...but in the case of "Kotter," ahving re-seen it recently, I would suggest not bothering. Almost every character is a stereotype(Washington isn't, but he also hasn't much of a personality) and all the writing is oriented around Kaplan's stand-up, adapted for the show. Whatever it does say about HS seems to be pretty specific to 70s inner city NY, but I doubt it's that true to life. And Travolta was much better in CARRIE.

If you haven't seen HEATHERS...do so. It's a brilliant film, still stands up, and is what it was then and what it was intended as: the perfect antidote to Hughes. I would argue that, dated clothing aside, it also serves that function with CW-type stuff.

...it was because of Mrs. Kotter--and Bailey in WKRP--that I was imprinted on smart brunettes with glasses.

>>As I moved away from home, to bigger and bigger cities, I discovered that there were lots of scruffy and poorly dressed drone-rock-loving gay men in the world -- especially of my age group -- who had nothing in common with the Sanfords and Wills I'd seen on TV. Just because I was into dudes didn't mean I had to suddenly love dance music or fine furnishings.

Dude. THANK you.

(from a straight man with gay friends, who loathes stereotypes.)

Sending a resume with 12 years of experience about a hundred times a week and receiving only spam in reply. God bless the internet!

HA HA HA HA HA!

...the relationship opinions of a born-again are important how?

Most of my friends, throughout my life, have been women. This has yet to be a problem.

If I was waiting for male friends, I'd probably have no friends at all.

...because he seems most worried about angering the GOP base than his own. The same GOP base that despises him, that lost the election, that will never like him no matter what he does, even if he resigned and handed power back to them.

He's like George in that episode of SEINFELD with Jerry's girlfriend, who does not like him, and so he's obsessed with MAKING her like him.

He doesn't seem to realize he has the majority, nor that those who supported him are plenty to keep him in office. He also thinks we are so frightened by a con government that we'll re-elect him no matter what. Because we'd never vote for a Republican.

Neither would the GOP base vote for a Democrat. But--What did the GOP base do when they lost faith in the GOP?

They STAYED HOME.

We could do that too, if Obama makes it clear that his being in office makes no damn difference, that he will still sacrifice his own credibility to keep their base happy. He's making it clear that, regardless of which party has the Oval Office, only Republicans are worth listening to.

We already had 8 years to get used to that. We can sigh and go right back to that. If he betrays our trust, falls for this, and has the insane idea that being weak now will help his party in 2010 or 2012. It won't. It will just make us not give a damn. I'm getting the feeling he's listening now to the same morons at the DLC, or similar folk, that have castrated the party from within for such a long time.

He's being a fool, and it's very disappointing, and I hope he pulls this thing out of the ditch, because if he does not, he loses me, and I'm not far-left. I'm among those who actually make an electoral difference.

He's listening to the same stupid DLC-ish advice about placating the Republicans, as though this will peel off any of them come election time. The same advice that gave us the Clinton era, two election humiliations and Joe Lieberman.

It's irrational, even insane. And cowardly. He believes he has progressives in the bag no matter what, so he doesn't need to listen to us. As though the fact we won't vote for the GOP will keep us from staying home should Obama prove to be the spineless idiot he's appearing to be.

He doesn't have to do this but he is. Perhaps placating the GOP has become such a habit that he can't help himself. Perhaps Rahm, fresh from hinting to the insurance companies that, if they won't contribute to the GOP, they'll drop the public option, is privately saying "Screw the progressives, what are they gonna do?" Perhaps he really is such a spineless twit. But he'll never win over the GOP and he's wasting his chance to effect real change, all for...what? Nothing.

I don't get it. Nobody else does. And the GOP is laughing their asses off, again, at how easy it is. These are people who would like to kill him, who no longer have any power. And yet he cares what they think.

I call that betrayal. And cowardice. And hardly canny politics. I am angry at Obama for his disregard for those who voted for him. And who will not bother next time if he lets us down on one of the most crucial reasons we elected him.

Oh, Jesus Christ, no. Give that a rest. Ralph Nader is a useless tool(of the GOP) and I don't know why anyone ever thought he could be president. As much as Obama is abusing my faith in him I would never, EVER back Nader.