In my Vast experience ,indeed in the past few years out of this world explosive experiences never before seen by human eyes,I now have great empathy for all those immortal goddesses imprisoned by the human belly-button-i have such a sweet memory when the faery-goddess came to me before she was forced to receive the human belly-button wound scar that feels eternal and it was only a kiss ,her wings fluttering,yes just one kiss and half on my father sanctuary was burnt down this immortal Tayor Swift,just one kiss that entered every cell of my body,sweetness and light tender and delicate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXGJQYZ9JA
but now I give this immortal many spiritual babies ,all is forgiven
And for 28 year old sweet sweet celebs I give ye L.Hay so you can be blessed with a long belly-button life
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/01/obituaries/louise-hay-dead-widely-rea...
Oh yes, Ms Swift, the PhD in politics with a high school education? She ends up supporting the man who voted FOR
Judge Kavanaugh...……..what a dope
America , all nations have their troubles at times but are you really no better than the Trump crime family and its abettors ?
Why are there ANY female supporters of Trump & the GOP ? Why would females vote to take away healthcare for themselves & their family , or equal pay for equal work , or control over their bodies or for a serial womanizer that admits to be a crotch grabber.
Worse yet , psychologists agree based on the DSM 5 assessment of his lifetime of behaviour that he is mentally ill and this is the cause of his conman approach to life that requires him to lie ALL of the time.
The world laughed at your POTUS when he spoke to the UN General Assembly 10 days ago. You can fool some people ALL of the time and/or they want to be fooled. I hope Mueller can save the nation but the GOP will do its worst to prevent the truth from emerging. For many people normalization has set in and like the frog in the cooking pot as the water heats up are too far gone to survive.
4
Kanye visited Trump, at the white house, today. But. after watching West's bizarre,'performance', I could not decide who's door hinges were missing the most screws.
14
I don't get it. Why should we care about who Taylor Swift or Kanye West endorse? What if any wisdom do these folks offer, other than personal preferences? It reminds me of a recent opinion piece where a female columnist promoted Stormie Daniels as a role model! Since when do we consider prostitutes and strippers as role models for young women and girls? Media and especially social media have destroyed the fabric of society.
This is no laughing matter. According to a Roper poll from 1991, 3.7 million Americans claimed to have been abducted by aliens (or around 1.5% of the population at the time.) This means out of a Congress of 535, 8 of them have previously been abducted by aliens....remember, you heard it here first!
4
Ms. Collins always serves as a pick-me-up, I missed her during her book sabbatical.
6
Thank you, Gail, I really needed that.
If you have any pull with the big wigs, here are two suggestions:
Make a "Trump Stories" section of the paper so those of us who subscribe know what section to throw out unread (kind of like what I did with the real estate section in my 20s and 30s).
Create a completed "Trump redacted" copy of the paper. Black out every single solitary word he says. That would be heaven!
4
Wait just a minute here. Is this victim blaming about the 7 year old girl who was beamed aboard by space aliens? And now many year later you appear to be holding that against her? Do you have any corroborating witnesses to the contrary? Thought not. So this is just she said— versus she said he said. Was this her fault? Did she ask to be beamed aboard? Probably not. And maybe her being in telepathic contact with them now should be seen as a huge asset. Maybe they could give her some good ideas we don't have. We're clearly lacking in good political ideas right now, so we should consider every avenue.
3
Dear Ms. Collins:
Being a strip club owner is not scandalous. Women make good money and men get their money's worth. Abusive sexual conduct is a moral outrage. Consensual soft porn causes little, if any, harm.
Anyone who gets all high and mighty about strip clubs is holier than thou. The Wrestler got two Academy Awards. Perhaps that is scandalous, too. And the Chippendales, presumably, are also beyond the pale.
1
In case anyone is interested, Taylor has two cats: Meredith and Indie. Or so say the interwebs.
2
The biggest fail is that Trump missed the obvious come-back to Swift's comments: Haters gonna hate. This is particularly surprising given that he's assured us of his superior intellect.
2
Gail, you had me at your opening paragraph. :-) Sadly, in today's world of American politics, your opening line is a non shocker. I especially love Renacci's comment, "I'm not going to vet a volunteer." That speaks volume's to his integrity. The bottom of which he has yet to hit.
Still, your column gave me a smile today. A much needed smile. Thanks.
9
Getting Kanye West to have lunch with Trump at the White House is no coincidence. It is aimed at Taylor Swift. And here I should imitate my niece, "I love you, Tay!"
About Renacci flying in a Peek-a-Boo plane to meet the "faith leaders." This may be more a norm than an exception. Both have a lot more in common than you think anyway. Many if not most strip joint owners exploit women for a living; many if not most so-called faith leaders treat women as their property a la handmaidens. Both are creeps!
In spite of all these rejects though, even with family interventions, I fear some voters are so conditioned that there are plenty of Stepford's sons, daughters, husbands & wives. So please please please, listen to Taylor Swift, register, learn and vote!
10
Taylor really proved her power with the voter registration numbers she inspired. Let's hope she promotes and campaigns for voting and registration until the deadline. Bravo for her!
9
Gail, thanks for today's column. I got to stop crying in my beer, if only for a moment, as you reminded us of the humor and absurdity of "normal" politics.
4
Even more important, it appears that Taylor Swift's announcement sparked a surge of voter registrations, especially among young people. If someone like her can get the young out to vote, the GOP doesn't stand a chance.
135
@Catherine
Yes, and Ms. Collins could, and should, have mentioned that.
1
Don't count on it. I have little faith in millenials as a voting block - self-absorbed, illiterate, obsessed with the latest fad, entitled. Sorry for the buzz-kill.
3
@JustPaul Sounds like our President.
Taylor Swift for President in 2024 - the first year she will be old enough.
She can talk to young people and she can manage complexities.
3
Marsha Blackburn looks so incredibly happy being grabbed by this man. But, I also noted that many of these happy women
are past their prime too.
2
There used to be times when Ms. Collins columns were pure comedy. Who could forget Mitt Romney's summer trip with the dog strapped to the car roof..?
But whatever Mr. Trump does these days - however out-of-this-world ridiculous it is - it is not funny any more -- it is outright dangerous.
And the fact that the Republicans are able to get away with a lot on such a minimal effort is downright depressing.
That is why the involvement of celebrities like Taylor Swift is important. Politicians lost all the credibility and the only ones who could counter Trumps' celebrity "aura" are other celebrities.
Let's hope people will listen and get out of their cocoons to vote.
4
Taylor Swift would NEVER, EVER put a Dog of the roof of a car for A vacation. Marsha Blackburn would snatch all the dogs in the neighborhood and stuff them into roof cages, to get ONE vote.
Seriously.
8
Well, a candidate who believes in being captured by space aliens and telecommunicating with them would probably fit in well with other Republicans in the Senate these days.
But it's a truly terrible commentary on the times. Of course, Trump is even worse.
Thanks for trying to cheer me up; it didn't work.
2
Why do we still call republicans, republicans?
Perhaps a better name might be the "trumpians", of the trump party.
4
@Dave: Trumputians?
3
So what's the problem. I've found strip clubs heal my faith every time.
2
Kudos to Ms Swift. Would that more people were. So so odd that we look to entertainers for wisdom. Are we so tuned out, unread, uneducated, distracted and uninformed that we look at anything that glitters for truth? Like our pet poodles?
Neither Donald Trump nor Taylor Swift have any where near the acting talent and entertainment socioeconomic political success of Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Gipper and the Terminator are the icons of making America fake again.
4
Could this be a coincidence? 25% is the exact same number Trump pulled out of his hat for the tariff on steel.
9
Now if a candidate for high office can plausibly claim to have been flown to an alien strip club on Taylor Swift's private spacecraft, piloted by Elon Musk with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal as flight hostesses...
This is one weird election cycle.
4
Taylor Swift is a patriot. Donal Trump is a traitor. End of story.
26
Ms. Collins routinely looks at the strange end of our political spectrum. You know, the one that is 17.73% off from the traditional left-right continuum. Tales from that point of space-time are now common.
