstrated that people don’t have to like him to support him. A common refrain among Trump voters, in fact, is that he is rough and tough, but that they see that as part of his strength. Yes, they say, he is a bully, but he is our bully.
Trump’s main strategy is to attract new voters from the uneducated working class located in the battleground states. If so, his aggressive performance in the debate should help him achieve his goals. Rush Limbaugh, most popular talk radio host has praised Trump’s debate performance. As mentioned in my previous dispatches, Trump is not appealing to the elites.
If Trump knew how to get elected as President in 2016, his strategy to get reelected could succeed.
(Ven Parameswaran, Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee (founded 1988) lives in Scarsdale, NY. H can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
Winning more votes in the US Presidential election does not assure a candidate victory
Biden’s chances of defeating Trump look good, but there’s a long way to go and things can change very quickly
One factor which is affecting Trump’s re-election prospects is his handling of the coronavirus pandemic
“It cannot be overstated that U.S. Presidential elections are always contested over a host of political, economic, and social issues on which the positions of both the Republicans and the Democrats have evolved over time. As part of its economic conservatism, the Republican Party supports lower taxes, free-market capitalism, the removal of restrictions and regulations on corporations, and restrictions on labor unions. The party is also socially conservative and supports gun-rights and traditional values with a Christian foundation, such as restrictions on abortion. In foreign policy, Republicans usually favor increased military expenditure and tough action against America’s enemies. Republicans also want restrictions on immigration.
The Democrats support social programs, labor unions, worker’s rights and work-place safety regulations, disability rights and racial equality and reform of the criminal justice system. They also support abortion rights, LGBT rights and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. In foreign policy, they favor a multilateral approach, from which America under Trump has been distancing itself.”
There are fewer than 35 days to go before American voters decide on November 3 whether Donald Trump remains in the White House for another four years. Given the hugely important role played by the US President on the global stage, psephologists all over the world are working overtime as they try to analyze various trends and developments which could indicate what the final outcome is likely to be. Opinion polls are the flavor of the election season.
However, experience has shown that opinion polls may give an idea of how popular a candidate is across the United States, but they are not necessarily an accurate way to predict the eventual election result.
In 2016, for example, Hillary Clinton led in most of the opinion polls and even secured more votes in the election, but she ended up losing to Trump. Thus, even winning more votes in the US Presidential election does not assure a candidate victory.
One important reason for this is that the U.S. voters do not elect the President and Vice President directly; rather, they do so indirectly through the electoral college system. The electoral college is a body of electors who are elected by the voters in each state every four years for the sole purpose of electing the President and Vice President. The number of each state’s electors equals the sum of its representation in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Currently, there are 538 electors, based on 435 Representatives, 100 Senators from the fifty states and three electors from the Capital, Washington, D.C. An absolute majority of at least 270 electoral votes is required to win the election.
The three electors were given to D.C. following the Twenty-third Amendment of 1961 which states that the seat of the federal government is entitled to ‘the number it would have if it were a state, but in no case more than that of the least populous state’. The seven least populous states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) have three electors each; thus, Washington D.C. was also given three seats in the electoral college.
The six states with the most electors are California, (55), Texas (38), New York (29), Florida (29), Illinois (20), and Pennsylvania (20). U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Marina Islands and American Samoa) are not entitled to any electors.
Thus, each state gets a minimum of three electoral votes, regardless of population, which gives states with a low population a disproportionate number of electors per capita. An electoral college member in Wyoming represents only about one-fourth the number of people as compared to an elector from California. This is one factor which explains how a Presidential candidate can secure more electors while winning lesser votes nationally. Over time, people have been migrating to the bigger states like California, Texas or New York which provide better employment opportunities, and as a result sparsely populated states are becoming increasingly over-represented in the electoral college.
In this regard, another factor which needs to be mentioned is the winner-take-all rule. In all the states except Nebraska and Maine, the party which wins the highest votes wins all of that state’s electors. This gives the bigger states the ability to deliver a large number of votes as a single bloc. For example, even if the Republican Party wins 49% of the votes in Florida while the Democratic Party gets 51%, the latter will win all the 29 electoral seats from that state. This fact also distorts the relationship between votes secured and seats won nationwide.
Generally, most states always vote the same way (either always Republican or always Democrat). However, there are some states where both candidates stand a chance of winning. These are the states where the election could be won or lost, and they have come to be known as the battleground states (or swing states).
For the 2020 election, the battleground states (with their electoral numbers) are: Texas(38), Florida(29), Pennsylvania(20), Ohio(18), Michigan( 16), Georgia(16), North Carolina(15), Arizona(11), Minnesota(10), Wisconsin(10), Nevada(6), Iowa(6) and New Hampshire(4). According to analysts, Texas, Ohio and Iowa are leaning towards Trump; in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina there is a toss-up; the remainder are leaning towards Biden.
It was on account of so many complexities that Hillary Clinton found herself losing the 2016 election to Trump even though she won more votes than him. It may be mentioned, though, that her lead over Trump in the opinion polls had been just 2 percentage points, while Biden leads his rival by at least 7-8 percentage points.
By that reckoning, Biden’s chances of defeating Trump look good, but there’s a long way to go and things can change very quickly. Betting markets are certainly not writing Trump off just yet, though seasoned analysts are less convinced about his chances of re-election. The Economist says that Biden is very likely to beat Trump, and this view is echoed by ‘FiveThirtyEight’, a well-known US website that does poll analysis. Not surprisingly, Trump has dismissed the opinion polls and forecasts of his defeat as biased and incompetent.
