Helen H. Moore's Blog, page 707
July 26, 2016
Bernie vs. “The Bachelorette”: When reality and “reality” collide on TV
Bernie Sanders; JoJo Fletcher of "The Bachelorette" (Credit: AP/Mark J. Terrill/ABC)
Well, this is dispiriting. The news that a number of Twitter users flipped out over the fact that Bernie Sanders’ speech interrupted the broadcast of “The Bachelorette” Monday evening is nearly enough to make you lose faith in the democratic process. Sanders has had to fight Hillary Clinton — the personification of the Democratic party establishment — as well as his own supporters, who’ve resisted his move toward party unity. He’s girded to help the party repel Donald Trump. And now he’s being attacked by fans of JoJo Fletcher?
As someone who thinks politics is worth following, especially this year, I’m going to suggest that the Sanders speech was important, whether you like the guy’s policy positions or not. At the very least, it’s more important than a reality dating show that has little feel of actual reality.
But here’s another way to look at this: The griping of “Bachelorette” fans is not simply shallow, immature behavior, but rather something culturally logical.
“The personal is the political” has been a mantra of the left for decades now. Rapper KRS-One titled one of Boogie Down Productions’ album “Edutainment.” The right has demonstrated its mastery, too, beginning with Nixon’s use of television, the Reagan administration’s mastery of stagecraft, and the high-energy showmanship of Fox News. There’s always been an element of show business in television news, but it’s exploded in recent years, and the ideology doesn’t make any difference.
At the same time, journalists have devoted themselves to pulling the curtain off of politics and showing what really happens in what used to be rooms opaque with smoke. Politics, we hear, is about “optics” and “shaping the narrative.” Entertainment reporters help us get “behind the music”; Comic-Con panels and TV shows explain how a movie or television show was built.
And while “The Bachelorette” and similar shows don’t capture a very representative slice of life — how many of us really live that way? — they are supposedly “reality” television. Meanwhile, Hollywood actors routinely tell us who they are voting for, what political causes they support, and why feminism or black lives or the right to bear arms matters. Late-night comedians often get into politics better than the traditional newscasts. Stand-up comics are the new social critics or philosopher kings and queens.
So the news has gotten more like entertainment and entertainment has become more infused with ideology and real ideas. I’m not the first person to observe this: Media critic Neil Postman, and everyone who’s looked closely at politics since the 1970s or so, has seen the process taking place. At the very least, there’s been a flattening of everything that’s on television, as programming conforms to the demands of the medium. Let’s leave aside for now whether this is a sign of social progress or a trivialization of the culture.
But one thing we can be pretty sure of is that it’s happening. And that makes the domination of one kind of TV (a silly piece of entertainment that nonetheless makes claims to its “realness”) by another (a speech at a political convention that was itself quite stage-managed) a little more complicated than it seems.
If you’ve been told for your whole life that ideology is everywhere, that politics is about manipulation, that everything is a species of entertainment, why wouldn’t you be upset when one of your favorite shows was interrupted by one you weren’t particularly interested in? Given the way political races are typically covered, doesn’t the fight for the Democratic nomination strike a lot of people as being at least a little bit like JoJo’s choice between Chase, Robby, and the rest?
This all said, I’m hoping some of these Tweets (“Trying to watch the bachelorette and all I see is Bernie Sanders. This is what is wrong with America.”) are just jokes.
July 25, 2016
“Trump’s entire campaign is just one more late-night Trump infomercial”: Elizabeth Warren hits hard despite hecklers at DNC
Hecklers could be heard intermintelly throughout Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren’s much anticipated Democratic National Convention speech Monday night, but the popular progressive managed to deliver a convincing, if not the most passionate, case against Donald Trump’s bid for the White House.
“We trusted you! We trusted you!” apparent Bernie Sanders delegates chanted as Warren delivered her primetime address. Following a rousing speech from first lady Michelle Obama, already high energy levels in the Wells Fargo Convention Center helped lift what began as a rather slow speech to another classic Warren diss list hitting Trump.
Trump can see voter anger “from the top of Trump Tower,” Warren told the crowd. And he tells voters that “he and he alone can fixed the rigged system,” she said. The New York businessman is merely a demagogue “for fanning the flames of fear and hatred” for political gain.
“An America of fear and hate. An America where we all break apart. Whites against blacks and Latinos. Christians against Muslims and Jews. Straight against gay. Everyone against immigrants. Race, religion, heritage, gender — the more factions the better.”
“That’s Donald Trump’s America,” Warren said.
“What kind of a man acts like this? What kind of a man roots for an economic crash?”
