8645110320 by Sue Robin

The whole week, the tension built as we approached the final night of the DNC. All the praise, all the talk of empathy and kindness, all the clips of speeches and photos of Aviators. We could see his force and his strength. But that was then. The short virtual exchanges with voters showed his caring but not his power. Did he still have it? Would he stumble and fumble, as we cringed and felt doomed? By the time it was over, the raves started coming. Even Dana Perino, on Fox, said, “Joe Biden just hit a home run in the bottom of the ninth.” Now, we just have the RNC, 73 days, and three debates to get through. And we thought this week was challenging.

Thousands of chicks arrive dead to farmers amid USPS turmoil—Politico

Steve Bannon’s indictment and arrest should worry Trump and his associates—NBC News

‘It was great’: In leaked audio, Trump hailed low Black turnout in 2016—Politico

August 21, 2020

8645110320
by Sue Robin, Los Angeles, California

Sleep came easier after listening to the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Joe Biden (I have intentionally left his well-earned title aside as he is such a man of the people) gave an intense speech filled with love, respect and facts. He firmly skewered Trump without calling him names; let all of We the People know what is important in life, family and governance; and told us his plans for the changes needed to heal our country. Finally, someone who would take Covid-19 seriously, work towards creating jobs, and nurture our environment. It warmed my heart and reassured me that good will triumph over evil. Fingers crossed.

I worried that Joe might make a gaffe and give fodder to the Republicans, but there were no gaffes; only a powerful speech filled with a way towards the light. It was just this year that I learned about his stutter problem. It was no secret, but somehow I had missed it. There is an eye-opening podcast on This American Life, by a man who stutters, that I think every American, especially pundits, should listen to. They would gain an understanding of the impact stuttering has on a speaker.

I had hoped Joe’s stuttering would be addressed at some point and what sheer joy and relief I felt last night when they showed him welcoming thirteen-year-old Brayden Harrington to the Stutterer’s Club. Even that would have been enough for me, just to say it out loud to the world. It showed what a kind, generous and supportive man he is and reminded the world that he has a stutter, too. But then, the brave young man gave a speech filled with love and respect and a huge smile, all in support of Joe Biden, and I was moved to tears. An amazing moment during what is often a dry event. To top it off, Joe was able to deal with bullying in such a beautiful way by telling the story of the nun calling him Mr. BBBBiden and his mother’s fierce love and protectiveness when she put the nun in her place. 

There have been countless comments, stories and reporting about Trump’s bullying, but he has not yet gotten the message. I hope we Americans, Red and Blue, let Trump know that we are tired of being bullied, abused and dismissed and—like Mrs. Biden’s threat to the nun—we will proverbially punch the lights out of Trump’s tenure on 11/03/2020. Or, like my new bumper sticker says, 8645110320.

While I have more optimism and hope then a month ago, I do worry about the attempts to suppress the vote. When I saw all the USPS boxes being hauled off to the scrap heap and the sorting machines dismantled three months before an election that will require mail-in ballots to help protect all of us from Covid-19, I, and just about everyone in the country, was livid. My medications are less expensive because they come through the mail. My social security check is on automatic deposit, but not everyone has an account to do that. With Covid-19, I have had lots of items sent that way as well. I would love to see a wealthy person buy all the discarded mail-boxes (probably get them for a song), repurpose them into ballot boxes, work with the cities and communities, and donate them to be distributed where needed.

Please vote early if you can. Text Vote to 30330 if you need to register or any information about your state’s voting regulations. Like Michelle Obama’s necklace said, Vote, Vote, Vote!