Reason Writers on Freedom Watch: Matt Welch Talks About What Paul Ryan Will and Won't Cut

Last night on Fox Business Network's Freedom Watch program, Reason Editor in Chief Matt Welch discussed Roadmap 2.0 from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). Around five minutes:

Comments

[ratherr]

Unless you have a time travel appointment to keep at 2122 North Clark Street in Chicago's North Side, dump the tie.

[Matt Welch]

Mistakes Were Made.

[Jim]

Does a wardrobe person at the studio pick that out for you? I'm genuinely curious.

[Matt Welch]

1) Torrential downpour in the morning requires raincoat not blazer.
2) Last-minute TV request.
3) Horror-realization A) that Emergency Blazer is a super-ugly navy blue that does not blend well with marijuana-leaf-button black shirt.
4) Horror-realization B) that Emergency Tie is nowhere to be found, thus occasioning a scavenge of (shudder) the Reason supply closet.
5) Given the material at hand, made the strategic decision to Go All In.

I'm having a makeover. That's the last you'll see of that.

[Jim]

Understood. I wasn't making fun, I just didn't know that in instances such as these, if you bring your own wardrobe, if they provide for you, if you can bring your own but they have the right to re-dress you for the cameras if they see fit, etc. Never been on TV, so I didn't know how these things work.

[Matt Welch]

At most they'll overrule my one-button-onedone style choice, and on one memorable occasion I got my unibrow plucked. These are makeup-artist decisions, not network diktats. And no, they ain't no clothes lying around, least not that I've seen.

[Jim]

Interesting. I'll make sure to "dress for success" if I'm ever scheduled, and not count on their wardrobe department to provide.

Now I'll just sit back, and wait for the network to call to book my appearance...any minute now...

[Tanya]

I see you took my advice on the unibrow. Well done.

[johnl]

Certainly no spare clothes to fit the trim frame of such a fine looking newsman.

[rather]

You should have a suit ready in a bag at your office and don't pick it out yourself.

If you are having a makeover, spend some money on new eyeglasses; something darker with smaller lenses.

Wear dark suits but the tie should be narrower, and should not scream 'daddy's closet'

You're controlling your hand jerking movements, and it helps keep the audience attention on your words, and not your 'french talk'

[Matt Welch]

Thank you sir, may I have another?

[rather]

fashion advice only-I'm not interested in your role-play fantasy 😉

[Tanya]

Not that you need new glasses - you've got the academic/journalist chic going on now - but if you do decide you need new ones, embrace our evil Chinese overlords and go with zennioptical(dot)com. $50 gets you what ye olde optical on the corner would get you for 300 clams.

Remember, we don't care what you look like, we just care how you'll be judged by Joe Q. Public.

[Matt Welch]

Also, re: "daddy's closet," this just in from Pete Welch:

"Matt: That was a nice Yellow tie you had on yesterday. Did you Buy the tie?? What was the cost for Reasons to advertise on FOX - The Judge's Show??"

So you see? Not his.

[rather]

Hmm, with all due respect to daddy, he's the target audience for Katie Couric, and you need to embrace the Redeye audience.

Shop with someone under 30!

[Warty]

I'm really disappointed in you for talking to rectal, Matt. This will go on your Permanent Record.

[rather]

He has commented on my blog
-I may know him in real life too

[rather]

then again, we may know each other my dear Warty

[Rather Retarded]

I'm a big girl now!

[GILMORE]

this just in from Pete Welch:

"Matt: That was a nice Yellow tie you had on yesterday"

Owww.

Damn. Even dad's getting shots in.

[GILMORE]

....

LOL^n where n=a lot

this is so much funnier hearing about now.. after having written 10mins of musings on the existential wrongness of this particular wardrobe... at least there *is* an explanation.

That said: dude, dry clean some backup shit. Lesson probably already learned I guess...

[Episiarch]

You look like you're vying for the position of King Nerd Pimp. I say go for it.

[Otto]

It's a libertarian magazine. I think King Nerd Pimp is an actual position.

[Sniktpool]

+1

[Spiny Norman]

I think it's a good look for hosting a religious program at 3 AM on local affiliate TV. Tell some inspirational stories, hawk some John the Baptist tea towels, that sort of thing.

[Matt Welch]

Gene Scott *is* one of my heroes....

[dbcooper]

Herzog's doco on him is pretty good.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080796/combined

[Matt Welch]

How I didn't know this existed I can't tell you.

[dbcooper]

You may have to download it from a torrent or a streaming service/file-locker. Can be very hard to find for purchase.

[Almanian]

Ohhhhohoho...if you're a Gene Scott fan, you just went up several notches on the hold Almanian Respect Meter.

We used to watch him late a night in the fraternity house, hammered on whatever. What a GREAT show for hammered college kids! Better than the Stooges on Detroit's Channel 50 (which was choice #2)

Awesome...

[juris imprudent]

Scott made the blackboard weird when Beck was still in diapers. Acid trip with instant come-down (i.e. changing the channel).

