Baratunde Thurston

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Why I'm Voting, a production of I Heart Radio. Listen.
You already know this, but it's an election year. You
might already be tired of fearing about it. But here's
the thing. Democracy doesn't work without you. I'm Holly Frying,
and I'm sitting down with many of my fellow podcasters,
from Will Ferrell to Stephanie Rule as well as other luminaries,

(00:27):
to find out about their relationships with the ballot box
and ultimately just to find out why they vote. I
hope you're exercising your right to vote, and if you're not,
I hope that their stories inspired you. Welcome to today's
episode of Why I'm Voting. Today's guest is when I

(00:49):
have been particularly excited to have on. It is Baritone
Day Thurston, who is an activist and a writer and comedian.
He worked for The Onion, He produced for The Daily Show.
He also did what, in my opinion, is probably the
best Ted talk ever. Do you ever just need to
both laugh and get informed about the state of our world,
That's the place to go. And he is also the

(01:09):
host of the podcast We're Having a Moment, and he's
a voter. Very Tounday, Thank you for joining me, Thank
you for having me, Holly. I am a voter and
I'm happy to be here with you right now. Thank you.
Like I said, I'm so excited. Do you recall when
you realized that the democratic process was something you had

(01:30):
a little sliver of power in? Oh? Do you know?
My first memory of sort of the democratic process and
power was going to a demonstration with my mother as
a child in Washington, d C. And marching down the
streets and feeling connected to all these other people around me,

(01:53):
And I felt even more empowered as a high school student,
a larger child, as I sometimes like to refer to
it was a larger child, and uh and doing a
protest after the police terribly beat Rodney King and a
bunch of us were so upset we went outside the
Department of Justice to let our voices be heard. We

(02:14):
were not allowed to vote at that time, but we
could show up with our bodies and our voices and
our feet, and that felt empowering because it felt like
we weren't alone and that we weren't crazy like other
people thought the same way we did, which is a
really satisfying thing. Voting would come a little later in
my life. Yes, So how did you learn about voting?
Like when you were a kid, do you remember thinking like, wait,

(02:35):
I get to have a say in this rolling back
to the fifty thousand years for that lesson? You know,
I don't. I remember the corny school House rock video.
I remember in the nineties that Clinton campaign and a
friend in high school was volunteering for the campaign, trying

(02:59):
to get able to vote for Bill Clinton at the time,
and I didn't go with him, but I knew he
was like going door to door, like visiting strangers houses,
which I was like, I did that, but that was
to sell popcorn for the boy Scouts to make some
of his money. What do you sell Like? He's like,
I'm trying to sell Better America. And I was like, okay, whatever, kid.

(03:21):
But you know, maybe a decade later, a little less
I would do the same thing. When I was just
out of college in Massachusetts, a door to door salesman
for Democracy would show up at my apartment. He was
running for the state Senate and I liked him, and something,
you just like meet a person like you seem like

(03:42):
a real person, Like I think I know what a
politician is, but you strike me as human he said,
you know, would you consider doing this with me? Canvassing
going door to door trying to drum up vote in
your neighborhood. And I was like, what you're talking about,
willis like that's kind of a weird thing. Why are
you trying to wrote me into your scamp? Is a

(04:03):
pyramid scheme? Yeah, what's the catch? And it's like the
catch is you'll get to know more of your neighbors
and understand the process and feel more connected to your
power in civil society. And I was like, I don't know, buddy,
this sounds shady, but I did it because I just
liked his energy and it was like a good excuse
to meet my neighbors who I didn't really know after
living in this place for years. So I went door

(04:24):
to door for a state Senate candidate in Somerville, Massachusetts,
and I met my neighbors in a way that I
never would have before. I voted for him, and he
lost badly, But that wasn't my fault, you know what
I mean, Like I did my part and hopefully I
at least increased voter turnout. There's a chance we turned

(04:47):
off some people, you know, we definitely stopped by one
guy's place who had a giant Confederate flag in this house,
which I just didn't expect in Massachusetts. It's not in
the brochure for the state of Massachusetts. That's your neighbors.
There was me and a Jewish dude going door to
door and we've come across. It's like a bad jokes.
It's like a black guy and a Jewish guy walking

