To make it, you don’t need to know who has the most authoritative demeanor. Or who is leading in the polls, who is the most likable, comely, has the best smile, has a mellifluous voice, makes promises that sound sooooooo good, is a darn good BS artist, or has the most money.
Instead, which one is best suited, educated, and qualified? And at the same time is the one who is physically and mentally able to serve our country and lead the free world for a full four year term?
Now, those are tough standards. But they MUST be met.
And to help you decide wisely, first, the Sage will list the viable candidates (those with a seeming chance) along with terse facts about each.
Then, he’ll specify some ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL ATTRIBUTES that every ELECTED president should possess. And Sage will offer reasoning why they’re so necessary. It will be logic that’s rooted in reality and plain common sense.
Following this screening, we’ll see who makes the cut.
And hopefully, considering today’s dire situation in the oval office, for our country’s safety and that of the world, this person will be nominated and elected president.
OK, let’s get with it.
CANDIDATES NOW LEADING
In no certain order, they are: Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren. That’s four men and one woman.
Two of them, Bloomberg and Buttigieg, are new kids on the block. So, for those not yet adequately familiar with them, let’s cover them first:
1. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
Mike is a billionaire. And per some press reports, the sky is the limit as to what he intends to spend in advertising to get elected. Some speculate as much as a billion dollars.
And since his announcement, November 24, 2019, that he’s in the race, he’s been flooding TV markets with ads.
Born: February 14, 1942. If elected, in his first term he would turn 80 and be the oldest president in history.
Party: Democrat
Education: B.S in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Co-founder and majority owner of Bloomberg L.P., a global financial entity.
Considered 9th richest person in US and world’s 14th wealthiest.
Mayor of New York City, 2002 to 2013.
Married Susan Brown in 1975 and divorced her in 1993.
Has two daughters, Emma, and Georgiana.
Since 2000, has lived with a partner, Diana Taylor.
2. PETE BUTTIGIEG
Pete’s quick facts are:
Born: January 19, 1982.
Party: Democrat
Education: Harvard College (2004), Harvard University, Pembroke College (2007)
Since 2012, mayor of South Bend, Indiana (population 102,245).
Married.
3. BERNIE SANDERS
Bernie’s quick facts:
Born: September 8, 1941. If elected, 8 months following inauguration, he’ll turn 80 and be oldest president in history.
Party: Sometimes in campaigning he’s said he’s an independent. But other times he’s claimed he’s a Democrat. So, it’s not clear what he really is.
Education: University of Chicago, Bachelor of Arts Political Science, 1964.
Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1981–1989).
U.S. Representative from Vermont's at-large congressional district (1991–2007).
U.S. Senator from Vermont (2007–present).
In 1988, married Jane O'Meara.
He and a former girlfriend, Susan Campbell Mott, have a son, Levi Sanders, born: March 21, 1969.
4. JOE BIDEN
Joe’s quick facts:
Born: November 20, 1942. If elected, in his first term he would turn 80 and be oldest president in history.
Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Delaware, J.D., College of Law - Syracuse University.
Spouses: Jill Biden (m. 1977), Neilia Hunter (m. 1966–died 1972).
Children: Hunter Biden, Beau Biden, Ashley Biden, Naomi Biden.
Represented Delaware in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009.
Served as the 47th vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017.
5. ELIZABETH WARREN
Quick facts about her:
Born June 14, 1949.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology and Audiology from the University of Houston, 1970, J.D., Rutgers University, 1976.
From 1977 through 1978, taught law, Rutgers University.
From 1978 to 1983, taught law, University of Houston Law Center.
From 1983 to 1987, Professor of Law, University of Texas.
From 1987 to 1995, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania
From 1995 to 2012, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School.
U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, 2012 to present.
Elizabeth is married.
She has two children and three grandchildren.
Ok, let’s get down to brass tacks:
In the democratic primaries, when selecting a candidate for November’s election, listed below are three absolutely essential attributes that an elected president should have.
