Things Learned Tonight

--Chuck Todd nailed his audition for the Meet the Press hosting gig.

--No matter what a person has done in their life, they are still allowed to give their opinions on election night [e.g. Tom DeLay]

--Next to Obama winning, I am most happy that the buses will continue to run in Lawrence! YES!

--Hologram reporters rule!

--You know, re-watching that last John McCain appearance on Saturday Night Live, I feel really bad for John McCain...If only he could have been like that the entire time...full of humor, the ability to laugh at himself. I wish it could have been different for him...if he just could have beaten Bush in 2000.

Chuck & Janis

Chuck Todd used to have one of the coolest jobs, Editor & Chief of The Hotline. Now he's the Political Director of NBC News, forced to give trite oversimplifications to complex political issues with Brian Williams [who is hosting Saturday Night Live next week], Tim Russert, and Chris Matthews.

This week, Todd mixes music and politics in claiming that Al Gore, John Edwards, Sam Nunn, and Fred Thompson didn't act as they truly wanted to in office and now that they are out they can live up to the Janis Joplin lyric: "Freedom just another word for nothing left to loose."

Of course Chuck Todd's never been elected to anything [except maybe to the party planning committee for the Political Communications Department at Johns Hopkins.]

And it makes me wonder...name one Senator that optimizes Janis' lyric? I would say Russ Feingold from Wisconsin fits the bill pretty well. If I were to ask Mr. Todd, what Senator Feingold's biggest political liability is and the key reason why he didn't run for President?...The answer has got to be that his votes and positions are not conducive to building a broad political coalition.

This political freedom seems to buy freedom of conscience and not much else.

Big Brother & The Holding Company -- Down on Me [Live]

Buy all of Janis' solo work here.