What kind of a man cheats students, cheats investors, cheats workers? A man who must never be president of the United States.”
Elizabeth Warren, often referred to as Pocahontas, just misrepresented me and spoke glowingly about Crooked Hillary, who she always hated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2016
Bernie Sanders: “Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States —I’m proud to stand by her”
Senator and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RTSJMKQ (Credit: Reuters)
After a day that, to be frank, didn’t go well for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, and a weekend of revelations that didn’t do much either for the DNC or its chosen candidate, a lot more seemed to be riding on the former Democratic hopeful’s convention speech than was initially anticipated — so much so that CNN is reporting that Sanders was still revising it less than an hour before he took the stage.
But once he actually took the stage, his position was clear and endorsement full-throated — Hillary Clinton is not GOP nominee Donald Trump, no matter how corrupt Sanders’ supporters consider her. Sanders also had a series of hard acts to follow, as New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren all electrified the crowd.
Granted, Sanders had difficulty quieting the crowd at first, as many of his supporters refused to allow him to speak. “Thank you,” he said repeatedly, before being allowed to admit that “it is an honor to here tonight and to be following in the footsteps of my friend Elizabeth Warren, and Michelle Obama,” as well as “the hundreds of thousands of Americans who actively participated in our campaigns,” and “the two and a half million Americans who helped fund our campaign with eight million individual contributions.”
He thanked the delegates pledged to him, saying “I look forward to your votes during the roll call tomorrow night.”
“I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed in the results of the nomination process,” Sanders said. “But to all of our supporters, I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we achieved. Together, we have begun a political revolution to transform America, and that revolution — our revolution — continues.”
“But the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent – a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice – that struggle continues. And I look forward to being part of that struggle with you.”
Sanders insisted that the election is “not about what the media spends so much time discussing. This election is about – and must be about – the needs of the American people and the kind of future we create for our children and grandchildren.” He continued, saying this “election is about ending the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality that we currently experience, the worst it has been since 1928. It is not moral, not acceptable and not sustainable that the top one-tenth of one percent now own almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent, or that the top 1 percent in recent years has earned 85 percent of all new income.”
“We need leadership in this country which will improve the lives of working families, the children, the elderly, the sick and the poor. We need leadership which brings our people together and makes us stronger – not leadership which insults Latinos, Muslims, women, African-Americans and veterans – and divides us up.”
“By these measures,” Sanders said, “any objective observer will conclude that – based on her ideas and her leadership – Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close.”
“Our job now is to see that platform implemented by a Democratic Senate, a Democratic House and a Hillary Clinton presidency – and I am going to do everything I can to make that happen,” Sanders concluded.
“I have known Hillary Clinton for 25 years. I remember her as a great first lady who broke precedent in terms of the role that a first lady was supposed to play as she helped lead the fight for universal health care. I served with her in the United States Senate and know her as a fierce advocate for the rights of children. Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding president and I am proud to stand with her here tonight.”
Some of the reactions from Twitter:
Bernie's getting that "reason Steve Martin quit standup" applause.
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) July 26, 2016
Bernie's posture is horrendous. if he had the gorilla mindset posture he would have won the primary in March
— small business owner (@ByYourLogic) July 26, 2016
There's only one way for Bernie to end this speech. pic.twitter.com/KXho6ijnsu
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) July 26, 2016
I guess not the most important thing but Bernie's hair is looking particularly caesarly tonight.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 26, 2016
The real winner of the Bernie campaign: The 27 dollar bill
— Mike Murphy (@mcwm) July 26, 2016
Michelle Obama issues full-throated endorsement of “tenacious” Hillary Clinton: “She has never quit on anything in her life”
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama speaks during the first session at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich - RTSJMFJ (Credit: Reuters)
First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Monday to pledge her support for the woman her husband defeated in the 2008 primaries — and she did so in a powerful and unqualified manner, undeterred by the scandals that are currently plaguing the party.
Unlike the speeches by former primary opponents at the Republican National Convention, which ranged from half-hearted to openly defiant and spiteful, the first lady showed no animus toward her husband’s 2008 challenger, beginning by saying “that it’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since I came to this convention to say why I believed my husband should president.”
“Remember how I told you about his character and conviction, his decency and grace,” she asked, “the traits we’ve seen every day since he’s been in the White House?” The first lady discussed the difficulties of raising children in the White House, especially when it came to urging “them to ignore those who questioned their father’s citizenship or faith. How we insist that the hateful language they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of the people of this country. How we explain that when someone is cruel and acts like a bully, we don’t stoop to their level.”
“Our motto is,” Obama said, “‘when they go low, we go high.'”
