I listened to Bill Maher's monologue last night and thought "yeah, that's spot on". Watched it again just now, and thought "fuck that really is depressing".
i felt mostly the same way unless he actually said that "if you don't celebrate Israel's "birthday:", you're an Anti Semite. That has to be a some kind of a stupid joke.
I just don't understand how Andrew Sullivan can write so well on every topic (even when I sometimes disagree with his conclusions or arguments) except for Israel, where he suddenly turns into a mouth-frothing lunatic willing to believe any and all blood labels, no matter how completely fucking ridiculous.
Andrew does have a tendency to get fixated on a topic, and even as he seeks out contrary opinions, those interactions serve to only make him dig in more. I still am amazed at the patience displayed by Eli Lake when he was recently on The Dish pod.
I think Andrew becoming a "mouth-frothing lunatic" on Israel is a product of two things. One, he is deeply antizionist as so many in the West have become; it is a horrifying mind virus. Two, he has an obsession regarding being wrong about the Iraq War. It was good that he publicly acknowledged his error in judgment, but after doing a mea culpa several years ago, he has refused to move on. He has a compulsion to not repeat the same mistake. His most recent Substack piece, for example, while ostensibly about Kristof's claims regarding Israel was mostly about rehashing Abu Ghraib, including the photo he chose to illustrate the piece. When it comes to all things Middle East, Andrew is seemingly stuck in Iraq circa 2004.
I mentioned this in a thread for Barpod and it struck me that there are a lot of people who I consider to be reasonable writers, who, when discussing Israel, go off into this weird tangent that seems utterly unhinged.
I think he lost both his mind and his soul over Israel. Ever since they rejected his sainted President Obama. His upcoming interview of Ben "Hamas" Rhodes should be a banger.
Welch identifies the most important paradox happening in Republican politics right now and is the first person besides myself who I've heard saying it clearly: Trump is politically weakening at the national level at exact moment his control over the party's primary infrastructure is reaching its peak. Do these two things cancel each other out. Nope.
What it actually means is the GOP is being optimized for loyalty at the precise moment it needs to be optimized for electability.
And Cassidy voting to confirm RFK as a physician who built a career on vaccines is what it looks like when you watch a person publicly dismantling their own credibility in real time because the alternative = political extinction. That's a hostage situation.
I love covering this kind of structural... where political incentives actively work against political survival. Come and check out my page if that's your frequency.
Using a picture from Abu Ghraib as the thumbnail photo for an article about Israel, as Sullvan did in this case, is absolutely despicable. It's really telling the the critics of Israel have very little (though I admit not zero) actual abuses to work with so they have to resort to lies and misleading juxtaposition. I've seen photos of Assad's atrocities falsely labeled as Israeli attacks in Gaza and kids wasting from cancer falsely labeled as starvation victims. Sullivan is no better.
Why are otherwise reasonable people still coming out to bat for Massie? The dude's completely lost it, the Epstein stuff is odious conspiratorial kookery, as his selective focus on Israel.
Of all the publications I have considered subscribing to, The Dispatch is the one I keep returning to. Maybe when I have more time, appreciate the shout out.
Also really enjoy these oddball movie recommendations.
Thank you for highlighting Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter—oh shit!—Clarence Carter! The dude rocked and I was lucky to see on stage a few times, usually before BB.
I knew and was friendly with Massie for years before Trump was even a little orange gleam in our eyes.... Tended to like/agree with 85%, vehemently disagree with 15%. That may be more like 75/25 now, or lower, with the disagreement stuff way more vehement than before. On balance I want independent actors/thinkers in Congress, especially this Congress, and I want Trump to have less, not more sway in the national GOP. Doesn't help that Massie's opponent wants to bring back the military draft....
I understand the admirable positions, but the feelings are similar to those I have about TC/MK/et. al. There are certain lines for me where crossing them is very difficult to forgive.
The IRGC are irredeemable. Same for most Communists. Khmer Rouge.
