It's been quite the week for politics and entertainment, which at this point are basically synonymous.
Donald danced to "Hotline Bling," Carson said more absurd things, and Hillary and Bernie continued their ongoing political tango.
Oh, and there was also that thing called a debate yesterday. Yeah, those are apparently still a thing. There may not be much substance, but there’s a lot of ritzy glam and frivolity to these campaigns. And after all, that’s all we really need from the leader of the free world, right?
No one can deny #HotlineBling. No one. #SNL pic.twitter.com/VxxXQzNiU9
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 8, 2015
Top News:
- The Republican #squad showed up in full force for last night’s fourth GOP debate. It was soooooo interesting! But, actually the typical sparks and flare the GOP field has become known for were all but a faint, distant memory last night. Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida, and Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas, each had their moments, but overall it was a bit of a snooze fest. Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee, the current and former governors of New Jersey and Arkansas, respectively, failed to make the main stage debate due to their low polling numbers. Instead, they appeared in the “undercard” debate alongside Sen. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
- Bills, Bills, Bills! Marco Rubio is in a bit of a sticky situation regarding his previous use of a Republican Party of Florida-issued American Express card. Apparently Rubio mixed some personal and professional spending with the card. He claims that he occasionally used the party’s card to pay for things unrelated to his job, but he always used his own money to pay American Express for those purchases. On Saturday, Rubio shared charges made in 2005 and 2006 to the American Express card. Rubio’s previous credit card use is especially important right now, as he continues to climb in the polls and gather stronger support from influential donors. Fellow presidential candidates are taking this as an opportunity to paint Rubio as immature and irresponsible.
- Against all odds, Donald Trump is still somehow a viable candidate in the 2016 presidential election. And the weekend belonged to him. With several high profile appearances, including hosting SNL, Trump managed to advertise himself and share his "awesomeness" with the rest of us without spending a dime — an accomplishment his fellow competitors actually could learn from. Despite less than stellar reviews, Trump’s performance on the sketch comedy series drew in record ratings. Thanks to Trump, SNL had its best overnight ratings since 2012. Here are some “highlights” of Trump’s “compelling” and record-breaking “performance.”
His monologue:
Check out his dance moves:
Watch him put his notable Twitter “talents” to “good use” in this sketch:
Democratic Candidate Breakdown:
Hillary Clinton: Clinton announced a somewhat positive/let’s do more research perspective on medical marijuana. She may not be blazing the trail, but in her words — “I do support the use of medical marijuana.” But she also cautioned that she wants to do more research about how we can help people who find relief through using medical marijuana. Give it to me straight, Hill!
Bernie Sanders: Sanders is out a pal in Nevada, an important early caucus state. It was announced Sunday evening that Sanders’ Nevada state director, Jim Farrell, is leaving the campaign. This is a cause for alarm for Bernie & Co. as the task to beat Clinton in Nevada seems to only grow in stature with a change in leadership. The Nevada caucus is three months away.
Republican Candidate Breakdown:
Jeb Bush: Fix it, Jeb! Taking his own campaign slogan to heart, Bush and his crew are looking to do a full-blown reboot of his campaign. They’re seeking to reimage Bush as a more commanding presence in upcoming debates while remaining authentic to himself. Judging by Tuesday night's debate, Jeb might be as handy as he claims (see what I did there).
Ben Carson: Carson faces more scrutiny for his increasingly shady past and he blames the media. Carson is known for saying a lot of weird things — that’s kind of why he’s known. Everyone used to be cool with that but now, parts of Carson’s 1990 autobiography “Gifted Hands” are raising concern about his credibility as a leader. Carson’s explanation — it was a long time ago and anyone who can remember those things is worth learning from.
Also, he wants Puerto Rico to become a state. Which is cool, but not so sure how genuine he really is since Bush and Rubio have already come out in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico.
Ted Cruz: Cruz has taken a page out of Tswift’s playbook, and has decided to “shake off” the haterz, who are just going to keep on hating. He attributes this lack of popularity within his political party to his willingness to question the status quo and his earnest persona. Apparently, he couldn’t wait to live up to his haters’ expectations at the debate Tuesday. Cool. Solid. Mature.
Carly Fiorina: Poor, Carly. The ladies of The View gave presidential hopeful Fiorina a rough ride Friday, targeting her seemingly contradicting pro-women and pro-life beliefs. Check out the clip here:
Jim Gilmore: Who? Don’t worry about it. But do worry about the fact that Gilmore just got verified on Twitter. Way to be relevant, Jim. Kudos to you.
Quote of the Week:
“I will go on record today and tell you this, Mika: I never hit my mother with a hammer and I never stabbed anybody."
— Mike Huckabee responding to the allegations of Carson’s past
@kentomcdonald
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