Vee

This Politico piece actually does lay some onus on the GOP for once, but Boehlert is correct here.

They actually haven't, though. The polling and the public are still with Biden at the moment and focused on the relief effort. This border thing is going to become just like the "caravan" - a nothingburger pushed by the right that doesn't resonate with voters, and that the media will pretend they didn't help push when it doesn't catch on. The border issue is ongoing, and will continue to be difficult. But I am not seeing any indication in the whole week or less that it's been pushed that this has actually damaged Biden or his administration in any actual substantive way.

IIRC JFP wanted Gina for Carly #3 at GH in the mid-2000s. It didn't happen. I think Gina was better on Y&R (and GL) than she ever was on OLTL.

Again: I really don't think this is gonna take off with the public (just as the caravan failed), but the media push is still worth slamming.

LOL, it's never going to actually happen. It's another Trump vaporware project that's always coming in 'two weeks'. If it ever gets off the ground after grifting his followers for its creation, which I seriously doubt, it will have a short and sad life not unlike Parler and he will walk away claiming success. Just like every other failed business he's ever had, including his presidency.

I think the only reason Heinle has survived is the pairing with Billy Miller. Now they'll never extricate her, because they finally got the latter-years ABC Daytime-style heroine and pairing they craved. Heinle can play the ice queen, but I don't think she can play much dimension anymore. Or if she can the writing is simply not there, and the network refuses to move her away from Billy and back into a role as nuanced as HT's portrayal. I'd still recast her, but in reality it's just never going to happen.

I understand why people love Lester, especially after watching these indispensable classic eps in the last year. But I do think Bergman was a true chameleon in the role when he moved to CBS, and has been deeply underrated in the last twenty years. They give him largely schlock but he shows up every day, unlike so many other veterans on many shows. He could do so much more but instead he's reduced to chasing Sally Jr. CLB was wonderful with Lauren in the early days; he even had serious chemistry with Lauralee Bell despite their past storyline, which is probably why the show toyed with pairing him with the woman he tried to rape. But yes, I do agree he's become sedentary and the marriage seems like one of convenience; Lauren is his faghag. But I've been saying for years that they should do a Far From Heaven-type story with Lauren and Michael, and then go so far as to reveal that Kevin is bi too. That said, I'm not onboard with a lot of homebound gays on soap forums trashing gay actors who sold hetero pairings for decades. They deserve more than our contempt while people are willing to spread 'em for a bunch of str8 actors. I agree Michael Damian reads insanely gay. But so cute.

A long, good thread:

It's getting roasted already. This thing is just not going to fly for them any more than the caravan did, IMO.

Typical CBS.

I'm not going to jump to conclusions on VI by association. There's plenty of fundies, right wingers or Republicans in soaps; as long as they don't go full tinhat in public or turn out to be Capitol Hill terrorists or white supremacist adjacent I can generally tolerate it if they keep it out of my face. But Missy Reeves or the Ingo situation OTOH, oof. Anyway, fingers crossed.

Supposedly there were whispers of VI having gone MAGA in recent years. I really don't want to believe that. What a mess. Meanwhile:

Oh lord.

Politico has always been a right wing outlet. It was an outgrowth of Mark Halperin's work and its former editors have deep ties to W and DeLay. It is designed to launder Capitol Hill gossip and intrigue from a GOP-centric point of view.

Politico loves to highlight the Problem Solvers.

I mean, they got some Latinos but they lost both the Senate and House. And we can improve on that, if we keep the wind at our backs. Which is not what Politico wants.

Reform is coming, one way or another. They may not kill the filibuster outright for now but they're clearly planning to make changes. That's why McConnell and every outlet that either leans Republican or depends heavily on McConnell and co. quotes for access is trying to float Dems in disarray stories when lately, Dems have been pretty arrayed. You will see them float a bill or two in order to let it fail due to GOP obstruction so guys like Manchin, etc. have their figleaf to say 'we tried.' That is going to happen and it has been talked about before, more than once, by smart observers. But that's manufactured drama. Change is coming, and Politico writing GOP access-dependent stories designed to concern troll Dems and discourage them do not fool me.

Politico is trying hard to spook Dems out of doing anything about Daddy Mitch's filibuster by highlighting all the reluctant Dems. Like Jane, I don't think it'll make much difference.