We seem to have handed over cultural and now political power to the people who kept myths like Bigfoot and Area 51 alive. The credulous have put political quacks in power. Conspiracy theories abound along with demonizing political opponents. Mud-slinging in our campaigns would actually clean them up a bit. We are throwing around a lot of stuff, but it’s not mud.
The coarsening of our political discourse, especially “lock her up”, serves to distract everyone from the real issues that government can address. Income inequality can be fixed by progressive taxation. Trade wars are simple to stop by merely stopping them and removing unilateral presidential authority to start them. Health care can be affordable by negotiating fees and prices in public through a single payer system. Good, safe public education requires the one thing we have in greater abundance than any society on earth—money.
Sure Trump and his satellites and acolytes are entertaining, and we cannot begrudge Ms. Collins taking advantage of that. Our lives would be better, however, if we made it harder for both of them by removing the current clowns and preventing more from entering public office.
November is coming.
76
I'm of the impression that Swift's call to arms made an impact because she's never expressed a political viewpoint before. Bruce Springsteen has endorsed Democratic candidates for years, but I doubt he's doing anything but preaching to the choir, since his views are well known.
Anyway, good for Swift. She's a citizen and ought to express her opinion. It's healthy when everyone weighs in and gets involved. Otherwise, you end up with demagogues who don't belong in office running the show, like we have right now.
126
As a Cleveland supporter of Democratic Senator, Sherrod Brown, I was pleased to see that Gail Collins is on the case of the Republican candidate, Jim Renacci, a wealthy man with a reputation of never spending his own money for things, if he can get taxpayers to pitch in.
The story about Renacci flying to a campaign meeting with “faith leaders” on the private plane of the owner of the Peek-a-Boo strip club in Cleveland is funny, but not surprising.
I have no idea where the club is located and do not know if it is owned by Mr. Peek or Mr. Boo. Volunteerism, apparently, takes many forms.
As for Taylor Swift, good for her. Wish she had become involved in 2016.
119
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss facts; small minds discuss people; incredibly stupid minds discuss celebrities.
6
At last, I get it. MAGA equals bring back space aliens and strip club owners.
Trump's lizard brain [no offense to lizards] can't distinguish between reality and reality TV, or one night stands with porn stars and grabbing women's privates as opposed to an actual sexual relationship.
What's the excuse of the rest of the GOP? Maybe they were all beamed aboard a spaceship and met visitors from another galaxy.
And you thought Hale Bopp and a Jonestown kool aid party couldn't happen right here in River City?
8
Your article is mistaken. Murkowski did not vote AGAINST Kavanaugh. She voted "Present". A big difference from a lousy senator. What a coward.
4
Laughed out loud through this article. Thanks, Ms. Collins!
1
Dear Gail,
"First they came for. ." is not a poem, despite what Wikipedia says. Please don't give sustenance to this dank meme.
2
Thanks for this, Ms Collins. I needed a break.
4
His main concern is that Taylor's 'ratings' are much higher than his. Everything is about ratings for him.
That's also true for a large part of his constituency. I'm convinced that they have come to see politics through the lens of professional wrestling. These people are so bored, and so desperate for entertainment, that he couldn't let them down even in the face of a catastrophic hurricane.
It is unfortunate that Russia feels a need to undermine our democracy and the planet feels a need to undermine our existence at the same time these cretins feel their most pressing need is to be entertained.
10
Ahhh, that's the answer! Trump and the GOP aren't really working for Putin, they are working for the aliens to destroy the earth. That explains everything.
4
The only Swift I've ever cared about was named Jonathan, but, Gail, you never fail to brighten my day!
4
I would have thought a 28-year-old blond was a socialist more than white supremacist. In Swift's case, I'd add the moniker "Christian" to the socialist part. Odd though it may seem, these things do exist. "Jesus was a Socialist" is actually an internet meme right now. They're even making T-shirts.
All jesting aside, I would think hitching a ride on a volunteer's airplane constitutes an in-kind donation. Jim Renacci better hope his accountants are on top of things. If he didn't declare the gift, Renacci has violated FEC regulation. Seeing as Renacci is paling around with strip club owners, I'm guessing there's more than one FEC regulation he's broken.
7
Trump is absolutely horrible in so many ways, the lying, the lack of any morality or ethics, the intellectual laziness, the blatant using the position to enrich himself, the orange skin, it would make sense that he was beamed aboard a spaceship and taken over by aliens. Trump is so inhumane and lacks any kind of humanity that this alien takeover makes sense. So he and Blackburn are two peas in an alien pod.
5
In the spirit of appalling willful ignorance, outrageous narcissistic flamboyance, and true Mad-Hatter, deranged behavior, I am surprised Trump didn't appoint Kanye West to the Supreme Court by executive order.
7
What struck me about Trump's Taylor Swift moment was that he was waking away from reporters (as usual) when one asked about T. Swift. He quickly pivoted as he sniffed out the shine of more media attention and then weighed in with "25%" assessment. About the UN 's dire climate change warnings - not a peep.
15
I understand this is completely off the subject, but since Gail mentioned it (in another context entirely, I know) I can't stop wondering what Taylor Swift did name her cat and why the alt-right thinks they had something to do with it.
I'm assuming it wasn't Barak.
4
@crowdancer: She has two cats - Olivia Benson (Law & Order) and Meredith Grey (Gray's Anatomy).
1
Thank-you for the stroll down Lighter Side Road. Serious head banging issues abound. Partisan rancor here and abroad, impending global climate changes and a President that takes delight in stirring the pot with ample ladles full of falsehoods. It makes you feel guilty to make light of our corundum.
There is one thing I won't let The Donald take from me, my sense of humor. He'll have to pry my wit out of my cold dead cranium. Vote like you never have before. Vote for common sense, civility and laughter. If you don't vote we will all end up looking like Mitch.
180
@richard wiesner: OMG, what a horrible thought! I'll vote! I'll vote! (and definitely not for Mitch)
3
As Ecclesiastes told us, "The race goeth not to the swift..." But it is a good sign that Swift goeth to the race.
11
Trump probably meant to say he likes Ms. Swift 4x less but couldn’t do the math and translated as 25% less!
6
Thank you, Ms. Collins, thank you, Ms. Swift -- for the laughter, for the good sense.
8
Thanks for the laughs, Gail.
Good for Taylor Swift, She's always been a smart cookie.
6
Trump makes sure.........It's ALWAYS about him. And the world will always remember that.
5
I never used to consider myself a "Swiftie", however, I now like her 25% more. And if her endorsement results in dumber than Trump Blackburn losing...Taylor will become my new favorite singer/performer.
VOTE OUT ALL REPUBLICANS
16
“I’m not going to vet volunteers,” Renacci told an Ohio news site.
He's just taking after Trump. After all, if a bunch of armband-wearing white young men want to chant "Jews will not replace us." and they volunteer for the Trump campaign, Trump welcomes the support. When Richard Spencer endorses Trump, he's just acknowledging a fellow traveler, knowing that deep down inside, Trump is all about making sure America is great again, just like it was in the 1920's when the white man was in charge and minorities and women knew their places and stayed quiet. All these Republican throwbacks, campaigning with hypocrisy in full gear - loudly saying one thing while their policies and actions aim in the opposite direction entirely. Look at the deception now happening about 'preexisting conditions'. Every Republican candidate is saying they will keep protections for 'preexisting conditions'. And every Republican health care alternative proposed guts those protections entirely. Going to a "faith leaders" gathering on the airplane of a strip-club owner is entirely consistent with *the* core Republican value: hypocrisy. Once you start to look for it, you will find it everywhere Republican candidates go, and in everything they say. We are in "scary times" for reality.
11
The Dems need all the help they can get. Thank God for Taylor Swift. The country needs more like her.
3
American culture has some very deep problems if this is what their political culture represents. Backward would appear to be too kind a word to describe it. Dysfunctional would be better.
3
"I would hate to think the difference is only about Murkowski not being a 28-year-old blond superstar."
