Today: Rachel chats with Ron Paul and gives the Democrats some tough love.
50 is the New 50
Rachel started us off with President Obama’s touching burst of bipartisan optimism after meeting with Congressional Republicans on Tuesday.
Though given the way said Congressional Republicans have been operating lately, we may need a word that goes beyond “optimism”. We’re well past glass-half-full territory. It’s more like glass-has-residual-moisture-on-the-sides.
Rachel gave us a rundown on the maddening historic high of filibuster abuse. Looks like a certain set of Founding Fathers should have listened to Benjamin Franklin when he recommended they insert a clause that “the minority party shall not be complete stovepipes about it.”
Stoptimist
Rachel brought up a few minor quibbles with the Republicans’ assertion that they want to work with the Democrats if only those darned lefties would be reasonable.
Eensy little things, like the fact that the four “demands” Congressman John Boehner (R — Ohio) enumerated are already in the bill. For some reason, Rachel seemed to think it’s irrational to assume that the right will happily cooperate if we just give them more treats.
OK, yes, but what if the Republicans are just one treat away from coming around? Did you think of that, Rachel? I think we should give it a shot. Does anyone know if Mitch McConnell is allowed to have nougat?
IRonic
Rachel took a quick look at the frantic Republican pandering to the Tea Partiers. Both Sarah Palin and Michael Steele would like to absorb them. RUN, Tea Partiers, RUN!
I understand why the Republicans want to glom onto the rally-having, campaign-donating Tea Partiers, but what do the Tea Partiers get out of such a union? If part of the appeal, as it seems to be, is fighting the establishment, are they really going to be happy tapping their feet to lite oldies at the Boehner-Cantor Pro-Am Lobbyist Golf Open and StodgeFest?
Ah, but no time for musing! Rachel welcomed Congressman Ron Paul (R — Texas), the last big challenger from the right. Representative Paul is now being challenged by the right himself, which is making him nervous enough to talk very quickly for a long time.
Radio Days and Days
Rachel reported the hilarious news that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a Sunday radio show that sometimes runs for eight full hours. His ratings are down, so lately Chavez has started calling into other shows. Which, in fairness, might be the only thing that could induce me to listen to Prairie Home Companion again.
But in one of the boldest programming moves of all time, Chavez is launching a new show called Suddenly Chavez. The show will make surprise appearances during other scheduled broadcasts, breaking in with the sound of a harp.
I have to admit, it’s genius. Can you imagine what it would be like if a show’s host could just pop up anywhere?
Rachel Re: They’re Not Embarrassed
Rachel has had it up to her eyeballs with hypocrisy and the myth of bipartisanship.
I don’t want to tell you much more than that, except that it’s possible that Washington, D.C. may not have had a snowstorm last night at all. The city may just be covered in whoop-ass.
Get ready for some exhilarating television.