That said, keep in mind that candidates who know they don’t possess one of them, if questioned about it, will attempt to downplay its need.
But when all is said and done, there are NO EXCEPTIONS to these 3 requisites. They’re musts for America’s elected president to be.
Sage suggests you write them down and have them handy as you listen to candidates. This way these musts will be constantly front burner for you. You won’t get distracted by smooth talking.
1. NOT OLDER THAN 79 DURING TERM
The Constitution has no age limit for a president. And it’s understandable why it doesn’t. In those days, there really was no need for one. This is in drastic contrast to today’s world of much longer life spans, medical knowledge, nuclear dynamics, plus America’s position as leader of the free world. Moreover, the Framers likely didn’t want to impede a possible line of succession in case of deaths.
As to life spans, in the 1700s, most people would not make it much beyond their 50s or 60s. So, the Framers weren’t concerned about someone being too old to serve as president.
Furthermore, Alzheimer’s disease was unknown. And even if it had been, considering the life spans of those days, its incidence would have been inconsequential.
But needless to say, this 21st century is a vastly different story. And all persons in their 80s, become vulnerable to not only Alzheimer’s, but to a general deterioration or degeneration of their overall physical condition and mental acuity.
Sadly, this is harsh reality! We don’t even like to talk about it. But we cannot run away from it.
Hence, as mentioned, since today’s president is the leader of the free world, with nuclear discretion that potentially could destroy part or all of this planet, the stakes are enormously high.
Indeed, they’re astronomically different than when the Framers were calling the shots. So, today, we have to be so cautious about the age of anyone we elect as president.
And again, that means a person who at anytime during a term would be in his or her 80s, should not be elected.
Yes, absolutely, at some point, age-wise, society has to draw a line.
One excellent example is airline pilots. In the US, for the public’s safety, they can’t be over 64. Without objection, we readily accept this. After all, it directly affects our personal safety, safeguards lives. So, when we board planes, we subconsciously say thanks to whoever put that age limit in effect.
Though limiting presidents’ ages won’t affect our personal safety as directly as does the one for pilots, it clearly could safeguard lives on a worldly scale. So, as a matter of logic, candidates’ ambitions and egos aside, we should accept such a limit as readily as we do the one for pilots.
Indeed, we must face reality: If presidents are too old, as mentioned they could become impaired by dementia or Alzheimer’s. And this could make them use poor or questionable judgment that might have cataclysmic, disastrous effects on the world. So just like we don’t want pilots 65 or older at the controls of our planes, we don’t want over 79 presidents making nuclear decisions or sending our young people into wars.
Keep in mind how many lives we lost in Iraq, and those it has cost us so far in Afghanistan, our longest war in history; almost 20 years now. Ugh!
Now, if next, I’m being repetitive, I ask you to cut me slack. But this age limit is such a crucial thing for our country. So, I say again, medical data clearly shows that when we hit our 80s most of us start to go down hill, both physically and mentally.
And for many of us, dementia then sets in. Or worse yet, it’s when Alzheimer’s incidences MORE THAN DOUBLE. And to date, there’s no stopping it.
2. LEGAL EDUCATION
Also, in the primaries, the candidate we nominate should be legally educated. Such a person will be far more capable of serving the needs of the presidency, which often can involve matters of law.
And who do you think has provided some rather convincing evidence why this is so true? Well, of all people, it’s Trump, himself. And he doesn’t have a law degree.
On Twitter of all places, off the top of his head he has been routinely and repeatedly making legal judgments or statements that he’s not competent to make.
He dogmatically talks like he’s a “Philadelphia lawyer,” (a supposedly, exceptionally competent attorney), or a “legal eagle, know-it-all.”
In fact, at times, if you didn’t know better, by the way he talks, you’d think he's robed in Supreme Court black. And he’s sitting next to Chief Justice John Roberts. His statements sometimes are so inappropriate, improper for a non-lawyer, they’re laughable.
