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Friend,

"I am running because I honestly believe that our only choice – our Hobson’s choice – is not just to beat Mr. Trump, but to heal our country's soul by uniting America again."

That was what I told C-SPAN's Steve Scully in my interview [[link removed]] yesterday, speaking on accountable leadership in Washington, the challenge of the impeachment trial… and the loss of trust in America because of unaccountable leadership from those in Washington DC, from the decision to invade Iraq, the devastation from the financial crisis and even the failure by then-chairman Biden to protect Anita Hill.

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I spoke on why I was running: "I am running because I honestly believe that our only choice – our Hobson’s choice – is not just to beat Mr. Trump, but to heal our country's soul by uniting America again, where they believe somebody will be accountable to them — people -- above party, above self, above any special interest. That’s the primary reason I’m running. And the second reason is that we have for far too long had people in power who didn't understand that the military can stop a problem, but they will never fix a problem. Those democrats and republicans alike who voted for that tragic misadventure in Iraq, who did not know how it would end before they began, led all the way to Turkey’s shameless invasion against our Kurdish allies today. I am therefore also running to make sure we restore U.S. leadership to this global world order as presidents from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan understood, that it was our leadership of this global accord around the world that kept our American dream alive and prospering."

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On impeachment and Nixon: "This nation was quite divided then. It wasn’t quite the tear in the fabric of America we have today. Back then there was an impeachment process, but the difference was that that impeachment was about Mr. Nixon and whether he had broken a law or not. Today, this impeachment process is different. The nation is divided much more so, and it is divided because of language that is used and a sense of division that too often comes out from our commander in chief and President. Second, this impeachment is different because the president has wrapped himself in half of the country – not the whole of it, as the president is supposed to do when he represents the United States of America. So while I support this impeachment inquiry – because the President had asked a foreign leader to step in and interfere with the most blessed sanctity we have in America, our fair and free elections — I would hope it is done in the most nonpartisan way possible because that tear in our fabric of America will be bigger, no matter the outcome because of this divide in America. This country needs a President who speaks in words of unity, not division. And I think that is what makes this so different. There was a war once that tore us apart in Vietnam. As we would stand there in attention marching as we did every week at the Naval Academy, people would come around and put flowers in your rifles. But it was a different type of tear. It was over a policy. This has become one over who we are and what we can be. Frankly, that is why I am running. I think policies are so important, but I know that unless you can unite Americans again, we will not fix that tear in the cloth of America and therefore can never meet the defining challenges of our moment in history."

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On unity: "I think Mr. Trump has forgotten what a leader is supposed to be, whether it is the captain of a ship or the commander in chief of our military forces, or President of the greatest nation in the world. Leaders bring together people. They are ones that unite a crew, because it is also a leader who does not believe he is above accountability. Which is why if the crew of a ship is suddenly harmed or a ship goes aground, the captain of a navy ship is relieved for cause. Because if he or she is not and the captain is seen as being above accountability for what occurred, the crew loses trust in the Captain and the ship disintegrates into chaos. That is what is happening to the United States ship of state. This president unfortunately believes he is above accountability, for bad decisions, for incendiary language that divides and does not unite. This is a simple leadership issue. We must respect the other side. By that I mean republicans and democrats. I represented a republican district. You cannot find a word from me putting down the Republican Party, but you can find me disagreeing on policies. I think we are in a question about can we heal our soul? Can we remind Americans who we are and what we can be when we are united together as one? And that is the challenge, because of the divisiveness that has come about from the rhetoric – unfortunately too often from the White House. It doesn't mean the Democrats haven't done it, but the president is the president — of the United States of America, not the divided states of America."

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On Joe Biden and Anita Hill: "I do believe, just like a captain of a ship, if you are in charge, as he was as chair of the committee, that you should be accountable for how it was conducted. And it was not conducted at all in a fair means to Anita Hill. And that is my point, about those, as Mr. Biden also did, who voted for the war in Iraq or tore down the one place where we definitely do need a wall, to keep greed out and accountability in. When they tore the wall down, Wall Street destroyed my constituency's livelihoods in the great recession. But not one politician, not one – for the hearing of Anita Hill; for that war in Iraq, which left two decades of unaccountable consequences; or for the devastation the great recession did to our nation – has ever accounted for themselves. I believe very much that this unaccountable leadership is responsible for the lack of trust in America today, of whom we are and what we can be when we are united together, because we have lost faith in our leadership down there in Washington DC. So I do think that hearing was not handled well by someone who had been in office for four terms, and I think as you watch the hearings, you can see that Ms. Hill did not get humiliated because of her own personal strength, not because of how someone permitted that forum to be conducted."



If you believe I have the unique message and experience we need to beat Mr. Trump, unite this nation and convene the world to face the defining challenges of our time, please contribute.

Warmest regards,
Joe



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