Pundit Fight - The Political Arena

Glenn Beck's wrestling style promo to President: "You have until Monday" to tell the truth about Boston Marathon bombing

2013-04-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

The aim for effective storytelling in Pro-Wrestling is delaying gratification. In the world of wrestling, the real money is made in Pay-Per-Views (PPVs). The majority of television is devoted to creating hype so people tune in to the next episode or Main Event. Think of it like a TV show with perpetual cliffhangers, forever "to be continued". The trick is in convincing the audience of a substantial resolution, that the upcoming show truly can't be missed. This is the same case for American Politics and Punditry as explained by Jon Stewart and Wyatt Cenac:

Jon Stewart, Wyatt Cenac and Mick Foley endorse the analogy that American Politics is like pro-wrestling
WYATT CENAC: Jon here's your problem. You think politicians wanna win their arguments when all they really wanna do is keep having them. They know arguments are interesting, they energize voters, they keep the money flowing in.
JON STEWART: You're telling me their interest is in conflict, not in resolution?
WYATT CENAC: Yes. Jon do you watch professional wrestling?

APF pundit Glenn Beck is one of the best in the business at creating hype and cutting Wrestling Style promos. A wrestling promo typically features these elements:
1) An opponent identified and denounced - "Somebody in Washington"
2) A resolution date - "You have until Monday"
3) Generating hype and Intimidation - "I don't bluff, I make promises"
4) The consequences, how it will be delivered - "The Blaze will expose it"

Watch Beck as he threatens those in Power with the exposure of damning information regarding a cover-up of the Boston Marathon bombing.

VIDEO: Glenn Beck Gives Government Until Monday to

Come Clean About Boston Bombing Cover-Up

GLENN BECK: Its best coming from you, not coming from a News organisation. Its best coming from you, you have until Monday. We have information on who this man is and listen to me carefully, in your little event world.
We know he is a very bad, bad, bad man. I know that doesn't make much sense to you right now but on Monday it will. It makes sense to somebody in Washington. I don't bluff, I make promises. The truth matters. I've had enough of what you've done to our Country. I thought I had heard and seen it all. I thought that I didn't trust my Government. Oh no. No, no there is no depth that these people won't stoop to. You have until Monday and then the Blaze will expose it

Guess we'll see you Monday when all is revealed.

Update: Below is a taster on what Beck might reveal of the 'event'

TheBlaze EXCLUSIVE: Saudi student connected to Boston Marathon bombing set to be deported under “security related grounds” Update: Congressional source confirms
The FBI said a file was started "just in case he was found to be connected to the crime," however, the file shows he was scheduled to be deported. This was not precautionary, it was listed as “orders.” The file was immediately classified. Sources are telling TheBlaze the deportation order will be classified as well – requiring a FOIA to access it.

One agent told TheBlaze he believes a "voluntary" departure has been signed – that means the Saudi student could be out of the country as early as today. While the official story was going to be “he wanted to go home,” the student was actually being deported.

TheBlaze has been told that by a source that this "looks like they were trying to make this a ‘lone wolf’ crime, so the Saudi government would be spared embarrassment and the U.S. would avoid explaining how a terror cell was active when we had AQ on the run."

Sarah Palin transcript at CPAC 2013 - Politics is reality, diss of Architect Karl Rove

2013-03-18T03:56:00.002-07:00

VIDEO: Former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin at CPAC 2013

Ever the showman Sarah Palin put on a raucous display for the audience at CPAC 2013. Whilst electrifying the crowd she cautioned about how Politics felt a little too staged and that Politicians of both parties were hamstrung by the "process of politics".

Former Governor Sarah Palin at CPAC 2013
SARAH PALIN: Entertainment TV is a good description of what's going on in D.C. because more than ever it feels like a put on. Every event feels calculated to fool us somehow, every speech feels like a con. Washington politicians, too many of both parties have a bad habit of focusing on the process of politics instead of the purpose of politics which is to lead and to serve.
Even our guys in the GOP too often have a habit of reading their stage directions, especially these days. They're being too scripted, too calculated...

Palin has diagnosed the same problem that is hampering effective leadership in American Politics, the endless campaign and the staged conflict. An opinion shared by the PunditFight blog and the likes of Jon Stewart and Ann Coulter.

The Daily Show (March 15, 2010) - Crumbums and Fat cats
WYATT CENAC: Jon here's your problem. You think politicians wanna win their arguments when all they really wanna do is keep having them. They know arguments are interesting, they energize voters, they keep the money flowing in.
JON STEWART: You're telling me their interest is in conflict, not in resolution?
WYATT CENAC: Yes. Jon do you watch professional wrestling?

