The “Dude” probably should have been dropped for the “White Dudes for Harris” appeal.
Actor Jeff Bridges spoke at a white-owned fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night, heaping praise on her before reprising his groundbreaking role as “The Dude” in the 1998 film “The Big Lebowski” and announcing: “That’s just my opinion, man.” (The original line was: “That’s your opinion, man.”)
The appeal lasted more than three hours, and organizers said more than 180,000 people participated and donated more than $3.7 million. It was the latest in a series of Zoom fundraisers and fundraisers for tens of thousands of Harris supporters after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and supporting her.
The Zooms were initially organized by constituencies including Black, Hispanic, Black, Asian American, Native American, and the LGBTQ+ community.
He noted that Democrats, including Biden, often rely on diverse and disparate voters to build coalitions. For example, the 2020 presidential election hinged on a diverse demographic, from working-class women to conservative suburban women dissatisfied with Republican Donald Trump.
The “white guy” Zoom event also featured actors Mark Ruffalo, Mark Hamill, and Bradley Whitford, who noted that most white guys are “beige rainbows.” ”
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attendees included Democratic leaders including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, all of whom were mentioned as possible Harris candidates.
While Pritzker said he wouldn’t normally go to “an event with a name like White Dudes,” Buttigieg said it was an honor to share the conversation with Bridges as “Dude” before speaking out in a strong voice: “Men, too. We have a lot of freedom in the country. On issues like access to abortion rights.” “We have a president who is struggling.”
Walz said Trump supporters are not bad people but appealed to participants: “Never shy away from our progressive values. “One man’s socialist is another man’s neighbor.”