(05:07):
to this man's house. There's a big Confederate flag. Okay,
here we go. Now, you were obviously politically active, very
very young. Did you register right away when you turned
eighteen or did you wait? I don't remember. I turned
eighteen when I was in college, and I grew up
in Washington, d C. And I went to college in Massachusetts,
and I don't think I voted in college. And there's

(05:28):
a chance I did the absentee thing, but i'd have
to check the records. And I know there's a lot
of fact checkers out there on the Internet and in
the potty sphere, so I'm not claiming things. I'm saying
I don't know, okay, But what I do remember. The
first vote I remember was in Massachusetts, and I'll never forget.
It was at a fire department, which I had a
huge love for because as a kid there was a
fire department at the end of my block. I registered

(05:50):
my bike there. They let me slide down the pole
like with one of them for safety, and they bought
a lot of that boy Scout popcorn from you, so
like they were loyal, know when the streets aren't always loyal.
But my firefighters had my back, um and they stopped firing,
which is like a bonus. But mostly it was the
popcorn sales and then getting to check out their hang

(06:10):
that I really appreciate it. So to have the chance
to return to a fire department for the first time
since I was a little child was very exciting. And
I roller bladed to the fire department to vote yes.
That means you had to wear them while yes, And
I felt like I am active in democracy, like I win,

(06:31):
what do I win? And they're like your rights, I
don't know, like what do you want? But I was.
It was very I was motivated. I was literally motivated
to get there and cast my votes. Like I voted
and I got a leg work out. I feel like
maybe two stickers today, Yes, yes, I want all the
things that day. I'm glad that you mentioned, you know,
a local politician coming to your door and talking to you,

(06:52):
because local politics gets a little bit trickier to research
and learn about. You can't presume all of the people
that are going to be on your local ballot are
coming right to you to talk to you about the issues.
So how do you do research for local elections? A
few days ago, I learned about this invention that's called
the Internet, and it's crazy cool. It's like radio plus

(07:14):
TV plus the library plus stranger screaming at you all
in one place. It's magical. It's a magical kingdom of
mostly information, occasional misinformation. So I have a loose system
of trying to understand what's going on with elections, and

(07:34):
it depends on where I'm living at the time and
what's going on. Most recently, I'm new to Los Angeles,
and I was blessed to have a friend who created
an email list of folks saying, look, we have this
primary election coming up, and I know we're all busy,
so why don't we divide up the areas and like

(07:55):
you take this race, you take that race, and just
educate us and tell us who to vote for us,
Like we all have the same sort of value system,
but there's so many different jobs. And then California's wild
because they've got initiatives and people's referenda and like crazy
stuff we didn't do back on the Like there's an
extra democracy out here. I'm like, y'all are crazy out

(08:17):
there in Cali, and now I live here, so I
gotta learn about all these initiatives and whatnot and prop
propositions they call them. So we divided and conquered on
that one. Other times I have deferred my first past
research toward the organization whose judgment I really respect. So
when I lived in New York City, there was this
group called the Working Families Party, and I was like,

(08:37):
I like working I like families, that's my party, you know.
And I appreciated their progressive values because that's where I aligned.
And they do a lot of robust research. So they
give me like a first pass, and then I will
go and look at the websites of the candidates. If
I'm feeling really nerdy and geeky, like democracy geeky, I'll
try to watch some of the local forums or town

(08:59):
halls or debates. Sometimes local cable access channel will throw
that stuff up on their YouTube versions of that, and
then the social media accounts of the folks themselves, of course,
but I like to see them interacting if I can.
I like to try to do some sort of journalistic level,
like what's been written about these topics are about these
people's stances and backgrounds. There have been a few people

(09:20):
that have mentioned that they have like friend community study groups,
and I'm like, why is everybody not doing this? To
do aggregated knowledge? It's the best. Here's a little little tip. Right.
Sometimes you get in that voting booth and this year
it might be more on the absentee mail in front,
and you're like, I missed this one, Like what is
on this ballot? You come prepared to vote for like

(09:42):
mayor or governor or president, and then they're like junior
assistant deputy judge for hockey played by neighborhood dogs, Like
I didn't even know we could vote for that? What
is that? And then again there's this internet thing, so
I'm like doing rat like you are you cram in
school for? Like I will admit to having crammed in

