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As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."

Thursday, May 12, 2005

I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...

I used to love Dennis Miller. Loved him. In the 80s he was a big influence on my wanting to get into stand-up comedy. I figured if he could talk about politics and social issues, maybe I could do the same. Of course, I later found out that his brother was an agent and a club owner, so he didn't have any opportunity to fail. Also, according to this he sort of backed into the whole "political comedian" thing. In fact, Al Franken had a great story about a panel discussion he did with Miller.

Miller said, in reference to Clinton, "I can't believe the 41st President of the US" yadda yadda yadda...

Franken interrupts him, says, "Um, Dennis. Clinton was actually the 43rd President."

Miller goes, "Oh right, yeah I knew that babe, sorry. I can't believe the 43rd President" yadda yadda yadda...

"Dennis," Franken interrupts again. "I was lying, he's actually the 42nd President."

So Miller's like a lot of conservative "intellectuals," a mile wide but an inch deep.

And now, as a real political comedian, the news of his CNBC cancellation is oh-so-gratifying.

Miller tacked hard right like other September 11th conservatives, after being charmed by Bush (?) and deciding to let his most xenophobic thoughts out into the open. He became increasingly embittered, less funny, and more oblivious to the facts, instead trying to snarkily reference his way through them. The guy was an embarrassment to himself at the end, particularly a couple weeks ago, when he went on The Daily Show (which gets like 18 times the viewers as his dearly departed program) and tried to moderate his views, pleading with his audience that he was "just a libertarian." In fact Digby puts it best:

I knew it was over when Bush's fawning sycophant, Dennis Miller, tried to pass himself off as a libertarian on Jon Stewart's show a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I found that little moment quite uplifting. There is nobody more trendy, more "finger in the wind," more faddish than the Rant man himself. If he's climbing off the conservative bun-boy train, then the zeitgeist has definitely shifted.

A hearty Amen to that one.

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