The health, social justice, and environmental crises that America is now facing have not only been difficult for many Americans, but they have received a disastrous response. The economy is going to be choppy and it’s going to be impossible for it to maintain its stamina in the face of continued crisis. We will need great political leadership to turn things around, and corporate leaders will have to step up to help fix what’s wrong.

Most of you know where I stand on the current occupant of the White House and his administration. What you may not know is that I voted Republican my entire life until 2008, when I threw my support behind my friend Barack Obama and worked feverishly to get him elected. Because of the type of person and leader that he is and was, I am immensely proud of my service to him, his campaign, and my continued participation with the Obama Foundation. During Obama’s presidency, he led with integrity and without scandal, and I believe that this is what we can and should expect from the leader of our country. During that time the United States had worldwide respect, and the White House had the respect of the military and the state department.

I would ask people to consider their methods of gathering information and whether or not those sources are pointing to the facts. Read multiple sources of news and read the whole story, not just the headlines. The things that have been happening in the White House have not been good for America and they have not been good for many of us as citizens. In terms of the economy, the GDP has fallen 9.5% this year so far and millions of jobs have been lost, wiping out five years of growth. As I have been saying since March, it is crucial that we get our act together as a country in the face of the global pandemic, otherwise the economy is going to collapse. This is the direction it is heading. Although Clayco is prospering right now, the rest of the country is not doing well and there is no guarantee that even Clayco will continue to thrive. I will not forget how, during the Great Recession, all our projections turned south.

This election, I am supporting Joe Biden for President. He is a terrific person and because I know him personally, I have confidence he will be a true leader who will keep his word, lead honestly, and surround himself with an incredible team who are capable of getting the country back on track. Almost as important as selecting a respectable leader, is getting Democratic control of the Senate and Congress. Again, make sure you dig deeper than all the negative advertising to educate yourself about the candidates. Learn to distinguish the things that count from all the misinformation.

I’m fairly optimistic that we will power through whatever comes our way, but there will be bumps in the road for sure. The most important thing will be reuniting ourselves, the American people, back together. We need to be aware of the challenges our country faces and what our individual part is to correct the course. I’m ready to do my part and hope that you will do yours. Remember, we’re all in this together.