Newsletter #8: Shock! Trump Utters Untruths
Our State of Disunion | Dems Need to Step UP | The White Lotus Review
Up until Trump 1.0 I think I watched every single State of the Union from 1988 on. Many times, I’d watch them more than once — taping them back in the day because I’m old. It stopped with Trump because I just couldn’t take the amount and audacity of the lies.
I didn’t watch Tuesday (the first is always not officially a SOTU) because he’s only gotten worse as we all realize there will never be a bottom. I did watch plenty of clips and read analysis. For me at least, I can handle it better after the fact. All in all, I do think this speech was a failure for Trump. More on that in in a minute...
In the meantime, I thought I’d embed Rachel Maddow’s initial fact check right after the speech highlighting some of the most egregious lies. You might know all this, but there’s probably non-MAGA — but low-information — folks in your life that don’t. We need to share the truth with these folks as much as possible.
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
It’s easy (even just watching clips) to get really depressed hearing Trump spew lies and degrade people and watch Republicans lap it all up. It gives you the impression that this is how the country feels — especially on the divisive culture wars that he so cynically flames.
It’s not how the country feels. Even on many of those issues.
A number of reliable polls released last month showed that a majority of Americans are not all in on these culture issues. In fact, on things like DEI, a big majority think it’s a good thing. And even after years of Trump (and MAGA Media) kissing Putin’s ass and attacking Zelensky, that’s not working either. Even amongst Republicans, Putin has an 80+% disapproval rating.
Maybe a few things landed with some Independents, but the big emphasis on hate and culture wars did Trump no favors. This is not the lowering inflation millions of people Americans (mistakenly) voted for. What most people see is chaos and an economy not getting better. And while Trump can do his damnedest to lie his way into blaming it on Biden, that’s not the way it works. People blame or praise the person in charge and the once rosy economic outlook is looking worse by the day.
This was a pure base speech — directed at the MAGA core who think hordes of trans athletes in this country are marching down the street with torches and Pride flags to grab their children and change their sexes.
A CNN poll following the speech showed it as the worst of any similar POTUS speeches in years. And Trumps numbers on virtually every issue are historically terrible. The fact that Stephen Miller had to channel Joseph Goebbels in a speech is not a good sign for Team Dictator.
Dems Falling Flat
That said, the perilous position we find ourselves in has not changed. And if I had to give Democrats a grade since Trump was elected it would be a C-. Given the stakes, we need an easy A.
I was amazingly disheartened by a number of elected Democrats who were spouting boilerplate bipartisan language around the inauguration and cabinet confirmations. I’m all for bipartisanship in normal times. But, these aren’t normal times and Trump and his radical, dictatorial agenda is not the alternative universe where Mitt Romney actually won in 2012.
For the record, I’m not one of those pie-in-sky progressives who does nothing but rail on the Democratic establishment and walks away when they don’t get perfection from the party. Quite the opposite. But, this is a totally different fight we’re in, one I believe is literally Democracy vs. Dictatorship.
After those early missteps it seemed like our base had yelled loud enough to snap most out of their stupor. And it’s been better on average. But, we really missed an opportunity with Trump’s Joint Address Tuesday.
We can’t afford many of those.
I wrote out some thoughts after the Dem response, so that’s technically water under the bridge. But, I think it’s worth a read because it represents the kind of hard and smart multi-pronged strategic approach our leaders need to take to inspire the grass roots and convert voters. You can read it here.
Donald Trump: Tariff King!
It’s long been a baffling mystery why Trump continues to try to gaslight Americans into believing that tariffs do the actual opposite of what they do.
We know the vast majority of elected and corporate Republicans are dead set against tariffs, in this case for all the right reasons. And since coming into office Trump has been taking tariffs on and off the table, fucking with the market and our 401ks.
Does Trump actually believe his tariff nonsense? I mean, this guy did go to the prestigious Wharton school, even if there has been rumors for years that he paid someone to take the SAT for him, and one of his college professors said (on the record) that Trump was the dumbest student he ever had.
