11/10/2023

JRB,

            It looks like your celebration at the Jeep factory was fun yesterday! You looked great in your red t-shirt. Did your heart swell when you heard AUW Local 1268 Pres Matt Frantzen gushing about how grateful he was for the phone calls you made on behalf of his “brothers & sisters?” I loved hearing his Chicago accent, especially when he said, “honor.”

            I appreciated Dawn Stimms testimonial about her loyalty to the union & her heartbreak when her family was being torn apart by the potential plant closure in Belvidere. Hearing her talk about the profound impact Stellantis has on her community convinced me that all corporations should be required to adopt a “purpose beyond profit” business strategy which includes community stability. We don’t have to make a government mandate, but some incentives would promote security for folks like Dawn.

Is the accusation in today’s WP true that your admin has “flooded weapons into the Gaza conflict with far less transparency than it has for the war in Ukraine?” It’s bad enough that you are equipping Bibi with “small diameter bombs, Iron Dome air defense interceptors & munitions,” but keeping it on the downlow makes me wonder what you are hiding.

WINTA!!!

            Please share that sentiment with Xi Jinping in SF next week. The G says that you both “come to the table with mutual suspicion, grievances & garbled impressions of what the other is seeking.” Best to presume positive intentions so you can have a constructive conversation.

            When you talk to XJ, please inquire about his plans for Burma. According to the NYT, Operation 1027 would not have gone ahead without implicit approval from China. Remind him that backing both sides of a conflict just prolongs it.

BYBS,