One factor which is affecting Trump’s re-election prospects is his handling of the coronavirus pandemic; there is dis-satisfaction among voters about the President’s response. Trump declared a national emergency in March and made $50 billion available to states to stop the spread of the virus, after which support for him rose to 55%. However, this support has been waning recently. His response to the pandemic is being increasingly questioned as the death toll rises; it has crossed 209,000 and it is feared that it may reach 230,000 by November 3, the election date.
Naturally, Trump is worried on this account and wants to show that he is taking decisive action for combating the virus. He is hopeful that ‘Operation Warp Speed’, his administration’s vaccine initiative, can produce something soon which could swing things in his favor. Trump has repeatedly said a vaccine could be ready as soon as October.
COVID-19 Vaccine. COVID-19 Corona Virus 2019-ncov Vaccine Injection Vials Medicine bottles. Vaccination, immunization, treatment to cure Covid-19 Corona Virus infection. Healthcare And Medical concept
However, the vaccine is getting mired in controversy even before it has arrived. According to U.S. media reports, the Federal Drug Administration(FDA) has been developing stricter guidelines for the emergency authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine which will include a requirement for a median of two months of data on clinical vaccine trial participants. In other words, the vaccine may not be available before November 3, the date of the election. Trump has dismissed this as a politically motivated move and said that if the F.D.A. does propose such a two-month trial, he may not approve it (i.e. the trial period).Trump said he wants to avoid any unnecessary delay in the release of a vaccine, adding that he has “tremendous trust” in companies working on its development.
“I don’t see any reason why it should be delayed further. Because if they delay it a week or two weeks or three weeks, you know, that’s a lot of lives you’re talking about,” he said.
The economy is typically a top voter-issue in presidential elections. Issues that are deeply personal to their everyday lives rank among the most important priorities that influence voters; their pay-cheques often figure at the top of the list of such issues.
Consequently, having a job is itself an important factor. This aspect has taken on new urgency with millions out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Another issue that is gaining prominence during the build-up to the election relates to racism. Donald Trump has a history of speech and actions that have been widely viewed as racist or racially charged. Although Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism, he is increasingly viewed as championing white supremacy. Several studies and surveys have shown that racist attitudes and racial resentment have fueled Trump’s political ascendance. Thus, matters that impact communities of color are taking center stage in the elections as non-white voters make up about one-third of the 2020 electorate.
Joe Biden’s decision to nominate Senator Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American woman as his running mate is an out-reach to colored voters as well as to women voters.
In this background, Joe Biden’s decision to nominate Senator Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American woman as his running mate is an out-reach to colored voters as well as to women voters.
It cannot be overstated that U.S. Presidential elections are always contested over a host of political, economic, and social issues on which the positions of both the Republicans and the Democrats have evolved over time. As part of its economic conservatism, the Republican Party supports lower taxes, free-market capitalism, the removal of restrictions and regulations on corporations, and restrictions on labor unions. The party is also socially conservative and supports gun-rights and traditional values with a Christian foundation, such as restrictions on abortion. In foreign policy, Republicans usually favor increased military expenditure and tough action against America’s enemies. Republicans also want restrictions on immigration.
The Democrats support social programs, labor unions, worker’s rights and work-place safety regulations, disability rights and racial equality and reform of the criminal justice system. They also support abortion rights, LGBT rights and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. In foreign policy, they favor a multilateral approach, from which America under Trump has been distancing itself.
While the calculations involved in a U.S. Presidential election are not at all simple, present indications are that Trump faces an uphill task for getting re-elected. Interestingly, Trump is sending out signals that he will not accept defeat. In a press briefing at the White House a few days back, he refused to say whether he would support a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November’s election, ignoring a precedent that every other president in American history has accepted.
As a matter of fact, a crisis is developing on account of the concerns which Trump has repeatedly voiced about postal ballots. He has claimed that the postal-ballot route will be misused by the Democrats, that it will result in voter fraud and thus cause his defeat. However, Ellen Weintraub, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission, has responded: “There’s simply no basis for the conspiracy theory that voting by mail causes fraud.”
Individual states decide their own voting rules for federal elections in the U.S. About half of the states allow any registered voter to vote by post on request. In the remaining states, you have to have a valid reason for voting by post – such as being over 65, being ill, or being away from the state you are registered to vote in.
Interestingly, President Trump himself has voted by post in the past, such as in Florida’s 2020 primary election as he is a registered voter in that state but is currently living in Washington DC.
In the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, about 25% of votes were cast by post. That number is expected to rise this time due to public health concerns over coronavirus. Many states are encouraging mail-in voting, citing the need to keep voters safe from it. They want to prevent large gatherings at polling stations on election day–a justifiable approach given the prevailing situation.
Moreover, six states will hold “all-mail” ballot elections this November– California, Utah, Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. These states will automatically send all registered voters their postal ballots, which then have to be sent back or dropped off on election day – although some in-person voting is still available in certain limited circumstances. More states could follow this route due to public health concerns over coronavirus.
Although every losing Presidential candidate in U.S. history has conceded defeat once he lost the election, Trump has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in such an eventuality. When a reporter asked him a direct question on this issue, he did not say yes or no; instead, he gave an insight into his thinking and said, ” I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots”, adding, ” Mail-in ballots are very dangerous–there’s tremendous fraud involved”.
