Talking Simpsons - Talking Simpsons - Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington

Episode Date: March 30, 2016

Find out why the hosts are all super cynical about government when the family heads to DC and we learn about the cesspool on the Potomac…

today's talking sentence is brought to you by tax act the best deal in tax with free federal and state simple returns and affordable pricing and other services your maximum refund is guaranteed and listeners of this show can go to try tax act.com slash laser time and get 15 off federal and state violence Ahoy, ahoy, everybody, and welcome to Talking Simpsons. This is the Lazer Time Podcast Network's chronological exploration of the Simpsons. And today's episode is all about Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington. Before we get to that, though, I am Bob Mackie, your host. Who else is here today?

Third-party candidate, Henry Gilbert. Human cesspool, Chris Antista. Wealthy got-about day runner. I am skincare consultant Mackie. Today, yes, we're talking about Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington. It aired on September 26, 1991. Chris, tell us what happened on this magical day in history. Oh, my god!

This week in Simpsons history, PBS debuts what may very well be television's most successful video game adaptation. Still the current NFL record holder for most wins, coach Don Shula wins his 300th victory with Miami Dolphins, and Dr. Susan Miles

Davis are dead. Was there a behind the music about Rockapella? Yeah. I see just heroin overd Seuss and Miles Davis are dead. Was there a behind the music about Rockapella? I see just heroin overdoses left and right for these guys. This is Carmen

San Diego. It is Carmen San Diego. I believe they did a public appearance at some game convention in St. Louis recently. I believe I read that on Kotaku.

Is that the most long-running, most successful, most unanimously praised video game adaptation of anything on television? I love that.

I watch that fanatically after school every day. Oh, me too, yeah. And it might have taught me something, I think. It was one of the few things. Not geography. It was one of the few things that could get me to not watch Disney Afternoon. I was like, F Disney Afternoon, time for Carmen. This is a bad goof troop.

When you had Carmen Sandiego and Ghost Rider back-to-back, that was like, sticking to PBS for a while, man. That is writer millenniums. Writer. So if you like Reader's Digest parodies, get ready for this episode, everybody. Woo! Man, this is, in terms of like the shell of the episode, this does feel fucking old. Like, Reader's Digest still around?

It is still around. In multiple countries. Yes, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Me too, because I was sure it had to be out of print. It feels very much like a periodical from the early part of the 20th century in that there are really not a lot of pictures. It's pure text, stories, sometimes serialized narratives, things like that. I mean, it predates the Third Reich.

It's been around that long. 1922. They don't have those stands where you put them. They would always be at where I saw them was at supermarkets. Where archie digest archie digest yeah tv guides before they got regular size like those were all in those little area and that's where you don't believe i've ever read one so this is a this is a very political episode it's written by george meyer one of the few he's a credited writer on he is we talked about him before but he is one of the most important writers in the writing room he's has one of the smartest and darkest senses of humor in the room.

And he's married to Simpson writer John Vitti's sister. I didn't know that. Okay. Yeah. But this is totally his type of myopic view on politics, which 1,000% informed my view on politics, too. Like, maybe it just awakened something in me that I am a very cynically political person. Obama is one of the very rare candidates

in 2008 that gave me hope ever in something. But this does have two outlooks. But I think one is a tightly, like a too tight a bow on a joke. Exactly. In the episode as fast as possible. We'll get to that. Homer fails to cash a million dollar check.

I love that checks don't have exclamation points. I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Every time you get a million dollars, something queers the deal. I don't think real checks have exclamation points. Well, at least we got a free sample of Reading Digest. Marge, I never read a magazine

in my life and I'm not going to start now. Hey, a cartoon. Well, dear, you never read a magazine in my life, and I'm not going to start now. Hey, a cartoon. Well, dear, you always wanted a compact. Ain't it the truth? No, it's not the truth, Homer. It's well documented that women are safer drivers than men. Oh, Marge, cartoons don't have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh.

You see a giant butt crack. I definitely did the Bart point and laugh when the butt crack was on as a kid. As a kid, I did. So this is the first episode of the third season's production run. You can tell how fast the pacing is getting because in the first couple seconds, Homer gets that publisher's clearinghouse letter. It cuts right to the bank. Him talking to the teller cuts back home.

They are moving the pacing so fast. You can just cut to a bank for a joke now. That teller, by the way, has a very comic book guy voice. Yeah, I noticed that too. You know whose voice isn't correct? For the second time, I think, ever? Troy McClure. This is a special Troy McClure.

