27bored

Well, he was hindered in some ways by the pandemic, but also because Joe is an elderly man who wasn't up for the rigors of running for office. I wouldn't call it laziness, but he wasn't up for it, either. My main point with that was to say Joe got a lot of support by dint of being associated with the Obama years and being a known commodity, so he didn't have to do much to sell himself to the base because of it. I'm saying Democrats can't have it both ways: you can't play it safe when you want the base to coalesce around someone, but then accuse the country of being backwards or Not Ready For a certain type of candidate when they underperform in the General election. It would be like if Mayor Pete was running, whom I like. I don't know if he would win the Democrat Primary if he were to run in 2028. But it would be bogus and gaslighting nonsense to argue that if strings were pulled to basically give him the nomination (the way they were to help Hillary and Biden) and he proceeded to lose handily in the General Election, it's because the country Isn't Ready For a gay man to be President. IMHO, there are three-ish things Democrats can address to win back some of the support they lost: 1. Embrace DEI as an identity, not a political strategy: Democrats should not be ashamed of being the big tent party that wants to represent different types of people. But giving a face and a voice to certain demographics should not mean giving a platform for people to air out their grievances with white people and men. I'm not saying don't talk about racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, or any other form of bigotry, but they need to be more tactile and only talk about it when that's what we're talking about, if that makes any sense. It's clear from this election that people care about illegal immigration. The hue and cry from the left should not be to call millions of voters xenophobes for caring about illegal immigration. Democrats shouldn't waste their ammo on the non-bigots because they'll have none left when the actual bigots show up. Ahem. 2. Acknowledge the complicated relationship between governance and morality: Political issues typically are more complex than we give them credit for, in my humble opinion. The causes and solutions to problems can be multi-faceted. Just because Democrats have ideas that could help certain minorities doesn't speak the other sides motivations for their ideas or disagreement with ours. Every socio-economic issue should not boil down to "do you like Black people? Y/N?" or "do you want to support women? Y/N?" Those of us old enough to remember the 2000s remember the "Support Invading Middle Eastern Countries = Patriotism" math many on right did, so we shouldn't follow suit when it comes to other issues. 3. Develop a respect for whataboutism: I guess I have a cynical outlook on politics in part because I see how quickly forgive and forget when it's their turn in the hot seat. Like the saying goes "it's no fun when the rabbit's got the gun". I would just say nobody likes an immoral person, but everybody hates a hypocrite.

This is part of the problem. After awhile, it just starts to less like you're holding him accountable and more like bitterness and resentment. I'll use an example: Kim Kardashian. In 2009, saying she's just popular because she has a fat ass and a sex tape would be a damning indictment. Now, a billion dollars later, saying that's how she got famous would make you sound like a hater. Yes, even if it's still technically true. And this also comes often results in the whole speck of dust versus a stake dynamic that some people don't want to talk about. I know several women who were all game to hear from Stormy Daniels and any other woman who wanted to accuse Trump of sexual assault who don't even who Tara Reade is. Not to defend Jan 6, but I think Democrats leaning into this was one of the major mistakes they made as far as messaging is concerned. Full disclosure: I'm a Democrat. I voted for Hillary, Joe, and Kamala. But, I'm also an adult who follows politics and have for a long time. In my opinion Trump's supporters had a right to feel a bit...cheated. His whole first term for them was basically two years of Russiagate, six months of an impeachment, and then COVID. The people who believe the 2020 election was stolen (and I'm not espousing that idea, I'm just saying they exist) didn't get two years of a Special Counsel investigation and see people get subpoenaed and questioned and determine if they lied and all that. They got a press release that said "we looked and we didn't see any significant voter fraud that would've changed the election. Beat it." I think part of understanding politics is being able to accept and acknowledge that people's beliefs are real to them even if you don't agree with or take them seriously. And I think there's ample evidence to conclude that while Democrats feel the the party and media have been building this iron-clad case against Trump, to millions of voters all they were doing is eroding whatever credibility they have and wearing on their patience. Every dumb joke or comment Trump says or tweets does not warrant 72-96 hours of TV programming. It just doesn't. But the media was determined not to learn that so now we're in for another four years of it. Yay for us (said mirthlessly). This isn't fair and more importantly, this is how Democrats wind up actually insulting the people they should want to win over. To be clear, Kamala polled at an asterisk four years ago when she was running. She didn't win a single Primary state. In the very crowded 2020 Democratic Primary, most Democrats put all their eggs in Joe's basket and left them there while he did minimal campaigning and put forth minimal effort to get it. In fact, the three frontrunners were Biden, Bernie, and Buttigieg. Three white men, two old as dirt. Kamala was knee-capped by only having three months to run and having to basically present her vision while defending the last four years in which Joe Biden was President. So I have a good amount of sympathy for her. But her loss isn't a referendum on race or even sex. Because it's clear when Democrats have the opportunity they're just as quick to run into the arms of whichever rich, old white man the party puts up as the most electable. If we really want to have a conversation, how Democrats treated Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020 was way worse than how Kamala has been treated.