At a rally in Newport News, Virginia on Friday 25 September, Trump again refused to say whether he would peacefully transition out of the White House if he loses the presidential election, suggesting he would only do so if he was convinced Democrats and their presidential nominee, Joe Biden, did not cheat. “We’ve gotta watch this ballot scam, because they’re scamming us. And then they say, ‘He doesn’t want to turn over [power].’ Of course, I do. But it’s gotta be a fair election,” Trump told the crowd at the rally. Biden has said that in this scenario he believes the military would be deployed to remove Trump from the White House!
If he loses the election, Trump may still have some cards up his sleeve. He has said that he believes that the election result could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Backed by his battery of attorneys, he is believed to be preparing the groundwork to undermine an election result that does not announce him as victor.
In this context, importance is being attached to Trump’s selection of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a favorite of the Republicans as a new Supreme Court Judge. She will take the place of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal and a Clinton appointee who died recently. Trump has announced that he will try to obtain Senate confirmation for this appointment before Election Day. Biden and the Democrats are urging that the appointment should be made by the winner of the Nov 3 election, but the Senate, which has a Republican majority is likely to go ahead and give the confirmation. This is so because a Supreme Court judge in the U.S. serves for life , and Judge Amy Coney Barret, an avowed Conservative would significantly alter the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court for years to come and ensure that the Republican agenda is not obstructed by the Court.
For Trump, this appointment could be vital. The US Supreme Court has nine judges. After the death of Justice Ginsberg, there are three judges who are regarded as liberal, while four are conservative. The eighth is Chief Justice Roberts who has been described as having a conservative judicial philosophy but has also shown a willingness to work with the Supreme Court’s liberal judges. Thus, he has come to be regarded as a swing vote on the Court and Trump cannot rely on him to give a favorable judgement if his own election case is to be decided. Thus, if Judge Barrett is elevated to the Supreme Court, there will be at least five conservative judges, if not six who may side with Trump, which explains his rush to appoint her, as also Biden’s opposition to it.
To sum up, if you think that the Nov. 3 election battle has become ugly, then I would just say, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”.
TRAFALGAR GROUP POLL WAS THE ONLY POLL THAT PREDICTED TRUMP WOULD WIN IN 2016.
IT IS THE ONLY MOST RELIABLE POLL PREDICTING 2020 ELECTION
“Arizona and Minnesota are in the sights of both parties. Florida probably is the most important state this year, and both candidates have hit it in recent days. But in a close race, flipping just one state from Democratic blue to Republican red, or vice versa, could be decisive. Travel by the presidential and vice-presidential candidates to Arizona and Minnesota shows those are the states that fall most directly into that category. The Biden campaign thinks it could turn Arizona blue for the first time since 1996, and the Trump campaign is aiming to flip Minnesota red for the first time since 1972.”
It has been impossible to predict Donald J. Trump. The major TV networks – CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, FOX and print media – NYTimes, WSJ, and Washington Post failed to predict 2016 election. Because Trump has shocked the political scientists and the elites by keep on winning against all the odds. Trump, who had never run for any elective office announced in 2015 that he was going to run for the President of the USA. From that time on, the Democrats supported by the mainstream media and the polls sponsored by them have been attacking Trump ignoring the voters. Trump is running on his performance. Biden has made Trump the issue.
TRUMP BURIES CLINTON AND BUSH DYNASTIES
Trump defeated nine two term veteran Republican governors of New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Arkansas and Louisiana in the primaries. He also defeated five Republican senators from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas. After that, he had to fight to win the nomination. Finally, he defeated the most educated and popular Hillary Clinton heavily supported by the mainstream media. This was a long political process but he buried Clinton and Bush dynasties.
Michael Moore said before 2016 election: “And if you believe Hillary Clinton is going to beat Trump with facts and smarts and logic, then you obviously missed the past year of 56 primaries and caucuses where 16 Republican candidates tried that and every kitchen sink they could throw at Trump and nothing could stop his juggernaut.
TRAFFALGAR GROUP POLL – MOST RELIABLE POLL
Robert Cahaly, senior strategist for the Trafalgar Group, made a name for himself in 2016 by being the only pollster to correctly show Donald Trump with a lead in Michigan and Pennsylvania – two key states he carried – heading into Election Day. (He did not poll Wisconsin, another surprising win for Trump.) Cahaly also showed Trump ahead in North Carolina and Florida, both of which he won, securing his improbable 304-227 Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton.
Cahaly managed to pick up support for Trump that all other pollsters missed in employing a unique method that sought to measure support from voters who had been “inactive” in recent election cycles, as well as adding a question to his surveys designed to isolate the effect of social desirability bias among Trump voters—the concept that people won’t tell pollsters their true intentions for fear of being stigmatized or being politically incorrect.
After asking voters who they were supporting in 2016, the pollster followed up by asking them who they thought their neighbors were supporting, Trump or Clinton. Cahaly consistently found a high degree of variance between who respondents said they were voting for and who they thought their neighbors were voting for, suggesting there was in fact a “shy Trump effect” at play.
Two years later, Cahaly’s method once again proved solid. In one of the most polled races of the cycle, Trafalgar stood alone as the only polling firm to correctly show a Ron DeSantis gubernatorial victory in Florida – as well as Rick Scott winning the Senate race there. (Both narrow outcomes will likely result in recounts.)
Trafalgar also correctly predicted Senate outcomes in Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Texas and West Virginia, making it the most accurate pollster of the cycle among those firms that polled multiple Senate and governor races.