Of course, theoretically, for legal matters, a president always will have numerous lawyers on staff to consult. So, you’d think there is no need for the president to make legal decisions.
But practicalities sometimes dictate otherwise. A president, as head of the executive branch of our government, often is pressured for instant solutions to touchy issues.
And they frequently can have legal implications. Postponing them to check with legal counsel sounds good on paper. But that’s not always real-world possible.
Now, one might think that our Framers overlooked this. That they should have made being an attorney a constitutional requirement for the office. Well, because of succession-needs in case of deaths, the Framers didn’t go that far.
For example, let’s imagine many years ago when our secret service was far from what it is today, say some fanatic catches the president and the VP in a meeting in the oval office. And in a split second, this fiend assassinates them both. So, the Speaker of the House then becomes president.
(Forgive me for using such a brutal example. But it’s illustrative.)
The Speaker, however, might not have a legal degree. That’s the kind of situation the Framers likely wanted to avoid by not having the Constitution require a president to be an attorney.
But today, in nominating and electing presidents, what with our just about impregnable modern secret service system, we don’t have those same risks. But we do have a monumental need to elect the best qualified president we can. And that means he or she should be legally educated. So, that need of today has a much higher priority than that succession concern of many years ago.
Finally, summing up this common sense requisite, are these terse words about Trump from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg: “He’s not a lawyer.”
That pithy comment says it all as to why voters should enforce this requisite for an elected president.
3. NO KNOWN IMPAIRMENT
As a matter of basic common sense, in primaries, as well as the election, voters should not choose any candidate who is impaired. That is, they should not vote for anyone who has a known health problem, mental or physical, that could obstruct, impede, or negatively affect performance.
This is because our presidents have probably the most demanding, pressured job in the world. So, top physical and mental health is an absolute must. More on this critical requisite follows.
Ok, so, there you have the three absolutely essential attributes that an elected president should have.
So, how does each of the five potential nominees measure up? And who makes the cut for all three? Let’s take the candidates one by one;
1. PETE BUTTIGIEG
In sum, Pete does not pass muster as a nominee, because:
Being only 37 years of age, he lacks sufficient experience in life to become the leader of the free world. Being mayor of a 102,245 city for 7 years or so is just not enough to pass muster in this regard.
He lacks a legal education.
2. JOE BIDEN
For one thing alone, Joe clearly is not acceptable as a nominee: It’s that 1942 date on his birth certificate. That does him in. About 22 months into a term, he would enter his 80s. And as mentioned above, it’s then that dementia and Alzheimer’s doubled incidences, beset many people.
As to whom this will happen, and whom it will not, CANNOT be foreseen.
So, for Joe to guarantee/assure America that he’d be immune to this menace, is out of the question. Impossible to say.
So, what he’s doing is asking his country to gamble on him. And with the nuclear discretion that a 21st century American president has, this would be an incredibly unreasonable risk for this country to take.
Notwithstanding, if Joe is nominated, Trump surely will repeatedly shout to the rooftops, "Joe, you're too damn old." And that along with Trump over and over citing dementia’s and Alzheimer's gory details and threats, likely will get us another four years of Trump.
In fact, some Trump supporters are claiming Biden has already shown signs of dementia. There’s a video of him at a December meeting, wherein he says, “Here, in Iowa. . . . ” But the meeting is in New Hampshire.
Hello? Joe?
They further claim, that in October, Biden thought he was in Vermont, when he was in New Hampshire. And in November he thought he was in Ohio, when he was in Iowa.
Hello, again? Joe?
Then there was Biden’s conduct at an Iowa meeting. A video shows him taking to the mat an 83 old retired farmer. The man claimed Biden and his son had been involved in corrupt conduct. But instead of responding in a presidential manner like, “Sir, you’re wrong, that’s not true,” Biden heatedly called the man “a damn liar.”
Then, when the man told Biden he was too old to serve as president, Biden challenged him to a push-up contest and an IQ test. He was implying that if he could win such contests, it would show that as president, he would be immune to physical and mental degeneration.
