I like 80% of what went on in that clip, but I think Cenk was too inflamed going into the segment. I think that gut level of anger might have detracted away from the points he was trying to bit by making him appear somewhat unreasonable. I think the emotion he shows over these kinds of issues is a good thing, but if he had started cooler and escalated as he got McEwen more angry than he wouldn't look like such a wildman with an axe to grind. 

Then again, maybe I just like the more subtle approach where you let your well chosen words incite the other guy so he starts yelling while you sit back and look like "the most reasonable man in America" 

 Cenk was absolutely right in mentioning defense, but instead of blanket statements accusing a former Congressman of voting to get his defense contractor buddies rich we would be better off in highlighting specific programs that are wasting money. This way you get to villify (rightfully so) the people people exploiting the word defense to get rich and don't come off as being against the troops. (which he/we aren't, but if we aren't smart our opponents will take every opportunity to play it as if we are)

Members of the conservative media regularly highlight pork projects instituted by democratic politicians and in the social sector. (sometimes even rightfully so) I think progressives should consider doing the same. I would hazard to speculate that we might even have more to work with when taking a magnifying glass to the bloated baconfest of defense appropriations. One of my favorites is the JSF alternate engine http://www.cagw.org/campaig ns/jsf-campaign/

Do you hear me Cenk? I am saying you should use your new more mainstream soapbox to highlight wasteful defense practices and Republican pork. You could even make a segment out of it and call it "Things Congressperson X thinks are more important than returning the money you put into Social Security"  You could highlight specific pieces of pork, explain why they are so useless, who put them in the budget/how they got there, and explain the financial loss to the US taxpayer in terms of # of people's Social Security benefits it cost to pay for it.

they all march in lockstep  

the incidental stuff ... bouncing checks.. marrying money  etc.. all typical regressive traits.

so it doesnt matter which one Cenk "came up with"

Cenk just made it look easy because he is good at what he does

and damn entertaining..  I have played the tivo of that exchange several times to my friends and fam..  it never gets old!

and you win!

yes.. they did have to cover it