Diane Rehm and many of her callers had unusually sparky exchanges today with obnoxious and shameless author Stephen Marks (“Confessions of a Political Hit Man”).
The guy debates like a dysfunctional 10 year old arguing with his little sister, wielding such master-class forensic stratagems as “I know you are, but what am I?” and “Nyah nyah na nyah nyah.”
He frequently leveled ad hominem attacks against inquisitors rather than address their questions. Diane was forced to ask him to be civil to her callers on several occasions, although her famous couth prevented her from really keeping him in line.
Least surprising moment: when he mentioned having discovered that one of his relatives was a mobster.
January 27, 2008 at 4:36 pm
This post makes me wonder how closely you were listening. You’ve tagged this with the name “Dan Marks” and mentioned the same name in your post. The guest’s name was actually Stephen Marks and a minimal amount of internet research would have cleared that up for you.
January 31, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Thanks for the correction.
March 6, 2008 at 3:26 am
Yeah, this guy comes off as a complete ass. This isn’t “Confessions of a Political Hitman” but rather “Boastful swaggering of a Political Hitman”.
(“confession: an admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that one is ashamed or embarrassed about”),
He’s almost laughing about the things he’s put people through.
The ever gracious Diane stood up for her callers when Mr. Marks mistook Diane’s studio for Bill O’Reilly’s—calling people who called in with questions “whackos” and the like.
I laughed out loud at the final bit where Diane usually thanks her guest for coming—this is the ONLY time I’ve ever heard Diane thank her audience for listening, but then say nothing more to the guest. Kudos for her—this guy deserved no thanks!
March 6, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Jack:
Entertaining and perceptive comment. You should be a contributor here. Let me know if you are interested.
August 18, 2008 at 4:40 am
Stephen Marks is a political genius .
August 18, 2008 at 7:07 am
He may be an effective political operative (and what that says about the state of modern politics is nauseating), but he’s a childish, defensive and annoying interviewee.