Just because it's, again, Dan Castellaneta doing it, who did it for a one-off joke in Bart Stockett's map. At least you joke in Bart's Dog It's Napped. At least you don't see him. It's only coming out of the television. But it's also one of the very rare times where it is a one-movie Troy McClure joke. It is just Preacher with a Shovel. No second

movie is named. in Breacher with a Shovel. But irrigation can save your people, Chief Smiling Bear. Marge, look at them staring at that idiot box. God forbid they would ever read something and improve their minds. You've certainly taken a shine to that magazine. It's not just one magazine, Marge. They take hundreds of magazines. I don't know what Reader's Digest is or what it does.

I thought you would submit things. It's essays, basically. Or there's the saying, the Reader's Digest version of something, which meant that they got, like, books or chapters of books or also long-form stories that they would then shorten down

into the Reader's Digest version. I don't know, man. That would be, like, five pages long or something. This was an old joke in 1991. But it was just a... It was a very, like, centrist periodical. Like, it would sometimes have news stuff like I think they had very

well observed Reader's Digest jokes Should We Worry About Bermuda is one of the headlines which is such a Meet Mr. Soybean. Yeah, Dr. Soybean Oh, Dr. Soybean. Yeah. I'm sorry he did go to college. Though I wish Lisa had said to Homer when he said, hey we're gonna read something not watch TV. Lisa

should have said, I've read 18 times the books you have, Homer. This is what kicks off the episode, an ad in the reader's reading digest magazine. Where do you think? This baby never steers you wrong. And it was free. Free. Free certainly has enriched our lives. Wow.

Win a trip to Washington, D.C. All expenses paid. VIP tour. Oh, it's for kids. Wait, D.C. All expenses paid. VIP tour. Oh, it's for kids. Wait, Dad. Hmm, an essay contest. Children under 12, 300 words, fiercely pro-American.

Sounds interesting. Bart, maybe this is something you'd like to do, too. Mom, it's a nice thought, but we both know that this is the pony to bet on. Love that. I definitely more had Bart's thing

of like, I don't need to write a song. Discerning responsibility, but it's still a vote of confidence for Lisa. That's rare from Bart. But that was an attitude

I took a lot when my parents were like, your brother's going to basketball practice. Do you want to go too? No, I'm not a basketball athlete. That also feels like a first that is

the Homer joke of, I'm done with this throw in the garbage that would later turn into throw into the fire yeah or burn in the future there were there were by the way some great gags leading up to like homer utilizing it in many ways including my favorite line in the episode when he's in bed with marge he looks up uh how to please your lover and he says you have a nice body and if you'd like to see me in a costume you need only ask that is a great line they're experimenting with furryism this early in their relationship

I also liked where he's reading the story that this is something that too informed me as a kid which was oh it was when he's telling the story of the merciless lake of the sea lion Homer he obviously got out alive if he wrote the article don't be so oh you're right him quoting Tolstoy

give me learning sir you may keep your black bread I love Marge's this is this one of the most famous lines of the Simpsons period

that I keep seeing all over Facebook is Grandpa Simpson I'm not with it anymore but like this this is a good a good one for Marge too

think of a better opening how's it going honey not very well well when i used to get stuck like this i'd go for a bike ride do kids go on bike rides anymore yes i don't know i thought maybe bikes weren't cool anymore do kids still use that word cool yes mom i think I've muttered out loud if both of those were the case at 35. I like when Marge is sweetly dorky. She's just so out of it, but it's cute. It's nice when they can find jokes like that for Marge. They don't often do.

I did like Burns' reaction of his job description clearly specifies an illiterate. Thank you, President Ford. Thank you, President Ford. Thank you, President Ford. My favorite thing in here now is awful essay cliches. If anybody, was it? Bob and I were English majors. Oh my God, no, I was an English major too. And this totally spoke to me as a kid.

In elementary school, I had an immediate knack for math. I felt like such a special gifted kid because kids were dealing with subtraction problems. And I just remember this magical moment in first grade where they put up like, okay, everybody, this entire like hour is do all these 20 problems on the blackboard. And I was like, done. I just did it all. And the teacher was so impressed. And I think that her being impressed with me just ruined me for life.

Because I was like, see? Little effort and everybody loves me. I don't know if I said this on the show before. I'm pretty sure I have. I resent my parents for giving me workbooks before I ever went to school. I go there immediately and I finish everything fast. I'm reading in kindergarten before anybody else. I had the same thing, yeah.

