The Swamp

Senate Republicans Considering “Weekend at Bernie’s” Routine Following Trump
Diagnosis

In the wake of Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent stay in Walter Reed
hospital, Republican officials have been scrambling for a solution in the case that his symptoms worsen again. This week, senators finally revealed Operation: Puppet President, a plan in which Trump will be assisted at important meetings and press conferences by aides supporting either side of his body.

Those in favor of the plan claim it will bolster the presidential reputation by putting forth the image that Trump is consistently well and “up and at ‘em” in the White House.

“It is imperative that Donald Trump has access to only the finest of medical cover-ups,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell posited. “How are we supposed to dupe disenfranchised Americans into voting for us without our president out, about and tweeting conspiracy theories?”

Some in government have playfully dubbed the proposition “Operation: Weekend at Bernie’s” in reference to the 1989 film, which features two men carrying around a dead body and pretending it is still alive. However, this nickname is not without its own controversy, as some officials fear it will lead to conflation with Democratic senator Bernie Sanders.

“We don’t want to further the radical left agenda in any capacity, even in name,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated during a recent press conference. “I, for one, fear this could be seen as another plot by Crazy Bernie.”

Following the announcement of the plan, White House officials have stated that guidelines for those elected to carry the presidential meat sack will require them to go maskless, as a symbolic gesture of Trump’s return to full health. On an unrelated note, the same officials also recently confirmed that healthcare coverage for Trump’s attendants will be drastically reduced in a new budget cut.

“We strictly refuse to infringe upon our staff’s personal freedom to reject face coverings… Did Jesus ever wear a mask?” Kellyanne Conway argued in defense of the policy.

When asked for comment, President Trump responded with slow gasps and proceeded to sit down.

brian wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:46 pm Trump Blasts Dr. Fauci Over Repeated Negative Remarks About The Coronavirus

brian wrote: ↑Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:10 am Black And White Edition of Zack Snyder's Justice League To Be Released on HBO Max.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:31 pm

Belated sorry to my wife...

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:10 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Didn't think Stiller came off too bad in his tweets. Spielberg's kid on the other hand...

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:24 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:10 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Didn't think Stiller came off too bad in his tweets. Spielberg's kid on the other hand...

Think the relevant amount of privilege each had/has coming up is a factor. Yes, Stiller had some privilege and help coming up but it wasn’t like Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were household names or heavyweight power players in the late 80s/early 90s. The child of Steven Spielberg on the other hand…

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:10 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:24 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:10 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Didn't think Stiller came off too bad in his tweets. Spielberg's kid on the other hand...

Think the relevant amount of privilege each had/has coming up is a factor. Yes, Stiller had some privilege and help coming up but it wasn’t like Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were household names or heavyweight power players in the late 80s/early 90s. The child of Steven Spielberg on the other hand…

Exactly. I think Ben made his own way. He struggled early and found his footing. OTOH, he was on sets as a kid all the time and learned the industry from the inside. To his credit, from what he says anyways, he was keenly observing everything and learning how shit works. So yeah, he got an education almost nobody gets and I'm sure he had a lot of connections through his parents, but he had to prove himself and succeed. If he didn't have any talent or work ethic, he would have flopped and disappeared in his 20s. I'd also say he has more success than his parents, but their heyday was well before my time.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:36 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:10 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:24 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:10 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Didn't think Stiller came off too bad in his tweets. Spielberg's kid on the other hand...

Think the relevant amount of privilege each had/has coming up is a factor. Yes, Stiller had some privilege and help coming up but it wasn’t like Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were household names or heavyweight power players in the late 80s/early 90s. The child of Steven Spielberg on the other hand…

Exactly. I think Ben made his own way. He struggled early and found his footing. OTOH, he was on sets as a kid all the time and learned the industry from the inside. To his credit, from what he says anyways, he was keenly observing everything and learning how shit works. So yeah, he got an education almost nobody gets and I'm sure he had a lot of connections through his parents, but he had to prove himself and succeed. If he didn't have any talent or work ethic, he would have flopped and disappeared in his 20s. I'd also say he has more success than his parents, but their heyday was well before my time.

In my practical experience, the bolded part is untrue. So much failing upward in the entertainment industry. And so many doors weren't even opened for him, they were already open. This is not specific to him.

He is actually one of the rare exceptions to the rule in that he actually had some degree of talent and willingness to work hard. Of course, I would imagine he got his first agent at a much younger age than most and said agent was also at a much more prestigious firm than most people just breaking in, thereby allowing him to be in positions to succeed. Or have there been lots of people writing and directing a television show named after themselves at age 25 that I'm just not remembering?

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:36 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:10 pm

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:24 pm

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:10 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Sat Jul 31, 2021 12:46 pm Ben Stiller and Destry Spielberg Deny Hollywood Nepotism in Twitter Debate With Black List Founder Franklin Leonard

Didn't think Stiller came off too bad in his tweets. Spielberg's kid on the other hand...