In the Georgia governor race, Cahaly’s results showed a big win for Republican Brian Kemp over Democrat Stacy Abrams. The final result, however, was a much closer Kemp victory. Cahaly gave credit to the Abrams campaign. They did a great job of registering voters late and bringing lots of new people in the process.
The same was true in Texas, Cahaly said, where Beto O’Rourke finished just 2.6 per centage points behind Ted Cruz.
Still, the pollster believes his method and methodology will be more valuable than ever as low voter response rates and social desirability bias continue to present challenges to all pollsters in the future.
According to the latest Trafalgar polls, Trump is already slightly ahead or tied Biden in all battleground States. It is important to note that the polls have started tightening. Between now and the election, the Undecides approximately 10% will influence. I have noticed the mainstream media and Realclear Politics Average have been ignoring Trafalgar Group polls because they seem to tell the truth favoring Trump.
In this era of a deeply and evenly divided electorate, presidential campaigns tend to be won in the margins, not in landslides. And in recent days, each presidential campaign has shown where it hopes to get a bit of a marginal advantage.
In the last seven presidential elections, the winner’s share of the popular vote nationally has been 46%, 51%, 53%, 51%, 48%, 49% and 43%. Although Biden appears to hold a comfortable lead over Trump in national polls at the moment, recent history says there is ample reason to think the race will tighten in the remaining six weeks, and ultimately be decided by the outcome in a few closely divided swing states.
The Trump campaign senses an opening with Hispanics. Biden will almost certainly win the Hispanic vote overall, but Republicans think Trump can cut into that advantage. Last week Trump was in Arizona for a roundtable with Hispanic voters.
Biden is playing for some of the blue-collar vote Hillary Clinton lost four years ago. So Biden held a town hall with voters in Scranton, PA, and declared there that this is “a campaign between Scranton and Park Avenue.”
The Biden campaign is worried about the level of Black enthusiasm. Biden will win the Black vote by a wide margin, but lackluster turnout in some places cost Clinton the election. Now, the Trump campaign is making a play specifically for more votes among Black men. In response, Kamala Harris has campaigned in recent days in minority communities in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Florida.
ARIZONA and MINNESOTA
Arizona and Minnesota are in the sights of both parties. Florida probably is the most important state this year, and both candidates have hit it in recent days. But in a close race, flipping just one state from Democratic blue to Republican red, or vice versa, could be decisive. Travel by the presidential and vice-presidential candidates to Arizona and Minnesota shows those are the states that fall most directly into that category. The Biden campaign thinks it could turn Arizona blue for the first time since 1996, and the Trump campaign is aiming to flip Minnesota red for the first time since 1972.
FOLLOWING STATISTICS SHOW HOW RAZOR THIN WAS TRUMP’S WIN IN 2016
CLINTON TRUMP
Arizona 45.13 46.67
Florida 47.82 49.02
Maine 2 40.98 51.26
Maine 1 47.27 47.50
Minnesota 46.44 44.92
North Carolina 46.17 49.83
Ohio 43.56 51.69
Pennsylvania 47.46 48.18
Wisconsin 46.45 47.22
New Hampshire 46.98 46.61
Nevada 47.50 45.98
COLOR
White 39 54 Total 74%
Black 91 6 10%
Latinos 66 28 10%
FINAL 2016 VOTE: 48.2 46.1
Clinton led by 2.01 points nationally
After having botched the entire news coverage of the 2016 election, where all the ‘experts’ repeatedly told the American public that Trump had little to no chance of being the Republican nominee and even less a chance of being elected President, corporate media is back at it again, insisting all is well with the Biden campaign and the Democrats are safely on cruise control to take the White House and the Senate.
This race is effectively tied today, Trump has momentum and enthusiasm, and Biden is going to have to campaign hard, energize his voters, and earn it if he hopes to unseat the incumbent.
(Ven Parameswaran, Chairman, Asian American Republican Committee (founded 1988) lives in Scarsdale, NY. He can be reached at vpwaren@gmail.com)
Kamala Harris’ historic nomination, Modi-Trump rallies give political clout to Indian origin voters
WASHINGTON (TIP): Despite a significant shift towards President Donald Trump, two thirds of Indian Americans, who have emerged as an influential voting bloc in “battleground” states, currently favor his Democratic challenger, according to a new survey.
While only 28 percent favor Trump for the 2020 presidential election, it marks a significant 12 point uptick in his support since 2016 when only 16 percent voted for Trump as against 77 percent for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Both Democratic and Republican parties are reaching out to the increasingly influential voting bloc of Indian Americans for the 2020 presidential election, according to Indiaspora and AAPI Data’s joint survey.
High turnout by Indian Americans could make a huge difference in this election given senator Kamala Harris’s historic vice-presidential nomination, as well as highly publicized rallies that Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held together, it says.
Indiaspora is a nonpartisan community organization, while AAPI Data, records demographics and policy developments relating to Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
Their joint survey documents the strengthening political power of the Indian American electorate in the US due to factors such as their rapidly growing population and increased political participation.
“With increased attention being paid to the Indian American vote given our growing numbers, increasing political contributions and overall political engagement, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the issues that really matter to Indian American voters,” said MR Rangaswami, founder of Indiaspora.
The report, which has survey results of 260 Asian Indian registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, found that some of the issues at the top of the list for Indian Americans in this election included education, jobs and economy, health care, and the environment.
The report also chronicles the rise of the Indian American electorate as one of the fastest growing minority groups in the US, with significant numbers in “battleground” states.
