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“Hamilton” Performance Interrupted By Boos Directed At Pence Followed By Statement From The Cast

playbill_from_the_original_broadway_production_of_hamiltonVice President Mike Pence decided to take a break from the work on the transition to attend the award-winning musical “Hamilton.” In a remarkably classless and rude demonstration, audience members booed the Vice President-elect both upon his arrival and then at various points in the performance. The cast then read a statement to Pence about fears over the expected policies of the Trump Administration.

The booing of the incoming Vice President was, in my view, uncivil and uncalled for at a performance on Broadway. I would have felt the same way if this was the treatment given Hillary Clinton. Adults in a civil society should demonstrate a level of respect and self-restraint. This was not an appropriate forum for such conduct.

I also have objections to the statement read to Pence by the cast. Cast members had already come out in support of Clinton. That is well known (here and here). The audience, particularly Pence, did not pay to attend the performance to receive a political statement — a statement loaded with implied criticism for someone who was effectively a captive audience.

Cast member Brandon Victor Dixon stated:

Vice President-elect Pence, welcome. Thank you for joining us at Hamilton: An American Musical. We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us. Thank you.

I do not view the otherwise respectful statement as outrageous and I entirely understand the concerns that led to the content.  (Ironically, we previously discussed the controversy over the musical barring non-white performers from the cast).

However, I do not believe it is appropriate or fair to Pence in this context. Moreover, the performance speaks for itself. It is, if anything, reduced in its poignancy for Pence by converting it into a type of public lecture — particularly after the rude booing from the audience. The question is what such a statement accomplished beyond a cathartic moment for the cast or audience. It was certain to have an adverse impact on Pence after his treatment during the performance.

President-Elect Trump responded with one of his signature tweets, condemning the demonstration.  Dixon responded by saying “Conversation is not harassment, sir.”   Of course, it is not much of a conversation when you are reading a statement (in front of an overtly hostile crowd) to someone who simply came to watch your show.

220px-alexander_hamilton_portrait_by_john_trumbull_1806Of course, Hamilton saw such tendencies in his time:

“Men are rather reasoning than reasonable animals, for the most part governed by the impulse of passion.”

What do you think?

Update:  Pence had a classy response to the demonstration from the audience.  He said “Hamilton is just an incredible production and incredibly talented people. It was a real joy to be there.”  He also said that, when they were met by booing, “I nudged my kids and reminded them, that’s what freedom sounds like.” He said that there was no need for an apology over the incident.

 

461 thoughts on ““Hamilton” Performance Interrupted By Boos Directed At Pence Followed By Statement From The Cast”

  1. Did any member of the production boo Pence?
    No.

    Did members of the production encourage booing?
    No. They specifically asked that no one boo Mr. Pence.

    Was Pence a ‘captive’ of the remarks?
    No. They were given during the curtain call. Pence was on his way out of the theater when the remarks began.

    Were the remarks respectful.
    Yes.

    Is Pence hostile to gays?
    Yes. Very. And he has taken actions that are very hostile to homosexuals. He supports gay conversion therapy. He signed an Indiana law permitting discrimination of gays. He is against same sex marriage. He is hostile to transsexuals.

    1. Are gays hostile towards Christians and Orthodox Jews- Very and violent at times, remember Act Up?

      1. Evidence please for this claim. Provide examples of gays acting violently toward Christians and orthodox Jews, and this needs to be a sizable sample. You did not say that a few or some gays behave this way. You implied that all gays behave this way.

  2. OK

    We have the world’s consummate liar as President. We have America’s greatest traitor Mitch McConnell stating on record that regardless if it’s good for America if Obama proposes it it will be obstructed for the sake of power. We have the stupidest idiot available Jim Inhofe guiding the issues on the environment. We have a racist as Attorney General. We have a total loose cannon as head of our security. And the list goes on.

