Maybe Don't Be a Butt?
Top Ten Dos and Don'ts of 2024 Electoral Politics
So Kamala Harris is the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Here’s an idea! Maybe don’t be a butt!
Now as we all know, debate isn’t worth a damn without defining terms, so let me give you my definition of “being a butt.” You may have a different one. Feel free to let me know in the comments below. And, in a move inspired by YouTuber Jenny Nicholson, I’m going to put this in a numbered list to give my thoughts the best chance for going viral. Also, none of these may apply to you, but I’m betting they apply to someone you know or someone you have social-media-ed with in the last few days.
Here are W. Kamau Bell’s TOP TEN Dos and Don'ts of 2024 Electoral Politics!
DON’T use this “opportunity” of a woman running for president to get out all your residual anger about who didn’t vote for Hillary. As much as it may feel like the perfect time to try to shame someone who voted third party when Clinton was running for president, I’m telling you that it is a waste of your valuable time. You’re not convincing anybody, and specifically the number of factors that led to Clinton’s loss are numerous.
*cough* Nate Silver polls *cough*
*cough* Wisconsin *cough*
*cough” white women didn’t vote in high enough numbers for her *cough*
DO find out why someone is voting third party if they share that with you. That tactic has a much better chance of opening up a productive discussion. Ultimately, isn’t that what you should be aiming for? It could be that the person is confused about the possibility of their candidate actually winning. It could be that they are (rightfully) frustrated with United States presidential electoral politics. (I’ll say again that the Electoral College is leftover slaveholder math.) It could be that this person lives in a solidly blue state and is trying to get their party of choice to 5% of the popular vote and therefore unlock millions of dollars in federal funds that will help break up this two party system. It could be that this person fundamentally doesn't agree with Kamala Harris’s proposed policies, and therefore you can move on. And finally, it could be that they are a bot or a bad faith actor who wants your engagement. Why would you waste time on that?DON’T forget that the main reason that President Joe Biden needed a kick-ass debate performance against Trump was that his popularity had fallen due to his response to the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. It may seem like 100 years ago, but remember last May? Students on college campuses across the country were protesting their schools being invested in Israel and the United States’ financial support for Israel’s war on Gaza. President Biden’s poll numbers were tanking. His debate performance was just the rancid cherry on the spoiled sundae. All due respect.
DO figure out how you can support the activists and regular folks who are working everyday to get Kamala to change the United States’ policies towards Israel and Palestine. Help them put pressure on the Vice President to say that she wants a permanent ceasefire in Palestine and that she will stop funding a war that could already have led to the death of over 180,000 innocent people. And of course, we all want the hostages to be brought home. And have you seen the news recently? The government of Israel is in armed conflict in multiple countries. That ain’t good for world peace. Don’t we want world peace?
DO remember that nearly one million people voted some version of uncommitted during the Democratic primary. Hillary Cliinton lost Michigan – a state with a large population of Palestinian Americans, Arab Americans, and Muslim Americans – by less than 11,000 votes. If you want Kamala to win, she needs those votes. Your time is better spent reaching out to her and asking her to be on the right side of history, than ignoring this whole issue. Here are some resources I recommend:
DON’T engage with people who are questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’s race… or her ethnicity or her “Blackness.” These are all bad faith actors, and it is a waste of your time. She is Black. She is Indian-American. She is Jamaican. She is married to a white, Jewish man. She has two stepchildren who she is co-parenting happily with her husband and her stepchildren's mom.
DO watch my hour long documentary 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed, so you can learn more about people like Kamala Harris. It is streaming on MAX.DON’T call her “Momala.” That’s what her kids call her. It’s really weird if you do it. You ain’t her kid.
DO be happy that Maya Rudolph has signed back on to portray Vice President Harris on Saturday NIght Live. You can call her a “funt.” She said so. But only do it when Maya is in character.
DON’T ignore people who have problems with Vice President Harris’s time as both San Francisco DIstrict Attorney and California’s Attorney General. She has every responsibility to address her record. I would say she has an even bigger responsibility because she is Black and a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU.
DO remind Vice President Harris that she knows that the criminal system was built on and against Black people. Tell her that, at the very least, as president, she needs to champion The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
DO encourage her to meet with activists and community members who have already done the work to figure out better systems of safety. Let her know that this needs to be a day one agenda item. The tragic murder of Sonya Massey is further proof that we didn’t need to prove our policing system needs a reboot.DON’T hold Vice President Kamala Harris to the same standard as President Joe Biden.