It is truly amazing how you can read the President's mind Gail....or, not exactly his mind.
3
Well Gail, despite my wife and daughter's surprise and concerns for my taste in music, I was an early Taylor Swift Fan and thought ,after hearing her first self titled album- and then her excellent album 'Fearless'- that she was going to be country music's female and White version of a young 'Jackson Five' era Michael Jackson -After her rocking '1989' album, however, I knew then that Swift was indeed going to be larger then country music.
I note that because Ms. Swift in her earlier music was focused on explaining and describing many of the feelings and experiences typical of many young women growing-up, (who may be becoming aware of their sexuality at a young age and the difficulties and confusions with relationships that may typically engender) Swift initially was widely criticized and made light of by the old guard and largely male Rock, R&B and Hip Hop establishment-Which seemed to come to a head after the rapper Kanye West attempted to interrupt and degrade her acceptance speech for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Awards.
Circa 2018 however, it seems to me that Ms Swift has evolved into a fully rounded and confident performer and song writer who is now not only willing to challenge ideas of romantic relationships between men and women in her music, but is now ready to directly make plain the fact that woman in society are entering a new era of equality and untapped political power. And I for one, applaud her and look forward to other young women doing the same.
7
When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at VMA, Trump called for a boycott of Kanye West, and with a not a hint of irony added, "He [Kanye] couldn't care less about Beyoncé. It was grandstanding to get attention."
Now Kanye is standing with Trump, a man who knows a thing or two about grandstanding to get attention. Trump has done so many 180s (Against Sen. Graham and then for him; against Sen. Cruz and then for him and on and on), it is surprising the man hasn't become dizzy and fallen frequently.
383
@RK
Trump fell so long and hard that there is no down left for him to fall into.
5
@RK
Maybe he has...
2
According to an analysis of U.S. census data by the Pew Research Center, millennials (those aged 18-35) now make up about 31% of our voting population. Four out of five of them did not bother to vote in the last midterm election. If Taylor Swift can help get more of them to vote progressively for Democrats, more power to her. I bet if just 25% of those non-voting millennials cast ballots for Democrats, then Democrats could retake Congress. If that’s not star power, what is?
428
@Blue Moon
Unfortunately, that age group is not the main demographic who follows her. But I admire her for speaking out. Plus what if her followers were Republican?
21
@Janice Badger Nelson
Millennials grew up with Taylor Swift. She was originally billed as a country singer but now is solidly pop and rock. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She obviously carries a lot of clout.
If we claim to live in a democracy, we should seek to get everyone voting. If millennials vote Republican, so be it. The job for Democrats is to effectively promote their policies and convince people to vote for them. Taylor Swift can only do so much.
Still, she supports a progressive agenda. She has spoken out in favor of the Every Woman Counts campaign, is a feminist, works to combat hate crimes, and speaks out against LGBTQ discrimination.
She has endorsed Democratic candidates, including Jim Cooper for the House and Phil Bredesen for the Senate. She has encouraged her fans to vote in the midterms.
Doesn't it seem like Democrats should want her on their side?
26
@Blue Moon
Fortunately, Swift crosses over not just musical genres but also Millennials and GenZ. I've given up on Millennials - they make my teeth hurt they're so selfish and shallow. However, GenZ is a throwback to the best of the Boomers (+ the few thinker iconoclasts among Silent Gen), the ones who stopped a corrupt war, booted a corrupt president, celebrated the first Earth Day and fervently believed in the equality of women and minorities. It remains to be seen if GenZ can stay the course and not become jaded or cynical, given how badly the deck has been stacked against them.
My 16-year-old daughter, like so many girls her age, has been paying attention to the machinery of our government and culture since Hillary Clinton got wrongly booted to the curb by the DNC boys club in 2008, followed by economic collapse that Obama badly handled and then more years of wild spending that her generation will pay for - with the 2016 election piece de resistance.
Trump Inc. and then the hearings with all those Judiciary Comm. men and their beer bro Kavanaugh degrading both SCOTUS and females has her fired up and chomping at the bit to vote as soon as she turns 18. She is not alone.
2
We’ve always suspected that Republicans were nuts, but the president, by his example, has made it fashionable for them to let it all hang out. Evangelical trips on stripper planes is only the most recent indication that our democracy is suffering from dry rot, but we can’t fix it if we can’t see it.
Families know which of their members shouldn’t be allowed to roam outside or run for office without an attendant, but crazies and weirdos are becoming the norm. You can’t say they don’t reflect the attitudes of the electorate, so why shouldn’t Gosar be their representative? He is representative!
The president has waged a war against illegal aliens, so having someone in government who can communicate telepathically with the extraterrestrial variety has got to be a plus. Let’s just hope he doesn’t try to build a wall in space.
I’ve not had much to say about Taylor Swift in my life, but my opinion of her has soared. Anyone who can use their outrageous celebrity and social media savvy to accomplish something good has got to be given some serious props. Usually, social media sends people with rifles to pizza parlors to rescue Hillary’s sex slave children. Kudos, Taylor.
Of course, not to be outdone, the president has Kanye. It’s only fitting that he has someone of his intellectual caliber and mental stability to reflect his views and carry his message to the lunatic fringe.
982
The nasty Republicans swift-boated John Kerry when he ran for president.
Now Trump has been Taylor Swifted!
Couldn't happen to a more deserving deranged political hack.
57
I love this column. How else would we have known that a Republican candidate in Florida communicates telepathically with the space aliens who abducted her when she was 7.
29
@Christy, But it is a sad thing that more Republican voters believe in space aliens than in global warming.
13
You must be reading a different article than I did; Gail is mocking the president, not Taylor Swift. Although, that “aryan goddess” thing was pretty funny.
5
@Jsbliv
First, it's an essay, and second, a NYT reader missing the thesis should not surprise you.
I loved Ms. Collin's columns but I find I can not smile with them anymore. The feeling is like driving the wrong way on the Turnpike and realize you've forgotten something at home and you have to keep going the wrong way until you can come to the next exit and turn around. This is a nightmare and we will not wake up unless people vote with their heads but I find very little confidence in the brain power of many voters.
12
Thank you Taylor!
23
Funny how truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, how tragedy often masquerades as comedy and how the well dressed emperor
is admired for his wardrobe. Until he's not.
Someone so self absorbed that he thinks the rest of the world is laughing 'with' him instead of 'at him.'
As always, Gail, thanks for sharing your unique wit to keep things in somewhat of a perspective. While we know your job gets tougher between every multiple splurge of incredulous 'Breaking News, you make it look effortless!
16
After reading this, all I can say is:
Emergency, emergency!! Is there a psychiatrist in the house???
The trouble is politics has a self-selection problem that draws truly disturbed people, especially in the GOP right now.
As citizens, I feel like we are currently living in a looney bin--like that title of the old study in psychology "On Being Sane in Insane Places."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4683124
And it is involuntary incarceration, because 3 million more of us voters voted for Hillary, not Trump.
I wish ranting actually helped, but unfortunately, I don't think it does.
10
Let's go with the "Men In Black In DC" theory.
Trump fits right into the alien crowd in the terminal!
11
Gail, how silly that anyone would think a republican senate candidate would need to vet a rich man who volunteers his jet for their personal use! Let’s just on pray on it....
18
The UN climate change report says 2030, not 2040, we need to reduce emissions by 45%- 11 yrs from today. This op ed column often issues both the dire point, ,and the humor. Marsha Backburn lives in a district where religious leaders are very clear on who to vote for, and say so several times from the pulpit. She falls into fascist category-- the politics of power over principle. These people would happily corrupt voting machines to get what they want, set up 5014C dark money campaigns thet spread lies before the election.
22
November 6: “A vote for any democrat is a vote against trump!”
32
Trump--the coming elections we should “think of it as the same thing as me.”
More--L'État, c'est moi.
Expect a re-branding--out with "USA", in with "Trumpland"--which will be trademarked, giving him "royalties" every time it is used.
