Ask Mary Anything, (Within Reason)

3 Nov, 2025

[ Transcript edited for clarity and flow- Watch on Youtube HERE ]

Tomorrow is election day. It’s an off-year election, which means that not many people are going to vote, so we need everybody to get out there. We have two gubernatorial races, one in New Jersey and one in Virginia. These are both critically important. It now looks like Abigail Spanberger, the Democrat running for governor in Virginia, is way ahead. That does’t mean you don’t vote: we always vote as if the race is neck and neck.

New Jersey, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. New Jersey is allegedly a blue state, but the Democratic candidate for governor, although she is ahead in most polls, isn’t ahead by enough. If you’re in New Jersey, I cannot stress this enough, get out and vote for Mikie Sherrill, please. New Jersey needs to be led by a Democrat. We also have a special election in Mississippi for a house seat. Democrats desperately need to pick up as many house seats as humanly possible. These elections will be a bellwether of where we are as a country.

Even though Donald is not on the ballot per se, tomorrow’s election is about him. But if Republicans lose all of these elections tomorrow, that is a sign that we’re going in the right direction; that is a sign that if we continue to work, organize, and keep pressure on our democratic representatives and senators, we can indeed turn this thing around in 2026.

I don’t need to remind you how important this is, but I’m going to anyway. We’ve been hearing since 2016 that this is the most important election of our lifetimes. We heard it in 2020. We heard it in 2024. We’re hearing it again today. We will certainly hear it again next year. Every single time it has been true, because with every loss we got that much closer to becoming a fascist autocracy. With every Republican win, we got that much closer to losing our democracy.

We thought President Biden’s election would be a change election in the sense that it would mean that we had snatched democracy from the draws of autocracy. That turns out not to have been the case. Every election matters. Every vote matters. Every single office up for grabs is something we need to be fighting for. Whether it’s local elections, school board elections, state legislatures or congressional races, all of it matters. First, make sure you’re registered. If you’re not, there are some sane states, like New York, in which you can register the day of election. Check your polling place and the hours during which it’s open. And as I said earlier, remind everybody you know—friends, family, coworkers, and shopkeepers—to cast their ballots. Because every vote does matter. Our voices matter.

Now for some questions and comments.

[Watch on Youtube HERE]

---

Jackie 6035: “Gatsby Ball, such moronic optics”.

Mary: Yeah, I suppose, but it’s intentional. Donald doesn’t care. This is not about him being out of touch or tone deaf. He doesn’t care. He’s shoving it in our faces, and he’s making his followers think that it’s a good thing—thank people like Donald deserve such things while the rest of us starve and die from easily preventable diseases.

Abby: “I’m sending instant mashed potatoes to the White House. Who’s with me?”

Mary: I see many hands raised.

Election Creations: “What are your favorite Broadway musicals? How about performers?”

Mary: Oh boy, you just opened a can of worms. I love Broadway. I think if I had it to do over again and I had the requisite skills, I would want to be a composer of Broadway musicals. I think Steven Sondheim is the greatest composer of Broadway musicals who ever lived. I think that Sweeny Todd is the greatest American musical ever written. I saw it when I was 13 with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou in the lead roles. That very same year, I also saw Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin in Evita. See, that’s what childhood could be like if you’re lucky enough to live in New York City. My first musical was an off-Broadway production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which I adore. I still know every single word of Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Sweeny Todd.

Gypsy is one of the great American musicals but I don’t like the first part. I’m not interested in the vaudeville aspect of it. Much of it is incredible, however. I’ve seen three different productions. The first production of Gypsy I saw was with Bernadette Peters in 2003. The most recent production I saw was this year with Audra McDonald. I saw it on my birthday and it was amazing. In 2008, I saw the production with Patti Lupone as Mama Rose and Laura Benanti as Gypsy Rose Lee. Even though Sweeny Todd is my favorite musical, the single greatest production I’ve ever seen is the 2008 Gypsy. I saw it four times and Patti Lupone’s rendition of “Rose’s Turn” is the single greatest performance.

Cardac Magnificent: “We all know that Great Gatsby wasn’t Donald’s idea. Who do you think thought of it?”

Mary: Probably Stephen Miller because he’s a vile little Nazi, and even though he is horrible, he has probably read books, unlike Donald. Donald has never read a book in his life. He once said his second favorite book was The Art of the Deal, a book that he didn’t even write; it was ghostwritten for him. He said that The Bible was his favorite book. The fact that he was not struck by lightning when he said that suggests that my belief system is the correct one.

Carol: “We need a publication of Donald’s full interview on 60 Minutes.”

Mary: I think it’s been released online, but who’s going to see it? Here’s the thing, if the full interview is online, then what does this suggest? Well, this suggests that the interview was edited. We know that is standard operating procedure. When you interview somebody, you want the viewers to have the best viewing experience. If an interviewee fumbles their words or they repeat themselves or misspeak, it’s edited. Because 60 Minutes edited Kamala Harris’s interview, Donald sued them one hundred million dollars. Paramount, the company that owns CBS, had a merger that needed to be approved by the federal government. Instead of saying to Donald, “We call bullshit on your frivolous lawsuit,” they paid him $16 million for a quid pro quo. We know for a fact that Donald’s interview was edited, and some of it was edited to make him look less bad. Is anybody going to sue them for that?

Poll: “Polls show Democrats leading, hurting or helping?”

Mary: I forgot about the New York mayoral race. That’s tomorrow too. Every single poll shows Momdani leading by double digits. Almost every single poll shows Abigail Spanberger leading by double digits. I think that can suppress voting because people think, “they’re leading by so much, what do I need to vote for?” I also know that Democrats are very, very motivated, and I think making Mikie Sherrill’s very close polls will motivate people to get out there. So that’s just my take.

Nanner3200: “Saw your speech online during your recent award. Epic humor facts, deep thoughts, et cetera, et cetera. Chef’s kiss.”

Mary: Well, thank you so much. For those of you who don’t know, I was very honored to receive an award from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, or, as the cab driver who took me from the airport to the venue said, “The Atheist Convention.” It was a really cool event. I received “The Emperor Has No Clothes” award, which is awesome. But I am sorry to report that it actually looks like Donald, so I’m going to have to put a fig leaf on it and turn it backwards.

Motley Pizer: “Donald knocked on someone’s door on 31st October and they immediately said, “Great costume,” and gave him some candy.

Mary: Yep. Oh, by the way, I just found this out today: American chocolate companies are no longer making chocolate with chocolate because it’s too expensive. They’re using chocolate powder or chocolate flavorings. Good job America.

Cyber: Just remember, the only thing that truly matters is ballroom.”

Mary: It is indeed. And I don’t think 350 million is enough. I really don’t. I think we need to spend more for that ballroom for the 900 people who will ever get to enjoy it, all of whom are obscenely wealthy.

GhostlyAir59, Comment: “Pennsylvania needs to vote blue for judges tomorrow.”

Mary: Every election matters. We’re talking about who gets the majority in state legislatures and who gets a majority in state Supreme Courts. This stuff is vitally important. We cannot let swing states and red states go the way of Ohio, which has gerrymandered the Democratic Party into oblivion.

Yvonne: “Please vote tomorrow, those in California. Vote yes on Prop 50”

Mary: I believe that is Vote yes on allowing California to gerrymander to make up for the gerrymandering red states are doing to try to steal the House of Representatives from Democrats in 2026. Fire with fire guys. This is not a game anymore. Everything’s at stake. Come on, Californians, do this thing. There are a lot of people in your state. You could get lots of Democratic districts squeezed out of you.

[Watch on Youtube HERE]