#Virginia L Blum

[lizbethborden]

Hi again! Yeah, from your bookshelf! You seem well informed and I wanna know the type of stuff you read and might recommend. I don't even know what to tell you for my interests because I feel like I'm just begining. Sorry I'm young and dumb still haha.

#1 you're not dumb and #2 nothing to apologize for :)

Here's some books I've got on my shelves or that I've read:

Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pickup Artists, Laura Bates

Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights, Katha Pollitt

Women, Race, & Class, Angela Davis

American Girls, Nancy Jo Sales

Lesbian Culture: An Anthology, eds. Julia Penelope and Susan J Wolf

Lesbian Studies, Margaret Cavendish

Hood Feminism, Mikki Kendall

Against White Feminism, Rafia Zakaria

Sister and Brother: Lesbians and Gay Men Write About Their Lives Together, eds Joan Nestle and John Preston

Another Mother Tongue, Judy Grahn

Aimee & Jaguar, Erica Fischer

Mouths of Rain: An Anthology of Black Lesbian Thought, ed. Briona Simone Jones

Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell

The Mary Daly Reader, eds. Jennifer Rycenga and Linda Barufaldi

Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, eds. Martin Duberman, Martha Vicinus, George Chauncey Jr.

Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science, and Society, Cordelia Fine

Speaking Freely: Unlearning the Lies of the Father's Tongue, Julia Penelope

The Resisting Reader, Judith Fetterley

The Double X Economy, Linda Scott

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture, ed. Roxane Gay

Home Grown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists, Joan Smith

Intercourse, Andrea Dworkin

The Trials of Nina McCall: Sex, Surveillance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison "Promiscuous" Women, Scott Stern

The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory, Marilyn Frye

Only Words, Catharine A. Mackinnon

Everything Below the Waist: Why Health Care Needs a Feminist Revolution, Jennifer Block

Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts, Anne Llwellyn Barstow

Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture, Peggy Orenstein

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Caroline Criado-Perez

Lesbian Ethics: Toward New Values, Sarah Lucia Hoagland

We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement, Andi Zeisler

Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, Adrienne Rich

On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose, Adrienne Rich

Feminism, Animals, and Science: The Naming of the Shrew, Lynda Birke

The Female Body in Western Culture: Contemporary Perspectives, ed. Susan Rubin Suleiman

Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, Gloria Anzaldua

Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery, Virginia L Blum

Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, Patricia Hill Collins

Pornland: How Porn has Hijacked our Sexuality, Gail Dines

Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, Susan Faludi

From Eve to Dawn: A History of Women in the World, Marilyn French

This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, eds. Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua

Seeing Like a Feminist, Nivedita Menon

With Her Machete In Her Hand: Reading Chicana Lesbians, Catriona Reuda Esquibel

The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture, Bonnie J. Morris

Foundlings: Lesbian and Gay Historical Emotion before Stonewall, Christopher Nealon

The Persistent Desire: A Butch/Femme Reader, ed. Joan Nestle

The Straight Mind and Other Essays, Monique Wittig

The Trouble Between us: An Uneasy History of White and Black Women in the Feminist Movement, Winifred Breines

Right-Wing Women, Andrea Dworkin

Woman Hating, Andrea Dworkin

Why I Am Not A Feminist, Jessica Crispin

Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women, Leila J Rupp

I tried to avoid too many left turns into my specific interests although if you passionately want to know any of those, I can make you some more lists LOL

I would suggest picking a book that sounds interesting and using the footnotes and bibliography to find more to read. I've done that a lot :) a lot of my books have more sticky tabs or w/e in the bibliography than in the text so I don't lose stuff I'm interested in.

Hope this helps!

[badthoughtsbegone]

from Virginia L. Blum's Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery

#cosmetic surgery #virginia blum #plastic surgery #body image #quote #loving this book so far

[medusanevertalks]

“I observed the rhinoplasty of an eighteen-year-old girl whose preoperative nose appeared, well, uneventful. It was small, regular in shape, no humps, no bulges. I felt surprised. As it turned out, another surgeon had refused to operate. I can’t imagine anyone twenty years ago performing surgery on this girl’s nose. No, she didn’t have Candice Bergen’s nose, or Christy Turlington’s, or anyone with that very narrow hyper-AngloSaxonized nose that registers perfect on the American aesthetic meter. She had a regular nose. But its failure to be paradigmatic, a “model” nose, somehow disturbed her enough to have it operated on.    This is normal. Twenty years ago the attempted refinement of normal features into perfect ones would have been the province of actors — not ordinary people, who would never expect to be evaluated so closely.”

— Virginia L Blum, Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery; 2003

#Virginia L Blum #Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery #2003 #quote #cosmetic surgery #refinement of normal features #rhinoplasty on a 'regular' nose #another surgeon refused to operate #that very narrow hyper-AngloSexonized nose #registers perfect on the American aesthetic meter #its failure to be paradigmatic #. . . never expect to be evaluated so closely

[valiumvenus]

"[H]er mother made the appointment, told her to get ready for the appointment, drove her to the appointment, and explained at length to the surgeon what she wanted for her daughter’s nose while the daughter sat in an abstracted silence as if not there or as if just accompanying her body part, her infamous nose. They’ve told me that you need to get her alone so she tells you what she wants for her own nose. They don’t consider that she might want nothing. [Surgeons] see the defect from the other side of the room. The defect [...] hails them, flags them down, implores their assistance. They see, in other words, the need for surgery. They don’t recognize the daughter’s need to be sent home, surgery-free. In part, this has to do with their construction of a particular kind of reality populated with bodies requiring correction."

Virginia L. Blum (2003). Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery.

#Virginia L. Blum #Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery #feminism #quotes #cosmetic surgery #body positivity

[letterful]

(don’t reblog) i’ve been thinking about the beauty industry (prompted by the discussion that crossed my dash yesterday, the perpetual & not-as-civil discourse happening over on twitter, as well as Heather Widdows’ Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal and Virginia L. Blum’s Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery), as one does, and... frankly, i think we should aim to criticise the beauty industry (and don’t get me wrong, it’s more than deserving of all the criticism and hatred it receives) without accusing those who—for lack of a better word—succumb to the standards enforced by it of betraying the cause (unless they actively shill for it, like all those instagram influencers; but then again, i consider them an inherent part of the industry, not its victims). i doubt that anybody can claim to be truly and completely immune to societal pressure (besides, severe body dysmorphia is not something i would wish on anyone), so suggesting that people who starve themselves to get thinner, or spend thousands of dollars on skincare or dental work, or even let someone cut their face open and remove parts of it, all just to lessen this mental burden, are hurting anybody except themselves is... bizarre. (and smugly “advising” them to work on their internalised misogyny/racism/fatphobia is neither the solution to their body image issues—they’re too deeply rooted for that—nor the feminist praxis that people on here seem to think it is.) we’re all in this hell together, and while some of us are better equipped to cope with it than the others, it doesn’t necessarily grant them the moral high ground. 

#also i'm not vaguing anybody in particular! #it's just that i've seen my fair share of this discourse and it makes the rounds on a regular basis #dealing in extremes is rarely good is what i'm saying #also something something about casting the stones

[cor-ardens-archive]

Hey do you remember this quote you posted maybe about surgery creating a different surface for the body? How the “inside” of the body becomes its “outside?”?”?

i think i know the quote you mean, but i didn't post it. is it this one?

Surgery doesn't really seem to be about the body's interior, because the process, during which the inside becomes another outside, is ultimately topographical. There's no sense of revelation, the stunning moment of making visible what was hidden; rather, there's a realignment of what constitutes the surface.

Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery, Virginia L. Blum

i will reblog a post with the passage. if it's not this one let me know.

[and-then-there-were-n0ne]

Books

Naomi Wolf, The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women

Andrea Dworkin, Woman Hating: A Radical Look at Sexuality

Andrea Dworkin, Pornography: Men Possessing Women

Andrea Dworkin, Our Blood: Prophecies and Discourses on Sexual Politics

Andrea Dworkin, Life and Death: Unapologetic Writings on the Continuing War Against Women

Andrea Dworkin, Right Wing Women: The Politics of Domesticated Females

Andrea Dworkin, Letters from a War zone

Andrea Dworkin, Scapegoat: The Jews, Israel, and Women’s Liberation

Marilyn Frye, The Politics of Reality

Susan Faludi, Backlash

Sheila Jeffreys, Anticlimax: Feminist Perspective on the Sexual Revolution

Sheila Jeffreys, Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful cultural practices in the west

Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century and tagged #information

Lundy Bancroft, Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men

Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals

Jonathan Safran Foer, We are the weather: Saving the Planet begins at breakfast

Paul Shapiro, Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World

Sunaura Taylor, Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation

Patrizia Romito, A deafening silence: Hidden violence against women and children

Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

Lynn Phillips, Flirting with Danger: Young Women’s Reflections on Sexuality and Domination

Kate Millet, Sexual Politics

Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men and #men as default

Hartmut Rosa, High-Speed Society: Social Acceleration, Power, and Modernity and #social acceleration

Caroline Knapp, Appetites: Why Women Want

Caroline Knapp, Drinking: A Love Story

Marya Hornbacher, Waiting

Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

Ethan Watters, Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche

George Orwell, 1984

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power

James Davies, Cracked: Why Psychiatry is Doing More Harm Than Good

Virginia L Blum, Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery

#books

[intimatum]

intertextuality

desire / eating disorder / hunger: «to be the girl who lunges at people−wants to eat them» (letissier) / «a way to take all hungers and boil them down to their essence–one appetite to manage–just one» (knapp)

trauma / trauma theory / visceralities of trauma

writers

ada limón, adrienne rich, agnès varda, alana massey, alejandra pizarnik, alice notley, ana božičević, anaïs nin, andrea dworkin, andrew solomon, angela carter, angélica freitas, angélica liddell, ann cvetkovich, anna akhmatova, anna gien, anne boyer, anne carson, anne sexton, anne waldman, antonella anedda, aracelis girmay, ariana reines, audre lorde, aurora linnea

barbara ehrenreich, bell hooks, bessel van der kolk

carmen maria machado, caroline knapp, carrie lorig, cat marnell, catharine mackinnon, catherynne m. valente, cathy caruth, césar vallejo, chris kraus, christa wolf, clarice lispector, claudia rankine, czesław miłosz

daniel borzutzky, daphne du maurier, daphne gottlieb, david foster wallace, david wojnarowicz, dawn lundy martin, deirdre english, denise levertov, detlev claussen, dodie bellamy, don paterson, donna tartt, dora gabe, dorothea lasky, durs grünbein

édouard levé, eike geisel, eileen myles, elaine kahn, elena ferrante, elisabeth rank, elyn r. saks, emily dickinson, erica jong, esther perel, etty hillesum, eve kosofsky sedgwick

fanny howe, félix guattari, fernando pessoa, fiona duncan, frank bidart, franz kafka

gabriele schwab, gail dines, georg büchner, georges bataille, gertrude stein, gilles deleuze, gillian flynn, gretchen felker-martin

hannah arendt, hannah black, heather christle, heather o'neill, heiner müller, hélène cixous, héloïse letissier, henryk m. broder, herbert hindringer, herbert marcuse

ingeborg bachmann, iris murdoch

jacques derrida, jacques lacan, jade sharma, jamaica kincaid, jean améry, jean baudrillard, jean rhys, jeanann verlee, jeanette winterson, jenny slatman, jenny zhang, jerold j. kreisman, jess zimmerman, jia tolentino, joachim bruhn, joan didion, joanna russ, joanna walsh, johanna hedva, john berger, jörg fauser, joy harjo, joyce carol oates, judith butler, judith herman, julia kristeva, june jordan, junot díaz

karen barad, kate zambreno, katherine mansfield, kathrin weßling, kathy acker, katy waldman, kay redfield jamison, kim addonizio

lacy m. johnson, larissa pham, lauren berlant, le comité invisible, leslie jamison, lidia yuknavitch, linda gregg, lisa diedrich, louise glück, luce irigaray, lynn melnick

maggie nelson, margaret atwood, marguerite duras, marie howe, marina tsvetaeva, mark fisher, martha gellhorn, mary karr, mary oliver, mary ruefle, marya hornbacher, max horkheimer, melissa broder, michael ondaatje, michel foucault, miranda july, miya tokumitsu, monique wittig, muriel rukeyser

naomi wolf, natalie eilbert, natasha lennard, nelly arcan

ocean vuong, olivia laing, ottessa moshfegh

paisley rekdal, patricia lockwood, paul b. preciado, paul celan, peggy phelan

rachel aviv, rainald goetz, rainer maria rilke, rebecca solnit, richard moskovitz, richard siken, robert jensen, roland barthes, ronald d. laing

sady doyle, sally rooney, salma deera, samuel beckett, samuel salzborn, sandra cisneros, sara ahmed, sara sutterlin, sarah kane, sarah manguso, scherezade siobhan, sean bonney, sheila jeffreys, shoshana felman, shulamith firestone, sibylle berg, silvia federici, simone de beauvoir, simone weil, siri hustvedt, solmaz sharif, sophinette becker, soraya chemaly, stephan grigat, susan bordo, susan sontag, suzanne scanlon, sylvia plath

theodor w. adorno, thomas brasch, tiqqun, toni morrison

ursula k. le guin

valerie solanas, virginia l. blum, virginia woolf, virginie despentes

walter benjamin, wisława szymborska, wolfgang herrndorf, wolfgang pohrt

zadie smith, zan romanoff, zoë lianne, zora neale hurston

#tags

[1892]

Virginia L. Blum, Flesh Wounds 

#.txt #words

[nightclubsinger]

Virginia L. Blum, Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery

#writing #cosmetic surgery #self consciousness

[fardell24b]

Depth Takes a Holiday - Facebook Edition

Daria - Depth Takes a Holiday - Facebook Edition

Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night have left the Holiday Island network.

 Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night have joined the Lawndale network.

 Daria Morgendorffer became a fan of Sick Sad World ripping into out of season nativity displays.

 Daria Morgendorffer wonders if Jane Lane is sometimes too cynical even for her.

Jane Lane is that sarcasm I detect?

Daria Morgendorffer Yes.

 Cupid Valentine and Pat Ireland have joined the Lawndale network

Daria Morgendorffer has met two strange guys on Glen Oaks Lane.

Pat Ireland we’re not that strange! We need to speak to you.

Cupid Valentine we come in peace.

Daria Morgendorffer Who are you?

 Pat Ireland is explaining to Daria Morgendorffer about Holidays who have come to Lawndale.

 Daria Morgendorffer is freaked out!

Helen Morgendorffer what’s wrong sweetie?

Jake Morgendorffer Are you ok?

  Cupid Valentine has hit the Morgendorffer parents with the Love Taser(TM)

 Helen Morgendorffer à Jake Morgendorffer xxx

 Jake Morgendorffer à Helen Morgendorffer xxx

  Daria Morgendorffer’s parents are acting weird.

