EPISODE NUMBER: 7089 (July 13, 2011)
GUESTS: David McCullough | Naftali Bendavid
SEGMENTS: Flagworth 2012 | Republicans Choose None Of The Above | Obama Calls The Republican Bluff
SUIT REPORT: Blue-black suit | Sky blue shirt | Gold tie with blue dots | Black shoes
VIDEOS: Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Let the cheap salacious viewer-bait begin! The debt ceiling negotiations may be rambling on in their ridiculous way, but someone had to make a decision. And so I’ve decided that if I can’t have eternally raven-haired Stephen as my husband then I’d at least like David McCullough to be my grandad…
To kick off with, let’s run this one up the flagpole, see if it salutes..
And David McCullough may know about all sorts of things, but…
David McCullough has such a sweet, expressive face; it was so much fun to watch the two of them together. This was one of those times when I wished the interview could have gone on for much longer. And (forgive me, it’s very late in the evening as I write this) I forget the name of the Wall Street Journal writer Stephen interviewed earlier in the program; but watching that, I was reminded yet again of how incredibly smart Stephen is.
Tip of the Hat!
+6
Oh my God, was Stephen’s intellect shining tonight! Unbelievable. This whole debt ceiling debacle is getting really ridiculous, although I am glad Obama is getting tough. Finally. I am glad we have SC around to illuminate these issues; day by the day I am more grateful for TCR.
Tip of the Hat!
+5
Umm, here’s the problem: It shouldn’t be Stephen’s JOB to “illuminate” people about this situation. It should be his job only to MAKE FUN of the situation. It’s so sad for the country, however, that in fact people do depend on him and Jon to explain things, because the news isn’t doing a good job. (Or they aren’t looking at the real news, too.) Stephen does it darned well, of course. He just shouldn’t have to.
Tip of the Hat!
+7
Friend, I agree with you in spirit, but even if the news media did a flawless job of explaining everything to perfection, there’s always a little more nuance to be found. Unfortunately because the mainstream media is such a total fail, TCR’s job is that much harder…but even greater.
Tip of the Hat!
+2
Oh, and…David McCullough is absolutely adorable! Loved the interview, and loved McCullough’s delight in being there and speaking with Stephen. You could tell he was a fan of the show and really getting a kick out of it all.
Tip of the Hat!
+6
David McCullough is adorable. I had planned on emailing my dad the link to the interview because I know he’s reading McCullough’s book at the moment. But after that last line, I’m not so sure. All I need is my dad calling me and asking me why an anaconda would want buns.
Tip of the Hat!
+7
Anaconda? Buns? It made me laugh!
But then I had to look it up and see what on earth it referred to. Now I know.
Tip of the Hat!
+3
I had to look this up as well. Had no idea what it referred to.
Do you think it’s a reflection of our sheltered bizarro world upbringing? I blame mom.
Tip of the Hat!
+4
Indeed! She should have warned us about the perils of snakes, cakes and not getting down with the kids before sending us to opposite ends of the earth.
Tip of the Hat!
+3
That was beyond adorable!
I’m a big fan of McCollough’s books and narration, I swear The Civil War mini-series practically raised me, and to see him giggling at that last dirty line… XD OMG!
Tip of the Hat!
+5
Maybe Flagworth can be Ped Xing’s running mate. Surely he’d be able to hold his own in a debate with whatever talking-point machine is chosen by Bachmann or Gingrich. Mitch McConnell’s a tool. And a coward. The more jokes Stephen makes about the fact that McConnell looks like a turtle, the happier I get. And like others have said, I really liked the interview with Naftali Bendavid, as it showcased how wicked smart Stephen is, and what a great rapport he has when he’s interviewing someone (both interviews showed that tonight). My favorite part of that interview was actually at the end where you could hear Stephen say to Bendavid, “You were great!” as he shook his hand.
…I’d at least like David McCullough to be my grandad.
Cate, only if you’ll share him once in a while! I never knew either of my grandfathers, and Mr. McCullough would make a fine substitute. He seems like such a great storyteller. I wanted that interview to go on forever. McCullough can come on the show and talk history with Stephen any time. And that ending was so funny and adorable! It looked like Stephen was reaching over to explain the anaconda line to him before it cut to commercial, which is hilarious.
Another solid episode! The “Yes We Can Floss” poster cracked me up. I loved the line about “None Of The Above” being the leading Republican presidential candidate, too, and the fact that Stephen flat-out called the French, “creepy people.”
Tip of the Hat!
+7
I particularly liked the “Yes We Can Floss” graphic too. Obama would be the most charismatic dentist ever.
Tip of the Hat!
+5
My favorite episode of the week so far! Everyone has mentioned the highlights already.
Second. The idea of the republicans as high school bullies to Obama’s put upon nerd was just superb. “Okay. If you’re really that worried about it Poindexter…” And Mitch McConnell as an “septuagenarian ninja turtle” was just perfect.
So let me just add a few of the smaller moments I enjoyed. First. Jimmy Stewart’s Mr. Smith as a machine gun firing madman. Fantastic! It should have been a Sam Peckinpah movie!
Tip of the Hat!
+5
This was also my favourite episode of the week! All the jokes and segments were perfect, and I wish that McCullough had been my grandfather. He had me laughing and smiling the whole time. Just a sweet, funny, wonderful man and a very interesting subject that’s somewhat relevant to me (with me not being American). I’ll definitely have to check out his book when I have pocket money.
Tip of the Hat!
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