Revisiting "THE POSTMAN" 1997 Movie.

One of the most underrated movies of the 1990s was (➜)The Postman-1997 . IN  The Postman, Costner plays a drifter who roams the remains of the (1)>>Pacific Northwest in 2013, after technological destruction has made the place a wasteland as dry as Waterworld was briny. Scrounging for meals by reciting scraps of Shakespeare to people who have forgotten all literature but are experts in knitting Comme des Garêons-style sweaters, the fellow stumbles across the uniform and undelivered mail sack of a dead man, and, thinking the USPS badge of authority will get him food and shelter, calls himself (2)>>The Postman, a representative of the United States government. The theme of this film brought out the best of " Americanism".  It's a story about how much we take for granted — and how desperately we would miss the little, gracious things that connect us today. It is a story about the last idealist in a fallen America.  Kevin Costner's character changes all that, by creating a "postal service." Initially it's just intended to deliver mail as a way of giving the people hope in the knowledge that there are other communities out there that they can stay in contact with, but it becomes something much more - the postal service actually turns into a revolutionary movement that seeks to unite all of the rural communities together and overthrow General Bethlehem  Here  A man who cannot let go of a

dream we all once shared. That was once the NATION . Who sparks restored faith that we can recover, and perhaps even become better than we were. The movie, based on an award-winning science fiction novel by (2.2)>>David Brin, takes place in 2013. The dust clouds have settled after nuclear war, and scattered communities pick up the reins of civilization. There is no central government. Costner is a lone figure in the wilderness, friendly only with his mule, named Bill. They support themselves by doing Shakespeare for bands of settlers. Bill can hold a sword in his mouth, and in “Macbeth” he plays Birnam Wood. His master recites lines like, “Life is a tale told by a moron,” not the sort of mistake he'd be likely to make, especially with a woman helpfully prompting him by whispering, “Idiot! Idiot!” Or maybe she's a critic.Costner is conscripted into a neofascist / racist army run by (3)>>Gen. Bethlehem (Will Patton). He escapes, stumbles over an abandoned U.S. Mail

van and steals the uniform, cap and letterbag of the skeleton inside. At the gates of a settlement called Pineview, he claims he has come to deliver the mail. Building on his fiction, he tells the residents of a restored U.S. government in Minneapolis. The sheriff spots him for a fraud, but the people want to believe, and the next morning, he finds letters pushed under his door. Walking outside, he discovers that all the townspeople have gathered in hushed silence in a semicircle around his lodging, to await his awakening and appearance--the sort of thing that happens in movies, but never in real life, where some helpful townsman invariably suggests, “Let's just wake the sonuvabitch up.” In a movie that proceeds with glacial deliberation, the Postman becomes a symbol for the survivors in their struggling communities. “You give out hope like it was candy in your pocket,” a young woman tells him. It's the sort of line an actor-director ought to be wary of applying to his own character, but Costner frankly sees the (4)>>Postman as a messiah, and there is a shot late in the film where he zooms high above a river gorge in a cable car that serves absolutely no purpose except to allow him to pose as the masthead on the ship of state. This is a vary long film . It rather slow as you could imagine it . Its part Science Fiction & part Western . The reinstatement of snail mail turns out to be the catalyst for a sweeping revolution, and a heartening reminder that a society which has been dashed is never fully beyond restoration.

Post Apocalyptic America .

In the "fictional" Time Line 2013 , the world was decimated either by a war , or the plague . The Postman deliver a  philosophical aspect, which is " THE RESTORED UNITED STATES of AMERICA" . Whole concept is of great value if you consider the frighting posibility that one day our nation and government will collapse . There is   a bit of hope that mankind will eventually recover and re-form society, although it wouldn't be anything like what society is used to today. The New America will have to have a new set of values . The message is brought to YOU in an unexpected way.  The real problem with THE POSTMAN is that this is a story of someone who should be delivering good news. He is a bearer of hope, but the hope he delivers is merely his makeshift lies. A simple lie that had huge  repercussions where lives of people were drawn in for the common good to fight an emerging oppression , many died believing .What makes America, America? Is American what we want it to be? This is probably the reason why in the film, they make a new American flag and on its white lines it reads “The Restored United States of America” At one point, the villain tellsThe Postman  “you don’t care about anything! You value nothing! You don’t believe in anything!

