Tuesday TV Touchbase: Emmys Postmortem

 

Sunday night, Andrea and I watched the Emmys out of sheer boredom. There was literally nothing else we felt compelled to watch at all. 

Boredom was rarely alleviated. 

I was mildly curious about how the TV shows I watched might fare and also how this whole virtual format would work. 

Answers: Not well. And not well. 

Last week I posited that the Marvelous Mrs, Maisel would be the unstoppable juggernaut among comedy series.  It was not. Nope, the honor for "unstoppable juggernaut" fell to Schitt's Creek. 

It was getting annoying watching Schitt's Creek win award after award. 

• Schitt's Creek 
• Schitt's Creek  
• Schitt's Creek 
• Schitt's Creek 
• Schitt's Creek   
• Schitt's   
• Schitt's   
• Schitt's  
• Creek  
• Creek
• Creek

Over and over and over ad infinitum. 

Look, Alex Borstein was ROBBED!!!!!!

Here's the thing about Schitt's Creek. I've heard a lot of good things about this series. It's on my list of things to catch up on when I have time. 

By the time the first hour of the Emmys was over, I was vowing to NEVER watch Schitt's Creek. 

I will watch Tiger King before I watch Schitt's Creek, that's how much I was annoyed by it.  

OK, Ken Levine was happy about the Schitt's Creek sweep. As he described it in his blog, Schitt's Creek is "an actual comedy that strives to make people laugh...  Not a 'dramedy' that has a few smiles or a quirky message show, but a real honest-to-goodness COMEDY."

I trust Ken's instincts and tastes when it comes to comedy and it sounds like Schitt's Creek might be something I might enjoy. Thanks to the Emmys, I have declared Schitt's Creek is something I now actively hate.

Alex Borstein was ROBBED!!!!!!

The show itself was gamely hosted by Jimmy Kimmel who opened up with a monologue to a packed house of TV celebrities.  What the hell? Is this is some kind of liberal answer to a MAGA rally? 

Nope, just stock footage from a previous Emmy telecast from the before times. The bit played out a bit too long and it wasn't the only comedy bit lacking in timing. Comedy is really hard without an audience.

Jennifer Anniston was on hand as the first presenter and the hapless participant in an elaborate sequence of events to disinfect the winner's envelope that including setting it on fire then putting the fire out. Things got a little hairy when the fire wouldn't stay out despite Anniston's use of a fire extinguisher.  As Maureen Lee Lenker wrote for EW, "the scene became a literal garbage fire. Pretty great metaphor for 2020, though."  

Cord Jefferson, winner for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series category,  thanked his therapist Ian during his acceptance speech.  

Speaking of thanking therapists, I'll thank mine. 

Thank you, Heidi! 

The In Memoriam segment was well done with artist H.E.R. (who I never heard of before this) performing “Nothing Compares 2 U" with power and feeling.  (Somehow Schitt's Creek got in there too!) Every featured fallen member of the TV community were honored with carefully designed images that matched them to their work. For example, the image of René Auberjonois placed against a canopy of stars and the station from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a particularly well rendered tribute. 

HBO’s Succession won best drama series and Jesse Armstrong, the shows creator, decided to forego the usual thanks yous and insteaded gave a list of “un-thank yous" to the virus to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson’s responses to the pandemic. 

There were a lot of entreaties from winners and presenters for people to go out and vote and it was not unclear as to who to vote for. Given this is Hollywood giving awards to itself, it's a lot of preaching to the choir.

And what a small choir it was. The ratings for the 2020 Emmys were the lowest of all-time with only 6.1 million people tuning in which is down about 12% from last year's all-time low.  What really hurts the Emmys is there are a lot of nominations for shows that no one has watched on outlets not everyone has access to featuring people we've never heard of. An awards show on a broadcast network with little to no broadcast network representation is just begging people not to watch. 

Of the 6.1 million people that tuned in, how many were actually watching, paying any attention or managing to stay awake?  

I will admit the thing I got the most excited for was not in the show itself but a commercial for the long awaited, much anticipated series from Disney+, WandaVision! 

I was all "squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" 

If all goes well, I've embedded the trailer here. 

OK, Wanda and Vision watching Schitt's Creek? Enough already!* 

*I must clarify that Schitt's Creek was not in the WandaVision trailer or the In Memoriam. 