Sarah Palin offers a remedy for the stagecrafted Politicians whilst sending a veiled diss to "Architect" Karl Rove. A shoot promo reminiscent of CM Punk' inside baseball diss of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

SARAH PALIN: (23min) Ending the top-down approach to D.C. also means changing out top-down political process. The next election is 20 months away, now is the time to furlough the political consultants, tune out the pollsters, send the focus groups home and toss the political scripts because if we truly know what we believe, we don't need professionals to tell us...
it means looking to our communities, our PTAs, our service clubs, small businesses, Tea Party rallies and city halls for people who are willing to lead. Do you know someone who's judgment you trust? Someone who doesn't just preach commonsense but actually lives it. Encourage her -- or him to run for office.

Are you Mad as Hell and think that you have a better way? Then run yourself. Don't let the Big Consultants, the Big Money Men, the Big, Bad media scare you off. Don't let them invalidate you. When you have more real world, practical experience with family, real work. That's real life than those in the political bubble that try to tell you who's worthy and who just doesn't fit their bill. The last thing we need is Washington D.C. vetting our candidates. If these experts who keep losing elections and keep getting rehired and raking in millions. If they feel that strongly about who gets to run in this party then they should buck up and stay in the truck. Buck up and run!

The Architect[s] can head on back to the great Lone Star state and put their name on some ballot though for their own sake I hope they give themselves a discount on their consulting services.

Jon Stewart taking Summer ‘Daily Show’ hiatus, John Oliver fills in as host

2013-03-07T19:31:00.004-08:00

Deadline reports that APF pundit Jon Stewart will be taking a break from hosting the Daily Show to direct his first feature film 'Rosewater', an adaptation of the book 'Then They Came For Me'. Its based off a memoir written by Maziar Bahari, a journalist imprisoned by Iran in 2009. He has appeared on the Daily Show three times, accused by the Iranian Government of being a spy during his first appearance.

UPDATE: Jon Stewart Taking Summer ‘Daily Show’ Hiatus To Direct First Film And “Challenge” Himself, John Oliver To Sub
11 AM EXCLUSIVE: Jon Stewart will take a 12-week summer hiatus from hosting Comedy Central‘s The Daily Show to make his feature directing debut. In his absence, Daily Show regular John Oliver will be guest host for eight weeks of fresh shows. Stewart has written the script for and will direct Rosewater, an adaptation of the book Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story Of Love, Captivity And Survival. Published in 2011 by Random House, the book is Maziar Bahari’s harrowing ordeal of leaving London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential elections. With a pregnant fiance left behind, the BBC journalist expected to be away for a week. Instead, he spent the next 118 days in Iran’s most notorious prison being brutally interrogated by a man he knew only by one thing: he smelled of Rosewater. Bahari wrote the book with Aimee Molloy. Scott Rudin will produce with Stewart and Gigi Pritzker. Pritzker’s OddLot Entertainment is financing the film.

Glenn Beck objects to WWE's demonization of the Tea Party through "Zeb Colter" character

2013-02-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

VIDEO: Glenn Beck on WWE's demonization of the Tea Party

Your browser does not support iframes.
Update: For some reason the MLB has appeared on this video.
Find the video direct from GlennBeck.com here - WWE creates controversial Tea Party wrestler

Glenn Beck Show: WWE Demonizes Tea Party Character
GLENN BECK: You know I can take it from a lot of people, I really can. I can't take it from the stupid wrestling people, especially since a lot of the people -- I would imagine that a lot of the people who watch wrestling are not New York elites. Now call me crazy, I'm going out on a limb. I don't think a lot of Ivy league Harvard professors are watching WWE. I also don't think a lot of the progressive administration officials are watching the WWE. So who watches it?

I personally think when the WWE comes after the Tea Party, that's like NASCAR coming after the Tea Party. Maybe at a higher level than wrestling...

Glenn Beck founded website 'The Blaze' has a great piece explaining the outrage caused by WWE's faux racist persona. - WWE Challenges Glenn Beck to appear on its Wrestling program after he criticized their Racist Tea Party character (update: Beck responds)

What's most perplexing isn't that the WWE has created a Politically incorrect Villain to manufacture visceral feelings of hate, that's par for the course in Wrestling. As Glenn Beck and his co-hosts discuss, what's confounding is how the caricature alienates the core audience.

