HELLO HOMO! Election Interview with The Girl with a Microphone!

Hello Homo,

What are your thoughts on the election? I know Harris is a better candidate than Biden, but I still don’t feel good about voting for her. I don’t like her lack of attention to Palestine or her role with the carceral system as a district attorney for San Francisco. I’m afraid to throw my vote away with a third party. I don’t feel good about voting for Harris, and Trump can’t win. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. What advice do you have?

 -Anonymous OFM Reader

Hello Reader,

I completely relate to your feelings and have wrestled with these thoughts all year. To address these concerns, I contacted my go-to news-political resource, Kate, whom I cherish. She has been an inspiration since 2020 when she went viral for trolling Trump-supporting demonstrations from her car with her microphone and a whole lot of sass. She is better known as The Girl with the Microphone! She was very excited to jump in on this question:

The Girl with the Microphone: First, I want to say, same. OFM reader, you are not alone! I feel everything that is in this. I feel it in my bones. I hear it all day, every day, from people in my community and people who follow me. From what we now know in research, Kamala’s carceral record is not as bad as it was made to seem. She didn’t put thousands of people in jail. It turns out to be, like 45, but still terrible.

Sure, still participating in the carceral system.

Exactly. It’s still not great. Nobody’s perfect, especially politicians.

But now that we’re literally in the last couple of weeks of the election, I have solidified my opinion. My opinion on who to vote for is not coming out of nowhere, and it’s not based on nothing. It’s based on hundreds of conversations with people along the democratic and progressive spectrum.

I voted uncommitted in the primary because I disagreed wholeheartedly with how Biden was handling things in Israel and Gaza. I consider myself part of the Uncommitted Movement that was started by the Palestinian-American and Arab community in Michigan. Over 700,000 Americans voted a vote of no confidence against Joe Biden in the primary. Yet, as we get closer to the election, things have changed.

I would never tell someone how to vote. If you’re in a hardcore blue state, it’s unlikely that a third-party vote will turn the state. I also understand the impulse to try to opt out of any involvement in genocide. To wash your hands of it and be like, “They’re not gonna catch me voting for somebody who co-signed this (Israel’s genocide of Gaza).” Right?

Totally, I am right there with you and this OFM reader. I am far too committed to equitable social justice efforts to happily support any presidential candidate who directly or passively supports Israeli occupation efforts.

I wish it were that simple. I have been encouraged by the third-party movements. But at this point, with less than three weeks to go, third-party candidates are not on enough ballots to win. The last time a third-party candidate ran in the Presidential election, they only got 1% of the vote. It’s unlikely that will be much higher this time. So, that means that a third-party candidate cannot win mathematically. However, they could be enough of a spoiler to split the vote in swing states.

So, if you’re going to vote third party, I think you should fully understand what that could mean (especially if you’re in a swing state).

It could mean that the vote is split, and Trump wins. That could mean even more suffering in Gaza, if that’s even possible. Trump says he is very close with Netanyahu and has no interest in stopping this. He has said that he wants Netanyahu to “finish the job.” Splitting the vote is not going to stop the genocide. It could also mean more suffering for people here in the United States. I just hope that those who are planning to vote third party have reckoned with what it could mean. That’s all I ask.

When I see questions like this, my goal outcome for any reader is for them to feel empowered in their vote. I want OFM readers to feel represented in how they’re voting and fortified with as much information as possible. I want them to have a cohesive understanding of what it actually means to be represented.

Yeah! It has taken me a while to feel empowered in this choice … I would say it’s taken me a long time because the choices suck.

Sadly, yes, I identify with that sentiment as well. We need to have room for these feelings in discussions about the election. It’s unrealistic to expect voters to be all-in at this point with any candidate.

Yeah, the choices are what they are. When it comes down to it, I would rather be in the Democratic party who listened and replaced Joe Biden, than potentially get a Republican presidency while Trump’s out here talking about immigrants eating dogs, and there’s no talk of replacing him.

We are at a very “yes and” moment in history.

I’m continuing to take my lead and empowerment from young progressives and the Uncommitted Movement. They are all still Democrats and planning to vote blue because they see the party changing.

They see the influence that we have. Instead of abandoning the party, they’re sticking around to make it better and to help continue that wave of progressivism through the Dems. My plan is to vote blue, keep pushing the Democrats for a permanent ceasefire while also supporting the growth of third parties, community aid, and mutual aid. One election doesn’t save or ruin us, but the movement can continue to grow better under a Democrat.

Yes, and—That requires a commitment for voters to stay engaged in politics after the presidential election. That’s the real issue. It’s about how we push for local politics and community organizing and keep our heads in the game regarding state-to-state, county-to-county, and town-to-town laws, policies, and protections.

Totally, and I think that is one place where the third party can grow in the next four years. It seems like everyone just forgets about these third parties after the presidential elections. After this election, I would love to see the Green Party and the Socialist Party grow and get more seats on school and library boards. These small things are what Republicans have been doing for years. That’s where you start and where you build the coalition. So, I think you can support all of that and also vote Democrat.

Boom. I am right there with you, and hopefully, with community leaders and political enthusiasts like you, we can maintain momentum after this election is finally over. Reader, I hope this has helped clarify your values and considerations regarding the election.

Follow Kate on Instagram at @thegirlwithamicrophone and subscribe to her YouTube channel, The Broadcast Live, for weekly news reviews every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights! Follow me on Instagram @holistic.homosexual for updates on my column and stay tuned for the next HELLO HOMO! See you next week!

Have a question you would like answered? Submit your questions directly to me at hellohomo@ofm.media.

Disclaimer: Hello Homo is for informational and educational purposes and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. Hello Homo (Jesse Proia) is not providing mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment to readers. If you are someone you know is experience a mental health crisis or emergency, please contact 911, 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.