Vote for Joe

Catching up… I’m writing this on Dec. 2. And yes, my campaign sign is still up. And no, I’m not waiting on any recounts and/or favorable court cases. I’m actually waiting for Dec. 14. This is the day designated for electors to officially file their votes in their respective states. So… What if between now and then, there’s this HUGE epiphany throughout the country that I am, indeed, the best candidate — and all these electors jump ship and vote for, well, me? It could happen… You know, after giving a talk at Antioch College during Campaign 2000, a professor there referred to me as a “cockeyed-optimist.” She was right…. However, while waiting for my tremendously surprising victory, I still have to, well, put food on the table –and keep up my “populist” image. So to that end, my son Jonathan and I have just finished a porch painting project on a big, 100-year-old rather stately home on Main Street in Bluffton. Came out pretty nice, actually. They don’t call me “Joe the Painter” for nothing… Speaking of Jonathan, when he’s not painting, he’s playing soccer. In fact, he was just named to the 1st Team All-State in Division III Boys High School soccer. Quite an accomplishment… On the small town journalism front, I did, among a number of stories, a nostalgic piece on an old, rather iconic, Marathon Gas Station in a neighboring town. It’s no longer there, except in folks’ memories and old black & white photos. It was referred to back then as a “full service gas station.” That is, besides a full-time mechanic, high school boys would greet you when you pulled up, pump your gas, wash your windshields, and check your oil. The station was in operation during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s. And speaking the 1950s, we might want to consider recapturing some of the ethos (wholesomeness, etc.) of what that was all about. Our campaign things so. See…

I did an update article on a homeless shelter called City Mission in nearby Findlay, Ohio. (I did the initial article some three years ago.) The title of that article that came out last week: Homeless for the Holidays. The shelter has a capacity for 109 people — singles, families, etc. What’s more, people can stay up to nine months, or sometimes even more. And the facility offers a creative amalgam of addiction recovery options, mental health counseling, education, job training… It’s actually a pretty comprehensive safety net — and the facility takes no federal/state funds. It’s Christian based and relies on donations from local churches, from individuals, and so on. Note: Our administration would use this program as a model that could be replicated in every county in the country. Instead of “three hots and a cot,” as it is colloquially referred to, it’s these types of comprehensive programs that go a long way in helping those who want it, really get back on their feet. For a look at other models we’ve researched across the country to help people get out of poverty in general, see…

I interviewed a local college law professor for a newspaper article that, in part, dealt with the recent Amy Coney Barrett Confirmation Hearings. She teaches Research & Writing classes, Legal Problem Solving & Analysis classes, and so on. She said she was not only ultra-impressed with Ms. Coney Barrett’s knowledge of legal cases across a broad spectrum, but she was just as impressed at her “poise” in dealing with the barrage of questioning. What’s more, when this local law professor was asked about the Democrats threat to “…pack the court,” she said that would be fraught with problems. The most obvious being that each time partisan power shifted on a federal level, the party in power would then be tempted to “…pack the court” some more. This, of course, could get quickly out of hand.

A predominant mainstream presidential candidate debate topic this time revolved around family separation issues at our southern border. I did several Southern Border Research Tours, and know the desperation of many people trying to cross over to our country. And our administration would stop the Family Separation Policy immediately. Here’s the rub for Democrats on one level. While they have their hackles up about this issue, the Obama administration deported more immigrants than Trump, by far, and the Obama administration initially built the cages to put immigrants in at the detention centers, and so on. But, and here’s the ultimate irony for Democrats: They’re now against family separation at the border, yet they’re all for ‘separating’ living babies, by the millions, from their mothers’ wombs — permanently. The ultimate in “family separation.’ What’s more, they are all for ‘separating’ baby’s limbs, one-by-one, in the most gruesome way possible, during a normal abortion procedure. I mean, the dichotomy with this whole thing would be laughable — if it wasn’t so tragic. For a look at our take on immigration issues, and on life issues…

While Trump and Biden barnstorm the swing state, I headed to downtown Tiffin, Ohio, as part of my Buckeye Backroads Campaign travels. It was Saturday morning, and I passed out campaign cards in front of this bustling coffee shop. (*Who needs the million dollar ads, huh.) It’s my ‘bailiwick’ (pun intended) to do these corner whistle-stop stumpings. And I’ve done them in hundreds and hundreds of towns over the years. Also… Notice the mask. Full transparency: I’m not a Cincinnati fan (Cleveland, actually), but there are a lot of Cincinnati fans in these parts. Now if I could just remember to wear the mask right side up! I need a staff.