stevenkesslar

Again, thank you for proving my point. You support genocide and mass murder in Ukraine now. You're defending a sadist who is bringing death and displacement to millions of Ukrainians now. It is genocide now You are supporting genocide now., You want to deflect that by talking about World War 2, Korea, Viet Nam, and various other things that happened before I was born or when I was a child. Why don't you bring up the Ice Age, and say the US caused that? Oh, and we killed Jesus, too. It was a genocide. Meanwhile, you are confirming my point. You back genocide now. You're not a victim. You are dishing out Putin's bullshit. Meanwhile, the genocide is happening now. And you back Putin's mass murder. You're confirming the point of the article I posted above. Why waste breath talking about the war with Russians? You are for genocide, now, plain and simple. This is why very few nations in the world view your nation favorably. Russia is good for cheap oil, weapons, and turning Russians and Ukrainians into fertilizer.

Yes, obviously. When journalists in the United States try to tell the truth about Trump or Biden, crazy shit happens. They end up falling out of windows. The airplane they are flying in accidentally explodes. They accidentally end up with a bullet in their head. Stuff like that. Therefore, no one in the US knows the truth. We are fed lies, 24/7. And if we don't believe the lies we are killed. That is what is so great about Russia. You have total freedom of the press. As a Gay man, the freedom to be queer is incredible. Vlad is a well known advocate of Gay marriage, for example. In fact, Vlad's love of truth is so powerful that some weak assholes in Russia just can't stand it. They actually flee the country. Just because Vlad is brimming with decency and kindness, and regular Russians just can't stand to be around that much goodness and truth. Russians blocked from fleeing country by border guards By the way, you are the poster child for Russian propaganda. Thank you for proving my point. It is not even willful ignorance. You know there is a genocide in Ukraine. And you support it. You're not a victim of Putin. You are spewing out Putin's dogma. You are willfully supporting an invasion and mass murder.

Actually, we know the answer to that question. Just follow @EmmetK. That's what a steady diet of anti-fact does. 😲 Although, that's unfair to Fox. I watch them fairly often. I like Brett Baier. Chris Wallace was good. So was Shep Smith. So @EmmetK is more an example of what you get on a steady diet of Trump & Tucker. @EmmetK arguably has many more choices than Russians. But they have choices, too. Many have of course chosen to just flee their country an its war economy. From the article on Russian public opinion I cited above: So you have a point. In Russia there is no real democracy. Journalists who challenge Putin's power are killed. Anyone who challenges Putin's power is killed, or sent off to Ukraine to be turned into fertilizer. That is different. By the way, I incorrectly hyperlinked the article about Russian pro-war and anti-LGBTQ public opinion to a different article from Pew about global opinions about Russia. So here again is a good article about Russian attitudes, with the correct hyperlink. Sorry about that. New Survey Finds Most Russians See Ukrainian War as Defense Against West Sorry. We disagree. Most Russians are going along for the ride. The polls are very clear that they support Putin's strong man routine. More critically, they support the genocide. They know their people are being killed. Putin can't stop all the protests, as vicious as he has been to his own people. And they know that Ukrainians are being killed. Appealing to Russians to end the war on Ukraine is wasted breath That's from a Ukrainian perspective, of course. But the polls suggest he is right. To the the degree that there is ignorance, it's the kind of ignorance that happened in Nazi Germany. Willful ignorance. No one in Russia in unaware of what is happening in Ukraine. Again, you have a point about state propaganda. Which is what Tucker's interview was about. Putin wants to globalize his bullshit. That said, I actually think this is far WORSE than what we Americans did in this century. And the Russian people have been even more willing to have revolutions than Americans have. So, sorry. I don't see them as helpless victims. With Afghanistan, the most important difference is we were attacked. I was honestly ignorant until last year, when I was checking on polls while writing a thread here, that right after 9/11 public opinion in most countries was that the US should NOT use military means to counter bin Laden. So with 20/20 hindsight we can say it's true that most of the rest of the world was saying to the US, "This ain't such a great idea." But no one doubted we were attacked, or that we had to do something. For everything fucked up about Afghanistan, what it did say to the world is that if you fuck with terrorists and let them use your nation to kill our citizens in horrific acts of terror, you will be dead. Or living in a cave for decades. I think the American military did some good in that lesson alone. Even if we also fucked a lot of things up. The other huge difference is that lots of people - like Afghan women and girls - supported the values we were trying to defend. We were not wantonly killing women and children, like genocidal Vlad is. By 2022, Amnesty International was calling Afghanistan "a death in slow motion for women and girls" under Taliban rule. Not because the US invaded. Because the US left. Iraq is a much better comparison. Most of the Establishment media was supporting the bullshit about WMD. Like Tom Friedman and the New York Times. So it's certainly not false to say Americans were being fed lies. Colin Powell has said he was being fed lies. But we wanted to believe them. The other massive difference is at least W. tried to make a global case, and build a global coalition. Here's a list of all the countries that sent troops to Iraq. Genocidal Vlad has made no effort like that. Because he can't. Nobody in the world believes the Jewish leader of Ukraine is a Nazi, or is sheltering Nazis. It's all murderous bullshit. And everyone except Tucker knows it. So while I can say there were plenty of Americans against the Iraq war, including me, I had parents, family members, friends and clients who believed all the mainstream media stuff about WMD and people welcoming us with roses. No one in Russia can believe that Ukrainians are welcoming them with roses. Everyone in Russia has to know Ukrainians hate them, and will hate them for the rest of their lives, for genocide.

