The Gonz Show: Matt Taibbi

Did growing up here help develop your love of the absurdity in politics? Between the Kennedys, Dukakis, Kerry, and Romney, we have a ready supply of jokers. When I was a kid, my mother was very politically active. She volunteered for Dukakis.

Did she get you a tiny tank helmet to wear? Thankfully, her involvement predated the tank incident. I always loved the Duke, man. My favorite was when he gave his wife a waffle iron for Valentine’s Day. He’s a lover and a fighter.

Mitt Romney’s slick, but is it possible he could fool the entire country and become president? He doesn’t need to fool anyone. As ridiculous as Mitt Romney is—and anyone who wears magic underwear is ridiculous—look at who he’s running against. Mike Huckabee is one step above a Heaven’s Gate cult member. Rudy Giuliani is a megalomaniac—when he’s out on the stump, he looks like he’s about to leap into the crowd and choke the life out of somebody. If I’m a Republican, I would almost vote for Romney. He’s just your typical corrupt, immoral politician.

During the ’04 campaign, you tried to interview John Kerry while wearing a gorilla suit, which was an inspired bit of reporting. This time, you should don a dog costume and ask Romney where the bathroom is. Oh yeah, didn’t he keep his dog strapped to the car roof? These guys are all nuts.

You’ve covered both Russian and U.S. politics. Who’s scarier: Bush or Putin? Bush affects our everyday lives, but you never know when Putin might whip his shirt off for the cameras. Putin, for all his being dangerous and probably looking for a perpetual presidency, he’s a smart guy. Whereas Bush is a complete idiot who won the presidency by a ridiculous accident. The mafia, at least, is a meritocracy. Putin has that going for him. American politics is not at all a meritocracy.

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