I think you're right with this. I also suspect Democrats just won't be able to mobilize the way they'll need to, and that they won't be able to shift to policies that aren't aimed at gains so modest as to be nearly imperceptible to most people. They'll be too set in the party and policy lines that've helped get them…

Not an inconsistency, I don't think. Rather, she had a cult of personality that took in some, and enervated or angered others. It enervated many voters who were frustrated at being given an experienced traditional politician at precisely the time dissatisfaction toward traditional politicians was rampant; ex., the…

This is it, I think. Young is just as amazing as you'd expect, Crawford is better than anyone would've expected.The way Ted Jr. is written walks a line that an unskilled performer could easily have blurred. Thanks to Crawford, it's note-perfect.

You and @disqus_Qy6mB3t2lG:disqus call it here. The Left has a horrid problem translating desire for change into a set of policy positions a broad base can get behind, and from there to actual action. Their resentments are just too diverse and their willingness to compromise on elements of their personal beliefs, as…

Definitely weird. ("Arfha!") Anyone know what region it was meant to be? Sounds quite different from the Birmingham ones of other English characters.

Oh my godddd, Charlie Hunnam. It wasn't till Sons started souring quality-wise that his accent really bothered me, but by the time I caught him in Pacific Rim I couldn't STAND it. He sounded like a perfectly normal British dude (to my American ear) in Undeclared, though.

No argument on that score. Though someone with the prescience for this and the patience for this does seem like a person to trust with the lead on it.

Oh, don't remind me of the Bush years. There are some signs the booing and sneering won't hold much longer. Feels like the more details come out about the Clinton campaign's interactions with the DNC, the stronger the unrest in the latter (and by extension, chunks of the voter base): http://www.usnews.com/news/…

Yep, yep, yep. When people talk about the impact of the press this election, that's really what they're talking about: how skewed it became because it gave itself over to broadcasting spectacle in its confidence Trump would lose. Not that a lot of us watching blamed them for it, of course. It wasn't till I read that…

This does make it hard to see outside your own or similar enclaves, yes. Especially if the folks I’ve talked to (a fair number of whom blame that insularity for the election's upset sneaking up on so many) have been any indication.

I'm aware. Hence my edit, and hence disclaimers like "personally." And believe me, I'm not letting despair bowl me over.

Yes, this is funny, and it’s a celebration of Obama and Biden, I get it. And I really don't mean to rain on anyone's parade saying this—-I realize parades are super hard to come by these days. But personally, I find myself wishing folks left of center would avoid memes for a while. I’ve never felt less like laughing.…

Your comment put me in mind of this sobering article I read in 2014 about a teenager struggling with pedophilia—-and the lack of professional resources available for that population. It lingered with me for a long time after I read it for the same questions you write about here. What do we do now for—-as the article's…

Puts me in mind of the "room full of Ollie Norths" line in a recent New Yorker piece: http://www.newyorker.com/ma…

I haven't kept up on Shameless's last few seasons, only checking in on the occasional recap, so I'm not sure if the moment's entirely deserved—but the prospect of Fiona finally calling Lip out for being an arrogant shit gives me a thrill. His ingratitude toward Fiona bothered me quite a bit before I dropped the show.

I say go for it. You might have to grit your teeth through some of the early episodes, but it all pays off marvelously.

I actually kind of like that the next season will be the last… Feels like the show will go out on a real high that way. It really is a lovely one.

You know, it's only ever personal responsibility, on the individual level. Usually to govern behavior toward patriarchal ends, I've found… It's also a question of what you're being responsible to—-say, a cultural ideal of "good" womanhood that allows you to be respected in "decent" society and participate in it fully.…

You know, I don't deny this as a possibility at all; I can easily see it happening. In my experience, though, I've found this perspective is easiest to have when you haven't been harassed (or have been in the most "mild" forms, say on the level of catcalling). It reflects the privilege and the lack of empathy that…

Yeah! It's either "par for the course" or "that's what you get," depending on whether you're facing the harassment or seeing it happen to someone else.