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Here's what Stephen Sondheim, the song's composer, said about "Send in the Clowns":

"I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a circus [...] [I]t's a theater reference meaning "if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns"; in other words, "let's do the jokes." I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so "Send in the Clowns" didn't settle in until I got the notion, "Don't bother, they're here", which means that "We are the fools.""

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Here is Judy Collins singing "Send in the Clowns". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W3v2RC8PcY

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founding

Oh! Send in the Clowns is one of my favorites. Thanks.

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Love Judy Collins. Nearly wore out her Colors of the Day LP. Such a voice.

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Cathy, You and I clearly were circling around the same idea. Before reading your comment, I was preparing to post 🎶(Don’t) “Send in the Clowns…” No bother, they’re here. 🎶

As my father’s favorite song of all time, the piece holds special meaning both for me and for my husband. Our home, compliments of my father, is filled with clowns—paintings, sculptures, and Christmas tree ornaments (a new one each year we spent Christmas together). For his 2 favorite renditions of the song, google Frank Sinatra Send in the Clowns (Live) and Barbra Streisand Send in the Clowns (Live 1986). Because both performers go so deep inside, one can hardly help not joining them.

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founding

I’ll go with the immortal Bobby Short.

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Me, too, Jon. One of the best performers ever!

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Thanks for the explanation. It makes sense.

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I always hit t he mute button whenever a Republican Goober is on screen.

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It's fun to watch their performances without sound. Complete clown show. Don Jr. seems like he is on something, Ron DeSantis plays the always aggrieved angry man, and Tucker is a parody of himself.

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Bobo the clown is always good for a few moments of watching without sound. Snarling, gun toting, ugly

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Marjorie Traitor Goon is her own Goon Show.

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"Marjorie Traitor Goon"—Another of your marvelous soubriquets.

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It's "open source" - no copyright. Feel free to steal.

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Smart move TC!

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I am not at all nervous about the State of the Union. I don’t own a TV and I trust Joe. We did not elect him because he gave rousing speeches. He’s competent. His predecessor was not.

Your description of Sister Sarah lying straight into the camera is spot on!

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author

Here is my worry about the state of the union: WaPo just published a poll showing that 60% of Americans believe that Biden hasn't accomplished much during his tenure. Somehow, the media has created a false narrative surrounding Biden that has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But Democratic leadership must accept blame for poor messaging. I just don't get it.

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Part of the problem is that not a lot of what has been done has touched most Americans. The programs supporting people in need of medicine, medical care, and financial support are unquestionably valuable but, fortunately, don't impact on a lot of us and the infrastructure programs haven't begun to be seen anywhere I've been. The stage has been nicely set and, as Jim notes, Biden is competent, adult and Presidential, qualities that were alien to his immediate predecessor.

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Another part of the problem is the old saying that "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" [implied: unless he wants to]. A huge part of the U.S. populatio, including voters, doesn't follow the news to the extent that we do. What they *may* get is usually from local news and/or national broadcast news (ABC, NBC, CBS) reporting, usually fairly shallow, or worse, Faux News.

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I think you are right, Dave. I know that somehow I have benefited from Covid interventions. Nevertheless, I am struggling with rents and food, which have exceeded my SS raise. Nor are they items included in the betterment programs. I am for the jobs, infrastructure, and CHIPS programs, but they do not affect me directly.

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PostScript: Link for the NDN Think Tank is https://www.ndn.org/

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The Washington Post article is what Simon Rosenberg has been speaking -- shouting from the rooftops-- about, for Democrats to get louder and tout Biden’s and Democrats accomplishments during an extraordinary Administration in extremely challenging times.

One can visit the NDN website, view a video, and register for a Simon Rosenberg Webinar.

He acknowledges the good and encourages Democrats to learn from the mistakes of 2022, towards winning more Blue in 2023 and 2024.

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"NDN" = New Democratic Network

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I have never, ever understood how the Democrats can't seize control of the narrative with talking points/truths and have let the Repugnants and their talking points/lies dominate the media coverage.

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founding

Perhaps we can point to "media enthralled by profits" but we cannot make that our standard "go to response." Somehow, some way, we must grab the microphones and get a unifying message out there. Who has the best ideas and resources to do so?

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founding

The Lincoln Project.

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They've been remarkably quiet for some time.

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Normally I'd say POTUS and his team, but they seem remarkably subdued and I think there's some concern on the part of Biden's political crew that an overly impressive performance by a proxy (Harris, Buttigieg, etc.) could give rise to a challenger.

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founding

Republicans are "men" biting dogs. Hence the media bites, too. The more outrageous, the better.

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Because the media are enthralled by profits and good news isn't a profitable as controversy.

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founding

Wow! That WaPo poll is unfortunate. As I shared on another blog, we need to make Heather Cox-Richardson head of communications. Short of that we best all get the message out as often as we can. Of course, I will always add, we need to promote sources other than the right wing fibbers like FOX, NewsMax, etc.

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Agreed, but the alternative sources are limited. A lot of local papers don't publish Letters to the Editor and more or limit them to non-controversial topics and/or 250-300 words which makes establishing any sort of point very challenging.