Of course, the other sick irony is that at the same moment he is saying Vlad has the right to attack European countries that won't pay for NATO's defense, Trump is urging Senate Republicans NOT to pay for NATO's defense. Trump would of course say, stupidly, that Ukraine is not part of NATO. And abandoning Ukraine has nothing to do with NATO. It's hard to decide whether it is best to call this particularly stupid behavior, particularly dangerous behavior, or particularly narcissistic behavior. How about all three?

GOP senators defy Trump by advancing foreign aid bill Donald Trump is an embarrassment to the United States. Donald Trump is a threat to the security of the United States, and democracies and allies around the world. Beyond that, Donald Trump is a sick fuck. He is pissing over centuries of US traditions and alliances. All because of his ego and his greed for power and money. This is worse than demented. He would rather be friends with Vlad and share bullshit interviews with Tucker than fight for anything. He will abandon anyone and anything. He will certainly abandon our allies. He is goading Vlad to attack them. This is not demented. This is evil. This man is a sick fuck. I get why many people who are not part of the cult prefer what Trump (or RFK) says about the border. I get that prices that went up won't come back down. So many people look back on the "economy" (aka lower prices) of Trump's years favorably. I don't get why any Americans feel like it's good that Trump is putting the lives and democracy of Americans at risk. OF COURSE he has no gut feeling for alliances and team play. He has never fought in a war. He is a bully and a coward. He has zero moral compass. Other than what is good for his own ego. So he has no concept that he wants to weaken America and destroy the alliances that protect us. Not to mention Europe, or Ukraine, or Japan, or Taiwan, or Australia. Even India, one of the few countries where a plurality of people view Russia favorably, is hedging its bets on Vlad, despite its historical alliances with Russia. I guess the idea is that since the Republicans under W. fucked up and started a war "for democracy" in Iraq we could not and did not win, we'll now pretend we can just abandon democracy, and global democratic and military alliances. Trump himself has proven beyond doubt he doesn't give a shit about democracy. He'd love to be in Club Vlad or Club Xi. A rich and corrupt man who can break any law he wants with impunity. And send his thugs out to beat the shit out of cops who stand in his way. Something like 45 % of Americans think Trump will do a better job than Biden "improving America's standing in the world." Most of those are probably hardcore MAGA types who would probably not give a shit if Trump and Putin announced Trump is "giving" Ukraine to Putin, because America has no dog in that fight. How about if we "give" Ukrainian children to Russia, too, Donald? They need more boys, especially, after turning so many Russian men into fertilizer. But the vote in the Senate confirms that almost all Democrats, most Independents, and a huge chunk of Republicans realize how reckless and dangerous this man is. Trump is a threat to US prestige, US national security, US democracy, and our global alliances. That needs to be said every day in 2024.

