DRW50

It's difficult for Republicans to get elected in Hawaii. That's why you have quite a few 'conservadems,' like Ed Case. Many liberals were seething when he got his old seat back last year. That news about Pete Buttigieg is not a surprise. He is on the rise, somewhat, in Iowa, but probably not enough to win. Even if he does Iowa is probably the end of the line for him. He's going to get a very good job in some tech company, think tank, or cable news channel, and never go back into politics.

Thanks. The music cue at 20 or so minutes into the 1989 episode is just gorgeous. Who was the music director at this time? Did they win any Emmys? The story of the brotherly feud and the arrival of unstable Austin Buchanan would have been compelling if they hadn't made him a complete psycho, and a rapist on top of that. Max did such a number on Megan with pushing her to be with him when he clearly loved Gabrielle more. At least it helped viewers warm to Megan, I guess, but what a pig. Shelley Burch was such a treasure as Delilah. I wish they'd done more with her in this stint.

Just gutwrenching. If only this was an actual end to our "forever wars" then we could try to claim a lesson has been learned, but it's not. Too much money to be made and in Trump's case, too many debts being collected. So the Canadian elections are today. From most projects it looks like the Liberals will have a minority government. Here's a good article on how nothing seems to be happening, to the point of ignoring real problems in Canada. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/21/canada-election-political-challenges-052249

Thanks for finding these. This Rauch era is pretty entertaining, even if he hollowed out the show.

Until Brexit I would have agreed. Not sure now. Scotland also seems to have had hatred for the Tories for generations but it doesn't keep them out of power - I guess they will likely be leaving the UK within the next 4-5 years anyway, unless something changes. I wasn't trying to compare the UK to the US, if that was how my post came across.

What was the link? Sorry for asking.

Johnson still has the backing of most of the UK's most powerful papers, and has some type of common man appeal that eludes me. The other parties are as broken and divided as the Tories are, with Corbyn extremely unpopular and the Liberal Democrats still not trusted because of their past coalition government with the Tories. If there's an election, there's a pretty strong chance Johnson will win. The best to hope for is he will continue to trip over his own arrogance to the point where they get another divided government and the left-wing parties can cobble something together. That would depend on Labour and the Lib Dems ceasing their cold war.

One of my favorite Youtube channels has put up a fair amount of material from the incredibly toxic 1988 election, which did permanent damage to our political system. And much of it is fascinating to watch. This clip has some "man on the street" interviews with various Dukakis and Bush supporters, then goes into a panel where the usual "nothing is worse than usual" talking points are cut through somewhat by the wonderful Barbara Jordan.

She probably also knows the attacks will be ramping up soon on whoever is the nominee, and Tulsi will be key to that attack. I see Andrew Yang is out there cheerleading for Tulsi. Just another reason I do not trust him.

Many have had this speculation about Tulsi. I'm surprised Hillary said it in such a public way, but I suppose she has nothing left to lose. The sad thing is if Tulsi does run third party, many on the left will actively support her.

I agree with Yang about the danger of automation, but I think he's much too willing to downplay prejudice and bigotry (his handling of the Shane Gillis fiasco on SNL rubbed me the wrong way). I also find his views on global warming - just move away from the water, it's too late - to be very glib. I find him overly glib in general. His cult following also alienates me.

That's a shame. Too many Democrats take black voters for granted.

I get the theory that Biden supporters might give up on him at the last minute, but between Buttigieg being gay, his age, and also not having Biden's folksy appeal, he has no real chance. (I'm not going to say lack of experience because I don't know if people care about that anymore) He's so popular with the media that I have a feeling he will end up being a pundit and not have any real role in any Dem administration. Klobuchar also doesn't seem likely to benefit from Biden's struggles, so I guess barring a curveball, his supporters will just stay with him even as he falls apart. Buttigieg could have a strong finish in Iowa, but the only problem there is many candidates surge in Iowa and then die afterward. I do wonder what South Carolina's role will be this year in the overall primary. I have a feeling Biden will win easily but this time it may be an outlier... Funny that we were talking about this when an article about Biden and the black vote pops up. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/18/biden-black-women-voters-2020-048703

I swear I remember talk of Warren trying to appeal to black voters earlier this year. Either she's stopped, or the media has lost interest in the narrative.

This is from the UK, not here, but it's just another reason I'm wary of the Salvation Army.

I'm mostly concerned at how much Biden even struggles to speak now. I'm really worried about him - and not in a concern troll way.

The debate brought back some of the doubts I have about Warren. The main problem is I don't know who would get the coalition to beat Trump. I just can't trust Biden at this point in time - he seems so frail, and not in the way that Hillary was attacked for being frail. Beyond Warren, Harris is the candidate I would have wanted to support, and she still has a chance of course, but she seems to be far back in the pack, alongside Buttigieg. She also seems to have the same problems attracting a large group that Biden and Warren have. Then you have the people who have zero chance and are just there because they don't want to admit it, dragging everyone else down. I almost want to agree with @Khan about letting Bernie run so his groupies can have their moment in the sun, but they make me so sick, and I don't really trust Gleen Greenwald or David Sirota any more than I trust the Trump pushers.

Who do you want to see win in 2020? Or do you think (as I do, sadly) Trump will probably be reelected?

Awful news. Congressman Elijah Cummings has passed away. https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/congressman-elijah-cummings-dies-at-68/65-67da7b61-d4a4-491a-b705-265d359a2b98

I think it's because Bernie has spent most of his career opposing everything, as many on the left do. It's also about daddy issues, similar to much of the support for Trump. I'm sure Houston would fit right into the GOP. As would Morrison. It sounds like Les Patterson would be a superstar in Australian politics these days.

I'm very confused as to why three of "the squad" endorsing Bernie is supposed to help his campaign. Wouldn't that be like Chris Coons endorsing Biden? What would people expect otherwise? Don't most of their supporters already love him? The Bernie cult seems to have just gone full on into hero worship and blindness, even as they insist we must be Very Serious about everyone else. Just embarrassing. There's also one showing his "true form" as Dr. Manhattan, which can't be posted here for nudity reasons, probably, and...is kind of odd if anyone actually knows Dr. Manhattan's character arc.

I try not to pay much mind to Buttigieg the way some do, because he has no chance, has never had any chance, and is likely just angling for a cushy gig somewhere, but I do think he has struggled to hide his contempt for most people as the race has gone along. With that said, I wasn't sorry to see him drop the hammer on Beto, who at this point is doing more harm than good about gun control. On this issue (health care), I think, as much as I hate to say it, anyone we elect will be unable to fix the system, whether they want to or not. The country is broken beyond repair. More and more people will continue to suffer and die. There will never be a fantasy European or Canadian style health plan to save the day. The best we can hope for is an intelligent President who is willing to triage and not worry about backlash.

Leah Bracknell has passed away https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/10150497/leah-bracknell-emmerdale-death-news/

I think with Medicare for All, you have no option of a private plan. There is a government-run system with no alternatives. With his plan, I guess, you can keep your insurance if you want to do so.