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founding

Agree with the poll showing 60% of Americans don't know how much Biden has accomplished. That is our Democratic failure and can be corrected...somehow.

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Afghanistan was the turning point Media turned against him after that. Even though it was Trump who set the terms. And the starving that came about after aid agencies froze their involvements for a while. Yes American news moved on for the most part but the Afghans were left to pick up the pieces.

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As a former management consultant I can tell you from experience that the best and most successful executives were those who surrounded themselves with a team of employees who were smarted than they were and then brought the team together to accomplish great things. Those leaders provided the seeds of a corporate vision and the team executed the vision. This is what Biden has accomplished and instead of criticizing him for his stuttering or his age recognized him for his leadership. For Biden it isn’t about him it’s about the country and it’s citizens. A question never asked enough is beside tax cuts what legislative actions and laws have the Republicans implemented that have benefited the average citizen? His speech should be about what has been accomplished for the citizens of this country, what to expect in the future and why it’s important to continue the momentum.

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author

All good points. But I do think it is reasonable to ask whether any 82-year-old is up to the task of the toughest job in world leadership. The answer may be yes, or it may be no. But it is okay to ask.

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It also might depend on whether Biden should again pick Harris as his running mate, given his age and if so, whether she should become more visible in the next two years as the party (we hope!) touts all its masterful accomplishments in the face of so much obstruction.

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founding

I find a fair amount of negative vibes regarding Kamala Harris but I can't say I have followed her activities enough to offer an opinion. Yet again, as i read these reports it seems like we are all too often starting from a defensive posture. We must get the positive out there front and center with greater impact.

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A good point. I think the VP should be someone we know could step in immediately and is qualified. Harrison’s not the one. Trump will pick a Lake or a Greene and we need someone totally qualified

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founding

Robert, it is okay to ask but we need to move on to highlighting the great progress made by a president who certainly came in to office with the worse of situations - a plate full of challenges and the former administration completely not cooperating in the transition as they continue to this day to lie and message negatives and nonsense. I just took a quick minute to Google who's doing the best job of messaging for Democrats? Not an enlightening return in my search. I commit to doing more. This is urgent.

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Agree the question has to be asked. Not sure how you validate the answer.

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Great line: "Everything she says should be suspect; indeed, she was likely selected because of her unnatural ability to look straight into a camera and lie."

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founding
Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

We could modify Mary McCarthy’s quote about Lillian Hellman to be, “Every word she speaks is a lie, and that includes ‘and’ and ‘the.’”

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Feb 6, 2023·edited Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I get a lot of pleasure out of the GOP bloviators like Ted Cruz and Jim Jordan being very shocked and very outraged for the TV and then humiliated by the facts. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

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Same, then I realize they have millions of followers.

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Schadenfreude is OK and possibly psychologically healthful, we just have to be careful not to give other people reason to feel that way about us.

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A real shame is that a majority of voters who voted for them don’t see them as the same waste of space that I do

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Waste of fresh air too.

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

I think Main Stream Media has also blown its “balloon coverage.” While largely accepting that Biden handled everything right, Axios and others have written that this comes at a tough time for Biden, it’s an embarrassment for the administration, etc. I don’t get it—I had to reread some of these stories to see if I was missing something. Sorta like suggesting Ukraine should be embarrassed for being attacked. Oh, wait, that WAS a right wing talking appoint….that this would not have happened under Trump.

This is my point and I suggest another propaganda ploy—when facts don’t support their narrative, they switch to hypotheticals with certainty as to what would or would not have happened with their guy.

Dangerous stuff, as it removes rebuttal.

MSM, don’t fall for this.

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I will listen to the State of the Union on my phone. I cannot possibly watch McCarthy sitting up there grimacing in his seat, looking mean and angry.

On the balloons: Were Pence and Pompeo aware of the three Chinese surveillance balloons flying across the US in the previous administration? They are both considering Presidential runs. It seems that could be a serious question for any possible Senate investigation.

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Do you think McCarthy would tear up Biden's speech while sitting behind him?

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Relentlessly tough. On those clowns criticizing Biden. On Trump. On Sara Huckabee Sanders. On John Roberts.

Let's not be nervous about Joe Biden's State of the Union. He rises to the occasion. Though, when there is an informal moment, he is prone to gaffes. The State of the Union is not an informal moment.

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author

you are right; he has risen to the occasion before. But I want him to succeed at an inflection point, so I can't help but be nervous!

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Thank you Robert, especially for your critique on Sarah Huckabee

Sanders. She is now the governor of the red state I live in and is starting to adapt some of Ron DeSantis' educational plans here,

always with a big smile. Her daddy

got her elected here 2 years ago,

there were no other candidates.

She is a lying boil on the state and

will pour vinegar on the State of the

Union.

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Arkansas natives Mike Huckabee, formerly preaching as an evangelical Baptist minister and his daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, are the epitome of a father-daughter team of slippery con artists hiding behind the facade of religious do-gooders. They often have a big smile like the traveling snake oil salesmen of the past. Mike Huckabee is especially good at acting like a friendly, small town pastor with a ready laugh and an earnest sales pitch. But if he moved any further to the right, he'd fall off the edge of the world.

