Today would have been my dad’s 84th birthday had he not died in a hospital not long after his 80th. Since he is not here to give his opinion, let me share it with you: He told me many times that the lifetime ban from baseball for Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose should only apply to the span of their mortal time on Earth. He believed Shoeless Joe belonged in the Hall of Fame and he believed that Pete Rose ought to be posthunously inducted there. I agree with Pops. Pete’s lifetime ban is expired.
He also insisted that you not mention the name of that guy that is now running against Vice President Kamala Harris.
My dad was a proud independent conservative. He served in Vietnam and he was weirdly proud to have voted for Barry Goldwater. He was not so proud about Vietnam, though he made his peace with it and started wearing his Vietnam Veteran cap later in life… and he started displaying his medals on a plaque on the wall. Prior to that, he kept them in a drawer for a couple decades.
But he never made his peace with that guy. In his last year, he opened up considerably about the war. It was more than I wanted to know. Like I said, he made his peace with it. He said the one thing that never made sense was being with a buddy talking to him one minute and then a minute later he’s gone, because of a small hole. He got over Vietnam somewhat, made his peace with it, but it took almost half a century and there wasn’t that much time for that guy that insulted the gold star parents of a fallen soldier and got away with it and became President, anyway… my dad didn’t live to see Joe Biden elected, nor see that other guy behaving like a disrespectful clown at Arlington Cemetery.
You couldn’t mention that guy’s name around my dad, so I won’t mention it, but f*ck that guy.
If you vote for that guy, I respect your right as an American to vote your conscience, but as my father’s son, I must say again, f*ck that guy. He deserves a lifetime ban more than those other guys did.
Moments like this make Elon’s anti-social virtual cesspool worthwhile.
Check out the 2nd clip in Mehdi Hasan’s X post. Also, Jill Stein quoting “corporate duopolist” JFK is precious.
Me: "Vladimir Putin is a war criminal in your view? And Assad is a war criminal?" Jill Stein: "Uh, yes. In so many words." Me: "What does that mean, 'in so many words'?"
My exchange with the Green Party candidate on war crimes.
“I see her as not only the best chance for a cease-fire, but also the best chance we have to protect fundamental freedoms – for every one of us.” #TeamKamalahttps://t.co/Ei5EEl9rtZ
The Coordinated Dream Team in southside Virginia… Kamala Harris (Tim Walz), Tim Kaine, and Gloria Witt.
When I came to Danville, Virginia in 2008, we pulled off one of the biggest upsets in decades. We won the deep red 5th District by about 800 votes. The record turnouts in Danville had a lot to do with it. Barack Obama at the top of the ticket had a lot to do with it, but that’s not the whole story. Me and Marcus Hughes having conversations in Cardinal Village (walking into the middle of a gun battle one time) had a lot to do with it. Bryant Hood and Steph Spissu getting out at midnight in the 6th Ward to make sure the right door hangers were in place after a report about Republicans switching them up… that had a lot to do with it.
We met many new voters and people that hadn’t voted in a long time. They were excited about Barack Obama, but they didn’t know that Tom Perriello was going to help Barack in the Congress until we had those conversations.
Volunteers walking their home turf in every part of Danville. That had everything to do with it. Felicia King and her crew of teenagers in 11. Ms. Virginia in 6. Ms. Gloria working the front desk. The ladies that ran the Danville Voter Contact Machine phone bank… that had more than a lot to do with it.
But we also had conversations with Republicans and won their votes. They thought Barack was going to raise taxes. They didn’t know he was raising the top rate and was going to give them the largest payroll tax cut in history. They found out Barack was running to put money in their pockets, just as Kamala, Tim Kaine, and Gloria Witt are fighting for working people today.
We brought people together and pulled off an upset and we’re getting the band back together to do it again.
I’m down here helping my friend Joshua Norris. I met him while he was volunteering in 2008 and now he’s campaign manager for Gloria Witt. We’re both doing whatever we can to build back the Danville Voter Contact Machine. At minimum, we will get extra votes for Kamala and the Tims (Walz and Kaine) but it would be especially meaningful to win this Congressional seat again.
The Dems haven’t won it since 2008, but we have a good candidate that can draw a broad coalition and pull off the upset. We want Kamala to win but we also want to make sure she has the people in Congress that will help give working families a #BetterDeal.