[heller]

Don't forget to add "ratherr" to your troll INCIF list everyone!

[TeamBarstool]

please tell me there's one for Safari. e-mail me

[heller]

Sorry, I only know of the Chrome version.

[Doc S]

he should have worn this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....r_embedded

[GILMORE]

Oh, fuck, I didn't look at the comments first... my reaction to Matrix-Welch is way below.

At least there is apparently an explanation. I suspected as much.

[Otto]

Nice of her to let you speak a little.

[johnl]

Those colors are very good for Matt. I guess he is sticking to the theory that there are lots of right ways to tie a tie. So the black leather jacket, the brown suede sportcoat, and the tie that looks like dad tied it are the trademarks.

[seminal penis]

The Crabs the crabs the crabs the crabs. RON PAUL! He will announce for prez in 2012 in some near future date to be determined. Von Mises is wisest.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Did she characterize Rostenkowski's efforts as reforming Medicare? And at around 2:45, it looked like MacDonald was starting into her standup routine. "And what's the deeeaaal with all these czars, anyway? I mean, I guess Obama figures it worked out so well for the Romanovs, why not bring it back? And how many does he need, anyway? Do we really want a bunch of czars taking over things? Next thing you know, when things get out of hand, Obama's going to have to bring in Bolsheviks to get rid of the czars, and then someone will have to re-animate Reagan to get rid of the commies and it's going to be a whole thing..."

Also, black and gold. Good colors. STEEL CITY RULES! Go Pens.

[dbcooper]

No coverage of Portugal's request for a bailout?

[Rob]

Matt looks like he just was named Gm of The Steelers. At least he could have had a Terrible Towel or a pianoramic picture of the Three Rivers on the wall behind him.

[Rob]

Damn spell check. "Panoramic".

[Matt Welch]

One for the Thumb in '81!

[Almanian]

Wasn't "Pianorama" Bananarama's final, unreleased album?

[Otto]

No, it was Greg Hawkes' idea for the third Cars Album. Ocasek tweaked it a bit.

[sage]

"Bunch of stupid czars..."

*Stands, claps slowly*

[Mr Whipple???]

pal?at?a?ble/[pal-uh-tuh-buhl]

1:09

Reading a teleprompter is hard.

[Hostess w/ the Mostest]

You say potahto ...

[Dan Quayle]

That's potato*e*.

[Spiny Norman]

Was that Janeane Garofalo?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Good call.

[Janeane Garofalo]

That's meanism straight up.

[GILMORE]

Regarding Reason-staff fashion-issues, which have come up once or twice before:

...

It seems that its the year of experimentation in 2011.

First we are shocked, aroused, amused, then finally bored with Nick's Lemmy-meets-Fu Manchu mustache-thing, whose demise was neither widely nor long-mourned...

Then comes some sympathy for Tim Cavanaughs repeat TV appearances in which he seems to be able to make both casual and formal wear look odd, as though he's not really comfortable with either, and is stuck in some stylistic forsual limbo. (*talk to Radley. 1 good blazer can do wonders)

Now Matt - whose couture choices have in the past seemed like a natural, thematic foil to The Jacket (know what I mean? like, if Nick is The Fonze, who the hell is Richie Cunningham? Duh! The guy who dresses like an intellectual young republican pundit but has just that hint of subversive sass about him... the unbuttoned collar w the suit, the occasional tie that makes sure everyone remembers: 'Libertarianism = Conservative; *But Funkier*''; all in all more staid than Nick's steez, equally predictable, and normally always appropriate to the situation.

That said = WTF is this?

Are you going to perform a magic trick at some point in the interview?

Or is your next job working for ....

Craig Sager?...

These are the voices I feel *SHOULD* be coming out of that suit =

'Aw yeah, these dice are hot tonight!...$100 on Hard Eight for me, cover 4 and 6... another $200 in chips... Whoo-hoo, baby! Let's get it ON!...kiss that hand for luck, sweetcheeks...'

'Sir, this is an *extremely* exclusive club and I'm afraid you are NOT on the VIP list... Serge! Please, help this man... uhh, I so need an Evian...'

'...allright, Spider Man... you win... '

'ehh, look - so you got the money? EH? Don't make me come down to where you work you prick. You're makin me look like a jerk here.'

'Neo... What you think is true is a lie. They never told you about the Green Pill...'

Sorry... I'm just getting a lot of cognitive dissonance going on here. I would think Fox news had some kind of producer... i don't know... who'd be like, 'get this man a white shirt, stat!'; sorry, sir, it's a policy thing. We have a 'No Matrix-Style' thing in effect. We got sued once...'

[GILMORE]

Also...

'Pellate-able'?

...

jeez. It may have been 'cool' if she said 'gow' instead of GAO... but instead, maybe it's like... she escaped the Buffalo NY area ghetto to rise as a TV host, but on rare occasions her native brogue leaks through...