WASHINGTON WATCH: What We All Can Do To Help At The Border
Actor Tate Donovan reminds us that it goes beyond politics alone
Former Obama speechwriter and comedian Jon Lovett's Lovett Or Leave It comedy podcast is always predictably hilarious.
But, this week, it left me in tears.
And, no, they were not tears of laughter.
Things “got real,” as the kids say, during Lovett's chat segment with guests Akilah Hughes and Tate Donovan.
Actor Donovan turned attention to “Operation Lone Star,” the dangerous, abhorrent — as well as unconstitutional — state-run, paramilitary, border patrol and interdiction program being run by Texas Republican Gov Greg Abbott.
See discussion of Operation Line Star begin at the 19:19 minute-mark.
Abbott launched Lone Star last year as a political stunt to try to simultaneously embarrass President Biden and raise his own brand ahead of the 2024 contest for the Republican presidential nomination.
The dubiousness of the endeavor was given an exclamation point when a state district court judge ruled in January that it violated the constitutional rights of an Ecuadorian man. An appeals court in Austin affirmed the decision of the lower court a month later.
“Do you guys know what this fucking thing is that Gov. Abbott is doing at our border? It's so fucked up, and cruel, and inhumane. And we have to stop it, because we are causing a lot of harm in this world, to the most vulnerable people,” Donovan said.
As a solution, he began with a standard political pitch.
“I need everyone to do a couple things. I need them to volunteer to knock on doors, to make phone calls, to do fundraisers — just get Beto O'Rourke's ass in the governor's seat,” the actor implored, referring to Abbott's Democratic opponent in the November election. “It's not even fuckin’ funny.”
Donovan, unexpectedly, went even further in his appeal to help immigrants at the southern border.
“Until [O'Rourke wins], there's so many great aid organizations down at the border — both sides of the border — that are doing everything to help these people.”
Donovan called Border Kindness his “favorite,” but added that “there are dozens of them.”
“Support them. Send them money. Send them clothes. Go down there and volunteer. Meet these people, because there's a lot of pain — so much fucking pain,” Donovan said. “And we have to do whatever we can.”
At which point someone in the audience shouted out, “our neighbors,” at which, Donovan shouted back, “Our neighbors, right?!”
Editor’s Note: We at The Washington Current — in partnership with our sister project at Ladies First — made our own donation to Tate Donovan's preferred organization, Border Kindness. We hope that this encourages further giving.
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