DRW50

Given that the Pod Save America guys spent years seeing President Obama, his wife and children face a constant barrage of racist bile, I'm not sure how they are still this naive. None of these hatemongers are stunned into silence. They were like this before Trump and they will be after he's gone. If their fuhrer told them to get their guns and start picking out targets, they would - if their fat fingers could fit around the triggers, anyway.

The main reason Donna hung on, I think, beyond Anna Stuart's many gifts, is because she never really "won." She was always being punished and suffering for anything she did wrong. The nadir was probably when she had sex with Jake after Michael harshly dumped her (for her own good, of course...) and they had the story of Stacey blackmailing her into giving up the son she had adopted, then her affair was exposed on the witness stand at Marley's trial for shooting Jake. We were, presumably, meant to sympathize with Michael and Stacey, but they were both such unbearable and sanctimonious assholes that it was just about impossible. So this meant that Donna could be haughty, or bitchy, but was never untouchable, and viewers could still care. Even to the end of the show, Donna continued suffering and paying, losing every man she loved, and being abused by an unhinged Marley. She was one of the few characters who got no real happy ending. Hutton was unconventionally handsome, charismatic, and also had some good comedy skills we got to see every once in a while. I never remember if it was his choice to leave or not, but he was a find. I thought Marcus Smythe (RIP) was also good in the role, but the writing was awful. Just as he became more interesting he left the show, never to return...and only rarely to be mentioned.

Great find.

Not much of a fan of Alan's, but if he managed to not beard for Roy Cohn and ask people what kind of tree they want to be, I'd put him above Baba.

I think he may not as much after the last year, but before that, based on his comments over the years...but anyway, hopefully he doesn't now. Not that it really matters if Democrats don't win the Senate. I guess we'll see. I can't let myself think about that after 2016.

So sad.

It's already started with Biden - Amy Walter of National Journal was saying last month that he has no mandate if he wins. The saddest part is Biden is so proud of the Beltway/DC tradition that he believes every word. It's one of the reasons why I'm not surprised so many have given up on voting, even though I wish they still would. Boehner was always a waste of space - he was just better at gladhanding. The only reason any press dislike Trump, any at all, is because he doesn't kiss their asses the way McCain and that ilk did. Nothing will improve in this country until the current DC press circuit is marginalized.

Sad to hear this. I know she had many lives and careers but I will always remember her for this:

The debates are meaningless. They're a shitpile. The only reason they are important is because of a lazy, hack-filled media who want a circus. They hate us and they hate this country and they will do anything to give Trump his win. Expect huge, nonstop spin for Trump in these. And if he doesn't do well, Trump and the GOP already have their talking point - they will say Biden was using a teleprompter or had answers in an earpiece. Speaking of shitpiles:

Loved The Emotions. So sad to hear about this. RIP Lee Kerslake. Reading about his story, and how screwed over he was, reminds you of just how many in the industry are cheated and cheated.

NPR helped lead to countless deaths in the Middle East by pushing the Iraq "liberation" and in the midst of the pandemic was putting out false propaganda to try to make the unemployed look like moochers. They are not on our side.

I liked Pam too. She seemed very real, and Robin Morse was a very intelligent and reliable performer. I guess she was never going to be much beyond a B-level heroine, a foil to Lily, but I did like her. It's a shame we only got more of her backstory just as she was leaving.

I thought Renee was a great actress - her work in the Ellie/Craig/Sierra saga is strong, as is her material with Brock. When I was a kid I liked her, and her pairing with Kirk...as I get older, I feel that it is a bit forced, and the work Renee does with the abortion story near the end of her run shows where her true talents were. Her "comedy" moments with Kirk can at times come across like a space alien who has to base their idea of human humor on what is downloaded into their computers. I'm just glad I did not see any of the Ellie/Kirk/Iva story at the time, as I loved Iva and I would have had no way of getting past that type of plot. Retroactive opinion of Iva tends to be negative, but she did have her share of fans, and Lisa Brown always played the heartbreak to a tee (maybe a little too well for her own sake...). In some ways allowing Kirk and Ellie happiness after breaking Iva's heart was transgressive by ATWT standards (I know there were extenuating circumstances). Choices like that, and the Meg/Josh pairing *, seem to be the breaking point where Marland seemed to take over such a central command of the show that its longtime mores were no longer as influential on the plotting. * (I do wonder if the strike writers had any influence on that though, as that whole plot was so seamy and explosive by Marland standards)

Disgusting.

All too true. So sad we never get things like changing of the seasons now (although we don't really have changing seasons now anyway...).

It's early-ish, original air with ads, and most B&B doesn't stay up.

Better save this while it's still up.

@DramatistDreamer thought you might be especially interested as weren't you watching this era not long ago.

I'd love to see that Holly stuff. Just nuts.

I've seen a number of people say Puerto Rico would probably have one or even two Republican senators, but I guess Republicans aren't willing to take the risk. If Democrats ever get power back, unlikely as that seems, I hope they will be as ruthless. If Schumer ever goes that may happen.

There could be, but it would be costly and time-consuming and I don't think they would have the stomach for it.

Grassley and Graham definitely will not. I agree they won't expand the Supreme Court. I don't think they will have that power - frankly, I don't even believe Democrats will win the Senate, as their polling has regressed and as always bad choices have been made (like people dumping too much money on a weak candidate just because she's running against Mitch McConnell) - and even if they did, they wouldn't pull the trigger. I don't agree that a victory would mean zilch. There are a lot of other problems we're facing and while I don't believe Biden can stop most of them, we are now at bare minimum level. Trump and those with him will eviscerate every last shred of this country. We may all be dead soon whatever happens, but there is no "may" if Trump gets 4 more years. I don't even say that to be hyperbolic at this point. We will be, or what will happen will be worse than death. I wish we lived in a country that did not put so much priority on the Supreme Court. I hope that this means the dream has finally ended and those in charge will make other, tougher, long overdue choices that should have been made a long time ago. I didn't think RBG would make it, as much as I hoped she would. I am so numb to what is happening and to what is to come. Everything just gets worse, and will continue to get worse, with little likelihood of change for the better. All we have left now is that tiny fragment of possibility, if we can grab it before it's fully gone. If this is what some needed to stop the weird fetishization of public officials and to start focusing more on policy and on the realities facing us, then that will be the one good thing to come out of this loss, and out of America being such a desiccated, likely beyond repair country.