Get Out the Vote

down this midterm election for the last several months. And you know what I will say, folks, is regardless of the outcome, right, because you're going to be listening to this in the morning, and as of this recording, I have no idea what will transpire. But what I do know is this, we need to start looking at elections if in fact we're able to advance with our democracy and continue to have free and fair elections as layers of a cake. They are not one and done. One

election alone does not save us, right. They need to layer on top of each other, right, because when you have that longevity, when you have that pipeline, when you have that reservoir right of hopefulness of values, that is what advances our society. That is what moves us towards progress. One election alone, isn't it. And that's what we need to understand and wrap our minds around. And I'm not

talking just about the federal level, folks. I need everybody to be turning up for your school board elections, for your city council elections, for your state board elections, for your medical board elections in the same way that you turn not for the presidential election. Because if there is nothing else that we have seen over the last several years, is that the more localized, right, folks, are the ones

that really have control. And that if you do not ever show up at your school board and think that you know, oh, because I don't have kids, it doesn't matter. This is your future workforce, right or your future problem. So it matters what young people are being taught, whether or not you have kids. It matters who is representing you in the city council. It matters who is fighting for you as mayor. It matters right who your electeds are and whether or not they share the same values

and vision for the future that you do. And it isn't just enough for us to be one and done right. You don't brush your teeth on Monday and then not again until the end of the week, right, because that would one be nasty and two because it's not good hygiene. Well,

we need to have better political hygiene, right. We need to take care of our politics in the way that we should be taking care of our teeth and our bodies, which is that we don't neglect when we're in pain, we don't neglect when things go wrong, because guess what, those ailments overlooked turned into much bigger problems, which is where we are right now with American democracy. And so I say this to folks not as a way for us to just throw up our hands and say, well,

nothing can be done. I say that the work is never done, and that we need to be able to get to a place to remove our own egos from what it is that we want to see transformed in our lifetime and start thinking like the abolitionists, start fighting for a future that we may never be a part of,

but what we do now matters to that future. Think about abolitionists and formerly enslave that we're fighting against a system that was centuries old, that was built into the very fabric, the foundation, the soil laced with blood of the enslaved to build this country, and it was inside of folks's imaginations, both free and enslaved, that said we

can dream and fight for another day. So I need for us to embody the spirit of our ancestors in that way, right, and not for everything to be about our own immediate gratification and our own sense of ease. We are fighting now for the future, and that's what we need to understand with each and every passing election and all of the time that transpires in between. So coming up next, friends, my conversation with our good good friend,

the Reverend Mark Thompson of Make It Plain. Hey there, I want to tell you about another podcast I think you'll love. The Brown Girls Guide to Politics, hosted by a Shanty Gohler, the president of Emerge BGG, is the one stop shop for women of color who want to

hear and talk about the world of politics. Join a Shanty this season as she talks to incredible women of color who are changing the face of politics and tackling some of the most important issues basing the United States, from reproductive justice to voting rights, to climate change and more. Tune in every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. Folks.

So you know that whenever we have the opportunity once a month to speak with our good, good friend, the Reverend Mark Thompson and host of Make It Plain, I am overjoyed and by the comments that I get from all of you about Mark's feedback and analytics, I know

that you all look forward to it as well. It is election day, dear friends, which we talk about as the final day to vote, but not the day that you should be tapping in and so Mark, before we dig into where we are in our democracy and what is going to be needed moving forward, I just want to take your temperature and see you know, how are you feeling on this day and how have you been feeling with regard to to to where we find ourselves

right now? Well, always good when our shows can join together, Danielle, and it's a pleasure always to be with you. I'm a little a little nervous, but optimistic. Honestly, I think the mooved on our side is motivated. How I don't know where they out to compensate for all the little tricks. They may have a plan or anything else. What I what I am kind of riled up about is how the mainstream media has been reporting that Republicans are are surging or doing better, and those are some outlier poles

that are saying that that's not necessarily true. That is discouraging. It shouldn't be, but at times that's discouraging to those of us who haven't tapped in yet, to use your phraseology, And it's very disappointing to me that that's happening again, that even enjoy read has talked about it. You know, why are you all pushing this narrative of impending or imminent loss on the part of the Democrats. That's not clear.

