I stumbled across Howie's wild and free-roaming blog, DWT, with its intriguing offerings on everything under the political sun. A slow writer, I was stunned at how Howie fired words like a Gatling gun, one topic falling after another. When I reached out to him pitching a piece promoting Bernie in the 2016 primaries, Howie was welcoming. For better or worse, his encouragement was what got me scribbling on politics again, which I will always appreciate. Even better, Howie allowed me to murder the elements of style. No prosecutions thus far.

This real-world event draws striking parallels to the 2024 Oscar-winning film Conclave, which dramatizes the secretive process of selecting a new pope, prompting comparisons between fact and fiction.