Calling In the Humanizer Man

Calling In the Humanizer Man

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

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.”

Disobey authoritarians, support The Nation

Over the past year you’ve read Nation writers like Elie Mystal, Kaveh Akbar, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Bryce Covert, Dave Zirin, Jeet Heer, Michael T. Klare, Katha Pollitt, Amy Littlefield, Gregg Gonsalves, and Sasha Abramsky take on the Trump family’s corruption, set the record straight about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s catastrophic Make America Healthy Again movement, survey the fallout and human cost of the DOGE wrecking ball, anticipate the Supreme Court’s dangerous antidemocratic rulings, and amplify successful tactics of resistance on the streets and in Congress.

We publish these stories because when members of our communities are being abducted, household debt is climbing, and AI data centers are causing water and electricity shortages, we have a duty as journalists to do all we can to inform the public.

In 2026, our aim is to do more than ever before—but we need your support to make that happen. 

Through December 31, a generous donor will match all donations up to $75,000. That means that your contribution will be doubled, dollar for dollar. If we hit the full match, we’ll be starting 2026 with $150,000 to invest in the stories that impact real people’s lives—the kinds of stories that billionaire-owned, corporate-backed outlets aren’t covering. 

With your support, our team will publish major stories that the president and his allies won’t want you to read. We’ll cover the emerging military-tech industrial complex and matters of war, peace, and surveillance, as well as the affordability crisis, hunger, housing, healthcare, the environment, attacks on reproductive rights, and much more. At the same time, we’ll imagine alternatives to Trumpian rule and uplift efforts to create a better world, here and now. 

While your gift has twice the impact, I’m asking you to support The Nation with a donation today. You’ll empower the journalists, editors, and fact-checkers best equipped to hold this authoritarian administration to account. 

I hope you won’t miss this moment—donate to The Nation today.

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel 

Editor and publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x