That's not something that is guaranteed. You know. Also, it strikes me as quite conspicuous that a major network would be forced to cancel a black woman show, a show that would have most likely mobilized even more people's supposed on the weekend before the election. We're talking about Tiffany Cross And I'm also at a loss to understand how another network can bring that kind of pressure to bear on another network, because that's where it's coming from. It

came from the outside. It's Tucker Carlson is Fox, and they targeted her because she was pushing back against Tucker Carlson and others. I pray that they don't come for joy, but they've always come to joy. But I pray that the powers to be wants to come and get rid of her. But be that asn't make that stands out. So when you said, you know, when we talk about Twitter, what's happening on social media's appalling. Twitter probably needs to die, Yeah, frankly, yeah,

and it probably will, yep. But I don't think a lot of us contemplated what would be the consequences if we no longer had their social media because we wanted to build on yes, which I mean, we're trying to do something fan base. I get that, but you know, we all still want to be over to others with the other with the white social media companies, because you know, to us that ice is cold. That's a whole other conversation. So it's a lot going on. I do think the

and I don't support Kanye at all. Kanye is is not a loss to me. We should have been done with Kanye when he said slavery was a choice, and then white Lives Matter, and then he's saying George Floyd wasn't really kill about the police. There's that the piece with Kyrie, which is hidden folk differently. Obviously, Kyrie probably should have vetted that movie a little bit more closely. There are issues with that movie. It is not false to say, and I've never heard anybody get in trouble

for saying the original Hebrews were Africa. I've never seen a controversy to come out of that. But there are other things in the movie. Allegedly there's Holocaust denial and all that kind of stuff. You gotta vet that stuff. But what that does, though, is in this moment, that's not a Quinkie day. It's it's a been demoralizing to us and it's a distraction. So people call me young, especially young people because they're not used to this. We like Kyrie, I said, we'll go vote anyway, just like

you got to compartmentalize. Don't let that distract you discourage you from voting. So, I mean, these things are taking place, but in spite of that, I think women are showing up in numbers doing the right thing. Young people are showing up in numbers doing the right thing. It'd be really great if Stacey could win. Yeah, they're saying that's

not likely, but again that's the hit job set. Kanye's is the real tangible, problematic individual, problematic musician or rapp or whatever he is, is killer Mike because he's not there, you know, having people in Georgia not vote for Stacey. He's run around taking pictures with Brian Kemp. But what is that about, you know? And that's that's Kanye is not necessarily affecting a race right now. This is this is something today they will be voted upon. So I mean,

all those things are taking place. I may not sound as optimistic, but I still am. I'm still prayerful. I'm still kind of hoping that this country's gonna show what it really is. But if it doesn't, if it shows, it's going the other way, and then we know what we're facing. You know, I want to talk a bit more unpack where you're getting your optimism from, because in all of the things that you have laid out, you know,

I agree wholeheartedly with all of them. I believe in the same way that Kanye West, Kyrie Irving in the NBA and you know her herschel Walker. I think that they're all planted distractions for the black community. I think that what I believe it is Reverend Jamal Bryant, who went viral last week, whose video takedown of herschel Walker I shared on my social media, where he said essentially that the Republicans think very little of us as black people.

They think that we're stupid. They would think they think that we will, as he had said, you know, follow a man with a ball rather than a man with philosophy, right,

with a football rather than a man with philosophy. And that's what I think about when I see these kind of white supremacis plants, which is what I will refer to Kanye West, Kyrie Irving and herschel Walker as because they are susceptible, right and have been led by and have been you know, what's the word that I'm looking for, overwhelmed by the welcoming of whiteness, right, that has always been where they have found their power. They believe that