The 2020 Emmy broadcast was not a clusterfuck going up Schitt's Creek but it did suffer from the lack of a certain energy otherwise associated with a live show. The efforts to compensate for that lack of an audience worked for the purpose of getting the show done but little more than that. And without any crowd pleasing favorites to root for, just niche shows on niche outlets, there's not much to get excited about. 

For all the shows I watched, I went almost zero for anyone winning an award until "Last Week Tonight with John OIiver" won an award presented by that great comic talk show master himself, David Letterman. 

One a positive note, the Emmys ended almost on time. The last award was presented at 11:04 PM EDT so kudos to Jimmy Kimmel and the production crew for running a pretty tight show. 

Thanks for reading. Remember to be good to one another and just in case you forgot, Schitt's Creek! 

'Bye! 

 

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Holey Moley and Other Stuff

 

It's time once again for the Tuesday TV Touchbase where I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You answers the question that grips America every week, "What the hell is Dave-El watching on TV?" 

Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy launched new seasons last week with new episodes recorded in our new coronavirus pandemic normal. 

Wheel looks mostly the same with only some small modifications to the existing set and some changes in behavior. 

Pat and the contestants are supposed to be 6 feet from each other. It doesn't quite look it and I'm seeing where a contestant's arm sometimes seems to be stretching into another contestant's space.

The contestants each have a white plastic sleeve that fits over the spokes of the wheel so they can turn the wheel without actually touching the spokes. Pat calls the plastic sleeve "the white thing" while everyone on the internet calls it "the wheel condom". 

Pat keeps his distance from the contestants. No handshakes or shoulder pats at the end of the game. 

Jeopardy has a remodeled set with the contestants set up at three separate podiums. Alex Trebek's podium is set up further away from the contestants.

After the first commercial break, Alex still talks to the guests but at a distance; he does not approach the contestants as he has done in the past.  

The big thing that has everyone talking is the addition of Ken Jennings as a consulting producer; his duties will include presenting video clues and serving as an ambassador for the show. That latter items I figure means that instead of sending out Alex Trebek for any promotional appearances at the various affiliates, the show can send out Ken. With Alex still fighting pancreatic cancer, it's a wonder that he still has the sharp wit and physical ability to host the show.  Ken Jennings can take up the heaving lifting for everything else.  

There has been much speculation that this position on the show is a way to groom Ken Jennings to take over as host. the producers deny this but it makes sense to have a 2nd face associated with the show... just in case.

Look what happened last year on Wheel of Fortune when a medical emergency took Pat Sajak out of commission and Vanna White stepped up to host. Jeopardy has no Vanna, no second face of the show to step up if the situation warranted. 

Alex Trebek is under contract with Jeopardy through 2022 and everyone hopes he stays well enough and happy enough to see that through. But giving Ken Jennings a role with the show now helps to give the show a back stop if needed. 

The first week of the show only had one episode with Ken Jennings presenting a video clue category. 

The first week did not go by without some controversy. The answer for a Final Jeopardy clue was "Who is Berry Gordy?" One contestant was dinged as incorrect because she spelled it as "Barry Gordy". Yes, the long time Motown producer from Detroit did indeed spell his name "Berry" but typically spelling hasn't been an issue in Final Jeopardy. Why now? 

The outcome of the game would not have been impacted if the contestant's answer was allowed to stand as correct. But the contestant loses any bragging rights for getting a Final Jeopardy question correct, even if the right answer didn't win the game.  

______________________________

This summer, the family here at the Fortress of Ineptitude watched the Ryan Reynolds produced game show Don't, an absurdist game where families compete for cash for NOT doing things while Ryan Reynolds makes snarky comments on the voice over. We weren't paying attention to the game show on before that and that was quite an oversight on our part.

Holey Moley is a game show centered around miniature golf but with the most bizarre, absurd obstacles you've ever seen.

The games are called by  play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore and color commentator Rob Riggle as golfers contend with such mini-golf challenges like these: 

Double Dutch Courage: Contestants must hit through two large windmills with five large, quickly rotating blades that can knock the player off the putting surface and cause stroke penalties. 

Putter Ducky: Contestants must putt past two oversized rubber ducks that swing from side to side. Afterwards, the players themselves must avoid the ducks. If a player gets knocked into the water (by a duck), they receive a one-stroke penalty.

