July 3, 2012, - 12:54 pm

Remember Andy Griffith for His Good Acting, NOT His Role as ObamaCare Pimp

By Debbie Schlussel

I mourn Andy Griffith, who died today, like the rest of America does. But I don’t mourn his politics. While he is known for playing the sheriff of Mayberry on “The Andy Griffith Show,” and the wise Southern defense lawyer on “Matlock,” his greatest acting achievement was his starring role in the 1957 Elia Kazan Movie, “A Face in the Crowd,” which could be the Barack Obama story or Sarah Palin biopic. It’s a movie I recommend that everyone see. But Andy Griffith’s small town “Aw Shucks” American folksiness on-screen was never matched by small town American values off-screen. He was a liberal through and through. And not quiet about it (though his political donations were small–$1,000 to John Kerry for President was the largest and most recent). Perhaps his worst politics/acting gig was his government-funded commercial for ObamaCare parading as some sort of informational video about Medicare. So, it’s interesting that he died just after the law was upheld by the Supreme Court. Now, he will never have to live under this catastrophically disastrous approach to healthcare he pimped on the rest of us.

drobama

Partners in Crime

The only way you can remember Andy Griffith fondly is to remember his acting career and forget this Razzie Award winning ObamaCare video (and one of the many great spoofs that followed). . .


I prefer this version . . .

I don’t know about you, but I would rather say, Rest In Peace, ObamaCare, than . . .

Rest In Peace, Andy Griffith.




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52 Responses

He was an Obama supporter? Wonderful, and I’m surprised. He’s so very deep south, I figured he’d be conservative. He seemed quite conservative in his show.

He makes up for Kelsey Grammer, who I used to really like, and then found out he was a tea-bag supporter.

As for Andy Griffith, I now have a much higher opinion of him.

Steve Levine on July 3, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    Steve Levine, you’re a real dope.

    Tell us where you and your family live because once Obama-Putin Care is up and running I wanna see what YOU do when the Gubmint puts the kibosh on you or a family member’s healthcare. When you are told you are not gonna get the best treatment because the Gubmint has to keep costs under control or you have to wait years or months for something you could get quickly NOW.

    You wave the flag but the joke is on dopey YOU. Obama-Putin and his family and alllllll the so-called Representatives of this horrible law (including Coward Roberts) will NOT be in line like we are. They’ll be getting BETTER care because they are big-shots in the upper party of big gubmint.

    You’re so bloody stupid. And quite arrogant about it when you should be ashamed you’re such a frickin’ dope!

    Skunky on July 3, 2012 at 2:17 pm

      Obama Putin?

      Samuel on November 29, 2017 at 12:52 am

    Let’s see WHAT YOU THINK NOW THAT PRIVATE BUSINESS IS DROPPING HEALTH INSURANCE TELLING NON REPRESENTED WORKERS TO BUY THEIR OWN INSURANCE NOW THAT SCOTUS HAS RULED.

    As goes... on July 4, 2012 at 2:57 am

    I will just enjoy “The Andy Griffith Show” as it often has such good values and just good old fashioned family adventure.

    It’s so sad that Mr. Griffith was so unpatriotic. To me, a patriot is one who will support and defend our Constitution and also the government in such a way that the original intent of our nation’s founders will remain in effect. Pres. Obama sadly has gone in the opposite direction so far. It is criminal because of the harm it has done. I am so glad God is in charge and things WILL be made right on His timetable.

    I do pray for Pres. Obama and other government leaders. God does love people, even with our flaws, and as long as someone is breathing… they still have a chance to turn to God.

    Ali on January 20, 2014 at 4:14 pm

We are so very proud of Andy and his concern for everyone’s healthcare in our poor area of North Carolina. I’d forgotten he still lives on that tiny island where he started working in the theatre of The Lost Colony. He was a very private man but spoke out when things were close to his heart. He stood up for President Obama and NC’s first female (D) governor, Beverly Purdue. So it should be no big surprise that he made a commercial for medicare and what the new plan would do to help seniors and families. It had nothing to do with politics, just the truth. And it is a shame on the event of his death that right wingnut teabaggers are attacking this kind man and true American. But that is usually the ‘bagger trait: attack/blame/bully the weakest.

