I would like to strenuously object to the assertion that Tim waltz is a likable guy. I find him to be smarmy and obnoxious. I find Kamala’s naked ambition less off-putting.
Same, he comes off as someone poorly role playing as a folksy country Midwesterner. I thought Leo pulled it off pretty well in Don’t Look Up, but with Walz it comes off as performative and disingenuous.
I mean, I’m sure he’s playing up the folksiness, but the guy really is from Bumfuck, Nebraska, and he seemingly did live a pretty ordinary-person kind of life prior to getting into politics. It’s not like he’s some carpetbagger from Connecticut or something.
In defense of Bumfuck, Nebraska, Cherry County is one of the most beautiful in the country, in the heart of the Sandhills. You can get a great steak in Valentine, and the Bowring Ranch is one of the most interesting historic sites in the Great Plains. https://visitvalentine.org/places/arthur-bowring-ranch-state-historical-park/
This is 2+ weeks late, but just for the record, I intended no criticism of Bumfuck, Nebraska, nor indeed of Bumfuckers, about whom I’ve heard only good things! (Sorry, couldn’t resist that demonym.) Seriously though, I’ve been through Nebraska a few times and was surprised by the beauty of parts of the state. And that’s coming from a person who instinctively loves mountains and coastlines and finds the vast interior of the country sorta… I dunno, it just doesn’t agree with me aesthetically somehow. (See Illinois, for instance, or Iowa, those places where it’s just flatter than you knew land could be for as far as the eye can see.) I lived in St. Louis for a couple years and man, some of the drives to get to other Midwestern cities—Chicago being the first example that comes to mind, but also Minneapolis and Denver—were pretty brutal. I found it hard to stay awake. But yeah, Nebraska surprised me a bit, no doubt about that!
I know there are many great high-school football coaches and teachers across the country, and several of them would serve the American people well in the White House. But when I see Walz, the vibe I get is less Permian High's Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights and more an amalgamation of the faculty at American Vandal's Hanover High in Oceanside, California.
Real football coaches are spawned in a cave somewhere in the deep south and emerge from the spawning chambers with aviators, a baseball cap, and a fat lip of skoal
Matt, Michael and Kmele. 100% agree Trump is a boarish, dickish, self centered, narcissist. Matt, my one quibble is with “how long will it take you to notice?”. I honestly do not know if there is a person alive who hasn’t noticed yet. I think that is my most frustrated sentiment around anti-Trump views, highlighted to a deranged degree by people like Sam Harris. The framing is completely off and it immediately gives the impression of looking down upon people, “when are you going to finally get it, you dipshit!” type energy.
I think the right way to comment on it and address it is acknowledging they notice and discussing why they don’t care, or why they actually think it is a positive. At least in my life and everyone I’ve ever met that more accurately reflects what is going on. Yes, they notice it; however, they don’t give a shit or they think it is good. At least with that foundation you can talk to people at the position they’re at and you won’t just talk straight past that segment of the audience. When people think you entirely missed and misread such a foundational point with “these people just don’t get it”, then people just dismiss you turning it around and thinking “no, you clearly do not get what is happening here”.