Do you know the routine Louis CK did on SNL about how child molesting has to be the greatest thing in the world because why else would anyone risk the terrible outcome of being caught? Sometimes I think being a Cabinet or Congress member must be the greatest job ever because why would so many people debase themselves and sell out any principle they might have had just to keep the position?
Ross Barkan has just been accused of plagiarism in that article and a few others, and New York Magazine has ordered an investigation of the accusations
Hey All, I am going to the live show (i am Hungarian living in Switzerland) w some friends. Since a 4th friend could not join, I have a free ticket if anyone interested.
if Maher REALLY said (as your ex pal Megyn Kelly claimed) that if you do NOT "celebrate" Israel's birthday, you're an anti-Semite - then I am going to have to call massive BULLSHIT on Maher, who has been a favorite of mine since his days at ABC. I don't have to "celebrate" ANYTHING, much less another country's 'birthday". The Israel of Likud and today's post Likud is a FAR far cry from the moral standing that country had going back to 1968 and 1973.
Rarely miss the show I enjoy it so much, but I find the writing for the monologue so weak that I skip to the first interview. Think he's far better off the cuff and the seated bits than with his stand-up.
I listened to Bill Maher's monologue last night and thought "yeah, that's spot on". Watched it again just now, and thought "fuck that really is depressing".
i felt mostly the same way unless he actually said that "if you don't celebrate Israel's "birthday:", you're an Anti Semite. That has to be a some kind of a stupid joke.
I just don't understand how Andrew Sullivan can write so well on every topic (even when I sometimes disagree with his conclusions or arguments) except for Israel, where he suddenly turns into a mouth-frothing lunatic willing to believe any and all blood labels, no matter how completely fucking ridiculous.
Andrew does have a tendency to get fixated on a topic, and even as he seeks out contrary opinions, those interactions serve to only make him dig in more. I still am amazed at the patience displayed by Eli Lake when he was recently on The Dish pod.
I think Andrew becoming a "mouth-frothing lunatic" on Israel is a product of two things. One, he is deeply antizionist as so many in the West have become; it is a horrifying mind virus. Two, he has an obsession regarding being wrong about the Iraq War. It was good that he publicly acknowledged his error in judgment, but after doing a mea culpa several years ago, he has refused to move on. He has a compulsion to not repeat the same mistake. His most recent Substack piece, for example, while ostensibly about Kristof's claims regarding Israel was mostly about rehashing Abu Ghraib, including the photo he chose to illustrate the piece. When it comes to all things Middle East, Andrew is seemingly stuck in Iraq circa 2004.
He also said at one point that the creation of Israel in 1948 was a mistake. That is beyond stupid. But OTOH, it sounds so British.
I mentioned this in a thread for Barpod and it struck me that there are a lot of people who I consider to be reasonable writers, who, when discussing Israel, go off into this weird tangent that seems utterly unhinged.
Am I supposed to believe Sullivan thought Israel had a soul to begin with?
I think he lost both his mind and his soul over Israel. Ever since they rejected his sainted President Obama. His upcoming interview of Ben "Hamas" Rhodes should be a banger.
Welch identifies the most important paradox happening in Republican politics right now and is the first person besides myself who I've heard saying it clearly: Trump is politically weakening at the national level at exact moment his control over the party's primary infrastructure is reaching its peak. Do these two things cancel each other out. Nope.
What it actually means is the GOP is being optimized for loyalty at the precise moment it needs to be optimized for electability.
And Cassidy voting to confirm RFK as a physician who built a career on vaccines is what it looks like when you watch a person publicly dismantling their own credibility in real time because the alternative = political extinction. That's a hostage situation.
I love covering this kind of structural... where political incentives actively work against political survival. Come and check out my page if that's your frequency.
