It feels psychotic to say that I enjoyed attending a political panel of governors, and maybe I've just been at the Democratic National Convention for too long, but, on Wednesday, the DGA Women Governors Fund gathered the eight Democratic women governors for a political panel, and I enjoyed attending!
Moderating the panel was Julia Louis-Dreyfus, so it would have also been psychotic if I didn't enjoy it. But the theater was packed, the line outside Venue SIX10 wrapped around the block, and Meghan Meehan-Draper, the executive director of the DGA, said she heard the afternoon panel was "the hottest ticket in town." I don't know if she meant that as a joke or not, but I believe it.
The eight governors in attendance were Laura Kelly of Kansas, Maura Healey of Massachusetts, Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Janet Mills of Maine, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Kathy Hochul of New York, and Tina Kotek of Oregon. And they were funny, snarky, and droll. At one point Gov. Mills joked that she "tried to get" out of the panel, but that, "in an election year, you'll go to an opening of an envelope." Gov. Grisham then riffed that Maine is the only state that still uses envelopes.
It was noticeable how comfortable they all are with each other—which makes sense since they're all apparently in constant communication. "These eight women are actual friends. They call and text each other to check in and get advice. They get together for dinner — and bring their daughters," Jennifer Gerson recently reported for The 19th, in a story titled, "The friendships forged in a governors group chat." What I'm really trying to say is, I wouldn't hate being at the same party with all of them.
And now, the moment you've been waiting for: The hilarious, topical, J.D. Vance joke that Louis-Dreyfus used to start the panel, which I then used to get you to click on this article.
“This is so cool," Louis-Dreyfus began. "We are very honored to have eight highly intelligent, highly capable women leaders for the 21st century with us, or what J.D. Vance might call a coven of semi-menstruating witches.”
It was a pitch-perfect Selina Meyer moment that obviously got a huge laugh and even managed to snap me out of my post-Pizano's deep dish lunch stupor. As Martha Washington once famously said, "JD Vance sucks." This is a universal truth and I think if Republicans really, really wanted, they could unite with us over this fact, and, together, we can all ensure that, come November, Vance disappears into oblivion for good.
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