Martin Hollowell on July 3, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    You’re a real prize “Marty”. I laugh at how much hatred you have for so-called “Tea Baggers” when the “Flea Baggers” of the OWS movement (your filthy side) have behaved more stupidly and hypocritically than the TP ever acted. And the TP have TWO YEARS on the “Flea Baggers” and the FB are not even one year old yet.

    But you’re a dumb Liberal who has NOT done his homework…you listen to what the Liberal liars tell you. How sad.

    You hate the TP but you have no problem with “Flea Baggers” raping women on their own team, committing suicide, murdering and beating fellow members, murdering their parents, taking drugs openly, procreating publically, abandoning 3 and 2 year old children in the filthy “camps”, spreading VD and Scabies and TB, protesting a bank and then depositing $$ into the bank after the protest, refusing to work because they are tired of “homeless” interlopers, sh***ing on cop cars, placing 2 year old babies on live train-tracks and defecating in public and robbing and stealing from each other.

    You look like the moron you are when you post such retarded rhetoric. Wake up and start to do your own research. You’ll have less public stupid implosions.

    Skunky on July 3, 2012 at 2:28 pm

      Skunky your two responses were priceless. I nearly choked on Chinese food I was laughing so hard. I think you just sent two trolls home crying to their mammas.

      Ken b on July 3, 2012 at 6:40 pm

Skunky scores two first round KO’s in a matter of minutes leaving nothing left to say to the pair of useful idiot posters.
Nice work, Skunky!

lee, of the lower case "l" on July 3, 2012 at 2:47 pm

    Thank you lee (of the lower case, a very important distinction due to the rock-bottom moron of the upper case!). It’s important we cram the lies back into the dumb charlatan’s mouths to choke on because the country is going toward a terrible place. No time for fun & games and let’s break their arguments when we can!

    Skunky on July 3, 2012 at 3:37 pm

From what I’ve read, in real life Griffith’s character was somewhere in-between the two extremes of his “Face in the Crowd” character Lonesome Rhodes and Mayberry Sheriff Andy Taylor. For some cast members on his programs he was, from my understanding, rather difficult to get along with – Elinor Donahue, fresh off “Father Knows Best,” played Andy’s girlfriend in the first season of “The Andy Griffith Show,” but was gone thereafter – apparently he didn’t like her or something like that. And there were cases of a few co-stars from “Matlock” who fell afoul of him at one point or another (I seem to remember Kene Holliday, after falling into a cocaine habit, being dropped from that latter show due to said addiction).

But I have to concur about his role on “A Face in the Crowd.” Especially the last 30 minutes of this pic. (I should note that one of the media stars of that era who cameo’d on that film was a pre-“60 Minutes,” but always sleazy, Mike Wallace.)

I would also recommend a few TV-movies of the 1970’s he starred in, namely “Winter Kill” and “The Girl in the Empty Grave.”

ConcernedPatriot on July 3, 2012 at 2:57 pm

After Roberts’ treasonous ruling I’d use my one bullet to blow my own brains out if I were Barney. If I were Otis the town drunk I’d go on such a bender that I’d die of alcohol poisoning. If I were Floyd the barber I’d use my straight razor to cut my wrists. Howard Sprague would be okay with obamao-care because he’s the kind of guy that will probably be running it. Helen Crump would turn lesbo in an attempt to forget that Andy was doing her for so long w/o benefit of marriage. This is after Andy coerces her to get an abortion (government funded) when Andy knocks her up and claims he can’t afford child support on a sheriff’s salary. BTW, I always thought that Ellie the lady druggist was much hotter than Helen Crump the grade school teacher. Speaking of Ellie, she’ll be run out of business by the government run pharmacies. Gomer would make a “citizen’s arrayist, citizen’s arrayist” and have Andy sent to the psych ward. Goober will evaulate Andy there because he’s about how intelligent the shrinks will be in the government run medical facilities once obamao-care gets implemented. Aunt Bea will die after a death panel denies her a heart by-pass because she is too old.

CornCoLeo on July 3, 2012 at 3:33 pm

Andy Griffith was also great in the movie ‘Waitress’, where he plays a gruff diner owner who likes to impart his wisdom thru sarcasm.