being contrary, being contrarian, makes them somehow free thinkers. But it's funny to me that you're thinking aligns with white supremacy and that's what you think is free thinking. Um. And so you know, I think that Republicans and the white supremacist party think very little of black people. And I know that we you Mark, and I think very highly of black people, right, and black people I don't

believe will fall for the rope and dope. I believe that the you know, killer mics of them all again, they find power in aligning themselves with whiteness, you know. And and I have no idea why that is not you know that it's not my bag. I don't care to waste time trying to unpack them. It's about the bag that it isn't Yeah, exactly right, right, It's about it's about the money, um, and how they can feed themselves rather than being concerned about how their community is

being fed um or being starved. Rather so I think that you know, all those things being taken into consideration, though, Mark, you know, what is it in this moment because I think that I go to a spiritual place, I go to a prayerful place when I think that, you know, it is always you know, darkest before the dawn. There is something to the rising of the phoenix through the ashes.

There is something of the pushing through of the lotus flower through the mud, right like there is something to those idioms, those examples that are provided throughout throughout throughout history and so what is grounding I guess your hopefulness in this moment, because I believe that regardless of the outcome of this election, we have forever been changed as

a country. And so I'm curious as to how you see your hopefulness and how you see the path forward, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That's faith. So that ain't a lot to go on. But that's just the faith I have. But also thinks this as not King said, you still have to believe in the common decency of human time. Most people are supposed to be good people and decent people.

Looking at the alternative and everything that has happened, you kind of you really just have to kind of believe. Folks aren't gonna let this go back again. People saw January six, people saw the reckoning. People are seeing the idiocy. I shouldn't say that the tragedy of Herschel Walker because as a part of me to feel sorry for Herschel. He's being exploited. He really Herschel's not well on a

number of levels levels, and he's being exploitted. So I hope that people and see if our side just does what it's supposed to do. We have more numbers than they do. Anyway, if two thirds of us, maybe half of us, little over half, just do what we're supposed to do and not become discouraged or just don't do anything, just kind of blow it off. The problem with our side is, and you know, I've talked about this before, if we project we're doing well, right, then people on

our side, so we're good. I don't I don't have to go that neanksgiving because we're good. If we say, if it's said we're doing poorly or I'm demoralized, I'm not going. I mean, we come up with a lot of reasons not to do it, and we're still we still have to build the kind of culture whereby voting is second nature. It's got to be. It should be

the easiest thing to do. And in some ways it is versus you know, being in a struggle three hundred and sixty four the other days out of the year, like you and I are, some people all they do is go vote, and it's like it's all it's all you gotta do, it's all you're gonna do. It's all you want to do is just do that. Let's get that done and don't wait and start it today out some of y'all wake up this morning. Oh by the way, I forgot I got to go vote. Please God though

so but but I am. I'm hopeful, especially when it comes to women with this Dab's decision. I don't see how women can stay home. I don't see how women can vote any other way but the right way. And even young women and young people, because younger men now think on our side, closer to the way women think, because they want women to be protected. They believe in women being protected and having bottled all time. Younger, this younger generation man doesn't seem to be as threatened by

that as the older generation. So that's where that's where mind comes from. And I just really hope people do it today. It's it's there's only one right thing to do. This is the right thing to do. The rest of this is in it's not just right wing and racist, see see, because what saying is Kanye is not the leader, the world leader, or the world symbol of anti semitism. Right that's coming from their side. And you notice, you know, Trump and those people are anti Semitic, But people don't

make as much noise about them. So when you come for Kanye or somebody one person that's that's low hanging fruit, Let's hit Trump at the ballot box. Let's hit his ilk at the ballot box. Then you're waging a struggle because because the people who go and blow up the synagogue, set fire to synagogues, they're coming out of his champ ain't coming out of Black camp. Ye, Kanye, don't hand no followers, ain't coming out of another people. It's coming out of the Trump people, all right, And so vote

doesnting too. Is the sad thing about the whole Kanye piece and anti Semitism thing. Seventy percent of Jewish people Jewish voters and ninety percent of Black voters the same way. We don't disagree on nothing. We don't really disagree on nothing. So you know, there's some people who, you know, have a need to say that the route or the headquarters the bastion of anti Semitism these days is in the