    This shame, this disaster, this horrific beginning is all on that half of the country that still believes that it can be Daniel Boone. There’s no place left out West to go to, idiots. You have to learn to live together, socialize, like the more advanced and successful democracies. The US is the last of the dinosaurs. Thank you duck dynasty and honey boo boo, because it comes right down to that.

    1. ” There’s no place left out West to go to, idiots.”

      Issac, calling people idiots will not make people more sociable towards you. You are part of the we. If we are to live together more harmoniously, dropping the name-calling would go a long way.

      1. No, euphemistic, mealy-mouthed descriptions of world-class idiots like Imhofe are entirely justified — ethically, morally, aesthetically, pragmatically, the works.
        That which is despicable deserves to be despised. — Kilgore Trout

        1. Richard Turnbull – given you loquacious explanation (not yours evidently) of why we should defame our neighbors, you really must be bored this morning?

          1. Wow, so your logic has it that my observation (which is basically a tautology) that despicable things deserve to be despised, somehow means that I am advocating “defaming our neighbors” — how on earth did you puzzle that out? It’s incoherent. Please render at least the most important deductive or inductive steps perspicacious or admit you are just flailing for a response.
            I’m not surprised you thought “Kilgore Trout” originated the quote, though — I could just as well have attributed it to Otis Criblecoblis, or Mahatma Kane Jeeves. By the way, how stupid must a person be to assume from some vociferous refutations posted online that their interlocutor is “bored”? Serious question! I find the study of right-wing psychopathology highly energizing, like studying other forms of abnormal psychology on the low-functioning side of things. Each and every data point has its own charm, however predictable — in fact, sometimes BECAUSE it’s so predictable.

        2. Slightly cathartic in the short term. Unhelpful in the long term. You are alienating the very people who you presumably want to share your point of view. If you valued your own perspective, you would not alienate an important segment of your audience.

    2. issac – I agree Obama is all those things. Lynch should be impeached. However, I have a new Congressman and don’t have his number yet. Hopefully, they will make Sheriff Joe head of Homeland Security and he can really drain the swamp.

    1. We are in a time of upheaval.because Trump Pence want to turn back many of the rights we have won..

  4. Let’em keep going. They just keep proving their true colors and the opinions of over 50 % of the people. What 50%+? Well…notice that Trump took just short of the 50% and then Johnson took 3million votes much of which I doubt would have gone to HRC.

    As for O & B for the last 8 yrs?????? Let’s talk about senator who didn’t finish his first term and never made a payroll but received his Peace prize before doing anything. To me it’s the epitome of the negative takes on affirmative action and the PC culture which won’t allow any kid to learn to lose a game…just don’t keep score and everybody holds hands.

    Oh yes …..about shovel ready jobs and clean coal…..
    infrastructure continues to fall behide and shutting down the mines….clean coal? Oh it’s clean because it’s still in the ground.

    1. There is no way to know with certainty how many of the Libertarian votes might have gone to HRC or to Trump. But that is totally irrelevant. Had any of those persons wanted Trump then they would have voted for Trump. It is not logical to claim or imply that votes for Johnson were essentially votes for Trump, any more so than it would logical to claim that votes for Jill Stein were votes for HRC. I know a number of Stein supporters, and they would feel deeply insulted if you suggested that their vote for Stein was no different than them voting for HRC.

  5. ‘Hamilton’ Changes Casting Call Wording After Backlash Over ‘Non-White’ Casting Call
    http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hamilton-casting-call-wording-backlash-white-casting-call/story?id=38053630

    In a statement, producers defended their initial casting call and also explained what language they forgot to include.

    “It is essential to the storytelling of ‘Hamilton’ that the principal roles — which were written for non-white characters (excepting King George) — be performed by non-white actors,” the producers said later Wednesday.

