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DL Open Thread: Sunday, July 21, 2024
THE Single Worst Idea For Replacing Biden. Not only does it suck. It wouldn’t work: The writing staff would tell me I was about to jump the shark, that this is a “West Wing” fantasy that would never, ever happen. But as Bradley Whitford used to say, “Isn’t the biggest fantasy on television a mafia […]
Song of the Day 7/20: The Newbeats, “Bread and Butter”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona When the Newbeats sang their new 1964 earworm hit “Bread and Butter” on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand,” teens all over America were surprised to see that the lead singer wasn’t a girl. The high-pitched vocal came from a sturdy-looking blond guy at a time when falsetto singing in pop music […]
DL Open Thread: Saturday, July 20, 2024
‘Biden And Trump Have Succeeded In Breaking Reality’. If M. Gessen writes it, I read it: (B)oth campaigns are creating a sense of unreality, in presenting politics as formulaic spectacle, abstracted from the actual politics each candidate represents and from people’s lived experiences. To be sure, the two campaigns are telling very different stories. The […]
Song of the Day: Eddie Vedder, “Save It for Later”
Lots of TV shows lean on pop and rock songs to serve as their soundtracks, some more heavily than others (when medical shows proliferated, putting the word “breathe” in your song title almost guaranteed it would air during an ER scene). Some shows, like current critical darling “The Bear,” actually build scenes around the music. […]
DL Open Thread: Friday, July 19, 2024
Looks like the biggest story from last night was that an untethered Trump is eminently beatable. Didn’t watch the speech. Did you?: The new tone lasted 17 minutes. Then, he called on state and federal prosecutors to drop all four criminal cases against him, including the one in which he was convicted of 34 felony […]
Song of the Day 7/18: Tenacious D, “Tribute”
OK, so now we’re all supposed to act shocked and saddened by the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The guy in Tenacious D – not Jack Black, the other guy – didn’t, and now the duo is no more. Kyle Gass is the guy’s name. When Black surprised him with a birthday cake during a […]
DL Open Thread: Thurs., July 18, 2024
If you’re looking for convention coverage or ‘Waiting For Biden To Come To His Senses’, look elsewhere. I don’t get paid enough (aka ‘anything’) to inflict either on myself. Biden Cancels More Student Debt. This time, for 35,000 public service workers: How it works: The Education Department said that the relief was made possible via […]
Delaware’s Most Intriguing Primary Races Of 2024: Novelty Division
Yeahyeah, you’ll get yer Top Ten. But I’d be remiss not to mention this race that has some serious comedic possibilities: Colin Bonini vs. Susanne Whitney For Kent County Register Of Wills. No, this isn’t a battle for the heart and soul of the Rethuglican Party (the Party has neither). It’s just an election-year amuse-bouche […]
Song of the Day 7/17: Tom Waits, “Circus”
I haven’t tuned in to the Republican National Convention, but I imagine it’s very much like Tom Waits described his circus in this cut from 2004’s “Real Gone.” Waits doesn’t play piano on any track on the LP, but he does play the background music here on a keyboard instrument – the chamberlin, a precursor […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Joe Biden’s handlers don’t fill me with confidence, but they’ve apparently hit upon the bright idea of having him act presidential by throwing a little red meat to Democrats. After years of resisting the obvious, he’s decided to back Supreme Court reform and will announce it with lots of fanfare. GOP apoplexy to follow. The […]
Song of the Day 7/16: Dexys Midnight Runners, “Come On Eileen”
I’m no lawyer, but I’ve read enough commentary on Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of Trump’s stolen document trial to know it’s got no basis in American jurisprudence. Will she be reversed on appeal? Tune in for another exciting episode of “As the Despot Turns”! I confess to an irrational hatred of this song, which is […]
Presenting: The LEAST Intriguing Delaware Primaries Of 2024
No, I’m not gonna list stuff like row office primaries. Except when I’m snarking them. In some cases, these are primaries that could have been important had at least one of the candidates proven worthy. In other cases, it’s because only one side is running a campaign. And in some, hey, it’s my list, I […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, July 16, 2024
Political party conventions used to deserve media attention. Reporters covered them because the party’s nominee wasn’t pre-ordained. That changed when primaries replaced caucuses and smoke-filled rooms. With the nominee already decided, conventions became PR events, but they still get flood-the-zone coverage, just like the Super Bowl. And just like all the words wasted in the […]
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