Part one: Game Change.
Apparently I go through audiobooks like I go through regular books, because I finished Game Change today. The HBO movie focused on the Sarah Palin stuff, and having listened to the source, it was put into the film pretty much verbatim. It basically confirmed my opinion of her; she's got a good instinct for crowds and she's a decent actress, but she's incompetent at best and hopelessly ignorant at worst when it comes to serious policy issues. I understand that the McCain team placed her in a difficult position, but if she was being honest with herself, she should have turned them down (that, and they never should have made her the offer in the first place). I rolled my eyes so much at her whining about the "gotcha media," just as I did four years ago. Sorry, Governor Palin, you were vastly unprepared, and Katie Couric had every right to call you on it. It's insulting to the people you were asking for their vote to insinuate otherwise. Thank goodness she wasn't elected.
In addition to Palin, however, the book devoted large sections to the Democratic primary, the Edwards campaign, and McCain before and after he won the nomination. A lot of it I'd already read about to some capacity, but what boggled my mind was how incredibly tone-deaf and out-of-touch John Edwards really was. I was never his biggest fan, but I remember liking him in 2004, and being glad he was on the ticket. Now I'm horrified I ever felt that way. He may have had nice things to say about the interests of the lower class, but the Edwards in Game Change is narcissistic and as good old boy as they come. He honestly believed that he could have an affair (and a child out of wedlock) and still be president, then he was angling for an appointment as Obama's attorney-general even after the story was more or less known. What a creep. Good riddance. I am sorry to hear that Elizabeth Edwards was apparently a piece of work; according to Game Change, she was horrible to her staff, fought with John constantly (not that he didn't deserve it), and had diva moments aplenty. I know she was sick, and it must be awful to see your husband have an affair, but it's changed my opinion of her, and that makes me sad.
My feelings toward the Clintons have been pretty ambivalent since 2008. I've been a supporter of President Obama since 2004, and was on his side in the primary once there was even an inkling he was going to run. I still don't think the media was "in the tank" for him, as the Clintons maintain, and while I understand that sexism plays an ugly role in politics, ultimately I am confident that the president won because he was the more deserving candidate, end of story (and it doesn't make me anti-woman to say that). Game Change gave me some insight into how the Clintons felt during 2008, and I did feel sorry for them sometimes, but mostly the book just rehashed the stunts that made me angriest at them in the first place. While I've mostly gotten over nonsense from 2008, and I really admire the job Hillary Clinton has done as Secretary of State, I can't say I feel more warmly about her having read this book. It wasn't always fun to hear the president's dirty laundry aired out, either, but there were some passages that reminded me why I like him so much. The book recounts then-Senator Obama's approach to the financial crisis during the fall of 2008, and discusses how he would call the fed chair and treasury secretary repeatedly with thought-provoking questions (Henry Paulson says that he was impressed by the maturity with which President Obama handled the situation) and talk constantly with his economic advisers, while Senator McCain gave a more perfunctory response. I haven't been completely happy with everything President Obama has done since he took office, but I think no one can deny that he is a very smart man, and he takes his job seriously.
Other thoughts - the book basically confirmed what I already know about Mitt Romney, which is that he is a raging opportunist and not even other Republicans like him. Also, everyone swears like sailors. I guess that shouldn't surprise or disappoint me, but as someone who doesn't swear much, it kind of does. And while I guess this is my chosen career field and I should just get used to it, it struck me how utterly wearying and childish the political process can be. I dearly hope that not everyone is as petty as they seemed in the book.
Part two: The Legend of Korra
News just keeps getting better and better on the Korra front. First they officially dropped the stupid Last Airbender part from the title at long last. Now Nickelodeon has finally announced the release date, and it's exactly one month from today, April 14. They've also put out a new trailer, and it's making me practically salivate to find out what happens next.
Thoughts:
- I am incredibly happy that an action/adventure series with a female protagonist of color is being taken completely seriously. Just five years ago, when Avatar was airing, Nickelodeon refused to even make action figures of the female characters, and now they're not even trying to hide the fact that this series has a girl as the main character. It might not seem like much, but in the entertainment industry, the prevailing idea is that boys will not watch stories about girls, so especially action shows with female protagonists are thought not to be marketable. I just really want Korra to be an unambiguous success, so the entertainment industry will realize how wrong they are.
- The story sounds so exciting. I can't wait to see where it's going.
- I've already seen all the leaked clips, so I have a small sense of Korra's character, but she seems so awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love her.
- I'm really interested to know what Korra and Tenzin's relationship is going to be like. Based on this trailer, it sounds like it'll be something of a father-daughter relationship, but of course I want to know how Korra being Aang's reincarnation is going to factor into things.
- I want to see more of the kids, especially Jinora, since Mike and Bryan described her as a bookworm and kind of shy, and she sounds like a girl after my own heart. Plus, girl airbenders! Oh, and Meelo, I guess.
- Mako speaks! He's quite the animated heartthrob.
- Calling it: Mako and Korra are going to have a thing.
- Bolin, meanwhile, will be her completely platonic buddy, and they'll have really fun times together. I liked the shot of them laughing (and hanging out at a speakeasy?) in this trailer.
- Hnng I just want to know the history of this antibending movement and how Korra gets wind of it and what Amon's beef is and ahhhh!
- One more month!
