Video: The oh-so-offensive Milbank-Cillizza Beerestroika skit
posted at 2:00 pm on August 2, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
What could be so offensive that the Washington Post removed this video from its website, created by two of its key political commentators, Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza, satirizing Beerestroika? The racial references to its key participants, perhaps? The assignment of Satan-themed beers to Congressional Republicans without balancing commentary on Democrats? Not exactly, as my friend Tommy Christopher discovers:
In the clip, Milbank and Chris Cilizza crack wise about their beer choices, congratulating Gates for having the sensitivity not to order a “Big Black Stout,” and extend the premise to pair other politicians with quirkily-named lagers. In keeping with the juvenile tone, Cilizza spends the entire clip sitting in front of a sixpack of Hoegaarden.
Then, Milbank drops this line: “And we won’t tell you who’s getting a bottle of ‘Mad Bitch,’” followed by a picture of Hillary Clinton.
The Washington Post has since apologized and taken the video down.
It’s hard to imagine what Milbank was thinking, especially after the heat he took for allegedly calling Nico Pitney a name off-camera last month. That he targeted Secretary Clinton with such a powerful epithet could make this resonate far beyond an off-camera whisper.
Seriously? That’s why the Post took this down? Yes, this was juvenile, and yes, it was insulting to Hillary — but no more insulting than just about every other reference in this clip. This isn’t the Citizen Kane of comedy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was inventive and clever at times, and hardly the end of the world. It pales in comparison to the treatment that Sarah Palin over the last several months, especially the Trig Trutherism that still continues at supposedly respectable media outlets.
For me, the most offensive part of this clip comes at the end. Who drinks oatmeal stout from a can?
Blowback
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meh
John the Libertarian on August 2, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Yawn.
heldmyw on August 2, 2009 at 2:10 PM
hiccup
Sapwolf on August 2, 2009 at 2:11 PM
stupid that they gook it down.
deidre on August 2, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Two lefties with big mouths and no taste?
ProfessorMiao on August 2, 2009 at 2:13 PM
hahaha
ousoonerfan15 on August 2, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Zzzzzzzzzz.
This is what passes for wit from the “intellectuals” at the Washington Post? No wonder they took it down; they were probably embarrassed by the pathetic lameness of it all.
AZCoyote on August 2, 2009 at 2:17 PM
Yawn. I could have been outside watching the grass grow.
fireweednectar on August 2, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Milbank is the scum that started the “Kill Him” smear at a McCain Palin rally.
faraway on August 2, 2009 at 2:18 PM
is he really?
ousoonerfan15 on August 2, 2009 at 2:22 PM
It’s early here and I am not fully awake, but I though it mildly funny…emphasis on the mildly part.
HawaiiLwyr on August 2, 2009 at 2:22 PM
This is what really gets me and I bet a million other people like me. It’s what will make us work our hearts out to do whatever she needs us to do in whatever she chooses to do. A decent society can’t abide by this…
CCRWM on August 2, 2009 at 2:26 PM
Not the least bit amusing. Boring.
sinsing on August 2, 2009 at 2:26 PM
This is the result of the Daily Showization of the news.
Speedwagon82 on August 2, 2009 at 2:28 PM
Elitist funnies!
It resonates only to elitists, like those dog whistles only for dogs.
jencab on August 2, 2009 at 2:29 PM
I demand everyone involved be fired.
Neo on August 2, 2009 at 2:34 PM
Flat.
Shy Guy on August 2, 2009 at 2:37 PM
3:28 minutes that I will never get back…..what a waste!
whatzit2u on August 2, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Dana Milbank in a shorty robe. Greg Gutfeld’s gotta use this clip on “Red Eye” when it comes back tomorrow night.
jon1979 on August 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Exactly…Pint glasses of Samuel Smith only!
Caper29 on August 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Who drinks oatmeal stoutfrom a can?MadisonConservative on August 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Well, that didn’t work.
MadisonConservative on August 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Are you sure they didn’t take it down because it wasn’t funny?
Daggett on August 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM
nothing to see here, move along.
Barney Frank would order a Schmitt’s by the way.
smfic on August 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
“For we could not now take time for further search (to land our ship) our victuals being much spent, especially our Beer.” ~ Ship’s log of the Mayflower
ReagansRight on August 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Wow, I could have been drinking beer instead of watching this drivel.
hip shot on August 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Cans are for girls, teenagers, and target practice, nothing else.
Limerick on August 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM
I’m dissapointed in this sense: clearly, the appropriate beer for POTUS should have been Arrogant Bastard Ale.
http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index3.html
What a wasted opportunity…
anuts on August 2, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Only thing they got right…
brtex on August 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Milbank, wasn’t he engaged to Oberdouche a while back?
fogw on August 2, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Exactly as funny as a toothache.