And you just were bored. Yes. You were just so bored. They call it ADD, but I really got used to like, this girl is going to spend four minutes pouring over this Buffy and Max sentence. I will disappear into my imagination and not bother anybody

because that's how school was for me the first five. It wasn't until like sixth grade where like, oh, you're supposed to try at this. You actually have to read stuff. I don't know if it's like that anymore, but the education system is garbage for anybody who isn't the middle of the road. Like, it's just, it's a factory.

But anyway. I was not smart. I memorized things early. I got an advanced leap. Mr. Berkshire, I'm with you, Henry. So by middle school, though, that's when I started having trouble with geometry. And at the same time realized I really liked writing arguments and essays and it born in me in a love of writing essays that got me into you know advanced english and then gifted english and then ap english and into into college and then

into a job which basically was writing essays in the games for us episode is uh rife with kennedy esque a patriotic essays from children yeah and i nelson's essay. Burn the flag if you must. But before you do, you better burn a few other things. You better burn your shirt and your pants. Be sure to burn your TV and car. Oh, yes. And don't forget to burn your house because none of those things could exist without six white stripes, seven red stripes, and a hell of a lot of stars.

Thank you very much. Yeah, damn right. It's like a Manistrump rally. Yeah, Nelson gets a 10 in jingoism. That was one of the categories. I know, I hate that every asshole at a podium now just automatically conjures Trump imagery in my face. But let me just blow through these essay cliches

because I love all of them. They are all perfect. It's all done throughout a montage, going throughout the country. Recipe for a free country. Mix one cup of liberty with three teaspoons of justice. Add

one informed electorate. Base well with veto power. That's the recipe cliche, I believe we have. My back is spineless. My belly is yellow. I am the American non-voter. You hear that, Chris? Not apologizing.

What's that hit from Alabama now? Yeah, but this is the absolute best one. The kid from Queens with Hank Azaria's voice. Ding. Dong. The sounds of the Liberty Bell. Ding. Freedom.

Dong. Opportunity. Ding. Excellent schools. Dong. Quality hospitals. Ding. Dong. That is very much like the tough kid learning poetry my line of the show is we the purple what the hell actually i have a bit of that because like lisa wins the essay contest and they have to

cross-check it to make sure her father didn't write it your parents must have written stupider in this episode than he'd been up to that point. But that's the weird thing is that he's both. He's getting smarter and reading more and then he's stupid. Then he's reading more again and then he's stupid again. What the hell was that?

Are you a professional writer? Are you interested in politics or government? Are you interested in anything? Could you touch your nose for me? Lisa, after meeting your father, I've decided to award you an additional five points. Congratulations. You and your family are going to Washington.

Woo-hoo! Who would have guessed reading and writing would pay off? I tightened up that clip, and I've never been able to take credit for this. I actually made that joke better, because that scene is so weird and long. It had a lot of breaks, but I like her disillusionment at Homer not being able to touch his nose. I'm like, oh my god.

Yeah, Lisa got five extra points for that after she met Homer. But the staging of his, I had to get a lot of silences. This is the worst joke I've seen. Actually, it looks like something else should have been here been also like he just completely loses the ability to speak for like yeah it seems like it's supposed to be from across the room but you still hear her perfectly yeah something went wrong there also this is a very personal story but when i recorded this this was one of the i remember the pain of recording this because i paused it wrong i whenever i got when we got to that joke there,

to pause it for the commercial, on the playback it was always, who would have thought reading and writing would pay? And it would just cut into immediately the next scene. What did he say? And it just hurt me forever. The only reason I captured the next clip was because I would tape The Simpsons at this point every single Thursday

and watch them every day throughout the week. And occasionally you'd get the first commercial break usually would have next time on The Simpsons at this point every single Thursday and watch them every day throughout the week. And occasionally you'd get like the first commercial break usually would have next time on The Simpsons. And this was the clip from Stark Raving Dad. Would you like to see where we hang our coats? No, thank you. I'd rather push this button. No. We're all going to die.

So the line, we're all going to die, sticks out in my head. But then the people screaming as the plane slowly and safely descends is one of my favorite parts of the episode. It's pretty great. But again, this is pre-9-11 flying. That's what it was like, kids. Still back then, they had no leg room because Barton's just banging his chair backwards. I wrote down, it's the first laptop I ever saw on the Simpsons. I don't think I ever saw a laptop. In 1991, wow.

