Meet the Candidate

Career politicians are not the answer to our problems - they are the problem. They have had a chance to fix our broken systems, but they have failed time and time again. Trying the same thing over and over again while expecting different results is the definition of insanity – so isn’t it insane to put our trust in the same politicians and expect something different? It’s time to bring a new voice to the conversation. These cautious, career politicians will not be able to stop Donald Trump – but I can. Together, we can. We must.

Trump is the greatest risk to our nation, but also the biggest heckler in political history. So how do we take him down? With a stand-up comedian.

I have spent my career traveling the country, performing in towns big and small. I know real people because I am one. I am not an out-of-touch politician or greedy millionaire. And I’ve taken down narcissistic, cry-baby hecklers like Trump hundreds of times before.  In a time when our democracy is under attack by fake news, a pathological liar president, and self-interested politicians, comedians are the only people left who tell you the truth. And you may not know that in addition to trying to make you laugh, I have dedicated much of my life to making politics more accessible to all of us, and speaking truth to power.

I’m an honors thesis graduate of one of the top universities in the country. For over a decade I have been a political contributor to places like CNN, NPR, Huffington Post, the Young Turks, ABC News and more. I have hosted countless conversations and debates with both sides, always working to find solutions to our nation’s problems. I created the Telethon for America, a first-of-its-kind, non-partisan event powered by Michelle Obama's “When We All Vote” that played a significant role in last year’s record-setting voter turnout. I have been the host of the CNN Headline News social impact program ASPIREist, and for seven years I on KPCC (SoCal’s NPR affiliate) even winning a Golden Mic award. I have hosted my own political podcast “Last Week On Earth” for eight years and counting, using comedy to get people who never were, interested in politics, and I moderate a monthly discussion called “We the People” between two on the left and two on the right, trying to find middle ground on the many issues that face us. 

Among volunteering for and donating to causes like All Hands And Hearts, LA Family Housing, The World Food Programme, Generosity Water, F Cancer, being a member of the UNICEF NextGen Guardian’s Circle, and others, I also serve on the Advisory Board of The Harold Robinson Foundation, which sends underserved children from Watts and surrounding areas to camp for the first time. Each year I also host their Pedal On The Pier event, where we raise around a million dollars annually, and I love going up to spend time with the kids at camp.  So as you can see, I am not just all talk. 

I am different from every candidate because I’m not a cautious, career politician, and I’m not part of the rich elite. Regular people like us are kept out of the halls of power so that whether the president is Republican or Democrat, the gap between the rich and the rest of us keeps widening. Millions still don’t have health care, can’t afford housing, work multiple jobs, and whole professions are disappearing due to automation. And no one in power is solving it. No one. Those in government aren’t invested enough in our struggle to make any systemic change.

But we can change that. Let’s test if we still have a government “by the people”. Our nation is in trouble, and we are not going to solve our massive problems without some massively new thinking. And thinking differently is what comedians do best. I am running to blow open the accepted norms of how we do things in our country. Because we no longer have the time for incremental change. We need, and we deserve, systemic change now. I can bring that change because I have nothing to lose. I don’t have a career in politics I need to protect, or billionaire friends that need me to pass laws that benefit only them. No special interests in Washington have any control over me - and they never will. 

Our democracy has been taken from us. It has been hijacked by people who only care about power and money, and keeping it all for themselves.

Let’s. Take. Our. Democracy. Back.

I hope you like what this campaign stands for, and are willing to volunteer to join us, or to donate what you can. This election there are donation thresholds to qualify for the debates, so your donation will test if our democracy is still real - or another lie. Will the powers that be allow a different voice in the conversation? Let’s find out together. 

Have a voice in the 2020 presidential election. Have a voice in your future.

Thanks for visiting our website, and more importantly, for caring about our country. 

Sincerely,

Ben Gleib