John Fitzgerald Johnson, December 1, 1963? (Virginia?) -
VP candidate for Independent Democrat (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Lloyd Thomas Kelso (b. 1950)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Lloyd Kelso, an attorney, pastor, and Christian counselor of Gastonia, N.C. filed as a Democrat for President with FEC on May 5, 2015. John Fitzgerald Johnson (aka Grandmaster Jay) of Cincinnati filed with the FEC as an Independent for President on Aug. 23, 2015. At some point Johnson became Kelso's running-mate, or so it seems.
Kelso initially ran in the Democratic primaries and was even presented as a choice on the New Hampshire ballot. His campaign cost was in the $100,000 neighborhood. After failing to obtain the nomination, he continued his quest beyond the Democratic establishment. His platform could be characterized as being conservative Democrat, and his electioneering t-shirts included a large crucifix. His campaign website included an autobiography--
Who is Lloyd Kelso?
A Man Who Identifies With the Working Class and Poor
Lloyd Kelso was born October 22, 1950 in Gastonia, North Carolina. He was the only child of Reece and Becky Kelso. Both of his parents dropped out of school in the eighth grade. His dad became an auto mechanic and his mother worked in the mills. They wanted the best for their son, so they encouraged Lloyd to study hard, obtain a good education and become an attorney. When Lloyd was a child, he helped his dad work on Volkswagens in his dad's garage. Lloyd says that he remembers many times that he did not have food to eat as a child. On those occasions, his mother would take him to his grandmother's house to eat. At age 14, Lloyd started working at a salary of $20 each week in his dad's Volkswagen garage. Lloyd says he learned a thing or two about what it is like to be poor and to struggle for low wages to make ends meet.
Lloyd's mother worked for several mills in the Gastonia, North Carolina before obtaining a job at Homelite Chain Saws. After 30 years of service for Homelite, she retired. For all of her service, she continues to received a retirement check of $200 each month. At her retirement in 1986, that would buy quite a bit, but today, it hardly covers a week of medicine. His mother only receives about $800 each month in Social Security benefits. She was for the most part a minimum wage worker her whole life. So Lloyd understands the importance of Social Security and Medicare benefits for our seniors.
Lloyd Kelso's parents assisted with the cost of his education at Erskine College, but the biggest part of this education was paid for through Lloyd working part-time and scholarships. His work included running the school projectors and video taping ministry students. When admitted to law school he worked as an intern for a professor and part-time for various law firms doing research. Lloyd says it was a stuggle working to earn the money necessary for his education and for supporting his family, but he made it through school without owing any student loans.
His first job as an attorney paid $175 a week. Lloyd remembers that it was hard to pay the bills and support a wife and two children on that income. After opening his own law office in 1978, it continued to be a struggle to pay the bills. Lloyd worked long hours to build a successful law practice. In spite of his economic circumstances, Lloyd took appointed indigent cases and represented many people for free. He has represented hundreds of people in his career who have had no money to pay a fee. Lloyd took many of these cases on the chance that he could recover some money for them that would help to pay his fee, and when he would lose, there would be no fee. He continues to take many cases on a contingent fee basis today. So Lloyd understands the plight of people trying to make it in America without money to hire a lawyer.
In 2008, Lloyd's dad died. His mother is now 90 and she lives in assisted living in Gastonia, North Carolina. Lloyd and his wife, Debra, take his mother to all of her doctor's appointments and buy her medicines. His mother needs approximately a $2,000 more each month than she has in income. Lloyd and Debra continue to work to support her. Now, at age 65, Lloyd has delayed signing up for Social Security so as not to overburden the system. Lloyd says, "I hate to be a drain on a system that needs fixing to keep providing benefits to the seniors like my mom who really need it." He says it is a shame that seniors must worry about whether the Congress will continue to support them with a monthly benefit when they have worked hard and paid into the system for many years.
In his practice Lloyd sees many people struggling to make ends meet during times of personal injury or divorce. His wife, Debra, has three grown boys from her first marriage. Lloyd has a son and daughter from his first marriage. Lloyd and Debra have been married for 21 years, and together that have 12 grandchildren counting the steps. Debra worked as a paralegal in Lloyd's office for over 20 years. She holds an Associate Degree in Paralegal and a Master's Degree in Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Debra is also a person that grew up in a low income home. In fact, Debra grew up in a trailer park with a father that she feared. They had very low income and struggled to find food. Debra says, "Lloyd and I see what is going on in America and it breaks our hearts. The rich keep getting richer and the poor keep spiraling down. We have both tried to help the homeless and the foster kids." So Lloyd and Debra have been poor, helped the poor, and spent much of their lives helping those who lack economic means to help themselves.