Nonsense.
And to really top things off why Biden, in addition to being too old, is a poor choice, is that many think and have long thought he’s really a republican clothed as a democrat.
That these people are right really showed in 2005. This was when Biden was the only democratic senator who voted with the republicans and helped enact the punitive bankruptcy law we have today.
It’s a law that in essence deprives financially destitute people the right to start their lives anew debt free. Until then, this could be done under bankruptcy law. But today’s law lets credit card companies, banks, hospitals, creditors in general continue to drain blood money from oppressed poor souls. They have to make payments.
Again, thanks to Biden and the republicans.
Then, as further proof that despite his label, he’s truly a republican at heart, on December 30, he dropped a bombshell. He astonishingly said, he’d consider naming a republican as his running mate.
Wow!
Now, normally, having a president and a vice president of opposite parties is just not the way to go. The two should be on the same page as to issues and goals. That’s so if the president dies or is incapacitated, his VP would carry out his policies.
But what Biden is considering would be no problem. Why not? Well, because, again, at heart he’s a republican. So, he and a republican VP would share the same issues and goals.
Thus, in his December 30 statement, Biden showed his hand. And he likely did so to get urgently needed funding from huge republican donors.
Though, he’s always been a consummate, banal politician, who panders to everyone, this time, he was astonishingly open about it.
Nonetheless, it’s proof that he wears two hats. Yes, to get elected in Delaware, a traditional democratic state, he has to have a democratic label. But at the same time, he still has to please all those rich republican Delaware corporations.
So, for years and years, he’s been a master at wearing two hats and going undetected. But no more. We now know where he stands.
Bottom line: The last thing the democratic party should do is nominate, Biden, a too-old-to safely serve candidate. And who is a republican at heart. But if the party does, no matter how the election turns out, Biden or Trump, America will have a republican president for another four years. And the Supreme Court will likely be under ultra-conservative dominance for decades to come.
Joe Biden is a flat out no no.
3. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
Mike, who is even older than Biden by 9 months or so, likewise is too old to be a safe, wise choice as a nominee.
Like Biden and Bernie, he can’t assure or guarantee America that he won’t enter a physical and cognitive decline that happens to so many people when they hit their 80s.
Hence, the question is, is it right for Mike to ask his country to roll the dice on him?
Nope, it’s not.
Only 13 months into a term, Mike would enter his 80s. And it’s then that dementia and Alzheimer’s doubled incidences, beset many people.
As to whom this will happen and to whom it will not, CANNOT be foreseen.
Notwithstanding, if Mike’s million dollar advertising blitz works, and he’s nominated, Trump surely will incessantly scream, "Mike, you're too damn old." He’ll shout that and over and over cite dementia’s and Alzheimer's gory details.
But in addition to the peril of having a president at such a risky age, there’s another bad down side in having another billionaire mogul as president.
Like Trump has, will Mike use the presidency to further his empire? Should we have presidents that could do that?
Absolutely not.
Well, Trump has shown how it can be done. In a nutshell, here’s what he did:
In seeming record time, 6 weeks, 8 days, in his first year (2017), he got rammed through Congress and enacted, history making legislation. It was a boon for his empire: In the main, it PERMANENTLY lowered the tax rate for corporations from 35% to 22%, substantially reduced individual rates for upper “2% ers,” and will strip health care from 15 million people.
Normally such complicated legislation with so much impact on the country would take months to get through Congress with all kinds of hearings and expert testimony to explain its intricacies and impact. But this bill, because of its lower rate for upper “2% ers,” and its fantastic rate for corporations, delighted republican legislators.
Most of them likely were "2% ers" and share holders of corporations. This made the bill’s passage a piece of cake for Trump.
In fact, not a single republican senator voted against the bill. This, despite that some of them had previously voiced opposition to heartlessly stripping people of health care.
