Becky,

Would you like me to take a stab at Countdown from last night?

I had been passing out all afternoon from pain meds and so recorded the early (and last night the only) feed of Countdown. I would be happy to go back through the tape and write up a recap, although it would pale in comparison to what the rest of you usually do.

A few moments that made it through the fog:

The tie was the dark olive green and the worst person was Neil Cavuto.

Rachel Maddow was on at some point and will be on the post game of the South Carolina vote on Saturday.

And, while the California Democratic debate next week will be on another network, Keith will have a special Countdown following.

Last segment was with Chuck Todd, previewing the Republican debate as the men walked out onstage.

Naturally, I woke up for the Republicans.

Rafi’s Mom

By rafismom on Friday, January 25, 2008 12:11 pm | Permalink

I thought Craig Crawford made a really good point about Hillary & Barak having to share the ticket in order to re-unite the Democratic Party. Although, I think the goal of the Clintons is to crush him in S.C. Obama has dropped 10 points among whites in S.C. They have done a brilliant job of marginalizing him and the black voters of S.C.

I think Keith, like many Clinton fans, may be somewhat flustered by the campaign intensity. It’s one thing to see the Clintons go after the Republicans; it’s quite unsettling to see them eat their own. I use to worry that Hillary could never win, but after seeing her & Bill seem to have pretty much taken out Obama, and quite quickly, I think they will be very formidable against any Republican candidate come this Nov.

There’s a pretty good Woody Allen movie called “Sweet and Lowdown” about a jazz guitarist (Sean Penn) who’s hero and obsession is Django Reinhardt. It’s a very good period piece and worth checking out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_and_Lowdown

By GM on Friday, January 25, 2008 1:14 pm | Permalink

BTW, the segue music was “(Are You Raedy) Do The Bus Stop” by The Fatback Band. Gotta love that ’70s disco music.

By jamescraven on Friday, January 25, 2008 1:56 pm | Permalink

The Django Reinhardt thread brings up a thought –

Since ERT is a social blog community — how many folks are interested in jazz?

I love mainstream jazz — Coltrane, Davis, et al. My special favorite is the Nat King Cole Trio — without Nat singing (although I love his singing, too). Loved the late Oscar Peterson, too. I’ve seen many jazz folks in concert…and even had dinner with a couple members of the old Modern Jazz Quartet. Loved Bobby Short and made a pilgrimage to the Cafe Carlye to here him when he was there. Love Brubeck, too. Many more, too many to list here.

Anyone else?

By Houstonian on Friday, January 25, 2008 2:26 pm | Permalink

Houstonian,

When I was about 19, I saw Count Basie in concert which started a lifelong love of jazz. I’ve also seen Dave Brubeck and adore his music. I love John Coltrane and Miles Davis, too.

I think a unified ticket is the way to go, too. Craig stole my idea! (kidding)

By redtoots on Friday, January 25, 2008 3:34 pm | Permalink

My totally off the wall and equally totally unauthorized take on the January 24, 2008 Countdown.

NOTE: I have never been known for my brevity.

Realizing that the show was only broadcast once and that many of you who usually watch the second feed were probably doing a version of my Mr Bill’s Oh, Noooooo when you discovered that instead of Keith you were getting the GOP debate and recap over and over again….I made a “few” notes:

Why I initially thought that Rachel had been on last night, I do not know, she wasn’t. Blame it on the pain meds.

picking my favorite line for a title:

BIG WHOOP Watch it there and then understand it here.

The tie was the dark olive green. The segue music was something that James has fortunately identified in which people were singing about doing the Bus Stop over and over again. Sounded like a dance record that never caught on.

As the show was on immediately prior to the GOP debate from Boca, there was a countdown clock running in the corner all show, although I cannot imagine most of us holding our collective breaths until that debate came on.

#5 story ~ various takes on the Downward Spiral as the Dems get and stay ugly.

Clinton and Obama spent the day playing a game of chicken with attack radio ads, putting them on and then pulling them as soon as the opponent started his/hers.

Obama found himself claiming that he was not running attack ads but defense ads against the lies being told about him.

(my take: Barack, baby, any time you start to explain or justify yourself, your opponent has set the agenda. Hard as it is, step away and find some distant surrogate to do the dirty work for you.)

# 5A: Richard Wolffe comes on for the aptly named CAMP PAIN 08.

They discuss how what Bill Clinton has been doing may have a short term gain for Hilary but also may badly damage his own legacy in the long term. A lot of top DEMS are upset and trying to find ways to talk to him about toning it down without doing it in public as they fear that the rift created may be so bad that it cannot be repaired, and that no matter which of them gets the nomination (unless it is JOHN EDWARDS, he is still in it) those who have connected to this through identity politics (Women, Blacks, Hispanics) will not vote at all in November.

They also make a few comments about Kucinich deciding to withdraw and why, which both feel is that he is already out of money.

# 5B: Craig Crawford: VEEP IMPACT

The need for an intervention is mentioned along with calling in Dr. Phil (intended as humor, I am sure).

Discussion is about how the rift is so severe that if either Hilary or Barack wins, she/he will have to have the other one on the ticket as VP. Keith notes that the candidates largely agree on the major issues, and that what is going on is just personal stuff.

NOTE: The four hours scheduled on Saturday evening for South Carolina primary coverage with Keith and David Gregory begin at 6 pm Eastern Time.