My position is I just don’t give a shit. And, if you’re wondering why it is because I don’t see a clear line of delineation between Trump’s shitty, assholish, terrible behavior and let’s say Biden’s. But “I don’t give a shit” doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer a *better* more decent individual in office. During the Republican primaries I posted multiple times on here and other substacks that I hoped Trump would careen off a cliff and never be seen again. But alas, he’s now the candidate so now I don’t give a shit in the sense of it isn’t determining my judgement between the candidates. And to provide just a quick rationale (maybe 1%) of why I don’t see a difference, yes Trump is loud and obnoxious and immediately identifiable as an asshole. That is unquestionably true. However, I prefer that to the behind the scenes, sneaky, weasely, spineless assholes that I see in Biden and Harris. I didn’t comment much on this for years because I have lost close people in my life and understand people process it differently, but after years and years and years of watching him do it I have decided enough evidence is in that I don’t care about any backfiring judgment on me for calling it out. Biden constantly lying about the deaths of his first wife and daughter in political settings for political capital is egregious. Constantly has lied and ruined the lives of the family of the driver for decades saying he was drunk when there was no evidence of him being drunk. Which is the first case, and maybe something he believed so excused it for decades. But, then he has consistently lied about his son Beaus death for years now and constantly brought that up in political settings for political purposes. And he does it deadpan over and over and over and over again. Could you imagine doing that on a public setting repeatedly about your family members who you love and cherish and mourn their loss? Using them as a pawn in your political machinations? How rotted/dead your soul would have to be to bring them up again over and over? And the cherry on top, lie about the conditions of their passing? For Biden, that is my #1 problem with issues of his character. However, it is represented in absolutely everything he does. Suggesting people are racist (to the point of them promoting slavery) in public he fully knows are not “he’s going to put yall back in chains”, lying about the racism of the country in your 70s when you didn’t hold those opinions for 70+ years, lying about the misogyny of people, lying about his granddaughter he won’t acknowledge and his son that is the scum of the earth, etc. This type of stuff you may say is just politics, I think Joe’s forays into this space are some of the most egregious on the political scene. He has absolutely zero line he won’t at least temporarily cross if he thinks a crowd will applaud. I think he is an absolutely despicable person I would never want to sit down with, he just does it with a smile on his face, and until recently, in a composed “Uncle Joe” facade.
Kamala might be even more vacuous with even fewer boundaries of lines she won’t cross. She suggested Biden was a racist in a nationalized debate on an issue that didn’t affect her (she lived in Montreal at the time) on a position she doesn’t disagree with that Biden held. She just took the chance to call him a racist to win points. Isn’t “racist” supposed to be like an important thing in our society? Like something that is supposed to hold a lot of weight and shouldn’t be tossed around casually? Can you imagine calling someone a racist on a national stage to injure them when you fully know it isn’t true? Behavior like that is psychotic to me. Additionally, she was probably the worst offender in the Kavanaugh trials. Actively lied about even claims about Kavanaugh I believe saying witnesses had come forward corroborating the story that didn’t exist solely in an attempt to catch Kavanaugh in a perjury trap. Being a DA and AG for a state locking people away for years on drug charges and then going on a podcast laughing about smoking weed. Potentially hiding exculpatory evidence to get a conviction so your record isn’t ruined. Etc.
Point is, you can probably still make a convincing argument why Trump is *worse* but why does that matter? It’s like a philosophical debate at that point. All I know is I would not willingly associate with any of these people, they all disgust me. It certainly is not going to be a determining factor for who I vote for. One, you meet at a party is going to call you a loser and a fatty to your face and lie about you. The other is going to smile and have a polite conversation with you all night then the next day at work you’ll find out they lied to your boss and said you did racist things to get your position and now you’re fired. I’ll take the boarish loud mouth asshole.
Lastly, the people who think it is a good thing (Trumps assholishness) would say the democrats have looked down upon us and lied to our faces for decades. They’re the most elitists stuck up assholes in the world. They constantly piss on us and try to get us to thank them for the rain. We tried being somewhat cordial and nice in the 00s. It didn’t work, no we want our asshole to run roughshod through them, as long as they’re on our side, it is a good thing they’re being a demolition crew on our behalf because we’re sick of just taking it on the chin.
Now I disagree with these people on 10 different fronts. However, still a more appropriate place to start then the “when’re they going to get it” position.
On Harris suggesting Biden was a racist, post being selected as his vp and asked about this, she laughed and multiple times said ‘it was a debate!’. She pretty much admitted she lied just to obtain points.
