Bigger than Cheney?

January 12, 2012 10:41 PM

CSPAN callers have a question, why will no one answer? [TouTube, perhaps NSFW]
posted by LarryC (37 comments total)

You knew the last one was coming but the way he suckered the anchor was still classic.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:45 PM on January 12 [7 favorites]

Wow, they just keep coming.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:52 PM on January 12

Baba Booey
posted by GavinR at 11:09 PM on January 12 [1 favorite]

This is a bad post for the same reason that newspapers shouldn't publish photos of idiots "streaking" professional sports.
posted by cribcage at 11:09 PM on January 12 [4 favorites]

Newspapers could use more schlong.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:11 PM on January 12 [4 favorites]

There seems to be some confusion around "to have" and "to be", callers.
posted by biddeford at 11:14 PM on January 12

This is funny, but I'd really rather not encourage people to start taking giggly shits on the last reliable and reasonable source of political news on my TV.

PENIS
posted by BitterOldPunk at 11:16 PM on January 12 [17 favorites]

Uh... So, I'm not as much fun as I used to be.
1 - this is very very funny, the last one especially.
2 - Cspan has so much good for being (relatively) unfiltered, I hate to see it crapped on like this.

Also, Romney's penis, is this a thing? (I remember when Bush was first climbing into the political conscience they mentioning how he's called 'W' or Dub-ya, and this was in an effort to control how people talked about him, or at least steer the naming of him away from 'Jr.'. So, uh, could Romney's penis be the same kind of... But to what ... I mean, why?)
posted by From Bklyn at 11:19 PM on January 12

Well, does he drive a big truck or H2 with monster tires?
posted by Brocktoon at 11:23 PM on January 12

"Mister Romney!"

"Governor Romney. Wait. Now, where was I..."

"Mister Romney!"

"Who is that, damn it? Which one of you press people is so darn rude?"

"Mister Romney? What are the distinguishing features of your penis, mister Romney?"

"I do not believe I can have heard that correctly."

"Mister Romney! For elimination of the suggestion that you participated in porn films you allegedly funded, mister Romney! We watched the film this morning! Do you have a joint in your penis, mister Romney?"
posted by Rhaomi at 11:24 PM on January 12 [2 favorites]

The intersection of prank callers and people who are aware of CSPAN has got to be a Venn diagram with a punch line other than "Newt Gingrich", but it's late here and I'm drawing a blank.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 11:28 PM on January 12 [16 favorites]

These prank calls made me feel bad for the poor, earnest, hardworking Cspan folks.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:38 PM on January 12 [3 favorites]

This is a bad post for the same reason that newspapers shouldn't publish photos of idiots "streaking" professional sports.

None of this is true.
posted by no regrets, coyote at 11:45 PM on January 12 [2 favorites]

Considering that it is produced in a country in which you can get a big fine just for allowing someone to say "fuck" on your television show, is there a reason why CSPAN doesn't delay or prerecord its call-in shows?
posted by pracowity at 12:36 AM on January 13

Can't get a fine on cable.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 12:41 AM on January 13

so that's where all that santorum came from!
posted by sexyrobot at 12:42 AM on January 13 [2 favorites]

Heh, I watched a couple of these Pretty juvenile, but I still found it funny.

This is a bad post for the same reason that newspapers shouldn't publish photos of idiots "streaking" professional sports.

Cspan callers are not exactly a staid group. They get all kinds of weird calls. It's not like this is some kind of huge embarrassment for the channel.
posted by delmoi at 12:44 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

I've never called into one of these shows, but I assume there is some pre-screening of callers going on and the skill being demonstrated here is the ability to spoof the screener.

This could function as an alternative method of "moderation" on Metafilter:

"Metafilter moderator here, what would you like to post in the thread?"

"I just want to say that Obama is really, really great and those Republicans are just nasty, mean, rotten stupidheads."

"OK, we'll put you on live in a minute. When you hear the beep, write your comment."