It was like a Lane laptop from Seinfeld where it's just like, this is huge. The giant IBM logo on it. So their tour of Washington, D.C., it is a classic and an early Simpsons go someplace. Let's see them see stuff. Oh, look, Homer. The IRS.

Boo! Oh, boo yourself. Remember to do your taxes I miss not knowing what the IRS was there's still time try taxact.com slash laser time people get 15% off your federal and state before we leave the plane and we have left

but I have to go back to it for my insane conspiracy theory so follow me with this we find out in season 6 Marge cannot fly she's deadly afraid of flying because her dad was a steward and she couldn't handle that. Also, she was gunned down in North by Northwest and several other things happened to her. Thanks to Miss Lowenstein. Yes.

I thought it was wise. Her name is Y. Lowenstein. Anyhow, I was like, okay, Marge is going to be on this plane and then I'll get mad because it's inconsistent. Marge is not on the plane. You never see her. You don't see her. Homer's there.

You see Homer. You should see Marge's hair and her sitting next to him. You're saying the Simpsons have plausible deniability. Yes. That she John Maddened herself. My theory is Marge left earlier and took a train, and we don't find out about that. She could also have been drugged. That too, yeah.

And just hiding in the bathroom drugged the whole time. She's like the B.A. Baracus of the Simpsons. I bet we'll see another flight before that episode, though. I don't think so. I'll poke holes in this somehow. We'll find out. Them going to the Watergate as a kid, I didn't know what the Watergate was. I didn't know that was a joke.

I expected a Watergate joke, but it's like, look, we're at the Watergate. We are simply in the water. This is a first for Homer in the blank goes on, blank goes off. Yeah, that's exactly how I wrote it, too, in my notes. Blank goes on, blank goes off. Look, they give you a shower cap and body gel and bathrobes.

Oh, and a welcoming mint on your pillow. Wow, a shoehorn. Just like in a movie. Shoe goes on, shoe goes off. Shoe goes on, shoe goes off. Shoe goes on, shoe goes off. Homer, name me more than one

movie with a shoehorn. Well, they were just very impressed by such pedestrian things like a hotel room. That's a great joke, that they're such simple people. Like a shower cap. Marge couldn't even fit that on her head, which I feel like is another joke. Did you guys as kids

on vacations, did you fight over beds with your brother or sister? Yes, but also hotel beds were the closest thing we had to those inflatable, those trampoline houses you fucking kids have now. Just jumping back and forth, creating pillow forts. We loved hotel rooms. This episode definitely did affect me in a negative way, where I would do the elevator prank that Bart did a lot.

I think I learned from this. I think it did teach a generation of kids how to be dicks. Like little dicks. Yeah, but the whole time denying that was actually happening. But then Homer is now stupid again after being smart early in the episode, but still a Reader's Digest fan, and I love him meeting the editor. Oh yeah.

I'm Faith Crowley, patriotism editor of Reading Digest. Oh, I love your magazine. My favorite section is how to increase your word power. That thing is really, really, really good. There's a very yes, Mr. Thompson thing in this episode that I love. On the VIP thing, too. Yeah, that's what I was mentioning. These are special VIP badges.

They'll get you into places other tourists never see. Miss, what does the I stand for? Important. Ooh. How about the V? Very. Oh. And Miss, just one more question.

Person. Ah. What does the I stand for again? You cut like two seconds of silence there, too. That's how much longer. That's how dumb he is. That's what I said. He is really stupid.

You know what I cut out in all these clips? Maggie Suckling. It's always used to put emphasis or silence on a joke. It's Maggie Suckling. I hate it now. I fucking hate it after doing 40 episodes of this show. I can't stand Maggie Suckling. The cooler joke that I want to mention is in the background is Brevity Ellipses Wits.

Brevity is dot, dot, dot, wit. That is another very specific joke about Reader's Digest editing down things. It's a Hamlet line, Brevity is the soul of wit or something like that. And they just think that was too much. Too much to pay for. So perfect. Yeah, when I went to Washington, D.C., which I think was 99 or 2000. I was still in high school, and it was pre-9-11. But I remember seeing The Spirit of St. Louis and immediately thinking of this joke from this thing.

I never got to see the bowling alley where Richard Nixon bowled back-to-back 300 games. Also, Marge was surprisingly horny in this episode. She wanted to snuggle before, and then when they went to the Washington Monument. I did not get that boner joke for a long time. Yeah, Marge, grow up. and then when they went to the Washington Monument. I did not get that boner joke for a long time. March, grow up. The Simpsons will be right back. How we use electricity can be smarter, cleaner and greener.

