Watch What He Does, Not What He Says

I was trying to find a diversion from the dramatic news in Egypt when I noticed this piece in today's Washington Times on one of the biggest phonies on the planet. Reading about what a hypocrite Michael Moore is begs the question: should I be allowed to have this much fun?

It's curious. I have friends on the left who think Rush Limbaugh is a hypocrite because he's a family-values guy who also happens to be a drug addict and was married four times. They're right about Rush. He's a major-league charlatan. But for some reason, those same people can't see through Michael Moore. They fail to grasp the irony of a man who denounces capitalism at every available opportunity, while profiting handsomely from it.

From the WT:

Mr. Moore is a jet-setting multimillionaire living a life of luxury, leisure and fame. He travels in a private plane and a fleet of SUVs ... He also dislikes using union workers on his sets - or paying them union wages ... He is completely detached from the workers he claims to defend.

and this:

He claims that white flight from the cities to the suburbs is based on fear of blacks ... Yet ... he does not live in an interracial neighborhood. Instead, he has made his home at a swanky mansion in Central Lake, in an upscale, exclusive and overwhelmingly white community in northern Michigan.

Ironically, I defended Moore when Republicans in Enfield, Conn., foolishly tried to prevent the public library there from showing Sicko, Moore's scathing film on the U.S. healthcare system.

Also, there is the irony of a 400-pound man with a private plane lecturing us on over-consumption, but we won't go there ...

A Different Kind of Empire

I don't keep up with popular culture to the extent that I should, so I only found out about this great series from my friend Chris.

Just saw episode 8 of the new HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. I've got a column to write today, so I'll have to keep this sort of brief.

There are several reasons to like this series about a crime family that basically runs all of Atlantic City during Prohibition:

1. Like the outstanding Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire is about mobsters. One of the things I liked about Sopranos was the writers always made sure the thugs had some redeeming qualities. The very crooked Thompson family — and even their enemies — feature at least a few characters you can connect with on some level (e.g Jimmy Darmody)
2. The production is highly stylized without being pretentious. Most of the characters are sharply drawn without being reduced to caricatures. That is no mean feat in a series about the mob.
3. I love how the lead character, Atlantic City treasurer and mob boss Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, doesn't look like a mobster. He looks like an impeccably dressed nerd. That bit of ironic casting actually makes Nucky a little more frightening than, say Tony Soprano or Vito Corleone.

Here's something not to like about it:

• There is so much gratuitous, profanity, nudity and sex that you'll want to make sure you are well out of range of children. If I were watching a scene in the cat house that Jimmy frequents, I would be absolutely horrified if my 12-year-old daughter walked in.

Of course, other than that, the series is perfect. If you haven't already, take a look and let me know what you think.

Come On, Gary!

Trying to really get inside the minds of comedians and satirists is difficult, if not impossible. Sort of like cracking a tough-shelled egg without breaking the yolk. Interviewing one rarely amounts to anything more than a "why-are-you-so-funny?" bull session. Of course, P.J. O'Rourke is a notable exception ...

Still, I found myself strangely drawn to this Gary Trudeau interview, conducted via email by Slate's David Plotz, mainly because of the sub-headline that mentioned "the difficulty of satirizing Obama." Here's what the author of Doonesbury, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, said about the subject:

Believe it or not, Obama's very tough for business. The contradictory characterizations of him as fascist or socialist only serve to confirm the truth -- he's a raging moderate. And satirists don't do well with moderates, especially thoughtful ones. In addition, Obama rarely makes gaffes and has no salient physical or temperamental features. And sinking popularity isn't a critique. Even SNL's main rap on him is his unflappability, hardly a vice in a world leader.

Hmmm ... First of all, you could make a pretty good case that Obama isn't terribly moderate — at least not in a center-right nation like the U.S. I suspect that's why his party will take such a drubbing in the midterm congressional elections.

He "rarely makes gaffes?" Perhaps that's because they're seldom reported in the news media Trudeau consumes. Indeed, Obama's list of gaffes is long and substantial -- not quite on a level with his vice president, but formidable nonetheless.

No "salient physical" features? Are you kidding me? Cartoonist Pat Oliphant has said the same thing, complaining that "Obama's physical features don't naturally lend themselves to caricature." Think about it, guys. The big ears, the white teeth, the cigarettes, the omnipresent TOTUS. Heck, George Bush was mercilessly caricatured to look like Curious George, a baboon, Alfred E. Newman or worse.

As I've already stated, I can't pretend to get inside of Trudeau's head. But I suspect his reluctance to caricature Obama stems from a genuine affection for the man and his policies, coupled with a fear of being labeled a racist for exaggerating Obama's physical features.

Come on, Gary. Throw political correctness to the wind, After an initial reluctance, even Jon Stewart has dared to make fun of the man he once supported. You once went In Search of Reagan's Brain. Can't you go looking for Obama's 'prompter?

His Future Is A Blank $later

Why did the story of JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater capture the imagination of the American people at a time when we should be focusing on serious issues -- like the struggling economy or the coming mid-term elections? Simple really.

It's sheer vicarious fantasy. Haven't we all -- at various points in our careers -- wanted to quit our jobs because of the morons we have to work with? Haven't we all become exasperated by clients who behave like they're the only people on the planet and who are convinced that the rules don't apply to them?

And the way this fellow went out -- cursing out the passengers on the intercom, grabbing a couple of beers and sliding down the chute! Even Johnny Paycheck couldn't have dreamed up such a plan.

Slater has turned into a folk hero. Part of me thinks it was by design. Could a book deal be in the offing? How about "Take This Job and Shove It" for a title? And what brand of beer did he reach for? I foresee a TV spot for Sam Adams.

I seriously think Slater could get a 7-figure book deal out of this. I'm sure he has lots of stories about crazy passengers who do outrageous things. And one of 'em pushed him to the breaking point.

Sit him down with an experienced writer and editor and off we go. Good story.

P.S. Maybe Peggy Noonan is right. "JetBlue Nation" will throw the bums out in November.