 Quinn Morgendorffer‘s parents are acting all yucky.

  Daria Morgendorffer is attempting to meditate.

Quinn Morgendorffer Something is wrong with Mom and Dad!

Cupid Valentine you will help us, right?

Quinn Morgendorffer who is that?

Daria Morgendorffer A figment of our imagination.

  Daria Morgendorffer is at Jane’s

Jane Lane You lead an interesting life when I'm not around.

 Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night are at Casa Lane.

 Daria Morgendorffer has met the renegade Holidays.

 Chris Mass prefers ‘X’

Holly Hallows short for Xmas

Daria Morgendorffer I got it.

 Gunny Night Bollocks!

  Daria Morgendorffer is taking the renegades out for Pizza

Holly Hallows You are cool!

  Daria Morgendorffer is at Pizza King

 Jane Lane is at Pizza King

 Trent Lane is at Pizza King

 Chris Mass, Holly and Gunny are at Pizza King

Pat Ireland Cupid and I are here too!

Gunny Night Bollocks!

Trent Lane What is so bad about Holiday Island anyway?

Holly Hallows You have to be happy all the time.

 Daria Morgendorffer Pat is saying that if X, Holly and Guy Fawkes don’t go back to Holiday Island that their holidays won’t come.

Jane Lane No Guy Fawkes Day! L L /feigned sob

 Chris Mass, Holly, Guy Fawkes and I are crashing at Daria’s place.

Daria Morgendorffer oh no!

 Jane Lane became a fan of Gunny Night.

  Helen Morgendorffer à Jake Morgendorffer xxx

 Jake Morgendorffer à Helen Morgendorffer xxx

  Quinn Morgendorffer à Sandi Griffin and now they’re thinking of having another baby!!!!

Sandi Griffin how do you know?

Quinn Morgendorffer why else would they be ‘doing it’

Sandi Griffin Eeww!

Quinn Morgendorffer They can’t make a popular person compete with a new baby!

 Sandi Griffin became a fan of Cute Smiling Babies

Sandi Griffin Hello Precious

Quinn Morgendorffer Sandi!

Sandi Griffin Sorry!

Quinn Morgendorffer I have to follow them around to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Sandi Griffin Well, try not to stay up too late. You know what that does to your skin.

Quinn Morgendorffer You’re such a good friend!

Sandi Griffin I know

  Holly Hallows has become a fan of Padded Walls in Bedrooms

Chris Mass and Gunny Night Like this.

  Daria Morgendorffer The fugitives are sleeping in my room

  Cupid Valentine and Pat Ireland have joined the Lawndale High School network.

Pat Ireland That Daria chick is going to screw everything up a lot worse than she thinks.

 Kevin Thompson became a fan of Motivating Football Teams by calling them Ladies

Brittany Taylor Likes this

 Pat Ireland à Brittany Taylor Some friends of ours have come to Lawndale and we’re hoping that you can talk them into leaving.

Kevin Thompson You can just tell them what a cool place Lawndale is.

Pat Ireland No, we want you to tell them the opposite.

Kevin Thompson Opposite?

Pat Ireland We want to you to talk them into leaving Lawndale.

 Kevin Thompson and Brittany Taylor have become fans of Lawndale

 Pat Ireland à Cupid Valentine We’re going to need the smart chick. Don’t tell me to relax!

Cupid Valentine For once I agree with you, dude

  Sandi Griffin, Quinn Morgendorffer, Stacy Rowe and Tiffany Blum-Deckler are attending the event Fashion Club Meeting at the Griffin Residence.

 Tiffany Blum-Deckler has posted Accessory Committee Report

Stacy Rowe Isn’t that great Quinn?

Stacy Rowe Quinn?

Sandi Griffin She seems uncharacteristically sloppy.

 Quinn Morgendorffer must stay awake and ensure that her parents won’t have another baby.

 Quinn Morgendorffer My cousin has Holidays staying with her

Sandi Griffin You need to take a leave of absence from the Fashion Club

Stacy Rowe Get some rest.

 Quinn Morgendorffer has left the event Fashion Club Meeting at the Griffin Residence

 Sandi Griffin Quinn will be back once she has had some rest.

  Daria Morgendorffer has been dragged to the mall by Cupid and the Leprechaun.

Pat Ireland Life as we know it has come to a halt

Pat Ireland You did see the unsold Halloween candy

Cupid Valentine and the toys that the kids won’t be getting for Christmas?

Jane Lane And the pie stand, Daria. Don’t forget the pie stand.

Daria Morgendorffer My statements from earlier are still valid.

Pat Ireland You really did have a wonderful life

Daria Morgendorffer And again; what the hell are you talking about?

 Gunny Night thinks the United States is completely imbecilic.

Daria Morgendorffer Oh Really?

 Daria Morgendorffer X. There are is no gingerbread at my house or at Janes!

 Holly Hallows became a fan of Rich Neighbourhoods with their own woods and Toilet Papering

Daria Morgendorffer What is that about?

Holly Hallows Aren’t you nosey. You really know how to make someone not feel at home

Daria Morgendorffer Excuse me, but you are in my home.

Holly Hallows Do you own it?

Daria Morgendorffer My Mom’s name is on the title deed.

Hollow Hallows Then it’s not really yours, is it?

 Chris Mass There are no baked goods at 1111 Glen Oaks Lane

 Chris Mass Let’s go to Trent’s and rehearse

  Daria Morgendorffer doesn’t want to meet Leap Year

  Jake Morgendorffer became a fan of Overcast Days

 Holly Hallows added Daria Morgendorffer as a friend (Awaiting friend confirmation)

Helen Morgendorffer likes this

  Helen Morgendorffer à Jake Morgendorffer xxx

 Jake Morgendorffer à Helen Morgendorffer xxx

 Helen Morgendorffer à Jake Morgendorffer xxx

  Daria Morgendorffer wants to go to Holiday Island.

Jane Lane we need to find Cupid and Pat

  Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane have joined the Holiday Island network.

Daria Morgendorffer There is a Good Time Chinese Restaurant here too?

Pat Ireland It’s a chain.

 Daria Morgendorffer and Jane Lane have joined the Holiday Island High School network

Jane Lane This is just like a High School

Daria Morgendorffer I get the feeling that we will be saying that all our lives

Pat Ireland It only seems like high school. It’s actually worse

Jane Lane That’s what we’ll be saying all our lives.

 Pat Ireland The social order at Holiday Island High has gone completely haywire.

Daria Morgendorffer X and Holly were the most popular?

Pat Ireland Now its President’s Day

 Abraham Kentucky à Arbor Lumber Remember the footware dress code!

 Rory Liberty à Pat Ireland Lincoln’s going to make me recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Call him off!

  Holly Hallows has received her first paycheck from Coffee Cafe

Chris Mass What!

Gunny Night Bollocks!

Trent Lane She doesn’t want to share it if she doesn’t want to.

 Daria Morgendorffer has invited Chris Mass, Gunny Night and Holly Hallows to the event Holiday Island High School Prom

Gunny Night Proms are for tossers!

Daria Morgendorffer A gig is a gig

Trent Lane You really know a lot about music, Daria

  Helen Morgendorffer à Jake Morgendorffer Want to go for a walk, Honey?

Quinn Morgendorffer Where are you going?

 Jamie White Quinn is in trouble!

Quinn Morgendorffer Oh no!

 Trent Lane has joined the Holiday Island network

 Chris Mass, Gunny Night, Holly Hallows and 1233 others are attending the event Holiday Island High School Prom

George Virginia They said they were too good for us!

