Dean Jokes About Being Passed Over For Rahm As Chief Of Staff
Fun stuff: In an interview set to air tomorrow on "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News," Howard Dean joked about a bit of a sensitive subject: The fact that Rahm Emanuel wasn't an early fan of Dean's 50-state strategy, which helped put Emanuel's new boss in the White House.
Asked if he felt vindicated, Dean joked that he would have felt more vindicated if Obama had given him the chief of staff gig instead of giving it to Rahm:
"Rahm ended up as chief of staff to Barack Obama," Dean said, "so I don't feel too vindicated." When he was informed that he had been right, Dean cracked: "I might have been right but I'd rather be chief of staff."
DNC spokesperson Stacie Paxton emailed to assure us that Dean was kidding. "Dean was clearly joking," Paxton wrote, adding that Dean had recently praised Rahm on MSNBC as "tough," "smart," and "loyal."
"As he's said previously, Dean has a lot of respect for Rahm Emanuel and thinks he'll do a great job as Chief of Staff," Paxton said.
No doubt, but as James Thurber put it, "the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing" he is simply revealing people's "true nature."
The interview is set to air tomorrow night at 10 P.M.
Has anyone seen Hughley of CNN? Is it good?
December 5, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I mean, has anyone seen Hugley on CNN? Is it good?
December 5, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have. I thought it was terrible. I could only take about 15 minutes.
I've seen his standup and thought it was okay and I've liked him when I've seen him on Bill Maher's show, but for some reason I thought he seemed really uncomfortable and awkward in this format. Others may feel differently, though.
December 5, 2008 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I remeber him from Maher as well. Frankly, doesn't come across as politically astute,
Stewart or Colbert are so good because they have sharp political radar to match the writing.
December 5, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, you'll definitely be disappointed if you are looking for that level of quality.
December 5, 2008 1:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I mean, I say from what I see in this short clip. May be if he was aware of the political friction between Dean and Rahm, may be he could've exploited the joke better and made some news.
Jon and Stephen have raised the bar very high.
December 5, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
He doesn't claim to be politically astute. He said it himself that he doesn't seriously follow politics. I've watched a couple of episodes but it is sometimes painful to watch when his jokes fall flat and you just hear a little chuckle here and there from the audience. Stewart, Colbert and Maher are the best. I'm missing Maher right now, badly.
December 5, 2008 1:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
OOo - I couldn't disagree more = I think he's very astute and very smart. I adore D.L. He's my favorite of all of Maher's guests because he is smart as shit, very politically astute and damn cute.
December 5, 2008 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not bad. Nothing great, but some laughs.
December 5, 2008 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hughley's schtick smacks too much of minstrelsy for my taste.
December 5, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
"D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" is epically unfunny. Totally unwatchable.
December 5, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree.
I wanted to like the show, but it is insufferable. Even the promo is tough to take. Something about uproarious laughter from a comedian in response to his own joke. It just seems that the quality of the humor offered is directly inverse to the amount of cajoling required to "sell it." (Think Don Rickles or Sammy Davis, Jr)
I think it's sometimes called "too cute by half."
December 5, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
That DL Hughley show is awful. It is nothing but new millenium minstrel and buffonery. I can't STAND the show and have no clue why CNN even considered giving Hughley this platform. I wonder what they thought their competition was to come with this completely backwards stereotypical comedian viewpoint at the just so coincidental moment a black President was elected.
How did Hughley end up with this show on a network that is solely news other then this hour of nonsense?
December 5, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, I HAVE watched him and I find his show fun and totally charming. I think the Saturday night 10pm (ET) time slot is perfect for him, too, as no one's looking for hard news at that hour!
December 5, 2008 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go figure. I'll have to check it out again. Maybe he's gotten better.
