Ars Política 2020 Endorsements: Today, August 11th Elections Nationwide
“This election is unequivocally the most important in human history.”
-Noam Chomsky
Why is this election so important? The unlawful leadership of the Trump administration has no equivalent, no parallel, and no precedent. When the most powerful country in the world is run by madmen, we have no idea, and no control over what the lasting outcomes could be if they and their devotees remain in office. The environmental implications of the far right and the Trump administration already may be too far gone, but four more years will certainly send us into the abyss of ecological degradation. The pandemic has destabilized our healthcare system, and the Black Lives Matter movement has exposed deep systemic injustice. If we don’t take the momentum of our activists into the election, we run the risk of our society collapsing completely.
Ars Poetica is an intersectional language arts agency. Until March 2020, our specialty was elevating human connection through poetry and performance art at events around the world. Now, we focus on using the power of words to cultivate empathy across these mediums: activism, content creation, digital events and communications, political campaigns, intersectional partnerships and development, and ethical brand building.
We have come to the conclusion that the United States has an opportunity, potentially our last opportunity, to redirect the course of our history and embark on a journey toward liberty and justice for all. That’s why we are launching the Ars Política project. Our mission with this project is to continue to fulfill the overall Ars Poetica mission of using language arts to elevate human experience, but with a heightened focus on creating, supporting, and amplifying activist and political work leading up to the 2020 election, and ensuring a peaceful transition into a new era in the United States of America.
Our guiding principles for endorsement are:
Resilience - in our environment, our healthcare, our movements
Justice - in our governance, our communities, our relationships. Racial, reproductive, restorative
Equilibrium - of resources, energy, and capital
Integration - of industries, communities, and causes
Reconciliation - of our past, between citizens and civil servants, within ourselves
Please know that while deeply researched and cross-referenced, the information in this series has been collated by two artists who, though intelligent and with the best intent, are not academics or political scientists of a professional caliber. In creating these endorsements, we discovered a pandora’s box of information about the US political systems which was overwhelming to say the least. None of these individuals, issues, or organizations have sponsored or condoned this work in any way; We are a completely independent for-profit organization simply using the resources we have to try to educate ourselves and our community about the gravity of this political situation, and the seemingly small choices we all must make to stop the bleeding as a society, and start to heal and evolve into something much better than our founding fathers ever could have planned.
Our Endorsements are in the following categories, shared weekly:
August 11th regional elections
US Senate
State Legislatures
Mayoral
District Attorneys
State Supreme Court Justices
Nonprofits and activist orgs
Wildcards… ;)
Today, we’re looking at races in Portland OR, South Carolina, and Minnesota.
In Oregon, City Council: Dan Ryan vs Loretta Smith (nonpartisan race)
Ars Poetica endorses: Dan Ryan
This was the toughest of them all. Endorsing a white man when a single Black mom is running brings on some feels. Ryan himself admits the optics aren’t in his favor. They’ve both been alleged with some misconduct over their years in public service and non-profit work. But in the end, Dan won our stamp of poetry. He has a strong background in the non-profit sector (he’s the former CEO of All Hands Raised, a nonprofit dedicated to improving racial inequity in Multnomah County education), education, mental health and the arts. He’s openly gay and HIV+. He’s also endorsed by an impressive amount of current and former electeds, organizations, media and the Oregon Progressive Party.
the truth swims upstream
in waters of clear blue sky—
may the best fish win
In South Carolina, SC House District 115
Josh Stokes (R) vs Spencer Wetmore (D)
Ars Poetica endorses: Spencer Wetmore
We love a good plot twist… This Special Election in very partisan and divided Charleston County is happening because Representative Peter McCoy resigned to become US Attorney. Stokes is a former Councilman who co-founded a law firm with McCoy, so this feels a little too “old boys club” if you ask us. Wetmore, meanwhile, is a former prosecutor and current City Administrator. She’s a mom to both humans and dogs and her platform stands on strong leaders stepping up and demanding change, which is just who she is and what she is doing.
strength in numbers then
becomes a road more traveled—
bold reality
In Minnesota, US House of Representatives District 5 Democratic Primary
Ilhan Omar (DFL) vs Antone Melton-Meause (DFL)
Ars Poetica endorses: Ilhan Omar
Antone Melton-Meause is challenging OG squad member Ilhan Omar, the first Muslim woman to ever serve in our Congress, and we are here to say we are not having it. He has essentially co-opted her entire progressive platform, while deleting her actual personal beliefs and convictions to make it innocuous and accept huge amounts of cash from pro-Israel lobby groups and people who just “don’t like” Omar. I wonder why… Anyway, even though he had millions thrown at him, she still has a very comfortable lead, so we’re looking forward to another two years of our squad in Congress.
Some good things aren’t
Better in moderation:
The squad, for instance
Stay tuned for our next round of endorsements, and don’t forget to register to vote! Research your state’s rules on mail-in voting, because many states already have hindrances in place which can suppress your voice.
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