Abraham Kentucky Yeah

May Day Give them a chance!

  Holly Hallows That was very successful!

 Jane Lane à Daria Morgendorffer Should I care that none of this makes any sense?

Daria Morgendorffer Nope, this is the best Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's, Saint Patrick's, President's and Guy Fawkes Day ever

 Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night have joined the Holiday Island network

  Chris Mass, Holly Hallows and Gunny Night have left the Lawndale network

 Jane Lane, Trent Lane and Daria Morgendorffer have left the Holiday Island network

Pat Ireland You have saved the Holidays, if there is ever anything I can do for you when you have reached the legal drinking age, let me know

Daria Morgendorffer What of my parents?

Cupid Valentine The Taser has almost worn off.

  Quinn Morgendorffer à Helen Morgendorffer Go ahead and have your stupid baby! I can’t take this anymore!

Jake Morgendorffer You’re pregnant, Helen?

Helen Morgendorffer Of course not!

Jake Morgendorffer We can’t have another kid, Helen!

Helen Morgendorffer Well, I’m not pregnant, and that is not a very nice thing to say!

  Daria Morgendorffer’s parents are back to normal

Quinn Morgendorffer and Jane Lane like this.

Daria Morgendorffer God bless us, everyone

#brittany taylor #daria #daria morgendorffer #depth takes a holiday #fanfic #helen morgendorffer #jake morgendorffer #kevin thompson #kevin thompson (daria) #quinn morgendorffer #sandi griffin #stacy rowe #tiffany blum-deckler #trent lane

[oldshrewsburyian]

A-Z book recommendations

An unconscionably long time ago, @deadpoetsmusings tagged me in the A-Z book challenge of @macrolit, and now that my books are unpacked again, I can complete it!

A - Atonement, Ian McEwan

B - Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh

C - The Calcutta Chromosome, Amitav Ghosh

D - Daniel Deronda, George Eliot

E - The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje 

F - The Fall of Rome, Martha Southgate 

G - A God in Every Stone, Kamila Shamsie

H - Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I -  In a German Pension, Katherine Mansfield

J - Jeder stirbt für sich allein, Hans Fallada

K - Kim, Rudyard Kipling

L - Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence

M - Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf

N - Never Let me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro

O - Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens

P - Persuasion, Jane Austen

R - Radetskymarsch, Joseph Roth

S - The Sea, the Sea, Iris Murdoch

T - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, John Le Carré

U - The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera

V - Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, Heinrich Böll

W - Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

X - ?

Y - ?

Z - Zuleika Dobson, or, An Oxford Love Story, Max Beerbohm

#books #adultbooklr #not in any of my languages could i find x or y #reading #Book Recommendations

[medusanevertalks]

“The surgeon is in many ways the legitimator of our otherwise embarrassing preoccupation with physical appearance. In the plastic surgeon’s office, you are in the place of unsuppressed narcissism — the place where your otherwise absurd concern with the angle of your chin will feel entirely “normal.” It will feel scientific even, as the surgeon measures and evaluates the arrangement of your features. He will make you feel that all your trivial little obsessions are absolutely justifiable — like any therapist, he’s there to support you. “You know what happens is that, as soon as people start talking about appearance, we immediately equate that with being shallow and superficial”, a surgeon remarked. Then he paused, looked at me, and pronounced the core truth of his professional life: “We can make that comment all we want. But the fact of the matter is, we live in a very visually oriented society. You can talk about all the inner beauty you want, but the fact of the matter is that appearance makes a tremendous difference insofar as sexual appeal or for jobs.”

— Virginia L Blum, Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery; 2003

#Virginia L Blum #Flesh Wounds: The Culture of Cosmetic Surgery #2003 #quote #cosmetic surgery #surgeon = legitimator of preoccupation with physical appearance #. . . _へ__($◡ $ )> #plastic surgeon's office = place of unsuppressed narcissism #the place where your otherwise absurd concerns feel entirely ''normal'' #it will feel scientific even #measuring & evaluating the arrangement of facial features #your trivial little obsessions seem absolutely justifiable #''we live in a very visually oriented society'' #appearance makes a tremendous difference

[itsthepeg]

