Jane Fonda is 'on pins and needles' ahead of Election Day: 'We have to make sure that Biden/Harris are elected'
Actress and activist Jane Fonda has already cast her vote for the 2020 presidential election, but that hasn’t stopped her from feeling like she’s on “pins and needles” ahead of Nov. 3 as she encourages people not to lose momentum before Election Day.
“I went to the post office with Tulea several days ago to mail my ballot,” Fonda wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. “And yesterday, having tracked it, I was told it had arrived and been counted!”
The 82-year-old also shared encouraging news about the more than 22 million Americans who have already cast their vote, putting the country on a trajectory that could lead to “a record 150 million votes may be cast and turnout rates could be higher than in any presidential election since 1908.” Positive election news, however, isn’t putting all of Fonda’s anxiety at ease as she also reflected on the overwhelming uncertainty surrounding the country amid a pandemic and a rise in crime. Still, she called on people to cast a ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris in an effort to ease existing tensions.
“We have to make sure that Biden/Harris are elected and that, given some time and respite from the hate mongering and divisiveness the welcome mat will be pulled back from the militias and the selfishness and irresponsibility of the anti-maskers will be better understood,” Fonda wrote. “My belief is that if Biden wins and is brave and bold (we have to make sure he will be), he can bring enough good jobs and pay proper attention to working people in the middle of the country who have been ignored and left behind by previous elected officials (of both parties). That may be a step forward in quieting the anger that’s been erupting in places where militias exist, ease the despair that fuels the opioid pandemic and begin to address the underlying causes of police violence.”
The star of Greenpeace’s Fire Drill Fridays also provided historical context by likening Biden to former president Franklin D. Roosevelt who she said experienced “a lot of hate and vitriol” against him but took care of those who hated him.
“Between now and [election day], let’s vote, let’s volunteer for organizations like Greenpeace and Fire Drill Fridays and MoveOn and Indivisible to help get out the vote and then, if we prevail, demand that the new president does what’s needed,” she continued.
In the meantime, Fonda encouraged people to “take deep breaths, listen to calming music, watch TV shows that don’t increase our anxiety, talk to friends who feel the same, try meditating,” in an effort to remain level-headed amongst the chaos.
“It calms me down to pay attention to my squirrels. There are 2 of them now and one actually took a peanut out of my outstretched hand yesterday. Birds are coming around now for the food and the bird bath. Sparrows and finches mostly,” she wrote. “I’m in the middle of a city and I have no garden but I’ve created a little nature preserve in front of my home that’s the size of a postage stamp but it’s enough.”
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
