Without standards to violate, the thrill of getting by with stomping on your own public image, would it be so thrilling? I leave that for those with degrees in behavior sciences that I don’t have.

C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy

A. THE BLOW JOB:

McConnell & Boehner spent their Easter Break blowing Wall Street C-Street Style – behind closed doors, in secret, hoping the public never finds out. While some Christians were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus – McConnell & Boehner were celebrating the resurrection of the God Almighty Dollar with Hedge Fund Managers in New York. Like good little prostitutes, McConnell and Boehner left with a bag full of $$Millions$$ – taxpayer money – for their own personal political use.

We all know media insiders thrive on gossip and style over substance and ideas–look at the way cable news has inhaled the Tiger Woods and White House gatecrashers “stories” over the past couple of weeks. Roll Call is doing its bit to make sure political coverage is more like People Magazine than serious journalism. An article on Wednesday asked whether Sen. John Thune (R-SD) is “presidential timber”. You might think the answer to that question would hinge on Sen. Thune’s positions on important issues–or that the answer might require at least mentioning one of Sen. Thune’s positions on any issue. No, the article studiously avoids digging into the dirty well of substance. You won’t find discussion of any position Sen. Thune takes on any issue in the article, which suggests that he is “increasingly being viewed as the Capitol’s most likely White House contender.” Readers are told, twice, that Sen. Thune is “telegenic”. Apart from that, the piece focuses on Sen. Thune’s fundraising abilities (he has “an impressive rolodex of donors”) and his role in the Republican leadership.

Two reasons — the kids and The Family. No, not their own — this one.