Blue skies turned to a blanket of gray as a rare rain fell onto Valencia Street on Tuesday evening.
At 6 p.m., Manny Yekutiel, clad in 6-inch heels, a bedazzled blue dress, oversize pearls, and a pink wig, took the stage before a sold-out crowd at the Chapel. The night’s entertainment was neither a drag show nor a concert, but rather the first (and perhaps only) presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
And a night of entertainment it was, especially for Yekutiel, who did double duty hosting two events.
Cheers, jeers, boos, and, above all, a sea of laughter that could have registered on the Richter scale filled the air of the Mission venue. The ruckus carried down the street to where an additional 200 people packed out Yekutiel’s eponymous bar, Manny’s, well known for serving up political events and commentary alongside drinks and food.
“People want to be together for these moments, and I want to make a space for them,” Yekutiel told The Standard. “Everyone here is here because they care about politics and what’s about to happen. Every city should have a gathering place like the ones we have.”
Tears were shed, kegs were tapped, bespoke “Madame President” ice cream was eaten, and more than a dozen reporters from local and international publications scavenged for quotes around the venue of what appeared to be stalwart Democrats, starting with its partisan emcee.
“I want Kamala to kick some fucking ass,” Yekutiel announced to a roaring crowd just before the candidates took the podium in Philadelphia.
Whether it was Trump’s claims about his track record of championing IVF or his false assertion that pets were being eaten by immigrants in Ohio, partygoers seemed to find humor everywhere on debate night.
“What I saw was her baiting him into a divisive response and then him taking the bait and her coming back with policy, which pressed him to be on the defensive,” said Brisbane resident Frank Cohen. “The rest of it was just mad dogs — people eating pets and stuff. Where’d that come from?”
Several attendees said throughout the debate that they felt a confidence in Harris that they had not had in a candidate since Barack Obama — if ever.
“With the [Biden-Harris] changeup, it exposed a lethargy, a weariness I was feeling that I wasn’t even aware of,” said Sacramento resident Scott Miller. “In many ways, [Harris is] coming in so much more experienced than Obama was when he came in, and yet there’s this similar energy that I cannot remember since then.”
Much of the thrust behind Harris’ campaign prior to the Democratic National Convention leaned on “vibes,” whether it be Brat summer or Harris’ coconut tree soliloquy. But Yekutiel felt that since the DNC, that page has turned.
“I would argue that she’s definitely transitioned from vibes to substance,” he said. “The DNC speech was substantive and tough and real and presidential and she’s showing us that she’s presidential.”
But Harris can’t count on unconditional support. Others in attendance were less enthusiastic about Harris and the rest of the Democratic party because of conflict overseas. Harris’ answers about Israel’s war in Gaza elicited a noticeably paltry reaction from the crowd, compared to her comments about abortion and border control.
Maya Nazzal, a Palestinian American, left the watch party feeling a sense of cognitive dissonance among the crowd when it came to the conflict.
“In terms of everything that Kamala is saying for America, I think she’s doing an incredible job and speaking to really important points,” Nazzal said. “But a lot of time people would be cheering, all I heard was ‘Israel should continue to defend itself.’ And then people cheered for the parts where she said Palestinians should be safe. But those ideas contradict themselves. I think the major question is why are we sending so much money for Israel? It doesn’t change that over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed.”
Hallie Magee, 27, was “cautiously optimistic” as she awaited the start of the debate, anxious to hear what the Democratic nominee would say about the war in the Middle East.
“I was a bit nervous when she gave her speech at the DNC,” she told The Standard. “So I’m really curious to hear what she is going to say about Gaza.”
During the brief intermission, Yekutiel — with his heels in his right hand and a Marlboro gold in his left — sprinted to Nizario’s Pizza to get 10 pies while on his way to his bar down the street, brokering a business deal on speaker phone at the same time.
“Oh my gosh! He’s running barefoot,” shouted one bystander while filming on an iPhone. “Someone’s gonna have to go to the clinic tomorrow.”
As night fell on the Mission, commuters stood outside the open windows of Manny’s, eyes transfixed on the television as people from all walks of life bit their nails, furrowed their brows, and crossed their arms.
“I feel change in the air,” said Ilana Gauss.