I ended my sub to the Sam Harris's Making Sense podcast when he said the whole Hunter Biden Laptop lie was totally defensible because: Trump Derangement Syndrome (on Triggernometry.) I don't regret that decision a bit. I do remember, however, his discussion with Charles Murray (whose "Coming Apart" is a fascinatingly depressing book about how disengagement from community is driving so much of the bad things happening in America over the last few decades) being interesting especially where it touched on Trump's rise in popularity as a politician (near the end, if memory serves - it's been a while!) I remember Murray saying he was surprised so many Republicans were willing to overlook Trump's many flaws because he was their "murder weapon," presumably against 'wokeness' and all the other excesses of the Left. Not saying it explains it all, but an interesting take from a person whose research has been, in my view, unfairly villainized because of the conclusions it reaches in some cases. Might be worth a listen if you have some free time.
I'm a disabled Iraq vet. Veterans issues are of significant importance in my life. Neither candidate has attended any of the major veteran-lobby events for the first time since 1940. Trump committed, then backed out. Neither of their campaign websites mentions veterans once. It feels weird to have no one trying to court my vote. Trump and his entourage lacking the capacity to behave in Arlington doesn't make me angry, but their undisciplined conduct draws a sharp contrast with that of the fallen servicemembers who are buried there. I don't care about the Walz stolen valor incident either. If I got pissed every time I encountered a National Guardsman embellishing his record, I'd have died from a stroke already. I care about my benefits and the absolutely pathetic state of the VA in both the shit-quality medical care they provide and the frozen-molasses-like speed at which they process benefits claims. Want my vote? Offer me something in exchange. Increase my disability payment and/or privatize the pathetic, bureaucratic disaster that is the VA.
I’m an OIF & OEF vet and I’ve known for a long time that any vet running for elected office is highly suspicious. They can’t help but fudge their experience. See the current governor of Maryland who’s now getting scrutiny for lying about a bronze star. So not surprised.
I've noticed that, too. I met some of the best dudes I've known in my life during my time as a soldier, but there were a lot of self-interested shitbags in there as well. That's partially why I've always hated the "thank you for your service" thing. Plenty of dishonorable vets out there regardless of what their DD214 says.
Notification came in at the exact moment I was plugging the phone in before heading to bed. Momentarily thought, “what else can I accomplish now so I can listen?” Opted for bed as the wife is due any day now, so gotta get my sleep while I can!!
The alleged “suckers and losers” remark is plausible because Donald Trump is an a—hole who says the kinds of things an a—hole would say.
BUT, to be factual, when Trump called John McCain a loser, at a 2015 Iowa event, it was in the context of McCain’s failed presidential bid: "He lost, he let us down... I never liked him as much after that because I don't like losers.”
It was in the same appearance that Trump said of McCain: “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
The world of politics is full of a—holes. There’s one currently in the White House (occasionally), another running opposite Trump, and the halls of Congress are full of them. None are as closely, often dishonestly, relentlessly scrutinized as Trump. For the press and pundits, there are accolades to be won — so brave! — and profit to be gained by doing so. There’s a cottage industry for #resistance heroes, most of whom, it turns out, are a—holes themselves. I’m not a big enough sucker to take what those losers say at face value. Many people are, though, which is why I’m not certain we deserve better candidates.
Also, even Moynihan’s mention of Camper Van Beethoven (!) couldn’t distract me from how gobsmacked I am that he finds Tim Walz, another a—hole, likable. That goofball oozes disingenuousness.
I say this every four years, but how How HOW* is it that we can't get one competent, non-lunatic third-party candidate to break through? This has GOT to be Roman Empire end times shit. Somehow I got railroaded onto the Road to Serfdom and I can't find the off-ramp.
Gary Johnson was a competent, non-lunatic (if a bit weird, though miles less weird than Trump) two-term governor of New Mexico whose gaffes got blown up 1000x the significance because people *needed* to make him seem more lunatic than he was.
He did not always help himself - I still think of the alternate timeline where he actually put in the time and resources to make a good showing as a Republican in the 2011 primaries, spent the intervening years either running a national nonprofit or some other kind of org that kept him traveling to the most important primary states for the next 4 years, and then came into the absolute jungle of 2015 with a national network of supporters and something interesting and different to say that rivaled Trump in its interestingness and differentness. Alas poor Gary.