12
I love that all the 12-13 year old girls who madly adored Taylor Swift 7-8 years ago are now voters! Taylor did the math and she made a calculated pitch to get out the vote!
26
@Kate S. She has 112 million Instagram followers. He fan base is much more than 12-13 year-olds.
2
So a vote against Blackburn is a vote against Trump? Is there still enough time to establish voter residency in Tennessee?
22
Maybe this is the lighter side of the news, but I think it makes me feel worse that voter registration is way up since a vapid pop singer declared her endorsement.
4
As opposed to a vapid reality star?
@John S., "vapid" she may be, but at least she's got her priorities straight. Plus, we need all the help we can get.
4
@John S., You're lucky you don't live down here, where people think a serial adulterer sex offender mentally ill con man is a very stable genius. But then, you're in Ohio, so I'd think you'd know....
6
Gail, I know I saw you on the mothership that picked me up for my 'Universal' tour. I waved and yelled out that I love your column so stop denying the alien abduction. It happens to the best of us, and sometimes the rest of us.
I told you that it did not 'bode well' that Trump disembarked as well with someone who turned out to be VP Space Cadet Pence.
Thanks for your usual funny columns and we all embrace weirdness and stupidity like a GOP cult at times. Remember what Senator Graham and Conway said as we were leaving, wear aluminum foil wrap on your head at all times when you are using your microwave.
6
"Think of it as the same thing as me." Awfully close to "L'etat, c'est moi." He really does regard himself as king. A history of what happened to royalty in France might be instructive.
21
Yes, Trump's political rise has clearly demonstrated that reality is often more bizarre than a Far Side comic.
18
Thank you ! You allowed me a laugh in my sea of despair. In Tennessee I am surrounded by
“MARSHA” signs. No one pays attention to the work she did allowing pharmaceuticals to have free reign in distributing opioids in a state drowning in addiction.
My laugh was gallows humor... Happy Halloween! We are seeing real monsters.
26
I love you, Gail. Your column is the only thing keeping me sane right now.
9
Among many things one might comment upon, here is what stands out to me: Trump, quoted twice, clearly states that the midterm elections are all about him. He reduces the candidates, and the votes of their constituents, to proxies for him. Now, I do understand that the midterms are indeed, to a greater or lesser degree depending on your perspective, a referendum on Trump. But for Trump himself to promote himself (once again) as the only thing that matters — out front, transparently — is another big step to authoritarian rule. It is. We are more endangered each day.
76
We are so doomed that none of this is humorous. Sorry Gail, but this is all so very serious that even trying to make light of it seems to be totally missing the very sad point that our country probably has never been a democracy, but certainly will never be one.
25
@kdw, I don't agree! The state of the world is indeed horrifying, but the trees this Autumn are still as beautiful, my favorite comedians are just as funny, and Gail Collins is just as insightful!
These things can all exist at the same time.
16
Several years ago, little Ms. Sue Collins went to Washington and became Sen. Susan Collins. She found that being the Hamlet of the Senate brought lots of attention, and time after time she has publicly pondered doing "the right thing" while reporters hovered nearby, and then calmly done the wrong thing. She liked the way Susan Collins was treated (and those lights and cameras!), and despite a promise to leave after two terms, how can we say without irony, "she persists".
Taylor Swift needs to take a little trip Down East and remind people about Susan Collins' voting record. Susan is not up for reelection this year, (and Sue Collins is just a distant memory) but her 99% voting record against the benefits of her constituency deserves attention.
168
@Delee I bet you wouldn't refer to man as "little" before he became a Senator. Dislike her politics if you like, but don't be sexist about it.
2
@Shelly
Nice try at misdirection. We've often heard the attorney general referred to as little Jeff Sessions. Sadly, like Sen. Collins, he's little in many ways.
I went and voted early yesterday, so now I can ignore the especially uncivilized circus of end-of-cycle election politics. Well, except here I am... But it does help add a certain sense of perspective to it all, and this column is timely and great! Thanks, Gail.
28
Right on, Gail! Bring back the aliens! And then get the aliens to kidnap Donald Trump! They can just beam him out of here! It's the perfect solution. And think of the fun we'll all have as the Republicans connect the aliens to the Clintons! And no lengthy disturbing impeachment trial. To quote a popular orator, "Get him outta here!"
Problem is, the aliens wouldn't get much past Jupiter before they'd turn around and bring him back. Might even try to make us pay for the abduction. Maybe we could stiff them like Trump does his contractors.
But if we can't get the aliens to do it, you mentioned something about strippers. Boy that would do a President in. If a stripper said she'd had sex with him and ... What's that you say? Oh. Never mind.
63
@Charlotte Amalie, You got it all wrong. Trump IS the alien!
2
What's next, Madonna calling on all the pink ears to blow up the White House? Pshaw. More self-indulgent nonsense from the media elite.
Let's hope none of her followers were Trump fans--cultural Marxists believe in the Grand Collective--Swift, but not "the" Swift, by any measure.
2
@Alice's Restaurant Wondering if you had the same reaction when Clint Eastwood embarrassed himself with the empty chair?
23
@kathpsyche
Nope. Liked his movies too much. Swift is just more Hollywood ad nauseam propaganda for the DNC Politburo.
Ms. Collins suggest that, on the subject of contemporary politics, we "just talk about good old-fashioned weirdness and stupidity." That should be easy, as long as we avoid discussion of cesspool-deep corruption, 24/7 mendacity and accelerated destruction of the global environment.
29
@John lebaron has a point, and here's another fun fact for Gail, courtesy of the internet: The word 'mendacity' was in much more common use in 1820-1840 (about ten times more, in fact). Then it gradually fell out of use -- UNTIL NOW. We should thank current politics for making Americans literate again (MALA?).
8
Clarification: the space alien was actually Rick Scott (Florida Governor now running to unseat Dem Senator Bill Nelson) who held her hostage aboard his Lear Jet, back in his Medicare fraud days, to indoctrinate her on the complimentary virtues of closed-mindedness and knee-jerk lying. Yes, he looks like a Cone Head so her confusion is absolutely justified. Not sure about his telepathic prowess, but he telekinetically moves gobs of money into his personal bank account.
37
Does anyone else find it creepy that a 72 year old man listens to Taylor Swift?
33
I think "listens to" is a euphemism.
5
@Syd V
Swift reminds Trump of his best and most devoted girlfriend, albeit the one who got away: Ivanka.
@Syd V No. people that age were raised on radio playing all the hits all the time and mania-inspiring music mega-stars.
1
Trump is insane. I don’t care about Taylor but if she’s against Trump, welcome aboard.
57
Reading that link, those male 4Chan Taylor Swift fans are a bit, um, creepy. I don’t want to wave around the ‘incel’ comparison, but that’s what they sound like in their jilted outrage...
12
@Mat
The good news is that most incels will never breed.
15
Oh finally a reason to smile in the morning;-)
Thank you, Gail!
12
Although smiling in that accompanying photo of her with the Fake Prez, did Blackburn actually consent to Trump’s physical contact with her? Now that he is more famous than ever, is this the beginning of Access Hollywood 2? I could say “watch out” Ms. Swift, but she’s safe being a much bigger star than the Donald could ever be.
9
Trump is correct. A vote for any Republican is a vote for him. And a vote against the environment, healthcare, women's rights, the rule of law, fair taxation, truth, facts...............
117
Democrats running for any office better get on board with pet ownership. An adorable puppy and a cat with personality each with the required Instagram account needs to be a new electoral tool. Preferably the cat should be a rescue who then has kittens just before votes are cast.
6
Trump and cronies are like a comedy annuity. They regularly provide material. So humorous and real it makes one laugh till you cry.
13
Tell me why it is good fun to mock Taylor Swift and her endorsement? Because she is a talented entertainer who is white, attractive and female? Because somehow the writer assumed she would be conservative, so it is fun to make fun of her choice as somehow counterintuitive? Or did the writer assume Taylor was dumb or lightweight since she is young, female and blonde and assumed Conservative? i bet the same mocking tone was not used for Katy Perry or Rachel Platten 's endorsements of Hillary. What is going on here?