Rhinoboy on August 2, 2009 at 3:12 PM
But if they had dissed Palin instead, the Post would’ve kept it up and defended demands to pull it down citing “freedom of speech” and “c’mon, it’s just a joke… if Palin can’t take that kind of attack what kind of leader can she be?”
Skywise on August 2, 2009 at 3:12 PM
Who drinks Oatmeal Stout.
Kini on August 2, 2009 at 3:23 PM
That sux. THIS does not.
deedtrader on August 2, 2009 at 3:26 PM
I agree with hip shot….a total waste of quality beer drinking time. Thanks for the Post reminding us that their “quality journalist” are biased idiots.
Rovin on August 2, 2009 at 3:30 PM
I thought Marxists drank vodka.
faraway on August 2, 2009 at 3:55 PM
I laughed. So flame me.
I watched it from an entertainment perspective, not really caring who either of these guys are or where they’re from. In light of their current jobs, probably not the wisest thing they could have done for their career. But it’s funny as a standalone bit.
JoelD on August 2, 2009 at 4:00 PM
I think this is the beer for Obama.
http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/piss_weak/piss_weak.htm
Dreadnought223 on August 2, 2009 at 4:02 PM
See, I didn’t watch it because Milbank was involved. That guy creeps me out on so many levels, besides being a glold-plated moron. But I digress.
I prefer whiskey anyways…..
AW1 Tim on August 2, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Those two need a nice big cup of STFU.
csdeven on August 2, 2009 at 4:21 PM
It was goofy and unfunny. Not worthy of any attention at all, really.
WaPo taking themselves way too seriously. Who cares.
keebs on August 2, 2009 at 4:26 PM
Thanks, deed! His videos ROCK!!
John the Libertarian on August 2, 2009 at 4:40 PM
Honestly, though, Franziskaaner Weissbier (The angry monk beer referenced for the Pope) is delicious, easily by second or third favorite German Hell bier (a pale wheat lager) to be had. Any nation where its clergy brew bier as a symbol of their dedication to God (a klosterbraueri near Nurnberg makes a dark lager known as Lutherbier) is alright with me!
Prost!
I love being stationed in Deutschland!
Spc Steve on August 2, 2009 at 4:42 PM
The WaPo just keeps on digging the hole deeper. Does this piece fit into their new “journalistic standards”?
d1carter on August 2, 2009 at 4:44 PM
Methinks it’s Milbank who should be drinking “Mad Bitch”. What an insufferable whiner.
Buy Danish on August 2, 2009 at 4:48 PM
The WaPo got a 3:00 am phone call, no doubt.
petefrt on August 2, 2009 at 4:48 PM
Far be it from me to nitpick Ed, but “beerestroika” is hardly an apt wordplay here.
Perestroika was the Gorbachev-era policy of “restructuring” of the Soviet political and economic systems and had little to do with diplomacy or improved relations.
flipflop on August 2, 2009 at 4:53 PM
I’m not a beer drinker so I have a hard time appreciating the humor about the stouts. I do have one question though: How is the “Beer Summit” going to effect the prosecution of Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.? I mean they can’t just let the issue drop. If the Cambridge DA doesn’t prosecute, what will that do to the moral of the police?
Tommy_G on August 2, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Is there a Whiny B!tch beer for Dana Milbank?
Buy Danish on August 2, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Charges were already dropped.
flipflop on August 2, 2009 at 5:02 PM
Yep. He was also the Man in the Orange Hat.
Jim Treacher on August 2, 2009 at 5:03 PM
Lib’s aren’t funny. Never have been, never will be.
It’s like their spending; they just go overboard. They can’t help it.
Every Lib joke is a vicious, tasteless, classless attack on an adversary that turns off the vast majority of thinking Americans.
David2.0 on August 2, 2009 at 5:05 PM
As a beer geek, I found the video clip mildly amusing. But who drinks oatmeal stout, from a can or otherwise? *bleagh*
flipflop on August 2, 2009 at 5:08 PM
I haven’t even watched the clip yet and I can predict it’s two MSNBC darlings and every-other night regulars there jumping on the Glenn Beck wagon and failing spectacularly.
Marcus on August 2, 2009 at 5:09 PM
I believe Miller is courting that demographic.
Jeff from WI on August 2, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Yup. . .Gates and Obama should had some as well.
Billy beer.
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/archives/billycarterbeer.jpg
Texyank on August 2, 2009 at 5:28 PM
Nah. Barney would order a Mickey’s Big Mouth.
David2.0 on August 2, 2009 at 5:36 PM
I think the only thing truly offensive about this video was that it wasn’t particularly funny.