“Indian Americans are positioned to make a difference in several swing states that may be close in this election, such as Florida (87,000), Pennsylvania (61,000), Georgia (57,000), Michigan (45,000), and North Carolina (36,000), and perhaps even Texas, which has 160,000 Indian-American voters,” said Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan, professor of public policy and political science at UC Riverside, and founder of AAPI Data.
“Given Senator Kamala Harris’s historic vice-presidential nomination, as well as highly publicized rallies that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi held together, high turnout could make a huge difference in this election.”
Currently, there are 1.8 million Indian Americans in the US who are eligible voters. About 310,000 Indian green card holders remain in a backlog for citizenship as of 2019, and another 310,000 Indian residents in the US are in a backlog to obtain their green cards.
In addition, Indian American political engagement extended to several areas, with a fifth of Indian American registered voters saying they contacted their representative or government official in the US this year.
As many as 74 percent had discussed politics with family and friends, and a quarter of those surveyed had donated to a candidate, political party or campaign this year.
By the end of June 2020, Indian Americans had donated at least $3 million to 2020 presidential campaigns.
As many as 54 percent of Indian Americans identified as Democrats, 16 percent as Republicans, and 24 percent as Independents.
In 2016, 46 percent of Indian American voters identified as Democrat, 35 percent were Independent or Other, and 19 percent identified as Republican.
Both Democratic and Republican parties have conducted outreach to Indian Americans in this election, with 56 percent of Indian American registered voters surveyed saying they had been contacted by the Democratic party in the past year, and 48 percent saying they had been contacted by the Republican party.
This is a marked increase from 2016, when only 31 percent of Indian Americans said they had been contacted by a political party, compared to 44 percent of White voters and 42 percent of Black voters.
In addition, several hundred Indian American candidates also are running for office in record numbers at federal, state and local levels.
“Given the Indian diaspora’s increasing political importance in the US, it’s no surprise they are being courted by both sides of the aisle,” said Rangaswami.
“It’s great that both major political parties have begun to realize just how critical it is to reach out to Indian Americans – our impact is only going to increase over time.
WASHINGTON (TIP): Indian-American Muslims and Sikhs here have hailed the selection of Senator Kamala Harris as the Democratic party’s vice-presidential candidate, calling it a remarkable success for the entire community.
Democratic party’s presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday, August 11, picked Ms Harris as his running mate, recognizing the crucial role Black voters could play in his determined bid to defeat President Donald Trump in the US presidential election.
The 55-year-old California senator, whose father is from Jamaica and mother an Indian, becomes just the third woman to be selected as the vice president on a major party ticket. Then-Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in 2008 and New York Representative Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 were the other two.
In a statement, the Association of Indian Muslims of America (AIM) congratulated Ms Harris on her nomination and lauded the Indian-American community for its extraordinary success in the face of tough competition in US in just about five decades.
Kaleem Kawaja, the executive director of AIM, expressed joy at the remarkable high success of a second generation Indian-American in becoming a candidate for the second highest public office in America.
Kamala Harris is the daughter of Prof Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer biologist, who was from Chennai, India, and had emigrated to US in 1965.
Welcoming the addition of Ms Harris to the Democratic presidential ticket, Dr Rajwant Singh, chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education and Senior Adviser to National Sikh Campaign, said that it is a great step for such as major party to add someone from the minorities for the national office in America.
“It means a great to deal to blacks, women and to all immigrants,” he said.
“We are thankful to both Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for reminding Americans about the 8th anniversary of the shooting at Sikh Gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, just a few days ago. We need more of our political leaders to be forthcoming on these critical issues of gun violence and hate crimes facing America,” Dr Singh said.
Ms Harris being on the national ticket opens the door for many people from all minority communities to aspire to lead this great nation, Dr Singh added.
In 2017, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as a United States Senator for California, the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in history. She serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget.
The Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden has selected as his running mate for VP, Senator Kamala D. Harris who is of Indian origin (her mother is a Tamilian). Fathered by a black Jamaican, Kamala is black.
The Indian Panorama decided to have the view of readers on her selection as a candidate for the second highest office of the most powerful nation in the world.
It is a mixed bag of approval and disapproval.
Here is what the readers said.
New Jersey based senior journalist Ashok Ojha
“A proud moment awaits all Indian-Americans who might see Democratic candidates, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as the winners in the November election. Should they win we will see Kamala Harris, a woman of color and of Indian origin, as the Vice President of USA. If it happens it would be the first time in the history of USA.
The majority of Indian-Americans are of progressive bend that aligns with the personality of Kamala. For this reason alone, majority of Indian Americans may vote for Democrats in the forthcoming presidential election.
Senator Kamala currently serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget. She possesses all the experiences needed to function as the Vice-President of USA. She has the experience working as a top law enforcement officer since 2003 as California’s Attorney General.
I wish to see Kamala elected as she possesses the kind of character it requires to stand up to the powerful. She resolved to spend her life advocating for those who could not defend themselves.
As the VP of the most powerful nation of the world I expect her to be fair and objective while dealing with India. It would be up to the Indian leader to take advantage of the Vice-Presidential office where someone of Indian origin would be sitting.”
Community activist , Long Island based Real Estate broker Anu Jain
“Kamala Harris is the best choice in the era of Black Lives Matter. As the daughter of immigrants who came to this country as students and became civil rights activists, she is a woman of diversity at a time when we need diverse voices in leadership. Because of her background she understands the tapestry of America. Her experiences and past will inspire Americans.
