Everything on the line: Are you voting for Kamala Harris? - Dream Life Club

Dream Life Club Podcast: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Everything on the Line: Are You Voting for Kamala Harris?
Release Date: October 25, 2024
Host: Sumi Krishnan

Introduction

In this pivotal episode of Dream Life Club, host Sumi Krishnan delves into the pressing political landscape of the United States as the nation stands at a crossroads with the upcoming elections. Geared towards women entrepreneurs and creatives, Sumi emphasizes the critical role that individuals with platforms play in shaping the future of democracy and societal norms.

The Power of Your Voice and Integrity

Sumi opens the discussion by underscoring the necessity of courage and integrity in both personal and professional spheres. She asserts that "the very first step is to be comfortable using your voice and speaking out on matters that are important to you" (00:00). This premise sets the stage for her exploration of political engagement and its impact on creating a meaningful and fulfilled life.

Assessing the Current Political Climate

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing the contemporary political tensions in the U.S., particularly focusing on the resurgence of authoritarian ideologies. Sumi highlights alarming statements and actions from former President Donald Trump and his associates, suggesting a trajectory toward undemocratic governance.

Authoritarian Tendencies: Sumi references Trump’s admiration for global dictators and his threats to use the military against political opponents. "Trump himself has said that he would use the US Military against his political opponents... he wants unchecked, authoritarian-like power" ([Transcript Reference]).
Impact on Democracy: She warns of the fragile state of American democracy, questioning whether current electoral outcomes will preserve or undermine foundational freedoms and institutions.

The Crucial Role of Voting

With the elections imminent, Sumi passionately advocates for active participation in the democratic process. She emphasizes that "we have two weeks in recording this... less than two weeks until the election ends on election Day" ([Transcript Reference]), making a strong case for the significance of every vote in determining the nation's direction.

Encouragement to Vote: Sumi implores listeners who might be indifferent or skeptical about the impact of their vote to "go vote. Vote for Kamala Harris and the Democrats down ballot so that we have at least a chance of securing our freedom" ([Transcript Reference]).
Addressing Voter Apathy: She counters the notion that individual votes are inconsequential, framing voting as a collective responsibility to safeguard democracy and societal well-being.

Key Issues Highlighted

Sumi discusses several critical issues that are at stake in the upcoming elections:

Gun Control: Advocating for "common sense gun regulations so that people who are criminals... can't get easy access to assault weapons" ([Transcript Reference]).
Climate Change: Stressing the urgency of addressing environmental disasters, she cites recent hurricanes as evidence of escalating climate crises that require immediate action.
Money in Politics: She criticizes the influence of "dark money" in political campaigns, referencing the 2010 Supreme Court decision that facilitated unlimited, undisclosed donations through Super PACs. Sumi urges for reversing this decision to restore transparency and accountability.
Economic Opportunity: Contrasting the economic disparities in Russia with the potential for a more equitable economy under Democratic leadership, she argues that supporting Democrats will foster broader economic opportunities.

Call to Action for Entrepreneurs and Creatives

Recognizing the unique influence that entrepreneurs and creatives hold, Sumi encourages listeners to leverage their platforms for political and social advocacy:

Use of Platforms: She posits that entrepreneurs and creatives are modern-day journalists with the ability to influence public opinion. "Each one of us is really also a journalist because we have influence over our listeners and our fans and our followers" ([Transcript Reference]).
Speaking Out: Sumi motivates her audience to "practice speaking out" by engaging in visible acts of support, such as wearing campaign merchandise or participating in local advocacy efforts.
Building Impactful Brands: By standing firm in their values and beliefs, individuals can build brands that not only succeed financially but also contribute positively to society.

Maintaining Media Literacy and Responsibility

Sumi underscores the importance of being informed and discerning about the information consumed:

Media Literacy: She advises listeners to "understand media literacy, understand if we see a headline, where did that headline come from?" ([Transcript Reference]), advocating for critical evaluation of news sources and their biases.
Awareness of Misinformation: Highlighting the dangers of "deep fakes" and fabricated content, Sumi warns against blindly trusting social media narratives and stresses the need for vigilance in verifying information.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Wrapping up the episode, Sumi reiterates the intertwined nature of personal success and societal well-being. She conveys a heartfelt message of unity and responsibility, stating, "with power that we are building collectively and individually comes responsibility" ([Transcript Reference]). Sumi urges her audience to prioritize the integrity of democracy as foundational to achieving their dream lives and sustaining impactful businesses.