That was my proudest vote. I felt like the only sane person in a lunatic. American politics would be so much saner now if we were coming off 8 years of Johnson Weld. And I will never understand why old school GOPers rejected them.
Minor point but Kmele mentioned Trump not wanting to go to an event at Arlington when he was president because he was worried about the weather messing up his hair. It was actually a First World War event at an American Cemetary in France, not Arlington, which somehow makes it worse, because he was representing the US to the world.
Kmele puts it best at about a little more than min 51 of podcast: I too Kmele and COMPLETELY frustrated as all get out that these are our two options. And can they both plz lose.
"I certainly own my mistakes when I make 'em," - Timbo Walz
He's been outright lying and/or putting his foot is his mouth for 2 decades and I can't think of literally a single instance where he "owned up" to any of them.
The national Walz love is absurd - in Minneapolis it's apocalyptically embarrassing. If my neighbors are to be believed we are about to have the greatest father in the history of biological sexual reproduction in the Naval Observatory.
I am going to vote for Harris Walz (I live in a swing state and just can't get over election stuff + Jan 6). I accept that I have entered into a Faustian bargain with the Democratic party: they will supply me with an electorally feasible anti-Trump option (thanks Nancy P!) and I will vote for that person even if they are a vapid political facade. That said, it's pathetic that Kamala and Tim could not even meet the low expectations of a friendly CNN interview. I imagine that the undecided voters of MI WI PA are gonna eventually gonna want something more substantial than "we're going to build the middle class." I will just close my eyes and pray for a Shapiro vs Haley showdown in 2028.
No argument here. I love Reno — he’s one of those actors who seldom disappoints, even when starring in a dud. And li’l Natalie definitely nailed her role like a true pro.
Worst thing about the debate was bringing that white man with her. What kind of message is that sending children of color? Isn't it bad enough that she married one of them?
Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning reunited for The Equalizer 3. Those movies, like the John Wick films, are ones that I will go see now matter how many they make. Washington and Keanu Reeves are the two most likable actors in Hollywood. They’re here to entertain, not preach their politics, and on screen, they kick ass.
I would like to strenuously object to the assertion that Tim waltz is a likable guy. I find him to be smarmy and obnoxious. I find Kamala’s naked ambition less off-putting.
Same! - and “smarmy” is the first word that springs to my mind also. Well, and the reflexive lying.
The “I talk like just like THEM” line, coming from a politician, will always come off as patronizing.
Reminds me of Hillary’s southern accent in the 90s
I like MK's characterization of him as Kamala's 'emotional support governor'.
Big White Blankie
Same, he comes off as someone poorly role playing as a folksy country Midwesterner. I thought Leo pulled it off pretty well in Don’t Look Up, but with Walz it comes off as performative and disingenuous.
He's as phony as a $3 bill. Ironically, I think the act is actually designed to allow urban left-liberals play-act as rural populists.
I mean, I’m sure he’s playing up the folksiness, but the guy really is from Bumfuck, Nebraska, and he seemingly did live a pretty ordinary-person kind of life prior to getting into politics. It’s not like he’s some carpetbagger from Connecticut or something.
In defense of Bumfuck, Nebraska, Cherry County is one of the most beautiful in the country, in the heart of the Sandhills. You can get a great steak in Valentine, and the Bowring Ranch is one of the most interesting historic sites in the Great Plains. https://visitvalentine.org/places/arthur-bowring-ranch-state-historical-park/
This is 2+ weeks late, but just for the record, I intended no criticism of Bumfuck, Nebraska, nor indeed of Bumfuckers, about whom I’ve heard only good things! (Sorry, couldn’t resist that demonym.) Seriously though, I’ve been through Nebraska a few times and was surprised by the beauty of parts of the state. And that’s coming from a person who instinctively loves mountains and coastlines and finds the vast interior of the country sorta… I dunno, it just doesn’t agree with me aesthetically somehow. (See Illinois, for instance, or Iowa, those places where it’s just flatter than you knew land could be for as far as the eye can see.) I lived in St. Louis for a couple years and man, some of the drives to get to other Midwestern cities—Chicago being the first example that comes to mind, but also Minneapolis and Denver—were pretty brutal. I found it hard to stay awake. But yeah, Nebraska surprised me a bit, no doubt about that!