By selecting Harris, Biden has most definitely made history. As the first Black and first Indian American woman on a national ticket, she is going to be transformational and will energize the base. And, if they win, she will help change the view of women in politics forever. But this election is about one, and only one, person — Donald Trump. Harris’ selection has definitely put Trump’s campaign in a hard spot.”
Morgantown, WV based eminent ophthalmologist Dr. VK Raju
“Yes, we are proud and elated that Kamala Harris is selected to the vice-presidential ticket of the democratic party.
It’s an honor for every one of us. It is a historical and an outstanding achievement and The American dream is quite alive!
In spite of her extraordinary busy schedule, she has written two non-fiction books and one children’s book.
She is tough and tender which is a rare and exceptional quality.
On the other hand, we will be even prouder if we clean up Mata River Ganga. (like they did river Thames.) Today, river Thames is the cleanest river that flows through a major city. This was a major accomplishment considering that fifty years ago, the river was so polluted that it was declared biologically dead. May I add, we will be profoundly proud when we change the life of a young girl in India. Band aid changes will not do; real implementation of the promises of the leaders in public is needed. Then, sky is the limit for India!”
Washington DC based Community activist and promoter of pluralism Mike Ghouse
“Congratulations to Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and the Democratic Party for selecting the right candidate. Biden made his first right decision by selecting Kamala Harris as his running mate. She will be one of the best VP’s America ever had.
Kamala will change the role of Vice-presidency and be more active in domestic politics, and most certainly, she will not be a docile poodle like Pence. Kamala will stand her ground; we needed a VP who can say no to the president; she will be the one.
Is there an Indian who has not read about Kamala Harris? I have lapped up everything that came across about Kamala. She makes us proud of being an Indian American, she and our Indian American Congressmen give us hope and are the role models for the next generation.
Sen. Harris is progressive and inclusive. She will not buy into the prejudices that hold the nation back. Her intellectualism is a breath of fresh air; indeed, it is worth watching her grill Judge Bret Kavanaugh and attorney general nominee William Barr.
She is the perfect candidate for Vice-president and I will be voting for her and possibly campaign, as I did for Obama. By the way, I am an independent voter.
I have run into her several times in the Hart Senate Building, and her office is the first office as you enter the building. I have given her my book American Muslim Agenda, a book about building a cohesive America.
One of the questions that haunt me is to find out if Kamala Harris had faced exclusion from the Indian American community while growing up, as her father was black. Indian Americans are still struggling with racism, casteism, and prejudices.
Kamala Harris will undoubtedly work for stronger ties with India, provided Modi Bhai gets his act together. She will not tolerate Modi’s hatred for fellow Indians who are Christians and Muslims.
The blind Modi Worshippers will work hard for Trump as their racism aligns with Trumps’. The Good news is they are a few of them, and it will not make a dent.
Kamala owes an apology to the Sikh community for how she opposed the Turbans in the police force while she was the Attorney General of California.
I am not voting for Kamala, because she is of Indian Origin, I have been a fan of hers since I watched her grill Kavanaugh and Barr. She will be a great vice-President.”
New Jersey based businessman and a community activist Dave Makkar
“Kamala Harris has created history by being the 3rd woman , 1st Black & 1st Indian American to be running for Vice President of America. Being an American, I am proud of my country that after electing its first Black President in 2008 we are definitely moving beyond race, religion & gender.
Then as an Indian American, I have mixed feelings for Kamala’s candidacy. She always claims that she & her sister were raised by her mother, who was from India, as Black. That’s the most admirable thing about her for identifying herself with both cultures. The most disturbing well-known fact about her that she used her sexuality to ride to the top in politics. An unfair means to grab power. I don’t care about her sexual preferences but it is unethical & unfair just like the use of money or muscle power to grab power. Lot of male politicians had affairs and mistresses but they never used it to ride to the top. Fair competition is the foundations of democracy. If women rise to the top by sleeping with people in power the democratic system will no longer be supported by people of talent and principles. Such people are flash only with no substance and lack ideological compass. Use of money power, muscle power or sexuality in politics is worst for a country & its citizen. Live example is the plight of Indians currently ruled by politicians with flash only, no substance and total lack of ideological compass. They gained power by using muscle power, money power and religion.
Kamala being an opportunist lacks political ideology, always combine her flash with her killer political instinct. She adopted Bernie Sander’s policies to claim she believes in progressive left policies and then abandoned him to claim she is a moderate when she ran for President!. Even before the first vote was cast for primaries; she abandoned her bid for President after major flip flops in debates. Her flip flops, low poll numbers & even rock bottom Black votes during primaries will be a drag on Biden. Biden who is famous for his gaffes for over 4 decades in Washington; lately his gaffes have become a serious matter of concern about his health. If elected he will be of Regan’s age when he left office. That is a matter of grave concerns; Kamala with hardly any political ideology and stamina for political fights that she can take over as President if the need arises. So the voters should keep all these things in their mind when they will vote to Elect the President of the most cherished and powerful democracy in the world; United States of America!”
Long Island, New York based political analyst and commentator Vibhuti Jha
“Congratulations to Senator Kamala Harris for her nomination to Mr. Biden’s ticket for the position of the Vice President. It’s proverbially known as a position that is a heartbeat away from Presidency! No VP candidate has drawn bigger attention as she has done and there are good reasons to analyze in that regard. She will give a much-needed flamboyance to the Biden campaign and as a former Attorney General of California she brings with her an enormous ability to argue a position as anyone can do. She is the best of all available option except perhaps for Ms. Warren, perhaps.