Some of Kelso's political views via Facebook--
July 18, 2015
Can We Play the Trump Card?
There seems to be a lot of excitement about Donald Trump in the Republican Party. Their excitement excites me as well, but for a different reason. I feel confident that the evangelical Christians will not support Trump. He has admitted he has never sought God's forgiveness for his sins, and he has operated gambling operations where he made much of his money. Without the Christian base, any Republican candidate, even with the money of Trump, has no chance of defeating the Democratic nominee. But it also opens the door for Christians who have become disgruntled with the Republican Party to cross over and vote for me as a Christian Democrat. I had hoped they would cross over because of their disdain for Clinton and vote for me as an anti-Hillary vote. But now Trump adds fuel to that fire. I am meeting with a number of Christian pastors to discuss this issue and hopefully the outcome will be a shift from the Republicans to me as a moderate Christian Democrat. Certainly creates an interesting scenario and one I did not expect that may help our campaign!
July 22, 2015
America has become corrupt in so many ways. The politicians and political parties work together with many in the media to allow you to hear only what they want you to hear. Pray for men and women of action to step up and speak truth to power. That is what I am trying to do through my campaign. If we fail, then God help us!
Sept. 9, 2015
God is using this campaign to shape me and show everyone what He can accomplish through a candidate with nothing but a couple of loaves and fishes!
May 15, 2016
The Democratic Party totally shut my campaign out and ignored me altogether. So I'm mounting an independent campaign and will be on the ballot in 22 states already! The Democratic Party is no longer a party of inclusion and tolerance!
July 18, 2016
I am not being judgmental. I realize that all of us have some degree of healthy narcissism. But some political candidates seem to have an over abundance of it. Consider the symptoms:
Many experts use the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association, to diagnose mental conditions.
DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features:
Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Expecting to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerating your achievements and talents
Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believing that you are superior and can only be understood by or associate with equally special people
Requiring constant admiration
Having a sense of entitlement
Expecting special favors and unquestioning compliance with your expectations
Taking advantage of others to get what you want
Having an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
Being envious of others and believing others envy you
Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal and value yourself more than you value others.
Anyone know anybody like that?
Oct. 15, 2016
There is something very fishy about this election! Appears the Democrats have persuaded an actor that they knew would be easy to beat to run as a Republican and defeat their candidates using a canned slogan "I'm going to make America great again!" Once he won the Republican nomination he has done nothing but step on his .... in order to help Hillary Clinton obtain a commanding lead! Of course Hillary Clinton was preselected by the Democrats and their party would allow no one to compete in the Democratic primaries that could be any competition to her! Vote for an independent or write-in Lloyd Kelso for president! Let them know you protest this election which has been rigged from the get go!
On Aug. 15, 2016, Kelso announced on Facebook--
#TeamKelso is proud to announce New York Millionaire Businessman/Activist John Fitzgerald Johnson as our Vice Presidential running mate!
We are in it to win it! Stay tuned for more details!
Vice-President nominee Johnson has an air of mystery surrounding his early origins. He would later become more well-known, but in 2016 he was still obscure, in spite of the "millionaire" claim Kelso used to describe his Veep. Although dates and places vary, my best guess would be that Johnson was born Dec. 1, 1963 in Virginia and had a spotty career in the US Army and later made a go at being a hip-hop DJ in civilian life. Although he later eschewed the movement, he was politically active with the Blacks Lives Matter cause around the same time he declared his Presidential ambitions. Although details remain obscure, he was alleged to be an ordained minister of some kind.
Exactly how Kelso and Johnson hooked up to create a ticket remains a little foggy.
Not all of Johnson's online electioneering sites have remained, but from what I can see he continued to run for President while at the same time also running for Vice-President with Kelso. Some of Johnson's videos include images of Kelso, and a few times the name of the latter actually shows up but in a subordinate typography as if the ticket was actually Johnson/Kelso rather than Kelso/Johnson. The relationship was never clearly spelled out on Johnson's side.
