DISCLAIMER: This article is not an endorsement of the Kat Abughazaleh campaign and was produced independently by the Powder Blue Team
In his landmark work Amusing Ourselves to Death, the celebrated media theorist and culture critic Neil Postman takes aim at a curious boogeyman: presidential debates.
The author travels back in time to 1858, three years before the start of the Civil War. One could certainly argue that the political backdrop during this period registers as the most explosive in our country’s history, as hostility and mistrust corroded American society at a furious pace.
And yet, a closer analysis of that year’s senate race in Illinois finds that the incumbent — Stephen Douglas — and his challenger — a rising politician named Abraham Lincoln — did not sacrifice decorum in favor of unchecked belligerence. Rather, their dueling visions for the country’s future played out in amphitheater-like settings across seven of Illinois’ then-nine congressional districts.
At each stop, Douglas and Lincoln would share the stage for over seven hours. Neither of them brought notes; some of their sweeping individual orations (on abolition, and equality) lasted over two hours apiece.
But it wasn’t just the politicians who came prepared. Save for intermissions, audience members — themselves from all walks of life — would pay rapt attention across those seven hours, hanging on every word. They’d even cheer, or jeer, along, akin to a contemporary football game.
Postman published Amusing Ourselves to Death in 1985. He levied much of his criticism towards the rise of twenty-four-seven cable television, observing how a well-read populace made for a more informed and healthier society than a culture consumed with watching constant entertainment.
Forty years after Postman’s critique — and one hundred and sixty six years after Lincoln and Douglas barnstormed across Illinois — a televised presidential debate saw one candidate falsely amplify a social media rumor that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs.
That candidate won all seven swing states, securing the presidency by eighty-six electoral votes.
Though I’ve walked by this fifties-styled diner a handful of times — and admired its old-school, script aesthetic from afar — this is my first time actually eating here. I’d always assumed it was a local joint, growing alongside the skyscrapers next door as this city became the American Midwest’s financial hub.
As it turns out, that narrative is partially true. Yes, The Original Pancake House is now a staple in Chicago’s affluent Gold Coast neighborhood, since the restaurant first opened its doors here just over fifty years ago. But the original Original Pancake House was founded in Portland, Oregon, way back in 1953.
The same diner menu has remained largely intact. Tall, laminated pages display a delicious variety of ways to pair carbs, eggs, and breakfast meats. Yet the bounty of options don’t seem to intimidate twenty-six-year-old journalist, political creator, and congressional hopeful Katherine “Kat” Abughazaleh, who meets me for breakfast — and quickly orders a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes.
“I’m still a little kid at heart,” she jokes.
If your opinion of Kat were to be formed by the commentators, analysts, and television presenters who make up our modern punditariat, it would probably sound something like this:
And
Kat Abughazaleh is running to represent the Ninth District of Illinois, where, if elected, she’ll head to DC as the youngest congresswoman ever.
I found Kat’s story fascinating for a number of reasons. For one, it’s developing right in our backyard. And while I won’t claim to be an expert on local politics in the Ninth District, I actually lived there for four years, from 2017 to 2021.
Another reason: Politicians have been leveraging social media to fuel their campaigns for nearly two decades now. “Thomas Jefferson used newspapers to win the presidency, F.D.R. used radio to change the way he governed…Senator Barack Obama understood that you could use the Web to lower the cost of building a political brand,” The New York Times wrote in 2008, shortly after Obama rode a then-novel concept (organizing supporters via Facebook and Twitter) all the way to the White House.
Yet Kat isn’t a sitting politician, tweeting as a means of communication with her constituents. No, she’s a career creator, someone whose résumé hinges on the very videos she’s uploaded and reports she’s shared online. Should Kat win, her journey could produce a completely new playbook for young people to run for office.
But the final reason I was compelled to tell this story is that Kat isn’t from Chicago. She moved here in 2024…and doesn’t even reside in the Ninth District (while uncommon, as it turns out, you actually don’t have to live in the district you’re running to represent).
Another reason: Politicians have been leveraging social media to fuel their campaigns for nearly two decades now. “Thomas Jefferson used newspapers to win the presidency, F.D.R. used radio to change the way he governed…Senator Barack Obama understood that you could use the Web to lower the cost of building a political brand,” The New York Times wrote in 2008, shortly after Obama rode a then-novel concept (organizing supporters via Facebook and Twitter) all the way to the White House.
Yet Kat isn’t a sitting politician, tweeting as a means of communication with her constituents. No, she’s a career creator, someone whose résumé hinges on the very videos she’s uploaded and reports she’s shared online. Should Kat win, her journey could produce a completely new playbook for young people to run for office.
But the final reason I was compelled to tell this story is that Kat isn’t from Chicago. She moved here in 2024…and doesn’t even reside in the Ninth District (while uncommon, as it turns out, you actually don’t have to live in the district you’re running to represent).
When she announced her campaign to take on the incumbent, Jan Schakowsky — a popular progressive congresswoman who, at eighty years old, has held the seat since 1999 — there was real pushback. Many residents view her as an outsider.
“How can she credibly claim to be the best candidate to represent a district she’s never lived in?” one Chicagoan wrote to me on Reddit.
“What specifically does she bring to the table for this district other than being internet famous?” another user commented.
Kat, for her part, appears understanding of the criticism, even jokingly referring to herself as a “carpetbagger.” But she’s also steadfast in her campaign’s purpose.
“Some people have gotten mad at me just for the audacity of running, and that feels wrong in a real democracy,” she tells me, in between bites of chocolate chip pancakes. “I want to win because I want to make a difference. But even just by running, we’re making a difference.”
Over the last three months, I spoke with Chicago voters, business owners, and Kat herself, documenting the rising politico’s campaign in its early stages. By virtue of this publication’s unique focus, I was curious to explore the creator angle in all of this, sure. But I also sought to find an answer for an entirely different question:
“How can she credibly claim to be the best candidate to represent a district she’s never lived in?” one Chicagoan wrote to me on Reddit.
“What specifically does she bring to the table for this district other than being internet famous?” another user commented.
Kat, for her part, appears understanding of the criticism, even jokingly referring to herself as a “carpetbagger.” But she’s also steadfast in her campaign’s purpose.
“Some people have gotten mad at me just for the audacity of running, and that feels wrong in a real democracy,” she tells me, in between bites of chocolate chip pancakes. “I want to win because I want to make a difference. But even just by running, we’re making a difference.”
Over the last three months, I spoke with Chicago voters, business owners, and Kat herself, documenting the rising politico’s campaign in its early stages. By virtue of this publication’s unique focus, I was curious to explore the creator angle in all of this, sure. But I also sought to find an answer for an entirely different question:
What does Kat Abughazaleh say about America?
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