At least you have a sense of irony, @Moses. Funny you would say that in a thread you started that glorifies Tucker sucking Vlad's cock for a few hours while Vlad rants. Because Tucker is desperate to be relevant. And Vlad is desperate to mouth his propaganda endlessly. Yes, and no. Yes, Vlad is the genocidal leader. But Russians are and will be held to account for his actions. The Iraq War comes to mind. I was loudly opposed to it. And I live in a democracy. But I was traveling all over the world at the time. More than once natives heard me speaking English and just come up to me and said, "You fucking Americans". I told them I thought the war was a huge mistake. But I didn't blame them for how they felt. Iraq changed how the world viewed America and Americans. It is the same now for Russia and Russians. All over the planet, views about Russia have gone from bad to worse. In 24 countries surveyed, including Mexico and Brazil and South Africa, an average of 82 % see Russia unfavorably. That stench will be with them for a very long time. Certainly as long as Murderous Vlad is alive and murdering. Maybe @Moses is giddy about Tucker's interview because at least it proves somebody in the West actually likes Russia. By the way, the same is true right now about America looking wobbly about actually standing up for our allies. Yes, I could blame it on Trump or Republicans. Trump is the one practically goading Putin to invade allies that don't pony up their NATO bill. Even as Trump undercuts funding for Ukraine and makes Reagan turn in his grave about standing up for democracy and allies. So, yes, I can blame it on a hypocritical and cruel asshole. But it still makes my country look weak and feckless to the rest of the world. And it's not like Russians are entirely innocent. New Survey Finds Most Russians See Ukrainian War as Defense Against West Turns out Russians like their strong man leader and his genocide in Ukraine about as much as Americans liked W. and his war against WMD when it started. Meanwhile, 80 % of Russians say they are either no better off or worse off economically since the war started. Biden actually does better than that in polls. And it's not just that Russians will go along with the death or displacement of millions of women and children because they happen to be Ukrainian. They don't like the Gays much, either. So they don't like democracy, they don't like the West, they don't like The Gays, and they are willing to go blow the shit out of another country they say is part of them. Geez. Wonder why the world doesn't like them? All that said, kudos to Arnie for at least having tried a more diplomatic and empathetic approach. I don't disagree with his point, or your point. Putin is not "the Russian people". But Arnie's speech didn't change their minds. That poll above says most of them support Vlad and his genocide. And they don't want The Gays encroaching on their Russian values.

David Brooks probably stated the best bumper sticker for Biden's campaign. He said he's interviewed Biden for 30 years. He isn't as quick as he used to be, he said. And maybe his memory isn't what it used to be. But his judgment is sound, Brooks said. I think Trump will do what he did in 2020. It's already starting. He'll remind voters how shitty his judgment is. Trump says he would ‘encourage’ Russia to attack NATO allies who don’t pay up White House blasts the former president’s comments as “appalling and unhinged.” What the fuck is wrong with Trump's judgment? After Vlad's genocide in Ukraine, Trump says this? What the fuck is wrong with Trump's judgment? I'd like to think Trump is demented. Because for a sane person to say this is not only unhinged and stupid. It's cruel.

Well. 2 out of 3 ain't bad. 😉 I hope you are right.

Did facts bully you when you were a kid? Did facts beat you? Did facts rape you? What did facts do to you, @EmmetK? Clearly, you hate facts. You simply can't be trusted to use facts. What did facts do to you? The article says nothing about how Biden is heading for a "landslide defeat". In fact, Trump is leading Biden by 1.9 % right now in the RCP average. That's not a landslide, @EmmetK. That's within the statistical margin of error. What did facts do to you? Did they harm you? Did facts bully you? To your second "important takeaway", the article actually confirms what most posters -BUT NOT YOU - have been saying. Both Biden and Trump are too old. 59 % of voters say that, including the vast majority of Democrats and Independents. The people who are out of touch are MAGA Republicans. What is it about facts with you people? In addition to denying that Trump lost in 2020, and in addition to all the cop bone breaking and denial about that, now you are in full denial about Trump being too old. And perhaps demented. What did facts do to you, @EmmetK? Why do you hate facts so much? 73 % of Democrats agree Biden is too old. About the same percentage of Independents say Trump is too old. So the only people who are out of touch are Republicans. Only 35 % of them are willing to admit Trump is too old. And too dangerous. And probably demented. That's not a shocker, of course. The cult has to believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election. The cult has to believe "patriots" were being taken "hostage", when they were mercilessly beating the shit out of cops and trying to steal an election. And hang Mike Pence, too. So the notion that MAGA Republicans can admit to themselves that Trump is an old, demented fascist is clearly beyond the pale. It doesn't really help you win an election. Because the third or so of Americans who are in denial about Trump are going to vote for him, anyway. He could be dead, or in prison, and they'd vote for them. Everyone else? They think Trump is too old. And the election will remind everybody just how dangerous he is. That didn't work so well for Trump or Republicans in 2020. Or 2018. Or 2022. So you might want to wait before you plan your landslide party. Poor @EmmetK. What did facts do to you?

