How To Reconcile With An Imperfect Candidate
3 voices I'm listening to
Leading up to Biden’s departure, you could not for a second convince me that Kamala was the correct choice, or that she would have the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent to take the GOP down.
And then… the clouds parted and in walked the swagger of a thousand suns.
Damn, Kamala. I don’t even think you’re that great of a person, but suddenly I’m blushing and flooded with hope. Yes she, and we, fucking can!!
At the same time, she and the Dems are actively silencing and excluding Palestinian voices from rallies and the DNC, simultaneously funding the bombs that continue to drop on Gaza, all the while saying, ‘we’re working on that ceasefire’.
So, what to do?
What I’m not gonna vote for a third party candidate.
Why? Because it’s mathematically impossible* for a third party candidate to win the presidency in the United States. Period.
I’m not going to waste my vote on a symbolic gesture for moral satisfaction over practical outcomes.
*Here’s a breakdown on that in case you need it:
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And while I have the utmost respect for the Uncommitted Movement who argue that we need to withhold our vote until we see a policy change because once an elected official takes office, they no longer need our approval—it is not my strategy.
I am way too nervous about another Trump presidency to pile on criticism to Harris’ campaign.
…
Here are 3 voices helping me navigate this mess:
1. Glennon Doyle | Author + Podcaster
I know, I know. Rich suburban white lady alert. But I have to start with her because there’s a thing she said in a We Can Do Hard Things podcast episode that lays the groundwork for the rest of this piece. So hear me out.
First of all, context: She has been very vocally supportive of Palestine and raised lots of money in that regard.
She is voting for Harris and was one of the organizers for the White Women: Answer The Call fundraiser for Kamala in July with all the celebrity speakers that broke Zoom and raised millions of dollars for the campaign.
Here’s what she said in episode 331 of the pod, On Kamala Harris & What’s Next with Jessica Yellin:
“I am 100% in, I am with Kamala Harris…
I’ve been talking to a lot of young people who are confused by that from me, and I understand their confusion because they are saying, ‘Why do you think that anyone in this establishment, in this two-party system can save us? Why do you believe that?’
And I do not believe that.
What I believe is that when Kamala Harris gets elected, we will not have world peace, we will not have equality, we will not have justice.
But I believe we will have an environment in which the activism and the organizing that will have to be flourishing forever is allowed to flourish. I believe that in the tragedy of the other side winning, we will not have an environment in which my young, passionate friends will be able to be organizing.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
2. Toi Marie Smith | Strategist + Liberatory Thought Leader
Counterpoint.
Toi posted a thought piece on Instagram encouraging white women to chill on the giving and raising money for Kamala and the Democratic Party, got some expected backlash, and made a video responding to it.
Her argument on not giving money to the campaign:
“I didn't say don't vote for Kamala. I said vote and don't give your money… Kamala's campaign is going to survive without your money... Here's why: There's no way that our current president would step down, endorse the VP, and not understand where that money is going to come from… We don't need to be anxious about that… Why now are you rallying behind Kamala who doesn't need your money? There are so many other organizations, mutual aid, people in your local community.”
When pressed by white women saying, ‘can’t we do both? Can't we give money to Kamala and also be giving to organizations?’
“You can but you're not…There's an urgency that's happening now… not because [of how] you feel [about] what's going to happen to marginalized folks, but what you feel like is going to happen to you.”
And my absolute favorite:
“I always use the analogy of a burning building... The building’s burning. Smoke’s going up to the top. You live at the top, maybe the middle floor. But the most harmed marginalized folks live at the bottom. So they've been getting burned. They've been feeling the flames. And you're just smelling the smoke. You're like, what's that? It may be getting a little hot. You touch the door knob… Now it's time to get active. You didn't care when the people were burning below. Right?”
Big oof. I like to think of myself as a caring and engaged person. But when Obama got elected, after I had been working on climate campaigns under the Bush administration for almost all of my twenties, I exhaled a huge sigh of relief, and proceeded to fully check out of politics until 2016. That was my privilege.
And when the Handmaid’s Tale shocked me to my core, I was reminded by people I love that while this show might be scary dystopian future for white ladies, it is the current lived reality for so many. Wake up, Rebecca.
The point: Elections are not the end-all-be-all of engaged citizenship. They’re one part of the process. We need to keep energizing no matter what happens next.
3. The Working Families Party | Progressive Third Party
What I love about this organization is that even though they are a third party who recruits and runs their own candidates, they have endorsed Harris as part of their strategy, which they call “block and build.”
“We must block MAGA extremists from seizing governing power, and we must build the most viable, durable political vehicle that is beholden and accountable to the people and not the wealthy and corporations.”
You can hear more about it in this two minute video:
This brings all the pieces together for me.
This assuages my fears around inadvertently supporting Trump, while pushing me to stay active, present, and organizing when (yes, I’m saying ‘when’) Harris takes office.
This is the strategy I am getting behind.
Hell yeah.
Really appreciate the cogent synthesis of this post Rebecca and the 3 references here. So glad we’ve connected.