Video: Doing the dozens in Congress
posted at 1:37 pm on March 27, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
I’m not sure which is funnier here — watching a couple of middle-aged men try to sound like teenage boys, or the fact that Kent Conrad’s clear cluelessness at how Chuck Grassley insulted him in this exchange. On the other hand, why choose? Sit back and enjoy the hipness, and pronounced lack thereof:
GRASSLEY: “You remember, you asked me two years ago not to take a vote on it and you said if we did take a vote on it you might not get your budget resolution adopted. And so I did not ask for a vote on it and you said it was a very statesman-like thing for me to do at that particular time. And so I would hope you would return the favor.”
CONRAD. “You know, I used to like you. Oh, you are good.”
GRASSLEY: “Your wife said the same thing.”
Well, I suppose that’s impressive … for a couple of swells in thousand-dollar suits. However, if you want to see the game played for keeps, watch Gene Hackman instruct Sam Rockwell on how to play the dozens in the David Mamet film Heist:
If you’re looking for a gripping and intelligent crime drama, you should add this movie to your Netflix queue. It’s one of Mamet’s best.
Blowback
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Petty politicians like this should do the honorable thing and apologize to the American people. And then resign or commit suicide.
rbj on March 27, 2009 at 1:40 PM
I’ll look for that movie.
ladyingray on March 27, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Yea, not only did he miss the zinger, sounds like much of the others missed it too.
keep the change on March 27, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Oh, snap!
By the way, what was with the rest of the room missing it as well?
amerpundit on March 27, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Oh my…
myrenovations on March 27, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Would’ve been better as a “That’s what she said”
lorien1973 on March 27, 2009 at 1:44 PM
Grassley appears lately to have lost his mind, presuming he ever had one.
CK MacLeod on March 27, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Or, as Dan Quayle once put it so sagely, “What a waste it is to lose one’s mind or not to have a mind is being very wasteful.”
CK MacLeod on March 27, 2009 at 1:46 PM
I would enjoy seeing a good old bench-clearing, desk smashing brawl in the Senate – like the Japanese have every now and then.
whitetop on March 27, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Grassley should be like the samurai…
Grafted on March 27, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Later on, they continued with:
“Got any naked pictures of your wife?”
“No.”
“Want to buy some?”
/sting
whitetop on March 27, 2009 at 1:50 PM
That’s a prerequisite before taking the senate seat.
WashJeff on March 27, 2009 at 1:50 PM
I think Conrad ignored it, not because he didn’t catch the insult, but in the case of Grassley, it’s just too disgusting to contemplate. He might lose his lunch.
RBMN on March 27, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Who’s to say she didnt say it? lol=)
canditaylor68 on March 27, 2009 at 1:50 PM
The two people behind Senator Conrad certainly got the joke but the rest of the crowd…MIA!! LOL
Our hard earned Tax dollars at work!!
HarryStar on March 27, 2009 at 1:53 PM
You beat me to it.
Dubn8tr on March 27, 2009 at 1:56 PM
They have been reading this blog.
Good thing there are adults in the White House.
getalife on March 27, 2009 at 1:57 PM
So does this mean Chuck was calling for the AIG execs who got bonuses to kill themselves last week so he could have sex with their wives?
jon1979 on March 27, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Too bad that wasn’t Ogabe sitting in Conrad’s place.
AubieJon on March 27, 2009 at 1:57 PM
That’s gold Jerry, gold!
Knucklehead on March 27, 2009 at 1:58 PM
It sounds like Conrads wife actually did say Grassley was good….as a speaker at some event. I don’t think it sounds like a “that’s what she said” at all.
ctmom on March 27, 2009 at 1:59 PM
How about the obligatory, “That’s what your mother said, last night.”
PappaMac on March 27, 2009 at 2:00 PM
A tad testy,and oh my freaggin ears!!haha.
canopfor on March 27, 2009 at 2:02 PM
She thinks that the Republican’s suck at the internet and has trouble dating?
/goin’ to hell, I know
Abby Adams on March 27, 2009 at 2:03 PM
I keed, I keed. Love ya, Megs.
Abby Adams on March 27, 2009 at 2:05 PM
Grassley’s statements is being misunderstood…
When I watched it, I got a different impression of what Grassley was say. It sounds as if Conrad’s wife actually told him that “he was so good” concerning a speech on budgets.
The inflection of his delivery does not imply the inuendo of what most dirty minded people (like myself) would have assumed from the written transcript.
RedSoxNation on March 27, 2009 at 2:11 PM
More’s the pity. With your buffoons ruling the land, no one will man the circuses. So much for American circuses and American politics.