Slip N' Putt: The contestants must make their way atop an icy hill. The first one to the top gets the better placed ball. Then, they must hit their ball through the legs of the polar bear and slide their way down the hill to the green to complete the hole.

Frankenputt: Players must putt through a series of electrical nodes and Dr. Frankenputt's lair to the hole. Every stroke a player takes, they receive an electrical shock.

Hole Number Two: Players must putt along a narrow ridge with water on one side and a row of porta-potties on the other, before attempting a 2.5-second sprint across the ridge before the porta-potty doors open and knock them into the water. If they fall into the water, they receive a one stroke penalty.

Uranus: Contestants must putt the ball around the outer ring of Uranus. There is a channel where if the contestants land, could provide a shot at a hole in one. After the contestants putt (if the result is not a hole-in-one), they must traverse 4 planets to get to the green. If they fall in, they receive a stroke penalty.

And yes, Joe and Rob take every opportunity to say the word "Uranus" as often and provocatively as possible.  

Rob does everything he can to annoy Joe and overreact to every development on the course. 

The golfers are a veritable smorgasbord of diversity representing all sorts of men and women, black and white, young and old. My favorite contestant was a grandmother who just loves baking cookies. She actually defeated a former NFL player to win the game one night.  

I started watching Holey Moley late during the 2nd season and the whole family was on hand for the season finale.  It certainly makes mini-golf actually interesting in a fun and exceedingly stupid way.

________________________________

A show my wife Andrea and I watched this past season on ABC was Stumptown, a private eye series starring Cobie Smulders. We really enjoyed this series a lot and were happy to hear Stumptown was renewed for a 2nd season.

OK, not so fast...

ABC reversed its renewal of the show. 

Apparently, the production team was not going to be able to deliver the 2nd season of Stumptown until April 2021 which was a bit longer than ABC was willing to wait for it. 

Some of the production delay can be blamed on restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, it seems, there setbacks getting new scripts ready with Stumptown undergoing a change in creative direction under a new showrunner who took over at the end of the first season.

All hope may not be lost for Stumptown. It seems the production company is free to shop the series to another platform.  

I hope they succeed. Stumptown was a solid show with action, humor and heart; it was very entertaining and deserves another chance.

_______________________

Some TV shows I actually watch were up for Emmys this past week. Look for a bonus Tuesday TV Touchbase later today as I take at a look at which of my shows won or lost at the Emmys. (Spoiler: mostly lost.) 

Until next time, stay safe, remember to be good to one another while you putt the ball around the outer ring of Uranus and keep it down, would ya, I'm trying to watch some TV here. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Death and the Firestorm To Follow

Friday had been a good day. 

My wife Andrea had the day off. She, our daughter Randie and our dog Rosie piled into the car for a very rare excursion for all of us to leave the ol' Fortress of Ineptitude together. 

We had a defacto picnic of sorts in our car and then went to a sprawling park for a long walk. It was a new place for Rosie to explore and we all enjoyed some lovely weather that was not hot and not humid for a change. 

That afternoon, I spent some time on Twitter where one of my tweets was liked by a celebrity. (More about that in Wednesday's post.) We were sitting down to dinner Friday evening when our various phones sent us a news alert that cast a shadow on our otherwise very good day.

Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. 

Ginsburg's passing at age 87 due to cancer is cause for sadness.

It is also cause for fear. This opens up one more damn thing to worry about in Washington.

The opening of a Supreme Court vacancy with about six weeks to go before the presidential election is going to kick up a shitstorm of controversy, vitriol and acrimony. 

When Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, the body was barely cold when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the Senate not hold any hearings on any person that President Barack Obama would nominate to the Supreme Court. McConnell's excuse was there was a war on a presidential election on and voters should weigh in on this selection via the fall election.

Which was a bullshit argument. But damned if McConnell didn't stick by it then, refused to give any hearings to Obama's nominee to the court which left Scalia's empty seat open to be filled by (shudder!) Donald Trump. 

And damned if McConnell isn't going to stick by his bullshit argument now.  McConnell made a distinction at the time that his stance only applied when the president and the Senate were controlled by different political parties. 

Which is a bullshit caveat to a bullshit argument. 

But let's take, for a moment, the bullshit argument at face value for a moment. If as McConnell put it that voters should weigh in on a Supreme Court selection via the fall election, why should it matter what parties the President and the Senate belongs to? 

