Elections, Confirmations, and the Mamma Mia Cinematic Universe.
November 5, 2021
We’ve got a stacked first edition of Cansler Culture, your weekly newsletter about politics and pop culture. Read on and reach out if you have comments, questions, suggestions, or would like to contribute anything.
No Polls, Just Vibes
The weekly words on politics, (mostly) free of polls.
A Word on This Week’s Elections
Obviously this was a tough week for Democrats, especially in Virginia. I’ll spare you my hot takes since there’s about a million different versions of the same story already swirling around on the internet. Instead, I’ll give you some tips of what hot takes to be wary of:
If the entire take fits in a single tweet, it’s a bad take. Full stop.
If the take doesn’t mention Youngkin’s campaign skills (however unfortunate they are), it’s probably not nuanced enough. Republicans will try and use Youngkin as a blueprint next year, and that shouldn’t be ignored.
That being said, the jury is very much still out on the effect of CRT on the election, so be wary of those that jump to conclusions about it. You can read more about that in this Vox explanation.
If a take exclusively blames progressives or moderates, it’s definitely not nuanced enough.
If the take just says that McAulliffe’s color scheme was ugly, that’s definitely true but (probably) didn’t affect the election.
Two Huge Democrats Initiatives Will (Probably) Pass Soon. But Who’s Gonna Implement Them?
This is the story that you probably haven’t heard unless you’re hyper-tuned into politics, but it’s worth taking a second to understand.
Basically, because of outdated rules on how the Senate conducts confirmations of presidential nominations, a handful of Senate Republicans have been able to slow down the confirmation process to the point that it’s infeasible to get nominees confirmed.
As a result, only 36% of Biden’s nominees have been confirmed, compared with about two-thirds of Obama’s and Bush’s nominees at this point in their presidencies.
So, how did this happen? A quick explanation:
Senate rules related to the filibuster require senators to have at least 50 votes to close debate on presidential nominees. That’s all fine and good, but they then have to wait two days before proceeding.
Once those two days have passed, the Senate then debates the nomination for a full two hours before voting, during which most senators speak to half-empty chambers. The only way to bypass those two hours and move directly to voting is if every senator agrees (called unanimous consent).
So, if just one senator wanted to slow down the confirmation process, they could. And if you consider the sheer number of nominees that need to be confirmed, it would quickly become infeasible to spend time on confirmations when there’s more important work to do.
Ted Cruz has done just that. He’s refusing to give unanimous consent for all State and Treasury nominees over a Russian gas pipeline. Rick Scott is doing the same for Homeland Security nominees until VP Harris visits the US-Mexico border. Josh Hawley is blocking State and Defense nominees until those secretaries resign over the Afghanistan withdrawal.
And to be clear, this isn’t just a case of “Ted Cruz is ruining everything” (maybe a little). Democrats did the exact same thing back in 2017, and it slowed down Trump’s nomination process as well.
What this essentially means is that there’s a lot of nominees sitting around and waiting to get to work, and a lot of departments lacking leadership. Those people will be necessary to implement the Infrastructure and Build Back Better acts once they pass.
Are there solutions, you ask? Sure, although not really in the short term. Decreasing the number of positions that require confirmation would certainly help, especially with the growing size of the federal government. Establishing an official timeline for confirmations would probably help, too. And these Hill writers have a solid idea on how to make the two hours of debate more feasible.
But the main takeaway is that the federal government has an efficiency problem that isn’t just about polarization. The rules about how we govern are clearly in desperate need of reform.
ABBA is Back to Soundtrack the Next Mamma Mia (Maybe)
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Mamma Mia Cinematic Universe Truther (call me, Amanda Seyfried. I have ideas). But after just two movies, the MMCU was already rapidly running out of usable ABBA songs.
Not to fret, because now the greatest Swedish pop act of all time (perhaps greatest worldwide pop act?) is back with their first album in 40 years, titled Voyage. The real question: are they still any good?
Yes and no. They sound almost exactly the same as they did 40 years ago, just with slightly lower voices and some spruced-up production. Some songs are more effective than others, and none hit the highs of the hits on ABBA Gold. Still, it’s ABBA through and through, and there are plenty of nods to their classics, like the gorgeous string section in “Don’t Shut Me Down,” or the piano outro on “Keep An Eye On Dan” taken from “SOS.”
I thought I’d run down the highlights based on the most useful framework I could think of:
Which songs are good enough to be featured in Mamma Mia 3: How Can I Resist You?
“Don’t Shut Me Down”
The blockbuster song of the album, with an opening verse that’ll break your heart before a chorus and dance break that could rival the best ABBA disco tracks. This song would fit in perfectly in the next Mamma Mia and might even be the centerpiece sequence of the film. If you listen to no other songs, listen to this one.
“Just A Notion”
Originally meant to be on ABBA’s 1979 album “Voulez-Vous” and still using the originally-recorded vocals, “Just A Notion” is the kind of pulsing dance song with a dark side that ABBA is so good at. Any character in the MMCU could take this one and it would be a highlight (except maybe Colin Firth or Pierce Brosnan, sorry guys).
“I Can Be That Woman”
There’s a surprising amount of slow ballads on this album, but this is by far the most effective — and heartbreaking. ABBA’s lyrical strength has always lied in taking complicated emotions and fitting them into simple melodies, and you can see that in full force here. I recommend tissues for when Amanda Seyfried inevitably takes this one on and absolutely kills it.
Honorable Mentions:
“Little Things”
A cute little Christmas song that would work great in the eventual Mamma Mia Christmas Short Film starring Lily James and her besties in the 1980s.
“Keep An Eye On Dan”
No, you’re not misunderstanding: ABBA somehow managed to write a dance song about a woman giving her ex-husband instructions for watching their kid. I’d include it on the Mamma Mia list, but it’s so hyper-specific I’m not sure how it would ever fit in a movie without being cheesy. Still, it’s fun, and if you don’t listen to the lyrics it’s very dance-able.
Further Listening: Switched on Pop’s fascinating podcast about how ABBA makes perfect pop songs.
The Weekly Soundtrack(s)
With Daylight Saving Time right around the corner, we’ll soon be in that dark (literally) part of fall when things get cold and depressing. Luckily, soon-to-be-regular-contributor Sam Signorelli and I are coming in hot with two great November soundtracks to fit the mood.
First up, my dark academia fall playlist, perfect for crisp mornings and late night drives.
And next, Sam’s phenomenal country and folk-heavy fall playlist. Pairs well with morning commutes and cooking a good soup.
Finally, I just thought this story about soccer documentaries was fascinating. Highly recommend.
That’s all, see you next week.
Thanks your my hero