Lee on July 3, 2012 at 3:54 pm

Skunky, I enjoy you’re fiestyness and no-holds-barred at those two left wing assclowns. Lookit, in the past Debbie has written some articles about the Tea Party movement being involved with shady and nefarious people who holds anti-semitic views by inviting speakers who’s anti-semitic, loathes the state of Israel, etc., but at the sametime to those two leftists, has the TPM EVER done any type of violence or intimidated anyone with violence in the past? Answer, NO! The only ones who are doing that crap is the “OWS” movement, that’s who, these Flea-Baggers are like the US version of hamas, hezbollah, al-qeada, taliban, PLO, PLFP, etc. with their violence, rioting, anarchisticm, etc.

Now to the topic, DS I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t know that Andy Griffith was a left winger and a Obama supporter? And I didn’t know the dude supported “socialized-medicine”, etc. I thought he was atleast a centrist who leaned towards the middle instead of a right winger or a left winger! And also, thanks for providing links in order to prove your point DS.

“A nation is defined by its borders, language & culture!”

Sean R. on July 3, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Exactly Sean! DS is correct…some of the TP “Leaders” have been scam artists and charlatans but I just wanted to point out that when people went to rallies (and I went up to 4 in my area…last one being in 2010) they usually went as I did as grass-roots and un-connected to support a anti-tax and commie message. And when people did go they did not create filth or harass people or do any of those disgusting things that OWS does/did. In fact when there was violence it was always orchestrated by Leftist SEIU or union thugs. They bit an old man’s finger off and rough-housed Kenneth (or Kevin?) Gladney, a black Conservative selling wares at one.

    In fact, most Conservative protests (which is my real jist…) usually leave the place cleaner than they found it. One cannot say that about OWS and they are suppose to be raging environmentalists! And Conservatives are painted as wanting “dirty air and dirty water”. It’s a farce if it wasn’t so scary.

    The Right is demonized but the way they are demonized is NOT the truth. The Left are deified and they are rotten to the core. It sickens me to see a lie believed for both those groups.

    Skunky on July 3, 2012 at 6:17 pm

I liked his movie “No Time For Sargeants”

FrenchKiss on July 3, 2012 at 4:10 pm

Without a doubt, Andy Griffith’s performance in Elia Kazan’s “A Face in the Crowd” really demonstrates his superb acting talent.

This film, although wonderfully scripted, meaningful, rich in characterizations and themes, with superb acting and direction, thoughtful, engaging and entertaining, was, interestingly, a failure when it was released. And it’s not hard to see the problem that people had with it. One of its powerful messages, and one of the many reasons that it is still an important film today, is that it exposes how people are easily manipulated by the media, radio and television in particular. People probably didn’t like seeing how gullible they could be under the influence of the media and its personalities.

Credit brilliant screenwriter Budd Schulberg for this truly great script. (Today, people mostly remember him for his other classic film script, “On the Waterfront.”) Nobody has dared to address television again the way that “A Face in the Crowd” does, until another brilliant screenwriter, Paddy Chayevsky, wrote Network, which I consider another dramatic classic. Even though both these films have political themes, and some of the cultural references are dated, these films are, surprisingly, as valid today as when they were made, and probably even more so.

If Andy Griffith had never done anything else, he would still be an important part of film history for this one role alone.

Ralph Adamo on July 3, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    Excellent comments about the “Face” film. I hadn’t considered why it didn’t get more attention, but your analysis makes sense now knowing what we have seen happening over the recent years. I’m going to take another look at the film again.

    mickeywho on July 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm

DS along with Skunky, Norman, worry, Sean and other supporters of her twisted ideology can wake up every day angry and hate at everything that walks with two legs. But guess what???? We’re here, we’re queer (liberal, Muslims, Polish, Mexican, black, Asian) and we ain’t going anywhere!!! While you are drowning on your hate, we are out there living our life. The joke is on you suckersssss!!

average Joe on July 3, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    Hey Below Average Joe, the joke is on YOU because you clearly don’t get it. The Left is consumed with hate but they hide their hate (for some things) and play “projection” against Conservatives because we are free to articulate what we dislike without being phony about it. Why do you think I like being a Conservative so much? Because when I was a Liberal not only was I short on FACTS but I had to be phony half the time. I hated it and that is what made me flip (other than common sense and reason) because the hypocrisy was nauseating. Wake up!