This is just a sample of the publicity they've earned:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/25/sarah-sanders-self-confessed-liar-says-i-dont-like-being-called-a-liar

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/06/sarah-sanders-leaving-white-house

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/06/28/sarah-huckabee-sanders-arkansas-governor-227248/

https://theweek.com/articles/962986/sarah-huckabee-sanders-shameless-campaign-governor

https://www.thewrap.com/mike-huckabee-facebook-fake-news-liberal-jewish-students-apology/

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0531-balmer-huckabee-victimization-20150531-story.html

https://www.democracynow.org/2007/12/20/mike_huckabee_equates_environmentalism_with_pornography

https://www.bobcesca.com/mike-huckabee-is-a-lying-liar/

https://speakwellpartners.com/mike-huckabee-and-the-big-lie/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/meghan-mc-cain-gets-blunt-with-sarah-huckabee-sanders-on-trumps-alleged-treatment-of-military-we-do-not-feel-respected-212601376.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/448705-huckabee-fires-back-at-axelrod-over-comment-about-sarah-sanders-he/

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Good overall synopsis of what's facing the nation and President Biden 🤔 Thanks for the heads up on the GOP rebuttal person she definitely learned how to twist the truth from her years fronting the orange clown 🤡

Hopefully Biden can make some headway on all the misinformation that has been spread at every opportunity by the radical party of 10% holding the rest of America 🇺🇸 hostage

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

"Chief Justice John Roberts has lost control of the Court. It is time for him to step aside to allow Congress to reform the Court." Do we have the needed votes?

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author

No. We would need to abolish the filibuster and win control of the House. We had the votes in 2021-22 and failed to seize the moment.

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founding

Well Robert, we need to get the votes to do this accomplish this Herculian task.

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That is sad. It seems that lack of aggression on the part of Dems is and has been an issue.

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But don't tune into them either. Please. Let's give them as little air as possible--and spare our tattered nervous systems for a change. It's really easy: Just switch from MSNBC to Mozart after the speech. Your soul will thank you--and so will your amygdala.

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I had to look up that word. Here...to save others the search:

"What is the main function of amygdala?

The amygdala is commonly thought to form the core of a neural system for processing fearful and threatening stimuli (4), including detection of threat and activation of appropriate fear-related behaviors in response to threatening or dangerous stimuli."

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Yes, it activates the fight or flight response, and primal fears lie deep within it.

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founding

Or turn on "All Things Great and Small" on Masterpiece Theater / PBS. Balm for your soul and entertaining story, too❣️

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Wealthy white men gathered together in cigar smoke filled, wood paneled rooms selecting political candidates is in our DNA. The only difference now is the Supreme Court made it ok to do it openly. I'll bet anything the Democratic Party has its own back rooms as well.

I look forward to President Biden's SOTU speech. I don't look forward to the rabble rousers mouthing off from the newly emboldened Republican House members.

Why watch the commentary on either side? All it serves is a chance for TV stations to put up people who have 1 inch of depth and knowledge about the real issues, actually know the impact of what President Biden has accomplished, and who spend more time on their pancake makeup than really learning about the issues they are bloviating about in front of their cameras.

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Feb 6, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Interesting, and very worrying, that as I was reading this a WaPo news alert came across my screen saying that according to a Post/ABC poll most Americans don’t feel Biden has accomplished anything in his first two years. What??? I’m hopeful that this poll is as flawed as the election polls have been recently and only reaching Fox-watching, landline-dependent respondents.

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Yes; I am going to write about the poll this evening. I think the poll reflects the media's narrative about Biden, not what Biden has done. But in politics, perception is reality. The question is why major media outlets are consistently biased against Democrats.

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There are far fewer left-to-center media outlets than those that lean far-right. Right-wing media and social media, where much of the population gets its “news” overwhelm the airwaves. They seem to be polling far more individuals who have been influenced by Fox, etc. I seriously doubt they are a true reflection of voters.

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Having started to read "The Scheme" by Sheldon Whitehouse (as recommended by Cathy Learoyd), my thoughts about the major media outlets are that they are supported by big business and therefore would like to see a Republican back in office. Less regulation, lower taxes for the rich...etc. They are stacking the deck against the Dems.

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Robert Reich wrote a brilliant piece on the State of the Union today: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-state-of-joe-bidens-union-the It's the return to democratic capitalism!

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Robert, Robert Reich wrote a brilliant piece on the State of the Union today: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-state-of-joe-bidens-union-the It's the return to democratic capitalism! Now if we can capture the media!

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I received the same alert.

Couple days ago I received this news alert : “ 4 in 10 Americans say they’re worse off since Biden became President” NO, NO! NO! 6 in 10 Americans say they’re better off since Biden became President.⬅️This is what we need to message !!!

Rant over😡

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Same message on Good Morning America today. They went on in detail how this poll presented multiple “red flags” for the Biden administration. I’m sick and tired of the press being a campaign shill for the Republicans.

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More of those who watch TV news should contact the stations and complain about that bias.

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