5
And Nero played a violin while Rome burned.
So Trump wrapped into his own reality does not see that his kingdom is burning.
11
I guess she learned little from the Dixie Chicks. She's already fading into obscurity and began that process when she strayed from the musical roots that made her career.
1
@Alan I don't know where you get the idea that she's fading into obscurity. Her most recent album was released in 2017, was a #1 album selling millions of copies, and had 5 Top 20 hits. Try turning from the country station to the pop station, and you'll hear a lot of her music.
31
@Alan I guess maybe she has some integrity and guts.
7
Re Paul Gosar - Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe and his brother once sued eachother over the family business. That may be worse. Inhofe being deposed would be about like Trump! He has either chosen to ignore or forgotten that "Climategate" was a right wing hoax.
6
Your column began telling us about a plane owned by a Cleveland strip club owner. You concluded asking whether Murkowski might not receive support because she is not a 28 year old blond superstar. Apparently, politics is all about sex (and maybe aliens). Governing the nation may not be the main theme of running for office, sadly.
2
The strip club owner owns a plane because he collects cash and does not pay taxes on his income. Naturally, he is a republican. Probably has a poster of Donald Trumps' dad on his bedroom wall.
68
Maybe, also, a picture of Trump's grandad who ran a "house of ill-repute" out West.@Expat
7
Strip club owners need representation too!
9
On election night 2016 about 40 miles to the east of here Hillary had her rally with President Obama and all.
The next morning we went to vote.
Turns out my district was the edge of the red wall that elected Trump in PA.
Lot of good that rally in Philly with all the rock stars did.
In a couple hours Trump may do a presser with Kanye in the Oval Office.
The press will be forced in handcuffs to cover it.
Liberals will melt down if that happens.
That's how you do a celebrity endorsement.
How odd republicans are becoming these days.
5
@Joe Paper
It's actually hilarious that Republicans have this idea we're all melting down and hysterical at anything that happens involving the fake prez. They must get that from their fake news sites.
4
SWIFT boat it to the election.
9
Aliens? Interview Scully and Mulder.
The truth is out there...somewhere. Maybe in the strip club.
A job for the FBI! Or send the Secret Service guys that were sent home from Columbia...someone that can make sense of all this.
I'll bet Taylor Swift could make Trump talk...
4
" ... she told reporters that when she was 7 she was beamed aboard a spaceship and met visitors from another galaxy, with whom she communicates telepathically."
And that disqualifies Aguilera from running as a Republican how exactly?
14
Taylor Swift should take a page from the Dixie Chicks handbook on public speaking and keep her mouth shut less she lose her adoring fan base like the Dixie Chicks did. Paid performers should perform and remember that boos can be given as easily as cheers. Her handlers are on 24/7 duty to manage her image and perform spin control when needed.
@George--Not going to happen.The Dixie Chicks suffered because they were country singers, and their fan base was primarily conservative. Swift is a pop singer with a completely different fan base and 85 million Twitter followers, (which is more than Trump has), who worship her. She'll probably gain Twitter followers and fans after this.
50
@George So is it only women singers that need to keep their mouths shut in your book? Plenty of entertainers talk about politics and do just fine. Ever heard of Bruce Springsteen?
21
@George
Bravo to her for speaking up. Free country (well, sort of....). If everyone ran scared as you appear to endorse, we would be in deeper trouble than we already are.
12
My favorite cat is the "Cheshire Cat". A clever cat indeed. So, we someday's, most now, live in an "Alice in Wonderland" political environment. The Mad Hatter is in charge.
The next development may just be that FLOTUS becomes the Queen who yells "off with their heads". This after her statement that women who are assaulted must be able prove the assault or forget about it.
What a strange world we live in. (Pat Robertson needs to check with his God for an explanation as to why the Carolina's need more rain)
10
We desperately need a little cheer right now.
Bless Taylor Swift and Gail Collins!
32
At last Ms. Collins is getting down to really important stuff...dogs and cats. I remember Seamus' name but had no idea we were to be concerned about Ms. Swift's cat. Please provide more info in a future commentary!
2
If we could only teach Trumpsters irony. (sigh)
19
Has this nation gotten so dumb that it takes a singer to motivate people to vote? People in other democracies pride themselves in going out to vote because they want to exercise their birth right in their own country. I meet many a american, and ask them if they are going to vote, and some of them seem to preoccupied with going back home to watch tv rather than vote. Is it any wonder what kind of people you have in the government now? You have no idea what a precious right it is to vote.
236
@Bertie "Has this nation gotten so dumb that it takes a singer to motivate people to vote?"
Is this a serious question? Have you forgotten that nearly 63 million people voted for a reality television star to be president of the United States?
56
@Bertie
"Has this nation gotten so dumb that it takes a singer to motivate people to vote?"
I think at this point we'll take what we can get.
6
@NA
...And 58 million of those 63 million voted for George Bush in 2000.
1
Does the news have a lighter side these days? Nope. You tried to bring us the "lighter side of the news", Gail Collins.
Great try, but humor is in short supply these days. No matter that Trump likes Taylor Swift "25% less" because she endorsed a Democrat, Phil Bredesen, in Tennessee against his Republican choice for Senator, Marsha Blackburn, a rep who infamously didn't like ceiling fans being regulated. This is what Trump said recently in his rantrally in Tennessee -- "remember that a vote for Marsha Blackburn is a vote for me!". Yup, we'll remember that! Yay for Taylor Swift and her endorsement of Phil Bredesen for Senator.
13
I only want candidates to win if they are talking about quick and immediate change to our beliefs about energy. We have had the knowledge of free energy technologies for a long time. We aren't allowed to have them publicly though, as it would spoil the robber barons' piggy banks. We have everything we need to fix our Earth's problems and I don't want a candidate who is going to talk about anything other than how to fix climate change, how to change our energy technologies. Question 9/11.
4
Hoping the column would be about; three person ivf, Kim and Trumps "true love" and who the surrogate mother would be.
2
I like a quote from Alice Cooper:“First of all, why do people think rock stars know more than they do? That is the biggest fallacy in the world — if anything, we’re dumber. We’re not smarter than anybody else. I mean, why do you think we’re rock stars?
4
I never thought I'd live in an America where many, many people will say, "Hmmmm, I wasn't sure how to vote, but Taylor Swift said . . ."
22
@Barking Doggerel,
I never thought I'd live in an America where people would vote for Donald Trump.
22
@Barking Doggerel. I'm sorry to inform you that a reality show NY con man is president. Because he "tells it like it is."
1
@Barking Doggerel
but if Sean Hannity says it.....?
Fun little column, but I really would have appreciated it if you had actually not included anything about Trump at all. I'm ready to move on.
4
The “think of it as the same thing as me" and the " A vote for Marsha is the same as a vote for me" Trump comments are somewhat unnerving. It would seem he has started referring to himself as God-like, and someone whose actions should be studied for guidance on the proper way to live. Before making a choice, he advises that we ask ourselves WWDD? (What would Donald do?) If you're one of the millions of Americans who have bought into the Trump-as-Deity aspect of this presidency, maybe that makes sense, but for some of us it's downright creepy.
15
Thank you for the laughs.
Flying with aliens or strip club owners did not stop Ms. Rodriguez Aguilera and Mr. Renacci from winning endorsements from the local newspaper, though the endorsements were ... less than zealous.
“We realize that Rodriguez Aguilera is an unusual candidate.”
- Miami Herald
"Renacci is not without downsides."
- Cleveland Plain Dealer
On the other hand , Trump's endorsement of Trump while roughly in the vicinity of Blackburn was a wholehearted endorsement of Trump.
But just when you thought the art of political endorsement is dead, Taylor Swift comes along and not only manages to steal the headlines with a well reasoned skewering of Blackburn, she endorses Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper, infuriates Trump loving white supremacists, and in return, gets a love tap from President Counter Puncher in the first known example of him only overreacting by, let's say, 25%.
Well done Ms. Swift.
