Calling In the Humanizer Man

Calling In the Humanizer Man

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Analysts say that Romney campaign strategists face the challenge of
humanizing their candidate.     —News reports


They’d like it if this man the folks are seeing
Resembled more an actual human being.
For that he’d need some warmth and shmaltz and soul;
Then he’d appear less plastic and more whole.
So in their dreams of triumph they aspire
To show that their guy bleeds and may perspire,
This can be done at once, without delay:
The Humanizer Man is on his way.

Yes, any candidate with boardlike stiffness
Can be adjusted with surprising swiftness.
The Humanizer Man’s done this before.
Though he fell short of loosening Al Gore,
He’s had a host of triumphs in his day.
So if Mitt’s men believe, to their dismay,
Their man’s as human as a Charolais.
No need to cry “¡Caramba!” or “Oy vey!”
For everything is going to be OK.
To give him hope you only have to say,
“The Humanizer Man is on his way.”

We cannot back down

We now confront a second Trump presidency.

There’s not a moment to lose. We must harness our fears, our grief, and yes, our anger, to resist the dangerous policies Donald Trump will unleash on our country. We rededicate ourselves to our role as journalists and writers of principle and conscience.

Today, we also steel ourselves for the fight ahead. It will demand a fearless spirit, an informed mind, wise analysis, and humane resistance. We face the enactment of Project 2025, a far-right supreme court, political authoritarianism, increasing inequality and record homelessness, a looming climate crisis, and conflicts abroad. The Nation will expose and propose, nurture investigative reporting, and stand together as a community to keep hope and possibility alive. The Nation’s work will continue—as it has in good and not-so-good times—to develop alternative ideas and visions, to deepen our mission of truth-telling and deep reporting, and to further solidarity in a nation divided.

Armed with a remarkable 160 years of bold, independent journalism, our mandate today remains the same as when abolitionists first founded The Nation—to uphold the principles of democracy and freedom, serve as a beacon through the darkest days of resistance, and to envision and struggle for a brighter future.

The day is dark, the forces arrayed are tenacious, but as the late Nation editorial board member Toni Morrison wrote “No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

I urge you to stand with The Nation and donate today.

Onwards,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

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