To the extent hat this might be true, I think that's after years of giving him the villain edit and seeing that it hasn't diminished his standing. If anything, they wound up turning him into a martyr. I've said time and time again: if you don't want someone to be a big deal, but make a big deal about them. Well, I mean, Trump just won the popular vote and Republicans now control both chambers of Congress. I'm not trying to make some couples-counseling type point here. After elections and bitter defeats, it's incumbent upon the side that lost to do some introspection and see where they went wrong. The RNC can't dictate to the party whom they should like. I'm almost certain the establishment would prefer a more put together, retail politician who stays on message than someone like Trump. I bet they cried into their drink when DeSantis didn't overtake Trump. But that's how it goes. I will say, a lot of Republicans probably "put up with" Trump because they figure it wouldn't be all that different if he were less controversial. Politics is about power -- obtaining it, keeping it, wielding it. Next decade once Trump is in the rear view, there will be another Big Bad who is a threat to democracy and must be stopped. It is what it is.

Respectfully, I hope I'm not speaking out of turn here, but the way someone like this gets re-elected is by his detractors not actually being any better than he is. There are a few age-old phrases that this election has caused me to revisit, namely "when you seek to get revenge, you better dig two graves" and "when you point the finger, you have three more pointing back at you". See, too many people treat politics like college football (not directing this at you) and that's why a lot of people misread the room and get things wrong. It's not enough to keep and hold receipts against the party or politicians you like. I'm sure Republicans could easily rattle off a list of unforgivable, unconscionable things Biden and Kamala have said or done as a basis for them never supporting them, but that's not how elections are won. Because surprise surprise, people seem to find forgiveness for people on their side of the aisle, if they even notice the grave offense of the action or statement in the first place. The most insightful tweet I've ever read about Trump said "Trump's great gift is his ability to get his enemies to show in wildly obvious ways that he's as bad as they say they are". I don't say that to kiss his ass, I don't even think he realizes it, but it's insightful because his detractors seem to consistently go above and beyond to demonstrate his villainy and awfulness that they wind up making themselves look bad by comparison. I thought Kamala did well for the hand she was dealt, and I too am disappointed. But I also realize she was put up to be the face of the political karma the Democrats have been staring down for the past eight years. Every opportunity they had to ignore Trump, to not get into a lawfare battle with him, not get into another cat fight with him where he says something to troll or puff himself up and they have to repeat it, to not insult his supporters (literally half the country)...they skipped it because no, they couldn't let it go, couldn't let it slide, couldn't just move on. At some point it went from "Trump said something awful" to "Trump's just being Trump" and his detractors didn't notice. Instead of gamely documenting every comment he made, it was time to actually address the people's concerns (jobs, housing, the economy), not make the people care about their concerns (which is Trump as a political threat). The result is Trump winds up looking less bad because his detractors don't seem any better. People are supposed to care about Trump's treatment of women they watched the Tara Reade story go poof right in front of their faces. They're supposed to care about Trump being this remorseless liar when the media covered for Biden's cognitive for years until his single debate performance. They're supposed to care about Trump's "crimes" when Hillary and Biden had classified documents in their possession and neither were charged. Or even Biden's "garbage" comments a few days prior to the election. It's like, we can't win elections if we do this constant back-and-forth score-keeping thing between politicians and the media and expecting people to keep watching like a dog watching a Ping Pong match. I really hope I'm not speaking out of turn here and I'm not trying to bash or insult or anything. I just hope this election produces more introspection and self-awareness when it comes to our politics.