I had a football coach, and you, sir, are no football coach.
I know there are many great high-school football coaches and teachers across the country, and several of them would serve the American people well in the White House. But when I see Walz, the vibe I get is less Permian High's Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights and more an amalgamation of the faculty at American Vandal's Hanover High in Oceanside, California.
I would vote for Eric Taylor tomorrow. Not kidding in the slightest.
😆
My two main football coaches were both complete Neanderthals.
Real football coaches are spawned in a cave somewhere in the deep south and emerge from the spawning chambers with aviators, a baseball cap, and a fat lip of skoal
When we were in 7th/8th grade our team cheer was literally.
"What makes the grass grow? Blood blood blood. What are we going to do? Kill kill kill.".
My initial impression was positive, but the more I hear him talk, the more he sounds like the other teachers who just regurgitate stupid nonsense.
I live in Minnesota. I know the Walz of 2020. He is a most unlikable, bloviating bag of shit.
Keith Ellison too.
I could provide details but nobody reads long posts. Just trust me.
Matt, Michael and Kmele. 100% agree Trump is a boarish, dickish, self centered, narcissist. Matt, my one quibble is with “how long will it take you to notice?”. I honestly do not know if there is a person alive who hasn’t noticed yet. I think that is my most frustrated sentiment around anti-Trump views, highlighted to a deranged degree by people like Sam Harris. The framing is completely off and it immediately gives the impression of looking down upon people, “when are you going to finally get it, you dipshit!” type energy.
I think the right way to comment on it and address it is acknowledging they notice and discussing why they don’t care, or why they actually think it is a positive. At least in my life and everyone I’ve ever met that more accurately reflects what is going on. Yes, they notice it; however, they don’t give a shit or they think it is good. At least with that foundation you can talk to people at the position they’re at and you won’t just talk straight past that segment of the audience. When people think you entirely missed and misread such a foundational point with “these people just don’t get it”, then people just dismiss you turning it around and thinking “no, you clearly do not get what is happening here”.
My position is I just don’t give a shit. And, if you’re wondering why it is because I don’t see a clear line of delineation between Trump’s shitty, assholish, terrible behavior and let’s say Biden’s. But “I don’t give a shit” doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer a *better* more decent individual in office. During the Republican primaries I posted multiple times on here and other substacks that I hoped Trump would careen off a cliff and never be seen again. But alas, he’s now the candidate so now I don’t give a shit in the sense of it isn’t determining my judgement between the candidates. And to provide just a quick rationale (maybe 1%) of why I don’t see a difference, yes Trump is loud and obnoxious and immediately identifiable as an asshole. That is unquestionably true. However, I prefer that to the behind the scenes, sneaky, weasely, spineless assholes that I see in Biden and Harris. I didn’t comment much on this for years because I have lost close people in my life and understand people process it differently, but after years and years and years of watching him do it I have decided enough evidence is in that I don’t care about any backfiring judgment on me for calling it out. Biden constantly lying about the deaths of his first wife and daughter in political settings for political capital is egregious. Constantly has lied and ruined the lives of the family of the driver for decades saying he was drunk when there was no evidence of him being drunk. Which is the first case, and maybe something he believed so excused it for decades. But, then he has consistently lied about his son Beaus death for years now and constantly brought that up in political settings for political purposes. And he does it deadpan over and over and over and over again. Could you imagine doing that on a public setting repeatedly about your family members who you love and cherish and mourn their loss? Using them as a pawn in your political machinations? How rotted/dead your soul would have to be to bring them up again over and over? And the cherry on top, lie about the conditions of their passing? For Biden, that is my #1 problem with issues of his character. However, it is represented in absolutely everything he does. Suggesting people are racist (to the point of them promoting slavery) in public he fully knows are not “he’s going to put yall back in chains”, lying about the racism of the country in your 70s when you didn’t hold those opinions for 70+ years, lying about the misogyny of people, lying about his granddaughter he won’t acknowledge and his son that is the scum of the earth, etc. This type of stuff you may say is just politics, I think Joe’s forays into this space are some of the most egregious on the political scene. He has absolutely zero line he won’t at least temporarily cross if he thinks a crowd will applaud. I think he is an absolutely despicable person I would never want to sit down with, he just does it with a smile on his face, and until recently, in a composed “Uncle Joe” facade.