DO hold her to a higher standard! Recently, Vice President Harris attended the funeral of legendary Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Representative Lee was our biggest champion for reparations in the federal government. She consistently proposed a bill called H.R. 40. If passed, Congress would study if there was a need for reparations. (Spoiler alert: There is.) But of course Congress never passed it because… Congress. So…
DO tell Kamala Harris that as president she should use her bully pulpit to force the nation to confront its genocidal past and the still-reverberating repercussions. It’s sort of like how President Biden is calling for Supreme Court reform on his way out. He didn’t come up with that on his own. Activists put that on his plate.DON’T assume because you already registered to vote that you are still registered to vote! There are all sorts of stories of people showing up on voting day learning that they aren’t registered for various reasons. Georgia is notorious for this.
DO check to see if you are registered to vote and/or register to vote. Also, instead of just talking about your anxiety or political differences with people, ask if they are registered to vote. And if they aren’t registered then send them this link or this link or this link.DON’T use the possibility of Donald Trump’s reelection as a bludgeon to get people to vote for Kamala Harris. It won’t work.
DO find out what that person cares about. If you agree, then you can use your time to (AGAIN) put pressure on Kamala Harris’ campaign to address that issue in a productive way. This is politics 101. Our job is to build coalition and to make the candidates adjust to us. Our job is not to bludgeon folks who justifiably don’t feel served by their politicians. For more on this see the recent elections in France and the United Kingdom.DON’T get caught up in a conversation that is above your pay grade or outside of your expertise. Let’s be real. You know what you know. And you know what you don’t know. Don’t weigh into some conversation just because you are online and have free time. It is better to stand tall on what you do know instead of falling down on what you don’t. Also beware that there is more misinformation than information out there.
DO stand back and listen when one of those conversations comes up or when you stumble across something you don’t know. Find some reliable sources and make them your friend and double check your work.
For example, today I saw a clip of Republican Vice Presidential Can’t-idate J.D. Vance saying that Kamala Harris was raised in Canada. As a proud resident of Oakland, where she was born, and as a somewhat proud former resident of Berkeley, where she lived, I was ready to dunk on James Davenport Vance. But then I thought, “Hey, Kamau. Why not look it up first?” I went to a bio of hers. I word-searched for “Canada.” Nothing came up! “HAHA!” I thought. “Get ready to be dunked on, James Divan Vance!” But then I read the whole bio. The bio didn’t use the word “Canada,” instead talking about her time in Montreal, Quebec… which is in Canada. She lived there for six years. I never knew that. Thanks to James Daybed Vance, I do now.**
DO watch these incredibly nuanced, educational, and entertaining videos about why you should and shouldn’t vote for Kamala Harris. Trust me. They are great.
* One day I might tell the story of how Representative Sheila Jackson Lee rightfully, politely, and eloquently “read me for filth” after the United Shades of America episode about reparations. It is a great - and humbling - story.
** None of these are J. D. Vance’s middle names. His real middle name is Dancin’. Yes, with the apostrophe.
*** Unrelated but I needed to get to ten. And I really don’t want anyone to be her. If I end up a billionaire believe me you will never hear from me again****
**** I won’t end up a billionaire.
You’re With Me
Some updates before you go:
Podcast Appearance
America, Who Hurt You? with Sarah Jones
I got to talk with Sarah Jones about the thing that’s taking up a lot of real estate in my head these days — the challenge of living in America right now. You know, things like staying informed without going crazy, and staying involved without forgetting to actually live our lives. Listen at the link below or wherever you get your podcasts!
Gold Medal in Crowdfunding
You funded the last newsletter’s campaigns — Oluwaseun Babalola’s film, Fighting Giants, and Mrs. Rede’s crayons for kindergarteners — so quickly that I’m awarding you the gold medal in crowdfunding. Want to channel your inner Simone and go for more medals? Check out the projects below. They’re all in support of young athletes and they all have matching donations right now.
The Next Generation of Olympians
Coach Bethea’s students at Gibbes Middle School in Columbia, SC don’t have a weight room! They’re one of the only schools in the area without a strength training facility, but we can help change that before the new school. Donations to this campaign are currently being matched, so let’s goooooooo!
Lanier High School’s tennis team needs equipment. Let’s join Michael Jordan (he’s matching donations!) in helping these students in Jackson, MS go after their athletic goals.
The Roaring Tigers of Oklahoma City, OK are ready to play volleyball! Let’s get the students of Crutcho Public School the equipment they need to bump, set, and spike their way to greatness. These donations are matched, too.
If you find another project from DonorsChoose that you think other readers should know about, pop a link in the comments!
I'm totally with you on the Gaza issue, which is why I'm worried that Josh Shapiro is still coming up as a possible VP candidate. Maybe the stories are just to keep us paying attention or showing up above the fold. I'm Jewish too, but I'm NOT a Zionist and there's a BIG difference, like between Latkes and universal conscription. Mark Kelly has national name recognition as an Astronaut, former military, and caring husband of assassination survivor Gabby Giffords. And we need Arizona at the top of the ticket to put an end to Kari Lake. Just sayin'...
Love, love, love your funny, brilliant, helpful, writing. So many good ideas, so down to earth. Thank you!