    You’re just angry because it is not hate you see here but the BALLS to call something what it is. You can’t take it and digest it so emotionally like a teenage girl. Most of us here are content with our knowledge because we are not hateful like YOU see but resolute and strong enough to express it plainly. We know the difference between good and evil. THAT is what annoys YOU!

    Liberals are the most miserable vermin on the Earth. When there is NOTHING to hate they create things and constructs to hate. They have to feel like they are better than the average bear because they are insecure and can’t process self-hatred like a normal human being. There is that projection again. It’s safer for vermin like you to hate us than to hate yourself. But you should really hate yourself!

    And if you think we are so bloody hateful, take an example I used above. What group has shown more disfunction and hate…The Tea Party or OWS? Your answer is in there.

    We can’t help it if you’re too dumb to see the truth and see an illusion (hatred) when it’s really strength you see. Open your eyes, idiot!

    Skunky on July 3, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    Hey Average Smoe,

    You’re a fool so let me clue you in on a little secret. While the other supporters of Debbie that you named can more than speak for themselves I’ll give you this proud supporters point of view. I don’t hate Muslims liberals, polish folk, Mexicans, Blacks or Asians ok. Hell I’m Black so according to crazy Al Sharpton I can’t be racist? Oh that’s right that only works if you’re a black leftist dunderhead like the ones who love Obama. Well like I said I don’t hate the before mentioned peoples. What I do hate with a passion is the following:

    1. Liberal retards especially black ones
    who think that their point of view is the only valid one. Sure you guys can love Obamato your hearts content but I happen to think that he’s an arrogant, lying disgrace who is in way over his empty head.
    2. Backward Muslim fanatics who preach hate and want to kill me and those like me. You know the infidel. Also those followers of Islam who celebrate everytime someone of another religion, namely Christians and Jews gets killed.
    3. The rabid LGBT(did I miss a letter) crowd that are in your face with their sleaze in public. I don’t care if you love another man, woman, whatever. Just keep the crap to yourself because trust me no one wants to see it.
    4. Illegal Aliens that come to the U.S. with a chip on their shoulder. They forget that this is America and that not everyone speaks freaking Spanish. Hey dopes you’re here unlawfully so only knowing words like work, freebie and visa just won’t cut it.
    5. Polish creeps that seem to have a problem with Debbie and history. The flaming trolls were worse crybabies than the Muslims and that’s saying something.
    6. I really don’t have any problem with the Chinese other than the fact that they use msg in their food. It still taste good so I’ll deal with it.
    So my clueless liberal I hope that this helps. If not oh well who really cares what you guys think.

    Ken b on July 3, 2012 at 6:14 pm

      Great response Ken, I happen to be a conservative hispanic. Its funny how the libs think they own minorities.

      John on July 3, 2012 at 6:30 pm

        Thanks John. I don’t know what it will take for the minorities in this country to wake up to the fact that the liberals are just using them for their own agendas.

        Ken b on July 3, 2012 at 7:14 pm

          They will never figure it out.

          As goes... on July 4, 2012 at 3:11 am

      Well said Ken b.

      Naomi R on July 4, 2012 at 11:59 am

Andy’s ACA commercial was more ethical than Pres candidate Fred Thompson reeling in gullible seniors with his reverse mortgage scam ads . Now we see Judge Roberts doing Obamacare ads. Love the right outrage!

Donna Scudder on July 3, 2012 at 4:35 pm

    What makes it a scam?

    FrenchKiss on July 3, 2012 at 4:47 pm

I hate that he did that Obamacare commercial, and maybe he was a democrat.But I will always remember him as Andy Taylor. I do not know what kind of man he was in real life, but I will miss him. Today’s democrat party is not what it use to be.
I know it was just a TV Show, but it touched a lot of people, and in a good way. For that. Thank you Mr Griffith.

John on July 3, 2012 at 5:08 pm

I was always annoyed by his smarmy, slow-talkin’, good-old-boy act from way back when I watched “Mayberry” on my B&W TV.

Also hated Opie and Aunt Bea.

The ones who made that show IMO were Deputy Barney Fife, Floyd the barber, the town drunk and the town crazy guy.