So you're actually MORE alarmed than I am. I figured you meant the opposite. Again, Social Security's average says Biden has a 40 % chance of being dead by 2028. You are saying it's likely higher. I'll now take it one more even more speculative step. I Googled Reagan and Alzheimer's to see what I could find. This is interesting: Tracking Discourse Complexity Preceding Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis: A Case Study Comparing the Press Conferences of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush So two big caveats. This study proves nothing about Reagan. And I am not a doctor. I have no special expertise at diagnosing anything. That said, this study suggests Reagan was in fact showing subtle signs of Alzheimer's by the end of his second term. Whereas Bush 41, who was never diagnosed with Alzheimer's, never showed similar early signs as POTUS. We know Reagan was diagnosed - at least officially - in 1994. We know he died in 2004 at the age of 93. And we also know this is an N of 1. But just going off this N of 1, it does suggest that Biden or Trump could have a long way to go before they are diagnosed, if they in fact are showing signs of dementia. It was a long time from 1989, when Reagan left office, to 2004, when he died. Historians would mostly agree that it did not prevent him from having a successful Presidency. Those two videos comparing Biden winning SC in 2020 and 2024 are scary. Given the obvious change in four years, I can only speculate what the picture in 2028 would be. But it for sure won't be better. Same with Trump. That said, if they are like Reagan - which is a huge if - I still think that if they actually die in office it will be of something else. If they don't die, they would have to be increasingly managed by staff. Which is not how it is supposed to work. I think we all agree that Team Biden is in fact that: a team. So the idea that Biden could be managed in his decline seems way less than optimum, but possible. The idea that Trump could be managed in his decline .................... well, we can just stop at the phrase "Trump could be managed." He can't be. Even his supporters know that. So an unhinged Trump with dementia is an even more frightening thought.

I don't disagree with anything you said. You're looking at it as you should: as a doctor, with precision. My point is broad and political. The most likely adverse medical outcome with either Biden or Trump is NOT what happens on the campaign. It's what happens after one of them is elected. And that problem is not likely to be dementia. It's likely to be death. Again, I'm not predicting it. But I would go with the Social Security numbers as in the ballpark. So I'll simply restate what I said above. One positive way to look at it is that there is less than a 50/50 shot they will die in office, in both cases. But with Biden it's not a whole lot under 50 %. And with Trump saying there is a 1 in 4 chance he'll die in office sounds realistic to me. Simply given Trump's weight I would say that offsets his slightly younger age. But, again, all that is totally speculative. BOTH are too old, neither should be the candidates, and it will be good in 2024 if we have younger people running. I'd be more than happy with Kamala v. Nikki. Pick a woman of color, conservative or liberal. And a hell of a lot younger. That would be a good place for America to be, in my mind. But not this. Someone posted these two videos of Biden, four years apart, on the evening of his South Carolina victory. It is the best compare and contrast I have seen so far. If I want to make excuses, I'd argue that in 2024 he was actually in a more informal setting, in Delaware, among friends. So he wasn't dressed for, or making, a political speech in the way he was in 2020. When he was in South Carolina, and had just come back from the political dead. Regardless, watching the videos it is very clear to see that one Biden looks and feels a lot older than the other. Neither seem demented, at least from my non-medical perspective. But one definitely looks and feels a lot older.

To date, Klemen Slakonja's interview and musical performance with Vlad has gotten 53+ million views. Who knew Vlad was so versatile? That compares to Tucker's 10.4 million views on You Tube. Maybe Tucker should have added some music???? You never heard of Klemen Slakonja? Nobody else has, either. What does it tell us that he gets 5 times as many YouTube views because he makes Putin look like an asshole to the entire world?