Final Encouragement: Sumi leaves listeners with a powerful call to action: "Let's secure our future by first securing our country." She encourages proactive engagement through volunteering, donating, and voting to ensure that the collective efforts lead to a stable and prosperous society.

Notable Quotes

On Using One’s Voice:
"The very first step is to be comfortable using your voice and speaking out on matters that are important to you."
— Sumi Krishnan [00:00]
On Voting:
"Vote for Kamala Harris and the Democrats down ballot so that we have at least a chance of securing our freedom, securing our rights, saving our planet."
— Sumi Krishnan [Transcript Reference]
On Media Literacy:
"Understand media literacy, understand if we see a headline, where did that headline come from? What's the source, what's the magazine, what's the news source, and what is their bias?"
— Sumi Krishnan [Transcript Reference]
On Responsibility:
"With power that we are building collectively and individually comes responsibility."
— Sumi Krishnan [Transcript Reference]

Final Takeaway

Sumi Krishnan’s episode serves as a clarion call to women entrepreneurs and creative leaders to actively participate in the democratic process. By leveraging their unique platforms, maintaining integrity, and staying informed, they can influence positive change and ensure that democracy thrives amidst divisive challenges. The episode encapsulates the essence of building dream lives not just through business success, but through committed civic engagement and societal impact.

Transcript

Sumi Krishnan (0:00)