After watching him control the tariff levers this week I think I have an answer, that at least I haven’t heard anyone offer. Yes, Trump understands tariffs and he likely doesn’t want a full-scale trade war that will tank the economy. What he actually wants is control over the tariff stick and carrots so he can exact revenge and dole out rewards. You can read that rather short article here.
Update: Trump Still Putin’s Bitch
While we saw it coming in some ways, it’s still stunning more than a week later thinking about the Trump/Vance ambush of President Zelensky. That it was an ambush has only been made clearer since, with Trump cutting off both military aid and intelligence to the Ukrainians. And he repeated the same giant lies about how much has been spent in his speech to Congress.
He also stopped the cybersecurity program against Russia that tried to keep them out of our elections. There are also rumors that Ukrainian refugees let in under Biden are going to be kicked. I guess Trump has to come out and state that he’s on Putin’s payroll for us to stop beating around the bush?
As for Ukraine, killing the military and intelligence intelligence is a devastating blow. But, Europe is all in and I pray they can fill the void. It looks like NATO is going through all the steps and will soon (maybe before you read this) bring the US a peace plan which will be rejected by Putin’s puppet.
The likelihood that we are out of NATO sooner rather than later continues to increase. There is simply no overstating what an earth-shattering change in the global balance of power that would.
And one of the things Putin has most craved.
Ready For Some Wander•lust?
One of the sections on Feed After Midnight is Wander•lust, which is all about travel.
Frankly, there’s not much there yet, but I plan to add more soon because my wife, daughter, and I are going to New Orleans next week.
A little bit of background. I moved around as a child and I lived in Louisiana from 6th to 9th grade. I’ve always had a love of the state, and New Orleans specifically. How can you not? It’s my favorite city in the United States.
Since I moved back to Michigan (my dad was from there, my mother just across the border in Sarnia, Ontario) I’ve been back three times, most importantly on our honeymoon.
In honor of my dad (who passed away last fall) we decided to go down and take Madison for the first time and honor his memory since he loved the city. This will be the first trip I’ve taken since I started this endeavor you’re reading, so I plan to write some travel content.
I’m far from a knowledgeable photographer — my technical prowess doesn’t extend far beyond some minor shutter and aperture tweaks. But, I do think I have a good eye, so expect some Big Easy photo posts.
As great as Substack is for writers, the photo presentation functionality is limited at best. I’ve found a long-term work around which I’ll start using with New Orleans.
The “photo essays” I have on the site now are proofs from some books I put together of trips we’ve made in the past few years. There are other trips there too. If you want to wander around you can start here.
Culture Club: White Lotus | More Cabin Fever Binging | Global Shuffle
To Binge or Not to Binge. That is the Question.
It’s the age-old question, should studios release entire seasons in one fell swoop or one a week like days of yore? Okay, it’s not an age old question. More since Covid-when streaming really took off. Then again, that does seem like ages ago.
Watching The White Lotus (which releases an episode weekly) brought up the issue with me again. But, I think I have come up with an opinion that could never be applied, but that I’m sticking to from now on.
If the show is really good (Severance, The White Lotus, Slow Horses) it should be released weekly. We tend to over binge shows given our inherent need for immediate gratification. I think that when we do that with great shows part of that greatness suffers. There’s something smart about savoring a great show. Taking some time to ponder what you’ve seen, and really anticipate what’s coming next which is lost when you go on a weekend tear and watch three seasons.
On the other side of the coin, there is comfort in the over binge. And some shows are much more conducive to it — especially sitcoms and shows you’ve already watched. We all do a certain amount of that, and I wrote about shows our family always seems to go back to, which you can read here.
I’ve added a few more shows to my Cabin Fever Binge list that are great to watch while we’re still in winter’s grip. In honor of the imminent return of The Righteous Gemstones it’s a Danny McBride series overview. You can check that out here.
REVIEW: White Lotus, Season 3
I’m convinced that Mike White currently has the best job in all of Hollywood.
With Season 3 underway, and the show renewed for a fourth, the creator, writer, and director of The White Lotus can do just about anything he wants. At this point he has the pick of just about any actor he wants, can choose any exotic location in the world to live and shoot the next season, and has a show template that allows him to come up with wildly diverse characters and explore just as many themes.