Using a picture from Abu Ghraib as the thumbnail photo for an article about Israel, as Sullvan did in this case, is absolutely despicable. It's really telling the the critics of Israel have very little (though I admit not zero) actual abuses to work with so they have to resort to lies and misleading juxtaposition. I've seen photos of Assad's atrocities falsely labeled as Israeli attacks in Gaza and kids wasting from cancer falsely labeled as starvation victims. Sullivan is no better.
Why are otherwise reasonable people still coming out to bat for Massie? The dude's completely lost it, the Epstein stuff is odious conspiratorial kookery, as his selective focus on Israel.
Of all the publications I have considered subscribing to, The Dispatch is the one I keep returning to. Maybe when I have more time, appreciate the shout out.
Also really enjoy these oddball movie recommendations.
Thank you for highlighting Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter—oh shit!—Clarence Carter! The dude rocked and I was lucky to see on stage a few times, usually before BB.
Understand your position. Disagree vehemently with what Massie and Khana did releasing Grand Jury evidence. That is 10000000000% Stasi shit.
See: Jasmine Crockett’s statement about the Long Island doc who’d contributed to Lee Zeldin’s campaign.
Did I state a position here? Anyway, I, too, disagree with that evidence-release, and for many of the ways Massie has handled the Epstein stuff.
No, you didn’t, but the praise largely on account of OrangeManBad being opposed to him is troubling.
Trump’s opposition is not a positive. Lauren Bobert and MTG are loathsome apart from Trump.
Massie has been off-the-rails for a very long time, even before his wife died.
I knew and was friendly with Massie for years before Trump was even a little orange gleam in our eyes.... Tended to like/agree with 85%, vehemently disagree with 15%. That may be more like 75/25 now, or lower, with the disagreement stuff way more vehement than before. On balance I want independent actors/thinkers in Congress, especially this Congress, and I want Trump to have less, not more sway in the national GOP. Doesn't help that Massie's opponent wants to bring back the military draft....
I understand the admirable positions, but the feelings are similar to those I have about TC/MK/et. al. There are certain lines for me where crossing them is very difficult to forgive.
The IRGC are irredeemable. Same for most Communists. Khmer Rouge.
Since you’re into the SoCal stuff, Spencer Pratt had a good video about Karen Bass’s affinity for The Casteos. Not one of the AI vids. Just him relating her history with them. IG — https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYFnX8JhGAK/?igsh=dzZ2c2JuZmx2Y3Bj
F. the Commies. Don’t use their tactics.
Do you know the routine Louis CK did on SNL about how child molesting has to be the greatest thing in the world because why else would anyone risk the terrible outcome of being caught? Sometimes I think being a Cabinet or Congress member must be the greatest job ever because why would so many people debase themselves and sell out any principle they might have had just to keep the position?
I feel like Will Ferrell in Elf any time Kmele is on CNN. Kmele! I know him! I know him!
Ross Barkan has just been accused of plagiarism in that article and a few others, and New York Magazine has ordered an investigation of the accusations
Random thing:
A nice addition to the merch assortment would be a simple vinyl decal of the logo for application to a car's rear window.
Hey All, I am going to the live show (i am Hungarian living in Switzerland) w some friends. Since a 4th friend could not join, I have a free ticket if anyone interested.
Abby has the worst case of Resting Smug Face I’ve ever seen.
if Maher REALLY said (as your ex pal Megyn Kelly claimed) that if you do NOT "celebrate" Israel's birthday, you're an anti-Semite - then I am going to have to call massive BULLSHIT on Maher, who has been a favorite of mine since his days at ABC. I don't have to "celebrate" ANYTHING, much less another country's 'birthday". The Israel of Likud and today's post Likud is a FAR far cry from the moral standing that country had going back to 1968 and 1973.
I think it was a bad joke.
I will now have to re-listen to that whole thing., But if intended as a joke, I don't get the "humor", Maher doesn't write jokes that are that bad
Well, he has a *staff* of writers, and not all of the jokes land....
Rarely miss the show I enjoy it so much, but I find the writing for the monologue so weak that I skip to the first interview. Think he's far better off the cuff and the seated bits than with his stand-up.