Massachusetts Republican John Deaton on running to replace Elizabeth Warren in the Senate

Intro and background joining us now at the library desk is John Deon John's lawyer cryptocurrency Advocate who's running for the Republican nomination to oppose Elizabeth Warren and succeeder in the Senate John it's a pleasure to meet you thanks so much for being here thank you both it's my honor to be here looking forward to it thank you thank you very much uh for coming in so tell people a little bit about yourself and why you're running all right well I um have a unique background I'm from a single mother welfare and food stamps I was born and raised in a place called Highland Park Detroit if you look it up it's ranked in the top five worst neighborhoods in America for the last 40 years to give you an example there's a sign not too far from my house that I grew up in that says enter at your own risk police do not Patrol the area put up by the city of Detroit uh Council uh give you an example my mother was stabbed in front of me when I six years old um first day of high school I had a gun shoved in my mouth and the hammer cocked unfortunately uh I was a victim of child rape for two years of a child predator uh my best friend was killed in front of me by a drive by shooting I was a high school dropout like everyone in my family before me uh for the first four months and I got lucky um I decided to break the the cycle because my mother who's my hero uh put her arms around me and said why are you crying so much and I said because I want to go to high school because I want to go to college and I got to graduate high school and she said well just work for three years and I'll sign when you're 17 like your brother and you could join the military and I said Mom I want to go to college I need to graduate high school and my mom my hero put her arms around me and said son I'm sorry but that's not for people like us that's what generational poverty does to people my mother again my hero despite saying that uh is someone who was born in generational poverty sixth grade education uh my father abandoned us in that neighborhood uh and left her alone and so I vowed to break that cycle I worked myself through High School through college and I made my way here to Boston New England School of Law and I uh graduated and ironically I realized I am the American dream I'm the embodiment of it and everything that's capable in a great country and I ended up joining the Marine Corps as an officer Judge Advocate after uh seven years of active duty I've been a lawyer representing mesela and lung cancer victims going against travelers insurance and Liberty Mutual and General Electric and all the major corporations for two decades across the Commonwealth I've been representing Working Families for two years across the Comm wealth and I'm looking forward to the comparison of who represents the little guy me or Senator Elizabeth Warren speaking of the Commonwealth uh we love Rhode Island on the show margorie spent some time there you just moved here A bunch of months ago why should people say that a recent transplant is even if you have great credentials is an appropriate person to represent them in the US Senate well first of all I put my Massachusetts credentials up against anyone first of all I couldn't get into Harvard Law or pay for it but the Marine Corp chose me over Harvard Law BC law Buu law suffk law to represent the Commonwealth for the 1994 Judge Advocate law contract and for 22 years I've been representing here yes did I live for the last decade except to in January on the border of seon where I did all my shopping in seeon yes that's enough for me if you shop in Massachusetts you ever vote here you ever vote here no no but let me tell you that was that not I mean as a voter I mean you I assume you've been voting your whole life wouldn't that put you off even if they love what John Deon stands for the guys never voted in our state yeah he went to law school here he moved here five months ago arguably to run for the Senate wouldn't that bother you as a voter not not if they see what I've been doing for 22 years I've been representing plumbers Pipe Fitters service members Shipyard workers auto mechanics electricians I've been representing the workingclass people of this Commonwealth for two decades against the major corporat insurance companies Elizabeth Mo shop in Massachusetts you should add that to every line well my daughter my daughter was a senior just graduated UMass am H and let me tell you something Jim if it was good enough to represent the Commonwealth in the Marine Corps I believe representing the Commonwealth with Marines is a heck of a lot more honorable than 99 other career politician Elites in Washington DC you know uh from your literature it's pretty clear uh we talk nonstop about the Republican candidate for president you don't support Donald Trump is that correct that's correct why well I don't support him I I didn't vote for him if you look up you'll see that I've been a harsh critic I don't support Joe Biden or uh Donald Trump this election who you voting for I'm going to write in someone who you writing in probably Charlie Baker and what's the value Charlie Baker for