“I am here tonight there is only one person I trust with the responsibility to be president of the United States,” she continued, “and that is our friend — Hillary Clinton. See, I trust Hillary to lead this country because I’ve seen her life-long devotion to our nation’s children. Not just her own daughter, but every child who needs a champion.” She praised Clinton for “doing the relentless, thankless job of making a difference in kids’ lives. When she didn’t win the nomination eight years ago, she didn’t get angry or disillusioned, she didn’t get angry, pack up, and go home.”
“She proudly stepped up to serve our country once again to serve this country as secretary of state,” Obama said, noting that she could easily have begged off and claimed that she was tired of a life of public scrutiny. “But here’s the thing — what I admire most about Hillary is that she never buckled under pressure, she never takes the easy way out. Hillary Clinton has never quit on anything in her life.”
“In this election, we cannot sit back and hope that everything works out for the best. We cannot afford to be tired or frustrated or cynical — between now and November we need to do what we did eight years ago, and four years go, and knock on every door, get out every vote,” she said.
“Love always trumps hate”: Corey Booker recites Maya Angelou and brings down the house at DNC
(Credit: AP PHOTO/PAUL SANCYA)
What began as rowdy and chaotic opening afternoon for the Democratic National Convention gave way to an electric and rousing primetime lineup of emotional speeches by the nation’s top Democrats, anchored by the only black Democratic senator reciting Maya Angelou’s most iconic poem.
“Let me tell your right now, when Trump spews insulting and demeaning words about our fellow Americans, I think that poem by Maya Angelou,” New Jersey Senator Corey Booker said during a speech that was occasionally interrupted by chants of “Black Lives Matter” and “War Hawk.”
“‘You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt. But still, like dust, I’ll rise,'” he said, reciting the famous Angelou poem with help from the crowded hall.
“Let us declare a day that we will be a free people, free from fear and intimidation,” he later said. “We are the United States of America. Our best days are ahead of us. Together with Hillary Clinton as our president, America, we will rise.”
“I respect and value the ideals of rugged individualism and self-reliance. But rugged individualism didn’t defeat the British, it didn’t get us to the moon, build our nation’s highways or map the human genome. We did that together,” Booker said in his convention speech. “This is the high call of patriotism. Patriotism is love of country. But you can’t love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen. We don’t always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground, we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good.”
“We’ve watched Donald Trump, our children, our daughters, our nieces, and grandkids have watched him calling women women degrading names: ‘dog,’ ‘fat pig,’ ‘disgusting,’ animal,’” Booker continued, turning his attention to the GOP nominee. “It is a twisted hypocrisy when he treats other women in a manner he would never, ever accept from another man speaking about his daughters or his wife.”
“Trump said he would run our country like he would run his businesses,” Booker said. “Well, I am from Jersey, and we see how he leads in Atlantic City. He got rich while his companies declared multiple bankruptcies.”
Watch the full speech below:
Booker’s speech was apparently so good it warranted a quick response from the notoriously thin-skinned GOP nominee:
If Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party, they have no future! I know more about Cory than he knows about himself.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2016
“I think Bernie’s about to declare his 2016 candidacy!”: Patton Oswalt sets gold standard of Twitter commentary during DNC Convention
patton_oswalt (Credit: AP/Chris Pizzello)
As evidenced by his fire tweet-storm on Monday night, comedian — and star of the upcoming “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ reboot — Patton Oswalt watched night one of the Democratic National Convention on MSNBC. Though making no mention of his contemporary Sarah Silverman’s buzzed-about performance, Oswalt did produce a string of gems.
Enjoy:
Do the "Bernie or Bust" people know the "Bust" stands for "Donald Trump shitting out of his dick on America"? #DemsInPhilly #ImWithHer
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
STOP TALKING ABOUT COMEDY BRIAN AND RACHEL HOLY JESUS FUCKING FUCK. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
Wow, people really hate talking to Chris Matthews. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
"He could employ the use of comedy." Brian Williams on Al Franken. Also, a robot talking about Al Franken. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
On New Jersey Senator Cory Booker:
Huh. @CoryBooker is gonna be president someday. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
Oh, "Cynicism is the refuge of cowards"? Really, @CoryBooker? I just gave you the finger from under my couch. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
On First Lady Michelle Obama:
MELANIA: Can we tell newspeppers dat she take dees speech from me?