23
I cannot get over the fact that my taxes are helping to pay for DJT’s travel to his rallies - Tens of millions per year that could be saving lives, or else just not adding to the monster budget deficit. It ought to be illegal for Presidents to use public resources for campaign activities. The only way it could be worse is if Secret Service personnel stayed at Trump-owned properties and taxpayers got charged top dollar for their rooms.
21
@Barry Fogel Are you being cynical? The Secret Service is renting space at Trump Tower, as is the Pentagon for when he stays there. A person with a strong moral compass would forgo charging the government. It is immoral to make money this way. Now, if a Dem was doing this, the GOP would be up in arms. --- If you haven't looked recently, Merriam Webster's entry for hypocrisy says: See Republican Party.
5
@Barry Fogel
You mean they're not staying at Trump-owned properties and forcing taxpayers to pay for his and his protection detail's rooms? That's news to me.
1
Taylor Swift for President in 2020. Sounds good to me. It might even get some young people to the polls.
4
Didn't Ms. Swift have a cat named Olivia Benson, after Mariska Hargitay's character on Law & Order SVU? It was pretty clear then that Ms. Swift is a liberal, since the character is a feminist tower of strength, defending women, children, and sometimes men against, well, mostly male predators. And Ms. Hargitay in real life is a great champion of women's causes and has herself founded a help organization. Now if she could just get her former co-star Diane Neal to not run for Congress on an independent liberal line in my Ulster County district, which is probably going to torpedo Democrat Antonio Delgado and get Republican Trump-man John Faso re-elected. How about it, Ms. Hargitay? But I digress. Good for you, Ms. Swift.
11
"Bring back the space aliens and the strip club owners."
Well, I happen to believe the strip club owners and most of the Americans who have been abducted by space aliens, made up the better part of the audience at the Tennessee Trump rally.
Space alien abductees and strip club owners are natural Trump supporters. Trump has a Stormy relationship with strippers and space alien abductees, who have their own wild stories they tell, are the perfect audience to believe the wild stories Trump tells.
Readers, we find ourselves on common ground with space aliens. Just as we want to know what makes Trump supporters tick, space aliens abduct and study them for pretty much the same reason. There is also a strong possibility that Trump is in fact a space alien...that would explain why those previously abducted see him as a leader.
As stories go this week, I most enjoyed the video of Trump trailing toilet paper as he boarded Air Force One. Trump trailing toilet paper is an informative metaphor of his presidency...a presidency which deserves to be recorded on the same paper.
And just one last note about Jim Renacci flying to a "faith leaders" meeting on a plane owned by a strip club owner. Not only does that say something about Jim Renacci, but it also sheds light on the "faith leaders" and their flocks. Strip club owners apparently make up the campaign volunteers of Republican candidates and they are also the "faithful" who seek leaders like Renacci.
12
Republicans have always had a difficult time attracting smart, talented people, be it movie stars, singers, scientists, educators, economists, health experts, legal scholars, artists, thinkers and last, but not least, politicians. Even their crooks aren't good crooks.
They're always scraping the bottom and to our amazement there are millions of them.
I don't know much about Taylor Swift but now I like her 25% more.
37
I really don't let celebrities help me decide whom to support. I prefer to gleam information from people in professions that have have more consequence. That said, I admire Taylor Swift for taking a stand. She could have stayed silent and not entered the endorsement ring. The ring guaranteed to offend someone.
What I really wonder is how women of any persuasion can still support trump or one of his lackeys? I wonder why all women are not like Swift and running away from the GOP as fast as they can? Why do some women like old white misogynistic men making reproductive choices for them and telling them they don't matter?
16
Good for Taylor Swift! Come November we can all shake it off. Shake it off. Shake it off!
3
Good for Taylor! Now that's the kind of Swift boating I support.
14
I feel a little less bad about about the $400 I recently spent to take my tween to see Tay Tay and her squad. At least she’s encouraging her followers to vote (and Dem at that!).
13
Thanks for the lighthearted column, we need some laughter, when everywhere we turn, we get reminded how Grimm the present state of our country is. Well, if the Republicans have someone who has relationship with the aliens, that solves the problem. They can go and muck up another planet.
3
I’m truly heartbroken for Taylor Swift. I guess with Trump’s announcement that he now liked her 25% less than before, the coded message he was sending was -“We are Never Ever Getting Back Together!” So sad.
6
I have no doubt that Taylor Swift's cat's vote will put Bredesen over the top.
2
Trump likes Swift 25% less than before? I like Kanye West 100% less than before all of his Trump comments and appearance on SNL, which is not much of a decline because I had a 0% view of him before.
25
@Jack Sonville
Don't forget, there are always negative numbers for your view of Kanye. And unlike the 'fake news' facts Trump doesn't like, those negative numbers are real!
Every school mission statement in this country list "critical thinking" as an educational goal and value. My question, if this is such a valued educational end, why do we have significant number of people in this country who lack any semblance of that ability, including our Commander in Chief, who is very smart and graduated from all the best schools.
7
@ACJ Consider that his base of supporters is strongest in the regions of the country that invest the least in education. Coincidence? I think not. The under educated have been given a chance to poke the eye of the educated, who clearly have been taking advantage of them (liberal elite=educated). Having superior critical thinking skills is a major contribution to earning more money, which the uneducated masses can't accept. To them, they are just as smart.
4
Gail. thanks for your well-meaning efforts, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to think of a "lighter side" of the news. The dark side tends to reclaim the ground.
By the way, the space-aliens story was pre-empted years ago by an episode in "Frasier". Truth, apparently, is no stranger than fiction.
3
as a society, it seems we no longer differentiate well between fiction and reality, truths and lies. we put our faith and trust in radio and tv personalities.... rush limbaugh(sp), taylor swift, kanye west, donald trump, a host of televangelists, politicians who are visited by space people. that's why, this year, while i normally vote for real people with pedigree, honor and dignity, i've decided to throw my presidential write-in vote for zippy the pinhead. if you can't beat em, join em.
4
Taylor named her cat before the contest ended.
8
Yes, Blackburn, too, like Renacci. is one of those hypocritical politicians who use Christian Right rhetoric to grease their way into office. You have to love Marsha who, when interviewed during the campaign run-up to November 2016, was capable of ignoring the Access Hollywood tape, despite those espoused, deeply held religious values, and endorse that man embracing her at the podium shown in the photo in Gail's piece, one hand on her shoulder and the other?
27
@Jacques Triplett, yes, I couldn't help a snort of disgust just seeing those hands, and those lips on the man. His taped gloating was enough to give hands and lips a bad name, at least his. I wouldn't want a loved one on an elevator with that man, that's for sure.
18
I'm sure Swifts endorsement will play well in Nashville. Not sure about the rest of the state.
1
I suspect future history, if indeed there is going to be a future which will have history to look back upon, will look at these times and both laugh, and shudder.
The laugh, well, if you don't laugh at some of our politics, you need to shut off the tv and take a long walk, and the shudder... by then they should have seen Trump's tax returns and understand what he is hiding and how he is Putin's tool of destruction in the White House.
For many decades now I have alternated between whimpering in bed late on election night as I hear of the election of a terribly incompetent leader as President, like George W. or Trump, or drifting off glad that someone of some intelligence and competence is at the helm, such as Barack Obama.
I cannot even imagine the Republican Party ever being trusted with the reins of power ever again. Racism and 1% elitism combined with hatred of the environment and human rights doesn't make a political party, it makes a mob.
Perhaps I owe an apology to the mob.
Hugh
26
This just proves how anyone who publicly voices disagreement with the party in power and the Commander in Chief will be publicly attacked. Taylor Swift has nothing to be ashamed of. Republicans shall be punished for attacking dissenting speech in November.
138
I for one would really like a follow up story later in November on the Gosar family's Thanksgiving dinner plans. Who's getting together with whom, and will there be TV cameras?
49
I like Trump 25% less each day he's in office, and he's been president for more than 20 months. Do the math.
171
@NA
I loathe trump.