black community. I had, you know, hours with Tamika Mallory during the Women's March and that whole kerfuffle, and a rabbi said to us one night, asked the question, asked, why does the African American community want to send our people back to the Ovens who were like, who you talking? There's no black person having a conversation like that anywhere in the world, but somebody has decided to make you

believe that, so you can divide us. Black Foot, Wigham, everyoneted to fight white people in the white supremacy, not specifically Jews. We see white, we don't see so you know, but that's a devipe something actually say that. It was shocking and gonna tell us where black people think it say, you know, I ain't nobody blacking than me, and no nobody, no nor more black people than me. Never been a coms been in a conversation like that, never nothing like that,

it has ever happened. Um. But but the Trump ilk and who they're connected to, even in Europe, these right wing European books, they ready, they went, they want to do the oven again and that's where the war needs to be. So folks getting out today and not only do that, calling people, you know, young people, you know, driving some folks to the polls in your car. Because this is and I'm will say this, it's gonna be tight.

It's gonna be raised a thin. So we've got to get as many people out as possible so we can you know, uh, beat those margins. Get a behind the scenes look at comedy centrals The Daily Show on Beyond the Scenes, an original podcast from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Week host Roy Wood Junior goes deeper with the notable guests and experts from the Emmy Award winning series. Together, they use comedy to tackle current topics from gentrification to gun laws and take a closer look at how and

why these topics matter. Listen to Beyond the Scenes from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. New episodes every Tuesday. Yeah. I think that it's important one to recognize that the divisions that we see between marginalized groups is purposeful. It is part of the largest strategy because if we were to actually come together as a collective, we outnumber right the right. And that's what I want,

you know what I believe mark in moving forward. And you know, former Senator Doug Jones said this last week when he was on cable news show. Former Senator out of Alabama who got his seat in Alabama because of black women in that state who said, We're not putting a pedophile in office to represent us. So what he said is that Democrats problem is that they want to back candidates as opposed to hype up their ideology and

get people voters, the electorate to back a movement. Right that it's always about, Oh, we'll go vote for Fetterman in Pennsylvania, go vote you know, against Trump, Go vote for Stacy Abrahams in Georgia. It is always about the person as opposed to the long term policy and as opposed to the ideology and the values of democracy right

and Democrats. And so I want to get your thoughts on one his assertion there if that is the wrong move that Democrats have been making, and in your mind, Mark, as we turn the page on this mid term and as of this recording, folks, again it's election day. We don't know the results and probably will not know until you know later in the week, how do you perceive

how do you envision us moving forward? Right to rally people around the idea of democracy, Right to stop seeding words like patriotism and freedom to the right who have totally co opted it and also twisted it into a different way and meaning, well, first of all, on that, I think that's an accurate assessment. You don't hear a lot about ideology. It is true some have said in the punditry that Democrats are playing defense, and they are. You're trying to hold the ball, You're trying to run

out the clock. Both of consultant class and the culture of mainstream media kind of undermine our to make ideological arguments and ideological campaigns. The right wing is kind of tagging over that space, and the consultant class says, well, let's let their own ideology beat them. Let's not go ideology for ideology. And I kind of get that, and frankly, it may be on a case by case basis. We looked at the numbers of these mid terms and looking

at what Biden did in twenty twenty. If everybody does what they're supposed to do, then everything should be good. So no one wants to say anything. For example, we got HR forty, we got two seventeen votes. Nobody wants to bring that up. Now I don't agree with this, but because I'm for reparations and I'm not objective, but I do get it. You don't want to do something anything that might risk knocking off for dis gouraging a couple of hundred voters. You gotta get the black electorate,

you gotta get the suburban, college educated white women. Those are those are the ones that are going to be the margin of victory in this and suburban college educated white women are tough. So I get that. I don't know when and how we do the ideology, but they're good at the ideology because they have their own exclusive

