Welcome to the Fun House

In the meantime, the Establishment is obligated to roll its eyes. Obama has likened cable news to professional wrestling and said in a recent TV interview, "The media encourages some of the outliers in behavior because, let's face it, the easiest way to get on television right now is to be really rude." But Obama plays the game too: his online fundraising pitches read like populist fairy tales, with the big insurance industry playing the wicked witch of K Street. And at a fundraiser in Miami on Oct. 26, the President called Grayson an "outstanding member of Congress."

"It's all theater," says South Carolina's James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip. "People have learned to speak in sound bites and look to generate headlines." That insight is key. The headlines are what matter most, not the substance. And in Congress today, the loudest carnival barker gets the crowds.