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Thursday, December 13, 2018

Not turning out crowds like George Burns and Gracie Allen did on the vaudeville circuit; but instead, a turn to Groupon as a marketing stragem. A/k/a just deserts. May it be as rewarding for them as a patrol ticket for putting an inflatable party doll in the passenger seat and using the high-occupancy lane. "Them" being the Clintons.

For those not remembering the hoopla intro from months ago to the notion of touring for cash by penultimate cash-mongers, this:

please click the image to enlarge and read

It was tenuous logic at best that a pair of poseurs past their pull date would generate high priced ticket buying to watch tortured posing and whining by the pair; but somebody must have thought it a good idea. With Groupon as a fall-back.

Hat tip to Jimmy Dore on YouTube as the first seen link leading to a websearch. Going to links to the Clintons' staunchest fan base, here and here, FOX and Breitbart respectively, the story unfolds. In a separate Dec. 3, 2018 FOX report:

A representative from Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, told Fox News on Monday that “An Evening with President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton” -- which had been slated for Tuesday at the venue -- has been postponed.

Hillary Clinton tweeted Monday afternoon that "Bill and I will be traveling to Washington to pay our respects to President George H.W. Bush and his family at the funeral this week. We were greatly looking forward to being in Houston for our event this week, and are excited to come back next year as soon as we find a date."

The next scheduled event on the Clintons' speaking tour is not until April 11 in New York City.

The Texas stop's postponement comes after the Clintons' premiere performance in Toronto last week, which drew critical coverage over its sparse attendance as well as comparisons with the sold-out events on former first lady Michelle Obama's book tour.

“I can’t fathom why the Clintons would make like aging rock stars and go on a tour of Canada and the U.S. at a moment when Democrats are hoping to break the stranglehold of their cloistered, superannuated leadership and exult in a mosaic of exciting new faces,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote in a weekend op-ed, after attending the kick-off. “What’s the point? It’s not inspirational. It’s not for charity. They’re not raising awareness about a cause, like Al Gore with global warming. They’re only raising awareness about the Clintons.”

Dowd wrote that she paid $177 for her ticket in Toronto, where she said she felt “sorry” for the Clintons, who would have to look out at “large swaths of empty seats.”

The scheduled April 2019 appearance would come almost four years to the day since Hillary Clinton announced her second presidential bid, which she ultimately lost to President Trump. The upset continues to feature prominently in her public remarks, amid speculation over whether she might try one more time for the White House.

Ticket prices, though, have seemed to reflect slumping interest in the Clinton tour.

So, FOX is more gentle toward the pair's plight than Jimmy Dore, but web content on occasion drifts beyond mainstream coverage, being gracious in calling FOX mainstream. It surely is nobody's insurgency. It is possible that Dore's critique was using National Review reporting in its slide quoting. That NatRev item is subheadlined, "He grins and charms, she blames and mocks. But not as many fans are cheering."

DailyWire, Dec. 10, 2018:

OVER? Hillary Clinton Bails On Speaking Tour, Heads Overseas For Wedding
Getty Images -- ByEmily Zanotti


[...] Before Bill and Hillary canceled their event in Sugar Land, tickets there were going for less than $10. Parking passes for the arena cost more than middle-of-the-road tickets to see the post-Presidential pair "open up" about their lives in public service.

"Despite the site telling customers that ‘tickets are selling fast!’ with ‘limited time remaining,’ it appears that less than 450 discounted tickets have actually been sold," the Daily Mail reported over the weekend. "A Groupon deal for the Clinton’s talk is for the liberal stronghold of Los Angeles where one would imagine the political power couple should be able to pull in the numbers."

The Clintons probably won't go quietly into that dark night — after all, the pair have made the majority of their wealth in the interim since Bill Clinton was president — by charging outrageous sums of money to speak and appear at corporate events, but this may be the end of the line for this tour, at least.

RT and DailyHeadlines also post unfavorable commentary.

That pair of arrogant sociopathic anti-progressive neoliberal bastards deserve all the hardship they get. Someone once explained to me the key to partisanship in two-party politics is "Our assholes are better than their assholes;" but that never rang sound to me as a principle of civil governance. Another version, "He votes with us on organizing."

It can be understood, but must it be liked?

One should not leave a post on the Clintons without a told-you-so mention of 2016. Gender based politics sucks, whether it be Trump's "grab 'em by the pussy" style or Madeline Albright's " special place in hell" variety. As to gender politics, I love and support Elizabeth Warren as much as Bernie, so figure that out in a told-you-so context. Tulsi Gabbard being as supportable a politician as Steve Bullock. Per contra, Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden in the same gender-neutral neoliberal boat.