GLENN BECK: ... Who are they appealing to?
STU BURGUIERE: Wouldn't the argument be -- at least one of the arguments would be they're trying to create villains. They do this all the time, they're trying to create a villain. Like when I was a kid, I remember the Iron Sheik. The Iron Sheik was from Iran and was always saying terrible things about America - that doesn't mean the WWE [WWF at the time] didn't like America. They were trying to make a villain out of the Iron Sheik. But this is different, the villain, the guy you're supposed to hate is this stereotype of this conservative I've never met
GLENN BECK: The problem with this is a bunch of Sheiks weren't watching the WWE. So you're making a villain of what? -- 80% of your audience who are tired as it is of being miscast...

It's an understandable observation for Beck to make but those familiar with the theatre of wrestling should be aware that anything goes when it comes to "getting a draw". Whether a reaction is good or bad is negligible as long as it elicits a reaction, the stronger the better. The art is in harnessing those reactions and manipulating them through effective storytelling. At its purest, Wrestling is a circular hype machine not unlike Punditry.

Whilst its curious that WWE would alienate a largely Conservative Wrestling fanbase considering Linda McMahon ran for Senate as a Republican. One needs to be aware of the scruples of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon who has yet to find a cow too sacred to be sacrificed. In service of "the business" Vince has forsaken his own safety, children, money, integrity, marriage, character and even his own death. The manufactured controversy has been successful with the coverage the WWE has received from objections voiced by influential media personalities like Glenn Beck and Alex Jones. A great buildup for the Wrestling Calendar's biggest show of the year, WrestleMania XXIX featuring a title match between Mexican Champion Alberto Del Rio and the suddenly relevant Jack Swagger. Instant heat!

Zeb Colter's "Real American" promo on WWE Raw (transcript)

2013-02-22T08:22:00.005-08:00

VIDEO: Zeb Colter "Real American" promo on WWE Raw

Uncle Zeb Colter w/ Jack Swagger promo: WWE Raw (Feb 11, 2013)
ZEB COLTER: Fellow Americans, I got a question for ya. What is wrong with America? Zeb Colter knows what's wrong, Jack Swagger knows what's wrong but I think most Americans have forgotten what is wrong with America. Years ago me and this man's daddy laid in a jungle in Vietnam with bullets whizzing by our heads, you know why? Because we were real patriots, we were real Americans and now I look around and I see a Country that I don't even recognize. I see people with faces not like mine. I see people that I don't even know what they're saying. They can't even talk to me and I look around and I think where did all these people come from but most importantly I think how do we get rid of 'em? We the people, Americans -- Real Americans know the truth. Zeb Colter knows the truth. Jack Swagger knows the truth because this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, not the land of the free and the home to whoever wants to cross our borders.

This is a Real American. Its our Country, its our land to protect and defend because we are real patriots, real Americans and remember "We the People".

- Go to Zeb Colter's official Youtube channel: youtube.com/WeThePeopleZeb

Marc Maron, Colt Cabana and Roland Barthes: The intersection of Wrestling, Comedy and Podcasting

2013-01-24T09:57:00.004-08:00

During the intro of the 334th episode of WTF with Wrestler Colt Cabana, host Marc Maron explains his tenuous relationship with Wrestling. Despite having Mick Foley on his Air America show and his long-time producer being an Avid wrestling fan, Marc had little appreciation for wrestling growing up. Though in speaking to Colt he was made more aware of the parallels with Wrestling and Stand-up comedy. To initiate his podcast audience with the nuances of Wrestling he read out an essay from French philosopher Roland Barthes on the subject which was particularly illuminating
Listen to the hole episode here - WTF with Marc Maron episode 334: Colt Cabana

'Mythologies' by Roland Barthes

THE WORLD OF WRESTLING
We are therefore dealing with a real Human Comedy, where the most socially-inspired nuances of passion (conceit, rightfulness, refined cruelty, a sense of 'paying one's debts') always felicitously find the clearest sign which can receive them, express them and triumphantly carry them to the confines of the hall. It is obvious that at such a pitch, it no longer matters whether the passion is genuine or not. What the public wants is the image of passion, not passion itself. There is no more a problem of truth in wrestling than in the theater. In both, what is expected is the intelligible representation of moral situations which are usually private. This emptying out of interiority to the benefit of its exterior signs, this exhaustion of the content by the form, is the very principle of triumphant classical art. Wrestling is an immediate pantomime, infinitely more efficient than the dramatic pantomime, for the wrestler's gesture needs no anecdote, no decor, in short no transference in order to appear true...