(10:03):
the voting booth sometimes and be like, Okay, where'd their
money come from? What did the position take on, Oh,
you're like a terrible person. Okay, I can't vote for you,
and so I don't want to make like a blind
or totally uninformed vote. And so thankfully we have pocket
Internet to help supplement what I thought was a prepared
position I had walking in there. Well, you got to

(10:24):
make sure the hockey dogs are safe, yes, because they
have rights too, and dogs playing hockey like Actually, I
would really, I would pay for that. You've invented a
new sport today and maybe a new political platform. There
you go, who would vote against that? I'm gonna win everything.
Obviously we're in a strange situation at the moment due

(10:44):
to the pandemic. But normally is your preference to do
a mail in vote, to be an early voter, or
to go day of? Oh? I like day of? It's
a party. Um, I'm a social person and I'm a
nosy person, and there's very few places where you get
to see that many of your name Bruce, and so
I like a party. I like a gathering. I like
a conference and uh, and I'd like to see what

(11:05):
people are wearing. Voting days also just like a fashion show.
It's like what are you rocking? Oh? Full like dickys
on pants and Dickeys as a shirt and the Thames. Yo,
that's cool, Okay, that's that's a look, and then you
get to check out people's buttons, you know. And what
I really like, honestly is like the last minute sales
pitch right outside the booth. Like I guess they're not

(11:27):
allowed to campaign in your face in the voting booth,
but just as you're approaching, there's like some sort of
restraining order on campaigning, and so a hundred yards of
three hundred yards it probably varies by jurisdiction. There's people
doing these last ditch efforts and I that amuses me.
It sort of inspires me, and I find it entertaining.
So going day of lets me see who I live with.

(11:50):
And I've lived in a lot of different places in
this country and a lot of different parts of cities,
and I get disappointed sometimes I don't know as many
people as a out like I did when I was
a kid, and I kind of knew the block and
so it's basically a block party, you know. It is
how I see voting day. And so I'm gonna miss
some of that vibe this year because of the pandemic.

(12:12):
But my preference is in person because I get to
look people in the eye and then try to guess
who do the same thing. And I never get satisfaction
because it's not like they tell me, you know, I
just get to play. It's a one sided game, but
I enjoy it still. I too love the circular wall
of campaigning. That's like it's like the eye of Sauron

(12:33):
flattened everything right up to that point. Um. It's it's
also you know, the I want to give some love
to the poll workers because they've got a job. It's
like pop up d m V, but with smiles. You know,
it's like you get what you came for. You get
just do and they verify your name your address. Cool
and you finding your name like are you in the

(12:57):
aid too? You know, P or whatever or the Q
dise I don't know how they split it all the time,
but I just and with congressional district or state district.
It's this kind of like it just reminds me of
being a kid at like recess or like gym class
where you're like line up according to height and then
I need all the teas over here, and then you're
gonna do this, and and they have a very usually

(13:21):
maternal it's often like older women who have been the
poll workers. So they remind me of my school teachers
as a kid, or some family members. And I just
feel loved a little bit, you know, and and kind
of taking care of. And in that sense, it's not
the d m V at all, you know, like or
any or any other place. Sometimes you'll folks you just

(13:41):
trying to process you and get you through. And I've
always felt of the time these poll workers are there
truly to help, and it's they're volunteering, you know, to
sit in a fire department or a school all day
and help you flex this power that we've all earned.
I too, am a big lover of the poll workers.
I always try to thank them, and I want to

(14:03):
bring them snacks, but I don't think you're allowed to.
It's very tricky. I mean, would that be bribing because
it's not like they're I'm asking them to change anything
or you know. But but I do feel bad that
they're there all day long. I'm glad that you mentioned
that they're, you know, trying to help this process of
people using their power as citizens. We know that not

(14:24):
everybody who is eligible to vote, is out there doing
this simple thing that can you know, completely shift their world.
If you can just talk to a person and you
discover they're not voting, what's the one thing that you
tell them in the hopes that they will actually take
advantage of this right. I don't tell them anything right
off the bat, honestly, Holly. I ask them why not?

(14:47):
And that's usually revealing because some people say because I can't.
I'm too young, or I have a felony record and
I'm not allowed to in this state, or I'm not
a legal citizen, you know, I have a certain immigration status.
And so if I had started lecturing, now I'm the jerk,
you know, And so it's important to get that context.