those who have short memories I think used to be governor of Massachusetts most popular governor in America uh uh he was and he was with us every month for 12 years Deaton's presidential vote and his approach probably four years before he was governor and then four years eight years as Governor uh uh he's not going to be the next president of the United States that's correct you want to cast critical votes on things that affect people in this country every single day but you've decided that your presidential vote is going to be thrown away no it's not I've decided not to participate to take a stand Jim that I refuse to participate in the choice of a lesser of two evils can I respectfully ask you a question course aren't you tired of having to choose between the lesser of two bad candidates can I respectfully answer your question yes sir yes I am and so all I'm doing is taking a stand and saying I re I don't think Biden is a bad I think he's done a wonderful job as president I should be clear you and I disagree on that but the the basic notion that America is voting on two people they don't want to be president is a troubling thing to me too and I I'm rejecting it and saying listen if you don't support the people that I want to support poor people and expanding the middle class Working Families then I don't support you and I don't think the policies uh are any different listen if you think that poor people living in the hood think there's a big difference between between George W bush and Barack Obama you're not paying attention to poor people you don't think they think that Elizabeth Warren who you want fired so you can be hired stands up for those people no she doesn't stand up for those people I'm going to show them a real fighter for Working Families why does she support the accredited investor rule that excludes 92% of the American public from investing in private Equity well she supported debt relief for students who are buried she was one of the leaders of the effort to double Child Care under some of these uh Co measures you know about I know you care deeply about opioids she was involved in that effort to get billions of federal dollar I I I I understand you might say I'm a better advocate for poor people your position is she doesn't care about low income listen I I there was an article in the uh Commonwealth Beacon that said Elizabeth Warren's new GOP opponent John Deon sounds a lot like dot dot dot Elizabeth Warren because I talk about opioid addiction I talk about poor people my Approach is fundamentally different she's great at fighting against things and people that's not the same as fighting for example she's great at fighting against the wealthy and the rich that is not the same as fighting for the poor and for Working Families but her wealth tax John wait wait just one say her wealth tax John deedon with the funding would go to Universal Child Care is that not fighting somebody and benefiting somebody let me you're telling me that when your taxes go to the government that that translates directly into Poor People's pocket it does not not let me tell you something someone who grew up on welfare and food stamps someone who understands that we need a safety net for people who will never abandon the people that I grew up with when I become a US senator giving them an extra 50 bucks or 100 bucks in food stamps is not helping them I want to lift them up I want I do not want to be one of the last poor people in this country to make it and I get emotional about it because it lives in here all right income inequality is a political slow to Senator Warren it lives inside Poverty and Warren's policies here and I'm looking forward to the comparison hold so let's talk about that because I think I think generally speaking people do think Elizabeth Warren as a as a staunch Fighter for poor people and the middle class consumer product safety that was a whole big thing she did she's been really tough on the banks that was another I think that's a legitimate thing that she's absolutely done when she talked about having only 7% of her income go toward child care there were mothers All Over America that were very excited about that of course it didn't happen um so how how would you be better especially as a republican going to the Senate and Republicans are not exactly representing what a lot of people in Massachusetts think should be done first of all I'm John deedon you can't bro uh paint me with the same brush as you paint all Republicans but you brought up the banks let me give you an example it's why I favor term limits okay Senator Warren I believe had good intentions I'm not name calling her I'm not going negative on her I'll hold her accountable but 12 years ago 13 years ago she pounded the table outraged that the bankers didn't go to prison from the 2008 financial crisis she vowed to hold those Bankers accountable who do you think who wrote her anti- crypto Bill the banking industry and she just signed off on it she's the epitome of what happens even with good intentions like she may have had you become part of the problem of the broken system when you stay there and you become a career politician she's the epitome of that and I'm looking looking forward to