Hollering ass J. Hud recently did a tribute to Mariah Carey on some award show I didn't know existed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apOYOIGFt-I Check out who's singing back-up! S3's George Huff (sporting a Lenny Kravitz-esque mane of locs). Jennifer Hudson does an admirable job with "Vision of Love". I feel like Mariah doesn't enjoy hearing her songs sang by other people so she keeps this Amber Dempsey "Little Miss Springfield" look on her face, but the truth is, Jennifer kinda ran her pockets. She reached down and un-muted the secular gospel song that Vision of Love is and made a whole First Sunday out of it.

Also, I wish someone would’ve said that Trump didn’t actually call his wife ugly. In a weird way, by saying that, the person bringing it up is actually the one calling her ugly. Melania was being slut shamed for some of her past modeling photos and Trump, for some reason, threatened to spill the beans about Heidi Cruz. IDK. So then he retweeted a meme of a bad photo of Heidi and one of Melania’s modeling photos that said a picture is worth a thousand words. I remember when that happened and I got the impression that he was agreeing his wife is hotter than Ted’s wife. Still childish and kind of a low blow, but it’s not like he got on Twitter and said, “Vote for me and not Ted Cruz because he’s got an ugly ass wife!” And like I said, Ana talked a little crazy to him for me. This is a grown man not a child. Everybody was talking over one another. She just didn’t like what he was saying. Whoopi raises her voice every fucking episode and I don’t see her being all huffy about it.

This episode was stupid. I'm really glad I'll never be on The View. I know if Ana said something slick to me my mouth would move like lightning. First of all, Ana, you ain't about that life. If Trump called you a fat, ugly ass bitch, I guarantee neither you nor your old ass husband are gonna do shit about it. You might get a few tweets off and that's it. Your husband is not about slide on Trump because he tried it. You're gonna sit your ass right there and deal with it. Hell, IIRC, Trump Jr. DID call you fat and you tweeted. So girl please. And don't talk down to that man about yelling...you're doing that because you know all of you were being hypocrites and he was reading y'all for filth. I hate whataboutism too, but then stop trying to play gotcha and we won't have to do all of that. And Whoopi continues to prove she's one of the dumbest women on TV. "I don't know anything about ANTIFA riots". Wooooow.