That’s what makes me better!” and The Postman answers “I believe in theUnited States!” letting us know that yes, this is a film that cares for its country; it simply wants a better one. For the true post-apocalyptic to work, there needs to be survivors. With some scenarios, such as with The Postman, there's the possibility of rebuilding civilization (once you subdue the feudal warlords who've filled the power vacuum). Earth can also repair itself; the Postman tells survivors that the birds are migrating again and the rains are back. But in some post-apocalyptic yarns, survivors are doomed, Earth can no longer heal itself nor support life, it's just a matter of time before everyone is dead. This is the truly tragic post-apocalyptic scenario, because it means that survivors must ponder what once was and can no longer be. At the end of the film there is a great battle scene , its like an epic that builds to the momentum  . The makeshift army of the Postman battles a well equipped (4.2) Holness army of  General Bethlehem . If YOU look at the Postman's "army" they are men , women and children armed with what ever you can call a weapon . The scenario is right out of David and Goliath , Bethlehem's army has all the sophisticated weapons , the Postman is out gunned . What twists around in this story is the bravery of (5)>>the Postman who challenges Bethlehem . While Bethlehem who seems to not

recognize the Postman's real identity as a former member of the Holness . The Postman jumps to the challenge in a brave way , knowing that his army would not stand a chance , he goes and sacrifices himself as being responsible . Finally Bethlehem realizes who the Postman is , he sighs (6)>>" Shakespeare !"   He undertakes to challenge General Bethlehem for the leadership of the Holness movement . The fight was to be to the death. The Postmen was in no shape to fight him after being wounded.  Yet he has no choice but to fight . Who ever wins decides where the future will go as far as a "new nation" . Bethlehem over comes the Postman on the ground during the fighting . It seems all but hopeless , evil would triumph.  Just when you thought it was over , The Postman pushes Bethlehem , uses all his might , says “I believe in the United States!” , badly hurts Bethlehem . To where he is incapacitated.  The Postman pounces on  top of him, begins to strangle him. Bethlehem tries to pry the fingers from his throat, but can't. He's going to die The Postman is urged on. By both sides. Holnists Carriers. Ford. Even Holnist Luke. He looks up at th  faces -- and finally lets Bethlehem go. The General gasps for breath. As Ponytail and Chubby move forward to untie Ford, The Postman looks to both sides.   What the Postman says next is  why I love this story . He's really against violence. It was never his intention to be involved in a conflict .  He says this to both sides : "It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to kill each other.  We can live together. We can -- " Here the message is clear .(7)>> There is going to be new laws ,   He isn't worth it. I'm the head of the clan now! There are going  to be new laws (to all ) Law one! No more killing! There's going to be peace .The Postman looks at carriers and Holnists alike.  Bethlehem is eventually murdered by his own colonel, who agrees to end the conflict. Forgotten for an instant, Bethlehem makes a last, wild  lunge, grabs Ford's gun  As Bethlehem aims at The Postman, a SHOT rings out. Hit Bethlehem's hit  in the chest, Bethlehem blinks in amazement before he falls to the ground, dying. Getty has shot him , his own colonel who through out the story had a conscious .  The surrender of the Holness is the climax of the movie. With all the action in the film , the ending is a bit obscure . We next jump to the birth of the Postman's daughter , as Abby in bed, holding her new baby in her arms. She's reading a letter. What she reads makes her smile. She  puts the letter down and cuddles her baby. IT's winter , and its snowing . The Postman has been away for a long time . Probably restoring the United

States , connecting all the rural communities .  Abby tells her baby named " Hope" ," Your daddy wrote to tell you that he'll be here as soon as he can. And that he loves you very much".   Abby looks up to see The Postman standing at her door. She looks at him, smiling with tears in her eyes. Its a rather touching . He then tells Abby ,  "Mail's slow. I'll have to see  about that".  Abby smiles down at the child in her arms. The film ends with The Postman and Abby's daughter, Hope, unveiling a memorial to her father - he did not survive to see the creation of the utopic St. Rose. However thanks to his legacy, by his daughter's time a fair amount of civilization has been restored.