Help us help them. I have phone calls to make and doors to hit, so please pass this blog around your personal network and help us support the organizing work that will make this deep red seat blue… again.
We have a chance to make history and do what’s best for our country.
Gloria Witt campaign manager Joshua Norris and organizer Adam Broad at the Obama Reunion Party. Salt Shed. Chicago, IL
BELOW: THIS IS THE DONATION LINK FOR ACT BLUE. PLEASE DONATE AND PASS IT AROUND.
Some good points about Kamala Harris and the #BetterDeal #TeamKamala is promoting as an alternative to infomercial con-artist Donald Trump.
Adam –
Listen to Donald Trump, turn on Fox News, or follow any Republican on social media and you will hear or see the constant claim that Kamala Harris is more “radical” and more “far left” than Bernie Sanders.
No.
Let me simply say, for better or for worse, Kamala Harris is not more progressive than I am.
It is always hard to respond to Trump’s lies because, a day later, his lies become even more preposterous. But, as we come together to defeat Trump and elect the Vice President, let me just remind you of one simple fact:
The so-called “radical” and “far left” agenda that we are fighting for is, in poll after poll, far more popular than Donald Trump, more popular than the Republican Party, and it is supported by a strong majority of the American people, including Republicans and Independents.
When Trump, Republicans, and even some members of the corporate media try to scare you with words like “radical” and “far left” it’s important to understand what those policies actually mean and to know that these “radical” ideas are already in place in many countries around the world.
When we talk about guaranteeing healthcare as a right for all our people, we’re talking about the ability to get the healthcare you and your loved ones need without fear of going bankrupt. We’re talking about the ability to change jobs without fear of losing your healthcare.
When we talk about paid family and medical leave, we’re talking about being able to spend the first few months with your newborn child without rushing back to work the next week, and we’re talking about being able to care for a loved-one who is sick without having to worry about missing a paycheck.
When we talk about tuition-free college, we’re talking about the ability to get an education without having to leave school with crushing debt. We’re talking about the ability to start a business and create jobs without having to worry about decades of student loan payments.
When we talk about a “Green New Deal,” we’re talking about a planet that is habitable for future generations — with less drought, famine, floods, extreme weather disturbances, disease, and human suffering.
When we talk about raising the minimum wage, we’re talking about people not having to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet for their families.
When we talk about expanding Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision, we’re talking about our seniors being able to chew the food they eat, listen to the sound of their loved ones’ voices, and see the world around them.
When we talk about passing the PRO Act, we’re talking about giving working people a greater voice on the job to negotiate better pay and benefits for them and their families. We’re talking about people just trying to make a living while CEOs are making a killing.
When we talk about letting the government negotiate the price of prescription drugs, we’re talking about making sure people can afford the lifesaving medicine they need without having to choose between their health and food or utilities.
When we talk about overturning Citizens United, we’re talking about making it so the wealthiest people and corporations in this country do not have the ability to buy our elections and our democracy.
When we talk about strengthening public education, we are talking about the ability to make sure that all of our children, regardless of income, get the education they need to prepare themselves for the future.
When we talk about strengthening and expanding Social Security, we’re talking about making sure all of our seniors can retire and live out their lives with dignity.
And when we talk about making sure the wealthy pay their fair share, we are simply saying that it is time we have a government and an economy that works for everyone in this country, not just the top 1 percent. It’s time that we dealt with the unprecedented level of income and wealth that we are currently experiencing.
That is NOT a radical agenda.
The Republican Party and Donald Trump: More tax breaks to billionaires, budgets to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, letting polluters destroy our planet, letting drug companies charge whatever they want for medicine…
That is radical.
So here is our job in the next few weeks — and I need your help to get it done:
Adam Broad was on the 2020 slate of Bernie Sanders delegates in IL-10 and was a co-founder of Our Revolution Lake County and Our Illinois Revolution. After supporting Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Primary, he volunteered in the general election for Hillary Clinton in Iowa, served on the Tenth Dems Election Protection Team, and represented the Democratic party at a recount in Wisconsin.
This is a personal blog and it is not approved by any candidate, campaign, or political party.
I don’t always speak for my affiliations and my affiliations don’t always speak for me.
Adam Broad 