ChicagoCita

Kesha's performance brought me to tears. Talk about cathartic! Talk about female support! Dr. Luke, the accused abuser, is no longer in the business and she was able to come out with her first album in five years (she is still legally bound to the label, but not to his involvement, thank God). Many people in the music business gave her money for her legal defense, including Taylor Swift. I was so proud of her last night, and I wish The View had concentrated on her victory - to me that's what it was - more than they did. It was the most noteworthy moment of the night, in my opinion.

This is applicable hundreds of times a week. Meghan is always pissed on this show, unless her dad or "bastard uncle" is on. She has two emotions, 90% pissed/scolding, and 10% smiling/fawned over.

One would think that instead of attacking the other Republican at the table (see last joint appearance), Meghan would welcome Ana and try to find common ground. I'm sick our talk show hosts, the entire electorate and most of the elected officials being defensive and in attack mode. Look for the commonalities, folks! I can hope - wouldn't it be amazing to see them come up with some common talking points? I love Ana, even if I do disagree with her on many political points.

I don't expect famous people to be perfect people. I don't care if someone is unfaithful as long as it's not hurting this country or someone I love. I had no problem as a citizen when Clinton/Lewinsky happened (if I had been Hillary, I would have gelded him, but that's beside the point). I agree with you, HALETH, Meghan and Sippy are barking up the wrong tree, whether it's intentionally obfuscating or not. Trump's sexual behavior is between him and Melania. (I just threw up a little in my mouth.) But when and if he uses public or political funding to pay hush money, then it becomes a problem. Also -- look at the old Profumo scandal in Britain. A Cabinet member was sleeping with a model/call girl named Christine Keeler in the early 1960s. Meh. Except she was also sleeping with a Russian envoy who was probably a spy. The possible breach of security brought down the Prime Minister, and later his administration. That's what we can't have in this country -- opening up the office of the President to possible blackmail. Screw sexual morality, it's a big nothingburger. The moral ramifications are nothing compared to the security and legal ramifications. Look at the big picture, Ladies of The View!

Re Meghan's hair. Here's a photo of her as a child in 1992. Her hair is light brown. I've never known anyone whose hair turned from brown to platinum as they aged. My hair only got lighter when I went grey (shhhhhh!) If one takes the New Testament literally, as Evangelicals claim to, they would read that Jesus never said a specific word about abortion or homosexuality. He did, however, speak out against divorce. I believe Sunny was pointing out that Republi-gelicals easily forget this, and forgive/forget about divorce and adultery when political figures speak out against abortion and homosexuality. Jesus wept, indeed.

I am still so angry at the disrespect she showed Senator Durbin. How dare she question Joy's professionalism after she was the Mean Girl at the Galleria Mall to the Minority Whip of the United States Senate?

They actually counsel contestants to wear sweaters because it's cold in the studio. Me too! Loved them when I was growing up (my mother professes surprise I turned into an Anglophile, but I know I didn't buy that for myself at 12 years old). I have a lot of trouble reading them now due to the xenophobia that's so prevalent in the original stories -- and as much as I try to tell myself it was perfectly acceptable when ACD was writing them, it still sticks in my craw to read them now. (Can't read the original Bobbsey Twins books I inherited from my mother either, but that's going wayyyyyy too far off-topic.) I got Mycroft as well.

You could tell that she walked in loaded for bear today and those words just came flying out in a gush. With her not stopping to listen -- you know, like you do in conversations -- and drowning out the other participants, I felt like the ghost of Jedidiah "Rat-A-Tat-Tat" Bila had come to call. I really believe she has staked her flag in the "Way To The Right Republican" ground that her husband has staked out for years, and comes in all riled up with speaking points, and then we get the Attack Of The Word Salad that we saw today. In non-political conversations, she's sometimes relaxed and tolerable. I don't mind her those times. I have to wonder how the version of Meghan who believed in "NO H8" and the advisability of keeping Roe v. Wade in place feels about today's version of Meghan.

I was absolutely gobsmacked to hear Meghan ask Ana why she still considered herself a Republican, because no one in the world has been called a RINO (Republican In Name Only) more than Meghan herself. For her to throw that at someone else was shocking, because she loathes the name. At one point, believe it or not, she was imploring Republicans to stop interfering with Roe v. Wade because it was none of their business and that women would continue to have abortions, albeit illegal and dangerous ones. She also posed with NO H8 duct tape on her mouth, as did her mother. For that, she earned a lot of RINO name calling. Interestingly, this article in Breitbart urges her to leave the Republican Party, since she's "obviously" not one. I liked that Meghan more than the one I saw today on The View, screaming at Ana and questioning how she could still call herself a Republican.