I can't possibly loathe him more. Many, many people feel the exact same way. But here's the thing - and the way to get him where it hurts him- RIDICULE him. As publicly as possible and as often as possible.
Laugh AT him and make no mistake about it. To him, ridicule is evidence of another's assumed superiority and consequently unbearable.
Come on Gail, give it all you've got - and thankfully, you've got plenty!
21
@NA: Sir, I believe that your respect curve for Trump is asymptotically approaching zero. We agree.
Intergalactic travel is a big plus for prospective members of Congress. It presumably enhances their tolerance for long-distance "fact-finding" missions and their recognition that our planet is becoming inhospitable to human life. Time to move on. Mars First!
70
@Richard
She's a shoe-in for secretary of the Space Force.
(I cannot believe actual adults believe "space force is a good idea. And no, I don't care that Neil deGrasse Tyson agrees; he's an astrophysicist with TV shows like StarTalk and Cosmos ... how does one think he's going to respond? And not perfect nor is anyone else.)
4
This does a great job of highlighting those who need support in the midterms. Keep it coming! Thanks.
23
Ms. Swift has made a surprisingly strong impact. There's a political reality that this impact highlights: the power of celebrity. What is most helpful to a candidate for the presidency? a) Years of having a popular television program, but absolutely no political experience whatsoever? b) Two terms as a Senator; having made a strong previous run for the nomination; and the foreign policy experience of having served as a highly effective Secretary of State?
The Swift effect suggests that Trump's election wasn't a freak accident. It may be distasteful but Democrats might do well to adapt to this reality. What would be the best preparation for a future candidate? A twenty-year effective career as a legislator--governor, House, Senate or eight years in a television series--where the world of cameras, lighting, makeup would become second nature to them, plus the recognition of celebrity?
The Willie Nelson, Springsteen, Dylan generation already have a high percentage of voters. Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, not so much. Ditto actors, ditto comedians, NFL kneelers, Olympians. Rent a van, put up a schedule, pick a key district, announce you'll be driving around greeting people in line at polling places.
Notoriety is in the oval office, with a pre-existing condition that's obviously worsening.
49
@Son of the Sun
Which is, of course, behind the movement to draft Oprah to run for the White house.
1
“A vote for Marsha is really a vote for me,”
Hopefully that’s not a selling point other than for his base who, despite the static, still represents a significantly smaller percentage of ALL eligible voters.
This stain on America can be removed.
164
@SMK NC
Unfortunately that statement and the threat by House Democrats to impeach Kavanaugh is working. Bredesen's poll numbers have been falling over the last 2 weeks.
6
@SMK NC The body and the blood of Trump. Right he be the messiah returned? I think not. I'm not so sure about evangelicals though.
6
The clock is ticking. Will everyone - especially those of voting age - know what time it is?
107
There’s a lot that needs saying about how compelling an über-hot blonde can be, or so Trump keeps advising us. I suspect his preferences can survive a 25% loss.
Maybe we need to pay MORE attention to what singers (particularly über-hot 28-year-old blonde ones) have to say about the appropriateness for public office of this or that politician. But personally, I like simply enjoying the eye-candy … while actually listening to Kanye West. That not only gets me points with overweight, aging white misogynists, but may get me a few with Charles Blow, as well (and I NEED them with Charles).
Yet entertainers saying pithy things about politicians goes back a LOT further than Al Jolson and Warren Harding. There was the memorable support offered by John Wilkes Booth of Abraham Lincoln (… too soon?).
4
@Richard Luettgen
über-hot ? An odd locution.
Seems the alt-right was alt-wrong about Ms Swift.
7
@Richard Luettgen "But personally, I like simply enjoying the eye-candy ..."
And no doubt you believe they enjoy the attention.
19
@NA
Don't be so clueless, NA: Of COURSE they enjoy the attention.
Unfortunately Bredesen voted FOR Kavanaugh. We’ll have to figure out what to do about that after the elections unless he declares he did so just in order to win his seat. But we’ll still have to mull it over.
31
@A,j
Well, since he is not a sitting Senator he did not actually have a vote.
He did, however, issue a statement saying he would have voted for Kavanaugh, clearly an effort to take that issue off the table in his bid to defeat Marsha Blackburn in a red state which has not voted for a Democratic senator since 1990.
Given Blackburn's 19th century view of the world, seems we should support any strategy to defeat her.
56
@A,j
It would have been difficult for him to vote for Kavanaugh since he is not in the senate...that's the job he is running for.
5
@A,j
He didn't actually vote for Kavanaugh because he has not been elected yet, just said he would have. But anyone is better than Blackburn. At least Bredesen is registered as a Democrat.
5
Before I read Ms. Collins essay and all of the comments, I had been thinking the End was really near, given all the recent events. Whether it was the essay or the subject, the comments were the best I have read from any NYT article. Not only insightful but also very funny stuff. Thank you readers for now I believe hope is a good thing.
97
Trump--ever the trendsetter in trash--has done strip clubs before.
"In June 15, 2013 Trump and his posse took in a performance at The Act, a Las Vegas nightclub at Palazzo whose performers specialized in simulated sex acts eventually ruled too explicit. Among the acts: simulated urination. There’s even a photo of Trump in attendance." Sigh, the folks you write about, Gail, are just trying to keep up.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/russian-connection-what-hap...
http://pacevegas.com/2016/10/trump-campaign-go-sapphire-strip-club-las-v...
82
@Ann The Access Hollywood bus where Donnie T. and Billy B. recorded memorable commentary is available for hire. The recording is endlessly looped for that next Guys night out, Stag party.
25
@Ann The Access Hollywood Bus along with the Donnie T & Billy B recording characterizing actions toward women is available for Guys night out or Stag parties.
1
Trump better beware because I will bet Taylor Swft will write her next song about him and win another Grammy. Won't Kanye be mad!
212
@Janice Badger Nelson I can see it. Grammy for best song, “I’m all gloom ‘cause of the little shroom.”
4
I am not sure what you are saying but I was so grateful that Taylor Swift made those endorsements in a well reasoned essay which advocated non discrimination based on sexual orientation. That just fits in my understanding that Democrats advocate fairness.
240
Name that cat, probably the most entertaining subject of the day. We have a whole congress of cats, they sleep a lot and do very little else, but purr when you feed them, just like those farmers who are don't like those Chinese cats that have been drinking all the milk.
My cat which I brought home in the bag I carried newspapers in (Remember them?) my mother named "Thomas Kitty Dammed Cat). Why Thomas I don't know, but it answered to the name Cat. "Here cat" and it knew food was waiting, maybe we could replace Dishonest Don the Mad with a cat.
I know very little about Taylor Swift, I believe people think she sings, but just having come from the broadcast of the Met's Aida, I wonder about that, but those people in Country Music certainly like her, so hopefully that will give the Dems a few more votes. As far as we know, Donald the Mad has no musical tastes, the only music we know he listens to is Fox Commercials. A president with no soul, no appreciation of the arts, criticizing a very popular C&W star. He has become the worlds foremost critic, I guess his sycophants need a music critic too, to compliment their views of Liberals.
After all, how would they come to any rational conclusions about anything without his expert opinions? Most likely cats do not like him, he does not like dogs, and the feeling is mutual. Animals detect vibes, Trumpanzees scare them.
201
@David Underwood. Remarkable example of empathy, which most people don’t realize extends to interspecies communication. We should all wonder how other species think of Trump—elephants, for example, with demonstrated remarkable memories, or hyenas, known for seemingly satiric laughter, or geese, known to be monogamous for life. The list can be extended—and should be.
20
@David Underwood
Loved your comment until I came to the end and the disparaging remark. When people stoop to the other side's level by name calling I tend to ignore pretty much anything the other person has to say. Hope you liked Aida, I couldn't get through it.
I've heard that people who don't like cats were mice in a previous life. Don the Con lends credence to that theory.
4
A strip club owner can afford a plane?
What kind of plane is owned by the Peek-a-Boo Club?
Either wealth in America has gotten insane, or this is hyped.