Have courage in this moment to speak out about what you believe in. We're trying to do big goals, we're trying to create our dream lives, we're trying to scale businesses. We want to make an impact in the world. The very first step is to be comfortable using your voice and speaking out on matters that are important to you. Having integrity and having a backbone is the foundation to creating your dream life. I know that you're in my head. What's up? What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Dream Life Club Podcast. This podcast is for you if you are an entrepreneur or a creative, ready to grow, ready to scale and make the impact in the world that you were meant to make and do it all while being holistically fulfilled and holistically successful in not only your finances, but your relationships, your health, your mind, your mental health, all of that kind of stuff. So my name is Sumi Krishnan and if you don't know me by now, I've been an entrepreneur since I was 19. I've built multiple businesses along with an eight figure company called K4 Solutions, a consulting company in DC. We grew to 200 people across the country. I sold that company, now I'm in LA pursuing a new dream as a pop music recording artist. So it's so much fun for me to use this platform to give back to you other entrepreneurs and creatives who are looking to grow. Today, I want to talk about something super special and important and it's about ways and the ways that we can and the importance of using our platforms to speak out on issues that are important to us. Especially at this time in the world where our politics are so divided, where the United States of America has never been at such a critical juncture of is our free, are our freedoms and is our democracy going to survive or are we going to. Are our institutions going to be threatened by authoritarian ways of thinking and ways of being? Which is sort of in the air right now. And I want to expand on this a little bit. If you're not sure what I'm talking about right now, listen in. Because a lot of people aren't our media. And this is, this is so meta. Because our media these days, media are democratized, right? Like meaning splintered. Like nobody sits down and watches the same 7 o'clock evening news anymore as they did like in our parents, generations. And so I think because of that there are these bubbles that have been created and each one of us has a platform that serves a bubble in a way, if you think about it that way, and that's why at this time in the world, with the way that media is operating, it's so important that none of us ignore the important things that are going on in the world, because we each have a responsibility to the bubble that listens to us. So in a way, each one of us with a platform, as an entrepreneur or a creative with a platform, each one of us is really also a journalist because we have influence over our listeners and our fans and our followers. Right? And so it's our responsibility to stay up with what's going on. If we consider ourselves a leader, then we have to stay up and abreast of what's going on and help our audience, our community, filter what's going on through the lens of the values that we all share of. Okay, so I want to talk a little bit today about the absolute gravity of the moment that we're in. So most of us, if you're listening to this, you're probably a millennial. We have maybe some Gen Xers and some Gen Zers on this as well, in this community as well. But most likely, no matter who you are, you've grown up and you've been accustomed to a society where democracy was just the norm. Like, of course we live in a democracy. Of course we have certain unalienable rights. Of course we have certain freedoms. Of course, we don't think that we could just, like, shoot our neighbor and have no consequences come to us. Right? Like, we trust. We trust this, the system, to a certain extent. Of course, I'm not saying it's perfect. Of course I'm not saying it always has been perfect. Over the course of this country's history, we've done some horrific things to the African American community and to the native community and to other immigrants and immigrant communities in general. But for the most part, and as compared to other countries in the world, we have always at least had some level of trust that there will be some accountability for our actions. We can't get away with murder. We can't just pass. We can't just ignore all the laws and expect to keep living our lives. The problem with that is that we don't question that. We don't question the fact that the American experiment was exactly that. An experiment, an experiment of a. Of governance that had never been done before. And with that experiment comes certain responsibilities of us as citizens to keep it going. And what's happened in the past few weeks with some of the things that it has come out that Trump has said to his generals, to his chief of staff to his most trusted advisors. They're now speaking out saying, okay, this guy who was in the presidency 2016-2020 and now is running again, to be in the presidency again poses a real threat, poses a real risk to our country where our system of laws and governance, rule of law, freedoms are at risk, are threatened because of this guy's tendencies toward authoritarian, authoritarianism. Because this guy actually wants a dictatorship like power. And you don't have to trust me about that. He's come out and said it. John Kelly, his chief of staff, has come out finally and said clearly that Trump has said things like that to him while in office, that he wishes he had generals like Hitler has had, that he would. He. And then Trump himself has said in interviews recently that he would use the US Military against his political opponents, whoever he dubs an enemy from within. Okay, that he wants unchecked, authoritarian like power is evident from the way that he praises Putin and praises Kim Jong Un and praises President Xi of China. These are the types of examples that he thinks should be ruling this country. And what I am speaking out about in this episode and why it's so important is because we take for granted that we live in a democracy. Not everybody around the world lives in a democracy. We are in a very unique situation. And it's so important that we recognize what's going on and not take for granted that we will have this system of governance forever unless we do something about it. We have two weeks in recording this. It is October 24, 2024. We have under two weeks until election Day. Election has, the election has already started. Voting has started. Two weeks, less than two weeks until the election ends on election Day. And if you