Good to find out that my hatred was instinctively correct and that he was a big, fat, phony, limousine liberal.

DS_ROCKS! on July 3, 2012 at 6:08 pm

DS ROCKS, That would be town drunk Otis Campbell and the rock throwing crazy guy Ernest T.Bass. Those charactors were great and Barny too. Look, I hate the liberal mentality as well, but one thing that show was, it was non political. And just good clean wholesome fun. I still think its possible to hate someones politics and still like the person. At least in some cases. And at least until his Obamacare commercial most people did not even know his politics. Unlike loudmouth militant lefty actors these days. I was truly disappointed as well, but I am not going to hate the man. I truly hope he rests in peace.

John on July 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm

I grew up watching the Andy Griffith Show as did many of you. I mostly liked the relationship Andy had with his family and with Deputy Fife. Don Knotts was from West Virginia and in Morgantown there is a street named after him. I knew that he was a flaming liberal who tried to sell us Obamacare and that was screwed up on his part. You can’t win them all especially when dealing with libs. All I’ll say is rest in peace Andy and say hi to Don adn Goober. And thanks alot Debbie. Now I can’t get that whistling tune out of my head.

Ken b on July 3, 2012 at 6:32 pm

Over the last few months, in rapid succession, we have lost George Lindsey, Richard Dawson, Frank Cady, Don Grady, and now Andy Griffith. In other words, so far this has not been a good year for familiar faces from CBS’s 1960s prime time sitcoms. I don’t really know or care about the religion or politics of any of these guys. I just know that I’m sad to see them go.

Irving on July 3, 2012 at 6:51 pm

Aside from the present company of attorneys, Matlock is the only attorney I ever liked.

Little Al on July 3, 2012 at 6:54 pm

    I hear you there Little Al. To me Matlock and Perry Mason were tops in the TV show lawyer department.

    Ken b on July 3, 2012 at 7:09 pm

I didn’t like Mayberry/Andy Griffith. I didn’t like Matlock. Hell, I like TV so much that I don’t have cable.

skzion on July 3, 2012 at 7:39 pm

Forgot about Perry Mason. He was good too.

Little Al on July 3, 2012 at 7:40 pm

Ken and Skunky, great and well articulated response to that Below Average Schmucks inane message. Hey troll, it’s you leftists and far-left freaks who are the REAL haters and hatemongorers.

And let me put it you to this way troll, since I’m a black person who’s a fan and supporter of DS, that makes me an “uncle-Tom” according to you’re views, huh? And it also makes Ken B an uncle-Tom as well, right (and Skunky is a multi-racial woman). Also troll, the only muslims I detest are those who uses their religion/cult to intimidate, want to kill, cause terror and shove their religion down my throat and everybody elses throat, etc., their the devout-fanatics, and there the worst, so we have EVERY legit reason to dislike them and call them out. In reality, NONE of us here hates muslims (and arabic people) including Debbie herself, hell DS has a few muslim friends.

Regarding illegal-aliens, dumbass I don’t hate them, I hate it when they come here illegally, demand nothing but freebies and expects us to pay for it, etc. That’s what I hate. Regarding LGBT folks, I don’t have NOTHING against them buster, I only hate the ones who are in your face and pushing their extremists agenda down our throats and wanting us to accept their views.

As for Asian people, I don’t have NOTHING against them, most of them are cool and great people. So in other words, I am NOT no close-minded racist you fool and none of us here who comments here and reads Ms. Schlussel’s writings are NOT racists, it’s you who’s the phucking racists you loon and I’m really sick and tired of the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” by calling and slandering people & call them racists for no damn reason, kill it already, it’s old, boring and un-original!

“A nation is defined by its borders, language & culture!”

Sean R. on July 3, 2012 at 9:25 pm

Fine. Another sellout dead. He sounded like an idiot in that ad. Caused millions of old idiots to believe in the Obama Fairy.

pat on July 4, 2012 at 12:30 am

There are a lot of sell outs leveraging the stupid public for financial gain… Henry Winkler comes to mind and Alex Trebek…

As goes... on July 4, 2012 at 3:15 am

    Don’t forget Robert Wagner and Fred Thompson.