Every Republican who voted for the healthcare bill

AL-1 Bradley Byrne AL-2 Martha Roby AL-3 Mike D. Rogers AL-4 Robert B. Aderholt AL-5 Mo Brooks AL-6 Gary Palmer AR-2 French Hill AR-3 Steve Womack AR-4 Bruce Westerman AZ-2 Martha E. McSally AZ-4 Paul Gosar AZ-6 David Schweikert AZ-8 Trent Franks CA-4 Tom McClintock CA-22 Devin Nunes CA-23 Kevin McCarthy CA-45 Mimi Walters CA-48 Dana Rohrabacher CA-50 Duncan Hunter CO-4 Ken Buck FL-1 Matt Gaetz FL-2 Neal Dunn FL-3 Ted Yoho FL-4 John Rutherford FL-11 Daniel Webster FL-12 Gus Bilirakis FL-15 Dennis A. Ross FL-16 Vern Buchanan FL-17 Tom Rooney FL-18 Brian Mast FL-19 Francis Rooney GA-1 Earl L. “Buddy” Carter GA-3 Drew Ferguson GA-7 Rob Woodall GA-9 Doug Collins GA-10 Jody B. Hice GA-11 Barry Loudermilk GA-12 Rick W. Allen GA-14 Tom Graves IA-4 Steve King IL-13 Rodney Davis IL-15 John Shimkus IL-18 Darin M. LaHood IN-2 Jackie Walorski IN-3 Jim Banks IN-4 Todd Rokita IN-5 Susan W. Brooks IN-6 Luke Messer IN-8 Larry Bucshon KS-1 Roger Marshall KS-2 Lynn Jenkins KS-4 Ron Estes KY-1 James Comer KY-2 Brett Guthrie KY-6 Andy Barr LA-1 Steve Scalise LA-3 Clay Higgins LA-5 Ralph Abraham MD-1 Andy Harris ME-2 Bruce Poliquin MI-1 Jack Bergman MI-2 Bill Huizenga MI-4 John Moolenaar MI-6 Fred Upton MI-7 Tim Walberg MI-8 Mike Bishop MI-10 Paul Mitchell MI-11 Dave Trott MN-2 Jason Lewis MO-2 Ann Wagner MO-3 Blaine Luetkemeyer MO-4 Vicky Hartzler MO-6 Sam Graves MO-7 Billy Long MO-8 Jason Smith MS-3 Gregg Harper MS-4 Steven M. Palazzo NC-2 George Holding NC-5 Virginia Foxx NC-6 Mark Walker NC-7 David Rouzer NC-8 Richard Hudson NC-9 Robert Pittenger NC-10 Patrick T. McHenry NC-11 Mark Meadows NC-13 Ted Budd ND-1 Kevin Cramer NE-2 Don Bacon NE-3 Adrian Smith NJ-3 Tom MacArthur NV-2 Mark Amodei NY-1 Lee Zeldin NY-2 Peter T. King NY-19 John J. Faso NY-21 Elise Stefanik NY-23 Tom Reed NY-27 Chris Collins OH-1 Steve Chabot OH-4 Jim Jordan OH-5 Bob Latta OH-6 Bill Johnson OH-8 Warren Davidson OH-12 Pat Tiberi OH-15 Steve Stivers OH-16 James B. Renacci OK-1 Jim Bridenstine OK-2 Markwayne Mullin OK-3 Frank D. Lucas OK-4 Tom Cole OK-5 Steve Russell OR-2 Greg Walden PA-3 Mike Kelly PA-4 Scott Perry PA-5 Glenn Thompson PA-9 Bill Shuster PA-10 Tom Marino PA-11 Lou Barletta PA-16 Lloyd K. Smucker PA-18 Tim Murphy SC-1 Mark Sanford SC-2 Joe Wilson SC-4 Trey Gowdy SC-7 Tom Rice SD-1 Kristi Noem TN-1 Phil Roe TN-2 John J. Duncan Jr. TN-3 Chuck Fleischmann TN-4 Scott DesJarlais TN-6 Diane Black TN-7 Marsha Blackburn TN-8 David Kustoff TX-1 Louie Gohmert TX-2 Ted Poe TX-3 Sam Johnson TX-4 John Ratcliffe TX-5 Jeb Hensarling TX-6 Joe L. Barton TX-7 John Culberson TX-8 Kevin Brady TX-10 Michael McCaul TX-11 K. Michael Conaway TX-12 Kay Granger TX-13 Mac Thornberry TX-14 Randy Weber TX-17 Bill Flores TX-19 Jodey Arrington TX-21 Lamar Smith TX-22 Pete Olson TX-24 Kenny Marchant TX-25 Roger Williams TX-26 Michael C. Burgess TX-27 Blake Farenthold TX-31 John Carter TX-32 Pete Sessions TX-36 Brian Babin UT-1 Rob Bishop UT-2 Chris Stewart UT-3 Jason Chaffetz UT-4 Mia Love VA-1 Rob Wittman VA-2 Scott Taylor VA-5 Tom Garrett VA-6 Robert W. Goodlatte VA-7 Dave Brat VA-9 Morgan Griffith WA-5 Cathy McMorris Rodgers WI-1 Paul D. Ryan WI-5 Jim Sensenbrenner WI-6 Glenn Grothman WI-7 Sean P. Duffy WV-1 David B. McKinley WY-1 Liz Cheney AK-1 Don Young AR-1 Rick Crawford CA-1 Doug LaMalfa CA-8 Paul Cook CA-10 Jeff Denham CA-21 David Valadao CA-25 Steve Knight CA-39 Ed Royce CA-42 Ken Calvert CA-49 Darrell Issa CO-3 Scott Tipton CO-5 Doug Lamborn FL-6 Ron DeSantis FL-8 Bill Posey FL-25 Mario Diaz-Balart FL-26 Carlos Curbelo GA-8 Austin Scott IA-1 Rod Blum IA-3 David Young ID-1 Raúl R. Labrador ID-2 Mike Simpson IL-6 Peter Roskam IL-12 Mike Bost IL-14 Randy Hultgren IL-16 Adam Kinzinger IN-9 Trey Hollingsworth KS-3 Kevin Yoder KY-5 Harold Rogers LA-4 Mike Johnson LA-6 Garret Graves MI-3 Justin Amash MN-3 Erik Paulsen MN-6 Tom Emmer MS-1 Trent Kelly NE-1 Jeff Fortenberry NJ-11 Rodney Frelinghuysen NM-2 Steve Pearce NY-22 Claudia Tenney OH-2 Brad Wenstrup OH-7 Bob Gibbs PA-12 Keith Rothfus SC-3 Jeff Duncan WI-8 Mike Gallagher WV-2 Alex X. Mooney WV-3 Evan H. Jenkins

#healthcare #gop #republicans #against trump

[beforetheselfhate]