    “This adheres to the accepted practice that certain characteristics in certain roles constitute a ‘bona fide occupational qualification’ that is legal. This also follows in the tradition of many shows that call for race, ethnicity or age specific casting, whether it’s The Color Purple or Porgy & Bess or Matilda. The casting will be amended to also include language we neglected to add, that is, we welcome people of all ethnicities to audition for ‘Hamilton.'”

    The casting call, amended Wednesday, now reads: “‘Hamilton’ is holding open auditions for singers who rap! Seeking men and women, ages 20s to 30s, for the non-white characters as written and conceived for the currently running Broadway production and upcoming tours of ‘Hamilton!'”

    The updated casting call also included a disclaimer at the bottom that read, “Performers of all ethnic and racial backgrounds are encouraged to attend.”

  6. ‘Hamilton’ Producers Will Change Job Posting, but Not Commitment to Diverse Casting
    3/30/16
    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/31/arts/union-criticizes-hamilton-casting-call-seeking-nonwhite-actors.html

    The hit musical “Hamilton” has drawn widespread praise for its use of a diverse cast to explore American history. But a casting call seeking “nonwhite men and women” to audition for the show drew criticism from the union representing theater actors, prompting “Hamilton” to say Wednesday that it will amend its language to make clear that anyone is welcome to try out for the show.

    The dispute is in some ways semantic — audition descriptions of many of the characters in “Hamilton,” as for other Broadway shows, often specify the race, gender and age range of the characters, and that is standard practice in the theater industry. But Actors’ Equity said that auditions should be open to anyone.

    At the end of the day, the producers of “Hamilton” said that they would change the posting that had drawn criticism, to make it clear that people of all ethnicities are welcome to audition, but would not back away from the show’s commitment to hire a diverse cast. In a written statement, the producers said that they “regret the confusion that’s arisen from the recent posting of an open call casting notice for the show” but also that “it is essential to the storytelling of ‘Hamilton’ that the principal roles, which were written for nonwhite characters (excepting King George), be performed by nonwhite actors.”

  7. When you are penned in by the audience and the Secret Service and not allowed to respond, it is harrassment. When they did the No Whites Casting Call, I put them on my do not see list. Still not sure why SAG let them get away with it.

    1. I do not know much about Hamilton (being a mom of little ones, I tend to watch Pixar). So, is there some reason the cast should not have Caucasians? Like Raisin in the Sun would not make much sense with whites playing the roles.

      1. Prairie Rose, there were whites most definitely playing roles. The playwright was black, married to a white Jew. That wonderful play depicted the conflict with such heartfelt delicacy.

        1. Thank you for the clarification, Autumn. I will have to watch it a video version some night when I am up folding laundry (like I ought to be doing now).

          1. Prairie Rose, I am such a fan of Lorraine Hansbury – I have seen that play multiple times live and on video and it never fails to make me cry — the people caught up in fake division -in that case obviously black vs white. The cry for human unity in her play is remarkable. Also, her husband wrote a book and published a lot of her works which are wonderful.

            And, hey, re Pixar — my niece made me watch “Inside Out” which I loved!

      2. You nailed it — they were after a certain overarching thematic unity in the drama of the musical, and the decision was not based on “racism” simpliciter.

      3. Prairie Rose – with a few rewrites, it could be Raisin in the Sun could be done with whites. I do not have a problem with cross- casting, just discrimination against a segment of actors.

    2. Damn, when are you folks going to pay closer attention and get the facts right. Pence was not penned in by anyone. It is false that he was not allowed to respond. He made no effort to respond. Had he wanted to respond he likely would have been given the chance to take the stage, though I acknowledged he probably would have been booed some more. Pence was on his way out of the building when he voluntarily stopped in the hallway just outside the theater to listen to the statement. No one forced him to do this. He could have kept right on walking right out the door and to his car.

  8. The kind of behavior displayed by the cast and some of the audience is partly the reason why some people voted for Donald Trump. We are all on display in the court room of public opinion. We have a lot of freedom in this country as regards our public conduct. If you keep irritating people somewhere along the line it catches up with you.