That said , we Indians need not go mushy or sentimental or emotional about her “Indian” heritage ! She is not an ABCD since she carefully crafted her future as a black woman and her entire political career is woven around the identity of her black color. Her mother is a Tamil Brahmin and that’s where her things Indian ends. What we must bear in mind relates to her position on matters relating to India and that is not a positive given her past statements against laws passed in Indian parliament with overwhelming mandate.
In any case , the position of Vice President is vital in this election given Mr. Biden is almost 78 and thus the VP has to be battle ready from day one. I am of the opinion , that since Mr. Biden is a one term President, he might choose to step down ( for a variety of reasons) mid-way to pave way for the first ever ascent to the Presidency by a woman in America! Highly probable !
Mr. Biden will lose or win based entirely on his performance! His policy pronouncements have been remarkably anti-India and thus , Indians would do well to vote Trump whose policies have been truly pro India. For the first ever time , US and India have taken joint action to hit China for its Wuhan virus and border attacks by banning Chinese app makers. The battle has just begun. Democrats , Biden and his son have had murky financial equations with China !
Beware Indians of the Democrats in this 2020 elections. Do nothing that hurts our country of origin !”
Dr. A. D. Amar , President, Indian-Americans for Trump
“The Kamala Harris selection by Biden to be his running mate has a lot of significance for the Indian-Americans, some positive, some negative. It will excite many Indian-Americans. This is the closest India has come to the Oval Office. With Biden being 77-year old and she 55, there is a very good chance that she could be the president during Biden’s first term, if there is a Biden win.
However, there is a lot of negative in the Indian-Americans for her. Until she was contesting for the President, during the Democratic primary season, she had not associated herself with the Indian-American population. That is why, at a debate podium, questions were raised to her about her being of Indian heritage and hiding it. That opened this issue for her. Several reporters, since, asked her openly about her not espousing her Indian descent. It was only then that she accepted her Indian blood.
I am sure this question will come to haunt her during the presidential campaign. Both Indian-Americans and the Trump-supporting reporters will not let it die. No matter what, this lack of her association with her Indian heritage will have some negative effect on the Indian-American votes for Biden.
This election cycle, the Indian-Americans for Trump has been expecting a big turnout of the Indian-Americans for Trump, some of which will be dampened. Nevertheless, Harris’ selection by Biden will send negative vibes among the black voters. While many of them may not vote for Trump, the lack of enthusiasm for the Biden-Harris ticket will keep them home on the election day.
Nevertheless, Trump will still win hands down. The Indian Americans for Trump will make sure of it.”
Queens, New York based community and political activist Malini Shah
“Kamala Harris is the right choice and would make a great Vice President .She brings with her stability, steadiness and diversity .Very experience and fights for rights of all communities.”
Long Island, New York based veteran community leader Indu Jaiswal
“ I am extremely delighted that Kamala Harris has been nominated by the Democratic Party for Vice President Position. She is of Indian Origin. Hence , she makes all proud. She is a good choice. Wishing her all the best.”
WASHINGTON (TIP): Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic party’s vice-presidential nominee, has said that once elected the Joe Biden administration will create millions of jobs, fight climate change and build an affordable care act among various other strong initiatives for the welfare of Americans.
Hitting hard on the three and half years of the Trump administration during her first appearance after being picked as the vice-presidential nominee of the Democratic party on Tuesday, Harris, 55, presented a long list of missteps taken by the current US government.
“As Biden-Harris Administration, we will create millions of jobs and fight climate change through a clean energy revolution, bring back critical supply chains so the future is made in America, build on the Affordable Care Act so everyone has the peace of mind that comes with health insurance, and finally offer caregivers the dignity, the respect, and the pay they deserve,” she said.
“We’ll protect a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own body, root out systemic racism in our justice system, and pass a new Voting Rights Act, a John Lewis Voting Rights Act, that will ensure every voice is heard and every voice is counted,” Harris added.
During her speech alongside Biden, Harris said the case of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence is open and she has worked every day to hold the officials accountable to the American people.
“Let me tell you, as somebody who has presented my fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut,” said Harris.
“And the people are who Joe and I will fight for every day in the White House,” she said.
During the speech, she mentioned a lot of sectors where the current administration has created a complete mess.
“Just look where they’ve gotten us. More than 16 million out of work, millions of kids who cannot go back to school, a crisis of poverty, of homelessness afflicting black, brown, and indigenous people the most, a crisis of hunger afflicting one in five mothers, who have children that are hungry, and tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short, many with loved ones who never got the chance to say goodbye,” she said.
“It didn’t have to be this way. Six years ago, in fact, we had a different health crisis. It was called Ebola. And we all remember that pandemic. But you know what happened then? Barack Obama and Joe Biden did their job. Only two people in the United States died, two,” Harris said.
That is what’s called leadership, she told the audience.
“But compare that to the moment we find ourselves in now. When other countries are following the science, Trump pushed miracle cures he saw on Fox News. While other countries were flattening the curve, he said the virus would just, poof, go away like a miracle,” she alleged.
She said it was due to the fault of the Trump administration that the US had to shut down various of its regions again while other countries were opening up.
“So when other countries open back up for business what did we do? We had to shut down again. This virus has impacted almost every country, but there’s a reason it has hit America worse than any other advanced nation,” she said.
Harris alleged that it is because of Trump’s failure to take it seriously from the start.
