Not An Endorsement, A Reality
The story behind my new political ad "Who's Gonna Catch Your Kid?"
When my friend, writer Adam Mansbach, approached me to help him with a video for Schlep Labs that was encouraging people to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, I can’t say that I was excited to do it. It wasn’t just about Harris and Walz’s politics. And it certainly wasn’t about being conflicted over not voting for ex-President and current convicted felon Donald Trump and and his running mate, the man who put the “sin” in senator, J.D. Vance. I just hate endorsing politicians. I hate the idea of becoming a cog in some politician’s political machinery and chicanery. I hate the idea of having to explain some politician’s political and (even worse) personal misdeeds. Imagine being on the team of the then-Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, who claimed he was “hiking the Appalachian trail” for six days when in reality he was 5000 miles away, schtupping his Argentinian mistress in Buenos Aires. The last thing I want attached to my name is the word “surrogate.” That is, unless medical technology has advanced to the point where I have a working uterus capable of gestating a baby, and I have generously loaned out my new uterus to some lucky family.
All that is to say that I really wasn’t sure I wanted to be involved. On top of my regular political reservations there is the fact that the Biden/Harris administration has been actively involved in Israel’s war on Palestinians (and now their war on Lebanon), through supplying arms and cash. As I have written before, I live in one of Kamala’s hometowns, Oakland, California. While she should be widely popular here – and there certainly is enthusiasm here for her – this is a place where people feel free to stand with Palestine and to call her out for her part in this war. There are synagogues and churches here with banners calling for “permanent ceasefire.” Jewish activists – including my friends Nato Green and Boots Riley – shut down a federal building in Oakland in support of a free Palestine. Yes, there are certainly Jewish people who support Israel and the war. But there is way more open support for Palestinians here in the Bay Area than you see in other American cities. Israel’s war on Palestinians is being called a genocide by many, including the United Nations. Just to be clear, “genocide” is a legal term. Here is the definition of genocide according to the United States Holocaust Museum.
It cannot go without saying that today is the one year anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel that killed 1200 people. And it can’t go without saying that there are still 101 hostages that Hamas has in captivity. It also can’t go without saying that it seems like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was called Israel’s Trump even before October 7th of last year, seems more interested in maintaining his power through waging wars than he seems interested in bringing those hostages home. Finally, you can’t talk about any of this without mentioning the more than 42,000 Palestinians, most of whom are not Hamas, who have been killed by the Israeli army. As UNICEF put it nearly a year ago, “Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children.” Again, that was nearly a year ago. It has gotten much worse since then.
As I reflected on whether or not I wanted to be a part of Adam’s ad, I also thought about my daughters and their friends. So much of this election is about whether or not the United States of America is a country that believes in allowing people to make choices about their own bodies. With Kamala Harris, we would have a candidate in office who supports reproductive rights. There will be nationwide energy and action to restore Roe v. Wade. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz also understand and affirm that trans lives matter and need to be protected. They understand that bathrooms and kids’ sports are no place for bigotry. Hopefully, Harris and Walz will also continue the good work of supporting the unions and the labor movement that was done during the Biden/Harris administration.
I also reflected on the reality that if Trump wins, the MAGA movement is gonna be on the warpath and it will have the full support of the president behind it. The victims of Hurricane Helene have had to deal with a second hurricane in Helene’s wake: a hurricane of MAGA lies about the disaster response. It has gotten so bad that FEMA had to put up a webpage dedicated to disentangling the bullshit. Imagine how much worse things would be if the victims of Helene also had to deal with President Paper Towel Toss leading the response. Time and time again the MAGA movement has proved that they are more interested in memes and mayhem than good governance. We can’t let them have the reigns of this country again.
Having said all that, the Biden/Harris administration is awful on the border. We need to create a path to citizenship for undocumented folks who are already here, working, paying taxes, and contributing to a social security fund that they can’t currently take advantage of when they hit 62. And we have already discussed how bad they are on Palestine. I have so much respect for the Uncommitted Movement. I encourage them to continue using their voices to get V.P. Harris to understand how important their votes are, especially in Michigan. Michigan has the largest population of Arabs Americans in the United States at just over 211,000. In case you forgot, Hillary Clinton lost Michigan by just under 11,000 votes.
When the GOP is on the warpath in this country, the people who feel it most dramatically and fully are Black folks in the South. And Black women are the ones in our community who feel the most. Organizations like Fair Fight and Black Voters Matter are working hard to register Black voters in the South, a region that was founded on disenfranchising Black people and suppressing Black votes.
Ultimately, I decided to get involved because of Rebecca Solnit’s brilliant quote.
To put it even more plainly, I think of it this way. Put the person in the bully pulpit that you have the best chance of bullying. We know that the “American democracy” we learned about when we were elementary school students is not the democracy that we actually live in. Our “democracy” is infested with too much money, white supremacy, and politicians' giant egos. And at the presidential level our “democracy” is topped off with the inequity of the Electoral College. The Electoral College gives my California vote the same weight as the “votes” my kids cast at school for their favorite president. I believe that, between the two most viable choices to be president, Kamala Harris is the one we have the chance of forcing to make more correct choices through activism, protest, and organizing. This is not my endorsement of Kamala Harris. This is my reality. As the Gen X classic made clear, reality does indeed often bite.
On November 5, we all have choices to make at the ballot box, up and down the ballot. Get registered. Check your registration. Make thoughtful and informed choices. I believe in you. I’m proud of you.
You’re With Me
Some updates before you go:
Northern California People,
Stand-Up Tickets are on Sale Now!
Well, it’s official. I guess I’m back!
I’m making my OFFICIAL return to stand-up comedy on Friday, November 8 in Davis, CA at 7:30pm. Yup, that’s the Friday AFTER the election! Gets your tickets before they sell out.
You want to know about the Kingmakers of Oakland.
Last week I had a great meeting with the Kingmakers of Oakland, talking about ways we can collaborate on this #MakeItBay renaissance we’re trying to build along with the rest of our collaborators in the East Bay Film Collective. The Kingmakers’ mission is something we can all get behind:
We believe in a world where all Black boys and men are seen as and see themselves as brilliant, beautiful, and possessing innate greatness as Kings. We believe in a world where society’s systems, structures, conditions and culture enable all of us to reach our full potential. We reimagine systems of education, culture, and wellness while driving narrative change that celebrates Black people and culture and improving educational and life outcomes for Black boys from Pre-K to PhD.
The Kingmaker space in Oakland is truly impressive. (If you’re looking to rent out studio space, they have video and audio production facilities and even an animation lab.) They’re doing big things for Oakland’s young Black men and you can be part of that work. Click the link to learn more:
Surprise! New podcast!
Did you know I’m hosting the ACLU podcast At Liberty until the end of the year?
Well, now you do. My first episode is with Mike Lee, the executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts.
I appreciate the nuance you include in this post. No candidate is perfect, but Harris/Walz is so much better than the narcissistic rapist wanna-be dictator, my choice is clear. thank you
It's Kamala or chaos.There is no other way!