Open Thread for Thursday, June 2, 2022

A screenshot from WSJ video…

Some news, and a few odds and ends:

  1. The latest horrible, senseless shooting — Because it keeps happening, over and over and over. This one bought his “AR-15-style weapon about an hour before the attack.”
  2. Her Majesty’s a pretty nice girl — Unfortunately, I think she got a bit knackered with all the celebrating today, and I’m glad she’s going to take a break tomorrow. After all, she’s 96. And while I thought “Charles III” was an interesting “what-if” drama, I’m in no hurry to get to the real thing. I don’t think many of us are…
  3. Are the Movies Liberal? — An interesting, although not awesome, piece by a critic at the NYT. The subhed is, “Everyone knows Hollywood is progressive. But look at the films it churns out. They tell another story.” Well, yeah. Because as the piece says, movies are for everybody, and so they generally offer something for everybody, in order to keep the bucks rolling in. The piece makes some interesting points — and some that are off-kilter — but it’s an interesting read, even though it falls short of having all the answers.
  4. Top Democrats challenging McMaster say Republicans setting the wrong course for SC — Well, yeah, but what are you gonna do about it? I means in terms of actually getting elected so you can do anything about it? I have to say I’m not terribly impressed, and probably won’t sacrifice my chance to have an actual say in who represents me in June by asking for a Democratic ballot. I did so in 2018 because James offered me somebody I could actually feel positive about voting for — and of course I went on to do far more than just vote. I don’t see anyone offering me that this year.
  5. Russia Now Controls a Fifth of Ukraine — That’s depressing, even though 100 days ago, we would have expected it to be all of Ukraine by now. I just hope the country can continue to hang on, and that we continue to do what we should to help.

24 thoughts on “Open Thread for Thursday, June 2, 2022

  1. Doug Ross

    The January 6 hearings on TV were a dud. 20 million viewers across who knows how many channels. As a comparison, two weeks ago the regular shows on the three networks besides Fox (Young Sheldon, The United States of AI, and Ghosts ) got almost 20 million viewers. The NBA playoff game the other day for more viewers than any hearing broadcast on any channel.

    And if that was supposed to be the big reveal, it fell flatter than Geraldo Rivera’s opening of Al Capone’s safe. Really, Liz Cheney making unsubstantiated claims? That was it? Imagine a Democrat 20 years ago hoping the spawn of Dick Cheney would be their savior.

    It’s over and done. The deflection from the actual issues facing the country failed. The midterms will be a wipeout and Biden will be a lame duck in 6 months.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      Apparently, at Doug’s house, the TV got different hearings from the ones at my house. Or rather, at the homes and offices of the people who wrote all the accounts of it that I read this morning. As you know, I don’t watch much TV. I did watch the Watergate hearings. But so did everyone. We were a different country then, and a better country.

      I gather from Doug’s comments that he thinks if few people watched it, or if it was in some other way unpopular, that means it has no value. Doug is all the time blasting political consultants, but sometimes it really seems that he thinks like one…

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        Oh, and Doug, nothing is “over and done.” The hearings continue Monday.

        I won’t be watching then, either. I will, as always, read about it.

        The stuff I read is stressful enough, seeing what has happened to our country. I don’t need to listen to people talking about it on TV for hours.

        But I think the hearings are a needed thing, for some of the same reasons George Will says that they are

          1. Barry

            Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News on Sirius this afternoon at 1:05pm

            “the most interesting thing today was that the committee did a really good job showing that on election night when every Trump advisor was telling Trump not to say he won and urging him to avoid such statements, he was only willing to listen to Rudy Guiliani because Rudy was telling him what he wanted to hear – and according to multiple Trump advisors, Rudy appeared to be intoxicated. “

            1. Brad Warthen Post author

              Well, you would sort of have to be — intoxicated, I mean.

              One of the most amazing things about Trump is that everyone says he’s a teetotaler…

              1. Doug Ross

                “everyone says he is a teetotaler” — apparently that is the standard of proof these days. Not that there is not a single shred of evidence that Trump drinks.

                Anonymous people “Senior Trump Officials” say Guiliani was drunk and that becomes “news”. Who went on the record to make that claim? The depths that supposed journalists have sunk to in the past five years would embarrass any other industry. Anonymous sources used for clicks has ruined the reputation of the entire news media.

                1. Brad Warthen Post author

                  Yeah, here’s one of those anonymous accounts:

                  A video of Jason Miller, a senior Trump campaign adviser, flashed on the screen above the dais in the Cannon Caucus Room. “The mayor was definitely intoxicated,” Miller testified, but “I do not know his level of intoxication when he spoke with the president.”

                  But don’t worry; Rudy says that’s totally untrue. It seems he was just high on Diet Coke

                  Frankly, it seems to me they’re trying to give Rudy an out: He was just drunk, not crazy…

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            A much-neglected song from the “Let It Be” album…

            Of course, it could still become a huge hit. Look at what happened to “Across the Universe.” It was at least as neglected as “I’ve Got a Feeling” for several decades. Then Fiona Apple did that excellent cover, and they actually, amazingly, named that movie after it.