2047AD.

The Film next ends in the future . A beach town. No wall, no sentries, just cottages lining  a dozen sand-swept streets. A crowd has gathered to hear The Postman's daughter, HOPE, mid-thirties, speak. Besides  her, a bearded, 52-year-old Ford in his postmaster's uniform. They stand before a large, tarp-draped statue.  She unveils the statue: we've seen this before. It's The  Postman on his horse, low-slung in the saddle, leaning down to pluck the letter from the Little Boy's hand. There's an OLDER MAN in the audience who seems especially moved by the statue. There's a younger man beside him. The Postman's daughter speaks about her father .  She says, " But he never did see St. Rose. There was too much to be done.  He'd made a promise and in keeping  it -- he traded one dream for another. With no regrets. An  so, in honor of my father..." 

The movie ends with a glimpse of "hope" in the future . Thats something we can all build today .

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Some trivia about the Movie .

The Postman, in which Petty played the mayor of Bridge City. Tom Petty mentioned back in 1982 while filming the video for his song "You Got Lucky" (a post apocalyptic themed story) he wanted to do a small part in a futuristic movie. He said he wanted to portray a post war character, which he finally did in this movie.  , who apparently was someone famous in another life. Postman: I know you. You’re famous.

Bridge City Mayor: I was once… sorta.

In the sequence where Kevin Costner's character names Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) as President, he continues with another reference to The Beatles by telling the assembly "It's getting better. Getting better all the time" from the band's song "Getting Better".