  9. Squeek, as always you are FABULOUS dah-ling. I am still laughing!

    Now, how to get the Obama folk off the birther thang and get them to address why he hasn’t done a damn thing to help those poor blacks in Flint who are suffering greatly from the lead in the water???? No national emergency declared, etc. And he’s our President!

    1. Right, because the crazed Republican Governor of Michigan and his criminal co-conspirators who poisoned the water, not just in Flint, but in numerous other water systems by means of their systematic gross negligence, had nothing to do with it, got it.

  10. Just for what it’s worth, Broadway and Tin Pan Alley have a little “history”. Here is the ORIGINAL Puttin on the Ritz, with the inter-racial chorus, and later a blurb from Wiki:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66km3m_UE_k

    From Wiki:

    The original version of Berlin’s song included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, “Spending ev’ry dime / For a wonderful time”. In the UK, the song was popularized through the BBC’s radio broadcasts of Joe Kaye’s Band performing it at the The Ritz Hotel, London restaurant in the 1930s.[3] The song was featured with the original lyrics in the 1939 film Idiot’s Delight, where it was performed by Clark Gable and chorus, and this routine was selected for inclusion in That’s Entertainment (1974). Columbia released a 78 recording of Fred Astaire singing the original lyrics in May 1930[4] (B-side – “Crazy Feet”, both recorded on March 26, 1930). For the film Blue Skies (1946), where it was performed by Fred Astaire, Berlin revised the lyrics to apply to affluent whites strutting “up and down Park Avenue.”[1][A] This second version was published after being registered for copyright on August 28, 1946.[1]

    Squeeky Fromm
    Girl Reporter

    2. Starting to remind me of the anti-war protestors with Trump Pence being Nixon Agnew.

    3. Wait — you actually think the party isn’t engaging in a necessary demolition and will not emerge stronger than ever once the Trump-Pence debacle is in full gear next year.
      Reculer, pour mieux sauter — think about it.

        1. Complete with screen name taken from a convicted felon who participated in a gory mass murder, par for the course!

    2. No, that’s one of the most misleading headlines you could possibly cite — the “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” fallacy as purveyed by sloppy journalists. But the usual chumps ideologically committed to paranoia (that is, classic right-wing politics) will avoid examining the details of what could reasonably be characterized as possible threats to engage in a mass shooting on campus, and seize on the superficial connection to Trump. Nice job!

  14. I don’t know if Pence learned anything from the lecture.
    In watching the play, he might have learn that Hamilton was gay, HIV Positive, and sang out (rather than speaking) his political views.

  15. Pingback: “Hamilton” Performance Interrupted By Boos Directed At Pence Followed By Statement From The Cast — JONATHAN TURLEY | Take Me Home Country Roads Forever

  16. They slap down Pence for equal protection while advertising for a non-white casting call! Hypocrisy defines them. #BoycottHamilton

        2. Thassit KC – keep dem blacks on the plantation jumpin’ and jivin’ ———– except despite their plans many blacks woke up and supported Bernie, Jill, and even Trump.

  17. I agree that the audience was totally obnoxious in booing Pence at the Hamilton show. He was a paying guest like any other. They could have confronted him after the show outside the venue if they’d had the courage. As far as the actor’s statement – I thought that was a heartfelt and honest way to try to defuse the situation. The MSM has hyped up concern and fear about Trump and Pence. And I do think BTW that Pence is a sanctimonious jerk and a corporate tool however hopefully his personal beliefs will not undo the progress that has been made for LGBTs in terms of discrimination.

    I think it would be more useful for the Liberals to reserve their ire and energy to reforming their own party which failed so greatly.

    1. Trump did everything he could to delegitimize Obama’s presidency with his racist birtherism.

        1. What did Obama do, to make right-wingers think he was from Kenya, or the moon, or some unknown galaxy? Oh, I know – his skin was dark.