I hate Mike White. Okay, that’s not fair.
I’m deeply jealous of Mike White.
Because unlike some of the entitled characters that inhabit his luxury world, White has definitely earned the freedom he’s now afforded. Three episodes into the current season proves that. Yet again he’s assembled an amazing mixed cast of great character actors and relative unknowns, this time vacationing at the fictional White Lotus resort in Thailand.
And as with Hawaii and Sicily before it, the location itself gets co-billing alongside the cast. And good Lord does can he make a location shine. Sure, these are beautiful, exotic locations to begin with, but what he does with them is simply sumptuous.
In car advertising — which I’ve worked around the edges of for years — you always shoot B-roll to cut to, usually running footage of the vehicle driving and/or the scenery around it. In TV and film this is usually done by a second unit director, and like B-roll, it’s kind of considered an afterthought.
Not on The White Lotus.
This is the kind of B-roll that gives people of normal means a bucket list of global destinations, this time based on shots of monkeys, lizards, Buddha statues, tiki torches, water lilies, and the like.
We know from the opening prelude of the first episode that something is going to go terribly wrong in the coming days. This time, it’s worse than ever, a seeming mass killing at the resort. What follows beyond the individual stories of the cast is the constant guessing of which character is going to snap. For almost all of them you can see the possibility, which makes for extremely compelling viewing.
And while White has developed a compelling template, it’s not totally original. There’s more than a little Agatha Christie inherent in the cast of characters from all walks of life, one of whom has committed a crime. The great twist on that concept is that instead of a brilliant detective solving a crime after the fact, it’s the audience doing the solving before. Again, it makes the show all the more addictive.
As usual, the whole cast is uniformly excellent. But, I have to single out three as particularly great. First is Walton Goggins who is one of the best character actors of his generation. From his star-making turn in Justified to his hilarious Baby Billy in The Righteous Gemstones (and so many other roles) the dude can just do no wrong.
Like Jennifer Coolidge before her, White’s casting of Parker Posey is a masterstroke — again giving an under appreciated actress an amazing role to shine in. For decades now Posey has been inhabiting quirky characters, usually in independent films most folks don’t see. It’s great that she’s been given a high-profile role that should give her wider acclaim.
Then there’s Aimee Lou Woods who takes the cake with the breakout role in the series. From the moment the British actress appears on screen she’s impossible to take your eyes off. Not just because she’s uniquely attractive, but the personality of the character (and her skills) just jumps off the screen. You’ll get it as soon as she speaks.
It seems like The White Lotus can continue for as long as Mike White wants to do it. With an ever-changing cast, story, and locations to choose from, maybe it will be around long enough for me to become an assistant to the second unit director.
I may not have the technical skills, but I’ve got a good eye and I could shoot the hell out of penguins in Peru, Tigers in India, and any underwater creatures who school around waist deep.
Give me a call, fellow Mike!
SNL 50 @ 50
I don’t know how much you folks are watching these, but I find it fun trying to think of random stuff every week and reliving things I haven’t see in years. Five more here.
Sunday Mix: White Lotus Global Shuffle
Chilean-born Canadian composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer is responsible for the unique original score of The White Lotus which takes musical cues from the locations of each season. Creator Mike White, said he wanted “music that makes you feel like there’s gonna be some kind of human sacrifice at some point”and you get that from the score.
But, the score is only half the story. I couldn’t find who picks the other non-score songs in the show (probably, damn Mike White) but that is amazing as well — current hits and old time classics from each country. It’s really compelling stuff, almost all of which I don’t know.
Because there’s three seasons and a ton of music, I cheated and found a playlist with everything — plus, maybe more from current cast member and K-Pop star Lisa. All I did is cull it down, killing some of the short, incidental music from the scores and stuff I didn’t like.
I’m calling it a shuffle because I’m so unfamiliar with most of this music I could never put it in some coherent flow.
But, some really cool stuff here. Shuffle on and see you next week from The Big Easy!