Respect Authority

Despite a head cold that’s made it near-impossible for me to enjoy my favorite herbal refreshment, I managed to tune in - soberly - for President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation yesterday evening. 

The spiel, which included any number of morale boosters and both long- and short-term promises, instilled in me that same national pride afforded by any of the president’s statements. That said, I find myself a little speech-weary these days. Show me an inspiratial Obama speech and I’ll show you a country that’s still totally fucked. 

Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t lost faith. Rather I’m simply concerned, like any American who’s started to see the effects of the recession. And for the first time since he became a public figure, Obama was just a little less adept at hiding his own concern. 

After months of touting a progressive effort to look forward instead of back, the president was throwin’ bows last night, sniping about the deficit he inherited, the war his predecessor mismanaged, and the economy decades of past presidents, executives and regulators let grow exponentially on the back of fabricated money. He also outlined, rather frankly, some of the most impressive failings in America today: if you drop out of high school, you’re a loser. If you bought or are buying a home ludicrously out of your price range, you are a loser. And if you decide to redecorate your office in the midst of a recession your very company helped create (I’m looking at you John Thain), you too are a loser. 

Luckily for Obama, and in a “kicked while they’re down” scenario for Republicans everywhere, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s GOP response was nothing if not awkward, ill-prepared and 75% off topic. The speech, which Gawker phenomenally pegged as a real-life incarnation of 30 Rock’s hillbilly/aid Kenneth - included gems like “as a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad,” and some weird metaphor involving volcanoes. Moreover, although Jindal can hardly be blamed for Hurricane Katrina, he made a mistake in alluding to Louisiana as a model for fiscal and governmental success: New Orleans is basically Sodom and Gomorrah these days. By the end of Jindal’s clip, I was ready to spend another $740 bajillion just to get him off screen. 

Barack Obama has always wanted to, and promised to, make us a country full of winners. We should be at the forefront of new industries and technology, without sacrificing national integrity in the interest of a bottom line. But last night was the first time I got a whiff of impatience from the poised president: before we can be a nation of winners, we have to undo the mistakes of quite a few losers.

Halloween is almost upon us, which means we at RA need to plan our egging route. But before Friday is here, there’s plenty of distraction ahead, like that whole “election” thing everyone’s been talking about. It’s also, scarily, the last week of October, meaning things like Thanksgiving, Christmas and visits to our elderly relatives’ musty-smelling houses, are imminent. Might as well make the best of this month while you still have it around.

This week’s The Future Freaks Me Out dabbles in all of the above, minus the elderly relatives. Enjoy. Read More ›

We are all witnesses. We are all laughing, smiling, idiotic witnesses of the death of one of America’s most beloved funny women (women here is plural, and just barely). I’m talking, of course, about Ana Gasteyer. Actually, no, I’m talking about the painful ongoing death of Tina Fey, and no one realizes what’s happening.

Just a little more than a month ago, Tina Fey was the at the toppermost of the poppermost. Years after becoming the first ever female head writer of SNL, then a star of the show thanks to Weekend Update, followed by a successful turn in writing the only watchable thing Lindsay Lohan has ever done, Fey created 30 Rock, the funniest network sitcom over the last year and a multiple Emmy winner. Things were going great for Tina Fey.

Everyone loved her (and not just those among us anymore who are turned on by the ever important glasses/facial scar combo) and she was in the very rare breed of being a female comedian who is actually, legitimately funny (though she still trails Amy Sedaris in that department). Even starring in a not so great movie, and a not so annoying commercial, was good for her because it pushed her closer to becoming a major mainstream star, and deservedly so. Not all transitions go so smoothly (I’m looking at you, Wanda Sykes).

So then what happened you ask?  Why is she dying?  The answer is a two-parter with the first part being very clear and simple: Sarah Palin.
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