57
@Mark Thomason No, "sin" pays very well. Even distorted sin - consider the Vatican. The gilt is guilty.
117
Somehow,it gave me the image of a Tony Soprano courting politicians at the Bada Bing, but even fictional crooks couldn't afford their own plane. They had to rely on old fashioned bribes, in untraceable cash.
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Planes are not that expensive, and most of the small ones are very old. Lots of people share use, running costs are similar to a luxury car or boat, and they don’t depreciate if maintained. Then, this being America, there are tax finagles to be had.
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Things were simpler with Mitt and there's proof
Remember the Dog on the Roof?
Trump does nothing right
And his base remains tight,
This must be a Beelzebub spoof.
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To explain those "Christian" weirdo candidates and much else about the current political situation, I strongly recommend Chris Hedges' recent interview on Alternative Radio (1 hour), covering much: "Rise Up and Resist", Chris Hedges in Boulder, CO on September 21, 2018. He displays wisdom, empathy, and realistic insight.
https://www.alternativeradio.org/collections/latest-programs/products/he...
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"When Trump learned about the endorsement he announced he likes Taylor Swift “25 percent less now.” This was the most mystifying presidential remark of the week. Why not 100 percent?"
It's not mystifying at all.
It's because Donald Trump still holds out hope that he will be able to "date" Taylor Swift some time.
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@Dennis Callegari I notice you put 'date' in quotation marks. We know what he would really like to grab, er, do.
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@Dennis Callegari
Are we’re really suppose to call his relations with women, “dating”? I think not.
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@Dennis Callegari I notice you put 'date' in quotation marks. We all know what he would really like to grab, er, do.
1
To the Swift goes the race.
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@Dave from Auckland
You are assuming all of her fans are Democrats. That's an awfully big assumption.
I'm so grateful for Swift's declaration for honesty & decency.
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@V Unfortunately, Bredesen shot himself in the foot by releasing a statement saying he supported Kavanaugh's nomination. Blackburn's polling ahead now and I figure a lot of democrats will simply skip voting on that part of the ballot.
Our experiment in democracy is over.
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Maybe it's just begun. Many experiments blow up in the lab.
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So the news tells us that the far right is bringing the fascist back in style; the planet will go into apocalyptic fire, drought, famine, flood any year now; the daylight being shed on sexual assault has demonstrated that famous, powerful men are the biggest victims; and people decide to vote because Taylor Swift said so.
Maybe all of us have been kidnapped by aliens. What better explanation than we are all in an alien zoo? The aliens just got the environment a little bit wrong - sort of like polar bears in Washington DC.
The zoo keepers may need to rethink their basic exhibit design.
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@Cathy: 40% of us believe extraterrestrials walk among us, there are still 10 million or so folks who hang on Alex Jones' every word, and if you watch the antics of McConnell, Nunes, Graham, et. al., you'd have no doubt about the existence of alien robot vampire zombies. People have been voting, shopping, or doing whatever at the behest of celebrities since time immemorial. We are obviously suggestable, and easily amused. Let's face it, there would be no shows like "Honey Boo Boo", "Duck Dynasty", "Ancient Aliens" or the various shopping channels if there wasn't enough of us looking for anything to distract from reality. Thus the irony of "reality" TV. Then there's the televangelists and Fox "news". I believe we're at a tipping point where the inmates are about to take over the asylum. We've got a Randle McMurphy at the helm and nurse Ratchet is on his side. Vast swaths of the population have already been lobotomized and many of the rest sedated. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if we had an interstellar intervention about now. Just remember that if they come to serve mankind, it may be medium rare.
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You go girl! Vote Democrat!
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"When Trump learned about the endorsement he announced he likes Taylor Swift “25 percent less now.”"
C'mon, Gail. We both know Trump stares at Taylor Swift's long, gorgeous legs and golden hair and thinks, "She wants me. She really wants me."
The 25% off is a special deal for Marsha. Nobody wants her but dried up old people who don't believe young folks should have sex. Unfortunately, there are a lot of those here in Tennessee.
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Even though I agree with the gist of what you say, the ageist part isn't cool.
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@Dorothy
Members of the Christian right have made it their mission to control the private lives of others in myriad ways. Around here, you hear a lot of blather about abstinence being the only acceptable form of birth control, but it's girls and young women who have babies, thus are targeted for restrictive rules. People like Marsha Blackburn, who have never been poor and who have exactly the number of children they planned, love to find reasons to scorn.
Well actually, there is something a bit weird about President Trump’s comment that he likes Taylor Swift “25 percent less now.” Because usually when he gets in a tiff with someone he can’t just say “Well, we disagree.” Part of his mental health problem is that he always—always—has to tack on a crummy, no-class put-down. The one that will haunt him the most, of course, is that the late Senator John McCain was “not a war hero.” Meryl Streep, probably our best living or for that matter dead actress, is “over-rated.” LeBron James is not smart, Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan is “totally incompetent,” and…well, you get the idea. The Times compiled a log of these presidential insults back in July, at which point they counted 487.
How did Ms. Swift escape the brunt of his wrath? Well, maybe he DID really like her 100%, and despite her defection from his camp (which I’m sure she was never really in) he still likes her 75%. So at least one person can disagree with him and he can refrain from trashing them; maybe he’s making some progress. On the other hand, Ms. Swift didn’t actually say anything bad about the President himself, so maybe we’re giving him too much credit.
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@Jerry S. I think it's because Swift looks a lot like Ivanka.
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@Jerry S. ~ It's Trumper's totally macho-dominant-misogynist stance ~ he's surely always been hot for her(as he is for any good-looking woman), so if he says only 25% of his fondness for her is gone, that leaves himself 75% that he can still try and power over her with. Of course she'd never fall for him in a million years...but Donnie can't stand rejection.
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@Jerry S.
Overthinking it.
Trump was just trying to show us that he did actually learn a little math in school (other than subtraction, which to him means how much LESS $$$$ he would have if he filed his taxes like every other law abiding US citizen)
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Ok, I bite ... did Blackburn actually say "“First they came for our health care. Then they took away our light bulbs … now they are coming after our ceiling fans?”
And on review ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/opinion/sunday/republican-spin.html
“First, they came for our health care, then they took away our light bulbs, and raided our nation’s most iconic guitar company — now they are coming after our ceiling fans. Nothing is safe from the Obama administration’s excessive regulatory tentacles.”
Gail -- you forgot the raid on Gibson Guitar company!
Does Marsha play a Gibson? Does she play anything?
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@Lee Harrison: Sure! She plays the electorate.
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@Lee Harrison Mars needs guitars! We're not the only ones running out of mahogany.
@Lee Harrison
The poorly managed Gibson Guitar company.
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Ms. Swift is a far far far bigger star than His Unhinged Unraveling Unfitness, as shown by her 112 million followers - and she's pulled herself up by her bootstraps compared to the Run-away Trumpster Fire, since she didn't start receiving a $200,000/year income from her Daddy when she was 3 years old, and thus was not a millionaire by the ripe old age of 8 years.
All of which also obviously makes Ms. Swift far far smarter than POTUS 46-1*.
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@R. Law To be fair, she comes from a very wealthy family of Wall Streeters.
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@R. Law
The way to deal with the UNHINGED, UNFIT emperor with no clothes is RIDICULE.
Laugh at him and he will become even more unhinged.
Ridicule is the assumed evidence of another's superiority and consequently unbearable.
Have at it Gail! Give it all you've got and you, thankfully, have got plenty!
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@R. Law
I have a rock in my front yard that is smarter than POTUS 46-1*.
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"A vote for Marsha is really a vote for me". The narcissism just doesn't stop. Next, "L'état, c'est moi".
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@View from the hill: Maybe before that, "L'électorat, c'est moi"?
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@View from the hill. The body and the blood of Trump. Maybe he is the Messiah returned. I think not. But I'm not sure about the Evangelicals.
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“L'état, c'est moi” indeed! Let’s add “Après moi, le déluge”.
Trump’s French may not extend this far - you think?
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