showing the people you brought up consumer I won consumer advocate of the year I won defender of freedom of year work for fighting families I fought the United States government I'm not a Securities lawyer I'm a mesela lawyer and I fought the US government and sued the Securities Exchange Commission because of what it was doing to work regular people 627 token holders in Massachusetts I reached out to Senator Warren's office because she sits on the Banking Committee she oversees the SEC I couldn't even get an intern to return my call and I have hundreds of those people we're talking to John Deon who's one of the Republicans running for the nomination to uh run against Elizabeth Warren for the US Senate from Massachusetts you know I just want to you said you don't um support Donald Trump and you're much more of a social liberal than certainly Trump is or JG Vance who's running with him um what did you what would you have voted if you had a chance on the appointment of of of Kavanaugh Gorsuch and Amy Cony Barrett to the Supreme Court well you know I wasn't in the Senate and I'll be honest I haven't studied all of them uh they would have had to earn my vote but just so you know um i' I've already publicly stated that I disagree with the do's decision and I uh I actually was spoke out first even before Senator Warren on the IVF Alabama decision saying out of control judges need to get in line and and do their job and let stop letting politics interfere so I'm a pro-choice Republican I have three daughter daughters I'm incapable of supporting laws that are going to take the rights away from my daughters that doesn't mean I favor late term abortions unless there's exceptions for feto anomalies or life of the mother but I am a pro-choice candidate I'm for women you know I understand uh uh uh and by the way my Deaton on the issues understanding is you support samesex marriage too is that cor before Barack Obama Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton I I believe in Freedom and so when they did not support gay marriage when they were like only civil unions it's only a man and woman I was saying are do we live in America did I wear a United States Marine Corps officer uniform for no reason it's America love who you want to love but John you know one of the things I found weird I I would argue in light of the fact that same-sex marriage uh originated with the brilliant pen of Margie Marshall Margaret Marshall who uh we love having join us here and obviously this is about his pro-choice State as any in the country and there's a lot of concern in the state that a lot of Republicans starting with Donald Trump on down are not pro-choice I went to your website and you have all these issues things which I found to be very interesting by the way and I thought pretty comprehensive which is to your credit there's not a link to choice there's not a link to same-sex marriage why' you choose not to tell the voters uh at their primary source of information for you about those issues you care about them if you read my bio it says that I'm it's not the issues it's not in the issues section okay well I'll talk to my campaign I haven't been on my site in a while but I tell you listen let me make it clear I just said I I am a pro-choice candidate who is a father of three daughters who supports the laws of Massachusetts as it relates to women's Reproductive Rights and I will fight for that so why are you a Republican why am I a republican see that's the that's we used to ask Charlie Baker that question your candidate for president we used to ask him well listen this is the problem we got to get back to voting for who's the best candidate right and sometimes that's going to be a Democrat and sometimes that's going to be a republican I believe in fiscal responsibility 80% of all US Dollars have been printed in the last four years if that doesn't shock you then I don't know what it does we're we are stealing from younger Generations I have a 5-year-old daughter we are stealing from their future because we don't have any control both parties have no control when it comes to fiscal responsibility so I am a fiscally conservative common sense Republican who is socially or liberally moderate okay John Deen can we get back for a i with all due respect when you say I haven't studied their records three of the most conse we both believe the single most important thing when you're voting for president is who he or someday she picks the Supreme Court uh kav con Barrett and Gorsuch have helped change the future of this country don't you say you haven't studied well enough don't you think you have an obligation before an election to let the voters of Massachusetts know since you'd be in the Senate voting potentially on Supreme Court nominees how you would have voted on the three people who helped overturn the decision roie way would you support well what I was saying is I haven't sat and read all of their lower uh decisions and things like that based on what you know would you support would you have voted for them every Republican every Republic Neil Gorsuch probably and probably maybe not the other two okay Gorsuch yes the other two no how about some of the um uh big issues that the