Mad Laughs!

If you haven't seen it, you should watch Jon Stewart's interview with Jim Cramer of CNBC, the network that allowed Rick Santelli to call people losing their homes "losers." I generally prefer The Colbert Report for unrestrained silliness and I've never been really impressed with J.S.'s interviewing skills but he came prepared!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

I wonder why our only journalists are comedians (and the Republicans are the new--accidental--comedians).

And since we're all accused of socialism now that's a good excuse to post this.

America's Finest Media.

Last week the video of Joe Biden being interviewed by a woman with probing questions drawn straight from GOP talking points made the rounds. I don't want anyone to think, however, that all Florida reporters are shills. Here's some quality reporting:



P.S. Can we replace Chris Matthews with this kid?

The "Pro-American" Parts of Our Country

Governor Gosh Golly Gee has gotten some press of late for her comments in North Carolina (to a crowd comprised of wealthy GOP donors, mind you) that she loves to visit the parts of the country that are pro-American. Here's what she said:

"We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation."

Then Nancy Pfotenhauer, McCain spokesperson, referred to Northern Virginia as "not real Virginia." And then Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN--she once proposed--and I kid you not--a Lightbulb Freedom of Choice Act) went on Hardball and explained how she thinks Congress needs to root out its anti-American members. Sooooo...apparently disagreeing with the GOP constitutes anti-Americanism.

Senator Biden had a few things to say:

So Good It Made Me Roach

Gus recommended this week's New Yorker, especially this piece on why they are Barking for Barack. I concur! I mean, check out their fantastic use of adjectives!

At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness. It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader’s name is Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin for Chief Justice!

So apparently Sarah Palin is not only a master of foreign policy, living in proximity to Russia and having met a couple of world leaders, but she is also a prominent legal scholar! Leaked reports of the yet unreleased CBS interview say:

The Palin aide, after first noting how "infuriating" it was for CBS to purportedly leak word about the gaffe, revealed that it came in response to a question about Supreme Court decisions.

After noting Roe vs. Wade, Palin was apparently unable to discuss any major court cases.

There was no verbal fumbling with this particular question as there was with some others, the aide said, but rather silence.

P.S. Sadly, the video is a parody. The text is not. Truth, scarier than fiction!

Like Lincoln-Douglas!

Tonight's debate will be like Lincoln-Douglas. If Stephen Douglas had been a kinda sleazy guy with unclear positions on some of the most important issues of his day who made his money by marrying rich and who deployed racist rhetoric in his campaign and worried about looking ridiculously short next to his lean, lanky and long opponent. Oh wait!

McSame has been doing what some in the media call "Hail Mary" plays--like when the team that is behind is desperate and just heaves the ball at the end one and hopes their team catches. Surprise! I'm going to nominate a completely unexpected (because she is completely unqualified!) Veep! Surprise! I'm suspending the campaign! (Except for the advertising, appearance, interview and fundraising bits.)

And now on Slate they have some suggestions for McSame's next Hail Mary!

1. Returns to Vietnam and jails himself.

2. Offers the post of "vice vice president" to Warren Buffett.

3. Challenges Obama to suspend campaign so they both can go and personally drill for oil offshore.

4. Learns to use computer.

5. Does bombing run over Taliban-controlled tribal areas of Pakistan.

6. Offers to forgo salary, sell one house.

7. Sex-change operation.

8. Suspends campaign until Nov. 4, offers to start being president right now.

9. Sells Alaska to Russia for $700 billion.

10. Pledges to serve only one term. OK, half a term.

Thanks to Gus and his Muzzer for the link to the funny picture and their hearty sense of humor.

All the News Fit to Watch!

Hey! I'm like a fuzzy TiVo. Here's some great stuff from the TeeVee:

Rachel Maddow on The Women's Vote and why women might care more that--while Palin was mayor--Wasilla, AK charged women for their own rape kits than the fact that some uber-rich woman endorsed McSame:



Stephen Colbert spreads dirty lies about McCain because he won't come on the show:



Stephen explains why we haven't caught Bin Laden:

Rachel Rocks the Rating!

Rachel Maddow's show on MSNBC is now their highest rated show!!! It's cool when smart people do well.

Here she is countin' the lies at the GOP:



I think Rachel might be my long lost sister because we are both whip smart.

Stop the Blogs!

We cannot discuss how the U.S. can most safely disengage in Iraq, how the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reflects on the economy and U.S borrowing from China.

NO! We must not talk about these things until we resolve the most vital issue of the day: does John Kerry look funny windsurfing? did Obama call Palin a pig???!!!??

Truth in Advertising!

You might have seen this klassy ad from the McCain camp about Obama and sex education:



The vote they are referring to actually added information about STIs to existing programs for high schoolers. And the program that is referred to as "sex education for kindergartners" is actually teaching kids "good touch/bad touch," teaching kids that it is against the law for older people to exploit them.

So my question is. Why does John McCain want our kids to be sexually exploited?

Must See Tee Vee!

Tonight! The Rachel Maddow Show debuts on MSNBC at 9 pm!