(15:08):
But when they are eligible and don't, it's often like, oh,
the system is just totally rigged, or my vote doesn't
count because the electoral college and these presidential things. And
I live in a state where I already know, and
so what I try to then think about is, you know,
depending on who they are, some people respond to the
idea that and I did my favorite one, we get

(15:30):
to overthrow our government every couple of years, like peacefully,
you know what I'm saying because government overthrows, like you
see that stuff on the news, it can be messy,
but we get to throw people out of power and
put other ones in in our name if we feel
like the folks aren't doing a good job. And that's
a beautiful idea, like regularly scheduled peaceful revolutions. Yeah, that dire,

(15:55):
like commercial breaks in in power shifting, that is as
part of it. Sometimes I tell people, look, a lot
of folks have sacrifice a lot for this right, especially
if they're black like me, And I'm like our ancests
was fought a lot for us to be able to
exercise this right. But what I don't try to oversell
it because I know a lot of people who have

(16:17):
been told that their vote doesn't count, that they don't matter,
and they've been told more passively, not with those words,
but by being ignored for years by politicians, by the system,
by people in power. And then folks want to come
around last minute and tell you how important you are.
And we all recognize fakeness, you know, you recognize it

(16:38):
in that friend that's not really a friend, and that
boss that just wants to get extra work out of
you and doesn't actually respect you, and so you recognize
it in in a political operation that wants to get
something from you, but it has never shown up to
give you anything. I gotta honor that, honestly, and I
can't pretend like that's not true. And so for that
harder case, it's like, good point. You're right, the system

(17:02):
is not always responsive. And so here's what I'm asking.
Let this be a step, because when you don't show up,
they also win. You know, there are people who gain
from our lack of participation, and it makes their job
easier actually, because then they can just focus on a
smaller and smaller size of people who do show up

(17:23):
and who do right checks. So let's make their jobs harder.
Let's make them earn the right to represent us. And
then let's us show up every other day in different ways.
And voting is so important, but it's one of many
ways we can show up as citizens. And usually they
start crying and they do like slow clap, you know,

(17:45):
and then they call their mothers and bring their kids around,
and we start singing and dancing, and we go register
and then we try to vote. Right then is usually
that voting day, and I have to explain, like there's
an actual day when you're allowed to do this. But
we can practice and say, you like, simulate the whole act.
But that's the spirit of what I try to say.
Like I said, it depends on who it is and
what the context is. But I really believe that we

(18:08):
have power and that we need to be claiming it
all the time. And that's what democracy is supposed to be.
It's literally people power. I like to envision in my
head that story continues with you go get tattoos with
the people that yeah, for sure, for sure, absolutely, and
we become like a secret club, you know, democracy gang,
if you will, and we just run around flexing civic power.

(18:29):
It's amazing, Like we show up to protests, we hold
corporations accountable for their decisions, We demand living wages. We
get to know our neighbors, you know, we understand the
history of the places we live in. It's crazy when
you start feeling that power that we all have access to.
Your attende, you're like a voting superhero to me now,
Like in my head, I want to send you a

(18:50):
really cool cape and just watch you go around and
start these grassroots movements. You know, you mentioned the podcast
that I did we're having a moment. There's a new
one that we're launching. It's called how to Citizen with
Baritune Day and it drops August, and we're trying to
turn this word citizen away from just a legal status
and more into a verb. Let us flex the power

(19:12):
that we have, and that definitely includes voting in this
time in particular, I dream of record turnouts and reminders
that we can pull those levers metaphorically speaking, and then
keep showing up in all these other ways. You are
just the delight. Thank you so much for sharing your
wit and your time and your passion for this subject

(19:33):
with me today. Thank you for the opportunity, Thanks for
the opportunity to get up so early, l a time
to talk to you, and this is I'm fired up
and ready to go now. This is great. It's very
early for you. Yes, it feels early for me and
I'm three hours later than you. Gotta get up and
stand up. Hey, are you not registered to vote yet?

(19:56):
But you think it's something you want to do? You
may still have time. Voter registration deadlines vary by state,
so to find out the scoop for where you are,
check out a nonpartisan registration voting site like headcount dot
org or fair vote dot org. Why I'm Voting is
an I heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I
heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

(20:18):
wherever it is you listen to your favorite shows.