The campaign trail is a-blazing in the ol’ US of A. Anything can happen at this point.
Up here in Canada, (the United State’s hat and boy, it sure sucks to be on Frosty’s head as he dances in a meltdown while the world burns around us), we are watching with great curiosity and trepidation about what might happen next with those elections.
Two old white dudes, like really old white dudes. I’m not an ageist at all, I’m old too. But it’s time to give the newer generations a chance. I’m sure there are tons of wonderful people to run for in all the offices on all sides of the political spectrum in all countries. It’s time for some change, no matter what side you’re on.
At any rate, besides the presidential race, there are other races afoot. Like for the Senate.
I’m on many mailing lists, from Democrats Abroad to other ones. Sometimes, I’ll join a list because I hear someone speak or read about them and get on the email list. Most of the lists I’m on, I’ve been getting mail from for years.
I’ve been getting mountains of emails about Adam Schiff. And wow, he’s younger than me!
So, yay for a “young guy!” in the game. Only a few decades in the political trenches.
Since he’s in California, he often has celebrities say great things about him in these emails, as all politicians do.
A few days ago, I received an email that Mark Hamill was going to helm a phonebank. I had no idea what that meant whatsoever. I had a vague idea about what a phone bank was. But I didn’t know what Mark Hamill was doing with it. Would we all be on screen calling people or what? I wasn’t going to actually call anyone from Canada on a cell phone. The costs would be huge. Also, I know nothing about actually living in California and what happens in day-to-day life that would concern people. I know what I see on the news, on YouTube, on TikTok, documentaries, and such, but I’ve not been there in years. However, I will be going to San Diego in June! Anyway, I needed to know what that was all about.
(Even if I could call for free tonight and not sound like an ignorant idiot, I came down with a killer headache this afternoon out of nowhere, along with sudden exhaustion. I rarely get headaches. Sometimes I’ll experience sudden exhaustion from long covid. I’m really hoping it’s not the ‘vid again. I’ve only had the ‘vid once, in 2021, and it started with a headache. Maybe my headache is just the rain, the fog, the weird springlike weather we’ve been having in Canada. However, I promised myself I’d write this before I go lie down for the night.)
Mark Hamill appeared on Zoom and spoke for about forty minutes. What a treat! At the end of it, he lamented how they had the Zoom set up so that he couldn’t see anyone at all and how he usually could when he spoke on Zoom. He enjoys looking at people and interacting. I agree. It must be creepy not to see who you’re talking to on Zoom!
I was honoured to be there and part of the experience, even though I felt a little guilty I wouldn’t be making phone calls. But I knew I wanted to write this article for Substack. Mark is a great speaker, as I already know from seeing him speak in Toronto at Fan Expo and watching a million TV shows and videos.
He talked about how as an actor; he doesn’t really get to meet politicians and they rarely reach out to him. However, Adam Schiff did, and he was grateful for the experience. Then he launched into his appraisal of Schiff and Schiff’s political career. How Schiff, in his eyes, hasn’t negatively overextended in any real capacity.
In a joke, with the presenters’ backhanded prompt, Mark compared Adam to a combination of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker.
Mark also compared Adam to the main character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. How Smith held to his moral compass despite corruption.
Climate change is a big concern for Mark, and he likes Adam Schiff’s focus on it.
Hearing Mark speak about Adam Schiff with great affection and enthusiasm certainly was inspiring. It gives me hope for the future if things go well on Tuesday.
Adam Schiff cares about environmental issues. He’s working on housing insecurities, health care, mental health, and much more. He led the way to getting those insurrectionists being held accountable. He has done some work for the film industry.
As with all politicians, they promise a lot, they do a bit, and most of the time, most of them mean well but can have their hands tied from reaching their goals by the opposition. That’s true of all sides of the spectrum. The chess game of politics is certainly not for the weak. Especially flying in the face of opposition and staying true to your moral compass.
In my mind, just watching insurrectionists being held accountable over the past while, (and it still continues as they find more), is something that most of us wanted to see. I don’t feel sorry for the insurrectionists at all. They gleefully took selfies as they destroyed the offices and flaunted the gallows to hang Mike Pence and let their madness lead to several human beings losing their lives. Schiff didn’t let all of that slide under the rug.
At any rate, Mark Hamill was a lovely host, and we learned a lot about Adam Schiff and how Adam Schiff affected his own life as well as providing more glimpses into Mark’s long and varied career.
Mark signed off. Then phone bank training began. I stayed for most of the training but realized there was no way I could cold call people as I previously discussed in this article. So I’m sharing my experience at the presentation and training. If you are a Democrat, you can still join Adam Schiff’s phone bank and help grow enthusiasm for voting.
You can read more about Schiff’s accomplishments and his goals at his website: https://www.adamschiff.com/
Voting in California is on Tuesday, so get out there and vote.
It’s not too late to register, so don’t worry. You can still vote.
If you can help someone vote by giving them a ride, please do so.
Stay hydrated!
There is always room for more phone bank volunteers. There’s going to be a text bank with Joseph Gordon-Levitt!
Happy Voting, California!