I think the guest co-hosts are doing double duty: Filling in for Sara and having a low-key audition. Remember that Ana was on a few times when they were looking for a conservative voice at the table, and they decided on someone else (maybe Jedidiah?). I think S.E. Cupp was in the running, too. Ana is very opinionated when it comes to Trump, and I have to try to imagine what she would be like on the opposite side of things. Does she give reasons for her opinions? Does she get defensive if someone disagrees with her? These are the things I want to know about a potential conservative co-host. Right now I adore Ana, but I have to remember that she is a conservative, albeit one who is very against the current regime.

I like to think of The View as going-out-to-brunch-with-friends conversation. I'm into politics, so I like Hot Topics. But here's the thing (channeling Whoopi) about Meghan. I do have friends (and relatives) who are Republicans and conservatives, but I've never known anyone who sits around the restaurant table and starts every conversation with "As A Republican"(tm). Everyone else is like "What looks good?" and "love your purse" and "did you lose some weight?" -- and Meghan is the one verbally abusing the waiter for wearing a "Give Peace a Chance" button. I've been reading here first to know what Meg-meltdown to anticipate before I watch the show. I have a few on my DVR that I've been dreading watching. She is taking away from my enjoyment of the show. She's not pleasant to watch most days. And I'm still pissed about her uncalled-for rudeness to my Senator, aka the Minority Whip of the United States Senate. It's not her politics that are objectionable. It's her attitude.

This is nice. One of the Michigan members of the House of Representatives is bringing the mom from the family that was on the show to the State of the Union address. Let him look her in the eye and please let her get a lot of press coverage.

I think the best thing to do is to write your Congresspeople. They all have websites with "write me!" tabs. I saw Meghan so very upset about the family and wanted to punch her. You know why? The hardest-working person in the Senate for defending the rights of the Dreamers and DACA is my senator, Dick Durbin. The same guy she spoke to yesterday when she disrespected him, hmphed, slurped, and turned her back. He's a good man, Meghan, and you are a petulant child who won't recognize him for the great public servant he is. He doesn't have to worry about being deported, but he works tirelessly for people like the family who were on The View today. And you basically spit in his face, not that it matters to him. Did we have someone on this forum who was going to see today's show filmed? I would love to hear about it!!

I think the key to a good fit at the table is someone who's had some varied life experience. Sunny and Whoopi are both WOC who grew up in poverty and became successful. Joy has had an entire lifetime of experiences, as a Brooklyn kid, a single mom, a teacher, a struggling comedian, and of course decades on the show and hosting her own shows. Sara and Paula have news backgrounds. Rosie O and BaWa both were pioneers in their previous careeers. When I think of the co-hosts who haven't worked out, they generally don't have varied life experiences to draw from (maybe I really mean I prefer people who are "well-rounded"). Poor Candace was sweet as pie, but really only had three subjects in her wheelhouse (Fuller House, her family, and her religion). Raven only really knew about "the industry." Aside from her time on Survivor, Elisabeth seemed to be a suburban housewife who was trotted out for the sole purpose of becoming Bill Geddie's conservative mouthpiece. Sherri had a lot of life experiences, but was (cringing) not smart enough to keep up with most discussions and didn't use her experiences to gain wisdom. I generally find that the more you interact with different people and see situations that are different from your own, the more compassionate and understanding you are. Sadly, Meghan has chosen to live her 33 years in a bubble. And that makes her a Johnny One-Note at the table. I would normally feel more empathy for her, but her rudeness and "disgraceful conduct" to Sen. Durbin (great description, GeneralDays) makes me not like her much today. For someone who takes offense when her father is treated without kid gloves, Miss Meghan sure decided to be an asshole to another United States Senator today. (slurp)

I'm eager to see if she falls all over herself thanking Denis Leary for being a brave former firefighter next time he's on the show in any context. If she does, I'll... hmmm.... not get a tattoo of her... okay, I'll make a donation to a veterans' organization.

As a kneejerk reaction the minute you meet them in ANY context? Rob Riggle wasn't there as a military member, he was there as a celebrity co-host. And Meghan heard the magic word, "military," and interrupted the flow of conversation to thank him. For all she knows, he got a dishonorable discharge. For all she knows, he was court-martialed. (I'm not implying either, btw.) If she routinely thanked ex-cops, ex-firefighters, security guards, etc., the minute she met them in any context, I would give her a pass on this. But she feels she "has to thank" (her words) any military member, current or past, because she comes from a military family, and that's weird to me. Thank someone who's there in the context of his or her service, and I'm right there with her. But as someone from a military family as well, I think it's just a little presumptive and obsessive of her.