McConnell undermines his own argument by making party affiliation of the President and the Senate a consideration. McConnell is making it clear that he does not give one single damn fuck about the voters having a voice in choosing the next Supreme Court justice. 

If the point is to give voters a voice in a presidential election year on who sits on the Supreme Court, it does not matter one damn bit who the respective political parties in control are. 

It is as it is with all things involving Mitch McConnell about nothing more than political power for his own benefit and his own ego. 

Sure enough, once more before the body of the dead justice was cold, McConnell moved swiftly to vow that Trump’s nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court will be put to the Senate floor for a vote.

In 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham made the same bullshit argument to hold off on hearings for the next Supreme Court justice until after the presidential election. 

But unlike McConnell, Graham did not make the same distinction that this only applies depending which party is in power.

Roll the clip, please!  

Now we have Graham on video saying that if a Republican wins the presidency in 2016 and there is a Supreme Court opening in the last year of their first term, wait until after the election to fill it.

Graham reiterated that position as late as October 2018: “If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait to the next election.” 

Which we all know probably does not mean a damn thing. We've had all sorts of recordings and tweets and more to hold Donald Trump and his snivelling sycophantic supporters to account and it never seems to make a difference. I fully expected Graham will weasel out of his comments with some pedantic parsing of language to give him free run as Chairman of the Senate Judicial Committee to hold hearings on whatever Federalist approved right wing nut job that Trump wants to appoint to Supreme Court. 

And Graham has lived down to my expectations, tweeting that he would support Trump “in any effort to move forward regarding the recent vacancy created by the passing of Justice Ginsburg.”

As Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army, said to  Senator Joseph McCarthy on June 9, 1954, I would also say to Lindsey Graham as well as to Mitch McConnell: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” 

I will save you the suspense of guessing what that answer may be: no, they have no sense of decency. They believe only in what is expedient to obtain and retain political power. The ruthless pursuit of power makes no allowances for decency.

It is certainly indecent that men of such naked ambition are the ones charged with finding a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman of uncommon character and selflessness, a woman who fought not for her own power but for those without power, without agency, without a voice. 

Alas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, why did you have to leave us now? I know you were in pain and you fought long and hard against the cancer that was claiming you piece by piece. Your trials are over and may you rest in peace.

Down here on Earth, no peace yet. The trials are only just beginning. 

Cinema Sunday: Duck Soup

 

Hello, I must be going! 

Hello, I must be going to another blog post for Cinema Sunday where we're going to talk about another a Marx Brothers a movie.

You a know, we had a movie called a Monkey Business but there was no a monkey.

Then there was a Horse Feathers which did a have a horse with is a good but no feathers which is a no good.

Animal Crackers had a no animals but there may have a been crackers. 

Today's Marx Brother's a movie is a Duck Soup.

Will there a be a duck? 

Will there even be a soup? 

Let's a get this a blog post a thing a started and let's a find out, eh?

And it's a too hot for a soup right now. Unless you're a reading this in a winter so a soup might do you a some good. 

So there's this country called Freedonia which is small in size but quite large in debt. They need money. Mrs. Teasdale is very wealthy and will consent to share some of that wealth with Freedonia but only if Rufus T. Firefly is appointed leader of the country. 

If you think that means, Groucho Marx is in charge of a country, well, congratulations, you are correct and you've won.., a duck! 

How well do you think this is going to go? If your guess is "not well at all", you're quite prescient and you've won... a duck!

Neighboring Sylvania would like to put in a new pool and a deck and quite frankly, Freedonia's land would come in handy.  Sylvanian ambassador Trentino sends in spies Chicolini  and Pinky to dig up dirt on Firefly. 

Are you thinking those two spies will be played by Chico and Harpo? 

And do you imagine that these two spies will not accomplished a damn thing for Sylvania? 

Well you're right on both counts. You win... two ducks! 

Are you thinking Zeppo is lurking somewhere in this movie? Well, he is, as Firefly's secretary, Bob Roland. Don't feel bad if you did not notice him. We still do not know why is Zeppo.

No one knows why is Zeppo.

For not knowing why is Zeppo, you win... a duck! 

A bunch of stuff happens that quite frankly I don't understand but suffice to say, Firefly and Trentino manage to offend each other over something or maybe nothing. Who cares, it doesn't matter, they are offended and this means...

Did you guess "war"? You did? Great! You win.. a duck!