“His refusal to get testing up and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks, his delusional belief that he knows better than the experts. All of that is the reason, and the reason that an American dies of COVID-19 every 80 seconds,” she said.
“It’s why countless businesses have had to shut their doors for good. It’s why there is complete chaos over when and how to reopen our schools. Mothers and fathers are confused and uncertain and angry about childcare, and the safety of their kids at school, whether they’ll be in danger if they go or fall behind if they don’t. Trump is also the reason millions of Americans are now unemployed. He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” she said.
Harris said that this is what happens when one elects a person “who just isn’t up for the job”.
“Our country ends up in tatters, and so does our reputation around the world. But let’s be clear. This election isn’t just about defeating Donald Trump or Mike Pence. It’s about building this country back better, and that’s exactly what Joe and I will do,” she said.
She said the Biden-Harris administration will ensure equality for the people of America.
“The civil rights struggle is nothing new to Joe. It’s why he got into public service. It’s why he helped reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and restore unemployment discrimination–and employment discrimination laws. And today, he takes his place in the ongoing story of America’s march toward equality and justice as only–as the only, as the only who has served alongside the first black president and has chosen the first black woman as his running mate,” Harris said.
WASHINGTON (TIP): As COVID-19 infections continue to surge across America and nearly 30 states impose public mask-wearing requirements, Indian American Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and over three dozen of their Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House introduced lifesaving legislation July 28 to manufacture and distribute high-quality, reusable masks to everyone in America.
“If we can afford a $740 billion defense budget, we can afford to send every American a face mask,” said Rep. Khanna. “We are the wealthiest country on earth, yet our health care workers are still facing a shortage of N-95s, our essential workers are having to purchase their own protective face masks, and far too many vulnerable Americans are being left to figure out how to procure this basic need. Congress has a responsibility to step up where the White House has abdicated its responsibility and ensure every family has the equipment, they need to stay safe. If we’re asking folks to wear a mask, which is absolutely essential, it’s on us to provide one.”
“We are the only high-income country in the world where infections and deaths are skyrocketing instead of falling. Nearly 150,000 are dead and 1,000 more are dying every day. That is an absolute scandal,” said Sen. Sanders. “Dozens of my colleagues and I are proposing that we do what our public health experts and scientists say we must do. This is not a political or partisan issue. Providing all of our people with high-quality, reusable masks without cost could save tens of thousands of lives and avoid hundreds of billions of dollars in economic harm.”
According to one estimate, widespread mask wearing could save over 40,000 American lives by November 1, while another analysis predicted $1 trillion in the economic benefits of mask wearing through avoidance of strict lockdown measures. In questioning by Sanders at a recent Senate hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci voiced his support for the proposal, echoing the consensus of the medical community. “There’s no doubt that wearing masks protects you and gets you to be protected. So it’s people protecting each other,” Fauci said. “Anything that furthers the use of masks, whether it is giving out free masks or any other mechanism, I am thoroughly in favor of.”
This proposal, developed in consultation with health experts including Andy Slavitt, the former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services under President Obama, would use the United States Postal Service to distribute three free, reusable masks to every person in the country, including individuals who are experiencing homelessness or living in group settings such as prisons, shelters, college dorms, and assisted living facilities.
Trump also said he would not trust results of an election that included widespread mail voting
WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Donald Trump on Thursday, July 30, raised the possibility of delaying the nation’s November 3 presidential election, though the Constitution bestows that power on Congress, not the president.
The move drew immediate objections from Democrats and it was not clear whether Trump was serious.
Trump also said he would not trust the results of an election that included widespread mail voting—a measure that many election observers see as critical given the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, without evidence, repeated his claims of mail-in voter fraud and raised the question of a delay, tweeting: “delay the election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
Trump’s tweet came shortly after the United States reported its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression: a second-quarter crash in gross domestic product due to widespread shutdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump, who is trailing challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden in opinion polls, had previously intended to focus his re-election bid on the nation’s economic performance.
Trump had previously suggested he would not trust election results—complaints similar to those he raised going into the runup to the 2016 election—but had not so directly suggested changing the November 3 date.
Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the Reuter report says.
Trump has cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, which have been used in far greater numbers in primary elections amid the pandemic.
He has also made unsubstantiated allegations that voting will be rigged and has refused to say he would accept official election results if he lost.
Democrats, including Biden, have already begun preparations to protect voters and the election amid fears that Trump will try to interfere with the November election.
“A sitting president is peddling lies and suggesting delaying the election to keep himself in power,” Democratic Representative Dan Kildee wrote on Twitter.
“Don’t let it happen. Every American — Republican, Independent and Democrat — should be speaking out against this President’s lawlessness and complete disregard of the Constitution.”
US Senator Tom Udall, also a Democrat, said, “There is no way @POTUS can delay the election. We shouldn’t let him distract us from his #COVID19 incompetence.”
Nonpartisan US election analyst Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia said the tweet seemed to follow Trump’s typical approach of trying to distract voters from bad news.
“Trump suggesting delaying the election (he can’t do this w/o congressional approval) seems to be one of his more obvious attempts to change the subject given this morning’s wretched GDP numbers,” Kondik wrote on Twitter.
Attorney General William Barr was asked in congressional testimony earlier this week whether Trump could change the election date: “I’ve never been asked the question before. I’ve never looked into it.”
Barr also testified that to his knowledge, a sitting president cannot contest the results of an election if the vote tallies are clear.
(Source: Reuters)
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