Further NOTE: While the Democratic Debate from California on the 31st will not be on MSNBC, Keith will follow the debate with a special Countdown. He says: BIG WHOOP Watch it there and then understand it here.

# 4 : National Measure with Arianna Huffington

Discussion of various polls and how meaningless they really are.

As Keith now has the Keith number, Arianna has begun Poll Ology, which combines polls with Astrology. She then tells Keith his current Astrology and notes that his birthday is this weekend (Sunday?)

Is this number 49? Hey, the Big Guy is getting close to 50. And, doing a fast check on Lunartime, I find that in Mayan Astrology, Keith is a White Wizard. As White Wizards have been my bete noir, I think it is best if I never actually meet him.

They end with the graphic thought of a Clinton McCain contest and Cindy McCain going up against Bill Clinton in a spouses campaign.

DIGRESSION: BUSHED:

Budget gate (at least half of next year’s costs of the Iraq war are not in the budget but have been hidden elsewhere for the next President to find ways to pay for), WaterBoarding Gate ( new nominee for assistant AG wrote position papers on how water boarding is not torture) and my favorite, 935 Gate, which has Keith’s delicious ability to sound like a deep voiced Dana Parino, while explaining how the 935 lies about going to war with Iraq were not really lies but were based on intelligence:

Keith has one of his finer moments of the night, shouting in what does seem a tad like Howard Beale, INTELLIGENCE YOU FELONS MADE UP!

ODDBALL: Begins somberly, with a reminder that it should have been John Bellushi’s 59 th Birthday.

There is a 45 ft tall holograph of the Loch Ness Monster rearing up out of Tokyo Bay, very impressive, and the Japanese are also giving us mint scented shoe inserts for those who fail to take off their shoes for months on end. It is hard to tell which is scarier.

Tonight’s Best Persons is an all Stupid Criminals edition. In #3 we have the guy who wants to kill the woman who is getting between him and another guy, and he offers the undercover hit man $5 and some OxyContin. #2 is a robber who drops his gun and literally shoots himself in the foot, and $3 is the female bank robber with her face dyed orange by the ink pellet, who tries to make her get away on the city bus.

That is when BUS STOP starts to play.

# 3 story: FISA and Filibusters with Howard Fineman.

Once Fineman comes on, the title shifts to Wire Tap Dancing.

The efforts to get Congress to pass an immunity provision to protect the telecommunication companies who allowed warrantless wiretaps continues.

Keith and Howard both believe that this is all being orchestrated as part of the ongoing election process and to have the big Senate fight on Monday just before the State of the Union Address.

They also go back and forth to inform us that even if the existing law is not continued, it has another year’s grace period and that any investigations in the works would be allowed to continue, plus the FISA Court, as always, is still in place to get a Warrant.

Keith quotes Chris Dodd on how if the claim that the telecommunication companies have an obvious and easy defense is true, then let them go to court and easily win.

The rub seems to be that any judge who saw what they really had been up to would have his/her hair stand on end, assuming that he/she is not bald, I suppose.

# 2: is, as almost always, Keeping Tabs and Worst Person in the World.

Keith limits KT to 80 seconds and has some comments on the ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Keith Ledger, and then, as Oh, Mama, how Jamie Lynn Spears’ mother has decided to raise her daughter’s unborn child so Jamie Lynn can continue to be a “normal teenager”.

Worst People:

#3 ~ Bill-O: I would have made this #1 myself.

He continues to rant against John Edwards and now David Letterman over the homeless vet situation and tries to demand that his two guests agree with him and is trying to insist that the man, who is apparently in the military, go out and forcibly take those homeless vets from under bridges and get them treatment, ignoring the man’s flubbing attempts to talk about the legality of doing that.

# 2 is William Donoghue, self styled head of the Catholic League, who wants greater censure on an ESPN reporter who took the Lord’s name in vane at a celebrity roast. Keith notes that the kind of draconian punishments he wants sound a lot like the Muslim fanatics who got upset over some Danish cartoons of Mohamed.

# 1 ~ Cavuto: Who wants to know why the media is not tearing John McCain apart, and Keith notes that apparently Neil has not been watching him, but thanks him for agreeing that McCain should be looked at carefully.

The # 1 Story: Grand Ol’ Predicament with Chuck Todd and frequent reminders that the GOP debate is only moments away.

They both enjoy how Rudy’s campaign seems to be crashing before realizing that perhaps they should mention Romney and McCain as it appears that they are leading.

They are wondering who will go after Romney or after McCain, making a move on the field.

Then, it is over to the GOP coverage, and Brian Williams is in a truly awesome lavender tie.

By rafismom on Friday, January 25, 2008 5:11 pm | Permalink

Anyone else? By Houstonian on Friday, January 25, 2008

I like jazz but I’m pretty pedestrian about it. I like the old stuff that kinda is like Swing. I have a few jazz CDs but usually listen to Dick Buckley on WBEZ in Chicago.

I do love WORD JAZZ with Ken Nordine (also on in Chicago, not sure if it’s a national show). One of my students turned me on to this show about 15 years ago. I think many here would like Ken Nordine’s program, it’s loaded with pop culture, odd sound effects, jazz music and obscure historical references which are all said by a guy with the most soothing velvety radio voice. It’s like Monty Python meets The 50’s Beat Poets, solo, minus the visuals. Here’s a link to the Word Jazz website:

http://www.wordjazz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=32

By GM on Saturday, January 26, 2008 10:42 am | Permalink