Nah, I wasn't burned. I certainly expect the worst from Murderous Vlad. And I found it amusing to watch two men make fools of themselves. Like, this is real journalism? The world really thinks of MV as this decent guy who has simply run out of kindnesses to bestow on people? It would make for great parody on Saturday Night Live. If criticism of Putin were allowed in Russia. Mostly it feels tragic. Because all this is about millions of Ukrainians and Russians being dead or displaced, thanks to your murderous sadist. I will tell you two things that do burn me. George W. Bush, 20 years ago. His pushing the Iraq War opened a Pandora's box that led to this kind of adventurism. America invading Iraq without real cause, other than lies, laid the groundwork for Putin to do something similar once he thought he had a chance to get away with it. That burns me. Arguably, one could also blame Bush for pushing the idea that Ukraine should join NATO. But Putin has actually made the best case for NATO in my lifetime. Ask Sweden and Finland about that. If anything, Putin makes W. look strategeric for trying to protect Ukrainians from a mass murdering sadist. Second, Republicans today burn me. That military aid should have gone to Ukraine last year. The EU figured it out, fortunately. And now Republicans looks like they are done with the bullshit and ready to put their money where their mouth is. But it is a global embarrassment that America looks unsteady. That said, again because of our tragic adventurism in Iraq, it's not an entirely bad thing that a lot of Americans are rethinking how much the US wants to be a warmonger. I hope Republicans remember this the next time Republicans want to invade some country. Why do you even care about Tucker's ratings? Have you actually convinced yourself somehow this is a sign that Putin is winning, or will win? The whole things smells of desperation to me. For sure with Tucker. He already lost the war when he was fired for cynically pushing Trump's lies and bullshit about a stolen election, which he clearly did not believe. So Tucker is desperate to stay relevant. And I'm sure Putin's PR on this is that some famous American journalist came to Russia to give your murderous sadist the respect he deserves. If this makes Vlad feel important, good for him. He'll win his election, of course. They don't allow real debate in Russia. But you know that already, @Moses. One other mistake Russia is making, perhaps, is that maybe you think you can change us. Is that the idea here? That would be a very American thing to do. For Vlad to decide he will use Tucker to somehow remake us in his image. And share Vlad's Russian values. America tried that on Russia, too. And democracy obviously failed in your case. I think America and most of the world got the memo. We're no longer trying to change you, and form real alliances. It's now back to just containing you. You can have your war economy for as long as you have Vlad, or longer. There are millions of Russian men who will unwillingly and unhappily be turned into fertilizer so Vlad and his klepto friends can be rich, powerful, and murderous. Through his invasion, he is teaching the world what Russian values are. Your country and people are hated. Russia will be hated and shunned for the rest of our lifetimes. China will buy your cheap oil and India will buy your weapons. They aren't stupid. But you will be hated and shunned. The whole thing with Tucker is just a joke. But enjoy it if it makes you somehow feel better.