December 5, 2008 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't bother. It is awful. DL Hughley is completed out of his league. This man has nowhere near the wit and satirical skills of Colbert, Maher or Stewart. He comes across as a hapless ministrel. Some folks have political intelligence without really trying, Hughley is not only uneducated but his commentary is wholly unsightful and just plain IGNANT!!
I want to know why CNN created this venue for him, rather than give it to Roland Martin.
December 5, 2008 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I did watch it a couple of times, and I think he is terrible, not funny and rude...
On the other hand my partner thinks that he does deserve some credibility for its achievements.
December 5, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've liked the show better than I expected to (since he isn't particularly politically astute, whether he claims to be or not ... and a lot of it approaches slapstick, which I don't care for at all. He's had some surprisingly interesting guests, and the show that was taped the night of and right after the election had some unexpected (and unplanned) moments that have wound up being memorable and rather touching - just people's reactions and a time or two his own reaction.
I think the thing I find attractive about the show is sort of why I enjoy Larry King: Hughley is consistently, and apparently genuinely, good-natured about things and seems truly interested in or amused by whatever he's doing or whatever subject is being discussed. Sometimes "pleasant to be around" is a very underrated quality.
December 5, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe he is joking, but Howard Dean has more smarts, guts, and toughness in his pinkie finger than Rahm has in his whole Rahm-Man body.
Rahm Emmanuel is an inferior man compared to Howard Dean.
December 5, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen. I'll be marking the day in February that will be the 6th anniversary of Dean's speech in which he condemned Smirky's rush to war and single-handedly started the movement that led directly to Barack Obama's election last month.
December 5, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I still don't understand why Dean's role in this whole thing is continually ignored. What he and a few other brave souls took as common sense was ridiculed for years. Now, here we are. I'm not saying Dean should be in the administration. But it's absurd that Barack has not publicly pointed out that he is where he is today in large part because of Dean's strategy.
December 5, 2008 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not getting that either. I wonder what the politics are about Dean.
December 5, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The politics about Dean are that he has completely humiliated the entire top tier of the Democratic Party by proving them wrong about the 50-state strategy.
The two biggest mouths condemning Dean for more than five straight years?
Hillary Clinton and Rahm Emmanuel.
I am quite sure that the number-one condition both Hillary and Rahm put on agreeing to serve in Obama's administration was that Howard Dean would be kept far, far away from the administration and the party.
December 5, 2008 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's awful. I hope Obama is smarter than to let Dean fall by the wayside. Obama saw the merit to the 50 state strategy and it would just seem so unlike him, not to find a spot for Howard, where his talents would be best utilized.
December 5, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, he's "minstrelsy." Don't you lot south of the 49th ever look for a message in that sort of persona?
I thought Hughley's retrospective on black presidents as shown in American films, from baby Sammy Davis Jr. dancing with his pork chop to the comet that destroyed the world, was the edgiest thing on race I've ever seen on American TV.
This guy is deep and dark. And grinnin' and grinnin'.
Try harder to get him.
December 5, 2008 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is nothing to get that is not as old as turn of the century minstrels. Hughley portrayed Obama as a hustler pimp and I do not think he should be allowed to continue on with his buffonery. Never in the history of this country has the President been portrayed as a pimp and his wife as a whore and that is the type of comedy skits Hughley engages in.
He needs to go!!
December 5, 2008 7:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
CNN is clearly trying to create a niche market by capitalizing on the perception that other comedians are having a hard time making fun of Obama and hoping to attract Daily Show viewers. His demographics (18-35) are what advertisers pay dearly for.
The writing is pretty awful, but D.L. does the best anyone could do with it, especially with an admitted disinterest in politics. I hope he's got a way to get out of his contract, something like this could ruin his career.
This is what happens when executives get bright ideas. (Reminds me of Cheney, come to think of it.)
December 5, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am more interested in how D.L.'s show is doing. I have a terrific crush on D.L.
December 5, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
You and your swarthy men. . . ;-)
December 5, 2008 10:11 PM | Reply | Permalink