Biden versus Sanders and Trump

Many friends have asked for my opinion about Biden versus Sanders for the Democratic nominee. Here is my assessment, as I reported and published in my book and subsequent articles.

Let me begin by declaring that any Democratic opponent of Donald Trump is better than the Trump incumbency. The reasons for that are several:

1. Trump and his disciples pose a continuous threat to the Constitution and the rule of law, evidenced by the President's words and deeds.
2. Trump's history as a businessman and private citizen demonstrate unacceptable behavior, including constant lying, cheating, and misogynist. 
3. Trump's policies are inconsistent with essential economic, social, and environmental responsibility and a threat to a sustainable economy.
4. Trump's staffing history is turbulent, chaotic, and resulted in deficient executive appointments.

In my book, How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing, I rated Joe Biden as having the best resume and strongest credentials among all candidates in 2016. He was a better choice than Hillary Clinton.

I rated Bernie Sanders as a deficient and weakly qualified candidate for President because his executive management experience as a small city mayor is insufficient. He represents a small state and constituency. He is unlikely to staff the government and to lead and organize effectively. His extreme views as a "democratic socialist" make him unelectable.

Subsequently, Joe Biden is subject to attacks by Trump and Republicans for alleged conflicts of interest regarding Ukraine. I think Joe Biden's accepting Hunter Biden's position on a Ukraine Company Board while serving as VP was poor judgment and created the appearance of possible impropriety.

However, Trump's behavior as President regarding Ukraine and his lack of transparency regarding his business dealings are equally troubling and worse.

The Democratic Party failed to deliver knockout punches against Trump, and that is something Biden must do to win.

Given Trump's political support, he and Joe Biden are tied in the category of resumes. There is much more to the story as I will report in the next blog.

Scoring Donald Trump in 2020

Evaluation Criterion	Score Value	Voter Variation	Subtotal
Required by Federal Law	1 (It is yes or no) Born a Citizen of the US, lived here for the past 14 years, meets the min. age required by the Constitution.	None	1
Required by State Law*	Some states now require Financial disclosure including IRS filings. -1 for as many states for which requirements unmet	None	-1
Home State Residence	Large, Medium, Small (3-2-1)	Voters may adjust their preference by adding or subtracting 1-2 points.	3
No College	0	None	0
College Graduate	BS/BA 1		1
GPA	4 point scale – 4 = 3, 3 = 2 2 = 1		2
Academic Honors	1-2 points		0
Post Grad Masters	3 points		3
PhD	4 points		0
Professional Certifications	(Lawyer, CPA, MD, Engineer, Accountant) 3		0
Occupation/Vocation	Formal occupations and vocations requiring certifications 1-2		1
CEO	Fortune 500, Medium, Small 3,2,1		2
Other	1 variable	1 variable	0
Health	Excellent, Good, Poor 3,2,0 (proven by a board-certified Physician)		2
Affected Class	Yes or no 1 point Included Minority and Women	None	0
Character	3,2,1	Variable by 1 point	0
Leadership	3,2,1 with evidence		2
Continuing Ed & Training	2	None	2
Knowledge	3,2,1 Knowledgeable about US Government, Executive Management, and the President’s Job Model. Knowledge of Constitutional Law	Variable by 1-3	2
Skill	Relevant management and professional Skills 3,2,1	Variable by 1-3	2
Life History	Evidence of having achieved success by overcoming barriers and through Exceptional accomplishment impacting the community. 3,2,1	None	0
Platform/Agenda/Manifesto	Explicit alignment of candidate’s agenda or manifesto with that of the party and nation’s needs 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	1
Relationships	Evidence of ability and capacity to staff The government and to collaborate And reach consensus is a pluralistic democracy. 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	2
Political Party	Alignment with a political party platform 1-3	None	1
Values	1-3 Aligned with the democratic republic, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	None	1
Military Experience	1-3	Combat Experience bonus points 1-2	0
Public Office Vice President	5	None	0
Judge	3		0
Department Secretary	3		0
Governor	4		0
US  Senator	3		0
US Representative	3		0
Mayor	1-3 Small, Medium, Large City	None	0
State Legislator	1-3 Small, Medium, Large State	None	0
Other Public Office	Non-Com 1 Officer in the US Military 1-3	None	0
Private Sector CFO	3,2,1 Large, Medium, Small Corp.	None	0
Director	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization	None	3
Manager	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization		3
Entrepreneur	1-3 (Created jobs)	None	2
Inventor	1-3 (Patents, Intellectual property)	None	1
Memberships	1	None	1
Religion	1	Variable 1	1
Total Score – available points: It is unlikely that anyone would earn all of the available points.			38/118* 48 with max. bonus

*The incumbent President can be awarded up to 10 bonus points for accomplishments and performance in office. For this exercise, the criteria for awarding points is arbitrary. The maximum Trump score after his first term is 51, assuming that he gained knowledge and has contributed to the economy, for instance.