ideological networks. We don't. And everybody who's saying then MSNBC, is this the progressive or the liberal equivalent of factify across was fired now and what's canceled wasn't renew with everyone what Jimmy, she was fired? But but so that says something we don't have that, And everyone in this medium market is competing for the right wing audience, which doesn't make sense either because right wing audience does not

turn off Fox. It does not turn off a way in to go turn on CNN or MSNBC or nothing else. It just doesn't do that. So you're fighting it at audience and it's not there. Now the advertisers want some evidence that you're trying so they can put ads on there and that's what pays your revenue. So the way that system is even set up, it leaves no room for us. So we got to figure out how to build, you know, our own networks and have them be supported by the viewers who watch them, if that's what we want.

So I get it. It's hard to do the ideological piece, but you know, the hope is what the consultants hope. And you know, I don't like I'm not crazy about consultants, but this may be the only play we have right now. If you're defending your seats, let there it. Let them or was it that was in Marx or Lennon who said capitalists will be hung by the their rope he sells you let them, Yeah, let them go down, And someone fact checking me on that because I think it

was Mark so minute. But let them. I'll switch that over for the idiologus. Let them go down on their own ideology, let them do the crazy stuff and we look sane on this side. I think that's the strategy. It will see if it we'll see if it works. Yeah, So last thoughts, Mark, You know, on democracy, we have been living through a really I don't even know the word for it anymore, because difficult doesn't sum it up,

Trying doesn't begin to make the case. But since twenty sixteen, right, we have been living through political mayhem, uncertainty, and instability, and I don't What I want people to understand is that voting absolutely one hundred percent matters, but thinking that one election is going to save you is the problem.

And so when we are looking at the grand scheme of things, and where I have found myself mark in particular, ism is talking about what's the word abolitionism, I think about abolitionists, and I think about this call this idea, this grand idea, that you're going to end a centuries old lucrative right process of trading humans, of human trafficking, and that you're going to end this and somehow like you believe that you may not see it, but this

is what you're working towards. This is the mind shift that I have been making, right that it isn't about you know me, and I have to remove my ego from it. And what I want to see it is the fact that what we are building for is a future that we may never see, right, but we're building regardless and so just your thoughts on democracy, on what we're fighting for and what is what began really in twenty sixteen in Earnest is going to be a decades

maybe centuries long project. And I wanted to get your thoughts on where you will find yourself post election. Well, if we lose bray Fami in the hospital, I mean, you know that's going to be first of all. If we lose, Yeah, folks to have stepped up. I mean we're going to have to be even more in the fight because we know we're gonna be fight every day.

We're going to fight either way. But yeah, you know, we've got to build rebuild a movement really that is really focused, that is in the streets and it's not exclusively dependent codependent on social media and so you know, but it always happens we get to this point, we rushing to get everybody out to vote, and then you know, tomorrow everybody's exhausted rather than ready to get it right back out and get at it again. And I think

that's what we have to do. I think we have to understand that this is going to be full time struggle. Our enemies have not stopped. They spent fifty years. They never gave ye their time fifty years trying, yep, and they did it. Yeah, and they did it. So we've got to get over our movement ADHD that we all have. And I say that defending about it. I'm saying all of us have that. You know, we can't No, No, we gotta get to that, get treated for it, and get out here and and and stay in this fight

and not be discouraged. That's what we have to do. And folks support independent thinkers, talkers, journalists like Danielle and me. I'm not just saying that shameless of the others of us out here. Yeah, because you're not gonna get the mobilization you need um from Twitter anymore. No, You've never gotten in from Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are all fun, you know. TikTok maybe for the younger people and me.