Think the relevant amount of privilege each had/has coming up is a factor. Yes, Stiller had some privilege and help coming up but it wasn’t like Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara were household names or heavyweight power players in the late 80s/early 90s. The child of Steven Spielberg on the other hand…

Exactly. I think Ben made his own way. He struggled early and found his footing. OTOH, he was on sets as a kid all the time and learned the industry from the inside. To his credit, from what he says anyways, he was keenly observing everything and learning how shit works. So yeah, he got an education almost nobody gets and I'm sure he had a lot of connections through his parents, but he had to prove himself and succeed. If he didn't have any talent or work ethic, he would have flopped and disappeared in his 20s. I'd also say he has more success than his parents, but their heyday was well before my time.

In my practical experience, the bolded part is untrue. So much failing upward in the entertainment industry. And so many doors weren't even opened for him, they were already open. This is not specific to him.

He is actually one of the rare exceptions to the rule in that he actually had some degree of talent and willingness to work hard. Of course, I would imagine he got his first agent at a much younger age than most and said agent was also at a much more prestigious firm than most people just breaking in, thereby allowing him to be in positions to succeed. Or have there been lots of people writing and directing a television show named after themselves at age 25 that I'm just not remembering?

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:00 pm Obviously I want giving out jobs in Hollywood but I had no idea who jerry stiller was until I already knew who Ben stiller was. Again, I wasn’t signing checks and those people obviously knew.

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:35 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:36 pmIn my practical experience, the bolded part is untrue. So much failing upward in the entertainment industry. And so many doors weren't even opened for him, they were already open. This is not specific to him.

He is actually one of the rare exceptions to the rule in that he actually had some degree of talent and willingness to work hard. Of course, I would imagine he got his first agent at a much younger age than most and said agent was also at a much more prestigious firm than most people just breaking in, thereby allowing him to be in positions to succeed. Or have there been lots of people writing and directing a television show named after themselves at age 25 that I'm just not remembering?

I don’t think Stiller was arguing the point that he had significant advantages over a Black person, especially one without connections in the industry. I think it’s fair to give Stiller a pass at not being a product of nepotism though Some of the most talented actors and directors in history had connections in the entertainment industry. At some point you judge people on their record not how they got in the door.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:13 am

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:35 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:36 pmIn my practical experience, the bolded part is untrue. So much failing upward in the entertainment industry. And so many doors weren't even opened for him, they were already open. This is not specific to him.

He is actually one of the rare exceptions to the rule in that he actually had some degree of talent and willingness to work hard. Of course, I would imagine he got his first agent at a much younger age than most and said agent was also at a much more prestigious firm than most people just breaking in, thereby allowing him to be in positions to succeed. Or have there been lots of people writing and directing a television show named after themselves at age 25 that I'm just not remembering?

I don’t think Stiller was arguing the point that he had significant advantages over a Black person, especially one without connections in the industry. I think it’s fair to give Stiller a pass at not being a product of nepotism though Some of the most talented actors and directors in history had connections in the entertainment industry. At some point you judge people on their record not how they got in the door.

The problem with your last sentence is "how they got in the door" is a direct line to how many chances they got to build a record.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:22 am The new "Jeopardy!" host is merely a variation of the more general nepotism theme. Nothing I've seen about all the guest hosts suggests he's actually good aside from his familiarity with the show and its working format.

And yet, he's negotiating to multiply his income exponentially.

brian wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:38 am

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 05, 2021 9:13 am

brian wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:35 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:36 pmIn my practical experience, the bolded part is untrue. So much failing upward in the entertainment industry. And so many doors weren't even opened for him, they were already open. This is not specific to him.

He is actually one of the rare exceptions to the rule in that he actually had some degree of talent and willingness to work hard. Of course, I would imagine he got his first agent at a much younger age than most and said agent was also at a much more prestigious firm than most people just breaking in, thereby allowing him to be in positions to succeed. Or have there been lots of people writing and directing a television show named after themselves at age 25 that I'm just not remembering?

I don’t think Stiller was arguing the point that he had significant advantages over a Black person, especially one without connections in the industry. I think it’s fair to give Stiller a pass at not being a product of nepotism though Some of the most talented actors and directors in history had connections in the entertainment industry. At some point you judge people on their record not how they got in the door.

The problem with your last sentence is "how they got in the door" is a direct line to how many chances they got to build a record.

For sure. But nepotism will never not be a thing. There’s a scale though. You’ve got the rich kid who literally doesn’t know anyone in the industry but can afford to take unpaid internships to get experience/make contacts which is itself a form of nepotism. Somewhere in the middle is someone like Sofia Coppola or Ben Stiller and then at the far other extreme you’ve got someone like Tori Spelling. All I ask of the Ben Stillers on that spectrum is to carve out as many opportunities for underrepresented communities as possible. There’s certainly lots of creatives who do this (Mike Schur comes to mind).