DrAllecon on August 2, 2009 at 5:50 PM
Sorry about the double post earlier. I thought my first post was lost in cyberspace…
Buy Danish on August 2, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Orlytaitzesq and wnd have photos of a purported Kenyan BC. NOT the obvious hoax circulating last week. WE SHALL SEE. btw now when you click on orlytaitz it flashes red with a program I have never seen before that says DANGER this is an attack site. I have been on the site hundreds of times and never seen it until 10 minutes ago.
allahallahoxenfree on August 2, 2009 at 6:20 PM
I still want to see the birth certifi–oh, wait that’s the PecedentOsamabamDidenHussein thread. Sorry.
davidk on August 2, 2009 at 6:30 PM
I often wonder as I read such posts, if one found a steaming pile of dog crap on ones porch, would one immediately throw it away or save it to show ones friends?
Zaire67 on August 2, 2009 at 7:15 PM
This was incredibly boring and massively unfunny. I enjoyed the video of the guys doing the “stanky legg” dance in Walmart more than this snoozefest.
citrus on August 2, 2009 at 7:20 PM
I bet those guys already owned the matching smoking jackets.
Cindy Munford on August 2, 2009 at 7:29 PM
I laughed! I know I should feel guilty but I WON’T!
ExpressoBold on August 2, 2009 at 7:40 PM
Beer? I for one believe that the ONLY thing that can salve wounds and heal racial tensions is bourbon.
Rightwingguy on August 2, 2009 at 7:49 PM
What offends me the most is, I spent the time watching it.
Mr. Grump on August 2, 2009 at 8:22 PM
It was cute. Obama could invite TX gov Rick Perry up for a beer summit with some Independence Ale.
bitsy on August 2, 2009 at 8:25 PM
The elephant in the room is, these “guys” are two of the big pantywaisters ever videoed. I am surprised if their mommies let them drink beer. They make Markos Moulitsas look manly.
Maybe they drink a beer flavored koolaid called “Pantywaisters Puff Pilsener”, which allegedly includes a nipple on each bottle and is wrapped in free Pampers.
DeathB4Tyranny on August 3, 2009 at 1:00 AM
They also managed to speak of the “British” and display the English flag (red/white St. George’s Cross), rather than the Union Flag (which also includes the St. Andrew’s white/blue and and St. Patrick’s red/white saltires).
That sort of thing tends to anger the residents of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland (not unlike calling Elizabeth the “Queen of England”, a title that has not existed for centuries).
The Monster on August 3, 2009 at 1:04 AM
I laughed. But even if I didn’t I would forgive them, just because of their choice of beer on the very left of their table. Their taste can’t be all that bad if they have some Żywiec floating around.
Fizzmaister on August 3, 2009 at 5:45 AM
The first 3 comments said it all.
UltimateBob on August 3, 2009 at 6:22 AM
Barney Frank would order a Schmitt’s by the way.
smfic on August 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
In the can, of course.
SKYFOX on August 3, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Sexism….whether it’s towards Palin or Clinton….is simply not amusing.
What’s fascinating is that some women don’t realize that men do think the same about them, too. This notion that Hillary or Sarah “deserve” it is exactly the rationalization used against women in everyday life.
AnninCA on August 3, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Wow. A lot of can snobbery here. You guys must make the big bucks. Sure, drinking bottles does allow for biting the caps off, but you can’t smash an empty bottle against your own head (more than a few times anyway)
I don’t drink anymore, but there’s nothing quite like drinking a can of beer taken from the trunk of a car, on a hot summer afternoon in Oklahoma. At least that’s what the intake shrink at rehab told me.
TugboatPhil on August 3, 2009 at 9:34 AM
I’d prefer it if the Washington CompostHeap would start with apologies for the false rumors about Sarahcuda instead of a lame apology to Bill’s wife.
Branch Rickey on August 3, 2009 at 10:03 AM
A lame-o piece for thousand of the usual reasons and I’d say the WaPo was as likely embarrasssed by it as fearful of being petrified by Medusa Rodham. But in the main you can tell these two pixies are not beer drinkers.
They just sent some scrurrying assitants to the closest beer mega-mart and told them to come back with all the funny names. White wine spritzers are more their speed.
Piece was an insult to all true brew-heads, and the WaPo was afraid of all the Joe Six-Packs out there cancelling their subs. Mm hm.
curved space on August 3, 2009 at 10:03 AM
The only good point is the undertone of the jackassery of the whole beer summit concept.
otherwise, meh.
NickelAndDime on August 3, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Who thought any of this is a good idea?
Branch Rickey on August 3, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Well, at least they’ve given up trying to be journalists.
Reaps on August 3, 2009 at 12:01 PM
..Although if ‘Serious Madness’ and ‘Arctic Devil’ exist, I gots to track those down..
Reaps on August 3, 2009 at 12:03 PM
Weak. This stuff is actually considered funny in the Beltway subculture, just like Maxine “Aunt Esther” Waters is considered the fifth best-looking person working on Capitol Hill.
Travis Bickle on August 3, 2009 at 1:08 PM