Month: June 2020

VP pick. Keisha Lance Bottoms? People with three names kind of freak me out. But, this week, she’s said the right things and done the right things to move up the list.

And, she’s black. The real kind of black that votes Democrat. She speaks well and says nice things to kids like, “Keep loving each other.” She had some very strong and negative words on Trump. That fits my agenda. She even has a few good ideas – like saying Trump should have a Dr. Fauci type of person except on race relations. She has great rhetoric.

Speaking of rhetoric… my new speeches and new rhetoric are completely making me over as a revolutionary. I’m sure the voters will overlook my 100 years in politics where I was brilliantly and completely part of the big establishment. I worked to enrich my family during my time serving the people and fought for senate pay raises more I fought to raise the minimum raise for Americans. I voted to oppose bussing, voted to outlaw gay marriage, and have been an ally of big banks… perhaps my biggest accomplishment during my life in politics is a giant crime bill that is now thought to be the reason the populations in prison ballooned – and it was mostly black men receiving the sentences. I am against Medicare for all. I am VERY different from Warren or Sanders – both in policy and in ability to excite voters.

But, the media are on my side and believe the rhetoric. Well, whether they believe it or not – they are one hundred percent all in — pushing 24/7 to their readers and listerners and viewers — that I’m super progressive and revolutionary.

I’m sure people will not remember that just a few months ago, in the Democratic debates I even said, “people don’t want a revolution. They was some progress. They want to know they will have healthcare and they want to know they will be safe.” Super revolutionary. Actually sounds pro-police, but I digress.

It is all a game. I officially won the nomination last night. Now, at 77, I need to win the Bernie Bros. People will believe what the media tells them, right?

Come on, man.

I’m up early. Kind of tossing and turning trying to wrap my head around the latest policy stance my team is pushing me to say. I need to say I’m in favor of defunding the police. Across America.

And now, I can’t sleep because it’s not sitting well with me.

My entire career I have asked for more government. More money for police. Police Labor Unions have always supported me. But I have to pick a side. The lawless rioters and looters taking advantage of a tragic situation or the men and women in blue that sacrifice daily for others. Serve and protect. Which do I want to support? The ones that cause the trouble, that wear face masks… or the ones who wear a badge and run towards the trouble to help those in need?

Of course, most protestors have been peaceful and most police people are good. But the bad ones on either side – that is not good. Bad police should be fired and/or jailed. Just like the people that are making violent acts that have no place in these protests and are blocking a part of the important message.

If no politics were at play, it would be an easy decision. My heart is with the police. Who doesn’t like law and order? We are a nation of laws. And more than that. There are more calls to 911 from poor and minority neighborhoods than affluent neighborhoods. Who helps these people when the police are defunded? After Ferguson, when the cops “backed off” – crime increased. Probably more police in these neighborhoods — not less — would help those trying to have violence-free lives.

But, Trump is pro police. So, I have to go opposite.

In reality, it doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll have secret service with guns to protect me. Even if I’m not elected in November, I can use all the money from my book deals or the money my son got from China or that Ukraine gas company to pay for a great security team for me and my family… So, really, the police are completely unnecessary. If Trump has already sided with the police, I have to go against the police. That’s my platform. Anti-Trump. And now, anti-police. Predictable? Sad and predictable? It’s just politics, folks.

Come on, man.

Jobs. Reminds me of a joke. What do Apple Computers, Obama’s economy, and Bill Clinton have in common?

JOBS.

Steve JOBS, no JOBS, blow JOBS.

Big jobs report out today. Added more than 2 million jobs. The prediction was that the report would be a LOSS of 8 million jobs. So, that’s like a 10 million job swing to the positive.

My team was SO confident that the report was going to be very bad, we had a speech ready and I had already practiced it and we already had called a press conference to blame Trump. Not the virus, not the shutdown. Trump. It was a brilliant speech. We bet the farm against America doing well in May. The speech? Ended up in the trash. Instead I just stammered some negativity about the way Trump was happy or or a few of the words he said that I didn’t like.