At Electric Ireland, we can help guide you there. You see, our new Net Zero Hub has all you need to know about smart meter plans, EV tariffs, solar panels and much more. Making your usage clearer, your trips greener, your home cozier, and your world brighter. Find our net zero hub at electricarland.ie. Oh, look, Homer, the IRS. Boo! I know, Homer, taxes aren't fun, but they are mandatory and we all have to do them.

So thank goodness today's Talking Simpsons is brought to you by Tax Act, the best deal in online taxes, baby. In case you don't know, Tax Act offers free federal and simple state returns and affordable pricing on all their other online services i do all my taxes online i recommend you do too if you're a later time listener know that i do not recommend going to franchise accounting places with your own two feet always do your taxes online to get the best deal. And listeners, yes, you. You can get 15% off federal and state tax filings specifically by going to trytaxact.com slash laser time. That's tax. You know how to spell tax act as in acting. Thank you. In case you don't know, Tax Act is a leading provider of affordable digital and download tax preparation solutions for individuals, business owners, and tax professionals. Tax Act makes preparing and filing your taxes easy, affordable, and quick, and you'll get your maximum refund, baby. So,

a little less taboo at Homer. And of course, once again, you listeners can go to trytaxact.com slash LazerTime and get 15% off your state and federal filings. Thank you, Tax Act, for reminding us we are running out of time to do our taxes. Then when she meets the senator, he's actually a representative, not a senator. I love that it's, I'm just going to play this real fast. It's the first ever appearance of Barbara Bush. Not the last. Do you mind barbara bush oh you have

those damn badges okay this tub was installed in 1894 and they're both still alive like barbara actually was in the news recently in very sad scenes of her sitting next to Jeb in interviews and just like, my son should be... Like, it was just... And speaking of Jeb... Like, he was at a recent rally. Yeah, he looks sad. All of our families are supposed to be prejudiced. H.W. Bush looked real sad.

Speaking of Jeb and Barbara, it was very much like a Skinner and Agnes Skinner joke. I kept seeing the picture of him and his mom and Skinner and Mrs. Skinner together. But funny story, there was like a weird little feud between Barbara Bush and the Simpsons, because I believe in some newspaper, or maybe it was a magazine. We talked about that in our season wrap-up. Oh, so we're gonna talk about that later?

Yeah. Okay. Listen, subscribe to Patreon. You'll find that. I'm gonna save it for that one. But she did. She wrote a letter to the Simpsons to tell them to stop. They wrote a letter back, and that was supposed to be the end of it. As March. Yeah. Yeah, like, they had was supposed to be the end of it. As March. Yeah.

They had a correspondence. So this is a budding rivalry, I believe. Okay, so they meet the representative for whatever state Springfield is. Congressman, this is Springfield National Forest. Now, basically, what we want to do is cut her down. As you can see in our artist's rendition, it's full of old roads, aging, festering. Terrorizing animals. In comes our logging company. This is exactly what happens in college.

It's all part of nature's, you know, cycle. Well, Jerry, you're a whale of a lobbyist, and I'd like to give you a logging permit. I would, but this isn't like burying toxic waste. People are going to notice those trees are gone. Congressman, this is where it gets awkward. I never quite know how to put this. I just want to offer me a bribe. I do like the Simpsons do it a lot where you just touch your nose.

Yeah, I love that. I cut that. Grimm said it a long time ago, but the Simpsons at a really young age informed your cynicism. Exactly. In a sane degree. I love how in the after picture of the forest it's been cleared and just stomps it. Animals are all having tea parties and playing farts. It's so beautiful.

Lisa gets to meet this congressman right in the middle of a surprise. Everything he says is almost my line of the show. I really love you're a whale of a lobbyist. His name is Bob Arnold, by the way. Yeah, Bob Arnold. And his last line here is almost my line of the show lisa you're a doer and who knows maybe someday you'll be a congressman or a senator we have quite a few women senators you know only two hi jack you're a sharp one

well how about a few pictures touch out always plays in the sticks now there are 20 female senators i looked it up yeah so really in case you don't know quick civics lessons there are 100 senators there's two from every state 50 state uh there's two for every state and senators are more powerful than uh representatives and at the time there really were two i double checked this there were only two female senators and it had only ever been two up to that point. The next year, according to Wikipedia, in response to a new feminism movement caused in part by the Clarence Thomas situation. She got sick of drinking pubic hairs.

