SNL Finally Realizes Russia Is No Joke
Better late than never?
I don’t pretend to understand Vladimir Putin’s motives, or the complex financial and geopolitical relationship between Russia and Europe, or any of that stuff. I’m no expert on Ukraine and I don’t claim to be. But I do pay attention to the American media, and it’s annoying but ultimately satisfying to watch them come around to what I’ve been saying for decades: Putin is a monster and absolutely nobody should trust him.
As it turns out, Russia isn’t our pal and never was. There was no “Russian Reset.” Obama thought the force of his personality was enough to change an entire culture, and he was dead wrong. If you want to see how wrong he was, just turn on the news.
And the same media hacks who laughed at Mitt Romney and other Republicans for warning us about Russia are now pretending they never did that. They’re on the bandwagon now, and they’re acting like they invented bandwagons.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
Now, I’m with SNL on this one. It’s a nice gesture. If you want me to pick sides, I’m rooting for the underdog in this fight. Ukraine has been invaded by a bully, it pisses me off, and it’s nice to see this volley in the war for American hearts and minds. The whole world is watching, and Putin has lost the messaging war before he’s even taken over the country he’s invading.
It’s just galling to see it from the same people who gave us this:
And the audience in 2008 said: “Ha ha ha! Those dumb Republicans, thinking they know anything about Russia. Remember Russia? They used to be the bad guys, but not anymore. And they’ll never be the bad guys again, once we elect Obama!”
None of them are asking why this is happening now, instead of four years ago. It never even occurred to them. Or if it did, they know better to give voice to it.
It’s nice to see them come around, I guess. It would just be nice if they could admit we were right about the Russkies all along.
The hollow virtue signaling is its own reward for them, of course. As a great man once said, “SNL has become a show only for journos.” The press loves this stuff, and none of them will bother asking themselves why their political party is the one that keeps screwing everything up and making such empty gestures necessary.
It’s a trip, watching Dems clamoring for war. They even want to arm civilians so they can defend themselves! As long as it’s happening half a world away, of course.
By the way, if Putin nukes us, make sure to stay safe… from COVID-19.
Speaking of masks, the House of Representatives has dropped its mask mandate, one day before Biden’s first State of the Union address. The thing about coincidences is how damn coincidental they are.
That’s just #Science!
How many other countries will I need to add before this administration is done? Ol’ Joe is barely into his second year in office, and one country after another is becoming unsafe for Americans. Remember when the Dems told us they were going to restore our standing in the world?
And where is Joe during all this? Not that he could do anything but make this worse, but his absence is conspicuous. I’m sure they’ll tell us he’s preparing for the SOTU address, and then he’ll fumble through it anyway because he’s 700 years old.
Now that Biden has nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, the Democrats are eager to get back to their favorite pastime: accusing people of racism and sexism.
There’s just one little problem. Look at this statement from the White House’s resident C. J. Cregg cosplayer:
And this one from the White House Deputy Director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach (whew!):
The Notorious RBG lace collar is a nice touch. But did you see what both of these white women did?
THEY SPELLED HER NAME WRONG.
It’s not “Kentaji.” It certainly isn’t “Kentanji.” It’s Ketanji. K-E-T-A-N-J-I.
This is their big Supreme Court nominee. This is their historical moment, and they blew it. During Black History Month, no less.
It’s a good thing these ladies work for a Democratic administration, or this would be called out far and wide as the racist microaggression it is. It’s like the white girls in “Baby Got Back” sneering at the uniqueness of black women, except it’s coming directly from the White House.
What’s next, asking Ketanji Brown Jackson how she gets her hair to look like that?
Both 1883 on Paramount Plus and The Righteous Gemstones on HBO finished up their current seasons over the weekend. I won’t spoil either one, but each is crazy in its own way.
1883 ended up being a real tear-jerker, telling the story of how the Dutton family came to own the land Kevin Costner has killed so many people to keep. The show doesn’t pull any punches, nor manure-dipped Lakota arrows, in its attempt to show what the Oregon Trail was really like. Our ancestors endured a lot of misery and hardship to settle this land, and there were people already living on it who didn’t get a vote.
The show is writer/producer Taylor Sheridan’s baby, and he finally found a genre that’s perfect for his instinct for excess.1 By the third episode, half of the wagon train is dead. Whether it’s rattlesnakes or murderous bandits roaming the prairie or a literal daggum tornado, he puts his characters through the wringer. He also has a gift for mordant aphorism like nobody else in Hollywood today. He throws out zingers like Santa tossing out candy canes at a Christmas parade. Everybody gets one.
The show has already been renewed, of course. I wonder what the next season will be called? Will each subsequent season be 1884, 1885, and so on?
Gemstones has a much different feel, basically an insult comedy with gross-out gags and plenty of skepticism about organized religion. This second season has also added straight-up action movie stuff to the mix. There are gunfights and fistfights and motorcycle chases and all kinds of fun violence. Most of the characters are loathsome to some extent, greedy and vain and arrogant, but they’re so hapless and goofy that you can’t really hate them. It’s basically a comedy version of Succession — a powerful media mogul tries to cope with his scheming children jockeying for position — but the characters are somehow likable despite themselves.2
Plus, Succession doesn’t have John Goodman. Who’s better than John Goodman? It’s right there in his name.
Here’s wishing John Mayer a speedy recovery:
I don’t want to say this guy has been home to a lot of diseases in his life, but his body is a pastureland.
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A decade ago, Taylor Sheridan was just the boring deputy on Sons of Anarchy who got killed off and nobody cared. Now he’s the king of TV. He’s got five more shows coming:
I watched an episode or two of Succession, but I gave up after Macaulay Culkin’s brother promised to give the little kid $1 million if he hit a home run, then taunted the child when he failed. Yes, I understand that the point is all the characters are awful human beings. That’s fine. But there’s nobody on the show who’s not awful. Why would I want to watch a show with absolutely nobody I can stand to even look at? The Gemstones are rotten, but at least the joke is always on them.
"...but his body is a pastureland."
Gold
"annoying but ultimately satisfying"
A fairly good description of this newsletter. ;-)