By attacking the person who spread the news, Meghan is directly in opposition to her father. Sen. McCain wrote an editorial in the Washington Post yesterday on the vital importance of a free press and urged the President to stop attacking the free flow of information.

If Dick Durbin was the only person in the room to be horrified enough by racist comments made by the freaking president to spill the beans, I support him 100 percent. Don't kill the messenger, listen to his story! He's my senator and I've always liked him. These past few days have made me like him even more. (I understand that Stephen Miller, the almost-human-looking droid, didn't want the bipartisan plan to go forward, so he ensured that oppositional senators crash the meeting to waylay the plan. Thanks, Steve!) How in the fuck does Meghan know Tom Cotton's heart? She's not mature enough to realize that you can NEVER completely know anyone else's heart. I'm sure her far-right husband gave her talking points. Sen. Durbin was able to be gracious and move along without ever giving Meghan a second thought, which is exactly the consideration she deserves. Glad to see Joy back. I was worried after Whoopi's "difficult day" comment.

I just watched the show and I didn't see Meghan as defensive (oh, man, kill me now, because I may be wandering into defending her). I listen to the show, I don't much watch the screen, so maybe there was more going on visually than I picked up, but it seemed to me that she was very carefully picking her way through a minefield, and this does have the potential to be a minefield, and she was trying very hard to not say anything that could be misconstrued. I heard her saying, he thought it was consensual, but the woman felt pressured, and how can they be so different, and what can happen so they don't feel so diametrically opposed to each other about the very same acts? It wasn't like the graphic gross and exploitative accusations that fueled the #metoo movement, like Harvey Weinstein "donating" to potted plants in front of women, or Kevin Spacey grabbing the genitals of underage actors. This is someone who claims he had no idea that the "date" was going badly, and does it fall into the same category as the others if it wasn't a conscious abuse of power but the woman felt used? To be honest, I thought Meghan was verbally trying to puzzle out a path of her own, rather than parroting someone else's opinion, and maybe it came off as defensive, but I give her credit for it. That brings me to point 2 -- I had a minor epiphany when she felt that she "had" to thank the guest co-host for his military service. Why, exactly? I don't think she thanks crossing guards or supermarket cashiers for making her life easier, so why the military? I mean, I have a brother who's kind of an Army superstar, and every single male of age in my family has served, but I don't take it on as my thing. I'm proud of them, sure, but that's their thing, not mine. And I concluded that she has somehow absorbed the characteristics of the people around her and taken them on as her own. Her father and brother are military, so Meghan believes that is an integral part of her persona. Her father and her husband are Republicans (at either end of the spectrum), so Meghan defines herself (nearly to the exclusion of anything else) as a Republican. To me, and I stress again it's just my opinion, that explains so much of her teflon dedication to both those things. She's chosen to define her beliefs by osmosis, rather than arriving at them herself. So of course she gets snotty and defensive and tearful when called upon to defend her beliefs, because they are inherited, or borrowed, or leeched. They're not organic beliefs she came up with herself, and that makes defending them more difficult. I truly apologize for the length of this, but if you've stuck with it this far, I thought Meghan puzzling out the Aziz Ansari situation was (in my best Whoopi intonation) kind of a beautiful thing, because it may have been the most genuine that we've seen her on The View.

Meghan looks so much softer and more approachable with her hair down. I wish the hair and make-up people would be creative, the way are with Sunny, with her and not pull it back so often.

He is amazing, and I would love to see them have him on for a full show a couple times a year. He is well-known, but we need to hear his voice more, IMHO, as a counterpoint to all the tomfoolery coming out of the Oval Office.

Alisha's full name, when it was said at the beginning of the show, was beautiful and melodic. Does anyone know the ethnicity of her last name? If the entire language is like that, I want to hear more! It was Alisha Mathalikunnel.

John Lewis is a national treasure. They'd be well-served by having him as the only guest, anytime, not just MLK Day.

Meghan's "I hate journalists" stand may come from her husband, who is very very conservative, much more than John McCain. He is a blogger, but he worked very briefly for the Washington Post, writing a blog the paper created for him to express conservative views. After three days, he left due to accusations of plagiarism. With Meghan married to a far-right conservative, I expect her to become far more conservative in her views. She seems to take on the attitudes of those she admires, like the fact that she registered as a Republican for the first time when her father ran for President, "to honor him."

I'm going to say something nice about Meghan. When Ashley Graham was talking about being assaulted by that photographer, and it was gross and horrifying hear about, Meghan said -- twice -- "I'm so sorry that happened to you." And she sounded upset and very sincere. It's the sort of thing I would expect a best friend to say, hearing about something like that in the past. I was surprised and very touched by her compassion.