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| FCC Chairman Ajit Pai |
Oh my god-seriously, is the Trump administration just going to literally enforce everything that everyone hates at this point? The people in the tinfoil hats might have a point right now about the Republicans not caring about polling, because what's next after getting rid of a free-and-open internet? We going to make it illegal to eat ice cream on a hot day? Watch Pixar movies? Share memes of Fiona the Hippo...oh wait, with net neutrality overturned that one actually happened, because now we have to pay the price for having the one silver lining in my Twitter feed each day. The internet is an essential part of our day-to-day life, in the same way that electricity and heating are, and should be treated as a public utility, and in that way, should not be parceled off to the highest bidder. Capitalism is not the answer to everything-it does not make everything better. I'm not even in the Bernie wing of the party but I believe in public defenders, public education, and the ability for someone to have access to the service they need to get a job, get a passport, register to vote, and countless other basic civic or economic necessities of daily American life. The 3 members of the FCC just cast a vote should eventually get used to being pictured next to George Wallace, Phyllis Schlafly, and Roy Moore, because you're now on the wrong side of history.
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| Disney CEO Bob Iger & FOX Chiarman Rupert Murdoch |
What a joy! We can finally have Iron Man and Wolverine fight faceless bad guys together at last! And all it cost us was thousands of jobs, and a total loss of creativity in two of the only five major entertainment production companies in the country. I mean, who cares about whether or not FOX will have original scripted programming anymore like Bob's Burgers and Brooklyn Nine-Nine anymore when you'll be able to use the same pass in Orlando to get into Epcot AND Avatar World? I'm sure Disney will continue to make groundbreaking productions under FOX Searchlight like 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, Wild, Brooklyn, Jackie, and The Shape of Water when the FTC issues them a movie limit under this deal, rather than just trying to unsuccessfully reboot Fantastic Four for the third time cause a studio that literally has no animated movies scheduled currently that aren't sequels is SURELY devoted to originality. And based on history, giving the Murdoch Empire untold billions to expand FOX News is a worthwhile endeavor; I mean, he did so much good by warping the conservative agenda for the White House, I'm sure it'll be a fantastic force of change for Downing Street, Elysee Palace, and Rideau Cottage. Of course it'll be good, because the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a boon of creativity, rather than making the same damn movie 17 times in a row with increasingly bland results. Let's celebrate one of the most egregious monopolies in American history, because Iron Man and Wolverine are together for the first time...unless you count fifty years of comic books.
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| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) |
Oh come on, Mitch McConnell. I'm sure that at this point you're incapable of saying things that aren't FOX News talking points, since if you've already sold your soul to Donald Trump, you might as well get your money's worth. But your hypocrisy here has reached a limit. Seriously-you DERIDED Democrats in 2010 when it was floated that they should try and vote on the ACA before Scott Brown took his seat, rather than having Paul Kirk stay on as the appointed senator, and you know what-Harry Reid listened, because you were right. Massachusetts had spoken, and their will shouldn't be denied for political expediency. But since you clearly need a history lesson, the ACA was voted on four week's before Scott Brown's election. I know we deride Martha Coakley a lot as a national punchline at this point, but in late December of 2009, there was no way of knowing that she wouldn't be the next senator, and surely would have voted the same way that Kirk would. Once Brown won the seat, the House tried to quickly pass their amendments, but Reid said (paraphrasing) "no, the people have spoken and Brown should be able to vote," so the House passed the Senate bill, and then they made their changes through reconciliation, a process you're surely familiar with since it's how you're getting your gorgon of a tax bill through Congress as it is.
You spent the year before the 2016 presidential election stonewalling Merrick Garland's nomination because you wanted "the people to speak," but can't seat one US Senator when you still have the majority because you're too afraid of hearing the will of the people of Alabama? Are you kidding me?!? You should be ashamed-Luther Strange was appointed by a governor so corrupt he couldn't even stay in office until the special election and Strange was rejected soundly by the state against a man who has become a national pariah. He has ZILCH grounds to be voting on any legislation before Doug Jones takes office other than you worrying about Susan Collins growing a conscience (don't worry, she won't). Your disgust for the will of the people and the Constitution is appalling.
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| Jada Pinkett-Smith |
Going to be a little bit more measured here as unlike most of the other people I'm talking about here I actually like Jada, but I have the eyebrow raised right now over her Golden Globes comments. Two years ago, she had a point about the Oscars So White moment when no persons of color were nominated for acting two years in a row, but it felt a bit disingenuous at the time because she happened to be speaking out in a year where her husband was anticipated to be nominated for Best Actor. This year, again, she's also claiming racism in the wake of Tiffany Haddish not being nominated at the Golden Globes for Girls Trip (which costars Pinkett Smith), and I have to raise my hand here. Looking at the other nominees in the category, three women of color (Mary J. Blige, Octavia Spencere, and Hong Chau) are all nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, which is 60% of that category. She might have a point about it being a summer movie that didn't get enough of a shake with the HFPA, but that's an issue separate from race-that's the way that studios seem to want to shove out the concept that the only movies that can be nominated for awards are released post-Halloween. Claiming racism here feels like a stretch-it's more that Haddish has to contend with a very large field of nominees, and is repping a movie that is outside of the traditional awards circuit wheelhouse. Yes, yes, Bridesmaids, but that movie became a much bigger cultural touchpoint and made a lot more money (and it's worth noting, Melissa McCarthy also didn't get nominated for the Golden Globes for that movie). Haddish may ultimately get cited by Oscar (she's certainly having a major year that could be crowned), but I think it's a stretch to call racism here when the evidence says otherwise.
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| House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) |
(I literally just snorted thinking about this one). Nancy Pelosi's crowning achievements as Speaker of the House were giving equal pay regardless of gender legal backing, giving healthcare to tens of millions of Americans, and overturning a discriminatory policy of banning gays from the military. John Boehner saw the dreams of a lifelong Catholic achieved when Pope Francis came to speak in his Congress, resigning on a high note after years of bitter feuds with Congress. But when Paul Ryan dreams of legacy, he sees passing a $1.5 trillion dollar bill that will give Ivanka Trump a tax break on her next private jet by literally taking money from the poor as his "crowning achievement." For years I've heard ridiculous notions about Ryan's intellectual heft and for being the Republican who "cares about the poor," but I think people were just blinded by how he looked like the cute guy on the debate team that you convinced yourself couldn't possibly believe that public education was a bad idea. But after losing every moral high ground by claiming he's never heard of Trump's Twitter account for two years just to pass a tax cut that is now less popular than Obamacare, I think it's time to admit he was just an empty suit with a bad haircut. If he thinks cutting-and-running away from Washington will distance himself from Trump and help him eventually become president, he has another thing coming. Colin Powell still has to be saddled with starting the Iraq War under false pretenses for the remainder of history, and he was a war hero. Same with John McCain and Sarah Palin. Speaker Ryan, you can hand in your gavel, but you have #45 tattooed on your legacy for life.
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