Osler's Razor

If you haven't seen President Obama's interview with Zach Galifianakis on "Between Two Ferns," here is your chance!  I think it is brilliant.  The President needs to reach out to younger people to make the Affordable Care Act work, and this is a great way to do it.  It's hilarious, it makes a point, and it shows a side of the President-- cool, human, and funny-- that we too rarely glimpse.

If you don't really get it, that might be because you aren't familiar with Galifianakis's schtick.  He's basically a jerk to everyone, and his guests don't want to talk to him.  For context, check out this previous interview:




Now, of course, Republicans are just outraged by this!  Why?  Because they are outraged by anything Obama does.  (Admittedly, in the Fox News clip linked here, one of the guys appears not to have gotten the memo to be outraged, but super-offended guy makes up for it).

There are things about my own beliefs (Christian, small-government sympathies) that should draw me to the Republican party, but they have thoroughly defined themselves as humorless "get off my lawn" cranks who are outraged by almost everything they didn't come up with (and sometimes with things, like the fundamentals of the ACA, that they did come up with).   The constant negativity is a lousy case to make when what you want to do is gain power.

Republicans have important points to make, especially about the budget.  It would be easier to hear if they weren't such scolds.