DONALD: Honey, quiet. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
Michelle Obama. Damn. But I already knew how amazing women named "Michelle" are. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
I don't think anyone can follow this. Michelle Obama. Wow. Van Halen opening for Sabbath in '78. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
And, of course, Vermont senator and Democratic runner-up, Bernie Sanders:
OhmyGod they're playing Bernie on with "Frankie Teardrop." #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
I think Bernie's about to declare his 2016 candidacy! #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
I love you, Bernie. We all do. Good job, man. #DemsInPhilly
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) July 26, 2016
Sarah Silverman rips into Sanders supporters at the DNC: “To the ‘Bernie or Bust’ people — you’re being ridiculous”
(Credit: Reuters/Danny Moloshok)
Comedian Sarah Silverman took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and announced that she “feels the Bern — but not to worry, she put some cream on it.” She later attacked those who, unlike her, refused to recognize that they’d be betraying what Sanders stood for if they don’t support Clinton.
Clearly frustrated by the chorus of boos and shouts from Sanders supporters, Silverman snapped: “Can I just say to the ‘Bernie or Bust’ people — you’re being ridiculous.”
Dirty jokes notwithstanding, it was clear why the national committee wanted such an outspoken Sanders supporter like Silverman at the podium — to highlight how Sanders pushed Clinton to the left, and to appeal to Sanders’ remaining supporters to oppose Donald Trump.
“Not only did Bernie wake us up [to the problems with Citizens United],” she said, “he made us understand what is possible and what we deserve.” She claimed that Sanders showed “that all Americans deserve quality healthcare and education, not just the wealthy elites.”
“That sounds so obvious, who wouldn’t agree with that?” Silverman asked, before adding that she “believes that people who weren’t born with the same opportunities as you and me should be given the same opportunities as you and me — and all it takes to accomplish this is everyone, all of us.”
“Or,” she said, quoting Hillary Clinton, “as one pretty kick-ass woman once said, ‘it takes a village.'”
Silverman said that the Democratic primary had been “exemplary, no talk about how big people’s hands are or whether they go to the bathroom, that’s stuff for third graders — like major arrested development stuff. That’s ‘I’m still emotionally four and I’m still calling people names from my gold encrusted sandbox because I was given money instead of human touch or coping skills.”
“Hillary is our nominee,” she concluded, “and I will proudly vote for her. It’s inspiring! A few years ago she was just a secretary, and now she’s going to be president! I am proud to be a part of Bernie’s movement, and a vital part of that moment is making sure Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States.”
After being villainized at the RNC, undocumented immigrants take centerstage at Democratic convention
(Credit: NBC News)
The first standing ovation of the 2016 Democratic National Convention already besieged by tensions among delegates and the consistent groan of boos throughout the Philadelphia convention hall came after an 11-year old delivered her emotional testimony about her fear that her parents would be deported — days after the Republican convention in Cleveland featured speaker after speaker demonizing undocumented immigrants as criminals terrorizing U.S. communities.
Immigration activist Karla Ortiz, along with her mother Francisca, delivered a tear-jerker Monday.
“Even when I was little, my parents were always crying, but I didn’t understand why,” the U.S. citizen and Nevada resident told the crowd. Her parents are both undocumented immigrants. More from Buzzfeed:
In October 2013, after a lawyer repeatedly accepted money from the Ortiz family but didn’t help them, immigration agents came to detain Karla Ortiz’ father. His status, and her mother’s, are perilous. They were given an order of deportation but were granted a stay after Sen. Harry Reid and former Rep. Steven Horsford intervened.
“What if I come home and find it empty,” Ortiz told the Wells Fargo Convention Center. “I’m scared that at any moment, my mom and dad will be forced to leave”
Karla Ortiz, whose parents are undocumented: “I’m scared that at any moment, my mom and dad will be forced to leave” pic.twitter.com/ro3Tciteyz
— POLITICO (@politico) July 26, 2016
While campaigning on Valentine’s Day in Las Vegas earlier this year, Clinton was asked by then 10-year-old Ortiz about the plight of her parents, a moment captured by the campaign for an ad.
“I’m going to do everything I can so you don’t have to be scared and you don’t have to worry too much about your mom or your dad or somebody else in your family,” Clinton says in the commercial, calling for Ortiz to sit on her lap.
Astrid Silva, perhaps the nation’s most visible DREAMer who was campaigning with Clinton when she first encountered Ortiz, also addressed the DNC Monday.
Despite Bernie’s request for party unity, Sanders delegates kept booing Clinton’s name
Representative Marcia Fudge (D-OH) speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 25, 2016 REUTERS/Rick Wilking. - RTSJLNC (Credit: Reuters)
For a brief, shining moment on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, it seemed that things were going to proceed smoothly, despite a contentious primary between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. There had been talk among Sanders supporters of walkouts and booing, but Sanders had sent out an email to delegates, asking them to refrain.