Correct. Two people come to mind. David Axelrod, who is the Democrat with the most credibility who has publicly taken on Biden. Which resulted in Biden biting back. And Dean Phillips, who many Democrats call a traitor for recently pointing out on Twitter that ... ahem .... Kohl and Mitterand died ages ago. So the media seems to be playing the wrong game. There's all this speculation about how either Biden or Trump might bow out. It's all stupid horse race shit based on this Hail Mary pass notion that somehow Biden or Trump will NOT do exactly what they plan to do. There are some more thoughtful voices saying that ........... duh ............ unexpected health problems can easily happen to anyone in their 80's. A.B. Stoddard and Bill Kristol in Kristol's conversations series come to mind. So either Biden or Trump could just suddenly die any day now. Biden had a few close calls already as a much younger man. Technically, Trump did too with COVID. His first wife died at 73 from something as simple as falling down stairs. (Maybe that's why Trump walked slow and held the rail in the famous video.) The problem with this scenario is of course we can't game out either's completely unexpected death during the campaign. But if one of them is not alive in November 2024, that actually seems like the most likely scenario to me. Neither one will bow out. That's a media fantasy, I think. Trump may be convicted. But he'll still be running for President. Also correct. But I think the way that will play out is not which one is more dangerous as a candidate. It's which one is more dangerous as a second term President. That is what Americans will decide this Fall. We have been there and done this before. I'm not great at history. Someone smarter than me can list the sitting Presidents who were basically a basket case before their ultimate death. The most obvious example that comes to mind is FDR. Because his health was seriously failing at least as early as 1943. Arguably, he had it easier than Biden because he didn't start his campaign until Sept. 1944. But that was because he had to run World War II in the meantime. So, if America could get through that, we can probably get through Biden being re-elected as well. I don't think he looks any worse than this, which was FDR in 1944. So if you buy these assumptions, dementia is NOT the health problem we should be talking about, necessarily. Yes, you are right. Either may be demented. Even today. But they will still be President. And Biden and Trump are both proof that the aging process normally happens slowly. The five most likely causes of death for White men their age are: 1) heart disease, 2) cancer, 3) stroke, 4 ) COPD, 5) pneu/influenza. Dementia or Alzheimer's is not even on that list, at least as a cause of death. How likely is it either will die in office? Pretty likely, actually. Social Security actuaries say that at 82, on inauguration day, Biden has about 7 more years to live. He has an almost 40 % chance of dying in the next four years. Trump, at 78, would have an average lifespan of a whopping nine years left. He only has a 25 % chance of dying in the next four years. I guess one positive way to look at it is that odds are either would still be alive to complete a second term. Speaking of the dead, my former client and deceased friend Epigonos, who never posted here but was a regular on Bill's site, loved to say this: "We don't elect a President. We elect a gang." To the degree that people think that way in November, it means Biden will win. Biden has always been a team player. Politics is a team sport. And to survive and thrive in it for as long as Biden has, you have to be a pretty good team player. And it shows right now. Yes, maybe Biden is demented. But he has a team around him who covers his ass. Just like FDR and all the other Presidents who had health problems before him did. Trump is not a team player. And everyone knows it. It's why some of his cult loves him. He is NOT part of that whole mess. That helps explain why he was a one term President, I think. And why he will likely remain a one term President. If we have to be stuck with one old man who is demented, would you rather have the guy with the strong team? Or the guy whose team is always an unstable house of cards, even when he is at his best? Again, we have been here and done this before. In 2020 Americans decided to hire Biden and fire Trump. Because they felt Trump was too dangerous. So if the question is 2024 is which old man is more dangerous, odds are that the decision of 2020 won't change.

It's another thing Trump is unfairly maligned for. There is tremendous diversity in the MAGA base.

True. Life has been so unfair to Trump. But Nancy Pelosi - the real one - did nail what Trump is good at in that Newsweek interview I posted above. Happily, Pelosi was mostly wrong about something else she said: I think at the the time she said that, many thought Ron DeSantis might be that guy. Turns out he was even worse at strategery than W. So we're just stuck with Stinky again. And he's not a strategeric genius, either.

Thank you. That interview with Gen. Milley reminded me of another conversation he had with Nancy Pelosi. The real Nancy Pelosi. Not the one Trump gets confused about. This is another reason why most Americans won't rest easy with the idea that Trump, hater of democracy and breaker of cop bones, could have his finger back on the nuclear button. Nancy Pelosi Sought Assurances 'Maniac' Trump Couldn't Use Nukes After Election: Book

I loved it. Although it is not a feel good movie. The critics are all right. It is an emotionally evocative work about the enduring power of love. And the complications of that when you're a Gay man of a certain age. I also loved Red, White, and Royal Blue. And this is pretty much the opposite. RWRB speaks to young queers who want to and now can believe boy meets boy and they live in a fairy tale. All Of Us Strangers isn't about a fairy tale world. It's about the world we Gay men actually grew up in. Lots of discrimination, lots of AIDS, lots of death. Add some ghosts and it makes for one hell of a story. The Queer Kids Are All Right. And Now They’re Making Me Better. I don't know if that link will transfer, since someone posted it as a shared story from a New York Times reporter on a different site. It's a good read. In case the link doesn't work and you can't get it online, the phrase that really worked for me in that story about recent queer cinema is "emotional reparations." As in, a lot of recent LGBTQ film provides a form of emotional reparations for everything that we didn't necessarily get growing up. Like support, and understanding. I think RWRB and Heartstoppers are just sweet fairy tales. I took All Of Us Strangers, appropriately titled, as a form of emotional reparations for those of us who didn't grow up in a sweet Gay fairy tale. Fellow Travelers comes to mind as another recent and excellent example. The director and writer, Andrew Haigh, insists that the movie overall is a story about a Gay man accepting himself and overcoming obstacles to love. One could debate that, given the final plot twist. Haigh says he wanted to make a movie that made people think. But I think you settled the question for us, @unicorn. The fact that you can go see a movie like this WITH YOUR FIANCE (a man, I assume) settles the question. To quote the fairy tale heroes of Red, White, and Royal Blue, "We won." In real life, we got the happy ending. Congratulations! Even if Gay men like Andrew Scott's character in the movie, and Andrew Haigh in real life, paid an emotional price for it.