AHCA and Mid Term Elections

Mid term elections are Tuesday, November 6, 2018. It's quite some time from now, but I hope people will be able to keep that in the back of their minds, at the very least. I know I don't have friends in too many states, so please share this around if it's not too much trouble. Such is the problem with gerrymandering and the population spread in the United States, in many states it is difficult for Democrats to get representation in states that are largely Republican. Obviously this is a vice versa situation, but all those who voted yes on the bill are Republicans, so it's not exactly an issue that is bipartisan. Below is a list, by district, of all state representatives who voted Yes on the AHCA (American Health Care Act" or "Trumpcare" to pass the House of Representatives with a vote of 217 to 213. Below is also the phone number for each representative if you'd like to call and voice your opinion of the act. You can find your district and representative by entering your zipcode at this website. At the very least, I hope you will share this for friends or family members who view this as the important issue that it is. Thank you! (http://www.house.gov/representatives/) AK-1 Don Young               202-225-5765 AL-1 Bradley Byrne           202-225-4931 AL-2 Martha Roby             202-225-2901 AL-3 Mike D. Rogers           202-225-3261 AL-4 Robert B. Aderholt          202-225-4876 AL-5 Mo Brooks                  202-225-4801 AL-6 Gary Palmer              202-225-4921 AR-1 Rick Crawford            202-225-4076 AR-2 French Hill                  202-225-2506 AR-3 Steve Womack            202-225-4301 AR-4 Bruce Westerman         202-225-3772 AZ-2 Martha E. McSally         202-225-2542 AZ-4 Paul Gosar                 202-225-2315 AZ-6 David Schweikert        202-225-2190 AZ-8 Trent Franks              202-225-4576 CA-1 Doug LaMalfa            202-225-3076 CA-4 Tom McClintock            202-225-2511 CA-8 Paul Cook                     202-225-5861 CA-10 Jeff Denham               202-225-4540 CA-21 David Valadao            202-225-4695 CA-22 Devin Nunes               202-225-2523 CA-23 Kevin McCarthy          202-225-2915 CA-25 Steve Knight               202-225-1956 CA-39 Ed Royce                   202-225-4111 CA-42 Ken Calvert                202-225-1986 CA-45 Mimi Walters               202-225-5611 CA-48 Dana Rohrabacher     202-225-2415    CA-49 Darrell Issa                  202-225-3906 CA-50 Duncan Hunter            202-225-5672 CO-3 Scott Tipton                   202-225-4761 CO-4 Ken Buck                       202-225-4676 CO-5 Doug Lamborn              202-225-4422 FL-1 Matt Gaetz                      202-225-4136 FL-2 Neal Dunn                       202-225-5235 FL-3 Ted Yoho                        202-225-5744 FL-4 John Rutherford              202-225-2501 FL-6 Ron DeSantis                  202-225-2706 FL-8 Bill Posey                        202-225-3671 FL-11 Daniel Webster             202-225-1002 FL-12 Gus Bilirakis                  202-225-5755 FL-15 Dennis A. Ross             202-225-1252 FL-16 Vern Buchanan             202-225-5015 FL-17 Tom Rooney                 202-225-5792 FL-18 Brian Mast                    202-225-3026 FL-19 Francis Rooney            202-225-2536    FL-25 Mario Diaz-Balart          202-225-4211    FL-26 Carlos Curbelo             202-225-2778    GA-1 Earl L. “Buddy” Carter   202-225-5831   GA-3 Drew Ferguson           202-225-5901    GA-7Rob Woodall                202-225-4272    GA-8 Austin Scott               202-225-6531 GA-9 Doug Collins               202-225-9893 GA-10 Jody B. Hice             202-225-4101    GA-11 Barry Loudermilk       202-225-2931    GA-12 Rick W. Allen            202-225-2823    GA-14 Tom Graves              202-225-5211    IA-1 Rod Blum                       202-225-2911 IA-3 David Young                   202-225-5476 IA-4 Steve King                      202-225-4426 ID-1 Raúl R. Labrador           202-225-6611    ID-2 Mike Simpson               202-225-5531    IL-6 Peter Roskam                202-225-4561    IL-12 Mike Bost                     202-225-5661 IL-13 Rodney Davis              202-225-2371    IL-14 Randy Hultgren           202-225-2976    IL-15 John Shimkus              202-225-5271    IL-16 Adam Kinzinger            202-225-3635    IL-18 Darin M. LaHood          202-225-6201    IN-2 Jackie Walorski              202-225-3915    IN-3 Jim Banks                   202-225-4436    IN-4 Todd Rokita                202-225-5037 IN-5 Susan W. Brooks        202-225-2276    IN-6 Luke Messer              202-225-3021    IN-8 Larry Bucshon           202-225-4636    IN-9 Trey Hollingsworth      202-225-5315    KS-1 Roger Marshall         202-225-2715    KS-2 Lynn Jenkins             202-225-6601    KS-3 Kevin Yoder               202-225-2865 KS-4 Ron Estes                  202-225-6216    KY-1 James Comer             202-225-3115    KY-2 Brett Guthrie              202-225-3501 KY-5 Harold Rogers            202-225-4601    KY-6 Andy Barr                   202-225-4706 LA-1 Steve Scalise             202-225-3015    LA-3 Clay Higgins               202-225-2031 LA-4 Mike Johnson             202-225-2777    LA-5 Ralph Abraham          202-225-8490    LA-6 Garret Graves            202-225-3901    MD-1 Andy Harris                202-225-5311 ME-2 Bruce Poliquin            202-225-6306    MI-1 Jack Bergman              202-225-4735    MI-2 Bill Huizenga                 202-225-4401 MI-3 Justin Amash                202-225-3831    MI-4 John Moolenaar           202-225-3561    MI-6 Fred Upton                   202-225-3761 MI-7 Tim Walberg                 202-225-6276 MI-8 Mike Bishop                  202-225-4872 MI-10 Paul Mitchell               202-225-2106    MI-11 Dave Trott                   202-225-8171 MN-2 Jason Lewis                202-225-2271    MN-3 Erik Paulsen               202-225-2871 MN-6 Tom Emmer                 202-225-2331    MO-2 Ann Wagner                202-225-1621    MO-3 Blaine Luetkemeyer    202-225-2956        MO-4 Vicky Hartzler               202-225-2876    MO-6 Sam Graves                202-225-7041    MO-7 Billy Long                     202-225-6536 MO-8 Jason Smith                 202-225-4404    MS-1 Trent Kelly                    202-225-4306 MS-3 Gregg Harper               202-225-5031    MS-4 Steven M. Palazzo        202-225-5772    NC-2 George Holding             202-225-3032    NC-5 Virginia Foxx                  202-225-2071    NC-6 Mark Walker                  202-225-3065 NC-7 David Rouzer                202-225-2731    NC-8 Richard Hudson            202-225-3715    NC-9 Robert Pittenger            202-225-1976    NC-10 Patrick T. McHenry       202-225-2576        NC-11 Mark Meadows             202-225-6401    NC-13 Ted Budd                      202-225-4531 ND-1 Kevin Cramer                 202-225-2611    NE-1 Jeff Fortenberry              202-225-4806    NE-2 Don Bacon                      202-225-4155 NE-3 Adrian Smith                   202-225-6435    NJ-3 Tom MacArthur                202-225-4765    NJ-11 Rodney Frelinghuysen   202-225-5034        NM-2 Steve Pearce                202-225-2365    NV-2 Mark Amodei                 202-225-6155    NY-1 Lee Zeldin                      202-225-3826 NY-2 Peter T. King                   202-225-7896 NY-19 John J. Faso                  202-225-5614    NY-21 Elise Stefanik                 202-225-4611    NY-22 Claudia Tenney               202-225-3665    NY-23 Tom Reed                       202-225-3161 NY-27 Chris Collins                  202-225-5265    OH-1 Steve Chabot                202-225-2216    OH-2 Brad Wenstrup               202-225-3164    OH-4 Jim Jordan                     202-225-2676 OH-5 Bob Latta                       202-225-6405 OH-6 Bill Johnson                    202-225-5705 OH-7 Bob Gibbs                       202-225-6265 OH-8 Warren Davidson             202-225-6205    OH-12 Pat Tiberi                       202-225-5355 OH-15 Steve Stivers                  202-225-2015    OH-16 James B. Renacci         202-225-3876        OK-1 Jim Bridenstine                  202-225-2211    OK-2 Markwayne Mullin             202-225-2701    OK-3 Frank D. Lucas                202-225-5565    OK-4 Tom Cole                        202-225-6165 OK-5 Steve Russell               202-225-2132    OR-2 Greg Walden                  202-225-6730    PA-3 Mike Kelly                       202-225-5406 PA-4 Scott Perry                     202-225-5836 PA-5 Glenn Thompson             202-225-5121    PA-9 Bill Shuster                      202-225-2431 PA-10 Tom Marino                  202-225-3731 PA-11 Lou Barletta                 202-225-6511    PA-12 Keith Rothfus                 202-225-2065    PA-16 Lloyd K. Smucker          202-225-2411    PA-18 Tim Murphy                   202-225-2301 SC-1 Mark Sanford                 202-225-3176    SC-2 Joe Wilson                     202-225-2452 SC-3 Jeff Duncan                   202-225-5301 SC-4 Trey Gowdy                  202-225-6030 SC-7 Tom Rice                         202-225-9895 SD-1 Kristi Noem                       202-225-2801 TN-1 Phil Roe                             202-225-6356 TN-2 John J. Duncan Jr.               202-225-5435 TN-3 Chuck Fleischmann             202-225-3271 TN-4 Scott DesJarlais                  202-225-6831 TN-6 Diane Black                       202-225-4231 TN-7 Marsha Blackburn               202-225-2811    TN-8 David Kustoff                     202-225-4714    TX-1 Louie Gohmert                   202-225-3035    TX-2 Ted Poe                           202-225-6565 TX-3 Sam Johnson                   202-225-4201    TX-4 John Ratcliffe                    202-225-6673    TX-5 Jeb Hensarling                  202-225-3484    TX-6 Joe L. Barton                   202-225-2002    TX-7 John Culberson                202-225-2571    TX-8 Kevin Brady                      202-225-4901 TX-10 Michael McCaul              202-225-2401    TX-11 K. Michael Conaway        202-225-3605        TX-12 Kay Granger                   202-225-5071    TX-13 Mac Thornberry             202-225-3706    TX-14 Randy Weber                202-225-2831    TX-17 Bill Flores                       202-225-6105 TX-19 Jodey Arrington              202-225-4005    TX-21 Lamar Smith                   202-225-4236    TX-22 Pete Olson                      202-225-5951 TX-24 Kenny Marchant              202-225-6605    TX-25 Roger Williams               202-225-9896    TX-26 Michael C. Burgess       202-225-7772        TX-27 Blake Farenthold          202-225-7742    TX-31 John Carter                202-225-3864    TX-32 Pete Sessions            202-225-2231    TX-36 Brian Babin                 202-225-1555 UT-1 Rob Bishop                  202-225-0453 UT-2 Chris Stewart              202-225-9730    UT-3 Jason Chaffetz          202-225-7751    UT-4 Mia Love                    202-225-3011 VA-1 Rob Wittman             202-225-4261    VA-2 Scott Taylor                  202-225-4215 VA-5 Tom Garrett                   202-225-4711 VA-6 Robert W. Goodlatte            202-225-5431    VA-7 Dave Brat               202-225-2815 VA-9 Morgan Griffith                 202-225-3861    WA-4 Dan Newhouse               202-225-5816    WA-5 Cathy McMorris Rodgers    202-225-2006        WI-1 Paul D. Ryan                        202-225-3031    WI-5 Jim Sensenbrenner               202-225-5101    WI-6 Glenn Grothman                  202-225-2476    WI-7 Sean P. Duffy                   202-225-3365    WI-8 Mike Gallagher           202-225-5665    WV-1 David B. McKinley     202-225-4172    WV-2 Alex X. Mooney        202-225-2711    WV-3 Evan H. Jenkins       202-225-3452    WY-1 Liz Cheney               202-225-2311    