- TXC 'Total Xtreme Comedy': Wrestlers Mick Foley and Colt Cabana performing stand-up
- Mick Foley: Politics is just like wrestling
- Jon Stewart, Wyatt Cenac and Mick Foley endorse the analogy that American Politics is like pro-wrestling
- Mick Foley and Sean Morley: When wrestlers become pundits

PunditFight Technical issues

2013-01-24T09:57:00.002-08:00

Output on PunditFight has been sporadic at best and will be slow for the foreseeable future. Being abroad in 2011 and focused on other projects in 2012, as it stands PunditFight will stay up largely as an archive of the 'Politics is Wrestling' meme.

Some server issues have meant that a lot of the animations and blog graphics are [at least temporarily] unavailable. So too was the PunditFight.com domain which featured an Artist bio and other assorted illustrations.

Thank You for supporting the blog and kindly enjoy the archives

Political Kombat '12: Obama vs. Romney - Fighting game parody

2012-11-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

VIDEO: Political Kombat '12 - Obama vs. Romney

A great Mortal Kombat parody incorporating all the tropes associated with President Obama and the challenger Mitt Romney. The animation created by Taige Jensen and Andrew Bouvé features all the key issues of the Candidate and animates them as 'Special Moves'.

Political Kombat '12: Obama vs. Romney

Find other Kombat videos here:
- Political Kombat '12: Obama vs. Trump
- Political Kombat '12 (Romney vs. Rick Santorum + Herman Cain )

NY Times statistician Nate Silver tells Stephen Colbert "he doesn't like pundits"

2012-11-06T07:22:00.002-08:00

VIDEO: Nate Silver interview on the 'Colbert Report'

STEPHEN COLBERT: Are you tying to put pundits out of work? Cuz CNN doesn't need any more help
(audience laughter)
NATE SILVER: I'm just trying to explain to people that pundits can be very entertaining but...
COLBERT: What's you opinion on Pundits? C'mon shoot from the hip
SILVER: I'm not very pro-pundit I have to say. I would vote against it... I think a lot of people get on TV and they don't really have a lot of conviction behind them. It kinda becomes a game to entertain the audience or the other half of the audience or whatever else right...
COLBERT: That is the longest possible way of calling him [Joe Scarborough] a bullsh*tter

- Colbert Mocks Scarborough For Trusting His 'Gut' Over Nate Silver's 'Math'
- How Obama got Elected: John Ziegler vs. Nate Silver

Meme prediction: Romney and Obama go toe to toe at the 2nd Presidential debate

2012-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm quite late with my meme prediction for the 2nd Presidential Debate but the lasting visuals were apparent for anyone who watched any coverage of the event. Truth be told, the optics were predictable considering the freedom of movement afforded to the Candidates in the Town Hall format.

(16m 12s) Challenger Romney harangues President Obama
in regards to his handling of local oil production

(1h 4m) Romney challenges Obama on his own "Chinese Investments",
questioning if he's checked his pension of late

Meme prediction: Joe Biden can't control his laughter at the Vice Presidential Debate

2012-10-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

For the Vice Presidential debate, the meme has to be Joe Biden dismissing Paul Ryan with uncontrollable laughter. Reminiscent of a wrestler bristling off a challenge from someone he considers no contest.

Joe Biden laughing off Paul Ryan at the Vice Presidential Debate

APF Pundit Dennis Miller conceded Biden's performance might have been considered a win but also off-putting to some

The Dennis Miller Show: Give Biden a 10
BIDEN: I do think he was perfectly emblematic of contemporary liberals... that's how I see them, how I saw Biden last night - protective of their time, covetous of yours. Constantly laughing, grinning or throwing their hands up when you're making your point and expect that you'll sit there and act like you're in cyclical when you're speaking. And usually to pull that off they need a magician's assistant (Debate Moderator Martha Raddatz)...

Glenn Beck says Romney might've been sick "this was a performance with him not feeling well"

2012-10-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

Your browser does not support iframes.

MSNBC on suicide watch, admits they are Obama propaganda machine
GLENN BECK: By the way did anyone else notice that Romney had kinda of like a pink upper lip. It looks like he's been sick. I don't know if he was sick but I bet you that he was a sick. This was a performance with him not feeling well... Did you notice the upper lip with it being a little pink from tissue. I think he's got a cold, if this is a guy on Nyquil I'm in. "You had me at Hello"

Its common in the fight game for a fighter to conceal any injuries before entering a fight to not expose possible weaknesses. Sometimes mild illnesses before battle provide for good psychology. Its never used as an excuse for defeat but on the flipside can create a narrative that a sportsman has an imposing will to win, the most famous example being Michael Jordan's "Flu game".