Johnson's 2016 "Only We Can Fix This" platform was more liberal than Kelso's and seemed to mirror the Democratic Socialists to a great degree--
JFJ's PLATFORM
RACE RELATIONS
The United States of America has become polarized and paralyzed at it's core because of it's unwillingness to address the cancer of institutionalized racism that has inhabited this nation since its birth. This cancer manifests itself in multiple ways affecting critical functions of this nation ranging from law enforcement to employment. It keeps a nation that decrees itself to be United from becoming anything but. We must not allow the very thing that makes this nation great tear us apart and that is our diversity! We must begin the process of identifying and eliminating these practices no matter where they are in order for this nation to truly evolve and remain the example for the world to follow.
POLICE REFORM
The citizens of this nation deserve only the finest organizations empowered to serve them and uphold and enforce the laws of the land. Once the confidence in this organization is shaken or has its integrity constantly questioned then the need arises for a nationwide examination and reformation of said organization. The law enforcement community of the United States has found itself in such a position. A position that has been illuminated on the worldwide stage as of late. A position that has driven a wedge between those in authority and those who must obey that authority irregardless of skin color.
I believe we must undertake this task by taking the following steps:
Making it mandatory that all law enforcement officers are required to wear body cameras that cannot be turned off nor have recorded content altered.
The establishment of a Federal Special Prosecutor Division that receives all cases nationwide that specifically involves the use of deadly force against an unarmed citizen by an officer of the law.
Requiring such substantiated cases be classified as Federal crimes and be subsequently tried in Federal Court.
Requiring mandatory annual training of all law enforcement officials in the proper use of de-escalation of force vs. escalation of force and the implementation of a reformed training program for encountering the mentally ill and racial diversity.
The establishment of Civilian Review Boards in every city with oversight of policing practices, recruiting, and citizen complaint resolutions.
Implementation of alternative revenue generating methods in those cities identified as utilizing policing to generate revenue disproportionately from minorities.
VETERANS
The greatest gift that any citizen of this country can give is their life in defending it. Providing the blanket of freedom that we live, move, and have our being under is a task worthy of our highest admiration and support. Yet we live in a country today where the veterans of our great military are neglected and allowed to fall off the socialogical radar, often relegated to the lowest living standards of our society. This is an insult to them for their service. We must examine, improve, and implement systems that provide for the transition ans sustainment of these warriors as they return to take their righful places in our society.
IMMIGRATION
The United States of America is comprised of millions of citizens who have either immigrated here or are the descendants of immigrants here with the exception of those descendant of The Slave Trade. While there have been laws and procedures in place for years to faciltate granting citzenship to those wishing to become a part of this great nation, it has found itself inundated by over 12 million people who have circumvented this system. However the vast majority of these people are hard working productive individuals who came to this nation to escape the grinding poverty of their former homes. Unfortunately a vast number of these people create a huge drain on the resources needed to sustain this country if they are not legally contributing to the lifeblood revenue that allows this country to function: taxes.
I believe the United States should not seek to deport this demographic but should rather implement a program and a policy to identify and assimilate these people into the tax system.
Those who are identified as unable to become assimilated due to a deisire for extradition by their parent country due to criminal activity should be deported immediately and then allowed to return through normal immigration procedures.
As a sovereign nation The United States is entitled to protect and repel any entity that attempts to encroach on its borders. I believe that we should strenghten our borders throught the use of advanced technology and rapid response resources to keep our country secure and free from those who attempt to enter it illegally.
Authorize and increase funding for legal representation to guest workers who have been abused by their employers.
Require employers to reimburse guest workers for housing, transportation expenses and workers’ compensation.
Increase wages for temporary legal guest workers.
Rewrite trade policies such as NAFTA and CAFTA.
TAX REFORM
The United States of America is the richest country on Earth. Yet we have citzens in this country who suffer from poverty that rivals some Third World countries. While we should be proud of our ability to grow rich in a capitalistic society, we cannot become consumed by greed to the point where we ignore those who have progressed as far in this system. The tax system of the United States is the key to ensuring that there are resources to provide us all an even footing. Therefore as President I would enact the following:
Require the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
Outlaw the practice of corporations from shifting their profits and jobs overseas to avoid paying U.S. income taxes.
Implement an estate tax on the top 0.3 percent of Americans who inherit more than $3.5 million.
Increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2020.
Implementing tax breaks for those companies hiring Americans to work on projects rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, railways, airports, public transit systems, ports, dams, wastewater plants, and other infrastructure needs.
Reversing NAFTA, CAFTA, and PNTR
Taxing all American companies that import their products made overseas.
Increasing taxes on all foreign companies manufacturing their good inside the United States to avoid import taxes.
Creating 5 million jobs for young Americans by investing $5.5 billion in a national youth jobs program.
Capping tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout America.