#AHCA #Trump #donald trump #house #house of representatives #representative #politics #politician #politicians #united states #USA #vote #voting #voters #voter registration #state #states #state representative #state representatives #bill #law

[winsupply10566]

Republican Migraines and the Midterm Elections

Republican Migraines and the Midterm Elections By Nathan L. Gonzales

Weather metaphors are often used (and overused) in election analysis, but there’s a better way to describe the Republicans’ challenge in 2018. The GOP is dealing with many headaches as it tries to preserve the Republican congressional majorities.

From tension to cluster to migraine, they can vary in frequency and severity. And Republicans’ ability to alleviate them will determine control of the House and Senate in the 116th Congress.

Whether it’s a presidential pain in the neck, the large number of open seats, stellar Democratic fundraising, unprepared incumbents or turnout, the pressures are numerous.

That’s in addition to lingering misery from the unexpectedly competitive special elections and the weight of poor historical midterm results for the president’s party.

The president Topping the list is President Donald Trump.

“The headache is Trump,” said GOP Rep. Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania. “Every week he reminds voters why they don’t like him.”

Typically, midterm elections are a referendum on the president’s party. When voters are dissatisfied with the president’s job performance, they can’t vote against the president because he is not on the ballot. So they take out their frustrations on candidates of the president’s party.

“The more he does, the more difficult it becomes for some crossover voters to stick with you,” Costello explained. “For some, their vote is predicated on being against Trump — whether on style or policy.”

Trump’s job approval rating stood at 43 percent with less than a month to go before the elections, according to the RealClearPolitics average through Oct. 13. President Barack Obama’s approval rating was 45 percent a month out from the 2010 midterm elections, in which Democrats lost 63 House seats.

GOP incumbents representing suburban districts are most likely to feel the pain of Trump’s polarizing presidency. Reps. Mike Coffman of Colorado, Barbara Comstock of Virginia, Erik Paulsen of Minnesota and Peter Roskam of Illinois are in particular trouble.

But discomfort with the president doesn’t emanate equally across the aisle. Republicans don’t mind, and even welcome, Trump visits to the 10 states he won in 2016 where Democratic senators are running for re-election.

If Republicans can defeat at least one, it significantly improves their chances of holding the majority in that chamber.

But Trump’s rallies are often late to come together on these visits. And when he takes the stage, candidates and operatives can never predict what issues he’ll bring up that could shift the spotlight away from his endorsement.

For example, Trump’s rally last year for Alabama Republican Luther Strange was overshadowed by the president’s remarks about the NFL and the national anthem, and Strange ended up losing that primary to controversial former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who had twice been removed from office.

“It’s not the Bush World, where you knew what was going to happen 90 days out,” said one veteran GOP strategist about political life with President George W. Bush. The strategist is still actively involved in Republican politics and requested anonymity to speak candidly.

“There’s always a sideshow,” said another GOP operative who is focused on House races and didn’t want to be named for the same reason. “And this White House has the inability to deliver a positive message.”

When good economic numbers come out, Republican strategists are often frustrated that Trump overshadows the news with his own distractions. In early September, when the unemployment rate remained at 3.9 percent, Trump chose to relitigate the administration’s response to last year’s Hurricane Maria, the deadliest Atlantic hurricane in more than a decade.

Of all the headaches nagging Republicans, Trump might be the most challenging. While he motivates base voters in key Senate states, he’s also energizing the opposition.

History Midterm elections are historically brutal for the president’s party, particularly in the House.

The president’s party has lost House seats in 18 of the last 20 midterm elections, with an average loss of 33 seats, according to Vital Statistics on Congress. Democrats need a net gain of 23 seats to recapture the House majority.

While Trump bucked the conventional rules of campaigning and candidacy when he won the 2016 presidential race, that doesn’t mean the Republican Party, including the campaign committees, can suspend political gravity once again.

“Chairing a committee is equivalent to managing weather,” said former New York Rep. Steve Israel, who was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2014 when President Obama’s job approval rating hovered near 42 percent and Democrats lost 13 House seats.

“With the wind at your back, you’re just trying to take advantage of it,” Israel said. “If the wind is in your face, all you’re doing is trying to manage the velocity of wind.”

In a midterm election, the president’s standing can overshadow everything else.

Media consultant Jon Vogel, who was executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2010 cycle, recalls the struggle for incumbents in GOP-leaning districts when Obama’s job rating was at 45 percent.

“Even if a person was well-liked, they couldn’t survive the district,” he said.

Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota and Ike Skelton of Missouri were all polling at 50 percent or better on Labor Day in 2010, according to Vogel, and ended up being three of the 52 Democratic incumbents defeated two months later.

Open seats While being an incumbent can be difficult in a midterm election with an unpopular president, defending an open seat is even harder.

Whether it’s retirements, candidates running for other office, redistricting or members caught up in sexual misconduct, Republicans have 42 open House seats, the largest number since at least 1930, according to Vital Statistics on Congress.

It’s not just the volume of open seats, but the type. Eight of the open seats this cycle are in districts Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 presidential election. Of 23 similar open seats in elections since 1992, the president’s party has failed to win any, according to David Wasserman of The Cook Political Report.

That’s why decisions not to seek re-election by Costello and his Pennsylvania colleague Charlie Dent, Washington’s Dave Reichert, Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Ed Royce of California, as well as Arizona Rep. Martha McSally (who is running for the Senate instead), were so critical. Republicans might not lose all those open seats, but the races will be more difficult and costly.

Because defeating well-financed incumbents can be tough, open seats have been a key component of political waves. In 2010, of the 63 seats Democrats lost in that cycle, 14 were open seats. In 2006, the party picked up nine open seats. And in 2008, they picked up 12 GOP open seats, which was more than half of the 21 seats they gained nationwide.

Unprepared incumbents Lackadaisical incumbents are troubling for Republicans this year too.

For example, it’s not the president’s fault North Carolina Rep. George Holding had a modest $253,000 in the bank on June 30.

Holding’s underfunded opponent, Linda Coleman, wasn’t too far behind with $157,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Public polling demonstrates a close race, and Republicans will have to spend energy, at a minimum, holding his 2nd District, which Trump carried by 9 points in 2016.

Among others, Democrat Aftab Pureval nearly matched Ohio GOP Rep. Steve Chabot’s cash on hand on June 30 ($1.3 million to $1.6 million), and Pureval was a late entry to the race. Trump won the 1st District by 6 points. Third quarter reports are due Oct. 15.

In Virginia’s 7th District, which Trump also won by 6 points, Democrat and former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger narrowly outraised Republican incumbent Dave Brat through June 30. And New York Republican Claudia Tenney had almost $400,000 less in the bank on June 30 than Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi in a district Trump took by 16 points.

John Faso of New York, Rod Blum of Iowa and Bruce Poliquin of Maine are also at risk in districts Trump won.

