HAPPY'S PLACE?
Is there such a thing in the US these days?
On
TV, there is. NBC on Fridays has been where to find it, Reba
McEntire's third attempt at a sitcom. First up was REBA which lasted six
seasons and 127 episodes and still plays daily on CMT and other
channels. Next came MALIBU BEACH which only lasted one season and 18
episodes. Now HAPPY'S PLACE and, with a second season renewal, it's
already doing better than her second sitcom.
Reba
and her character Bobbie were strong and steady from the start of this
series but other elements took a bit and, around episode three, the show
found its stride. Teaming up Reba and Melissa Peterman again was a
smart move. Peterman played Barbara Jean on REBA and was a source of
angst and tension on that show. They've got a Christine and Barb
chemistry (THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE) and that's not easy to
create. Joining them is Belissa Escobedo as Bobbie's half-sister
Isabella, Reba's real life husband Rex Linn (the two previously worked
together on the TV series BIG SKY), Pablo Castelblanco as accountant
Steve and Tokala Black Elk as Takoda who works at the bar.
The bar was left to Bobbie and Isabella by their late father and it's HAPPY'S PLACE.
Maybe, in The Age of Chump, the only place Americans can find happiness -- or some approximation -- is at a bar?
Makes sense to us.
Mainly
because putting up with Convicted Felon Donald Chump's attacks on our
country and our way of life requires that you hit the hard stuff. A
lot.
For some that may be booze, for others it might be sweets. Everyone's got their own thing and we're all in need of a fix.
It's really the only way to stomach all the lies.
Such
as? How about JD Vance, Second Lady in Waiting, claiming he was chased
over the weekend. Chased? Chased involves running. Have people not
seen Vance's ass? He can't run with that thing. And he didn't. Nor did
have to. As Vice President, he has a Secret Service detail with him
where ever he goes. But if Miss Sassy couldn't milk the drama with his own two hands,
he'd have to use a breast pump.
Even
more out of touch are the Republicans in Congress who were given the
advice -- and so far have wrongly taken it -- to stop doing townhalls
and encounters with their constituents.
Their
constituents are their bosses. It's not smart to avoid them.
Avoidance makes it clear that you don't respect them, makes it clear
that you aren't connected to them and most likely will make it clear to
them that they shouldn't vote for you.
Infected with a toxic case of MAGA, the members of Congress believe this to be good advice.
After Roger Marshall, a senator from Kansas, was hounded out of his own town hall event last week,
Republican party leaders had had enough. Mike Johnson, the Republican
House speaker, and Richard Hudson, the chair of the GOP’s fundraising
body, decided the embarrassment had to end, and they told Republicans to stop holding the public events.
But
while that might save some Republican politicians from public
humiliation, it could also deprive Americans of opportunities to
interact with their elected officials, experts said, and prevent people
from letting their representatives they are not happy with the
increasingly divisive direction of the Trump administration.
“It’s
certainly a unique view of representation that representatives should
hear only from constituents who agree with them,” said Marjorie Hershey,
professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University
Bloomington.
“But it’s entirely in keeping with
the recent direction of the Republican party: to become more and more
extreme because they listen only to their far-right base.”
Johnson
and Hudson’s edict came after several Republican town halls were
interrupted in recent weeks. Scott Fitzgerald, a four-year congressman,
faced an angry crowd at an event in West Bend, Wisconsin, in late
February. Fitzgerald was repeatedly booed as he defended the role of
Elon Musk, in particular.
Apparently
misjudging his audience, Fitzgerald said Musk is “getting rid of the
DEI”, to loud jeers, before receiving a similar reaction when he praised
“the fraud and abuse that has been discovered” by the department of
government efficiency.
A video from TMJ4
showed attendees carrying signs including “Presidents are not kings”
and “No cuts to Medicaid”. Glenn Grothman, also from Wisconsin, received
similar treatment at a town hall a couple of days later, being loudly
booed as he claimed that “across the board [Trump] has done some very
good things”, including birthright citizenship and – using the same
phrasing as Fitzgerald – “getting rid of the DEI”.
Now
maybe we overindulged -- or maybe having not been infected with MAGA,
we're not suffering from swamp fever -- but we're having a really
difficult time seeing how a member of Congress avoiding their
constituents does anything but piss them off. However, those suffering
from the scourge of the West, insist that it won't and believe that
avoiding the voters and the issues they raise will pacify the voters and
make them forget.
Amnesia
is the Donald Chump strategy when it comes to voters. And he's
convinced that, if everyone will stop talking about the high costs of
eggs, people will stop noticing the huge increase in the cost of eggs
and other groceries.
JD Wolf (MTN) explains:
As
Americans continue to grapple with soaring grocery prices, Trump shared
an article that downplays concerns over the rising cost of eggs. In a
Truth Social post, Trump reposted an opinion piece by right-wing
commentator Charlie Kirk, titled "Shut Up About Egg Prices — Trump Is
Saving Consumers," which dismisses the outrage over the price hikes.
The
article acknowledges that “a dozen currently costs around $7, up from
just $2 in October,” but argues that inflation under Trump is not as bad
as critics claim. Telling voters to shut up about high prices in the
Trump economy may not be a winning strategy.
It
wouldn't for Charlie in high school and it's not going to work for
Chump. Prices do not just remain high, they've gotten higher and they
are continuing to climb. Not talking about inflation will not erase it
from our minds.
Ed Mazza (HUFFINGTON POST) makes an important point:
“I
will immediately bring prices down starting on Day 1,” he said on Aug.
15, for example. “Starting the day I take the oath of office, I will
rapidly drive prices down,” he promised later that some month.
He backed away from that last month.
He promised it.
There's another point that needs to be made there.
It's
true that many politicians break promises. It's also true that those
running for president often make very big promises and then fail to
deliver. But while you might cut slack for a first time nominee, Chump
occupied the office of president from January 2017 through January
2021. Meaning? He was no starry eyed first timer. He knew from
experience what was possible and what was not. He also knew what he had
to say -- which lie to tell -- in order to garner votes.
He lied knowingly and willingly. He got back into the White House and he no longer cares about the needs of the people.
HAPPY'S
PLACE finds Reba back on TV and she's a crowd pleaser, yes, but, more than
that, she's also a better actress now and can offer more than
personality. Chump? He never had personality to coast on to begin
with. And he's got nothing to offer -- nothing that any sane person
wants at any rate.