Kamala might be even more vacuous with even fewer boundaries of lines she won’t cross. She suggested Biden was a racist in a nationalized debate on an issue that didn’t affect her (she lived in Montreal at the time) on a position she doesn’t disagree with that Biden held. She just took the chance to call him a racist to win points. Isn’t “racist” supposed to be like an important thing in our society? Like something that is supposed to hold a lot of weight and shouldn’t be tossed around casually? Can you imagine calling someone a racist on a national stage to injure them when you fully know it isn’t true? Behavior like that is psychotic to me. Additionally, she was probably the worst offender in the Kavanaugh trials. Actively lied about even claims about Kavanaugh I believe saying witnesses had come forward corroborating the story that didn’t exist solely in an attempt to catch Kavanaugh in a perjury trap. Being a DA and AG for a state locking people away for years on drug charges and then going on a podcast laughing about smoking weed. Potentially hiding exculpatory evidence to get a conviction so your record isn’t ruined. Etc.
Point is, you can probably still make a convincing argument why Trump is *worse* but why does that matter? It’s like a philosophical debate at that point. All I know is I would not willingly associate with any of these people, they all disgust me. It certainly is not going to be a determining factor for who I vote for. One, you meet at a party is going to call you a loser and a fatty to your face and lie about you. The other is going to smile and have a polite conversation with you all night then the next day at work you’ll find out they lied to your boss and said you did racist things to get your position and now you’re fired. I’ll take the boarish loud mouth asshole.
Lastly, the people who think it is a good thing (Trumps assholishness) would say the democrats have looked down upon us and lied to our faces for decades. They’re the most elitists stuck up assholes in the world. They constantly piss on us and try to get us to thank them for the rain. We tried being somewhat cordial and nice in the 00s. It didn’t work, no we want our asshole to run roughshod through them, as long as they’re on our side, it is a good thing they’re being a demolition crew on our behalf because we’re sick of just taking it on the chin.
Now I disagree with these people on 10 different fronts. However, still a more appropriate place to start then the “when’re they going to get it” position.
On Harris suggesting Biden was a racist, post being selected as his vp and asked about this, she laughed and multiple times said ‘it was a debate!’. She pretty much admitted she lied just to obtain points.
So many good points to consider here.
Bravo. I nominate this for Comment of the Week.
"behind the scenes, sneaky, weasely, spineless assholes" is an excellent summation of Joe Biden.
I ended my sub to the Sam Harris's Making Sense podcast when he said the whole Hunter Biden Laptop lie was totally defensible because: Trump Derangement Syndrome (on Triggernometry.) I don't regret that decision a bit. I do remember, however, his discussion with Charles Murray (whose "Coming Apart" is a fascinatingly depressing book about how disengagement from community is driving so much of the bad things happening in America over the last few decades) being interesting especially where it touched on Trump's rise in popularity as a politician (near the end, if memory serves - it's been a while!) I remember Murray saying he was surprised so many Republicans were willing to overlook Trump's many flaws because he was their "murder weapon," presumably against 'wokeness' and all the other excesses of the Left. Not saying it explains it all, but an interesting take from a person whose research has been, in my view, unfairly villainized because of the conclusions it reaches in some cases. Might be worth a listen if you have some free time.