Granting tax emptions to those public colleges that offer free tuition.
Expanding Social Security by lifting the cap on taxable income above $250,000.
Guaranteeing healthcare as a right of citizenship by enacting a Medicare for all single-payer healthcare system.
GENDER INEQUALITY
Denying women control over their own bodies, preventing access to vital medical and social services, and blocking equal pay for equal work are all social crimes that America has been guilty of for years. Today those attacks are more obvious than ever. This area in our social fabric needs to be mended. As President I would:
Expand funding for Planned Parenthood, the Title X family planning program, and other initiatives that protect women’s health, access to contraception, and the availability of a safe and legal abortion.
Enact a comprehensive plan to make high-quality childcare and Pre-K available to every American, regardless of income.
Close the wage gap for the women who make up two-thirds of all minimum wage workers by increasing the minimum wage to $18 an hour.
Require employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.
Require all employers to provide at least two weeks of paid vacation.
Require employers to provide at least one week of paid sick leave for women to care for their sick children.
Increase funding for the WIC program that provides nutrition assistance to pregnant mothers, women, and infants ensuring that every low-income mother and her children receive the nutrition they need to live healthy lives.
Expand Social Security benefits and increase cost-of-living-adjustments to keep up with rising medical and prescription drug costs; and expand the minimum Social Security benefit
LGBT EQUAL RIGHTS
I believe one of the greatest liberties we have in this great nation of ours is the right to be whoever you choose to be, worship however you desire, and express yourself without fear of retribution. In past years this liberty has been afforded based on race, religion, sex, nationality, and disability. However the LBGT community has been forced to live in the shadows and has been denied this fundamental right. In many states, it is still legal to fire someone for being gay. It is legal to deny someone housing for being transgender. This is unacceptable and must change. We must end discrimination in all forms. As President I would sign into Law:
The Equality Act, the Every Child Deserves a Family Act, and any bill sent to me that prohibits discrimination against LGBT people shall be signed.
Ensure LGBT Americans have access to comprehensive health insurance which provides appropriate coverage and make it illegal for providers to discriminate against LGBT.
Require police departments to adopt policies to ensure non-discrimatory interactions with transgender people and institute training programs to promote compliance with fair policies.
Bar discrimination against LGBT people by creditors and banks so that people will not be unfairly denied mortgages, credit cards, or student loans.
Veto any legislation that purports to “protect” religious liberty at the expense of others’ rights.
Although Kelso claimed on July 19, 2016 to be "on 40 state Presidential ballots!" I can find no evidence of that or that he was even a registered write-in candidate in any state. Some news organizations claim that Johnson was on the ballot in 47 states. Again, it must have been in invisible ink.
Shortly after the election, Kelso summed up his campaign in a couple posts--
Last year I did a post about when you run for president of the United States you truly find out who your friends are. When I began my run in April 2015 I had the support of family and many friends. As the campaign proceeded, one of the casualties became my 22 year marriage to Debra Kelso and several members of my own family. Debra and I separated in March 2016 and we have remained friends. I went on to finish out the campaign. I'm not a quitter even when everyone around me fails to support me. And that's really all I've got to say about that.
A lot of folks have laughed at my campaign and the campaigns of some 25 other independent Democrats who were on some ballots in various states. At the end of the day Hillary Clinton only attracted 91% of votes from Democrats. The remaining 9% voted for Trump or independents such as myself. What if Hillary had received that 9%? She would be president elect of the United States! So who says my campaign and other independents like myself made no difference? Why has the main stream media ignored this independent candidate effect? Because no one in the Democratic Party establishment wants to admit an independent cost them the 2016 presidential election!
Election history:
2016 - US President (Independent) - defeated
Other occupations: US Army, Virginia National Guard, hip-hop DJ, "director of a global cloud integration practice and solutions architect," founder of NFAC, "ordained minister"
Notes:
Grew up in Richmond, Va. and New York City according to an article in Atlantic.
In 2017 Johnson founded the Not F*****g Around Coalition (NFAC), a black nationalist/separatist militia organization.
Johnson was arrested on Dec. 3, 2020 by the FBI on charges alleging he pointed a firearm at law enforcement during a Sept. 2020 Breonna Taylor protest. He was indicted in a federal court in February 2021 and the case is currently still active.
Johnson on the Trump-fueled followers failed coup when they stormed the Capitol believing the President's unfounded claims of a stolen election on Jan. 6, 2021: "If the NFAC had done what these folks did, they'd still be bringing the body bags" out of the Capitol.