            2. What a pathetic attempt to justify the sick bigotry exemplified by the relentless “birtherism” lies.
              The GOP gave a nation beset by numerous problems eight years of obstructionism. The payback is going to astound you and others of your dubious ilk.
              By the way, the Manson Family moniker is in exceptionally bad taste even for the internet circa 2016 C.E.

      2. Speaking as a son of a USA Citizen Dad and British Mom born outside the country. All the media had to do was look up the latest ‘law’ on the subject. When that was done the anti Cruz birtherism (is there such as word?) ceased. While citizens from birth such as myself were, in the past, not allowed to seek that office, the current law since around the beginning of this century was changed ‘enough’ to change the meaning of ‘natural born.’

        Mr. Obama destroyed his Presidency and his legacy by casting himself above the law and ignoring it. He did that to himself Had nothing to do with Trump, Cruz but……it set a bad example for the losing candidate.

        Another urban myth is the Dream Act being repealed. Court already did that some years ago.

        Don’t they teach modern history at Swarthmore? Like….in the past few years modern?

        1. The twice-elected Obama would have soundly beaten Trump (as would Senator Bernie Sanders) and has some of the highest approval ratings of any U.S. president at similar times in their terms of office. Your factitious claim that he “destroyed his Presidency” is a psychic artifact of your own right-wing delusional weltanschauung. Try to expose your notions and bizarre theories to sustained criticism and evolve, is the best course.

          1. Richard Turnbull – my understanding is that Trump took more states than Obama, he even took states Obama took. So, there is every chance he would have beaten Obama. However, Hillary ran a terrible campaign. Was plagued by her email scandals that refused to die. Still, some people made their decision a year ago, several months ago, a month ago, a week before the election and as they were in the election booth.

      3. HRC started all that nonsense. Can’t believe you are still defending her. WILL she ever go away??

        1. How did HRC start what nonsense? Can you be specific? Did she ever imply Obama was from Kenya?

            1. Let’s be fair and make note of the second paragraph of the article to which you linked.

              “But the real story turns out to be a little more complicated, and does nothing to prove Trump’s argument that Clinton and her campaign “started” the so-called birther controversy.”

              Furthermore, the fact that there is no documentation (i.e. evidence) substantiating any claim that Blumenthal started the rumor means that those who repeat the rumor are engaging in unfounded rumor-mongering, innuendo and character assassination, none of which have any claim to acts of virtue or rationality.

              1. You just described the business model for Breitbart and a wide swath of the right-wing looney-tunes, in their lucid intervals. And now we will will be treated to Steve Bannen on a regular basis; it’s going to be epic! Bring on the empty craniums!

      4. Obama did his best to delegitimize his Presidency with the ACA. Commenters in my State are posting their health care invoice’s on liberal blogs. $6,000 for 2017, of course State Employees and Teachers pay an average of $20 a month. We also get to absorb Welfare recipients from Pennsylvania and and New Jersey in search of higher benefits, all of whom register to vote as they enroll for housing allowances,and Medicaid.

        1. Come on, even TRUMP has already admitted he will keep several of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The solution is a single-payer system, which would also cut costs by removing the health insurance industry parasites, err, “middle men.”

          1. Or, maybe the solution is no health care, if you can’t afford it.
            “Don’t get sick. But if you do get sick, die early.”

            It is amazing that, in this wealthiest of nations, we can’t find a way to provide decent medical care for everybody.

            Or is the economy that Darwinian – “Your grandma has to die, so that my brother can keep his job.”

    2. https://theintercept.com/2016/11/15/mike-pence-will-be-the-most-powerful-christian-supremacist-in-us-history/“Pence’s ascent to the second most powerful position in the U.S. government is a tremendous coup for the radical religious right. Pence — and his fellow Christian supremacist militants — would not have been able to win the White House on their own. For them, Donald Trump was a godsend. “This may not be our preferred candidate, but that doesn’t mean it may not be God’s candidate to do something that we don’t see,” said David Barton, a prominent Christian-right activist and president of Wall Builders, an organization dedicated to making the U.S. government enforce “biblical values.” In June, Barton prophesied: “We may look back in a few years and say, ‘Wow, [Trump] really did some things that none of us expected.’”

