DRW50

I think the best time would have been when they originally thought of recasting Hope (around 1986). By the time Maureen died, the Bauers were already so diminished, and Alan-Michael barely had ties to the family. He was also mostly written as a foil to "good" characters. Hope could have bonded with Michelle, and been some presence in A-M's life, but I'm not sure how much effort they would have made. I wish they had brought Mike, Hope, and a recast Alan-Michael back in the late '90s.

I feel like there's already a lot which shows how much he's still in this (polling, early voting, reports of lack of motivation for her in some swing states like Michigan, the tone of her campaign over the last week having to lean so much into fascism and focusing on him which suggests she or her campaign may not have much confidence in themselves), so I don't think it's right to blame everything on him, but, misconstrued or not, the timing was absolutely perfect for Trump and for the media. They were tired of the MSG story and can now motivate his supporters as well as anyone who was wavering and the brain dead "undecideds" who love shiny objects. This is the exact type of story that the Beltway press loves. It's something they can pin on the wall as the "moment" Trump won, so that will make their job easier. It frames the conversation to a place where Trump and his supporters look like badasses fighting back against the elite world of Biden and Harris. It also means Harris will have to face question after question asking whether she thinks Trump supporters are garbage. It's deplorables all over again.

I remember watching the AWA finale back on WoST - one of the few soap episodes I got to watch on there. It's so very of the time but also moving. I hope Clifton being back on daytime may cause something else from the show to appear. It will be nice to see him back in a major role. About 4-5 years ago he was on I Think You Should Leave, with Fred Willard (RIP), and he still looked great.

You're right. The nuances in the Tracy and Cody relationship were very different to most soaps these days (these decades...) and I will be disappointed if he just starts conning her while pining for Sasha. There was some backlash on Twitter about Drew/Nina from Nina fans and from the many fans who hate CM's Drew, and some said the whole thing was trashy and degrading, but I remember seeing a lot of people enjoying the kiss because they thought it would lead to juicy drama. Juicy drama seems to be an anathema to Frank.

I had wondered what happened to some of the brain dead Teen Vogue figures who were meant to save the world.

About that last post...

That's a great pull.

Oh good, another reminder of why I can't stand that show and Jon Stewart in general. (and I did watch the clip) Jon Stewart Defends Tony Hinchcliffe: Trump Rally Had a Roast Comic

The numbers in Georgia and Nevada still don't look good to me (apparently young voters are way off in Georgia compared to 2020) so hopefully North Carolina can be a nice surprise Tuesday night. The Walz story seems to exist for people who obsess over China and think that Biden/Harris are beholden to China. Something most people won't care about but is potentially effective at driving up turnout among the flank of union voters already leaning their way. The comments at the hate rally are something I think will hurt Democrats if they focus on them too much, because people will just buy into the line about how the left are wimpy and can't take a joke, but they do at least remind voters of the raw ugliness of the GOP, getting away from conversations about fascism and Hitler. The New Republic has always been a mixed bag (just with ever-decreasing writing quality), but some of their articles recently have interested me - mainly about the limited effects of campaigning with Liz Cheney (this wasn't written from a left wing anti-Cheney view and more from the view that any of those voters are likely going to Harris anyway and most of the Lincoln Project were never very successful politically so aren't the best to emulate) and of the fascist argument not really winning anyone over (Politico also said as much in a new article, yet again set with voters in Michigan, who feel the more the race is about Trump the more likely he wins). This is interesting, for lack of a better term, just because it recaps all the levels of misogyny and sexist spewing from Trump and his allies recently. There's some idea which seems to have stuck that the argument is only over abortion, when the GOP is fully committed to humiliating and degrading women. https://newrepublic.com/article/187419/trumps-promise-young-men-retribution-against-women This person is at least one example of a conservative who is voting for Harris, even if he has to make a fuss about it. Hopefully there are enough in swing states (this person is in Missouri).