Based on the number of lies Trump made by the Office of President that is Misprision of Fraud, and based on his misogynist history, I would deduct all 10 points from his incumbency and I would deduct the one remaining point allotted to his character. That would leave Trump with a score of 37, one of the lowest among all recent candidates, lower that Sarah Palin, for instance.

Republicans will point to the strong economy as evidence that Trump's policies are working. That is too soon to say because the debt and deficit are extraordinarily high. The question is what will be the consequence of those policies during the next four years and more?

Scoring Joe Biden in 2020

Evaluation Criterion	Score Value	Voter Variation	Subtotal
Required by Federal Law	1 (It is yes or no) Born a Citizen of the US, lived here for the past 14 years, meets the min. age required by the Constitution.	None	1
Required by State Law*	Some states now require Financial disclosure including IRS filings. -1 for as many states for which requirements unmet	None	1
Home State Residence	Large, Medium, Small (3-2-1)	Voters may adjust their preference by adding or subtracting 1-2 points.	3
No College	0	None	0
College Graduate	BS/BA 1		1
GPA	4 point scale – 4 = 3, 3 = 2 2 = 1		3
Academic Honors	1-2 points		1
Post Grad Masters	3 points		3
PhD	4 points		0
Professional Certifications	(Lawyer, CPA, MD, Engineer, Accountant) 3		1
Occupation/Vocation	Formal occupations and vocations requiring certifications 1-2		1
CEO	Fortune 500, Medium, Small 3,2,1		2
Other	1 variable	1 variable	1
Health	Excellent, Good, Poor 3,2,0 (proven by a board-certified Physician)		2
Affected Class	Yes or no 1 point Included Minority and Women	None	0
Character	3,2,1	Variable by 1 point	0
Leadership	3,2,1 with evidence		2
Continuing Ed & Training	2	None	2
Knowledge	3,2,1 Knowledgeable about US Government, Executive Management, and the President’s Job Model. Knowledge of Constitutional Law	Variable by 1-3	3
Skill	Relevant management and professional Skills 3,2,1	Variable by 1-3	3
Life History	Evidence of having achieved success by overcoming barriers and through Exceptional accomplishment impacting the community. 3,2,1	None	1
Platform/Agenda/Manifesto	Explicit alignment of candidate’s agenda or manifesto with that of the party and nation’s needs 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	2
Relationships	Evidence of ability and capacity to staff The government and to collaborate And reach consensus is a pluralistic democracy. 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	3
Political Party	Alignment with a political party platform 1-3	None	1
Values	1-3 Aligned with the democratic republic, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	None	3
Military Experience	1-3	Combat Experience bonus points 1-2	0
Public Office Vice President	5	None	5
Judge	3		0
Department Secretary	3		0
Governor	4		0
US  Senator	3		3
US Representative	3		0
Mayor	1-3 Small, Medium, Large City	None	0
State Legislator	1-3 Small, Medium, Large State	None	0
Other Public Office	Non-Com 1 Officer in the US Military 1-3	None	0
Private Sector CFO	3,2,1 Large, Medium, Small Corp.	None	0
Director	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization	None	0
Manager	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization		0
Entrepreneur	1-3 (Created jobs)	None	0
Inventor	1-3 (Patents, Intellectual property)	None	0
Memberships	1	None	1
Religion	1	Variable 1	1
Total Score – available points: It is unlikely that anyone would earn all of the available points.			48