There are differences between the film and the novel: In the novel, The Postman's name is Gordon Krantz and he was originally a student at the University of Minnesota. The Major cities in the United States were destroyed by several EMPS and the release of bio-weapons. In the post apocalyptic United States, Gordon traveled west to Oregon in the aftermath of the bio-war and performs scenes from William Shakespeare plays for supplies. Gordon takes the sack of mail to a nearby community to barter for food and shelter. Gordon enters Corvallis Oregon led by a sentient artificial intelligence called Cyclops and agrees to help the scientists whom created Cyclops in a war against the Holnists. Nathan Holn, the founder of the Holnists was executed sometime before the events of the novel. Gordon allies himself with a tough tribal group made up of descendants of ranchers, loggers and Native Americans led by a Native American special forces veteran against the the Holnists whom are their bitter enemies and the novel ends with Gordon discovering the Holnists have another organized enemy to the south and identities their symbol: The Bear Flag and the Holnists and their enemies unites to revive civilization.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(➜)The Postman-1997 .  Why people got this movie mixed up with a "Postman Rings Twice". Post apocalyptic films usually fudge their dates:  Mad Max has been keeping cars and roads running for just a few years, yet people have devolved into bloodthirsty hooligans almost immediately (was Lord Humungus just chafing away at a desk job somewhere, polishing up his Beast Master armor for a rainy day/end of the world to come around?)  The Postman is no exception. Costner's other movies , Field of Dreams. The Postman is a very different story, yet it aims to deliver the same message to the heart: We are in this together.Ironically, The Postman movie's message is exactly opposite to the moral message conveyed by Waterworld..(1)>>Pacific Northwest in 2013. The year is 2013, after a great war has destroyed the United States, leaving isolated pockets of people struggling to survive. There are references to plague and fallout. It's an interesting alternative "time line" of the "future" , two blog posts ago I wrote about the TV miniseries Amerika a plot twist of what our nation would look like under Soviet control . Though its set in the years 1987- 1997 , its probably one of the least liked (2)>>The Postman, a representative of the United States government. The Postman knows he's a fraud and opportunist, but the people don't. It's only a matter of several eons of running time before Costner predictably catches hero fever, trying to rekindle the people's memories of a time when a mail carrier was a vital link in community life, and by extension, in American democracy (as if there were no mail service in non-democracies). His made-up story about a restored U.S. government gives the good folks inspiration to fight Bethlehem's cruel domination. "The Postman" never gets beyond the most obvious good-versus- evil sentiments. Much of it is mired in flag-waving cliches, constantly sapping interest in the early visions of a nation turned upside down.(2.2)>>David Brin.  (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus and Campbell awards . Brin's body of science fiction, when taken as a whole, is normally categorized as hard science fiction, in that most (not all) works apply some degree of plausible scientific or technological change as partial plot drivers. Exceptions include the graphic novel The Life Eaters, in which Norse gods assist the Nazis.  (3)>>Gen. Bethlehem The rural Pacific Northwest is ruled by a brutal militia under the command of self-styled General Bethlehem, played fiendishly by Will Patton, in the film's liveliest performance. A former copy machine salesman, Bethlehem oversees a Nazi-like legion in a protection racket extracting food, goods and loyalty from the townies.(4)>>Postman as a messiah. The movie had its hawkish moments , The film's love interest, a young married Oregonian woman named Abby (British actress Olivia Williams) who wanted the Postman's semen due to her obliging husband's infertility (and then was seen semi-nude in an extended sex scene with Costner), told the messianic Postman: "You give out hope like it was candy in your pocket" -- this quote was representative of the hokeyness and questionable nature of this good-hearted, cloyingly sentimental, sincere, but heavy-handed and individualistic film statement that only the vain, self-glorifying Costner could deliver as the film's mythic figure. It seems crazy here , she { Abby} is  married in a post -apocalyptic society that morality has broken down to a point that husbands give their wives to surrogate  husbands  / males  assumed to be fruitful to produce children is just the opposite of the feminist  Handmaidens Tale by Atwood .(4.2) Holness army of  General Bethlehem .  The hypersurvivalists are more commonly referred to as Holnists, after the founder of their ideal, Nathan Holn. Many times through the book, curses are uttered which damn Holn for his actions. Nathan Holn was an author who championed an extreme, violent, misogynistic and hypersurvivalist society. Holn is said to have himself been hanged in the novel, but in the time following what should have been a brief period of civil disorder, followers of Holn prevented the United States from recovering from the limited war, and the plagues that followed.The Holness represents a racist , fascist  ideal , the worst of humanity after the Nazis.  (5)>>the Postman who challenges Bethlehem . Members of Bethelehem's army are allowed to challenge him in one-on-one combat for his position. (The last man who did got his tongue and balls cut off). (6)>>" Shakespeare !" We'll never know the real name of the Postman , Costner's character . He's a drifter , a man with no name like Eastwood's gunslinger in the 60's films " Fist full of Dollars" .     The main character is called "Shakespeare" when anyone wants to call him by a particular name, because he made a living traveling from place to place performing the works of William Shakespeare (more or less) until the events at the beginning of the movie. For most of the rest of the movie, he is addressed as The Postman. (7)>> There is going to be new laws .  The Holness movement had its Law of Eights . Here are the law of 8ths quoted through out the movie . 1. You will obey orders without question.  2. Punishment shall be swift.  3. Mercy is for the weak.  4. Terror will defeat reason. 5. Your allegiance is to the clan. 6. Justice can be dictated. 7. Any Clansman may challenge for leadership of the Clan. 8. There is only one penalty - DEATH. While the Holness laws held sway a communities , replacing them with any part of the Constitution of the United States , Bill of Rights will be a great task for the POSTMAN.

Crisis after Crisis . A Opinion .

Was this "crisis" created to fuel another war on drugs?

