• It’s been about a month since I updated my Top 10 Candidates for Democratic Nomination.  As of today, I would still have Warren at the top. I think I’m inclined to put Mayor Pete up at #2.  Then I think Harris, Booker, and O’Rourke would round out the top 5.  I’ll do a comprehensive post after I’ve had a chance to digest the debate and its aftermath.
  • CNN had an Equality Town Hall last week which focused on issues important to the LGBTQ+ community.  I had planned on doing a “I watched this so you don’t have to” post about it, but I’ve only gotten through four of the nine candidates.  I watched Warren, Buttigieg, and Mayor Pete.  I also started the town hall with Booker before I had to call it a night.  It’s been Fall Break around these parts, so I haven’t gotten a chance to get back to it.  Reading about it after the fact, I think I was wise to watch the ones that I did.  Warren had some good zingers and Mayor Pete was especially good.  Biden was his usual rambling self.  I think if this is your issue, you’re voting for any Democrat over any Republican.  I’ll try to get back to the backlog and do that post, but I make no promises.
  • Aside from the fact that Senator Warren is winning the coveted MadDog primary, it’s looking like she’s also winning with the writers at Saturday Night Live.  They do their usual political sketches interspersed with music by artists I don’t usually care for and the Weekend Update.  They seem to have jokes for everyone.  Joe gets age jokes or they play on the fact that he is a gaffe machine.  Or Bernie (as played by Larry David) gets stereotyped as a grumpy old man.  But they don’t seem to go after Senator Warren, as played by Kate McKinnon.  The best they can do is make fun of the fact that she calls her supporters a lot.  If she keeps her frontrunner status, I imagine they’ll find some other things to needle her with, but for now she’s keeping her jersey clean on SNL.
  • I woke up to the video from the Trumpies that shows Trump’s head superimposed on Colin Firth’s head from The Kingsman in the scene where he kills a bunch of people in a church.  Only the people in the church have the heads of Trump’s various nemeses superimposed on the murder victims.  Hillary, Obama, CNN, and others.  You name it, they’re there.  I guess Kathy Griffin should be getting her apology any second now.
  • I made some notes for myself after the last debate of things they should have talked about that they didn’t.  Since then, we’ve had Ukraine and impeachment, Turkey and the Kurds, and Bernie’s heart attack become issues that will likely dominate the discussion.  There are also now 12 candidates on the stage, rather than 10.  I’m not sure my little list of topics are going to make the cut now.  But for the record, I think they should discuss:
    • opiods;
    • abortion (in a healthcare context or judicial appointment context);
    • Judicial appointments in general
    • corruption (I expect Warren will bring this up in conjunction with the impeachment discussion)
    • I think the progressives missed a chance to clap back on healthcare.  The moderates want to discuss how to pay for it.  I say if they get into healthcare, the progressives should focus on the fact that they want to get to 100% coverage.  That’s the goal and the moderate plans don’t get there.  I think Biden’s position of including a public option in the ACA can be undermined by the fact that you’re establishing a whole new program.  This is less efficient than just opening Medicare up to more than just the 65+ set.