Heading into Obama’s second midterm, Israel asked the DCCC staff to create a PowerPoint presentation for members showing them, with 2010 and 2012 data, how easy it was to lose and the need to prepare for a brutal cycle. He credited early preparation with holding down losses to 11 incumbents.

But even with planning, the potential for unforced errors by incumbents or candidates is a constant worry.

“Whoever chairs the committee always has that in the back of their mind,” said Israel. “At best, [the comment or incident] might be off message. At worst, it may be a wrong, defining moment.”

“I didn’t have many gray hairs before becoming chairman,” said the now silver-headed Israel.

This cycle, unforced errors have forced Republicans to spend time on seats that shouldn’t be competitive.

New York Rep. Chris Collins was indicted on insider trading charges. The late timing, and Republicans’ inability to replace him on the ballot, means the GOP is at risk of losing the 27th District, which Trump carried by 25 points in 2016. In California, Rep. Duncan Hunter’s indictment threw his re-election into question, even though Trump won the 50th District by 15 points.

While it might be easy to fault Trump, he’s not solely to blame, according to some GOP strategists. These problems are fixable, but it takes resources from other places.

Some Republicans are also struggling to find a new playbook. After eight years of pointing fingers at President Obama and running against so-called Obamacare, the GOP needs to find a new message to motivate base voters and persuade the independents.

Turnout Republicans have become accustomed to a turnout advantage in recent midterms as conservative voters revolted against Obama and the Democratic health care law. But Trump might accomplish something that Obama couldn’t: he might turn out Democratic voters in a midterm election.

Trump is unifying and energizing Democrats better than any Democrat could. They are marching in the streets, donating and running for office. If that enthusiasm translates to votes and Republicans can’t match the intensity, the GOP will struggle.

Similar to Obama, without the president’s name on the ballot, the Trump coalition might not turn out to support other candidates. And the healthy economy and GOP tax bill haven’t provided the boost expected by Republican candidates and strategists.

America First Action, a political committee designed to support the president’s policies, conducted a series of focus groups over the summer, according to The New York Times. The group concluded that the party had a severe voter turnout problem due to contentment with the economy and because Republicans’ were persuaded by the president’s dismissal of Democratic chances in November.

The president’s defiance of news coverage and traditional political analysis might also be working against his party’s chances in November. As described by the Times, conservative-leaning voters in the study routinely dismissed the possibility of a Democratic wave election, with some describing the prospect as “fake news.”

Republicans need to find a way to motivate Republicans. Whether it’s the prospect of Nancy Pelosi’s return as House speaker, the threat of impeachment with Democrats in power, the potential of future Supreme Court vacancies, or the treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the GOP is still looking for hot button targets as effective as Obama to get their party to the polls.

A Democratic surge in turnout coupled with a dip in GOP turnout is a recipe for big Democratic gains up and down the ballot.

Democratic fundraising Resistance to the president has also fueled Democratic fundraising to levels unseen in recent history and caused problems for Republicans around the country. Both Democratic campaign committees outraised their GOP counterparts through the end of August.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $206 million compared to $151 million by the National Republican Congressional Committee, while the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee outraised the National Republican Senatorial Committee $98 million to $91 million.

But the starkest contrast in fundraising is at the candidate level. Twenty-one Democratic challengers outraised their Republican incumbent opponents through the end of June. In the aftermath of primaries, that number is likely to grow as donors unify around nominees, and it doesn’t count the Democratic financial advantage in open seats. Early reports of third-quarter fundraising indicate even bigger Democratic money.

Anecdotally, the two parties are raising money on dramatically different scales.

Former Duluth police officer Pete Stauber is considered one of the GOP’s top recruits. He’s running for an open seat in Minnesota’s 8th District and raised $960,000 through July 25. By comparison, in a race for an open seat in New Jersey’s 11th District, Democrat Mikie Sherrill — considered one of her party’s best candidates — raised $4.2 million through the end of June.

Sherrill, a retired helicopter pilot and former prosecutor, is a first-time candidate for the House, yet she kept pace with Missouri Republican Josh Hawley from April through June (with $1.9 million each). Hawley, Missouri’s attorney general, is running in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country against incumbent Democrat Claire McCaskill.

It’s up to Democrats to turn those dollars into votes, but the increased fundraising has a tangible impact. Candidates are better able to deliver positive messages in television advertising and pay the lowest unit rate for ad time. Outside groups often pay two or three times as much for the same number of ads, and aren’t as effective at positive advertising because they are forbidden to coordinate with the candidate.

And because Trump has energized the Democratic base, Democratic candidates and groups can spend their money on persuading moderate voters instead of turning out the faithful.

Republicans will use their money to try to discredit Democratic candidates in the eyes of voters looking for change. But it’s unclear if they will be effective. Vogel remembers 2010, when increased Republican enthusiasm and fundraising allowed the party to expand the number of competitive House races and Democrats pushed back.

“There were some seriously flawed Republicans,” said Vogel. “We’d attack them, but they were Teflon. The electorate was ready for change and partisanship drove everything.”

Special elections Republicans like to point out their winning record in high-profile special elections over the last year, but those races drained time, energy and money for districts that shouldn’t have been competitive in the first place, and the party’s level of effort isn’t scalable across the larger number of races this fall.

The NRCC and GOP outside groups spent $28.2 million in three special elections: Georgia’s 6th, Pennsylvania’s 18th and Arizona’s 8th districts — all GOP friendly seats — and came out of it with two wins and a loss. 

Beyond the spending, underperformance may have been a bigger problem for Republicans. GOP nominees received 51 percent of the vote on average in the seven most competitive House special elections, which was an underperformance of Trump’s 2016 bid by 5 points.

Some GOP strategists contend that the party learned valuable lessons about motivating conservative voters and the importance of candidate fundraising. But most GOP candidates won’t enjoy a fundraising advantage, and Conor Lamb won in Pennsylvania’s 18th District even after Republicans threw everything at him, including a rally by the president for the GOP nominee, Rick Saccone.

More important, Democrats don’t need to win any of the districts in November where they came close in special elections. They can get to the majority with a combination of districts that are more Democratic. And they don’t need to run the table.

With more than 75 legitimate takeover targets and a 23-seat gain needed to take the House, Democrats can endure some of their own candidate headaches with little or no consequence. But Republicans are looking at a much larger, more painful problem.

Trump-state Democratic senators GOP strategists might scoff or deny it, but this class of Democratic senators poses daunting challenges.

While many of these senators were fortunate to be elected or re-elected in good to great Democratic cycles of 2006 and 2012, they also are among the most talented Democratic incumbents.

If not for Sens. Joe Manchin and Heidi Heitkamp, the West Virginia and North Dakota seats would have been lost for Democrats early in the cycle.

The same can probably be said for Montana, Indiana and Missouri, where Sens. Jon Tester, Joe Donnelly and Claire McCaskill are running for re-election. Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania have worked to make sure their re-election bids don’t evolve into top-tier races, even though Trump won their states in 2016.

That doesn’t mean all the Democratic senators will win in November. But they are at least making Republicans work and spend on the races.

Even though he’s not an incumbent, Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke has to be a percolating headache. His fundraising could force the NRSC or Republican outside groups to spend money for Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, a state they had not included in their budgets at the beginning of the cycle.

Dealing with these headaches individually may not seem too difficult. And a good fundraising quarter could ease some of the pain. However, addressing one symptom still leaves a host of others. It’s easy to see how a little tension could blossom into a full-blown migraine for Republicans on Election Night if each isn’t addressed swiftly.

View Article at Inside Elections

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