    Ken b on July 4, 2012 at 8:54 am

I’ve noticed that in the last day or two there have been very few Andy Griffith photos from his Matlock days. This is striking both because of Matlock’s long run, and it’s popularity, especially with older people.

Griffith was not popular simply because of his early movies, and was not well known simply because of Mayberry. He was also well known because of his artistic activity as an older person.

Little Al on July 4, 2012 at 8:33 am

Skunky!!!! I just fell in love with you all over again!!! Your right on with your comments to thost mutant “air thiefs”. They have no recourse but to retreat to their bed-bug ridden tents!!! BRAVO!!!!

Hollywood on July 4, 2012 at 9:18 am

I had my suspicions as a kid when the Sheriff would walk around without a gun on the TV show. Too bad that he finally let his hair down for Obamacare. Never watched MATLOCK, just never bought into his alleged folksiness. It is now clear that it was just all an act for this liberal nitwit to dupe the unsuspecting.

Marc on July 4, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Excellent Debbie. There are so many people out there who are either dumber than dumb or so infatuated with the Obamanation that they cannot see the truth. Seniors especially, beware! As for Andy Griffith, superb acting not withstanding, his politics certainly dampened my enthusiasm for him as a person. Thanks once again.

Naomi R on July 4, 2012 at 12:09 pm

Wow Debbie. This is why you aren’t on Howard’s show anymore. Because you are a tool. Instead of saying, “Hey! An American icon has died, I mourn for him” it’s all about his politics and how you wanna push your political agenda? Wow. Just like a CONservative. Another heartless bitch.

Joe LaForm on July 4, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Joe. You must have hit the wrong button. This aint the Daily Kos you assclown. I guess pointing out that even though Andy Griffith died he also supported one of the worst pieces of legislation was too much for your pickled liberal mind. Do me a favor and get lost because like all leftists your all hat and no cattle.

    Ken b on July 5, 2012 at 9:24 am

The perpetuation of lies is just a disease for some people! A small minority who wanna’ make their voices heard over the rest of America just feel free to lie without conscious because they object to a black President. It’s good the rest of America isn’t buying this nonsense and sees through the lies the right-wing continually accost Americans with. The majority wants Obama-care and Andy Griffith wasn’t an ‘Pimp’. You are showing America how hateful and ignorant you truly are and fortunately the rest of us aren’t buying your goods of intolerance and bigotry.

Daniel Asamota on January 27, 2014 at 7:39 am

    How silly to pull out the “race card” and act as though people who truly care about our nation and about good values simply hate black people just because they object to a president of any color who has done so much to harm our country.

    I pray for Pres. Obama to turn from his past ways and to truly care for people and to actually put effort into protecting and defending our country.

    And anyone who says he should be president just because he’s black or part black is really in need of maturity. Skin color should never rule a country, knowledge of the foundation of it’s government and a great desire to serve should.

    Ali on February 9, 2014 at 1:32 am

    Back at’cha, Daniel…look in the mirror.

    mickeywho on July 11, 2014 at 8:36 pm

I don’t think he was unpatriotic…just a lifelong Democrat who believed every thing the Dems said and never questioned. The previous generation in my family was, too.

But what’s with the Sarah Palin comment when she compared the “Face in the Crowd” movie to a Palin bio? I get the Obama comparison, but don’t agree with the other one.

Andy’s best contribution was the Andy Griffith show for the moral values the show stressed. We’ve lost many of those shows.

mickeywho on July 11, 2014 at 6:29 pm

It’s interesting how racists always play the ‘race’ card then try to accuse others of pulling it! People are not stupid and we know what you’re doing! You are simply plying your old racist and bigoted tactics trying to pressure intimidate and argue down those who don’t agree with your ignorance and intolerance! Well you’re in for a surprise for the same viciousness you come at us with you will get it back in return! nazism will not be allowed to grow unchecked and if we will do whatever we have to to keep you from growing! But it’s good you’re voicing your opinion coz’ when we come for you, we’ll know who to get!

Daniel Asamota on March 25, 2015 at 10:19 am

You hateful shrew of a woman . In no way was this man a pimp.Unpatriotic because why ?? because he cared for people- you “Patriots” care of nothing but yourselves. Your blog is crap.

Leea deRuisscher on April 17, 2017 at 7:34 pm

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