Meme prediction: Jim Lehrer losing control over Obama and Romney at the 1st Presidential Debate

2012-10-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

This seems like the meme to run with, Jim Lehrer as the hapless wrestling Referee

Jim Lehrer as the hapless referee of the 1st Presidential Debate

The Rumble 2012: Jon Stewart VS Bill O'Reilly on PPV

2012-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Daily Show have used the wrestling metaphor in regards to American Politics so its not surprising they've incorporated it playfully for the showdown between Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly.

The Rumble loses a lot of its sting because Jon and Bill are quite cordial with each other. Stewart is very respectful towards O'Reilly, increasingly so with each appearance. I was initially of the mind that O'Reilly was the least likely to break character (kayfabe) of the APF Pundits. His playfulness with Stewart shows he is able to ease up against perceived enemies and not always take himself so seriously.

Personally I feel Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh would make for a juicier PPV as both are monolothic and have successful independent brand names they have more "Aura". Being less answerable to critics they would be risking more in a battle with Jon Stewart. Some future dream matchups to think about for future PPVs.

Exit note: I'm predicting Stephen Colbert will work his way into the angle. As a Guest referee perhaps?

VIDEO: Jon Stewart VS Bill O'Reilly PPV - The Rumble 2012

Coming this Fall | 2 Men | 2 Podiums | 1 Air-conditioned Auditorium | O'Reilly VS Stewart | The Rumble in the Air-conditioned Auditorium | It's On! | The Internet! | Live Streaming | October 6th 8PM ET | It's why | It's why Al Gore invented the internet | www.therumble2012.com

Joe Scarborough will test the waters for a Presidential run in 2016

2012-09-11T17:22:00.001-07:00

When you thought it couldn't get any worse, the Morning Schmoe wants to be president?

- Mark Levin on Facebook

Conservative pundit Mark Levin links to a Vanity Fair piece on his Facebook page, taking a dig at fellow APF pundit Joe Scarborough

MSNBC’s Hot Ticket... After the presidential inauguration in January, Joe (no fan of Mitt Romney’s—"I've been very critical") plans on publishing a memoir that will serve—no joke—as a vehicle to test the waters for a presidential run in 2016. Take that, Mr. Romney.

North Korean film 'Propaganda' (2012) features Professional Wrestling

2012-07-22T08:03:00.002-07:00

VIDEO: North Korean film exposes
Western propaganda (9 of 10)

NARRATOR: (8m 50s)This game is based on something called WWE, which stands for World Wrestling Entertainment. Extreme violence cheered on by Americans baying for blood. They know the names of each one of these actors and yet they don't know where Britain is on the map despite the efforts of the British to be their best friends

UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen on his planned book linking Politics to ProWrestling

2012-06-26T09:05:00.004-07:00

For the last 6 years I've been covering the analogy that American Politics is not unlike Professional Wrestling. UFC Fighter and Promo king Chael Sonnen offers an interesting variation on the meme. He aims to discredit the credibility of the American Government for having been duped by Professional Wrestling.

VIDEO: UFC 148 - Chael "I Misunderstood Rules In 5 Round Fight w/ Silva"

CHAEL SONNEN: (1m 2s) I've been writing this book in my head for a decade. For a decade I had this idea I could explain everything you need to know about Government if I can get you to understand Professional Wrestling. You have to understand Professional Wrestling was sanctioned within 38 different States in this Country, which means it passed the Senate, it passed the House and was signed by Governors into law to oversee and regulate as a licensed referee watches a licensed athlete with a folding chair while he pretends to be unconscious with an earpiece in his right ear.

These are the same guys that though Professional Wrestling was real. That's why they did it. These are the same guys that are in charge of Healthcare, your Social security, your Education, teaching the Children, the military. These same guys. So when Vince McMahon goes to trial in 1989 and has to admit under oath the whole thing is a play. This is the most embarrassing thing that's happened in American Politics. Very quickly, State by State did away with their Wrestling commissions because they were embarrassed they fell for it. Our best and brightest, our elected officials fell for it and passed laws. But not all of them...

If I can get you to understand that then I can get you to not just accept things like Bird Flu or Global Warming or the War in Iraq or Party lines. These are the same guys that fell for Professional Wrestling.

Unfortunately as Chael explains he was never able to properly organise his concept to make the book.