I mean, I'm on TikTok. I'm as popular as a young person on TikTok and I know, but you're not as popular as I am with the young people. I'm often mistaken for a gen zar Oh often is right, Okay often often so. Um, that's what we gotta do, And folks, it's Danielle's birthday. It's my birthday, it's my birthday week, it was my birthday in a couple of days. Yes, I'm thirsdayday, Thursday. How would you say you were? Don't don't you worry about how old I am? Sir, I'm

old enough, said you said, earl, I'm old. I'm old enough to vote. Let let me You said it, you said it earlier in the show. I just wanted you to repeat it. What did you say when I said, I said I'm old enough to vote? And I said, mind your business. That's what I said. I'm um, bless a heart. So let's give her Queen Danielle, whom we all love, and the door. Let's give her a happy birthday. And even if you voted, don't check out. Call somebody another matter of fact, I'm gonna do this daily coach

dot com slash gootv right now. That's the most comprehensive place to go and see where you can still vone phone bank from where you are this morning, if you sit around, if you want to just get go on that, pick a sheet, make some calls day of voting, calls to get people out because some of these races literally, we can't be we can't be crazy about this, y'all. The's not gonna be a big margin. Folks are gonna win a lose in some of these places about like

fifty votes. Yepe calls. Yes, you can Daily Coach dot com slash Geo TV, And I'm just saying it. I mean, I love Daily Coach. I'm just saying it plugged in the other But off the top of my head, that's the resources where everybody's stuff is up there, comprehensive. They work real hard on that. Make some calls. Um, if there's if there's not a big contest in your state, every every state is an ass contested every jurisdiction. You can vote locally too, We will not. We can only

reform the police locally. We can only reform election boards locally. We can only reform school boards locally. We can only fight back against the Dobs decision in the state House for now. Yes, ye haven't saying that. Step Daniel sometimes like they you know, and they, oh, you're so brilliant. It's not not brilliant. That's not brilliants comments. What y'all

think about that's not brilliant. Come on now, Isn't that that I'm brilliant is that we have become so lex and we believe that the only thing to vote for is the president. Where did that come from? I have no idea. Well, I mean, it's it's kind of cold celebrity. The analogy I'll draw living in Washington, DC for years, people on the DC ballot who vote the DC voter start, the only thing to vote for was married Barrett because he was at the top. He was a mayor and

he was he was he was a large personality. Broack Obama a large person So this the only thing I need to vote for. New you to vote for all these other things and not just the Senate, not just the House, racism, school board, city council, the the the the fight in the curriculum and the CRT that school boy to vote, the election, the redistricting, state house election boards, and the police that city council met. We could, we could,

We could reform the police in all these cities. I know it if we would, but vote and organize locally. A mum. Well, Robert Mark Thompson, As always, we appreciate you and your It doesn't make much sense. There ought to be a law against what anyone who takes a fans at a day in your celebration. Happy birthday, dan YEA happy birthday, dan yea happy birthday. I love the Black extended vers Birthday, Happy birthday, Hey birthday, National Holiday.

Thank you, Thank you friends so much. And I pray that we see you on the other side of this and you know and that and that all is well ish is what I will say. But that will the fight will continue regardless. Well, if it looks like to night things and going bad, y'all might want to just put me on suicide watch to somebody and check on me. I will check on you. Calling for help, I'm saying right now, put me check on me. Y'll check on your boy. I will check on you. Thank you friend,

appreciate you, Happy birthday, Thank you. And finally I will say this. My birthday is Thursday, November tenth. I am praying that for the present that I receive on that day or by the end of this week is going to be that our democracy lives to fight another day.

But again I will say that, regardless of this outcome, I have dedicated my life, my life's work, to lifting consciousness, to empowering people to their responsibility and activating people into taking action over their own lives and the lives of

those that they love. So I will continue regardless, but my wish for this birthday, for this year is that we have had enough of the scare to wake people up to recognize that democracy is not something that is a passive exercise, but one that requires vigilance, consistent vigilance. That is it for me today, Dear friends on wokeay f as always, Power to the people and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke as fuck. Get a behind the scenes look at Comedy Central's The

Daily Show. Beyond the Scenes, an original podcast from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Every week, host Roy Wood Junior goes deeper with the notable guests and experts from the Emmy Award winning series. Together, they use comedy to tackle current topics from gentrification to gun laws and take a closer look at how and why these topics matter. Listen to Beyond the Scenes from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever

you get your podcast. New episodes every Tuesday