I don't blame all the people who work at CNN, but I do think in order to work there you have to enable the worst elements of society and ultimately that's what carries the network. This guy is the new version of the Trump supporter who did a Nazi salute oncamera. They get rid of scapegoats and keep the Scott Jennings of the world. USA Today - I am surprised they didn't endorse Trump as anything I see of them is right wing op-eds.

He will probably cheat with Melanie and then leave in shame.

No US soap would likely go there, but it would be an interesting topic to explore. Instead, I assume there will just be angst until they figure out that they aren't related. As it is, the idea of Cody having a big downward spiral after realizing that becoming a "good" person didn't stop him from such turmoil could be interesting - it's the type of soap angst I enjoy - if I thought they could execute any material properly.

This is disgusting. I have never liked or trusted CNN, even when they cosplayed as progressive pals in the late '10s. This is their true soul, along with Scott Jennings grinning like a jackass.

Like I thought, Republicans got the talking points (Vance mentions Lopez after a lot of "liberals can't take a joke, wah wah"): https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/vance-racist-jokes-trump-rally-stop-getting-offended-rcna177711 I don't think this is going to be some type of balm to bring back alienated voters, but I've lost count of how many times Republicans have made ugly comments and after brief anger, people move on. They find ways to distract. Among them today - getting brain dead leftists to join them in believing lies that Walz said he was going to make AOC Speaker. A Daily Mail story being spread by Marco Rubio and others claiming Walz had an affair with someone's daughter in China back in the '80s. Sometimes I think these don't break out beyond the usual crowds who already love Trump anyway, but tonight I was listening to a podcast and the hosts were liberals or quasi-liberals and kept saying "Tampon Tim" because they thought it was intended as a compliment to him. The terrain has shifted so much to where I just assume Republicans get whatever narrative they want. I hope the comments do make a difference, but I just don't have that ability anymore. Not after 2016.

I don't think he will either. He does seem more popular now than he was in those years, and the media is working hard to help him, but I think Harris will still narrowly scrape through the popular vote. The only part that makes me hesitant at times is the early voting numbers and some of the anecdotal stories (not worth a lot, admittedly) about how reluctant some are, even when they are voting for her. Another from Michigan: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/many-us-voters-economy-is-personal-they-blame-democrats-2024-10-28/

Tom Baxter, AW. He is the reason Pat met and married John Randolph. He also caused scars that played a part in her killing another man years later. And Jamie choosing to write about her killing Tom led Pat to leave Bay City, nearly twenty years after his death.

All the years that Joan Baez was mocked as dour and tedious, but she is still so vibrant, more than many people half her age. This got lost in all the other ugliness of the hate rally, but still seems important:

Cassandra's story is what got me into Y&R. Megan also made appearances all the way to the end of the show (the ABC version anyway), even though she easily could have been forgotten. You're both right about Dominique. The character has crazy legs, especially when you consider the show chose to do little with Serena after PC yet still decided to give her a long-lost child (Cody). It was odd hearing Cody talk about wanting to be in Serenity, part of her complicated backstory that has outlived her and Katherine (who also used to go on about Serenity) by decades.

I think Joe Public is not going to hear much about this either way, but I don't trust the media enough to believe they will stick to their guns. If they can find a way to either both sides or say that this was a win for Trump because he got to condemn bigotry in his party (even though he didn't) or it took focus away from Harris, I think they will. I know that's very cynical but I just don't trust them. And even if they do care now it is too little, too late.

The usual whataboutism as he made jokes about Mexicans at a rally around the same time and it's already turning into, "why can he say something, but another comedian can't." They always find a hook to divide and conquer. We're disgusted by what he said, and some in the press will feign disgust, but like the fascist stuff and so much else, I don't think it makes a difference in the overall narrative or the voters he's courting and possibly winning.

I saw a few of those, but I don't think the early spin will last - the talking points about George Lopez will probably be used soon enough.

Not surprised. Her pig husband probably got in her ear. Has she ever spilled all the stuff she claimed her father said about Harris?