            As a consequence, I suspect everyone born AFTER the album came out in 1970 thinks it was one of the Beatles’ greatest hits. Which is kind of funny…

      2. Barry

        20 million is more than I thought would tune in given Fox News spending time telling people there was no reason to watch it.

        Afterwards, Fox News and conservative tv and radio largely avoided mentioning how many people watched- which illustrates they weren’t happy that so many people watched it.

        20 million watching in June is pretty darn good if- like me- they were on vacation or out of the country (which I was). I didn’t watch it. I read news accounts of it.

  2. Doug Ross

    I just watched the SC Democratic Governor debate that was on ETV last week. Yikes! Unfortunately, we may be stuck with Henry McMaster for four more years based on these candidates.

    Mia McLeod was just a rambling mess… and visually it was off-putting to see her long hair constantly fall in front of her face. She tried to suggest that kids are being sent to juvenile justice for little things like chewing gum in class.

    Cunningham was okay but just repeated the same tired Democrat lines – pay teachers more, raise the minimum wage (that has already happened naturally with so many open jobs)… he’s a younger, prettier version of Sheheen and Smith.

    The third guy, Boyd, was your typical “hasn’t got a chance” candidate who at one point suggested that a teacher who left her job to sell candles was a good sign for the economy. He was all over the place.

    All McMaster has to do is show up and he’ll win easily.

    1. Doug Ross

      McCleod: “Democrats have to stop running as Republican-Lite.” Seriously? Who was that? James Smith and Vincent Sheheen?

      She also responded to a question related to the high number of people moving into the state by claiming that people are actually leaving the state. Really? Has she seen the growth in the Midlands, Upstate, and Charleston area?

    2. Brad Warthen Post author

      I think we’ve known that for awhile, ever since it became apparent that no one stronger than Cunningham and Sen. McLeod would run (I’ve never heard of this “Boyd” person). Although something unexpected could happen.

      It’s why I have no motivation to take a Democratic ballot tomorrow (and therefore had no motivation to watch the debate). If I DID, I guess I’d vote for Cunningham. He’s unobjectionable, whereas Mia reminded us last week that she can’t hold herself back from lashing out at people unnecessarily — which has always been disturbing.

      The stakes in the Republican primary are higher and more varied… multiple races where the Republican will likely win the election, so it really matters which of them get the nomination…

      1. Barry

        I’m not going to vote.

        Even though there are a few Republicans in my area that I prefer over some of the real right wing-nuts on the ballot with them, in good conscience I can’t ask for a Republican ballot at my polling place. I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I did that.

        Plus, if my neighbors don’t vote for the reasonable republicans in our county for office and vote for right wing- nuts opposing them (including one that publicly stated that South Carolina had done enough for “blacks”) they deserve to get exactly what is coming to them if they vote for folks like that.

        So no vote for me.

        1. Brad Warthen Post author

          Barry, take responsibility for your state.

          When you say, “Even though there are a few Republicans in my area that I prefer over some of the real right wing-nuts on the ballot with them, in good conscience I can’t ask for a Republican ballot at my polling place” you’re refusing to take responsibility. You can’t blame your neighbors. If those “nuts” get elected and you didn’t even try to stop them, that’s on you. If you vote and they get elected anyway, you have some room to talk about the neighbors.

          Also, when you say, “they deserve to get exactly what is coming to them,” do you think YOU deserve it, too? Because you’re getting it as much as they are.

          You have almost three hours left before the polls close. Please, for your own sake — and mine, and the sakes of every rational human being in South Carolina — go vote. Please…

    3. Doug Ross

      Cunningham is more than a little bit of a doppelganger for David Duchovny from his Californication days… He may charm the ladies to beat Henry.

      Mia was still wearing her mask in a photo after the debate, shaking hands with Cunningham. She’s run a terrible campaign.. didn’t release fundraising numbers on time… kept the mask on in public events… why we have her as a choice instead of Mandy is beyond me. Maybe Mandy felt she had to step aside for demographics sake?

      1. Brad Warthen Post author

        I talked with Mandy way back before this started. From what she said, I think that was probably part of her thinking.

        And she didn’t say this, but just after losing her seat to someone who knew NOTHING beyond how to put an R after her name, she might not have felt like going through the grinder again, and on a much, much larger scale.

        I worried about Mandy in 2018, running so hard all day and driving home to Lancaster every night — and then being back in Columbia the next morning. And that was easier than what James had to do, since he started about six months or more before she did. She’s far younger and has a lot more energy than I do, but I would not have liked to see her try to do it all again so soon…

        1. Barry

          She seems to be enjoying her life a lot, travelling, etc….

          She’s sane and rational.

          and you are right, the lady she lost to literally didn’t know how state government even worked. It was pathetic.

          When you lose to someone like that, you realize it’s just not worth wasting your breath on your neighbors.

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