Amen brother
I'm a disabled Iraq vet. Veterans issues are of significant importance in my life. Neither candidate has attended any of the major veteran-lobby events for the first time since 1940. Trump committed, then backed out. Neither of their campaign websites mentions veterans once. It feels weird to have no one trying to court my vote. Trump and his entourage lacking the capacity to behave in Arlington doesn't make me angry, but their undisciplined conduct draws a sharp contrast with that of the fallen servicemembers who are buried there. I don't care about the Walz stolen valor incident either. If I got pissed every time I encountered a National Guardsman embellishing his record, I'd have died from a stroke already. I care about my benefits and the absolutely pathetic state of the VA in both the shit-quality medical care they provide and the frozen-molasses-like speed at which they process benefits claims. Want my vote? Offer me something in exchange. Increase my disability payment and/or privatize the pathetic, bureaucratic disaster that is the VA.
I’m an OIF & OEF vet and I’ve known for a long time that any vet running for elected office is highly suspicious. They can’t help but fudge their experience. See the current governor of Maryland who’s now getting scrutiny for lying about a bronze star. So not surprised.
I've noticed that, too. I met some of the best dudes I've known in my life during my time as a soldier, but there were a lot of self-interested shitbags in there as well. That's partially why I've always hated the "thank you for your service" thing. Plenty of dishonorable vets out there regardless of what their DD214 says.
I hadn't heard about that one and I love here. I don't like Wes moore so priors confirmed
The best part of my insomnia was seeing this drop and knowing the commute was going to be great
Notification came in at the exact moment I was plugging the phone in before heading to bed. Momentarily thought, “what else can I accomplish now so I can listen?” Opted for bed as the wife is due any day now, so gotta get my sleep while I can!!
A wise, though obviously difficult choice. Congrats on the soon-to-be new arrival. Wish you and your family all the best.
Motion to refer to the Moynihan/Welch-only text chain as "White Noise, White Heat".
Btw, my favorite version of that song can be found on the album for Bowie's 1983 "Serious Moonlight" tour: https://open.spotify.com/track/6g242inAr2C7qJK3tC5rfY?si=d63ee64decd84574
Seconded
The alleged “suckers and losers” remark is plausible because Donald Trump is an a—hole who says the kinds of things an a—hole would say.
BUT, to be factual, when Trump called John McCain a loser, at a 2015 Iowa event, it was in the context of McCain’s failed presidential bid: "He lost, he let us down... I never liked him as much after that because I don't like losers.”
It was in the same appearance that Trump said of McCain: “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/sep/04/donald-trump/yes-donald-trump-did-call-john-mccain-loser/
https://time.com/3963612/donald-trump-john-mccain-military-service/
The world of politics is full of a—holes. There’s one currently in the White House (occasionally), another running opposite Trump, and the halls of Congress are full of them. None are as closely, often dishonestly, relentlessly scrutinized as Trump. For the press and pundits, there are accolades to be won — so brave! — and profit to be gained by doing so. There’s a cottage industry for #resistance heroes, most of whom, it turns out, are a—holes themselves. I’m not a big enough sucker to take what those losers say at face value. Many people are, though, which is why I’m not certain we deserve better candidates.
Also, even Moynihan’s mention of Camper Van Beethoven (!) couldn’t distract me from how gobsmacked I am that he finds Tim Walz, another a—hole, likable. That goofball oozes disingenuousness.
(Occasionally). LOL
Get David Lowery on the pod, already. I saw him with Cracker in San Diego (Solana Beach) this July, one of the highlights of my summer.
HOW did they not discuss Robin D’Angelo?!
Many topics, little time!
Make more time 😡😔😞😒😭😢
Imagine plagiarizing shitty ideas.
That needs a full dedicated episode
Ha! You might be right.
What’s going on with her these days
Moynihan has been so busy that someone else (recentish guest Aaron Siberium) had to break her plagiarism story.
https://freebeacon.com/campus/robin-diangelo-plagiarized-minority-scholars-complaint-alleges/
...and don't forget this Jeff Mauer gem written in response:
https://open.substack.com/pub/imightbewrong/p/its-hard-to-accept-that-robin-diangelo?r=gb5gl&utm_medium=ios
This is delicious.
