A Master Class by Kamala Harris

Children of Israel Are Never Alone

Hey, beloved tribe.

Last night I went to a debate watch party and beheld, on a huge screen, the beauty of the Democratic frontrunner executing a 78-year-old baby.

I’ll never forget how I felt after Trump’s most recent debate with Joe Biden. How my whole body hurt. How I could hardly bear to listen. How I kept clutching my head in misery.

Because I love Joe Biden — truly love him. He’s been a faithful and tireless public servant, in the true sense of the word, for almost as long as I’ve been alive. And I think he’s been a true friend to Israel.

It not only terrified me but it hurt my heart to see him in that weakened and diminished state, unable to counter Trump’s bullying and bluster.

What an antidote then, when Kamala came striding in. It almost felt as if she won the debate the moment she strode over to Trump’s podium, shook his hand and said, “Kamala Harris.”

Women across the country, especially those who have been victimized by men, were triggered when Trump skulked around behind Hillary during their presidential debate, invading her space and lurking behind her back in a way that felt predatory and threatening.

It felt like a clear sign of dominance when Kamala reversed that dynamic, moving behind his podium and forcing an eye-to-eye, hand-to-hand confrontation.

And then she proceeded to roast him like a marshmallow on a stick. It was a master class in manipulation, self-possession, formidable preparation and discipline. She answered every single question head-on, clearly and concisely laying out a plan for the benefit of all Americans, while baiting her opponent as one might a frenzied junkyard mutt.

And he took the bait every single time, like the demented and frothing dog he is, reduced to spouting batshit sound bites like these all night:

Her dominance was so undisputed that Trump’s followers spent the rest of the night frantically rationalizing it. I like to read Fox News in order to gauge the fallout of clear Democratic triumphs and almost no one even attempted to suggest he won. Instead, the typical conspiracy theories abounded:

Did anyone notice there was something funny about Kamala’s hair? She had to be wearing an earpiece. Someone had to be feeding her the answers to the moderators’ questions and that’s why she was so good.

The moderators were clearly on her side. It was three against one. They fact-checked Trump relentlessly and didn’t do the same to her. (The idea that this might be because every word out of his mouth was a brazen lie seemed to occur to no one.)

They cheated. The Democrats cheated. Obviously they must have given her the questions ahead of time and withheld them from Trump. There was no way she was thinking on her feet. She had an unfair advantage.

And so on.

I was watching the event in a local theater with friends and other members of a Democratic activist group. It was so therapeutic. Every time Trump gibbered something ridiculous, the room erupted in shrieks of laughter. People were howling with genuine mirth. The room was awash in relief and delight.

I thought her answers on Israel were near-perfect. It was telling to me that a big room full of local non-Jewish liberals were quiet during this portion of the debate. No booing Israel. No cheering any expression of support for Gazans. And I’d love to take this opportunity to implore my Jewish friends not to nitpick every single word expressed by a Democrat on the topic for slights and affronts while giving Trump a pass for stoking Nazism and subverting every Democratic protection in order to seize violent authoritarian power.

I have said this countless times over the last near-decade and I will say it again here. Even if I believed Trump were good for Israel — which I most certainly do not— that would not be a reason to support him. Jews should not cozy up to sociopathic thugs, seeking favor, while they kick the shit out of every other vulnerable group in our midst. That is not, or should not be, what Jews do.

Nothing humiliates me more than Jewish support for Trump.

Again, I don’t care what kind of rhetorical bones Harris and Walz throw at Dearborn. They are vying for the presidency of America, for the honor of representing EVERY American. It is their job to show empathy for every American.

But I don’t worry about the Democratic party abandoning Israel, regardless of the will of the far left. And that’s because Israel is too strategically essential an ally, and real foreign policy experts understand that the current war represents much more than the I/P conflict. Military and diplomatic professionals understand that this is first and foremost about Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and barbaric jihadist proxies vs. the West.

Meanwhile, the Democratic party is the far, far more coherent, morally upright, compassionate and sane side of the aisle. There is no comparison, which is actually very regrettable.

We need a strong, principled Republican party to check the excesses of the far left. I want that as much as anyone.

But the spineless, rudderless, morally bankrupt and batshit Trump cult ain’t it. And supporting them is not an option if we care about the vulnerable, the LGBTQ+ community, the elderly, girls and women, accessible healthcare, the middle class, Ukraine, American democracy, the future of our planet and about ten thousand other issues of paramount importance.

The victory didn’t end when the debate was over last night. In the hours just after it wrapped, $43 million came in for Harris and Walz, including my own contribution and, I hope, yours as well.

Finally, Taylor Swift marked the occasion by officially endorsing Harris and Walz to her 283,000,000 Instagram followers. She noted therein that Trump tried to pretend she endorsed him with a misleading AI-based post on his site.

The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth, she told her fans.

I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.

Swift is a one-woman army and she has an astonishing power to mobilize her staggeringly huge base. I absolutely love that she encouraged them to register immediately if they haven’t yet done so and to VOTE EARLY, which is also strategically crucial for us.

We want to accumulate a powerful lead at the outset of the voting period, one so formidable that it can’t be overcome. I will be casting my vote for Kamala on the very first day I’m able and I devoutly hope you’ll do the same.

Okay, fam. JUDITH Magazine launches tomorrow with the gorgeous work of poet Jess Burnquist. And on Friday, I’ll be sending you my first Jews Of The Universe entry, which involves a very poignant and inspiring Jewish story.

I can’t wait to be back with you then. Much love to all of you in the meantime. Chazak, chazak.

Am Yisrael Chai.