Politics

TheDC Morning: Dennis Rodman is a global funny clothes aficionado

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
Font Size:

Like to laugh? Like to be informed? Then sign up for TheDC Morning email here.

1.) Dennis Rodman is a global funny clothes aficionado  — Dennis Rodman has become the new Carmen San Diego. TheDC’s Taylor Bigler reports on where in the world he most recently popped up:

“If you thought the ‘Dennis Rodman heads to the Vatican’ headlines were jokes, you were wrong. Fresh off his trip from visiting his BFF Kim Jong-Un in North Korea, Dennis Rodman is in Vatican City to campaign for a black pope.”

Clad in a ridiculous looking blazer with pastel flowers on it, Rodman told news outlets he was confident that the next pope would be black. In case you haven’t heard, that didn’t happen. But a common theme seems to connect Rodman’s recent travels, from North Korea to the Vatican. He seems to be infatuated with world leaders who dress bizarrely — or, if you prefer, uniquely. Well, in fairness, Kim Jong Un is not quite his father when it comes to fashion. But Rodman understands these leaders because he is one of them, at least as far as his fashion tastes go. TheDC Morning can only imagine how devastated he was at the loss of Colonel Gadhafi with his unmatchable wardrobe.

2.) Transparency? What’s that?  Remember how the Obama administration was supposed to be the most transparent in all of recorded governmental history? Yea, not so much. TheDC’s Caroline May reports:

“The Obama administration has come up short on one government watchdog’s test for transparency. Cause of Action, a self-described government accountability organization, released a report examining federal agencies’ compliance with Freedom of Information Act requests, Wednesday. As the group notes in their ‘Grading the Government’ report, during his first month in office, President Obama laid out his goal to the heads of executive branch agencies to make his ‘the most transparent Administration in history.’ With Obama’s mission in mind the group set out to test the administration’s transparency — grading each agency on their responses to identical FIOAs — regarding spending on promotional items. The departments were graded on the amount of time it took to respond, the number of redactions in the responses and whether or not they granted the group a Public-Interest Purpose fee waiver. The report found the average agency grade to be a ‘C-minus.'”

In other words, President Obama’s administration is transparent in the same way an orange is spicy or Ed Schultz’s career can be said to be booming.

3.) At least he didn’t say China — Some days Bill Gates wishes we had a different system of government, TheDC’s Nicholas Ballasy reports:

“Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, the wealthiest American, said on ‘some days’ he wishes the U.S. political system was like England’s so President Obama would have ‘slightly more power.’ Gates was asked for his assessment of President Obama’s job performance during an interview at Politico’s ‘Playbook Cocktails’ event. ‘Some days I wish we had a system like the U.K. where you know, the party in power could do a lot and you know, you’d see how it went and then fine you could un-elect them,’ said Gates on Wednesday. ‘Now, over time, our system has worked slightly better than theirs, theirs has worked okay but so it’s ironic that right now it feels like I wish there was slightly more power in the presidency to avoid some of these deadlocks. So I think what he [Obama] wants to do and what he’s actually able to do, the gap is so big there that it’s hard to know in some ways.'”

At least he didn’t say he wishes we were like China for a day, like a certain New York Time columnist who is perpetually subjected to ridicule by his journalistic peers.

4.) Polls schmolls — Now it’s the White House who is telling people not to pay attention to polls. TheDC’s Vince Coglianese reports on a conversation at Wednesday’s White House press briefing between National Public Radio’s Mara Liasson and White House press secretary Jay Carney:

“Liasson: ‘But the recent polls have shown that the president’s job approval, especially on the economy, has taken a hit, as the gridlock and the sequester has gone forward. It seems like he owns the economy and dysfunction in Washington no matter you’ve tried to do. I’m wondering whether you think your efforts to explain to the country that it’s the Republicans’ fault have fallen short.’ Carney: ‘I would say a couple of things. First of all, as I say repeatedly and as we experienced together communally: Be careful of making too much of any individual poll …’ Liasson: ‘Well, there are a series of polls.’ Carney: ‘…or even a series of polls.'”

5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Jonah Goldberg: Too bad we have to wait 4 days until Doris Kearns Goodwin is on Meet the Press before any of us will know what to think of the new Pope.

6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Kim Jon Un Enjoys Performance Given by Art Squad of KPA Unit 531”

VIDEO: Paul Ryan takes on Paul Krugman 

Follow Jamie on Twitter

Jamie Weinstein