Sometimes I can never keep up with the shenanigans in the news and politics . There is so much to cover. The Opioid "crisis" is not NEW , its been going on for a while . I want to say that it appears to be another set of "alarmist propaganda" just to generate a public reaction to continue the war on drugs . The Nations relentless  (1)>>" war on drugs" took a twist this year . On Oct. 26, Donald Trump finally declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. This means that federal agencies have officially been directed to spend more money over the next 90 days on combatting addiction.  As you may have read that there is a  (2)>>"Opioid Crisis " in America . How this so called "crisis" began seems to be puzzling. Yet less believable to me.The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's ability to keep addictive opioids off U.S. streets was derailed -- Somehow ?  An Ex- DEA blamed Congress .  The Washington Post, Rannazzisi tells the inside story of how, he says, the opioid crisis was allowed to spread -- aided by Congress, lobbyists, and a drug distribution industry that shipped, almost unchecked, hundreds of millions of pills to rogue pharmacies and pain clinics providing the rocket fuel for a crisis that, over the last two decades, has claimed 200,000 lives.   Well . I have a"theory" not to be "cruel" in any manner of  not showing any sympathies , but I have always believed this , while the government wants you to stay away from certain kinds of drugs . BUT they rather have you swallow their OWN  pills as an alternative to anything thats on a (3)>>Schedule  1 definition . We are already a drugged out society . We have alcohol in abundance , we have stimulants , downers , elixirs that are cooked up by the legal pharmaceuticals . Its not that we need more drugs .  All Drugs are dangerous with specialty (4)>>synthetic opioid.  When I heard the first mention of the word "opioid" I thought it referenced  "opium", yes opium is extremely dangerous, its derived from the poppy flower. It was used as a medicine for 4000 years , gave birth to a notoriety of addiction .  What the media failed to distinguish synthetic opioid from natural . Start with the causes of the opioid crisis. On “Face the Nation,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chair of Trump’s opioid commission, blamed over-prescribing doctors. “This crisis started not on a street corner somewhere. This crisis started in the doctor’s offices and hospitals of America.”  Interesting , Christie is the head of the presidential commission on opioids, warned of the dangers of marijuana in a letter to President Donald Trump earlier this month about the panel's findings, saying the current push for marijuana legalization could further fuel the opioid epidemic.But some experts say the commission's fixation on marijuana was bizarre and troubling, lending credence to outdated views of marijuana as a gateway drug.  The Washington Post asserted that the problem arose because of “aggressive marketing” on the part of the pharmaceutical companies that sell opiate painkillers. Others on the left think it is an arbitrary explosion of demand. They make it sound like market failure, but the “aggressive marketing” was not slick TV commercials. Rather, the drug companies targeted doctors, not consumers. They provided many lucrative carrots to doctors and spent resources lobbying to change regulations and pain prescribing guidelines in order to rig the FDA/AMA system in their favor. Now remember that drug distributors were fined for repeatedly ignoring warnings from the DEA to shut down suspicious sales of hundreds of millions of pills, while they racked up billions of dollars in sales. A crisis that is so manufactured just to keep the "war on drugs" from imploding in the 21st Century .
Hollywood's Walk of Shame & Congress too!