      Trump is a Trojan horse for a cabal of vicious zealots who have long craved an extremist Christian theocracy, and Pence is one of its most prized warriors. With Republican control of the House and Senate and the prospect of dramatically and decisively tilting the balance of the Supreme Court to the far right, the incoming administration will have a real shot at bringing the fire and brimstone of the second coming to Washington.

  18. I guess politicians cannot go to Broadway shows. Cathouses are off limits too. Meow.

    1. What do you mean? Congress is a whore house. Or is it one pays them and they have to pay the other?

      1. You may have more experience than the rest of us in this matter, but it does seem more judicious to claim that Congress is like a whorehouse, but not precisely identical with one, correct?

  19. http://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/trump-fans-are-urging-everyone-to-boycotthamilton-but-theres-one-big-problem/ “As might be expected from fans of President-elect Donald Trump who spent the run-up to the election chanting “Lock her up” at the mention of Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s name, they are aghast that Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed at a performance of Hamilton on Friday night.

    While it was a bold move by Pence –who is notably homophobic –to attend the play in the belly of the Broadway beast, many New Yorkers are not fans of the Indiana governor and expressed their displeasure.

    When news broke that a member of the cast read a statement to Pence following the performance saying “We, sir are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us,” Trump fans across the country suddenly found a reason to not buy tickets for the show — which is sold out until August of 2017.” I saw the play in May with the original cast. It was the best musical I have ever seen.

    1. Don’t forget all the disillusioned Democrats and Bernieorbusters in Philly who thronged the streets and chanted “lock her up” as well. It’s not just a Trumpster thang.

    2. Yup, all those Trump fans who don’t buy tickets to the play are going to put a real dent in its success !

      Of course, the new Attorney General might find some reason to shut the show down and incarcerate the cast, just on general principles.

    3. swm,

      ‘Les Deplorables’: #NameAPenceMusical hashtag takes off on Twitter as ‘Hamilton’-gate lurches onward
      http://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/les-deplorables-nameapencemusical-hashtag-takes-off-on-twitter-as-hamilton-gate-lurches-onward/

      Here is a sampling:

      Amy Shouse @CupcakeMurphy
      Oklahomophobic! #NameAPenceMusical
      9:33 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      kimberly ayers @kiddowah13
      La Cage Aux KKK #Nameapencemusical
      9:33 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      nicandro iannacci @niannacci
      A Streetcar Named You’re Fired #NameaPenceMusical
      9:33 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      Jeremiah Robinson @JRobInIT
      The Pirates of Pence Pants #NameAPenceMusical
      9:52 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      kerry connell @kerryconnell
      Sweeney Fraud #NameAPenceMusical
      9:52 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      Kathy Hayes @kjokc
      The Book of Moron. #NameaPenceMusical
      9:52 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      Rebecca Soffer @RebeccaSoffer
      White Guys and Dolls #NameAPenceMusical
      9:51 PM – 19 Nov 2016

      1. I get it. You are one of the two wrongs make a right and two evils make a virtue crowd. They were both wrong as was Biden publicly on TV groping that military guy’s wife as was Senator Packwood from Oregon R
        as was the Democrats leaving it to the Republicans to oust him as was as was as was the nation for demanding equality in evil rather than in virtue.

        That’s not a suitable apology and you still haven’t learned to say Please. Rejected.

        1. No one needs to “apologize” to the incoming election thief, whose term in office will be marked by disasters and scandals on a scale not seen since the collapse of the Roman Empire.
          Cf. “Did the GOP strip & flip the 2016 Election” by (professor & election fraud attorney) Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman (November 18, 2016) in the Columbus Free Press, and
          “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy,” (book and film) by investigative reporter Greg Palast.