Republican Party um doesn't support climate change guns where are you on those two I support the laws of Massachusetts as it relates to the Second Amendment and guns and uh I believe in climate change I believe anyone who says that climate change isn't real is being a fool or being ignorant now at the same time that doesn't mean I support oh let's we're going to go carbon emission by 2050 and eliminate thousands of jobs with no plan and then give advant economic advantages to other Global countries we have to have common sense multifaceted approach that includes solar that includes wind that includes Hydro you know uh we can't even talk about most experts in this area think that small nuclear could be an option but you can't even talk about that because it becomes oh you know that's taboo we have to get back to Common Sense and I'm a common sense Republican and I got news for a lot of Democrats are coming my way when they learn who I am you know John Deon uh you don't know me but I I don't like telling people where I had lunch yesterday uh you uh this is a credit you seem to be you don't want to hide anything about you the line that everybody you know this quoted about you the day you announced was this cocaine fueled sex Bender why did you choose I mean it's not like it's on your resume right why did you choose uh to tell the the people this well listen when I wrote my book food stamp Warrior it was I'm sorry I didn't reference that it's fine I I wrote A B book for 40 years I never told anyone that I was raped for two years brutally for 40 years I never talked about my mother being stabbed I never talked about my mother being hospitalized in three other occasions I never talked about the gun in my mouth with the hammer cocked I never talked about my best friend Derek dying in my arms at 17 years old I never talked about that I was so focused on overcoming poverty and being a good father if I became a father unlike my own I pushed it down and and I said I'm not going to be a victim I can't change it just move ahead and then I did it I had lots of money in the bank my I was a great father my daughters are in college I'm in this nice home I end up being divorced um my wife ex-wife threw a fundraiser for me so give you and and all of a sudden Jim I'm waking up at 3: in the morning crying I'm crying with my mom crawling on the ground I'm crying with Derek my best friend dying in my arms I'm crying about the rapes for the first time in four 40 years and I'm like why is this happening to me 40 years later so my book was about unexamined trauma right you can push it down and and you can pretend it didn't happen but eventually it will catch up to you when you least expect it and my mother was dying and at the same time I had I was dealing so what I did was give a all tale Memoir of this is my life I was acting out because I didn't want to be alone and I was trying to prove that like I'm a guy I'm a so what that do for you being being that incredibly open about all the pain and Trauma in your life what how's that what's that done for you it's been the best thing whether Senator Warren you know as you know uh opposition research 101 is right there in that book for Senator Warren to to to say anything mistake I've made I've admitted but I'll never regret that book I've had grown men my age or older with tears in their eyes saying John you know you sharing that helped me I experienced you know sexual abuse or Dom domestic violence or poverty the thing I've learned Jim about this book is that it resonates with people we all have so much more in common whether it's the poverty or whether it's the deadbeat dad or whether it's sexual abuse um or whether it's opioid addiction you know because I got injured in the Marine Corps on active duty not in combat but I had a couple on training couple bag surgeries and they gave me this pill called oxycoton and they said it's not a addictive take that for 120 milligrams a day uh for 3 months and I can assure you it's addictive so when my mom was dying all of this was surfacing and the book was cathartic for me and that's why I wrote it out and it's a I made a choice to just tell it all and be honest and transparent and most people that read it they welcome that transparency well you're making up for me being honest about nothing I don't mean honest be open about nothing not I'm honest we only have a minute left but uh your your mom died then before you wrote the book and before she saw um you going to make me cry but yeah where what point in your life were you at that point had you had you uh gone to law school and started representing yeah my my mother was able to see me succeed um uh I talk about it in the book my mother you know uh John never did anything wrong and I was like she was wrong you know I did a few things wrong uh but she she was very proud and uh like I said I'm the American dream who can go for from that background to run for the United States Senate and take on one of Washington's Elites I love this country what's your website John Deon John Deon for senate.com great and it's d a t n yes congratulations good luck and I hope you'll visit us again John de I'll Vis as much as you as you'll have me thank you so much for your us