 My reaction to the Hollywood accusations of "harassment" of women , for the most part is sadly ridiculous . What I mean by sad is that though these allegations might be true , there could be more going on in a industry that seems to pop up new starlets right out of the blue . Starting with  Harvey Weinstein, the 65-year-old married father-of-five. At his age , acting the way he did ,  he's nothing but pure scum . His accusers , personally are not "saints" . Many of these women have been involved in multiple relationships that do not "reflect a conservative family minded system".   What I have been  puzzled at is , that many of the women wait for so long to accuse . Cosby for example many of the victims "recollect" incidents that happened over 50 years ago . The problem here is that while many victims chose the silent road , the victims helped the abuser abuse more victims . This creates serious legal problems for prosecutors . With statutes of limitations in place in many sates , only a handful of cases will be verified .    At least 30 high-profile men in a variety of industries have also been accused. Since then, a number have resigned, been fired or experienced other fallout after claims ranging from inappropriate text messages to rape.  Hollywood has never been a place of any kind moral ground .  There is a "clue" that hinges on the culture problem in our society .  (5)>>Vanity Fair magazine this month published a short article called "  What Donald Trump Learned from Hugh Hefner " .  Curiously one paragraph sheds light on why Hollywood is what it is .  Its fueled by the rich & famous following the Playboy Hefner philosophy.  Trump is a " by -product" of cultural indoctrination of the Hefner philosophy at its worse. While thats all I can say about Hollywood . This crisis now has jumped toward Congress. Is the Halls of Congress any cleaner ?  Sen .Speier told CBS’ “Face The Nation” sexual harassment right now is worse than it’s ever been in Congress. “It's worse in part because we have a system in place that allows for the harasser to go unchecked, doesn't pay for the settlement himself and is never identified,” she said. “The Office of Compliance, to which victim must apply or complain, is a place that has really been an enabler of sexual harassment for these many years because of the way it's constructed.” If you though Roy Moore was dirty , then former shock jock Al Franken looks a bit more repentant . His apology to Tweeden was accepted . Its rather odd that a lot of women are speaking now  out during political elections against  {Roy Moore} who is either a lier , or he is "innocent" as he claims .  Congress has to start somewhere to clean up its act . Its a matter of civility , equality for women . On Tuesday, the House of Representatives announced that it will institute mandatory anti-sexual-harassment training for members of Congress and their staffs.  On Wednesday, a group of female lawmakers started pressing for a bill that would change that internal reporting process in Congress by removing the counseling and mediation requirements, and extending the deadline to 180 days, as The Hill reports.

The lawmakers are calling it the 'Me Too' Act.   

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>>" war on drugs". America’s drug problem has a long history, and the causes of the present crisis are legion. But one stands out: the stubborn survival of the drug war. Serving as both a system of control and a style of political discourse, the drug war has turned the nation’s response to addiction into a zero-sum game between treatment and enforcement and consistently fixed the national gaze on criminal evildoers instead of the legal drug industry. (2)>>"Opioid Crisis ". American researchers and patients would’ve spent the last several decades experimenting with marijuana to maximize its potential as a pain reliever. Pot use isn’t without health consequences, but is much less harmful than many prescription drugs. Instead, drug warriors fought to stymie marijuana research, keep pot illegal, and stigmatize medical marijuana as a dangerous fraud, even as doctors prescribed more opioid painkillers—that is, medical heroin. Still, the Drug Enforcement Administration continues to oppose medical marijuana, the NFL still prefers its players to relieve their pain with prescription opioids, and the worse-than-useless War on Drugs rages on, with predictably ruinous consequences. (3)>>Schedule  1 definition .  In the United States, when a substance (drug) has a legal status of highly-illegal. It is also listed as having no medicinal value. The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse.The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision. Alcohol is a legal controlled substance for example  also has potential for abuse .(4)>>synthetic opioid.      There are actually a large amount of opioids that are either synthetic or semi-synthetic (meaning that they are synthesized from naturally-occurring opiates). These drugs are used and abused in many different ways and can be both beneficial and dangerous to users, even deadly if taken in high enough doses.  Ie: analog of fentanyl. .heroin, morphine.     (5)>>Vanity Fair.    The Article in question    http://bit.ly/2zn9PBx    . Here the quote that defines exactly he Hollywood crisis , the spirit behind it . : " Is the presidency of Donald Trump the price America paid for Hugh Hefner’s sins? Did Playboy magazine’s gospel of monogrammed hedonism ultimately produce the tufted warlock in the White House" . Remember Donald Trump is a by product of the Hollywood entrainment industry at its rawest . Donald Trump owned Miss Universe pageant . Trump soon found himself under-appreciated by three of the very women who had once been lucky enough to win Miss Universe titles. Lupita Jones, a former Miss Universe from Mexico, announced that her country wouldn’t be participating in the 2015 pageant. Former Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera, of Puerto Rico, dropped out of the panel of judges for Miss U.S.A. And Colombia’s Paulina Vega, the 2014 Miss Universe, declared his remarks “unjust and hurtful.” Trump’s response, in part: Vega was a “hypocrite” because she didn’t give up her crown.

Latest Polls , Democrats big Night .

