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This is the first time with your show where I watched the covered episode shortly before your podcast dropped. Handicapping for the standards of the show and the state of politics before Obama's ascent, I kind of enjoyed this episode in terms of its structure and character interactions. Maybe it's just because I haven't been steadily watching this show like you guys are, so I haven't been fatigued by it. I too was confused by how the Amendment was dropped. If Senator Fundie simply said something like "The Amendment outlasted its usefulness; I'm just glad I got your attention" to Bartlet; that might have been good enough. And I too was amused how the White House was surprised that conservatives weren't talking about federalism in good faith. My experience with Obama's speeches was that his 2004 Convention speech was more like "I wanted to like it" than actually liking it; I think I was trying to gaslight myself into agreeing with the liberal hivemind opinion at the time. I was only in high school, and I was still fishing around for a viable and shiny strand of liberalism in light of Bush/Cheney's psychopathic White House. However, my experience with hearing Obama in person was quite different. Back in 2009; I had a near front row seat with him stumping for Jon Corzine's ill-fated reelection bid. I remember being sincerely enthralled, despite it being light on substance in the typical Obama hope-speechifying sense. (How does one polish the turd that was Jon Corzine's governorship? By not talking about it.) Unrelated; I decided to watch the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies in preparation for No Way Home; and Martin Sheen's Uncle Ben was indistinguishable from President Dad; to the point where he starts being unintentionally unsympathetic at certain moments just like his West Wing character. In all fairness, Peter Parker was also written poorly enough that he too was hard to empathize with when Uncle Ben was dressing him down. I've seen Martin Sheen play characters besides Bartlet, but it's quite clear that whoever wrote this bad movie probably only imagined Sheen from the West Wing. poo poo movie; despite all the rightful hate the MCU receives, it's a reminder what was the alternative.
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Mar 17, 2022 03:21
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 14:50 |
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he plays Gay Retiree President Dad in grace and frankie but he’s had a lot of good roles, his voice is very good, no hate on Martin sheen himself
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Mar 17, 2022 04:44
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I'm getting the impression that Bradley Whitford's 44 minute "ur gay lol" joke on Allison Janney didn't land for y'all
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Mar 17, 2022 18:51
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https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1505988893518270464
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Mar 22, 2022 03:57
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Maybe this will finally be what causes Sorkin to jerk his dick off.
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Mar 22, 2022 13:02
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the last two years of high school i used my locker so infrequently, but just frequently enough, to show up and go "oh gently caress what is the combination to my locker" and just kinda spin it around with muscle memory hoping for the best. It was 34-18-26. Kai Ryssdal Voice But First Let's Do The Numbers had a great time with this one, holy poo poo
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Apr 5, 2022 01:35
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THAT'S NUMBERWANG, MR. PRESIDENT
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Apr 5, 2022 23:34
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Those numbers. Oh my god those numbers. President god escribed the numbers from on high and deliverith them upon us. There is no President but Bartlett and Lyman is his prophet.
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Apr 6, 2022 01:27
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sorry, is the character actually named "Ronna", or were you doing a gag
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Apr 6, 2022 04:32
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Doc Hawkins posted:sorry, is the character actually named "Ronna", or were you doing a gag no, seriously the character is named Ronna. Ronna Beckman according to the fan wiki https://westwing.fandom.com/wiki/Ronna_Beckman she ends up taking over for Debby Fiderer after Santos is elected
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Apr 6, 2022 04:33
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okay that's just not a name
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Apr 6, 2022 04:39
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Doc Hawkins posted:okay i imagine she was only named that so the writers could do that Donna/Ronna joke
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Apr 6, 2022 04:47
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we all remember when martin sheen said that iconic uncle ben line:quote:Your father, he lived by a philosophy, a principle, really. He believed that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things! That's what's at stake here. Not choice. Responsibility.
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Apr 6, 2022 08:29
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Doc Hawkins posted:okay i think i might be able to help with the Ronna-Donna dilemma 
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Apr 6, 2022 16:48
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why wasn't she named Shawna???!?!? e: im going to have to actively practice not thinking about this
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Apr 6, 2022 16:54
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WE'RE BACK It's a short one this week I'm so ready to be done with this poo poo!!