PercyB on March 27, 2009 at 2:11 PM
“Yeah, well, the jerkstore called and they’re running out of you!“
CP on March 27, 2009 at 2:12 PM
They have been reading this blog.
getalife on March 27, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Specifically your comments.
Bishop on March 27, 2009 at 2:12 PM
The Heist is great, but the best Mamet movie is House of Games -.
lonesomecharlie on March 27, 2009 at 2:17 PM
I know I’ve led a sheltered life, but, what the heck does “Doing the Dozens” mean?
cntrlfrk on March 27, 2009 at 2:20 PM
Sure thing
Really…
canditaylor68 on March 27, 2009 at 2:20 PM
she makes Meghain McCain look like Jenny Craig.
chunderroad on March 27, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Yours is better. :)
chunderroad on March 27, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Is this guy in the White House?
Weight of Glory on March 27, 2009 at 2:27 PM
I think it’s slang for trading insults but I could be wrong.
sherry on March 27, 2009 at 2:27 PM
So … just what will it take to kick out this ObamaBot?!?!
DannoJyd on March 27, 2009 at 2:31 PM
LMAO!
Theworldisnotenough on March 27, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Heist has Ricky Jay, who is one of America’s treasures. A great character actor and perhaps the greatest sleight of hand magician and magic historian in the world. He also gets a classic piece of Mamet dialogue:
“My motherf**ker is so cool that sheep count him”
Mamet and Jay are close friends.
All the characters in Heist are well played. I particularly like Delroy Lindo. I’d love to see a movie with Lindo and Ving Rhames together. But then I wanted to see Ricardo Montalbaln, Cesar Romero, and Fernando Lamas in the same scene just to prove they weren’t the same guy. Have you ever seen them together?
rokemronnie on March 27, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Getalife is annoying, but at least it keeps our eyes on the enemy. Every time it says something stupid is an opportunity to shoot down a mindless liberal talking point. That’s how I see it. Poptech and the Paultards / Romneybots are infinitle more irritating.
chunderroad on March 27, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Dang it, we are losing our liberty and our freedom and this is what the assclowns in WA are doing?????
ihasurnominashun on March 27, 2009 at 2:42 PM
It means having an insult contest. The term originated in the African American community and supposedly came from the fact that at slave auctions, after all the valuable slaves were sold individually, less valuable slaves were sold in lots of a dozen.
Playing the dozens is competitive signifyin’.
rokemronnie on March 27, 2009 at 2:44 PM
You are aware that Grassley was proposing an amendment included in Obama’s budget and excluded from Conrad’s aren’t you? I watched this whole painful discussion on CSpan last night. Ironically, Republicans had loads of amendments proposed and they were nearly all voted against by the Dems, talk about the party of No.
msmveritas on March 27, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Please vote 10 stars for this painting about voter fraud.
chunderroad on March 27, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Is getalife really Benny Shakar? He posts the same thing over and over just like him. Benny Shakar’s the one who posted that “at least we have the drunk, fat Judd” like a month after the story on Ashley Judd. Real winner.
NathanG on March 27, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Yeah, the ones who joke about Indian-Americans and plagiarize their college essays. Such gentleman and scholars!
NathanG on March 27, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Del Dolemonte on March 27, 2009 at 3:59 PM
Must be a reeeeaaaaalllllly slow day.
roux on March 27, 2009 at 4:04 PM
I found this to be really funny.
lavell12 on March 27, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Grassley apparently makes no pretense at being a gentleman. Senator Conrad should have responded to Grassley the way Preston Brooks dealt with Charles Sumner.
DrMagnolias on March 27, 2009 at 4:27 PM
It’s playing the dozens.
baldilocks on March 27, 2009 at 5:03 PM
Whenever someone tried that on me, I’d say something like “she told me that your technique needs work.”
baldilocks on March 27, 2009 at 5:05 PM
Almost. It is simply insulting another’s lineage. Mom is the usual target.
baldilocks on March 27, 2009 at 5:08 PM
I’ve heard it as more of a Brooklyn thing, not really tied to any ethnicity. First time I heard the phrase years ago, it was NYC Italians who said it, but I’ve heard it from others since.
Baldilocks is right — “playing” is more correct, but I’ll just leave it be.
Ed Morrissey on March 27, 2009 at 5:25 PM
Yo mamma so fat, I rolled over twice, and I wuz still on top of da b1tch . . .
keep the change on March 27, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Well that was a surprise.
Terrye on March 27, 2009 at 5:43 PM
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/6152/53/
Here is the kind of politician we need. One with Malkins.
Johan Klaus on March 27, 2009 at 6:29 PM
Wait wait wait, did he just say that “She did, she said you were the biggest hit of all the speakers” Man, his wife must really love oratory.
- The Cat
MirCat on March 27, 2009 at 7:26 PM