Hey, @Moses. You're a swell guy. Can I ask a favor? Speaker Johnson in increasingly tough spot on Ukraine Sad to say, my dear. But looks like we might have a second displaced Republican House Speaker in a row. And, no. Don't ask me to explain it. I'm a Democrat, and my Dad was a Reagan Republican. So how the fuck would I know? What with all this decency and good will in Russia, do you think maybe you could find Speaker Johnson a new home? 😉

And I have bad news for you, dear. I watched the interview. And poor Russia is stuck with an evil, lying prick who excels at turning Russian men into fertilizer in Ukraine. Poor things! If you take pride in the fact that people actually are concerned to know what an evil, lying, mass murderer like Putin is up to, then good for you. It could be worse for Russia. The US is stuck with Tucker Carlson, and the best economy in the world. 1 out of 2 ain't bad. 😉 At least you can get rid of Tucker. And speaking of getting rid of journalists, I thought the funniest part of the interview was when poor Tucker asked whether Vlad might see it in his heart to free Evan Gerschkovitch, the WSJ journalist Murderous Vlad detained as a political pawn. I'll quote MV directly: What a swell guy, that Murderous Vlad! And what great journalism on Tucker's part, digging the truth out or MV! And I am sure the millions of dead and displaced mothers and children of Ukraine would agree. Murderous Vlad appears to have run out of good will and decency. Although Vlad got one thing wrong. Ukraine is perfectly willing to "reciprocate" his good will and decency. Maybe that's why nobody wants to be Russian, or go to Russia. And Russia's wonderful economy is now built around sending its men to Ukraine to become fertilizer. Organized Tourism to Russia Drops by 90% in 2022 – Kommersant With all due respect to Tucker, I knew all these things already. I'll stick with the Wall Street Journal, I think. But I'm glad Vlad enjoyed his visit with Tucker. Oh, and me being me, have to make a final point, which the Wall Street Journal expressed accurately: Ukraine-Israel Aid Package Clears Major Hurdle in Senate Some GOP lawmakers join with Democrats to advance measure The vote was 2 to 1 for Ukraine, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats. That happens to accurately reflect the 2 in 3 Americans who actually believe in standing by our principles, and our allies: Maybe when Tucker comes home he can interview our own evil, lying prick - Trump - about why he is so committed to undermining democracy, and brave people willing to die for it.

You're really going to be disappointed, aren't you? Anyhoo, Gov. Pelosi is calling her opponent, Trump, demented. And trying to push him out of the way, too. It ain't going so well. I'd assume the same with Biden. Except Dementia Joe doesn't have Gov. Pelosi running against him. And, besides, Trump can't defeat Biden. It's not possible. Ask Trump. Obama is still President.

You don't actually read, do you? You're going to be disappointed, aren't you?

From the Al Jazeera article on 2020: From the Fox story on 2022: No Democrat is claiming Hunt is a DEI House member, like Republicans are claiming Kamala is a DEI Veep. Yes, as a lifelong Democrat I'm proud of the fact that my party has been the leader (mostly) for racial and gender and LGBTQ equality for my whole life. But I take this as fruits of our victories. McCarthy knew the Republican Party could no longer be the party of White men. It's a work in progress, which has probably been set back by Trump. And I do think it is a good thing for America to be less polarized by race, gender, or sexual orientation.

