Wonkette has a compilation of some of the more enjoyably, pointlessly soft questions lobbed at John Roberts. I’ve caught bits and pieces of the hearing from NPR, and it seems like the senators are using their little 20-minute allotments as opportunities to just ramble on about whatever they think, as if they aren’t given some sort of platform to do the same thing every day of every year during their terms as senators. I can’t recally having actually heard a senator ask an actual question that required an answer that deviated from, “Yes, that would be accurate” or “The Congress traditionally has had the power of the purse.”
I can’t act surprised or incredulous; I don’t recall Breyer or Ginsburg’s confirmation hearings in the ’90s, so I have no idea if this is par for the course, but I suspect it is.
I got home in time to see the “Daily Show” and I have to say their attempt at a panel discussion was disappointing. It’s great that they’re trying to push the envelope … or whatever … but it was heavily edited (for time, I imagine, as they had less than five minutes), no one said anything of any import, and my vagina was embarrassed by the only woman on the panel — an expert in metaphysical creation or some such nonsense. Of course the only woman on the panel would be a new-age crazy with an annoying cackle (she’s a witch!!!). To be fair, the men were stereotypical as well: an uptight nerd and a bland, white bread author type.
I think the whole Evolution Schmevolution series this week has seemed a bit undercooked. It just doesn’t seem to have the bite that the most successful “DS” skits have. The first day’s report from Dayton, Tenn., home of the Scopes monkey trial, was pretty funny. I am one of those self-loathing Southerners, so I enjoyed the ribbing they gave us country folk. The Hooters bit today, however, was a bit pointless, and I don’t even think it qualifies as satire.
It’s TV, and fake news at that, so what the fuck am I complaining about?