Dangerously hip

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) kept our expectations low when he began his opening statement at a hearing on the effects of hip-hop music on American culture.

“I remember being shocked when I was a young kid, and Alan Alda on ‘M*A*S*H’ said ‘son of a b—-h,’” Weiner said.

He later added: “I have to admit that I haven’t seen a video on MTV in forever.”

{mosads}His first cultural reference placed him about on par with his colleagues at the dais — all looking a tad mature to appreciate the subject of their discussions.

But Weiner was holding out on us.

As the hearing wore on, the four-term bachelor congressman dropped cool-guy references so smoothly, we found ourselves wanting to get a look at his iPod.

It was Weiner who first noted that today’s recording artists have found a way to promote their dance music without the help of a company to represent them.

Instead, musicians can “just go to the clubs and get an influential enough DJ to play your CD — before you know it, you don’t need a label at all,” Weiner noted, as if everybody knows about dance clubs and influential disc jockeys.

He went on to quote a Johnny Cash song, mention influential reggae artist Buju Banton, reference a comment made by gangsta rapper Cam’ron (without saying who he was quoting, because everybody knows Cam’ron) and cite information gleaned from a popular music news website.

So what gives?

A spokesman chose not to corroborate our suspicion that Weiner did a little after-hours “research” on dance clubs, saying only that his boss always makes sure to be prepared for hearings.

“He definitely studies up,” said the spokesman.

 And what will they name the resulting hangovers?

On any given weeknight, you can’t throw a rock in Washington without hitting a reception for an interest group — particularly as fundraisers proliferate before an open presidential election.

One organization decided to get creative to win over revelers to its celebration this Thursday night, ginning up a list of drink specials that only a Democrat could love.

NARAL Pro Choice America’s invitations for its 2008 campaign launch party, at Lounge 201, promoted beverages such as the “Supreme Court Split: A precarious balance of five parts vodka and four parts white cranberry juice” and the “Mitt Julep: Seems sweet, but is actually harsh and antiquated — just like Romney. Too much will make you sick.”

Organization spokesman Ted Miller said that all of his colleagues brainstormed to create the drinks, ultimately settling on the ones that “would make people laugh the most.”

“We tried to come up with one for Mitt Romney to go with ‘flip-flop’ but we couldn’t think of anything,” Miller said.
Ultimately, it was one staffer who came up with all the drinks. Miller said a reward for that feat is “still under negotiations, but one thing that’s under consideration is a walk-on role in our next YouTube video.”

Visiting band quickly fits into Washington ways

Rock outfit Blue October, most known for the 2006 single “Hate Me,” had a little time before the sound check prior to their Sept. 22 show at DAR Constitution Hall, so band members did a very Washington thing: They called in a favor.

Or, they had somebody else call in a favor.

Former Hill staffer Richard Landon, who left the Franking Commission in January and is friendly with the band’s managers, leaned on an old Capitol Hill connection to get the musicians into a public tour of the White House and Old Executive Building.

Landon said they were fascinated by the art and architecture they saw at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., and when it was over, they did another very Washington thing: They tried to get into an exclusive party.

“They mentioned that they wouldn’t mind playing the wedding reception,” Landon said.

That would be Jenna Bush’s wedding reception, for which no date has been set.

Boxer follows advice of an old friend for historical background on Iraq

We can’t always know how members come to the decisions they make on legislation, but Sen. Barbara Boxer provided a glimpse of her process in her Sept. 25 floor statement on one of the most-talked about votes in recent memory.

The California Democrat explained that former Rep. John Burton (D-Calif.), who served from 1974 until 1982, called her before the 2002 vote to authorize the war in Iraq.

“He said, ‘Barbara, I want you to read one book before you cast your vote, one book that I think really explains what Iraq really is about,’” Boxer recalled. His pick: The Reckoning: Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein, by Sarah Mackey.

Boxer said she scoured the book before she cast her vote against the war. She cited it again this week in her vote for a proposal by Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) to mandate a soft partition for Iraq.