  20. What do you think the reaction would be if John Voight finished his stage performance and pulled a sheet of paper from his vest and directed a political statement to Joe Biden? I could only imagine how long this poor guy would be out of work.
    The left, Socialist, Marxist and closet Commies are still in shock and besides themselves dealing with the results of the election.
    Boxer and company are now trying to end the electoral college. The electoral college was fine prior to the election it was said Trump could never get the votes and that was just “Jake” with the dems. Now the electoral college must go away.
    Watch all our children now be indoctrinated by thier teachers on how they must end the electoral college.

    1. If the Demoncrats had a lick of sense they would be getting rid of tired old crones like Boxer and Pelosi. But then DWS kept her seat so no hope there.

      1. Talk about tired and ill informed…. Boxer retired and was replaced by Kamala Harris.

          1. what a joke. retired? forced out no doubt by the lies she told in NV only to be replaced by another loser. sheesh, you Democrats will never get rid of the deadwood.

          2. Kamala Harris??? Wasn’t she a professional wrestler? The Ugandan Warrior or something? I swear I saw her take on The Free Birds in a Georgia Iron Cage Death Match of Death fight. Did she get a sex change?

            Squeeky Fromm
            Girl Reporter

        2. Harrison…
          Se. Boxer will serve out her term for another c. 2 months, then retire.
          She wants to abolish the electoral college, and is possibly the highest ranking office holder to do so.
          A moron like Sen. Boxer is not an ideal proponent for any cause.
          Maybe Nancy Pelosi will push for legislation to abolish the EC.
          She can argue that it needs to be passed before understanding what’s in the legisalation.

      2. If the dems had a lick of sense they might begin each day by reciting the pledge of allegiance twice a day.

        1. Clam-
          I have always had very mixed feelings about the pledge of allegiance. It can be construed as a form of secular idolatry, raising veneration of a rectangle of cloth over that of the nation itself. I wish it said just, “I pledge allegiance to the United States of America…” and leave the flag part of it out. And of course, the “under God” part was added in the Eisenhower administration.

          No doubt this view will raise many objections…. !

          1. Better idea. What if everiy politician and active in politics citizen recited the oath of office and just tried to live up to that one small concept.

            But to lighten the reading load in my third grade class the teacher walked around every morning during the pledge of allegiance as something sounded out of kilter. Finally she narrowed to one small boy whose older brothers had taught him to say. “With Liberty and Orange Juice for All.” True story. That was 1953. now i can’t fib about being 39 anymore.

      3. Why do you call women crones while at the same time expressing love for tangerine bloviated old men that assault women?

    2. I listened to an interesting argument about the need of party members to reform the respective parties so there is more transparency in the election of candidates, to prevent voter anger and disenfranchisement that can lead to polarization. Not the only problem, but I do not think the electoral college is the root problem.

    3. Yeah, the Electoral College system has never been criticized before this result.
      Oh wait. Since that’s a completely laughable fiction, how much of the rest of your little rant is credible, with its inane smear “closet Commies”? I say: none of it has a shred of cred.

    4. Civil disobedience – Don’t like it? Get a refund.

      The alternative is Pleasantville, where KCFleming confidently trims the edges of his cul-de-sac-best, manicured lawn with the pro-model weedwacker and asks his wife what sort of cookies she’s baking him.

      Remember, Pence is the guy who once wrote in opposition to gay leadership in the military: “Homosexuals are not as a group able bodied. They are known to carry extremely high rates of disease brought on because of the nature of their sexual practices and the promiscuity which is a hallmark of their lifestyle.”

      And now that bigot is the Vice-President Elect.

      1. Steve Groen – the number of gays with STDs is very high and the number with HIV/AIDS is out of proportion with the rest of the population. Sadly, what Pence said was correct.

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