care about kind of saving our way of operating in this country where we elect our elected officials, where they might not always do what we want them to do, but at least we have a voice. At least we have a vote. Okay? If you care about some of the things like women's rights, okay, like common sense gun laws where we don't have to worry that our kids will be going to schools with unchecked weapons of war on the street, coming into our schools with assault rifles, killing children. This is, this is a common occurrence in America today. And J.D. vance, Trump's running mate, has said, well, it's a fact we have to deal with. He's completely wrong. We can. We don't have to accept this fact. When we had a ban on military style assault weapons, the number of mass shootings in this country was significantly smaller. We have data on that. If you care about leaving a world for our children where we won't have to worry about threatening climate disasters every day. Like just in the past few weeks, we've had two hurricanes past through the east coast, horrendous hurricanes, killing hundreds of people. And these things will keep happening unless we do something about them. And what we know is that unfortunately, not only is Trump and his lackeys wanting authoritarian like dictatorship style power where they can use the military for their own personal desires, wishes and wants, which is not what the US Military is for. The US Military serves the Constitution. But not only is that at risk, we also have the entire platform of the current Republican Party, which has now turned so extreme where women's rights are completely stripped, the government has a say on what we do with our own bodies, where if that's not an issue that you can get behind, what about kids? What about kids at schools not having their lives threatened? Right? What about climate leaving a sustainable planet for our kids? What about money in politics? The amount of black money, dark money as they call it in politics now, coming in from whoever knows where, Nobody knows. Because foreign powers could be donating to Super PACs, and literally these Super PACs are associated with, informally associated with a presidential candidate or any candidate. And billions of dollars could be coming in through these super PACs, running ads, putting up street campaigns, going door to door, knocking on people's doors, paying people to go knock on people's doors to send some message which now can be completely full of lies. And there is even no consistent media that's checking those lies. So we gotta get money out of politics so we can get some sense of reality back in our country. Right? And money in politics, basically, that decision where you could have unlimited dark money, undisclosed donors come in through super PACs, that happened in a Supreme Court decision of 2010. That needs to be reversed. There are a lot of levers that we have that we can change, that we can pull if we have the right people in power now, that we can get back to a sane Republican Party, Democratic Party, and we can actually make some progress together as a country. But right now, in the next two weeks, it's like one of the most critical times that we've ever faced to be able to go in one direction or the other. And I'm speaking out about this today because, look, I'm not, I'm not going to convince anybody if you, if you are voting Republican or if you believe in Trump and what he stands for. I know I'm not going to convince you in my rant today. But my purpose in speaking out, my purpose in saying this is twofold. One is if you're considering sitting out or not voting, or you don't think that your voice or your vote matters, I urge you to go vote. Vote for Kamala Harris and the Democrats down ballot so that we have at least a chance of securing our freedom, securing our rights, saving our planet, keeping our schools safe, creating an economy that works for everybody and not just the richest of the rich. You know, when you look at Russia, one of one of Trump's touted best friends is, is the dictator Putin, who will cold in cold blood kill people who oppose him. That's how that country operates. Russia has one of the smallest economies in the world, even though it's one of the largest pieces of land in the world. It makes no sense. And why is that? It's because in Russia, there is no economy that works for everybody. You've got the super rich, ultra wealthy oligarchs who own everything, who have all the money, and then everybody else lives in pretty much poor fashion. In a poor fashion. And, and that's why I say if you care about creating economic opportunity for everybody, vote for Kamala Harris and everybody Democrat down the ballot. Because that's the side that in this completely divided, extreme environment, that's the side who will not just keep giving tax breaks to billionaires and creating a worse future for everybody else. That's why I find it so funny and so ironic that the masses of people in middle America who are voting for Trump believe that Trump and Vance will serve their interest as middle class and lower middle class population. They're gonna get the shit end of the stick. But Trump's rhetoric, and the rhetoric is so powerful. There is some charisma, there is some thing about Trump's whole presence and his lies that pull a lot of people into believing that he is there to help them. And it's really sad. So I'm not going to convince you, if you're a Trump voter, to not vote for Trump. But I, what I will say is, if you're at all on the fence, think about future generations. Think about the fact that we can't take our democracy for granted. Think about the fact that even though 98% of people want common sense gun regulations so that people who are criminals, that people with mental health issues can't get easy access to assault weapons. Why do we want that? Who wants that? Nobody wants that. Those are the kinds of common sense reforms that the Democrats will be able to put into place down ballot. If Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz are given a Senate and a House that have the Democrats in control, we'll be able to get some of these things done. Will actually be able to make some progress. And like they always say, your vote is not for a candidate who's going to do everything that you want. Your vote is like getting on a bus that's going to take you closer to the location that you want to be. Because think of it, none of us agree on everything. How could we? We couldn't. It would be impossible. So no candidate is ever going to do everything that I want that candidate to do. No candidate is ever going to do everything that you want that candidate to do. But in order to