Two more women were elected as senators to make it four, and that's Jocelyn Burdick and Dianne Feinstein from our own state. Currently, yeah, 20 female senators, 16 Democrats, 4 Republicans. By the way, right after he says this plays well in the sticks,

they cut to Mo reading the newspaper and being impressed. If I ever vote, I vote for him. Yes, both that and the scene later on suggests that in the world of The Simpsons, newspapers can be printed exceptionally quick. Yes, a lot of things happen especially at the end. Yeah, a lot of things happen very quick at the end, Dave.

It's like accelerated timelines. Well, that is the speed of season three like we talked about at the beginning. You mean Talking Simpsons season three? Because we've got a new clip. Whoa. I will iron your sheets when you iron out the inequities in your labor laws. Amen, sister. I told you no one ever came here.

So, Bob, where do we stand on Springfield Forest? Do I get my logging permit? Well, let me put it this way, Jerry. Timber! So none of you watching this at the time knew Winifred Beecher Howe. I mean, I didn't know it now either. I Googled Howe. I mean, I didn't know it now either. I Googled it last time. Yeah, I didn't know it until yesterday.

Oh, iron out your sheets when you iron out the inequities of your labor laws. I thought she was real. It is so funny. I think she's based on Susan B. Anthony because she was on the 50 cent piece or the $2 coin.

75 cent. Oh, yeah. But then Winifred Beecher Howe was on the 75 cent piece. And there's a really great joke in a terrible episode where Marge tells the story of Sacagawea. And at the end, she's like, and then she was immortalized in the $1 coin. And if you go to the bank, you can trade these in for real money.

So it's like it just shows how if a woman is on a coin, it's on an unpopular currency. That's so funny, too, because in George Myers' last written episode was the Thanksgiving episode. That's right. Which was also about unfamous feminists. I believe they were all real, though. They were all real, yes. They were, as was Thomas Jefferson, the Jefferson Memorial. That's my line of the show.

Yes. Jefferson stuff. Mr. Jefferson, my name is Lisa Simpson, and I have a problem. I know your problem. The Lincoln Memorial was too crowded. Sorry, sir. It's just... No one ever comes to see me. I don't

blame them. I never did anything important. Just the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, the dumbwaiter. Maybe I should be going. I caught you at a bad time. Wait! Please don't go. I get so lonely. I am obsessed with the idea of a Washington

D.C. monument with an inferior complex. Well, it's harder to get of a Washington, D.C. monument with an inferiority complex. Well, it's harder to get to than Abe, too. Like, Abe's, I mean, you want to see Abe before Jefferson. The last time I was there, I was on the river, and I was going right by it on a nice boat. Grandma's funeral. And Abe doesn't have as complicated a history as Thomas Jefferson does. I forgot nothing came of the scene.

He just gets to be bitter for 30 seconds and Lisa walks away. To me, in my mind, it defined the episode, but it's such a quick scene. And these are all like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington parodies, and I haven't seen it in maybe 15 years, so it's all very, very fuzzy to me. I watch it like every two years. It's still so true.

My favorite scene is the very satisfied congressman who's just like, yeah, I did break you. You passed out reading the Constitution. My hellabaster. The best scene is when people are writing that he's a nincompoop in the newspaper and he just a montage of jimmy's it every time i watch it like this has to be a dream sequence but no he goes around punching reporters oh there's a montage of him knocking out reporters that's that's not true today but it is not a dream sequence. Every time, he just does that. Jimmy Stewart's punch out.

So when Lisa envisions the fat cats of a New Yorker cartoon, that again still sticks with me to this day. I'm just like, yeah, it's just people paying each other. It's just a money party. Nobody does good in government, or it's very hard to. I should mention that that is a parody or a caricature or something, a takeoff of Thomas Nast, who's one of the first political cartoonists. He died in 1903, if you want to think of how old he was.

Not the same guy from they parodied in War of the Simpsons. Different guy. That was Duffy, I believe. Yeah. A little bit later. Because there was the laughing senators, and they looked a lot like Schoolhouse Rocks. Yeah, yeah. Thomas Nast had way more crosshatching.

That's really impossible to portray on a TV. I love that part of his animation I know the I'm just a bill does have cross-hatching Type stuff on it too It was kind of drawn in that way Oh my god, Lisa finally goes to Give her essay to win the award

And this character Singing the deficit rag This is a mark Oh yeah, the deficit rag Those budget gaps can. Deficit rag. Oh, yeah, the deficit rag. Those budget gaps can be a 12-digit drag. I'm telling you, that's the deficit. They really made a mess of it. That's the deficit rag.