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Apr 27, 2022 01:41
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It was actually George W. Bush who last raised the federal minimum wage, of all people. After the 2006 Dem wave. Maybe Pelosi refuses to do so again under Biden because in her 82-year-old brain she recalls she already "recently" did it. Obama didn't raise the minimum wage near the end of his administration, when there were plenty of signs it was already too low. A generous reading would be he thought maybe Hillary would have done it, and we all know what happened. But of course, there's the less generous reading: him not giving a poo poo.
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Apr 29, 2022 02:27
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Echo Chamber posted:It was actually George W. Bush who last raised the federal minimum wage, of all people. After the 2006 Dem wave. Maybe Pelosi refuses to do so again under Biden because in her 82-year-old brain she recalls she already "recently" did it. ah OK, also the reason I remember it is because it went INTO EFFECT during the Obama years, the last hike processed in July 2009.
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Apr 29, 2022 02:32
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creating posts and content helps keep the despair stomped down Ah memories, fond recollections of the final nail in the coffin of my regard for electoral politics
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May 4, 2022 22:13
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Will Bailey wants to gently caress an ice cream sandwich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d3QtKjqcHE
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May 4, 2022 22:14
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WampaLord posted:Will Bailey wants to gently caress an ice cream sandwich Oh like you don't
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May 6, 2022 03:20
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I recall enjoying this episode. On a more atmospheric level. The tone they were going for, especially during that DESIRE montage, was probably to show the snippets of humanity during the grind that is the caucus. (Which, of course comes at the expense of Iowa, which is probably a nice place if you see it more than as a stepping stone for political power.) But as you guys implied, it inadvertently captures the deeper bleak nature of a political system in crisis. I hope it might have flared up some thoughts in a 2005 viewer's head. Thoughts like "Is this what politics is now? Some DC hacks chasing special interest groups in some state with disproportionate leverage once every four years? Is this what America won WWII and the Cold War for? Our end of history? This is what democracy really is? Even after we get rid of George Bush, this is it?" And then Obama-mania came and many of us temporarily handwaved these thoughts away.
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May 8, 2022 20:40
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I'm not sure what part it was but your post just sparked this thought in mind: The second Santos becomes the nominee, the entire summer camp industry is going to rise up and start slamming him with attack ad after attack ad for trying to implement a longer school year. *photoshopped picture of Matt Santos to make him look evil spins into frame* "Matt Santos wants to take away your child's summer vacation! Vote for Arnie Vinnick, who respects America's institutions, like summer! Paid for by the Committee for Summer in America SuperPAC"
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May 8, 2022 23:00
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An unrelated thought I had while the Matt Santos plot gains more steam is what effect, if any, Geena Davis's "Commander in Chief" had on the show's evolution. It may have disappeared into the memory hole, but I remember it creating somewhat of an impression on people since there was some excitement among some liberals over the chance of the US getting its first woman president even then. Its plots felt more like a conventional network drama from the few episodes I watched; it was more milquetoast than even post-Sorkin West Wing. And it was unambiguously lib-brained third way, to the point where Geena Davis' character was an independent, but not in any way that could have harmed the two-party status quo. The 2008 Dem Primary could have gone either to the first woman or the first POC, and The West Wing's writers went with Hispanic Obama. Bartlet was sort of a way to reimagine the Bill Clinton presidency without the Clinton baggage. It's possible maybe some of them might have wanted to imagine a Hillary candidacy without the Clinton baggage as well before they were possibly preempted. I'm not sure how aware the West Wing writers' were at that time of CIC and other West Wing-wannabe shows. It was probably for the show's better. An Obama-esque figure was more of a blank slate than doing a whitewashed Hillary, and real Obama ultimately won out anyway. (There's also just an entire alternate history of the last 15 years that could be written if Hillary won in '08 and the proto-Karens took control of the liberal project, and then the financial meltdown and Black Lives Matter happened anyway; and there was a more awkward line of communication between the White House and BIPOC liberal leadership, which interests me more as a POC that feels completely alienated from the self-appointed class of political and cultural leaders who supposedly "represent" us. Thoughts for another day, I guess...) Echo Chamber has issued a correction as of 16:53 on May 11, 2022 |
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May 9, 2022 00:46
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Pee Pee Doo Doo You are Goon Podcasters
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May 11, 2022 03:27
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the image for this episode is ten years old lmao https://soundcloud.com/theworstwing69/s6e12-the-wake-up-call any Day NOW
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May 23, 2022 18:31
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May 28, 2022 04:51
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each miserable episode brings us closer to the end thank you TV Jesus Do not watch this episode. You can listen to our podcast if you can stomach me saying "ultimately" like seventy times.