Hey. Well, you guys, we made it to the end of And I Just Don't Like That... Was it good for you? Yeah, me neither. Let's just be friends. Here are some random thoughts: So Cynthia Nixon told MPK that she wasn't gonna come back unless she got her pussy ate and got to smile like an idiot for no menopausal reason? A'ight. She said, "I want Miranda to learn her ABCs: adultery, bisexuality, and cunnilingus". And MPK said you go girl. And let's make Steve fifty-five going on eighty. Miranda, yes, we all know that you don't believe in God or Heaven or any of that. We remember your secular baptism for Brady. We also remember Carrie being a better sport about it than you were given the woman's husband died. Normally I wouldn't care about someone's atheism, but Miranda you've hardly been pragmatic this season. A finger made you risk it all, so shut the fuck up. And bitch why are you still letting Che call you "Rambo" like that's the cutest pet name ever? That shit wasn't cute the first time they said it. Where is your self-esteem? I guess if Che had called you Dumbass Middle-Aged Hoe you'd be like "hyuck that's me!" And am I the only one who rolled their eyes at the whole, "Brady and Louisa are backpacking through Europe" thing? The fuck? Not only is that a bad cliche, but it's a bad, dated cliche. Brady doesn't even seem like he could find Europe on a damn map much less backpack through it. And really, show? Not one word about Brady's mom divorcing his dad for a transperson? Nope. Nada. Brady's got a girlfriend who puts out, weed, Europe and a backpack. So he's good. Uh, I've kinda thought this for a few episodes, but...does Che give off Borderline Personality Disorder vibes to anyone? They were doing a lot just to tell Miranda they got a pilot and wanted Miranda to go with them. Maybe try a phone call? I don't know. And maybe don't drag out your elderly grandmas to a gay bar to let them know. Just a thought? Anyway, that pilot is gonna get picked up by TBS and last for two seasons. Why are Harry and Charlotte so scared to parent Rock? I was so glad Anthony walked in and told Rock to start rehearsing. They should've called him in again to hold court. They went out of their way to throw that they-mitzvah and Rock just wants to go all No Labels on them. Maybe they should've tried snatching their little ass when they went by Rose. Things might have turned out a little different. And I don't know if it's intentional or not -- it's probably not -- but I feel like Charlotte is being super fake whenever Miranda talks about Che. AT&T levels of phony. And Carrie. Oh, Carrie. Still amazes me that you haven't gotten on my nerves once this entire season. The scene with her and John's brother was nice. I saw that whole "where is he?" joke coming from a mile away, but it still made me smile. And I gotta admit: I teared up just a little when Carrie was standing on that bridge in that Orange Dreamsicle Weighted Blanket she was wearing. I literally said, "thank you!" when Carrie and the producer guy kissed. It was about time. Even though she's kinda two-timing the nice widowed teacher. I know it's delusional of me but I wish Kim and SJP could've made up and she would've come back. I feel like the show would've been better just for nostalgia purposes.

Your friend is going hard for the Sisterhood LOL. I respect it but she might need to cut Andre a little slack. Nya's endeavors seem pretty geared towards self-fulfillment. It's not like she's holding down two jobs just so he can sit at home and strum his guitar all day. At the end of the day, Nya married a working musician. He could be an executive at Merrill Lynch, it wouldn't change their predicament as it pertains to her fertility issues. I can only take it half-way serious because I predicated a week or so ago that they were going to have him say or do something that was going to make the audience not like him, but you kind of can't negotiate babies...especially when you're married. Of course you have to be pragmatic about it, but there is no "ugh, fiiiiine...I'll just get the caramel cake since you're out of red velvet" alternative when it comes to children. I think Trey and Charlotte found that out. And Nya and Andre are easily the most attractive people on this show. LTW is gorgeous too but she has this Claire Huxtable thing that I'm having a hard time getting past. Andre's music career -- and to be honest I'd love to know more about it considering we know so much about Nya professionally -- is almost certainly more flexible than her life is. I'm sure there are contracts involved if he's committed to a months-long tour, but from day to day, all he has to do is not book that gig or not go to that studio session. Whenever you're a musician, you do have to basically fight for every dollar, because you're essentially an independent contractor. You stand to make at least livable wage if you're a touring musician, which itself can present complications for raising a child, but they're in NYC so I'm sure there are plenty of opportunities around for him. So I'm saying, he's probably the one who would spend a lot of time with their child during the day anyway since this isn't a day-job type of career. The being away for months on tour would be something to think about for Nya, though.