Scoring Bernie Sanders 2020

Evaluation Criterion	Score Value	Voter Variation	Subtotal
Required by Federal Law	1 (It is yes or no) Born a Citizen of the US, lived here for the past 14 years, meets the min. age required by the Constitution.	None	1
Required by State Law*	Some states now require Financial disclosure including IRS filings. -1 for as many states for which requirements unmet	None	1
Home State Residence	Large, Medium, Small (3-2-1)	Voters may adjust their preference by adding or subtracting 1-2 points.	1
No College	0	None	0
College Graduate	BS/BA 1		1
GPA	4 point scale – 4 = 3, 3 = 2 2 = 1		3
Academic Honors	1-2 points		0
Post Grad Masters	3 points		0
PhD	4 points		0
Professional Certifications	(Lawyer, CPA, MD, Engineer, Accountant) 3		0
Occupation/Vocation	Formal occupations and vocations requiring certifications 1-2		1
CEO	Fortune 500, Medium, Small 3,2,1		0
Other	1 variable	1 variable	1
Health	Excellent, Good, Poor 3,2,0 (proven by a board-certified Physician)		2
Affected Class	Yes or no 1 point Included Minority and Women	None	0
Character	3,2,1	Variable by 1 point	3
Leadership	3,2,1 with evidence		3
Continuing Ed & Training	2	None	2
Knowledge	3,2,1 Knowledgeable about US Government, Executive Management, and the President’s Job Model. Knowledge of Constitutional Law	Variable by 1-3	3
Skill	Relevant management and professional Skills 3,2,1	Variable by 1-3	3
Life History	Evidence of having achieved success by overcoming barriers and through Exceptional accomplishment impacting the community. 3,2,1	None	0
Platform/Agenda/Manifesto	Explicit alignment of candidate’s agenda or manifesto with that of the party and nation’s needs 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	2
Relationships	Evidence of ability and capacity to staff The government and to collaborate And reach consensus is a pluralistic democracy. 3,2,1	Variable by 1-2 points	2
Political Party	Alignment with a political party platform 1-3	None	1
Values	1-3 Aligned with the democratic republic, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights	None	3
Military Experience	1-3	Combat Experience bonus points 1-2	0
Public Office Vice President	5	None	0
Judge	3		0
Department Secretary	3		0
Governor	4		0
US  Senator	3		3
US Representative	3		0
Mayor	1-3 Small, Medium, Large City	None	2
State Legislator	1-3 Small, Medium, Large State	None	0
Other Public Office	Non-Com 1 Officer in the US Military 1-3	None	0
Private Sector CFO	3,2,1 Large, Medium, Small Corp.	None	0
Director	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization	None	0
Manager	1-3 Small, Medium, Large Organization		0
Entrepreneur	1-3 (Created jobs)	None	0
Inventor	1-3 (Patents, Intellectual property)	None	0
Memberships	1	None	0
Religion	1	Variable 1	1
Total Score – available points: It is unlikely that anyone would earn all of the available points.			39/118

The Importance of Political Parties

Last year, I wrote and published a book titled A President's Manifesto by James A. George (c) 2019 All Rights Reserved. The main idea is that political parties and their platforms matter.

Political parties publish their platforms, then candidates bearing their brand can be gauged by voters as to their alignment. Party platforms take the high ground and espouse ideals and values that are for the long-run.

Candidate manifestos contain details about what elected officials intend to accomplish during their terms of office.

A president (incumbent and candidates) outlines their four and eight-year plans and demonstrate alignment with their party's platform.

"We The People" are terrible at understanding this and managing our political parties. Political parties are deficient in vetting candidate resumes too. There are no standards. That is why I wrote and published How to Select an American President by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing.

Furthermore, a principal issue confronting America is sustainable economics. Neither party nor candidates are addressing this challenge. Capitalism, as we know it, is exceedingly unsustainable. That is why I wrote and published Regenerating America with Sustainable Economics by James A. George and James A. Rodger (c) 2017 Archway Publishing.

I implore my fellow citizens to read my books. I am trying to help.

If political parties did their jobs, and neither are acceptable at the moment, Americans would be better protected against tyranny. As it is, we are a vulnerable nation.

Author, James A. George

A President's Manifesto by James A. George (c) 2019 All Rights Reserved is available free from the author: jimgeorgeauthorarchway@gmail.com.

The other books are available from Amazon and Google in print or as a digital download.

Witness Reciprocity

Ted Cruz, truly a legal genius, according to his alma mater and Harvard Professors, suggested to Mitch McConnell the idea of witness reciprocity. That means that for every witness called by the prosecution, the defense may also request a witness.

For instance, the prosecution calls Michael Bolton to testify about what he heard and engaged in conversations with President Trump about withholding foreign aid to Ukraine until or unless Ukraine launched an investigation into the Bidens, Hunter Biden, in particular.

The defense would call Hunter Biden to inquire about his duties as a board member of the Ukraine Corporation, Burisma. The prosecution might challenge, "What does this have to do with the President Trump's pressing the Ukrainian President to conduct an investigation of alleged corruption by Hunter Biden and possibly his father, Joe Biden?

The defense might respond that the President's concerns about possible corruption by the Biden were his motivation in seeking assistance to investigate.

The prosecution might argue that the President's motivations are not relevant to the fact that the President sought foreign assistance in exchange for providing crucial military aid as approved by Congress.

The prosecution states that President Trump's actions were quid-pro-quo and, thus, a form of bribery.

Before the trial begins, Democrats should be prepared for the assault on Joe Biden and Hunter Biden for the appearance of a conflict of interest. That alone might disqualify Joe Biden's candidacy because it was indefensible.

Prosecutors must overcome the distraction, calling Guiliani and his colleagues with reliable documentation and testimony that confirms the illegality of President Trump's actions.

Senator Ted Cruz