Author: whitehousebound16@gmail.com

I don’t really have the time or energy to write much. Very sad meeting with the Floyd family today. I just listened for about an hour. I’m very sympathetic and a good listener. Actually, it was really hard to hear the family though the masks, but I shook my head like I heard everything.
I didn’t say much. It worked. As my team repeatedly says, “you’re really great when you don’t speak.” So I listened quietly and was saddened by the meeting. It’s still hard to believe what happened to Mr. Floyd and subsequently what happened throughout America. But it was ok. There was some hope that something good can come out of this horrific event.

I won’t go to the funeral tomorrow. Someone told me I would be a disruption…. I’m not sure why. I heard a few different reasons …. the secret service detail could be difficult, maybe I would get a tough question from a reporter and not know what to say, I could get confused and push someone, I might get booed by a “woke mob”, it’s too big of a crowd, I might accidentally fall asleep…. I’m not sure which was the deciding factor. Probably the sleep thing. That’s fair. Warm church, music, long speeches. I have fallen asleep in some pretty important speeches, quite a few from Obama…

I recorded a message for the funeral. It took 41 takes to get it right. A personal best!

Come on, man.

I’m proud of myself for figuring out how to use YouTube. You can watch anything on there.

I got on today to watch a few of my speeches and events. First, though, there was a paid advertisement I had to sit through —- a Trump ad —-which was actually well done and nearly convinced me to vote for Trump. “We are on a major comeback like no one has ever seen, it says.“ That may be true.

Anyway, I found the clip of Colin Powell saying he was a life long Republican but would vote for me this year. I’m pretty sure he’s voted Democratic for 12+ years — so the “lifelong Republican” is kind of a stretch and the fact that he’s voting for doesn’t come as a big surprise. But he did call Trump a liar – which was cool. I’m pretty sure Powell lied to the UN and American public many, many times. So…. What’s that old saying – takes one to know one?

Anyway. Economy on a major come back. We tried to shut it down with the Russia hoax, then Impeachment (or a few impeachments, I lost count), then that bat China virus, then the riots. But, it seems like it’s gonna bounce back. Bad luck for me. Wonder what else the Dems can do to send the country into a recession? That would help me. We have to keep dividing and destroying and try our best to get the economy to take a dive. For the collective good or more votes for me.

Little rest today. Have to travel to Texas for a funeral so I do need to rest to ensure I can make the long trip. The seven minute interviews wear me out, traveling to Texas might be the death of me.

I do think it is interesting that we can have a funeral. I’m pretty sure there is a ban on gatherings. And I think this funeral is for thousands of people. I’m 100 percent sure NO ONE else in the country has been able to have a funeral for their loved ones in three months. There have been no graduations, no weddings…..we were arresting people for trying to work in Texas a few weeks ago….. I think Cuomo sent a swat team in to break up a Jewish wedding with 12 people… but now we are having a funeral for thousands. Hmmm.

It’s probably ok, no one could possibly care. We will tell them what they can and cannot do. What they can and cannot think. No gatherings unless the government allows it… people should be happy just to do exactly what we say. Right?

Come on, folks.

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.

MAGA was catchy. But the media has done an amazing job making it seem really bad. Trump’s latest – Keep America Great… it’s not as catchy and the media has yet to brandish it as racist, but give them some time.

My slogan “the best days are yet to come” is a little wordy. I suggested changing it to MAG. Make America Greater. The team didn’t seem to like it much. I’ll push the idea again later. Maybe they will warm up to the idea.

My team did finally listen to me and let me make a statement that rioting is bad. I think that they had a bunch of focus groups and found that most people just don’t like the chaos where libraries, businesses, cars, and pretty much anything in the way of thugs are burned and looted. They said they couldn’t let me go on the news, because the odds were pretty high that I would say something wrong. Calling rioters thugs, for example. That could be seen as calling blacks people thugs. I guess I don’t understand that… there are rioters and looters of every color. And they are ALL thugs. Looters are thugs. I many be dumb, but I’m not stupid… Thugs are bad! Saying so, it can’t be racist, it’s just a true statement. If there is a person from the Orient looting then they are a thug. If there is a white person bussed in from Delaware to MN to cause trouble and they loot – they are a thug. If that’s not ok to say, then we are living in a bizarre world.

So, as much as I love freedom of speech, I don’t get any right now. No live interviews allowed …. in case I say something a little off. Instead, the team took a few hours to write something and then edit it and then re-edit it a few times and then finally they released “my statement” when they were done. And it was polished, and heartfelt and included:

“Protesting such brutality is right and necessary. But burning down communities and needless destruction is not.”

That’s perfect. The whole statement was really good. Maybe the team knows what they are doing. Had to be better than me doing a bunch of interviews. Clean, clear and foolproof/Joe proof.

I deplore what happened to Mr. Floyd. That shouldn’t happen in America, folks. We are all aligned. Every American. No one thinks that’s ok. I wish I had a little more freedom of speech here from my basement, but the reality is the same. Peaceful protests good. Reform and more oversight needed in some police forces —- punish the bad cops. Don’t riot and cause harm to innocents.

Mostly the staff did statement stuff yesterday. One thing at a time. But, at some point someone also informed me that Amy is out. Apparently in her many years working as prosecutor or public servant she may or may not have done something wrong. Hard to tell, really. Hindsight is 20/20. But — maybe better to find someone that has little to no history. Someone that says the “right” things, but really has very little or no action. If a person hasn’t really done much, then maybe there is less of a chance that the media and voters could find something that they may have done less than perfectly.

Seems like they want Stacey again, then. A brams. Got it. Fits their checklist? If so, let’s announce already – why wait until August!?

Come on, man.