"LOL. HOW BIG IS MITT ROMNEY'S PENIS?"
posted by three blind mice at 1:08 AM on January 13 [4 favorites]

Hello, I'm oblivious. I'll whine about unknown voters, just like history.
posted by Mblue at 1:10 AM on January 13

They get all kinds of weird calls.

Yeah, in DC they have it on the radio and listening to the call in shows was my favorite thing, because they get so many racists and weird conspiracy theorists calling in, and I just loved the way the hosts handled it.
posted by empath at 1:21 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Yeah, in DC they have it on the radio and listening to the call in shows was my favorite thing, because they get so many racists and weird conspiracy theorists calling in, and I just loved the way the hosts handled it

Jon Stewart covered this some months ago giving some criticism
posted by AndrewKemendo at 2:26 AM on January 13

Jon Stewart constantly fiddles with his pen and his notes. So he must think America is crazy.
posted by srboisvert at 3:10 AM on January 13

The Cheney jokes came from an actual photo. Is there anything... substantial behind this Romney stunt? Or is it just a joke as joke as joke?
posted by pracowity at 4:34 AM on January 13

This is awesome.... especially that last call...
posted by ph00dz at 4:50 AM on January 13

The last one is comedy gold.
posted by odinsdream at 5:21 AM on January 13

Yeah it was only mildly funny until the amazing buildup of the last one.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:25 AM on January 13

This is funny, but I'd really rather not encourage people to start taking giggly shits on the last reliable and reasonable source of political news on my TV.

They could just stop taking calls. I don't think I have heard a call-in show in many years which I was able to finish because of fremdschamen at the inane calls. The worst was Talk of the Nation's science Friday. Someone I know was on there; she's a hard working and very smart scientist, but not well versed in answering stupid questions. She answers questions from undergrads and lay people all the time, but was not ready for just how stupid the callers would be.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:46 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

It's one of the only talk shows where politicians are forced to interact with an unscreened public. I adore it. Cranks and morons and all.
posted by empath at 6:10 AM on January 13

This is funny, but I'd really rather not encourage people to start taking giggly shits on the last reliable and reasonable source of political news on my TV.

I've never watched any CSPN other than that early morning show they do, but that always seemed to be 50% fielding the calls of talk radio crackpots and 50% the experience of your grandfather telling you about interesting stories he read in the paper. He had value, but not a whole lot.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:43 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Isn't the distinguishing feature of Romney's penis that it's covered in Santorum?

Santorum Slings Mud—At Least It Looks Like Mud—In New Hampshire   LOL
posted by jeffburdges at 6:52 AM on January 13

... I'd really rather not encourage people to start taking giggly shits on the last reliable and reasonable source of political news on my TV.

I feel exactly the same way whenever Jonah Goldberg is a CSPAN guest. (Someone else who is "bigger than Cheney.")
posted by octobersurprise at 7:18 AM on January 13 [1 favorite]

Here's how to stop it. Make it company-wide policy to respond as follows:

Caller: blah blah blah how big is Romney's penis?

Anchor: Bigger than yours, kid. Bigger than yours.
posted by benito.strauss at 8:18 AM on January 13 [2 favorites]

This would be funny on any other station. C-SPAN does not deserve this treatment.
posted by mrhappy at 8:22 AM on January 13

> C-SPAN does not deserve this treatment.

Oh, it would be silly and frivolous anywhere. But, C-SPAN is basically filling time with a lot of those call-in shows. It's a means of keeping viewership, just like having comment sections on news sites encourages repeat visits. It's a very small fraction of their total call volume.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:27 AM on January 13

Yet another example of the Tragedy of the Callins.
posted by notyou at 8:36 AM on January 13 [4 favorites]

Romney's wife is behind this, I know it.
posted by narcoleptic at 8:54 AM on January 13

So how big is it?
posted by anniecat at 9:09 AM on January 13