At first, it seemed it might work. The tone on the floor before the gavel drop was cheery, in strong contrast to the doom-and-gloom environment of the RNC in Cleveland the week before. Boyz II Men sang “Motownphilly,” and both Sanders and Clinton supporters boogied to the sweet sounds of 90s-era doo-wop-inflected R&B. Everyone had a cackle when Stephanie Rawlings Blake forgot that she actually need to pound the gavel when kicking off the convention.
But things went sour quickly, when Dr. Cynthia Hale offered an invocation that mentioned Clinton’s name. Without a moment’s thought of what it looks like to interrupt a prayer on national television, Sanders supporters in the crowd started booing and chanting, “Bernie! Bernie!”
It set the tone for the next couple of hours. Nearly every time Clinton’s name was spoken, a loud and angry crowd of Sanders supporters erupted in outrage, booing as if they could somehow overcome the popular vote through decibel levels. Rep. Marcia Fudge could barely get through her speech, due to the overwhelming ugliness from the crowd.
“Thank you or not, as the case may be,” Barney Frank, a frequent critic of Sanders, snarked in response to this sauciness from Sanders supporters.
The scene had unfortunate racial undertones. It did not go unnoticed on Twitter that black women often got booed the worst when speaking, and that Rep. Elijah Cummings was interrupted with chanting about the TPP when he was trying to speak about civil rights. Considering that Sanders performed better with white people and Clinton much better with voters of color, this was a bad look.
The whole display was puzzling, because all the available evidence shows that Sanders supporters are not actually blind with Clinton hatred at all. Polling data shows the vast majority of Sanders supporters plan to vote for Clinton. But there were early hints of just how off-the-rails the anger was getting when, earlier in the day at a Sanders rally, his supposed supporters booed him when he asked them to support Clinton.
“Bernie’s a smart guy and he knows how to play politics,” Sarah Knowlton, a delegate from Indianapolis, said when asked about the earlier booing. “I think he was saying it because he thinks he has to.”
“I don’t think he knows or understands,” she continued, “that there’s still so many people behind him, that are Bernie or bust.”
When asked if she was Bernie or bust, Knowlton said, “I’ll vote for Bernie as many times as I can, but when I can’t vote for Bernie anymore, yeah, I’ll make sure that Donald Trump is not the next president of the United States.”
Another Sanders delegate from Michigan, Khesha Duncan, showed the same unwillingness to say anything positive about Clinton. Even though she said she loved Barack Obama — though not as much as she loves Sanders — she did not have the same enthusiasm for Clinton, calling her the “lesser of two evils”.
“I understand the excitement for the first woman president,” Duncan added. “But that’s about all I can say.”
Speaking with Clinton supporters, however, a different attitude towards the opponent emerged. Maureen McKenna and Sandra McClinton of the Democratic Women’s Club of Florida expressed enthusiasm for hearing Sanders speech.
“Well, I always liked him and admired him,” McClinton said, adding that she simply feels Clinton is “more qualified candidate we’ve ever had”.
“We appreciate all his efforts and that he has always caucused with the Democrats,” McKenna added, “but we’re looking forward to Hillary.”
But while McClinton and McKenna were mildly positive about Sanders, they didn’t feel the same about some of his supporters. When asked about the booing of Sanders earlier that day, McKenna joked that Sanders is trying to “tame the dragon”.
This disparity was felt in the crowd’s energy. While Sanders was mentioned repeatedly throughout the day, few, if any Clinton supporters booed at the sound of his name.
Eventually, the booing of Clinton did trail off, though it never stopped completely.
Perhaps Sanders supporters really heard and took seriously Wellington Webb’s speech, which featured the Denver mayor declaring that both Sanders and Clinton “deserve our cheers”. Perhaps they just got tired.
But it was sadly too late. The narrative about embittered Sanders supporters putting their anger at losing ahead of party unity, despite the very real danger of a Donald Trump win, was already the story of the night.
Salon at the DNC: Watch Josh Zepps’ chat with WaPo’s Dan Zak about the perils of Trump’s “unpredictable” foreign policy
During Salon’s Facebook Live on Monday morning, “We The People” host Josh Zepps spoke with The Washington Post’s Dan Zak about the potential threat of GOP nominee Donald Trump’s ambiguous foreign policy. In a foreign policy interview with The New York Times last week, Trump suggested that as president he’d assess case-by-case whether to lend military support to NATO allies targeted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “When you have two countries that have arsenals that alone could cause the end of the world, you don’t necessarily want unpredictability,” Zak explained. “You want very particular predictability.”
Watch the clip above.