Here we go again! Our two party system in action . While our voters can flip flop on any candidate . HOPEFULLY no rigging ! Before we get into that we have to look at the polls, as they say polls don't lie? But they do send mixed messages .  (1)>>Like Congress & the Republicans . Only 37% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Democrats, down from 44% in March of this year. A majority, 54%, have an unfavorable view, matching their highest mark in polls from CNN and SSRS, CNN/ORC and CNN/USA Today/Gallup stretching back to 1992. The other news is that Donald Trump polls ratings keep diving . I think its like a parrot , "did I not hear this before?" His  approval rating has hit a new low, coming in at 36 percent in the latest findings released by CNN on Monday.According to the survey, 58 percent of adults disapprove of the way the president is handling his job, with 48 percent registering strong disapproval. If it's CNN its FAKE NEWS! The polls are a lie. REGARDLESS voters have spoken , they went to the polls in Virgina , dealing a setback to President Donald Trump with a decisive victory over a Republican who had adopted some of the president’s combative tactics and issues. Is this a sign of a turn-around? { OR a marry -go-round ?} As of Wednesday morning, the state Democratic Party said it had picked up 16 seats, tying the GOP 50-50—and 12 of (2)>>the winners were women. {There may still be a few recounts.}"The America that Donald Trump left when he went to South Korea bears little resemblance to the America that he will return to because he has gotten a shot across the bow," Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez told NBC News. "The formula" for success (Tuesday night) is the formula for success we're using everywhere." The House could be won if there is a big anti-Trump turnout, and Democrats hope to pick off governor's offices and state legislatures. But the Senate, they thought, would have to wait for 2020.

Republican Party caught in its own "scandals".

Evangelical Rep. Roy Moore has
more in common with
Hollywood scandals . 

While the Republican propaganda machine is directed at Hillary still on going Dossier , dealing uranium with Russia . The Republicans seem to have run into a slight problem of their own besides Donald . Republicans are being called hypocrites for defending Judge Roy Moore who is running for Senate in Alabama.  GOP leaders desperately want Roy Moore off the ballot. But they have neither the legal nor the political leverage to force the defiant ex-judge out of the race. So their stuck with him.The White House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a host of other Republican senators called on Moore to drop out of the race Thursday if there were truth to the accounts of four women who told (3)>>The Washington Post that Moore pursued relationships with them while they were teens and he was in his 30s. The news sent Republican operatives scrambling to parse the dusty sections of Alabama state law that deal with replacing candidates on the ballot. Moore has denied the allegations since they were published. He called the claims "completely false" Friday when appearing on Sean Hannity's syndicated radio show. He also said it was "Fake News" { borrowed a line from Mr. Trump.}  The Republicans are ruining in circles over him. The hypocrisy among the Republicans is utterly amazing .

Enter Donna Brazile.

While the Republican party is swimming in scandals alike . The Democrats have a serious problem on explaining not as much the notion of rigging the system as the Republicans , and the Russian "theory" . (4.1)>>Brazile's revelation that the DNC was rigged for Hillary .{ thats not new , we knew about that } Brazile ran into her own bit of trouble in October when Wikileaks released emails showing that, in her role as a CNN strategist, she shared questions for CNN-sponsored candidate events in advance with friends on Clinton’s campaign. This was one of the accusations that Donald Trump levied at Hillary Clinton . You see,  four years ago I wrote a piece on this blog that (4.2 )>>I "predicted" { well maybe not} Hillary was going to win , become our first woman President . I stuck with that for a while .Till the GOP pulled off a coup by slipping Donald Trump past their nomination . When Donald Trump entered the race it was already over for Hillary . Though Mr. Trump was totally unprofessional during the debates .  Hillary was able show how articulate she was . She overwhelmingly won . BUT if you believe in conspiracies which are hard to double down just who arranged the 2016 election. The only candidate who was more qualified than both Clinton , or Trump was (4.3)>>Barnie Sanders.      Hillary's chances were challenged. If Trump never entered the race , this is my own opinion  , Hillary would have defeated who ever was going to win the Republican Party nomination . (5)>>The leaked emails revealed Hillary’s campaign was grabbing money from the state parties for its own purposes, leaving the states with very little to support down-ballot races. As can be seen in the quotes above, Brazile adamantly denied that she had received questions in advance, although she seemed to qualify her statements by saying “from CNN.” But then it was revealed on Oct. 31 that she had been forced to resign from CNN after another email emerged through WikiLeaks indicating she had provided the Clinton campaign with yet another question. These "revelations " are troubling . If you liken the Russian hacking -meddling theory , this whole thing revealed by Brazile provides us with proof that our "democracy"  afar as we can see it , is greatly eroded . Both parties of our political system play their games to stay in power . The end result are angry people who flip political parties during an election as a weapon to punish government . Case in point , THE MOB RULES !

