DRW50

I feel very cynical about the Mayor Pete boomlet (I feel like some people just want to feel cool about briefly taking a look at a gay candidate even though he's otherwise very mainstream), and I am even more cynical about his canned answers (especially the one about Chick Fil A), but this response from one of Hillary's campaign people - a full two months after Pete made comments about her (comments that were not even that bad) reminds me of how narcissistic and petty the people around her often were. I did feel that her campaign over time became more and more about how awful Trump was and not about anything she could do. Some of that was only natural - she was so well known and so polarizing that many were never going to care about her policies, no matter how much she talked about them - but it was a huge drain in the last months of her campaign, and I will always feel that decisions like having Tim Kaine talk entirely about Trump during the VP debate were a mistake. The idea that her campaign can't be criticized and people need to go on and on about how outraged they are on her behalf (when it's really all about themselves) gives me Bernie vibes. I have no desire to be anywhere around that type of entitlement when so much is at stake. The part about 66,000,000 people who disagree is entitled beyond belief. I voted for Hillary, but I don't disagree with what he says. The idea of a fourth white man potentially taking up space in this primary (which I don't think will happen, but is a possibility of course) has brought out so much of the identity politics knife fighting. I have seen some Elizabeth Warren fans who are especially upset about his recent poll climbs and the people who praise his intellect or abilities while not having enough to say about her. I can understand that - I would say Warren is far more qualified than he will ever be - but the truth is that Warren badly damaged herself last year and that is likely always going to haunt her in this primary. Her moment has come and gone.

I agree with you, but I think there are a lot of issues with Biden that are going to exist whether they're addressed now or not. It's not the same for me as the way some of the younger candidates are being treated, like, say, Kamala Harris, who has been subjected to all kinds of racist, vicious attacks by people on the left who are clearly terrified of her.

There were attacks on "Uncle Joe" for years over behaving inappropriately with women at the swearing in ceremonies. I told myself it was just right wing hypocrisy and that it was being exaggerated. I still think that's true, but in the last few years I've started to realize more that if I was a woman and a man was treating me that way in a situation where I can't really argue, I would be upset about the experience.

I saw a Samantha Bee piece on them. She kind of undermined it with her cutesy and strange delivery, but there were still some points.

The likes of Rees Mogg and Boris Johnson are so craven and opportunistic beyond words. Rees Mogg in particular shredded his credibility for a failed leadership gambit. They'd be at home in the GOP, although I have a feeling the likes of deathstar McConnell would crush them underfoot.

I have no real opinion on John Hickenlooper, who has no chance anyway, but this is a pretty good profile. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/03/29/john-hickenlooper-profile-president-2020-campaign-governor-226267

I was watching this Kyle Mooney interview on Seth Meyers, showing some of his VHS tapes. Who should pop up on a video cover but the beautiful Jessica Tuck, for the Video Girlfriend tape she shot in the '80s. Sadly this is probably the closest she'll get to being on one of these shows, but still, it made me smile. And here's a brief clip: @Vee (since I still can't PM properly)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/26/after-ilhan-omar-controversy-poll-shows-drop-democrats-support-israel/ I can't say I'm too surprised to see the Beltway blaming Ilhan Omar for more Democrats moving away from Israel, as if she has somehow brainwashed millions of people in the space of a few months, when the truth is that the way Netanyahu has behaved over the last decade, especially his treatment of Obama, permanently poisoned the well.

Is it being done by the hacks (D&D)?

Daily Wire is Ben Shapiro.

I think my issues (and everyone else's) with Barbara Bush are documented in this thread, but still, that article gave me a chill, especially the part about the clock.

I think she's going to go the Cynthia McKinney route.

The EU's new copyright directive passed, which means more censorship, more closed borders, much less chance to see vital content, and even more hatred and fear directed toward an organization that already has so many problems. The main goal of things like this are to keep everyone isolated and stupid. https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/26/18280726/europe-copyright-directive

The most disturbing part is how normalized this has become. I just can't react most of the time. He's obsessed with killing the ACA. I never thought he'd give up and he never will. Beyond stripmining the planet and grifting for cash, his only real goal is to destroy anything Obama accomplished. The more time passes the more judges he will have and the more likely he'll get what he wants. I'd say the Republicans in Congress wouldn't want this ruling because it would put a huge onus on them, but they likely know the media will spin it as a win for them and use it to hurt Democrats.

I'm so glad that the Avenatti boomlet of last year did not last long. The man was skeevy and attention-seeking from the start and it made my skin crawl to see some Democrats pushing him and claiming he'd be good because he could take it to Trump or he would be "our" Trump. The irony is that Stormy Daniels was often portrayed as being in his shadow or beneath him, yet she has proven to be savvier and much more of a survivor. The Newtown parents have gone through so many tragedies, not just losing their children but also being harassed every day, probably for the rest of their lives. I can see how the New Zealand tragedy, and how quickly their PM responded, must have been a terrible trigger. There's just such an ugly climate in this country and Trump and his followers feed off the ugliness. They make it even worse. I'm not surprised about the Mueller report. I never thought he would find a smoking gun (and if he did it will likely appear in a different form). I'm also not surprised the media has taken the opportunity to paint this as a big win for Trump and act like he's on the comeback trail. And I'm also not surprised at Trump's response or the response of his goons. I just wish that for a second there was even a possibility of dignity. When you think about all the fake scandals they tried to pin on Obama, and how he never went down to the level of those racist, toxic people...and look where we are now.

I left a comment on that Eric de Rae tweet just in the rare chance he'd actually read it (mostly saying how good he was as Leo). I wasn't even sure if he was around now.

Yes that's what I meant to say - he was dead in the comics, not on the show (yet, anyway). Looking at a photo of him I do see that they gave the actor some bad fake dreads. I didn't know those boys were the brothers of the girl who played Sophia. From what some fans keep saying that Henry character was horribly annoying.

Ezekiel as well. (I think I'd mostly drifted away by the time Ezekiel arrived on the show so I don't know how he is on here. I read that Carol is married to him - I'm sure the Caryl fans love that...) Apparently they cast Brett Butler knowing she'd die and told her that at the start. It was nice of them to tell her but I do wonder why they cast her for the role. Maybe for the diehard Grace Under Fire fans or something.

I see that Brett Butler played one of the people who died. I didn't even know if she was still in the business.

The "bury your gays" people will be tearing their hair out presumably, if they still care about TWD.

She initially worked for John and Dusty. Then I think she worked for Lucinda.

I honestly think a lot of power in this country want people to die anyway.