Voters maybe don’t: Last night, at the start of his show, Lawrence O’Donnell was nice enough to show us the chimps at play.
He compiled a set of video clips. The chimps were attacking Mitt Romney:
O’DONNELL (3/12/12): We’ve got presidential campaign news with the Republican nomination turning into a complicated math problem. Willard M. Romney seems to think the solution is cheesy grits.The chimps have been leaping about in their cages, pleasuring you by making fun of a joking remark about grits.
ROMNEY: Mornin’, y’all. Good to be with you.
[...]
BASHIR: Willard has somehow managed to turn on the Southern charm.
JANSING: Eating grits, I think cheesy grits he called them.
ROMNEY: I’ve got to start this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits, I’ll tell you.
TODD: Cheesy grits. That seems a weird thing to say.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It’s not cheesy grits, it’s cheese grits.
FINNEY: The pander fest that’s been coming out of his mouth has been pretty stunning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you’re going to pander, at least get it right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It’s not flip-flopping. It’s pandering and there is a difference.
GIBBS: That kind of stuff doesn’t really go over well in the Deep South.
CAPEHART: It’s almost like as if we’re watching Romney on safari in his own country.
FINNEY: What he is, is not what the voters want.
As they did, two new polls showed Romney essentially tied with Obama. The Washington Post has Romney ahead. But who gives a shit about that? Did you know his real name is Willard?
Last week, we told you the chimps were making you fools with all their silly stupid-shit clowning. But this is truly all they know.
They don’t know how to create a serious politics. This is truly all they have. Nothing is being held back.
Get ready for (perhaps) a rough ride, although we aren't making predictions. Meanwhile, to watch last evening’s poo-fling, go ahead: you can Just click here.
Warning! Even though we love Chuck Todd, you are watching chimps at play. More and more, this is the scope of our corporate “liberal” channel.
A recent article in the Atlantic explains Romney's sense of humor:
ReplyDeleteMitt Romney's Humor: An Appreciation
Unlike most politicians' attempts to be funny, Romney's sense of humor is dark, dry, self-deprecating and a little subversive. Maybe that's why he never gets credit for it.
When Mitt Romney, campaigning in Mississippi on Friday, said "y'all," the collective cringe from the political world was practically audible. Another awkward moment from the GOP's animatronic front-runner! Another terribly off-key pander!
But maybe it was something else: a wry joke.
For all the hype about his woodenness, Romney, I submit, actually has the most sophisticated -- and underappreciated -- sense of humor of any presidential candidate. It is dry, self-deprecating and a bit dark, a far cry from the safely hokey laugh lines of most politicians on the stump. And it bespeaks a confidence and flair not often attributed to the much-maligned candidate.
Imagine a self-deprecating President! That's something we haven't seen for a while.
He's just the best, Dave, he really is, and you are on to something. You and Somerby and all of Mitt's defenders will be even happier come November if he gets into office, because you'll have a true defender of the 1% in office. Mitt's self-deprecating, a wry jokester, just the best. Imagine a self-deprecating President! That's something we haven't seen since yesterday.
DeleteIf somebody has to point out what the joke is, it usually isn't funny.
DeleteI think you're right SRA. Furthermore self-deprecating humor is dangerous in politics.
DeleteE.g., Rush Limbaugh used to do an April Fools' shtick on his show. Some of his fake items made fun of Rush by exaggerating typical Limbaugh-type comments.
Unfortunately, his critics took to quoting these jokes as if they were serious comments, so Limbaugh stopped his April foolery. Too bad. It was funny stuff.
Is this the same David in Cal who once claimed to have never listened to Limbaugh?
Delete"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I'm going to go get somebody else to provide that service to me."
Deleteyeah, that's one helluva self-deprecating dude.
I actually agree with David in Cal that Romney was being ironic with his y'all and grits comments. Subtle irony is dangerous in politics since the tin ears of journalists and pundits don't pick up on it (these are very boring people). But as a citizen of MASS who lived through four years of Romney as my governor and as an observer of his current campaign, I don't agree with David in Cal that this kind of humor is typical of Romney. I'd also suggest that, if any one of our major politicians these days has such a sense of humor, it's Obama. And it's gotten him into trouble, too.
Delete"Is this the same David in Cal who once claimed to have never listened to Limbaugh?"
DeleteHe listened, but he didn't hear. It's kind of like smoking, but not inhaling.
Anonymous @9:51:
DeleteYour reading comprehension skills leave a great deal to be desired. Mr. Somerby is not, to my knowledge, defending Mr. Romney. In fact he often states that his policies are vile and deplorable. What he rails against (read this closely) is the media preoccupation with such petty issues as grits, rather than a responsible discussion of what his policies entail.
Got it?
Hoser
Obama's sense of humor consists of pandering by saying Michelle won't let him do any number of things. It's lame.
DeleteIt's difficult to talk about substance when Romney himself admits his tax plan can't be scored because he won't know the specifics until he gets elected.
ReplyDeleteTalk about buying a pig in a poke!!
I think I get it now: if Somerby thinks a popular criticism of a Republican is weak and ineffective, he must be a supporter of the person you want to revile. Many of the comments here in the last few days unfortunately could be used as a study guide on how tribe affiliation trumps all.
ReplyDeleteAnd for all you on the Equivalency Team: you say a discussion is invalid if it produces a "false equivalence." I would wager that you have *never* seen a "true equivalence" between a Republican and a Democrat. Never. So we can always attack Republicans as we are always on higher moral ground.
A lot of "Amen!" from the choir, but crickets in the pews.
Exactly. Somerby is one of "Mitt's defenders."
DeleteCan we get stupider? We're sure to try!
The stupid fucks come out during election season, like hibernating locusts. They consume all the intelligence from the discourse, then dig themselves a hole and crawl into it, oblivious to the damage they have caused, until the next election, when the cycle repeats itself. This is the fourth consecutive presidential election where I've seen it happen. The funny thing is, it's different people each time, but each generation behaves the same as the one before it. Locusts.
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ReplyDeleteHell, I'd climb a whole mountain of shit stinkin' nazi hopefuls for a big plate of cheesy grits.
FREE AMERICA
REVOLUTIONARY (DIRECT) DEMOCRACY
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So, Bob, are you calling Finney a "chimp"? If it wasn't just us demented folks reading your blog they would have you doing the George Allen perp walk by now. Be careful...you recall how the controversy started in the novel the Human Stain? Watch out Bob.
ReplyDeleteit is my personal hornor to acquire a watch at your web site,it is definitely great.
ReplyDelete