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May 31, 2022 22:45
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Gunshow Poophole posted:each miserable episode brings us closer to the end in more ways than one 
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Jun 1, 2022 00:39
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bahaha I am absolutely here for a live commentary of that loving live debate episode I hadn't thought about the live santos ad vs. bartlet walking to congress, it's a good comparison haven't had much to say about the last few episodes. y'all are killing it and I figure you don't need a content-free "good ep" posted every time, but they're good eps
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Jun 1, 2022 05:28
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pokeyman posted:bahaha I am absolutely here for a live commentary of that loving live debate episode it’s still nice to hear, thank you :3 our semi regular chats are a carryover from the before times, the long long ago. so although deep inside my brain there’s an understanding that that world is stone dead, it’s nice to have a through line, to remind me that many other people have come along on this ride (both podcast and life) and will be right there on the other side just like they were back then.
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Jun 1, 2022 05:43
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Echo Chamber posted:
They couldn't even commit to that as they had to have him married to the whitest white lady. Also, his positions are basically Republican talking points.
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Jun 1, 2022 16:39
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Acinonyx posted:They couldn't even commit to that as they had to have him married to the whitest white lady. Also, his positions are basically Republican talking points. Yeah, let's not forget that one of the planks of his big education policy is "end teacher tenure" lmao
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Jun 1, 2022 16:57
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Acinonyx posted:They couldn't even commit to that as they had to have him married to the whitest white lady. Also, his positions are basically Republican talking points. I think he is also anti-abortion whereas Alan Alda is pro choice. there’s an episode where some abortion rights group is going to endorse Alda and Josh has a confrontation with them only to find out his guy isn’t pro choice.
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Jun 1, 2022 18:22
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Ya, he's also against immigration. He has nothing but Republican ideas, but with an exciting identity. Very third way.
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Jun 2, 2022 02:14
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eyyy she won't be experiencing any uh DROUGHT CONDITIONS once she gets a loada me, you know what I'm saying EH? HEH HEH
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Jun 7, 2022 02:32
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Gunshow Poophole posted:eyyy she won't be experiencing any uh DROUGHT CONDITIONS once she gets a loada me, you know what I'm saying EH? HEH HEH No wetland drilling. 0 stars. It actually sounded like you liked this episode. Because they were being witty and accidentally admited they have the power to do things.
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Jun 7, 2022 03:32
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The true Politcal Capital was the bros we met along the way.
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Jun 7, 2022 03:32
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HootTheOwl posted:No wetland drilling. 0 stars. it was fun, had action and a big presence of guest stars so, imagine the opposite of most west wing eps
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Jun 7, 2022 03:40
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it's been awhile since I saw this episode, but since y'all didn't mention it, I feel secure in saying they don't explicitly make any connection between toby's astronaut brother's health and toby/bartlet making noise specifically about healthcare? which is I think very smart, because a) there's no need to say every connection out loud and b) it wouldn't make a ton of sense (I assume nasa has decent health insurance for astronauts) the exchange between kate and cj of "what happened to your boob?" "really?" cracks me up as very un-erudite dialogue. which sorkin was adept at deploying, but it takes the b-team a couple seasons to work up the confidence also re: why are they worrying about coffee stains when there's ostensibly a government to run, I think they get halfway there with a sexist joke? would've been cooler if they finished the thought
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Jun 7, 2022 04:23
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