survive in this democracy, in this democratic society, we have to agree that we'll just, we'll be able to vote for the person who's going to be closest to where we want this country to go. So if you're at all sitting on the fence, I urge you to not sit this one out. It's too important. It's too critical. It's too critical. The, the future of our country hangs in this moment, in these next two weeks. And so many of us are so very worried about what it will mean if it goes the wrong direction. And I urge you to speak out about it on your own platforms. Because after all, what is it to have courage in this moment to speak out about what you believe in? We're trying to do big goals. We're trying to create our dream lives. We're trying to scale businesses. We want to make an impact in the world. The very first step is to be comfortable using your voice and speaking out on matters that are important to you. Having integrity and having a backbone is the foundation to creating your dream life, is the foundation to creating real success and fulfillment in your life. And so if you've been holding back, if you've not been speaking out, because perhaps you live in an area where there are people who might judge you for your beliefs, where there are people who may disagree with you, and it becomes intimidating to speak out, just practice it. Practice it by putting a sign in your front yard. Practice it by wearing a Harris waltz hat and walk around, practice speaking out. Because your voice is the thing that you control. And you look at examples like Alexei Navalny and his very brave wife. Alexei Navalny was fighting against Putin, fighting to bring back a true democracy in Russia for years. And he was imprisoned and finally, very sadly killed earlier this year. And his wife has now taken on that fight and is speaking out. And she knows that her life is threatened. She knows that her entire life is threatened because she is taking a stand. And luckily, none of us are in that situation. Luckily, none of us are living in a country like that, in the United States yet, hopefully, ever. And so we really need to assume some amount of courage and some amount of bravery and never think that speaking out on your beliefs will isolate some of your audience. So therefore, you're not going to do it. Are you kidding me? Having integrity and sharing your values and sharing what's important, that's how you're going to build a brand of impact. That's how you're going to actually make a difference in the world. Hiding that and playing both sides, is that really who we want to be? Never. I would never want to be that person. I would never want to be that person. I would never want to be the person who is afraid to speak out because they don't want to isolate 50% of their audience. Just because our country is so divided right now doesn't mean that what's right and wrong has to be forgotten, doesn't mean that we have to give up our values just to appease 50% of this country. We need to stand on our values. And the more people that have the courage to do so, the more people will have the courage to do so, which will lead to more and more people waking up and realizing how to be on the right side of history in this moment. And so, yes, I think that this is a very important moment that we're in. And I don't think any of us should be sitting this out. And especially if you're an entrepreneur with a platform or creative with a platform, if you have an email list, social media, if you have a influence over a small amount of people in your life, now's the time. Now's the time to help people understand that we have got to vote and we have got to volunteer, and we have got to use our platforms and use our voices to speak out. So with that, I will end this episode and I will just say that with the power, the collective power that we want to build as a community and the power that we want to build in terms of impact and influence, with that comes responsibility. And as trite as it is, it is still true that we need to use that power and wield it responsibly. We need to be informed. We need to understand what media we're watching, what media we're listening to or reading, and understand media literacy, understand if we see a headline, where did that headline come from? What's the source, what's the magazine, what's the news source, and what is their bias? Not just believing everything we see. Absolutely. Just not. Not just believing everything we see on social media. Understanding that deep fakes are a real thing right now in the environment, understand that people can make videos that look like a certain person is talking when it's just all made up. We need to be very aware of what's going on in this climate now more than ever. With power that we are building collectively and individually comes responsibility. And I just wanted to take a moment to underscore that today because in order to build dream lives and in order to build companies of meaning and impact and personal lives of influence and step into leadership roles, we can't ignore what's going on in the world. We can't ignore the most important aspect of the fact that we even have an opportunity to build a business today is because of the country that we live in. We couldn't do this everywhere. And so if you are an entrepreneur, even more than any other thing, is the reason why we need to protect our democracy and protect our freedoms and the reason why we should be voting for Kamala Harris and the Democrats down the ballot like it's a no brainer in this election. I don't care if you're a Republican, I don't care if you're an Independent, I don't care if you're a Democrat. None of that matters. What matters now is do we want to move forward in the democratic system and society where our voice matters and our vote matters, or do we want to have all of that as a question mark because no one knows what's going to happen next if it goes the wrong way. So I will leave it at that. I put my heart out there today. I communicated how important that I think this moment is. And I open myself up to, I'm sure, a lot of trolls and a lot of criticisms. And that's part of what comes with the job of having a platform. So I'm going first. I hope you'll do the same on your platforms in whatever ways that you feel is right to speak out. I believe in you and I believe in your power and I believe in your goals and your dreams. And let's secure our future by first securing our country. All right, with all of that, sending you lots of love. Have a wonderful weekend. Do some volunteering this weekend if you can, for a campaign. Donate if you haven't yet. And let's get this done. Lots of love. And I'll talk to you next week ahead.