Thank you. Oh, this guy is awful. I know. Just sit still. I like how that is not even like a joke out of bars. Like, this sucks. And Mark's agreeing. And there is only one person joke out of bars. Like, this sucks. And Marge agreed. And there is only one person who this could be.

It's Mark Russell. I had to research this. My mom liked Mark Russell when this was on. She was like, you're too mean to Mark Russell. I grew up without cable, and we had five channels, and one of them was PBS. This guy, Mark Russell, just played the piano and songs like that. The fucking deficit rag. Stars were on the side.

It's such a vague memory, but I looked it up for this episode, and he had four comedy specials a year for like 30 years. He retired in 2001. If you're younger, you probably never saw him. Me, I saw him one television, three channels. Get this the fuck off!

I would see him on PBS a lot. Yeah, my parents loved it. At first I thought this was like a Capital Steps parody, but then I looked that up and it was like, we put the mock in democracy. I'm like, go to hell. Just get out of here. I mean, nobody made fun of them better than the Monugians on Mr. Show.

Oh, that's right. Oh, my God. Amazing. Yeah, they're just so mean to Mark Russell. A quick thing about Mark Russell, he did retire, but he wrote a comic book for DC last year. Did he? It's this 12-issue miniseries called Prez, and it's this parody of, it's a political parody.

And it honestly was really good. The first couple of issues were good. I read the first issue, I think. I didn't know he wrote them. But then I read, like, wait, this is written by that Mark Russell? The Simpsons told me he sucks. Like, I'm not supposed to like him. Well, that's like growing up, my parent, my dad especially, obsessed with public radio. this is written by that Mark Russell? The Simpsons told me he sucks. I'm not supposed to like...

Growing up, my parent, my dad especially, obsessed with public radio. And the first three seasons, public television, public radio, The Simpsons constantly take the piss out of it. Garrison Keillor. I love Garrison Keillor. I'm one of the...

God, everybody hates that I love Garrison Keillor. I'd love him if he didn't sound like he was dying every time he spoke. You don't like to hear him collect his spit? Yeah, just like... I get a sense of where his tongue is at all times. English major. Yeah, but Lisa has witnessed the corruption of, what, Bob Arnold?

Did I get his name right? It has a brand new speech, and it's all filled with new cliches, but negative. The city of Washington was built on a stagnant swamp some 200 years ago, and very little has changed. It stank then, and it stinks now. Only today it is the fetid stench of corruption that hangs in the air. And who did I see taking a bribe but the Honorable Bob Arnold? Don't worry, Congressman.

I'm sure you can buy all the votes you need with your dirty money. And this will be one nation under the dollar with liberty and justice for a million years. Yep, there you go. There we go, yeah. That's reality right there. At least it can be just as trite as the other kids. Yeah. And it's, having the amount of dissatisfaction and disillusionment I have with our government and its processes, I hate the ending so much. It spends the whole time being cynical. It's a fairy tale, man.

Yeah, I think it's like the satire equivalent of like a piano being dropped on you, because it's like, it's not subtle, it's like, let's just do the opposite of what we think is true. And that's what the, like, and I think as a kid I took it at face value like oh you can actually fix things but now as an adult i'm like no they're just saying like this is what would happen in a fantasy world where someone would listen to a little girl to do any of that would take three years yeah listen to our previous episode this is the second uh punctuation of a sentence in a great way senator there's a problem at the essay contest please son i'm very busy a little girl is losing faith in democracy that's my quote of the episode definitely and i'm saving my quote of the episode uh and that was also we skipped over but the first appearance of skincare consultant rowena who was a brief runner

i think maybe appeared like three times she would be at lisa's beauty pageant i think the first but not last appearance of uh george hw but this This is like everybody finds out about Lisa's speech. By the time she gets down from the podium, the government has worked. It has gone all the way to the president and to the newspaper. Hey, this should make my bosses very happy. Your bosses? Yep. All 250 million of them.

First ever appearance from George H.W. Bush. I want to hear that delivery of your bosses coinciding with real glasses. She just got done with her speech. By the time she's outside and the awards have not been given yet, the newspaper has printed the results of Lisa being a solution. Old school newsie is handing it out. So now it is funny to me again. What's gotten into you?