SONNEN: Now with that in mind, do you wanna hear the bad news for me? So I've been working on this for 10 years. The whole concept, get the whole thing written out. I got 20 some pages and that's it. I've got nothing . In my head I've got this whole, I've got book after book. I've got nothing!

Find previous Chael Sonnen Punditfight posts here:
- Mark Levin interviews UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen
- Republican UFC Fighter Chael Sonnen withdraws from Oregon Senate Race

Shaun Micallef's MAD AS HELL, American Punditry done Australian style

2012-06-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

Australian funnyman Shaun Micallef parodies American style pundits for his new ABC show, 'Shaun Micallef's MAD AS HELL'. Micallef's second foray into satirical news after 'Newstopia' in 2007

Shaun displays impressive improv chops reminiscent of Stephen Colbert whilst carving his own path, the program owning its Australianness and preserving Shaun's signature absurd style. The show's title comes from the movie 'Network' (1976). News Anchor, Howard Beale famously rouses his discontented audience with an impassioned "I'm Mad as Hell" speech. APF pundits Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck have channeled Beale in recent years, Micallef similarly has modeled his comedic Anchorman after him.

All Pundit parodies will forever be judged on the gold standard that is Colbert and Micallef holds up capably as the following monologue shows. Stephen Colbert parodied the bravado and naked passion of punditry with lines like "I speak straight from the gut, okay? I give people the truth, unfiltered by rational argument" and "The 'truthiness' is, anyone can read the news to you. I promise to feel the news at you".

Read Micallef's own fresh take

MAD AS HELL Intro. Episode 4

SHAUN MICALLEF: What's all the whooing there. Are you out of your minds? Your sounding very American. You know I don't like that. It's crazy, its the start of the show. Its completely uncalled for reaction in my view. I'm sorry about starting the show in this way. Gun's down, the gun's down. I'm sorry I've never pulled a gun on an audience in my life

I'll be honest with you, I'm very angry this week and I'm not sure why. I feel a certain way about something but when I actually think about it I get just as angry but for a completely different reason and that makes me mad. So my anger this week is unfocused and double what it would be normally. So when how we feel and what we think are on the same road but are traveling in opposite directions you're on a collision course with blind fury and I don't like blind fury. It makes me furious! That's right I'm talking about...

Watch an excerpt of the show, featuring Sean's regular offsider Francis Greenslade.

VIDEO: Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell - Positivity and Growth Rate

The Chaser’s Empty Vessel at the 2012 Sydney Writers' Festival

2012-05-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

The last time I was at the Sydney Writers' Festival I had the privilege of seeing the late Christoper Hitchens.
The 2012 Festival offers a similarly juicy treat for Political junkies with the The Chaser’s Empty Vessel, what they've described as "A Variety, Talent show without the variety or talent".

@danilic "I'm at The Chaser's Empty Vessel it is like an intellectual gang bang #tcev #swf"

The maiden (Wednesday, May 16) show for 'The Chaser’s Empty Vessel', featured Chaser Muckrakers, Julian Morrow, Chris Taylor, Andrew Hansen, Chas Licciardello and Scott Dooley as they welcomed three authors on stage. Joe McGinnis and Nick Bryant were particularly interesting because of their anecdotes on American Politics. Mcginnis spoke of his friendship with Fox News president Roger Ailes, sharing his blunt appraisal of employee Sarah Palin. Joe is the author of 'The Rogue', a book he wrote whilst being next door neighbors with the the Palins. He shared a few stories proving there's no love lost between himself and the diminutive Todd and revealed having photos that could be gamechangers for the Palins.

Nick Bryant, an Englishman now living in Australia shared his experiences working with the Daily Mail. He offered anecdotes of his time covering Bill Clinton for his uni paper when he was a candidate and being a part of the Lewinsky circus in proceeding years.

There was an interesting exchange where Chris Taylor posed the question if the blurring of politics and entertainment was detrimental, the trivialising of politics is something this blog constantly wrestles with. The authors replied that likability has always been crucial to garnering votes citing how presidents like Nixon and Clinton had used Light Entertainment TV to appeal to the electorate.

The Chaser’s Empty Vessel will be on every evening from May 16th to the 20th for the Sydney Writers' Festival, featuring authors Joe McGinnis, Glenn Carle, Michael Hastings, Jeffrey Eugenides, Walled Aly and Marc Lewis.

