Remembering Sunday

For anyone who still follows me on here (y'all are the best, btw), I have a new article up this weekend about the 2024 election. I basically go through the main seven swing states, and explain where things stand right now in each one. Spoiler: Trump is in good shape at the moment, but things will probably change between now and November.

Here's the link, and hope you'll maybe take a look:

https://countdownto2024.substack.com/p/six-months-georgia-moves-towards

Last week, I started my own politics newsletter on Substack, which is sort of like Tumblr, but if it took itself way too seriously.

Anyway, my latest post on there is about why, of all things, polls of Republican states show that Biden is actually in decent shape for this fall. It's worth reading the full post, as I haven't really seen anyone else look specifically at polls of red states (which tell us more than you'd think). Check it out:

https://countdownto2024.substack.com/p/a-brief-look-at-red-state-polling

It's apparently Stranger Things Day, since November 6th is when Will disappeared in season 1. One random thing that strikes me about the show is how little Will interacts with Lucas and especially Dustin, even after four seasons. I get that Mike and Will are best friends, but it feels like there could've been at least one good heart-to-heart moment between Will and Lucas/Dustin. Am I maybe forgetting something?

Over the last three weeks, I've watched the entirety of Stranger Things for the very first time, and have loved every minute of it. I've even already rewatched most of seasons 1-3, because it's just that good.

I did walk away from it, though, with conflicted feelings about season 2. There were some great moments ("The Lost Sister" was maybe one of the best episodes of the whole series), but it also seemed like the writing wasn't up to the other seasons. Plus, I just hated seeing Will suffer for another whole season.

To my fellow fans, where do you stand on season 2?

I'm pretty flattered that the new episode of Loki has my name in its title, which feels like a first. And no, please don't reply with all the things that have "Brad" in the title. Just let me have this one.

For those of you who watch it, are you liking Loki's second season so far? I know it's way too early to judge, being only two episodes in, but I'm not totally feeling it yet. Maybe it was just always going to be hard to surpass the first season. Thoughts?

About that new episode of Futurama that just came out today...I liked how Leela's simulation form initially had the colors of the asexuality flag. She's not Ace, and it was probably just a coincidence, but seeing those colors makes some of us (or maybe just me) proud!

I must've been one of the last on here to get the poll feature, so I guess I'll make up for lost time...

I know, I should've added more options, but these are the ones I want y'all to choose between. Feel free to leave a comment, if you must.

Sincere question: did anyone out there enjoy "Secret Invasion" on at least some level? I ask because I did, though Tumblr would almost make me think I'm alone on this one. I don't feel the series deserves quite the level of hate it's getting. Yes, there were some really questionable writing choices, but not everything in the MCU should be held to the incredibly high standard set by the movies of the 2010s. There was still a compelling story here, and it was an enjoyable diversion...that can be enough sometimes, right?

In New Jersey news this past week, some guy in Old Bridge dumped a ton of pasta in the woods. Like, 500 pounds of uncooked pasta. There's a little more to the story (and it's actually kind of sad), but I do feel like Old Bridge is sort of the Florida of NJ...weird stuff happens in that town.

Rewatching the Avengers movies, and there really needed to be more scenes of Spiderman and Stark bantering. They might just have the best dynamic of any two Marvel characters. Agree/disagree?

Not to say 2022 was terrible, but in hindsight, it does feel like Betty White dying right before the year started was a bit of a red flag.

This post probably isn't going to age well, but if Twitter does implode in the near future, it really won't be to anyone's benefit, IMO. I know it's fashionable to hate Elon Musk, but it's sad to see a platform go into a downward spiral so quickly. There are people I've connected with on Twitter who I never would have known otherwise, and Facebook, Tumblr, Insta, etc. just aren't replacements. Twitter was really one of a kind.

So, here's hoping that Twitter can stick around for even just a bit longer. And trust me, y'all don't want a bunch of Tweeps migrating to Tumblr...better that they stay where they are.

There's so much to say about the midterm elections, which defied most expectations, but if someone asked me to explain what happened in ten words or less, I'd say something like, "College-educated voters fought for abortion rights and democracy."

I don't even think it's hyperbole. Democrats overperformed all across the country (well, besides Florida and New York), and nothing else could easily explain that outcome besides the twin threats the GOP posed to abortion and democracy itself.

And yes, voters with a college degree are a major part of the story. They were still typically voting Republican just a decade ago (see the 2014 midterm results), but having them as part of the Democratic coalition has changed US politics profoundly.

The best thing that could come from the midterms is that the GOP finally moves on from Trump, moderates its stance on abortion, and goes back to accepting election results. We'll see what path they take in 2023.