I wrote a bunch of drafts of columns in the days after the disastrous debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Through much of the debate my hand was firmly planted over my face. The first draft was called “Black Jobs.” I never submitted it but here are a few bits from the cutting room floor.
What is a “Black job?” Former President Trump, when talking about immigrants, said “they’re taking Black jobs now, and it could be 18, it could be 19, and even 20 million people. They’re taking Black jobs and they’re taking Hispanic jobs and you haven’t seen it yet but you’re going to see something that’s the worst in our history.”
Hearing Trump say that triggered a memory of comedian Jeff Foxworthy, where he’d give an example of some behavior or thought and say that if you behaved or thought that way “you might just be a redneck.” With Bill and Hillary Clinton in the audience once he said “If you lay astroturf in the back of your pickup, you might just be a redneck.” Hillary elbowed Bill and they both laughed. I’ll channel Foxworthy to say that if you think certain jobs in this country are Black or Hispanic, that might just be racist.
Major job market sectors include healthcare, information technology, real estate, retail, manufacturing, education, hospitality and government, with all sorts of jobs, some referred to as “white collar” or “blue collar” based on what type of work clothing one might wear. Which jobs was Trump talking about? Are certain jobs more Black, Hispanic, white or Asian? Stop. Pause. Really think about it without judgment. Then, go ahead and consider what you were thinking. If your mind was blank, and you couldn’t think of any specific jobs that should primarily be filled by people of a certain race or ethnicity, good for you. Race may have no influence on your thinking. Yay! There’s a reason, though, that many people today talk about needing to become “anti-racist,” recognizing that most of us have personal work to do, and work to do in society, to reduce racism and undo the harm systemic and individual racism have caused and continue to cause. If, however, you feel quite comfortable saying “Yes, certain jobs are more appropriate for … .” I’ll remind you of Foxworthy’s routine.
Another column draft was titled “I Like Joe.” I still do. Actually, I love him even more for deciding to drop out of the race. Here’s a bit of that:
I believe President Joe Biden is a decent, hard-working, compassionate, smart, pragmatic and politically savvy man who has surrounded himself with an incredibly diverse, competent, team of people who have done a good job navigating our nation and world through very hard times. The administration has been relatively scandal and drama free with very little turnover, very few leaks and no significant infighting. When I compare the four years of the Trump administration to the three plus years of the Biden administration the differences are like night and day. Only four out of dozens of former Trump cabinet officials support his candidacy this year. That speaks volumes.
So, here we are, September, and I just watched Donald Trump debate Vice President Kamala Harris and I have one question to ask any of you who like Trump. Was your hand firmly planted over your face as you watched? What were you thinking when he repeated the crazy conspiracy theory that migrants were eating people’s pets? “They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.” I remember how I felt when Biden said that he “beat Medicare.” How did you feel when Trump took the bait from Vice President Harris over and over and over again, like when she talked about people leaving Trump’s rallies early? I’ll admit that I felt the same sadness for him as I felt when Biden took Trump’s bait about golf scores.
So, friends, neighbors, any of you who like Donald Trump, did this debate give you pause (or paws), some doubt? Between the convention, this debate and the comprehensive policy outline the Harris/Walz campaign put out, I’m fired up. I’m working with a group of local folks who are doing letters, phone banking, canvassing and voter protection. I’m heading to Arizona in October to make sure people there can get out and vote and that their votes are counted. Watch this space for news from the road.
And, despite what Donald Trump said he “saw on television,” I’m not worried about migrants eating my dog while I’m gone, though I may have to remind my husband Derrick to fill Holly’s water bowl.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos.