I think Nya and Trey are similar in that I think both of them might be tired of trying…in part because of the emotional toll it begins to take on their relationship. Charlotte was more demanding than Andre —I still feel like his name should be Tony but whatevs — whereas Andre has up until last episode just seemed down to keep trying. I agree with what you’re saying in these posts, but I think there’s an aspect of Nya — again, mirroring Charlotte — that the show hasn’t explored. I think I floated this theory a few episodes ago, but maybe part of the problem is Nya is doing too much. She’s a professor, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s working on some type of scholarly work (the publish or perish thing), and she’s overseeing the construction of a women’s shelter. All noble endeavors, but you know how they say you can’t have it all…or at least at least all at once? After divorcing Trey, Charlotte didn’t burden Harry with baby talk the way she did with Trey. She almost ruined their relationship by pushing too hard to get married — pattern? — but Harry didn’t have to put up with it to the same extent. And I can’t say Harry was way more jazzed about kids than Trey was initially, but he got chastened Charlotte, not woman on a mission Charlotte. But also? Charlotte got pregnant over 40. She wasn’t working, she had Lily, seemingly happy marriage. Her life was settled and that’s when she got pregnant. The lingering question for me is if Nya has maybe given herself a chance to be just her husband’s wife for awhile. Not saying she should quit her job or anything, but the side projects might have to wait if you’re actively focused on getting pregnant past a certain point. That’s a hard pill to swallow for ambitious women but age presents a difficulty in getting pregnant as it is. Having multiple plates spinning at once can be stressful — sometimes good or welcome stress, but you’re not twenty-five anymore. I think the parallel here is the notion of children are being used to show blind spots in relationships. Charlotte let her quest for a baby get bigger than her marriage, and her resentment towards Trey — which she definitely had even if she didn’t flip out — ultimately ruined it. Andre might feel like Nya is more than happy to try and save the world than find alternatives to have a baby, that IVF is her going through the motions — and it’s not, of course, but perception — and she on some level doesn't want kids. And that’s probably not fair to Nya but you can kinda tell when someone has their game face on versus when they don’t. Harry seemed supportive of Charlotte when they were trying to have a baby and maybe that eased her mind a bit. Maybe Trey always seemed a bit half-hearted? Kind of surprising given he was a doctor but…

Yeah that scene with Dr. Nya and her husband — it’s almost the end of the season and I still don’t know his name…Tony? Craig? Chris? Dwayne? IDK — had echoes of Charlotte’s growing resentment with Trey. I always felt like that was one of the lowest points in the series for Charlotte. Like, you marry the man you love and want to spend the rest of your life with. Not the first good-on-paper guy whom you think will give you children. And it’s not really anybody’s fault, but Charlotte was the one with the fertility issues. Some of that comes down to age. When you wait until your mid-30s to seriously try having a child, there’s a higher likelihood for difficulty. In reality I think most fertility specialists would’ve told them to keep trying, give it a year, take this, try not doing that, and see what happens. Then we can see what other options you may consider. And the show played Trey’s exhaustion with trying and Charlotte Charlotting with him being not really there for her. That was a moment of selective traditionalism in a show that was seen as progressive for its time. Like we can’t judge Samantha, Carrie, or any other women for not wanting kids, but when a man doesn’t, he’s letting his wife down. Compare that to Dr. Nya and what’s-his-name. Her being exhausted with trying to have a child, but his still wanting one? I’m almost certain it’s going to played as pressuring her or not being understanding.

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I’ve said and I think some other people have said elements of the actors have seeped into their characters. If I had to just venture a guess with no facts, I’d say one of the reasons David Eigenberg’s acting has been so affecting is because Steve’s reaction is probably how he would react if his own wife left him. David Eigenberg‘s birthday is May 17, which makes him a Taurus. Taurean men tend to be all about consistency, routine, reliability, and above all else: loyalty. Taureans are known for being stubborn, bullheaded, and that means that once he falls for you, he probably isn’t going anywhere. That’s why Steve said to Carrie his ring was never coming off. Because it would go against who he is as a man. So wounded, confused, betrayed, maybe even a little exhausted — it’s never coming off.

