Muscatine

Yes, this is another video from The Daily Show. Obviously I caught it last night. Sleepy today. But I’m glad I watched, because I think there are several very intriguing things about this interview that you will want to see.

Notice first Paul’s handling of the situation. He’s come into hostile territory overseen by a host, John Oliver, who is sharp, witty, and hostile to conservatives, whom he believes are all drooling Neanderthals intent on clubbing modern man back into the stone age.

Oliver looks confident at first, perhaps believing he’s going to have fun toying with this primitive creature, Rand Paul. But watch how Paul calmly takes fire from Oliver and then returns it with a fusillade of reason that suddenly has Oliver flummoxed and –  realizing he holds not an ounce of the volumes of knowledge Paul possesses – outgunned.

And look in particular at Paul’s deployment of his arguments. The issue is Obamacare. Paul effortlessly blends conservative philosophy with insights about the program’s practical consequences to shift the tide of battle and create a logic Oliver is at a loss to refute.

Even The Daily Show itself acknowledges Paul’s skill, promoting the video on its website with the teaser, In this exclusive, unedited interview, Senator Rand Paul picks apart Obamacare.

It’s a magnificent performance, so strikingly different from what Mitt Romney had to offer. Enjoy.