'The Chaser' began as a satirical newspaper but are best known for their TV shows 'The Chaser's War on Everything' and faux news show 'CNNNN'

VIDEO: The Chasers War On Fox News

Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis’ Political Battle in "The Campaign"

2012-05-12T23:46:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: 'The Campaign 'Movie trailer starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis

Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis’ Political Battle in "The Campaign"

A new political satire starring comic super cast Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, The Campaign is bound for theaters this year. Indulging in his known penchant for George W. Bush impersonation, Ferrell plays a Southern politician running for office opposite Galifianakis in a congressional comedy making fun of American politics. A strong supporting cast include Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Brian Cox, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Sarah Baker. This hilarious Warner Bros spoof preempts the real presidential elections with its August 10 release.

Wrestlemania 28: Rock VS Cena - White House 45: Romney VS Obama Wallpaper

2012-03-27T22:13:00.007-07:00

WrestleMania: White House XLV Romney VS Obama Wallpaper

Just like Rock VS Cena for WrestleMania 28, its seems like Romney VS Obama has also been a year in the making.

Some Handy links looking back at the 2008 Election Season:
- View all the Art of the Primary PPV Posters
- Relive the struggle Between Hillary Clinton and Obama in the Democratic Primary
- Watch the main event between Barack Obama and John McCain
- Watch the rise and influence of Saturday Night Live
- Watch the entertaining sub plot involving the Vice Presidential candidates Sarah Palin and Joe Biden

Update: John Cena and Mitt Romney pose for photos at Daytona 500 in Florida. Find more photo photos from AP here - Romney takes campaign detour to Daytona

Laughspin: Marc Maron gets his own show on IFC

2012-03-21T06:53:00.005-07:00

Though Marc Maron has well and truly stepped away from the Political Talk arena, this is welcome news for fans of comedy and podcasting.

IFC greenlights Marc Maron show straight to series (Exclusive)
MARON explores a fictionalized version of Marc’s life, his relationships, and his career, including his incredibly popular WTF podcast, which features conversations Marc conducts with celebrities and fellow comedians. Neurosis intact, Maron is uniquely fascinating, absolutely compelling and brutally funny.
Produced for IFC by Fox Television Studios and Denis Leary and Jim Serpico’s Apostle, MARON (wt) is directed by Oscar® winning director Luke Matheny (God of Love) and executive produced by Marc Maron, Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, Olivia Wingate, and Duncan Birmingham, who also serves as the series’ writer.

- Listen to my 2008 PunditFight interview with Maron here, NerdsGoneWild presents: A conversation with Marc Maron
- Marc Maron's WTF podcast Ep 23: Wyatt Cenac talks pundits and professional wrestling
- Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt talk about Right Wing pundits and bad comedians

Newt Gingrich and Hulk Hogan are "Real Americans" but only one has a sex tape

2012-03-12T05:22:00.005-07:00

Hulk Hogan put Professional Wrestling on the map, during the height of his fame his iconic entrance theme sent fans into a frenzy. President Obama used it for comedic effect at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner and now Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has adopted it also:

Newt Gingrich Looks to Hulk Hogan for Inspirational Georgia Win
What do Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and the "Immortal" Hulk Hogan have in common? Well, they're both "Real Americans." Newt Gingrich bounced out to Hulk Hogan's epic 80s theme song when he was introduced to a crowd of supporters in Georgia on Monday. Apparently Gingrich is hoping that, much like the theme song helped inspire "Hulk-a-Mania" in the mid 80s, the song will inspire "Newt-a-Mania" on Super Tuesday in Georgia.
Professional wrestling and American politics make strange bedfellows...

Check out Talking Points Memo's tongue-in-cheek gallery - Newt Gingrich, Real American: An Anthem In Pictures

For those in the know, there is an amusing layer to Gingrich's mistimed use of the song as it coincides with rumors of a Hulk Hogan sex tape surfacing. Newt Gingrich has had a patchy Family Values history, having been married three times amongst other indiscretions.

The folks at Live Audio Wrestling capture it succinctly:

Mar. 11 Edition of The LAW w/ Steve Austin, Vader
JASON AGNEW: As the story of the Hogan sex tape was breaking, US Politician Newt Gingrich used the Real American by Rick Derringer to come out for his Post-Primary win in Georgia on Tuesday night. What a - just not informed.
DAN LOVRANSKI: I thought that was pretty funny yes

APF's own Sam Seder talked Wrestling and Politics, largely at the insistence of his producer Matt

VIDEO: Newt Gingrich: The Pro Wrestler of Politics

Find related posts below:
- Real American: Jon Stewart, Sarah Palin and Hulk Hogan
- Hulk Hogan brings change to 'TNA Total Nonstop Action' Wrestling
- Mike Huckabee Wallpaper - Huckamania!