Anarchy ensues and war is unleashed between the two nations. The war is exceedingly chaotic and frantic with Freedonia getting the worst of it until Trentino is captured.

The Marx Brothers pelt him with fruit! 

The movie must be over because Mrs. Teasdale arrives to sing  the Freedonia national anthem in her operatic voice.

The Marx Brothers pelt her with fruit! 

And yes, it is the end and you win... a duck.

When Groucho was asked for an explanation for why the movie was called Duck Soup, he said, "Take two turkeys, one goose, four cabbages, but no duck, and mix them together. After one taste, you'll duck soup for the rest of your life."

There's no alone time with Chico and the piano. 

And no alone time with Harpo and his harp. 

This breaks the pattern of the previous Marx Brothers movies.

Also breaking the pattern from previous Marx Brothers movies is Duck Soup was not as successful as their earlier films. 

it was also the last movie the Marx Brothers did for Paramount. And it was the last on screen appearance of Zeppo.

Without an answer to the question of "Why is Zeppo?" 

Side bar: apparently within the Marx Brothers, Zeppo was considered the funniest of the brothers. Also it seems Zeppo was quite the accomplished mimic. When the Marx Brothers were touring doing live shows, Zeppo could flawlessly impersonate Groucho, Chico or Harpo if any of them got sick on the road. 

Critics at the time of Duck Soup's release did not greet this movie with the same delight and approval of previous Marx Brothers movies. The film has since achieved the status of a classic with Duck Soup now widely considered among critics to be a masterpiece of comedy and the Marx Brothers' finest film.

I don't think I share that opinion. The general wackiness of a Marx Brothers is on display but I don't feel the setting of Groucho leading a country was fully embraced. Rufus T. Firefly in charge of Freedonia plays out like every other Groucho con of trying to get as much money and as much woman as he can for as little effort as possible. If there is any fun being poked at political ideologies, I didn't get it. 

If you want to explore the films of the Marx Brothers, Duck Soup is a must stop on the journey. But other than the absurdity of the Marx Brothers wading into geo-politics, this movie doesn't quite stand up as well as its rep suggests.

If you agree with me, you win... a duck.

if you don't agree with me, you know what? You still win... a duck.

________________________________ 

Next week on Cinema Sunday...

Hey, it's been awhile. Time for...LESBIANS! 

We take a look at the 2001 American independent romantic comedy film, Kissing Jessica Stein. 

Here! Have a duck! 

Bye!  

Songs For Saturday: Led Zeppelin

 

Back in the 1970s, if you listed to a rock 'n' roll station, you listened to Led Zeppelin.

You had to! It was the LAW! 

So today's Songs For Saturday will lay down the LAW and demand you slap on the Bat Head Phones of ROCK! and crank that volume UP!!!

Time to get the Led out!!!

Let's get this started with "Immigrant Song". 

Or you may know this better as....

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

Next up is a quieter number, "Going to California" with a folk song style sound that contrasts with their usual heavy electric-amplified rock on Led Zeppelin's other music. 

Next up is my absolutely favorite Led Zeppelin track.

It's Rock and Roll, baby!!!

Guitarist Jimmy Page says this song grew out of a a spontaneous jam session. Serendipity produced a classic rock song for the ages.

And those are three of my favorite tracks from Led Zeppelin. 

Wait! My three favorite tracks from Led Zeppelin does not include "Stairway to Heaven". 

OK, this may seem like heresy but I've never been a big fan of Led Zeppelin's big signature tune.  But I have to admit to I actually got a big kick out of this next track which finishes out today's post. With Jason Bonham, the son of the late Zep drummer John Bonham , on drums, Anne and Nancy Wilson head up this really kick ass epic version of "Stairway to Heaven".

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and to always keep the music alive. 

The World of Doctor Who

 During yesterday's post about Diana Rigg, I referenced her appearance in Doctor Who in the episode "The Crimson Horror" and then I wondered.

When was the last time I did a post 'round these parts for Doctor Who? 

Well, it has been awhile.

So what pray tell is going on in the world of Doctor Who?

The big thing going on right now is "Time Lord Victorious".

This is a new epic tale set in the Dark Times near the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young. 

It is a story involving the 8th, 9th and 10th Doctors and told over several different platforms. Some installments of "Time Lord Victorious" will be told in novels. 