Granny--if Nebraska football was not enough to make you get cable maybe this will be! Ditch the antennae and get you 156 channels of crap! (Plus five hours of Rachel/week).

Dispatches from St. Paul

moar funny pictures

My friend Annabelle is three and a half and lives in St. Paul. She had the most insightful bit of political punditry I heard today. This is what she wrote me:

ohkh9jhjnh,lhni9jhh,hkig,,oogi0yhn098y09hy8jonihikhuyiy80uyuyht86u7ybh

Seriously--far more sensible than Morning Joe on MSNBC today. Our Teevee nearly went out the window.

Annabelle's very smart mom also gave us this link to the NPR Minnesota blog which is a highly recommended read. It has some interesting information on the protests. Ike also has some good pictures and stories.

The NPR blog notes parallels with the '68 Democratic convention, though no one seems to be taking the protestors seriously as anything other than rabble rousers (and the infamous "anarchist" labels--more on the so-called "angry left" later!) But my favorite story was this one about the longest line in town--the one to see The Daily Show on location!

The Daily Show might argue, however, that there's quite a line for men's room at the Minneapolis Airport. Paging Senator Craig!!!

Hypocrites on Parade!

Jon Stewart knows hypocrisy when he sees it!



And this is just funny. And sort of telling.

Oops!

Two Republican toadies pundits on MSNBC got caught with their mics on:




Earlier this week Peggy Noonan wrote an editorial in WSJ about how Sarah Palin will save America. Here's what she says when she thinks no one's listening:

Noonan: The most qualified? No. I think they went for this, excuse me, political bullshit about "narratives" and youthfulness and the picture...

Trouble in the Twin Cities

Glenn Greenwald is reporting that the police are doing raids on homes where suspected peace protestors are living/staying. The NYT is reporting that they are searching homes and arresting some folks involved in groups such as the "RNC Welcoming Committee" and "Food Not Bombs," perfectly legal organizations organizing protests of the convention:

In the house that had just been raided, those inside described how a team of roughly 25 officers had barged into their homes with masks and black swat gear, holding large semi-automatic rifles, and ordered them to lie on the floor, where they were handcuffed and ordered not to move. The officers refused to state why they were there and, until the very end, refused to show whether they had a search warrant. They were forced to remain on the floor for 45 minutes while the officers took away the laptops, computers, individual journals, and political materials kept in the house. One of the individuals renting the house, an 18-year-old woman, was extremely shaken as she and others described how the officers were deliberately making intimidating statements such as "Do you have Terminator ready?" as they lay on the floor in handcuffs.

Please circulate this story. While several nasty incidents did happen in Denver to keep protesters away from the DNC, here we have SWAT teams pre-emptively acting against protesters. This is not acceptable.

Rock on, Rachel!

One of my favorite Air Americans, Rachel Maddow, is getting her own show on MSNBC after Keith Olbermann.

If you are looking for a cohost with more bite than bark, I'm there!

And for your viewing pleasure, here's Rachel Maddow making Rethug Joe Scarborough walk off the set with the anger. Because she has FACTS. And girl cooties!

The Whiff of Deperation

The latest anti-Obama argument comes to us from the journalistic minds of the Wall Street Journal: He's too skinny!

But in a nation in which 66% of the voting-age population is overweight and 32% is obese, could Sen. Obama's skinniness be a liability? Despite his visits to waffle houses, ice-cream parlors and greasy-spoon diners around the country, his slim physique just might have some Americans wondering whether he is truly like them.

We all want someone just like us! Like a Yale-educated cheerleader born to a wealthy Maine family with political connections? Or a Navy brat married to a multi-millionaire beer baron's daughter?? I sense this is a pre-emptive strikes against what will most certainly be an unflattering visual from the debates (ala Dukakis/Bush).

I do have to agree, however, with this sentiment by the wise political pundit, Sasha Obama:

During a July family appearance on "Access Hollywood," Sen. Obama's 7-year-old daughter, Sasha, revealed that her dad doesn't like ice cream or sweets. "Everybody should like ice cream," she said.

Anti-Obama arguments they will be making soon regarding the ways that He Is Not Like Us:

1) Too gosh darned smart.
2) His feet are larger than average.
3) He's never been arrested!
4) His family appears to like him.
5) Neither he, nor his father, vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister or any world leader.
6) He showers regularly.

One of us! One of us! One of us!

Who needs campaign staff when you've got the media?

The media is so in McCain's Obama's pocket. I mean, they'll even lie on his behalf!



Good thing McSame is not the type to whine about these things! You just keep rearranging time to fit your narrative, bud!

The First Bump Heard 'Round the World!

What do you see in this picture? A totally cool and equal couple celebrating their joint achievement? Faux News wants to know if you see a terrorist plot! Because women making fists can lead to NO GOOD!

I send paw bumps out to all my buds! This is a dogocracy! BUMP!

ETA: OK, I thought it couldn't get any more stupid but Sadly, No has a roundup of wonderfully racist responses from Free Republic (a cesspool of right wingnuttery) to the dap. Apparently it is not terrorism but gang signs.

Dap on, buds! (I can't reach you from here with my short legs.)