Guess Who Didn’t Come to Dinner!

If you didn’t see Hasan Minhaj at the White House Correspondence Dinner last night, you must correct that immediately! From Vox:

“This has been one of the strangest events I’ve ever done in my life,” Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj said late in his set at Saturday’s White House Correspondent’s Dinner, before going on to say he felt like a tribute in the Hunger Games, waiting to see “if Steve Bannon is going to eat me.”

It was part of a good, but odd, performance from the comedian, who was hampered by the fact that the person he spent the most time making fun of — President Donald Trump himself — wasn’t in the room. (For his part, Trump accused the media of spreading “fake news” and said they deserved a “big fat failing grade” during a rally for supporters the same evening in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.)

Hasan has been my favorite Daily Show correspondent for a while, but right now, to me he is….

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Fundy-mental

From THINK PROGRESS LGBT:

In just her first year in office, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) has proven to be one of the most socially conservative members of Congress, and today she demonstrated just how intolerant she is of people who do not share her beliefs. In an interview, she and the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins were condemning the Air Force Academy for creating an outdoor worship space that accommodates “Earth-based” religions. Hartzler said she believes that her rabidly conservative brand of Christianity is “the main religion in our country” and condemned any attempt to accommodate “fringe religions”:

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The Wild, Wild West

From THINK PROGRESS:

Republican Allen West was just elected to the House of Representatives in Florida’s 22nd district, defeating two-term Democratic Rep. Ron Klein. His first move since being elected is rather strange: he has hired a conservative talk radio host, Joyce Kaufman, to be his congressional chief of staff.

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The Macaca Awards! And the Winners Are…

In this last post about this round of the 1st Semi-Regular Macaca Awards, let’s remember what the award is all about.  Once again, I will borrow the words of my handsome and talented collaborator, Tengrain, of Mock, Paper, Scissors:

It seems so long ago that George Allen uttered the words that moved a generation (and sank his political career), and forever seared the word Macaca into our collective brain.
And so we honor all that is appalling in American Politics with the First Semi-Regular Macaca Awards.

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Welcome our special presenters who will be handing out the awards.

The Macaca Awards! Part IV

We continue with nominations for the Mock, Paper, Scissors–Hysterical Raisins 1st Semi-Regular Macaca Awards.

(Image courtesy of Tengrain)

Tonight’s category is Outstanding Achievement in Promoting Fundamentalist Christian Theocracy and Pooping on the First Amendment, and the nominees are:

Silly Season

From TALKING POINTS MEMO:

In a three-way Tennessee Republican gubernatorial primary to be held this Thursday, two right-wing candidates have been splitting what Monty Python would call the “silly vote,” leaving Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam as the de facto “sensible candidate,” and thus making him the frontrunner.

A recent Mason-Dixon poll gave Haslam the lead with 36%, followed by Rep. Zach Wamp at 25% and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey with 20%. To be sure, Haslam has tacked right somewhat. For example, he used to be a member of New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s (I) Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition. But in early 2009 he left the group and joined the National Rifle Association.

But with that said, there’s nothing that Haslam has done or said that compares to the other two.

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CPT:2010 The Brain That Wouldn’t Work

From TALKING POINTS MEMO:

Sharron Angle has resorted to an unusual maneuver to counter Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s attacks on her past quotes and positions, the Reid campaign has announced: A cease-and-desist letter, demanding that Reid no longer republish Angle’s previous campaign website.

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Delete the Press

From Greg Hinz at CHICAGO BUSINESS:

The Democratic and Republican nominees for the U.S. Senate, Alexi Giannoulias and Mark Kirk, gave their views on planning and environmental issues at a Metropolitan Planning Council lunch on Monday.

But the news was what happened afterward: Mr. Kirk literally ran out the hotel door rather than answer questions about a host of recent reports that he repeatedly has exaggerated his experience and credentials.

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