Others in comic books from Titan Comics and comic strips published in Doctor Who Magazine.  

There will be audio plays produced BBC Audio and Big Finish.  

The only outlet not involved in this sprawling tale is television. Apparently the BBC has rules about keeping the TV show separate from other ancillary media. 

"Time Lord Victorious" is officially sanctioned by the BBC. Whether or not it counts as canon is another story. Typically, Doctor Who canon is whatever appears in the TV show. All other media are not apart of canon unless the TV show chooses to acknowledge it. 

I'm not sure how much of this I might try to follow. I may pick up the comics, some of the novels perhaps. 

The 9th Doctor's part in all of this will be in print form only. No audio segments that I know of. 

But believe it or not, there will be new 9th Doctor adventures in the coming year starring none other than Christopher Eccleston. Eccleston will lend his voice to Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures set for release next year from Big Finish Productions.  

Christopher Eccleston seems happy to be back, saying “After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor’s world, bringing back to life a character I love playing." 

Eccleston may have loved the character but he didn't love the job, citing on set strife and deteriorating relationship with showrunner Russell Davies for his reason to leave after only 1 season, an action that Eccleston said left him blacklisted by the BBC.  

Meanwhile, whazzup with the TV series and the current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker? 

The good news is that we definitely have at least 1 new episode to look forward to. "Revolution of the Daleks" is in the can. Shooting was completed before the pandemic shut down film and TV productions around the world. 

The special episode still has the label of "holiday special" but we're not clear if that holiday will be Christmas Day or New Year's Day or Groundhog Day even.  

As for Series 13, Doctor Who is expected to start shooting soon for a 2021 launch. 

I would not count on that. 

Chris Chibnall needed a year between Series 11 and Series 12 under better circumstances than now. I can only assume that shooting Doctor Who under the restrictions to accommodate protections from the coronavirus will only slow things down further.  

Recently on an episode of The Boys on Amazon Prime, the character Frenchie (Tomer Capon) was wearing a most unusual shirt.   

It's a cat dressed as Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor, in her trademark outfit of a striped t-shirt, trench coat and yellow suspenders.

OK, that's my long over due Doctor Who post. 

Tomorrow is Songs For Saturday as we rock out to the music of Led Zeppelin.

Until next time, remember to never be cruel, never be cowardly, and never, ever eat pears! 

And to be good to one another.  

Republicans Vs. Trump

 The list of Republicans who regard Donald Trump as unfit for the office of president continues to grow with a bunch of them forming their own club. 

That group is called the Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform (REPAIR), a group made up of former (and also reportedly some current) administration officials.

REPAIR was founded by:

• Miles Taylor, a longtime Republican who served in the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019. Last month, he officially endorsed Joe Biden for president in an op-ed in The Washington Post. 
• Elizabeth Neuman who served as an assistant secretary of counterterrorism and threat prevention in the Department of Homeland Security for three years before stepping down in April.  

A particularly high profile new member of REPAIR is Olivia Troye, a homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to Mike Pence and also served on the White House’s coronavirus task force.

Here is what Troye had to say: "The president’s rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus, have made this ongoing response a failure." 

Below is Olivia Troye's video message. 

What makes Troye's message especially powerful is that she has been on the front line of Donald Trump's key failure in the White House, to properly and adequately address the coronavirus pandemic.  

Also as a woman, she is taking a significant risk with a man and a sycophantic support system that has a history of seeking reprisals against powerful women who have spoken out against Trump. 

The Trump attack machine is already at work with descriptions of Troye as a disgruntled and vindictive ex-staffer. Which is standard stuff said against anyone in the White House who has gone on to say anything less than glowingly positive about Donald Trump.  

At least Olivia Troye is not doing this alone. osh Venable, who worked for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from 2017 to 2018 as her chief of staff has also now signed on to  join REPAIR.  

I hope that members of REPAIR see their mission beyond just being an anti-Trump group. Yes, Donald Trump's toxic ignorance and lack of empathy are a danger to the nation as a whole but his ability to be in a position of authority to cause such havoc lies at the feet of Republican leadership that set the stage for Trump. 

The removal of Donald Trump is just step one of the much needed repair of the Republican party.  

________________________________

Hey, are you tired of seeing political themed posts here on I'm So Glad My Suffering Amuses You? 

Well, me too! 

Later today, I've got a long absent from the blog Doctor Who post coming.