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By jannelsen Posted in User Blogs — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

I believe the anti-Bush, anti-confirmation movement is guided by hidden instructions from an off-beat pop band with decidely left-wing leanings, They Might be Giants.

TMBG laid out plans for the current obstructionism as long ago as the 1990 album, "Flood." Indeed, the album should be read as musical marching orders on how to carry out the never-ending campaign against President Bush's nominees to the federal court.

Consider these lyrics from their semi-hit song, Birdhouse in Your Soul

I have a secret to tell

From my electrical well

It's a simple message and I'm leaving out the whistles and bells

So the room must listen to me

Filibuster vigilantly

My name is blue canary one note* spelled l-i-t-e

My story's infinite

Like the Longines Symphonette it doesn't rest

This exhortation recalls the days when the Democrats stood rampant astride Congress -- controlling both the Senate and House -- but had to fight a Republican president, Bush I.

And the song tells followers to maintain and rededicate efforts toward blocking judicial confirmations. In doing so, the two Johns say, remember to exploit the compliant media.

In short: Stay on message!

Electrical well = Television and electronic media

Simple message = Stay on message!

Leaving out the whistles and bells = Stay on message! Ignore interviewers' questions that might detract from your arguments.

So the room must listen to me, filibuster endlessly = USE THE FILIBUSTER!

My name is blue canary one note* spelled l-i-t-e = Blue canary equals Blue States

My story's infinite = Don't be afraid to repeat yourself

Like the Longines Symphonette it doesn't rest = Mario Cuomo!

John Flansburgh and John Linnell, aka TMBG, are New Yorkers, and the prolix politician, Cuomo, served as governor at the time of Flood's release. As noted in this earlier commentary, former President Clinton considered Cuomo as a Supreme Court nominee. TMBG and Cuomo have coordinated their efforts througout the intervening years, during for example this meeting between Flansburgh and the former governor on the Leonard Lopate radio show. It is not far-fetched to believe that TMBG arranged Cuomo to give this week's Democratic radio address on the filibuster issue.

Hold on now, I hear you say. John and John of TMBG are mere satirical troubadors, hardly serious commentators upon current events. And what's this about them being left-wing?

Moveon.org, oh yes, Moveon.org.

From a 2004 Newsweek interview:

You've also gotten political recently with this MoveOn.org CD you organized. What's the story there?

I am not a representative of MoveOn.org. It is MoveOn's project, like their TV ads. As a nonrepresentative of MoveOn.org, I personally have to say that I want to see this administration out. The more people know about what's going on in the world, the more we can affect that change.

Did you see the slogan on the autoharp in the photo? And notice the clever association yet denial with Moveon.org. The signs of an experienced operative.

Still, anticipating pessimistically Bush's victory, TMBG had already laid out plans to thwart his political agenda in Flood. They focused on the judicial nominations.

After intense study, the guidance reveals itself. "Your Racist Friend" is obviously a direct order to get Charles Pickering at all cost. This is where the party ends, indeed.

Let's look at the lyrics to "Someone Keeps Moving my Chair" as TMBG sends its orders to its Senate minions. First, demonize the nominees, calling them things like "Mr. Horrible." Then, place impossible demands on them.

Mr. Horrible

Telephone call for Mr. Horrible

But before he can talk to the ugliness men

There's some horrible business left

For him to attend to

Something unpleasant has spilled on his brain

As he sponges it off they say

"Is this Horrible?

Is this Horrible?

It's the ugliness men, Mr. Horrible

We're just trying to bug you

We thought that our dreadfulness

Might be a thing to annoy you with"

But Mr. Horrible says, "I don't mind

The thing that bothers me is

Someone keeps moving my chair"

"Would you mind if we balance this glass of milk

Where your visiting friend accidentally was killed?

Would it be okay with you if we wrote a reminder

Of things we'll forget to do today otherwise,

Using a green magic marker, if it's alright

On the back of your head?"

And then, keep changing the demands!

Mr. Horrible

Mr. Horrible

We're not done with you yet Mr. Horrible

You have to try on these pants so the Ugliness Men

Can decide if they're just as embarrassing as we think

We have to be sure about this

And what's left? A nominee frustrated, bereft, not sure if he's been hit with an avalanche or roadblock:

But Mr. Horrible says, "I don't mind

The thing that bothers me is

Someone keeps moving my chair"

Someone keeps moving my chair

Mr. Horrible says, "I don't mind

The thing that bothers me is

Someone keeps moving my chair"

There's more of course. "Minimum Wage" calls for the occasional feint on economic policy, and "Istanbul not Constantinople" provides commentary on Turkey's joining the European Union.

But the communications always return to the battle over judges. "Twisting" is directed solely to Judiciary Committee member Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-CA., ordering her to leave the nominees "twisting in the wind." And should the Senate advocates begin tiring of the struggle, contemplating compromise, the leaders of TMBG hold out the reward of blood revelry and a vanquished, mourning foe in "Dead":

Did a large procession wave their (Did a)

Torches as my head fell in the basket, (large pro-)

And was everybody dancing on the casket? (cession dance?)

Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want (now it's over)

Or, I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do

Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want (now it's over)

Or, I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do

But, jannelsen, this is all and well and good, but once the instructions have been issued with "Flood," how does They Might Be Giant keep directing their operatives on the Senate Judiciary Committee?

Three words, my friend. Three, small, hyphenated words: Dial-a-Song.