Another “politics as usual” story I wouldn’t ordinarily give a fiddler’s fuck about, except for this one beautiful thing.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNBC on Friday, expecting another friendly segment where he could blame Republicans for everything under the sun without being challenged. Instead, he ran into Rebecca Quick, who did something that clearly stunned him: she asked real questions, pressed him for real answers, and refused to let him filibuster with recycled talking points. What followed was a live, televised meltdown that revealed just how much Jeffries depends on compliant hosts to keep his political theater afloat.

Quick opened with a straightforward point: If Democrats claim they want to avoid the expiration of key Obamacare subsidies, they need Republican votes. So why not start with something achievable?

“If this is something that you want to satiate, if you want to get done, you are going to need at least some Republicans to come over,” she said. “Why not start with a one-year extension or potentially even a two-year extension?”

Jeffries immediately shifted into campaign mode. He declared, “Leader Schumer offered a one-year extension in the context of trying to end the Trump Republican [sic] shutdown.” He went straight to the past, ignoring the question. Quick stopped him.

“That’s different. I’m talking about what you have now,” she said. “Let’s not go back to what’s done in the past and what has not been extended.”

Jeffries started getting irritated at this point. “You can ask me the question. I’ll provide the answer,” he snapped.

Quick didn’t flinch. “Answer the question instead of going back.”

The dodging, weaving, and dissembling continues from there, until finally Ms Quick’s patience is so thoroughly exhausted by the ongoing barrage of ever-less-persuasive weasel words that she can no longer contain her exasperation, culminating in what would have to be one of the finest moments in the history of journalisming.

Heh. If I was a MSM reporter/anchor/newsreaderperson, the network would can me after my second day on the job, citing my inability to stop pulling that same face throughout the broadcast as justification. There would almost certainly be some girlish giggling involved as well, which wouldn’t help me any.