DRW50

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.

I'm sure she's very effective for her state, and has some good ideas, but after all these years the "I can win because I won (Republican Congressional district) in my state" no longer moves me. I feel like she has ended up being known more for what she doesn't support than what she does. It's just been a really lousy campaign year that has dragged everyone down. In another year she might have had more of a chance. Medicare for all gets rid of all private insurance plans.

Between the heavy pushing of Amy Klobuchar and the incredibly stupid, pathetic question begging the Democrats to name their best Republican friend (Republicans would never be asked that type of question), CNN is no longer even bothering to hide their right wing bias. I am so fed up of all these hanger-ons like Klobuchar or Gabbard or Buttigieg who are just taking up time and in many cases reading Republican talking points. And Booker and Castro and O'Rourke are mostly just done - I feel like Booker in particular is stuck in some kind of parody world at this point. I just wish the whole thing was over already. Another night where I have a hard time imagining any of the Democrats being able to handle a general. I think Harris is the one who is most likely to stay cool under pressure. Biden can't, Bernie is Bernie, and Warren seems to be getting rattled. Yet they are the main three...

This is from months ago but I just read it today. The author rebuts the empty and elitist "go back to your hometown [aka 'real America'] you out of touch liberals" talking points so often pushed by the media. https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/4/8/18297172/midwest-hometown-small-town-middle-america

Love this.

Another reason not to trust Facebook. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/14/facebook-zuckerberg-conservatives-private-meetings-046663 For the umpteenth time, Bloomberg is thinking of running for President. https://theweek.com/speedreads/871662/michael-bloomberg-reportedly-still-thinking-about-running-2020 I finally get a chance to use this out of date meme:

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/10/maggie-haberman-details-the-insane-few-hours-trump-had-a-impeachment-lawyer-before-he-was-basically-out/ Sounds like it was the usual brain dead Trump rollout, rather than any actual morality. As if any Republican knows what that word even means.

I didn't know that was against their rules. I thought Alan Halsall did the same thing.

Looks like Trump is going to take us deep into the hole with the EU too. https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-builds-anti-trump-trade-bazooka/

That's true. I wasn't sure how much they delve into politics. I've mostly watched through Youtube clips.

And meanwhile you have tiny men like Shapiro all but ignoring this tragedy to talk about how he'll wave a gun at Beto if he ever tries to take his freedom to be a homophobe. These far right bigots love to talk about freedom and rights, but it's only ever for themselves. This poor woman literally paid with her life for trying to bring freedom to countless people, and we will hear crickets.

I think they will probably just cut the US further out of discussions and decisions, as they are also doing with the UK, another country they know they can no longer trust. I feel like we've reached a turning point no matter who is elected in 2020, probably reached it back in 2002 and the Obama years were just him doing his best to try to keep the tattered threads that were still there. Eddie was able to bring in a friend of his who was a writer, and managed to have a good working relationship with the producer, who was not Lorne Michaels. I think some elements have improved (the writing staff is much more diverse, even if the faces onscreen still aren't what they should be), but nothing will really improve until Lorne is gone, and beyond that, until major changes are made at NBC itself. If Kamala is still in the race when Black Lady Sketch Show comes back I do look forward to their take on her.

Unfortunately I felt like most of the media coverage of Kamala ended up being stolen by Chris Cuomo being a moron, although I would have enjoyed seeing Maya Rudolph again, if she was available. I know SNL isn't really a big priority compared to real world problems but after the terrible job they did with Obama I hope they will eventually learn their lesson. So far the best I can say is they no longer use brownface, which is...a low bar.

They have three black men in the cast, although I doubt the two who weren't there could have made it work. I enjoyed Lin Manuel Miranda's cameo, but I didn't think he really needed to be in either sketch as Castro has had no real moments in the debates aside from the one where he tried to bait Joe Biden. In the first one some of his supporters said it wasn't right he was not there and Marianne Williamson was, but they only had her on very briefly to completely humiliate her. I guess it's a broader statement asking why SNL has no Latino men in their cast, which I agree with. SNL hasn't known how to write political material since about 1994, outside of some of the Sarah Palin sketches, so I mostly end up just enjoying the few times that aren't complete rock bottom and have some life to them.

That was great. Apparently according to Streeter Seidell, who co-wrote it with Mikey Day, the idea was from David himself and Lily Allen (?!?). I also liked the podcast daddy issues pre-tape he did with Kyle Mooney. Harbour was a great host and if they have any sense they'll ask him back. The episode as a whole was one of the easiest to watch in a while and reminded me of why I became a fan a very long time ago.

@I Am A Swede @DaytimeFan Lesley-Anne Down interview from 1974.

I had a lot of thoughts about Elizabeth Warren's joke about gay marriage opponents, how I think she fell into a trap, and how I resent the hell out of the media already trying to push a narrative about this (going as far as to say "black barber shops" will be upset about her joke and also dragging W's old crony Ari Flesicher out for commentary), but instead I'll just post this SNL sketch, which is a bit hacky in many places (it's modern SNL, after all), but took the ridiculous approach that is pretty much the only way you can take her comments. Other points go to "Julian Castro" apologizing for being straight, and for the bizarrely vicious parody of Joe Biden that has popped up repeatedly this season.