Though this bill did exactly that, because it lined their pockets, they voted “Aye.”
Shame on them.
As to that passage time, the last major tax overhaul was during the Reagan administration in the 1980s. It took over two years to pass. There were dozens of hearings. Congress spent months and months researching, consulting tax experts, and voters.
Thus, all in all, that Trump 2017 feat shows the power, a president can weave. And Mike Bloomberg surely picked up on that.
That’s what likely persuaded him to invest millions and millions to become president.
And needless to say, Mike is no dummy. He’s shrewd and brilliant. But at the same time, he’s no altruist.
If he invests 100 to 500 million or more in something, he wants a return.
So, the question is, is this what Mike is doing, trying to buy the presidency? If so, and he succeeds, will he then follow Trump’s precedent of getting things out of the presidency to benefit his corporate empire?
To Sage, it sure looks that way.
It’s a potent danger or risk of electing moguls like Trump and Mike as presidents.
So, summing up Mike as a candidate, he should be rejected as a nominee because in essence he’s trying to buy the presidency, putting a price in the millions on a revered office. This degrades, disrespects it.
Plus, if he’s elected:
He would be in his 80s during most of a four year term. That’s too much of a gamble for this country to take; that he wouldn’t be afflicted with mental and physical deterioration, the type that besieges so many people in that age bracket.
His competence would be less than required, because he’s not legally educated.
Inappropriately, he would have substantial influence on or control of a major news agency, Bloomberg News, as to how his presidency would be covered and evaluated.
Like Trump has been, he would be in a position to use the executive branch of the government to gain benefits, advantages for his corporate empire.
In sum, Sage says, ignore Mike’s ads, because he’s a bad choice.
4. BERNIE SANDERS
First off, there’s a palpable, repulsive stench to Bernie’s campaign. It oozes from the fact that he’s staying in the race, campaigning, and conning millions from poor people, despite:
That he flunks ALL THREE of the above required attributes to serve as president: He’s way too old, lacks a legal education, and is seriously impaired with heart disease. He had a heart attack October 1, 2019. Stents were inserted in his heart to keep blood flowing. That’s a grave condition.
But in his campaigning he’s masterfully distracting his supporters, believers from realistically taking stock of his seriously impaired condition.
With his smooth talking BS, he’s diverting these people from realizing that his heart disease makes him PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT.
This is because:
America’s presidents, the leaders of the free world, have probably the most pressured, difficult jobs on the planet. They’re on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
And that often means being awakened at 3 a.m., to be told something that has just happened in the world that might affect America and require an immediate decision or action.
Then, of course, presidents must fly all over the world.......meetings, meetings, and more meetings. And often they have to do this on just moments’ notices.
So, a president likely averages two or three flights a week, as many as 156 a year. Wow!
Sure, presidential jets are luxurious, spacious, comfortable with beds, plush seating, et cetera. Nonetheless, such frequent, pressured traveling, including white knuckle flights, is a physically and mentally oppressive grind for even the healthiest of persons.
So, consider this: Bernie as a candidate, of course, knows he’s seriously impaired with heart disease. He knows to stay alive, he’s dependent on the stents in his heart to keep blood flowing. And they could collapse.
So, shame, shame on those doctors who have outrageously said he’s physically fit for the job. Hogwash!!!!!!!!!!!! That flies in the face of common sense. Come on, doctors, get real.
And IT’’S ABSOLUTELY PREPOSTEROUS to believe that Bernie, himself, even wants this job. He just has to realize that because of his heart disease, what with this horribly pressured job, he could easily die with his boots on.
Needless to say, what persons with all their marbles, would want that to happen to them?
Hence, Sage smells a rat, which is:
Bernie has a master plan for socialism that so far appears in gear. Here’s what it could be:
Bernie’s Plan?
First, get nominated Then, pick as a running mate, a relatively young person, at least 35 and a citizen. Someone who shares his socialistic views. To attract women voters, if possible, pick a woman. Beat Trump and get inaugurated. Shortly thereafter, for health reasons, retire. VP becomes president. And America’s executive branch becomes and stays socialistic for at least four years.