Dean Barnett, Hugh Hewitt, Mitt Romney and PunditFight

2012-03-09T12:09:00.002-08:00

Hugh Hewitt, who has been gracious to this blog in the past recently referenced PunditFight as he laid out his delegate hypothesis to his peers. Not surprisingly its Pro-Romney.

What Just Happened? Punditmania 2012
I will test this conclusion against a line-up of guests from the Daily Mail's Toby Harnden, to Michael Barone and Conn Carroll of the Washington Examiner, AEI's James Pethokoukis, Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard, Chris Cillizza and Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post, Commentary's John Podhoretz, and the original dynamic duo of on-air blogging and punditry show-downs, Glenn Reynolds and Mickey Kaus.

Interestingly on this day, I was compelled to reference an old interview I did with the late Dean Barnett, a good friend and occasional fill-in for Hugh. Though this blog has always strived to be post-partisan, I recalled Dean's statement about wrestlers warring on screen but being cordial in the lockers. How civility may not always be possible but that it wasn't as heated as the audience were led to believe. These reflected my own personal thinking during my time away from full-time pundit watching.

My published transcripts didn't say as much as I remembered however I did find some endorsements of Mitt Romney that might be relevant for this time.

A PunditFight conversation with Dean Barnett
APF: It seems to me that Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson had the most compelling conservative credentials but there was a disconnect somewhere personality wise.

DB: One of the things that still irks me, is I don’t think the true Mitt Romney ever really came through to the electorate. If it did, this is a guy who worked for a big Company. Everybody who worked with him, everybody that did business with him loved him. Universally respected, universally liked.

I remember I was in Washington during the Primary season having lunch with another conservative writer and the name Mitt Romney came up, he’s question about Mitt Romney was "how come nobody like him". The people who know him like him but its true – and I’ve overstated it a lot – bur Mitt Romney didn’t quite connect with the electorate. Part of it was Mitt’s an idea guy. Mitt’s not a pound the lectern kind of guy. He’s an idea guy. He’s a thinker. He’s not a technocrat in that he’s also warm and outgoing and engaging guy. He is at his core an idea guy, I think if ran a campaign that communicated that side of his nature rather than what he did I think it might have gone differently. I hope he stays involved in public life because he has a lot of ideas and especially with the economic problems we’re having right now. He has a lot of ideas that should be heard, it’d be nice to have someone in politics who understands something about economics.

APF: It was certainly more pronounced in the case of Fred Thompson and we’re seeing the opposite with Palin. Do you think that kind of deficiency in the minds of voters can be overcome.

DB: To use your wrestling analogy, on the one hand you’re born with what you’re born with. On the other hand there’s a craft of getting through to people. You look at some wrestlers who get so much better – look at Hulk Hogan in his initial incarnation didn’t go over at all. But in his latest incarnation after Rocky III he was the biggest thing since sliced bread. They can develop their craft to become better and better. I think the same is true of politicians. They can learn what works, they can learn what doesn’t work they stay away from their weaknesses, they can emphasize their strengths. As you point out there is no substitute for - if you’ve got someone who can deliver a speech like Barack Obama, if you’ve got someone with the charisma and personal appeal of Sarah Palin. That’s being born on third base in a political sense with that kind of talent.

Atlantic: Rush Limbaugh Should Be Shamed Into Debating Rachel Maddow

2012-03-08T06:13:00.003-08:00

'The Atlantic' Promotions presents:
Rachel Maddow VS Rush Limbaugh

Conor Friedersdor does some Political Wrestling fantasy booking for the Atlantic. With all due respect to Conor, this proposal has 0% chance of happening as Rush knows his power lies in the fact that he's capable of constructing his own Matrix, his "Aura" is amassed by never entertaining challengers. Heck Rush rarely has guests on, I remember him once interviewing then-VP Cheney for a rare PR offensive. Otherwise Rush has always taken the stage on his own, he knows that as the undisputed Top Dog sharing it would only surrender his power.

Rush Limbaugh Should Be Shamed Into Debating Rachel Maddow
... Instead of apologies, why not demand that future Limbaughs submit to a public debate? Let the object be to hash things out, not to signal contrition that most people are going to doubt anyway.

In this case, I'd nominate Rachel Maddow as his interlocutor. She's smart, informed, and adept enough at the broadcast medium to hold her own on a stage with one of America's most technically proficient communicators. She'd need to be prepared, for this wouldn't be a one-sided inquisition.