Mostly. But I give them credit for this. US Republicans grow more diverse in newly won House seats Women and minorities predominate among Republican winners in 2020 House elections that trimmed Democratic control. House GOP majority younger, more diverse than it's been in years GOP ran historic number of female, African American and Hispanic candidates in 2022 This is probably giving Kevin McCarthy way too much credit. But he seemed to have this quaint idea that Republicans should focus more on recruiting female and Black and Hispanic and Asian conservatives. And less on breaking the bones of cops. Weird choices, I know. But this seemed to help McCarthy win House seats in 2020 and gain a slim majority in 2022. For that, they fired him. Why focus on building the future, when Trump wants to instead focus on the past? How could Nikki Haley (or was it Nancy Pelosi) make America great again? Loser! The plan for 2024 seems to be to make sure they stop Biden from doing anything, and call him demented. Same thing Pelosi is saying about Trump. 😉

I assume you mean the 2016 campaign. I was never thrilled with Hillary. And her Fall ads were mostly attack ads that did not worked as hoped. Whenever the gamble is that someone is unelectable (Reagan in 1980, Trump in 2016) and will be defeated if they are attacked, it simply has not worked. For the same reason, the idea that Biden is unelectable in 2024 because he is demented won't work, either. Especially if the alternative is Trump, as opposed to Haley. I found the 2020 campaign exciting. First, I was excited to get rid of Trump. Second, I think that race was about the future of the Democratic Party. But I would say that, of course, being a lifelong Democrat. It was more of a debate about hope and positive change than it was an attack ad to me. I do see both Biden and Trump as damaged goods. Biden did not look great tonight attacking a journalist for voicing how most voters, and even I think a majority of Democrats, feel about his age. I have an interesting running debate with one of my sisters-in-law that may be an irrelevant anecdote, or may help explain why Biden will win. Sorry in advance for being long-winded. In 2020 I was a fan boy of Elizabeth Warren. This sister-in-law is also a professor, so I thought she might like Warren. She didn't, at all. Her visceral reaction was negative. She liked Biden. When I asked her why, she couldn't really explain it. She's center/left. I think she probably liked the idea that Biden could win. And was more moderate than Sanders or Warren. I think a huge chunk of America felt that way. That really showed up on Super Tuesday, when Biden inexplicably won states he didn't even campaign or spend money in. Like Minnesota and Massachusetts. After Biden WON my sister-in-law reminded me of that conversation, where she couldn't really explain why she liked Biden. She said this is probably why she leaned toward Biden. He could win, and he'll be okay. Last Thanksgiving she made a point of saying how she really hopes Biden does not run again. Mostly because of the age thing. Being a bit of a bitch, I asked her what she was thinking in 2020. Because Biden seemed old then, too. But it's fair that in 2020 people were worried about 2020, not 2024. I get it. So I personally feel like I am stuck with the consequences of a choice my party made in 2020 I was never fully on board with. Now I feel I have no choice. I like Biden, and I mostly approve of his Presidency. But he is too old to be POTUS That said, he is still way better than Trump, who is also old and much scarier to me. There is no evidence in polling that dumping the incumbent for someone else would make it easier to beat Trump. The opposite. It would tear the party apart, most likely. Since the polls show Democrats are split about who that someone else might be. Whitmer is the only one who does a little bit better than Biden in polling against Trump. And even that's close. Newsom does no better, and Harris does worse in polls. Allan Lichtman, who has guessed every race for POTUS right since 1984, is saying loudly that dumping an incumbent and having a big party fight (like in 1980) is always a recipe for disaster. Stick with Biden if you want to win, is his message. So my guess is, in the end, the naysayers who Biden needs like my sister-in-law will fall in line. Right now they are telling pollsters maybe they like RFK or maybe they like someone else or maybe they won't vote. But the main reason why I think they'll fall in line is that the alternative is Trump. Literally, a little bit demented may be relatively better than a fascist who seems out of his mind. And is quite old, too, by the way. So 2024 will be all attack, all the time, in a way 2016 or 2020 or 2022 were not, I think. Trump and Biden both need to make the other look even worse. Every one of my nieces and nephews who are center or left think Biden is way too old. They can't wait for someone younger and better. So the good news about the negativity of 2024 is it probably does set up an election in 2028 that is about generational change. It's time. Most Presidents since 1992 have been Baby Boomers. Or older, in Biden's case.