Yeah, your other speech was a little more crowd pleasing. I'm sorry dad i couldn't think of a nice way to say america stinks extra extra feds now rotten give me one of those imprisoned congressman becomes born again christian i can't believe it the system works that's that even did an hour even pass yeah? They showed the time on the screen. He's already in prison. Literally, this is sending shockwaves that that congressman is repenting.

Congress itself will not attack a rider to give bonuses to themselves. I love, as far as comedy goes, we saw the headline. Senator jailed. The first thing March says is converted to Christianity. I'm like, fucking beautiful.

This is such a wonderful escalation. It is very cynical. I love it. Wouldn't have much HW, though. He'll get replaced by season four. Their feud was just getting started. The Asian kid won. I love his speech.

His speech is great. Yeah. I believe his name is Trong Van Dinh. Trong Van Dinh? I know all their names. He won the NFL punt pass. Thank you for this oversized novel. Wait, say that.

He won what? The NFL punt pass and kick competition. That little kid. Essay competition. Essay competition. I like his line of like, where else in America? I got it. Oversized novelty check.

I would like to share this honor with all of my fellow essayists, particularly the courageous Lisa Simpson, whose inflammatory rhetoric reminded us that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance give her the check she was serious Bart apparently kills Mark Russell at the end of this episode

his line is like where else but in America or possibly Canada for now than it was then. And Lisa's faith is restored, I guess. Yeah. Yeah, though it's again another time of, I think I've heard on later commentaries,

Yardley Smith would come to complain about this, that Lisa always loses. She competes in so many things, and she always loses. She never gets to win. And Yardley Smith eventually got tired of her character never winning. Just as a personal aside, because I'm going to do my line of the show because i i took the clips i get that i got that one's way dave was making fun of me earlier a recent like recently on a podcast i came out of someone who doesn't vote and it doesn't believe i don't have political

beliefs i just don't like to espouse them and i don't care if you agree with them and i don't care if they become policy we know you're votaphobic, Chris. I'm votaphobic. Three simple lines that emphasize everything I think about this country, for real, politically. My line of the show. That's the joke. Lousy, cheap country. Lousy, cheap country. What was he responding to? I'm getting the check, right?

Oh, at the IRS. And most everything wrong with America is because it's cheap. Seriously, because it doesn't want to pay for anything. Personal responsibility. So we're not going to build the road to your house. We're not going to give you internet health. That's on you. Fix your own bridge.

Fix your own bridge. Every corporation gets a ton of tax breaks and welfare. They earned it. I'm making scarecrow looks. We're getting too that is my that is my view of the country.

Stay tuned for Talking Marxism. We do not have mass transit because they are cheap. Why would we build things when you can buy a car and drive yourself? You should buy a car

and be part of this economy. Burn gas. You'll love your own health insurance. Shop for it. It'll be easy. So yes, that was our scathing approach

of politics as well as the Simpsons. This has been Talking Simpsons thanks so much for listening i have been bob mackie your host i'll continue to be bob mackie for as long as i live i don't please oh i think i will i will be on twitter forever as bob servo please find me on twitter and i also do the classic gaming podcast retronauts please find that at retronauts.com or usgamer.net or search for retronauts in your podcast machine everybody else what do you do for a living? In summation. Wow!

Oh, my God. I haven't heard that in... I've played on every other show but this one. I haven't heard it in months, I think. It's my text noise whenever you send me texts. Oh, wow. Okay. Chris Antista.

Hi, I'm Cantista on Twitter, but I don't tweet that much. Usually just to yell at you when you yell at me, which you're free to do. Because I do a show called Laser Time. We pick a pop culture topic every week and ramble on and on and on about it i'm trying to think of something we've done recently florida we do have a mike mike drucker joining us for a florida episode that was pre-shame songs the listener shame this is true that happened recently and hey i'm h-e-n-e-r-e-y-g on twitter i really get to say it on here uh and if I may suggest something, listen to 302010. It's our pop culture time capsule.

Not unlike the opening of the show where we say what happened this week in Simpsons history. 86, 96, and 2006. 20 years ago, 10 years ago, and 30 years ago, we talk about what happened that week in pop culture. It's a fun way to explore pop culture in a timely manner. Also,

I host the comic book podcast, Cave Crisis. And again, let me remind you, patreon.com slash LazerTime, home of the first season of Talking Simpsons and our season two wrap-up special. I'm at Dave Rudden on Twitter. And here's good news for Homer Simsoy. I host the pro wrestling podcast, Cheap Podcast. Give it a listen. That's it for us this week.

Stay tuned next week for the downfall of ned flanders later wow infotainment