Siberium is always bringing the goods.
I say this every four years, but how How HOW* is it that we can't get one competent, non-lunatic third-party candidate to break through? This has GOT to be Roman Empire end times shit. Somehow I got railroaded onto the Road to Serfdom and I can't find the off-ramp.
*I know how and why, I just need to vent...
Gary Johnson was a competent, non-lunatic (if a bit weird, though miles less weird than Trump) two-term governor of New Mexico whose gaffes got blown up 1000x the significance because people *needed* to make him seem more lunatic than he was.
The Aleppo gaffe was bad, but definitely blown out of proportion and certainly miles less bad than the alternatives in 2016.
And who nailed him on Aleppo? MSNBC talking head Mike Barnicle, a noted plagiarist and pal to another plagiarist, Joe Biden.
He did not always help himself - I still think of the alternate timeline where he actually put in the time and resources to make a good showing as a Republican in the 2011 primaries, spent the intervening years either running a national nonprofit or some other kind of org that kept him traveling to the most important primary states for the next 4 years, and then came into the absolute jungle of 2015 with a national network of supporters and something interesting and different to say that rivaled Trump in its interestingness and differentness. Alas poor Gary.
That was my proudest vote. I felt like the only sane person in a lunatic. American politics would be so much saner now if we were coming off 8 years of Johnson Weld. And I will never understand why old school GOPers rejected them.
Minor point but Kmele mentioned Trump not wanting to go to an event at Arlington when he was president because he was worried about the weather messing up his hair. It was actually a First World War event at an American Cemetary in France, not Arlington, which somehow makes it worse, because he was representing the US to the world.
Kmele puts it best at about a little more than min 51 of podcast: I too Kmele and COMPLETELY frustrated as all get out that these are our two options. And can they both plz lose.
“Am”
"I certainly own my mistakes when I make 'em," - Timbo Walz
He's been outright lying and/or putting his foot is his mouth for 2 decades and I can't think of literally a single instance where he "owned up" to any of them.
The national Walz love is absurd - in Minneapolis it's apocalyptically embarrassing. If my neighbors are to be believed we are about to have the greatest father in the history of biological sexual reproduction in the Naval Observatory.
I am going to vote for Harris Walz (I live in a swing state and just can't get over election stuff + Jan 6). I accept that I have entered into a Faustian bargain with the Democratic party: they will supply me with an electorally feasible anti-Trump option (thanks Nancy P!) and I will vote for that person even if they are a vapid political facade. That said, it's pathetic that Kamala and Tim could not even meet the low expectations of a friendly CNN interview. I imagine that the undecided voters of MI WI PA are gonna eventually gonna want something more substantial than "we're going to build the middle class." I will just close my eyes and pray for a Shapiro vs Haley showdown in 2028.
On the subject of Paper Moon and other movies centered on questionable men taking care of young girls who may not be their daughters:
The Professional, starring a 12-year-old Natalie Portman and the talented Jean Reno, is way, way better than Man on Fire.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/leon_the_professional
Léon: The Professional, from the great action director Luc Besson, is one of my favorite films. Natalie Portman’s first, by the way.
No argument here. I love Reno — he’s one of those actors who seldom disappoints, even when starring in a dud. And li’l Natalie definitely nailed her role like a true pro.
Same here. I always make a point of seeing anything he’s in.
Worst thing about the debate was bringing that white man with her. What kind of message is that sending children of color? Isn't it bad enough that she married one of them?
Cold opens have been greatly missed!!
Man On Fire is a great movie. RIP Tony Scott
Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning reunited for The Equalizer 3. Those movies, like the John Wick films, are ones that I will go see now matter how many they make. Washington and Keanu Reeves are the two most likable actors in Hollywood. They’re here to entertain, not preach their politics, and on screen, they kick ass.
*no matter how many
89% on Rotten Tomatoes with _The People_ who cares about critics?