Oh, and of course, the show continues it’s trend of White Man Minstrelsy. Oh, Anthony met a tall, handsome, well-read, “conservative” (not necessarily politically but personally as in “I can’t find his dick online”) man that he might see himself dating beyond some random hook-up? Of course he turns out not only be a Holocaust denier, but he has no problem blurting that out in the home of his date’s Jewish friends. Because that’s what white men do…yes, including the gay ones. They up and leave their husbands and friends and move to another country, freak out and confront drivers while walking in the crosswalk with their babies, they start randomly hooking up and getting handjobs at school fundraisers a few months after being abandoned by their husbands, and they deny the Holocaust in the homes of Jewish people. /sarcasm And like I predicted: Dr. Nya’s husband was going to do something to hurt her and make us hate him. He came so close! Tell your beautiful, educated, ambitious, hard-working wife who has already tried multiple times to get pregnant that, you know, you — her husband, with your “I play the guitar” ass — aren’t ready to throw in the towel. While painting a room in a women’s shelter. Because you saw Black Ward Cleaver with his kids. Toootally the right time to lay all that on her. And the fact you’re painting a room that is likely going to be occupied by women and their children who have no man around because he left them or they left him because he was abusive to them adds a nice bit of tone deafness to his plea. I guess they gave poor Steve a break from acting 80 and gave some of that to Mr. Nya. I really feel like he could’ve given me the moment where he totally breaks her heart had they not had to revisit newly annoying Lily and Charlotte playing the Do Not Press The Red Button game in her pants. Oh, and y’all take a break to eat gassy Mexican food? Why couldn’t they be more en trend than that? Why not have them eating birria tacos and Consommé rather than refried beans? Or, I don’t know, how about order some pizzas? It is New York and you do have a bunch of kids running around. I’m refraining from giving much commentary on Them-la and Louise but I will say, it is absolutely shitty to bring someone cookies then when you realize you’re being kinda nuts you take their cookies and go home to preserve some dignity. YOU SHOULD’VE JUST DYED YOUR HAIR! RED! RED LIKE CHARLOTTE SAID! SHE WAS EVEN NICE ENOUGH TO GIVE YOU A VISUAL AID! I would’ve been mad for real about the cookies, though. Like “Miranda? No, seriously. It’s just me and you in this hallway. Give me my damn cookies.”

I knew I recognized him from somewhere! It's been like fifteen years and he barely looks like he's aged. OMG WHY DIDN'T I EVER PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER?! Yeeeeeah. Charlotte may wanna start wearing a Depend. It seems like if she gets too worked up bodily fluids just start raining out of her ass. Outside. In public. Great commentary. It's crazy how likable Carrie has been this season. Every now and then she'll do something, uh, stupid -- why are you wearing heels to paint? Why are you wearing Big's ring around your finger when it's obviously too big and could slide off...why not around your neck like when you were going to marry Aiden out of politeness?. I think the Steve squatting at Miranda's place was the second time they started dating and she broke up with him. And he was like Berger, except Steve had sense enough to break up with Miranda because he felt he wasn't good enough. Berger was just a wounded dick. First off, I agree that Steve is kinda too good-looking for Miranda now. It's funny how that works. And your story about throwing your wedding ring into Lake Michigan was savage. And I mean that as a total compliment. I want to disrupt you having dinner and have your dinner date take our picture then tell them about how you slept with two of my friends. I'm such a fan! I agree with you about Brady. I don't think he's taking it well at all. That whole "I'm painting with Louisa" thing seemed salty. Maybe they'll explore that next episode. And I don't know anything about periods and tampons, but...do girls still talk to their moms about that kind of stuff? I would think a girl would just get a box of Tampons and do what they did, which is watch a YouTube video. Insted of having your mom coach you through it. Before you all have company. With...Holocaust deniers.