NOTES AND COMMENTS :

(1)>>Like Congress & the Republicans . But the Republican Party isn't doing any better, with just 30% of Americans holding a favorable view. That's essentially the same as September, when the rating hit its lowest point in polling back to 1992, but down from 42% in March. A broad 6 in 10, 61%, have an unfavorable opinion.  (2)>>the winners were women.  Tuesday’s results showed the potential of a rising coalition of women, minorities, and gay and transgender people who are solidly aligning with Democrats. Most of the Lefts anti-Trump margin . African Americans , Latinos . Some are skeptical of reading too much into one off-year election. And even Democrats have had heated disagreements over whether identity politics help the party or drive people away.     (3)>>The Washington Post  -  The Washington Post's report that Republican nominee Roy Moore alleged pursued teenage girls while in his thirties -- which Moore denies -- has led to a chorus of GOP senators conditionally calling on Moore to withdraw from the ballot ahead of the December 12 special election for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' old seat. (4.1)>>Brazile's revelation that the DNC was rigged for Hillary .  Former interim Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Donna Brazile claims Hillary Clinton secretly took over the DNC before she had won the Democratic primary. In an excerpt from her new book published by Politico, Brazile said she promised Clinton’s opponent, Bernie Sanders, that she would get to the bottom of whether Clinton had “rigged the nomination process.” She wrote, “By September 7, the day I called Bernie, I had found my proof and it broke my heart.” Brazile describes a fundraising agreement between the Hillary Victory Fund, Hillary for America, and the DNC that stipulated that Hillary would control the “party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised” in exchange for Clinton raising money and investing in the DNC. It was signed long before Clinton became the nominee. (4.2)>>I "predicted" {well maybe not}. Its title was Madam President I presume ........  I got a bit crazy with the writing . I was trying to foresee a White House dominated by Bill Clinton rather than Hillary. I also wrote that the whole 2016 election was "rigged" for a Hillary win . I would never think that Donald Trump would repeat the same words I wrote . Unless he read my blog . Never the less , its stranger than fiction how we are , how we got to this point.(4.3)>>Barnie Sanders.  "undermine one candidate" - If the candidate is clean, above board, honest and nothing to hide, Sanders may have been the only good guy on the ballot . If you take our two party system which will not allow for multi-party platforms to run in an election. We have the Green , Libertarian  for examples they never win . Sanders campaign declined to utilize the joint fundraising agreement offer from the DNC because its entire DNA went against raising big corporate money, instead choosing to target small dollar donations. As a result of Sanders opting to answer to working people who donated rather than millionares, billionares, and corporations, he wasn't afforded the same say in strategy, hires, or finances as Clinton over a body that, by its own by laws, is supposed to be impartial in the primary process and not be providing special privileges to any candidate during a competitive primary.   (5)>>The leaked emails revealed.  The record states, then, that in March, Brazile sent an email to the Clinton campaign saying, “From time to time I get the questions in advance.” In October, she says, “As it pertains to the CNN Debates, I never had access to questions and would never have shared them with the candidates if I did.” Could it be that Brazile is just lawyering everyone to death? After all, the forwarded question in this case doesn’t pertain to any “debate”; it was a “town hall” event. There is a difference. And: Whereas a “Democratic official” says that Brazile was sharing a question for panel discussion, Brazile herself makes no mention of any panel in her on-the-record statement.