Negativity. Always the answer.

Come on, man.

Apparently Stacey or Stacy is still the favorite, but we did spend time today discussing some other valid candidates for VP, all women, all women of color.

Val Demings has been making the rounds on the cable news programs. Positives: She’s black. And, from a state we need to win. Negatives: former police chief. Responsible for a police precinct reported to have twice as many arrests using force compared to others of similar size.

Major question was not about her ability to be the VP or the President – it was, of course, about the optics and the political side of the equation. Is this the time I can stand on stage with a police officer? We are supposed to only be discussing the brutality and excessive force USED by police officers on people of color. I’m never to mention that there were over 100 police officers that lost their lives in the line of duty last year, senselessly.

So, Val Demings, the former police. She has a distinguished background as the daughter of janitor and first in her family to graduate college, she has a masters, she has amazingly broken the glass ceiling in her field — and she has spent years protecting foster children, took unorthodox measures to help in the most dangerous and impoverished areas, established mentor programs, found out of the box solutions to helping those in housing complexes and get GEDs and jobs to those who needed them….

But, a police chief? The first woman police chief in Orlando. That’s just a black mark on her record.

Come on, man.

There was a primary in Pennsylvania today and I won. Trump won, too.

True – much of Philadelphia looked like a war zone and I didn’t even remember that there was still a primary going – Jill reminded me. But Yay, I won her home state. Yay.

Not a time to be excited about much. I watched The Five on Fox today. Even Greg Gutfeld was depressed. That hurt. Deeply.

Never has there been a time when peaceful protests caused this much destruction. Unless peaceful is now a euphemism for violent… I don’t really understand.

Wasn’t it about a week ago we were arresting people for leaving their homes without a mask or trying to go to work? I think we are were writing people tickets for sitting on the beach or driving outside their neighborhoods. There were suggestions that anyone protesting the lock down should sign waivers agreeing that they wouldn’t get a respirator if they got sick. True peaceful protestors who just wanted to be able to open their businesses were treated with disgust – and worse.

But now… just a few days later … if you run around with no mask — looting, starting police vehicles on fire, damaging property, threatening lives … nothing?

Come on, man.

One of my workers showed me how to google myself. I don’t always like what I see, but I do it from time to time. Sometimes I accidentally type an O instead of an I and I get Boden. It’s actually the name of a clothing place and I have had Jill help me order some clothes from there. I think she got a dress for herself, too. But enough about Boden.

I gave a great speech in Philadelphia at a church today. Symbolic, beautiful. I looked in command. I read it well, only having trouble with a few hard to pronounce words like protest, union and vigilant.

The church was nice.

I wanted to give my speech by the library with the steps Rocky ran up – but team said it wasn’t safe there. Then I suggested a few neighborhoods – team said that they had been destroyed – burned down. Not safe. The National Guard had finally been called after four nights of protests that included looting and burning down buildings block after block. Curfews every night in the city, starting as early as 6pm hadn’t stopped the mayhem. They showed me pictures that looked like a war zone.

But, the church was fine and my speech was amazing. My team’s response/criticism?

“Joe, you have to stop coughing into your hands.”

That’s their takeaway? I took a knee, and they focus on my coughing. What’s wrong with coughing into your hand?

Come on, man.

Delaware. Open tomorrow. I can leave my house. I even left for a short visit to Wilmington, Delaware today…..Free at Last! Well, if the team lets me go, I’m going. Maybe the riots will be a reason now for me to stay indoors. But, with Delaware allowing gatherings of up to 250 and other places opening up – it’s time to get out. If my team and Jill say ok.

Speaking of “free at last“ – that reminds me of Martin Luther King… we could use a little of his leadership for peace right now.

Can’t sleep. Watching the news. Did looting the Chanel store in New York help us grieve better?

Come on, man.