So, to achieve step one, the nomination, Bernie is saying all the right things to the financially stressed people of America. Many of whom are in such straits because of the present bankruptcy law that the then Senator Joe Biden and the republicans enacted 15 years ago.
The point is, such financially oppressed people are the lion’s share of those who are hanging onto every word of Bernie’s seductive speeches and promises. He knows exactly what to tell them, not only to get their votes in the primaries but to bleed small contributions from them.
And those really add up. In the last quarter of 2019, he got 34.5 million dollars from these poor people. They swallow Bernie’s seductive pitches of socialism: in essence, let the government take care of you. It’s your right.
So, that’s why these poor people are ignoring Bernie’s serious condition and advanced age. They don’t want to hear that he’s not physically able to serve and that really he’s too old.
So, it’s going to boil down to whether the rest of the primary voters will see Bernie in a realistic light and reject him. They won’t buy his BS.
Hope, hope, hope.
5. ELIZABETH WARREN
So, how does Elizabeth make out as to the three necessary attributes, age, legal education, and no known impairment?
Well, she passes with flying colors.
As to her age, except for the inadequately experienced “youngster,” Pete Buttigieg, she’s the youngest.
But what really sets her apart from the others is her EXTRAORDINARY background and intellect. To be specific, for 35 years, she taught law at some of the finest law schools in the country.
That says something. And it’s a lot. She’s highly respected and regarded as an expert in financial law and law in general. What a superb intellectual background for a president!
So, putting it bluntly, in comparison to the other 4, it’s NO CONTEST.
And it’s about time the greatest country on earth has a woman leading it.
Yes, because for almost 300 years now, we’ve been wasting, that is, not using half our talent by choosing only men to lead.
Ugh! Gulp! Gasp! That doesn’t make sense.
It shows that we’re WAY BEHIND other countries, those who don’t bypass half their population when they pick persons to lead.
Yes, after 285 years and 45 consecutive men as our leaders, it’s about time we catch up with the rest of the world.
Now, supposedly justifying all that virility in the White House, is this kind of thinking: Men are smarter, stronger, not as emotional, and have more stamina.
Baloney!
That latter claim, Trump made in his 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton. He did, when she quite humanly got pneumonia and fainted. Evidently per Trump, men don't get pneumonia, and if they do, they never, heaven forbid, faint.
Yeah, uh-huh, sure, Donald J.
That says. Donald, you need a history lesson. In 1841, President William Henry Harrison at his inaugural, came down with pneumonia and died 32 days later.
But back to the main point here: It's indisputable that gender has influenced our choices for president. And the sorry result as mentioned has deprived our nation of fifty percent of its brain-power and talent for the office of president.
Sure, a lot of that was due to the lack of available, qualified women. Still the prejudice against them should not have been as pervasive as it was......”geez,” again, in 285 years not a single woman president.
So, now you know, that when it comes to qualifications for president attributable to gender, all things, especially in this 21st century, are fairly equal. That is, neither gender has an advantage.
Summing up here, at this time in history, America needs a woman, especially, this one, Elizabeth Warren. She's brilliant, gifted, extraordinarily educated, and experienced. She has all the tools.
She’s more than more capable to "drain the swamp" (hate to use Trump's words, but they're apt). She can marshal the forces to remedy the oodles of things about which Trump has wreaked havoc.
And the big thing is that WE CAN TRUST HER. She has the requisite integrity, which is so critical for a president to have.
In closing, Sage says again, it's about time. Let’s put the brakes on sexism, the gender-prejudice that's been robbing America of half of its talent and brains.
Make Senator Elizabeth Warren, United States of America, President No. 46.
We’ll be so proud of her.
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Notice: The writings in this publication are strictly personal opinions, Furthermore, they should not be taken or relied upon as legal advice. For such counsel, consult an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction.
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