The House voted on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, yesterday, and the Twittersphere noticed, with uncommonly long hashtag #ObamaCareInThreeWords trending through last night.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) kicked off the avalanche of left and right-wing-aimed Tweets with this:

Hey folks, #ObamaCareInThreeWords — go!

— Darrell Issa (@DarrellIssa) May 16, 2013

Well, “folks” from all over took to Twitter to describe Obamacare in (mostly) three words. Here are some of the top Tweets from inside the Beltway.

Vince Coglianese of The Daily Caller opted to make an observation about the hashtag itself instead commenting on the healthcare bill.

A Long-ass Hashtag #ObamacareInThreeWords

— Vince Coglianese (@TheDCVince) May 16, 2013

Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) decided the hashtag wasn’t long enough, so he made up a new one while dutifully informing Twitter users of the proper terminology.

Not So Affordable & Hurting Small Businesses.#Obamacareinthreewords #butidontcallitobamacarebecausethatispejorative #affordablecareact

— Rep. Scott Rigell (@RepScottRigell) May 16, 2013

Unfortunately for Rigell, the hashtag didn’t catch on.

WaPo blogger Greg Sargent made up a new word as to not go over the three-word limit.

Drove conservatives batsh*tcrazy #ObamacareInThreeWords

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 16, 2013

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As usual, Daily Caller and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson avoided The White House Correspondents’ Dinner like the plague. This year he was in New Orleans with Publisher Neil Patel.

What was the pair up to?

According to Daily Caller Senior Online Editor Vince Coglianese, “Yeah. While the rest of DC was consumed with the Correspondents Dinner, these dorks were racing each other on go karts.”

See Patel in his Go-Kart… Read more

As pre-White House Correspondents’ Dinner cocktail parties at the Washington Hilton came to a close Saturday, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes (a.k.a. Hazy) was spotted mingling in National Review‘s private room with other stragglers, including The Daily Caller‘s Senior Online Editor Vince Coglianese.

After introducing himself to Hayes, Coglianese asked if the two could pose for a picture together. “You’re not going to deface it or anything, are you?” asked Hayes, half joking. Coglianese assured him he would not and the photo was shot.

“We just spoke for a second,” Coglianese told FishbowlDC. “I asked him to take a picture with me so I could send it to [Daily Caller TV reporter] Jeff Poor. He obliged and asked that I extend to Poor this message: “Auburn sucks.”

Poor, an Auburn University graduate, has written critically of Hayes in the past.

What was initially thought to be a special appearance by David Martosko‘s personal secretary at last night’s Daily Caller book launch party ended up being nothing of the sort.

To the left is a photo of Nandi, who works with Emperor Vodka, which sponsored the soiree. “I’m just here for pictures,” she said, graciously posing for cameras. Nandi, whose arms are reminiscent of Angela Bassett‘s What’s Love Got to Do with It, said this was her first time working with Emperor. Fun first day on the job!

The Daily Caller hosted the party in its Farragut Square newsroom celebrating The Lizard King, an ebook written by their own Jamie Weinstein and Will Rahn.

“I have no good answer,” said Rahn when asked who should read his book. “It’s a transformative book,” he said (“transformational” also works). He compared it to reading the Bible. “Is this off the record?” Rahn asked at the conclusion of our interview.

Weinstein was a little more willing to talk about the book, though we get the impression he thought he was on TV. “Truth-seekers will like it,” Weinstein said. He emphasized that the book is actually a manuscript provided by a White House insider and that he and Rahn are simply the vessels through which the book is being delivered. “Once in a while, history falls upon you and I think it happened to us,” he said, adding that it “may be one of the most important books since [Fox News host] Sean Hannity’s book.”

The Daily Caller‘s bar was stocked with wine, soda, alcohol and a beer tap that poured Pabst Blue Ribbon. Edibles (vegetables and a few hors d’oeurves) were a little on the slim side.

As guests trickled in, a couple faces stood out in the crowd: Politico‘s Byron Tau and Tim Mak. The DC and Politico have been known to publicly quibble in the past. One Daily Caller staffer said the relationship between the two publications “on paper” is often not the case between individual reporters. He said there are several Politico employees he regularly drinks with. Both Tau and Mak chatted with The DC‘s Alex Pappas for a while, as well.

In the crowd we also spotted a distinguished gentleman with a badass eye patch. It turned out to be Will Rahn’s father, ex-husband to WSJ‘s Peggy Noonan.

The DC‘s editor Tucker Carlson was seen talking with RollCall‘s Jonathan Strong, a former Daily Caller reporter. Strong said work for him has been slow and “a little boring,” given he covers Congress, which is currently out of session.

Notables: The Daily Caller‘s Alex Treadway, Sarah Hoffman, Taylor Bigler, Jeff Poor, Caroline May, Brian Danza, Chris Bedford, Neil Munro, Pat McMahon, Nicole Roeberg, and Vince Coglianese; The Free Beacon‘s Adam Kredo and CJ Ciaramella; RollCall HOH‘s Neda Semani and Warren Rojas; Fox News contributor Jim Pinkerton; WaPo‘s Alexandra Petri; U.S. News‘ Steven Nelson; The Daily Beast‘s Eli Lake; and Donald Rumsfeld‘s former chief of staff Keith Urbahn. Conspicuously absent were Matthew Boyle and Martosko, who had kid duty. We rode the elevator with him down to the garage. He puffed away on what may have been an illegal cigar the whole way down and said Rahn and Weinstein would know he was there “in spirit.”

Quotable:

• “He’s a bit of a self promoter.”– Keith Urbahn on his former boss Donald Rumsfeld, who was Defense Secretary under former Prez George W. Bush. Urbahn spilled that Rummy is currently working on a new book. UPDATE: Urbahn writes in to tell us he was talking about his other former boss, The Daily Beast‘s David Frum.

• Asked about former and recently fired Daily Caller reporter Michelle Fields, Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson said, “I haven’t seen her much on TV lately. That ended for some reason.” Fields was not in attendance.

• “I don’t want to be written about.”– Steven Nelson, after FishbowlDC inquired about his job at U.S. News, which he only recently started.

• “I’m holding out for the chance that Matthew Boyle shows up.”– FBDC’s Peter Ogburn.

The Daily Caller isn’t a hate site, but its reporters may have asked for it when one was blocked from entering a Council on America-Islam Relations event this week.

A source who was at the event tells FBDC that once the DC reporter left the area, he overheard two CAIR staffers sarcastically comment on “the great coverage” they would receive over the incident. The comments came after the reporter was told she wasn’t allowed in, due to the DC being “a hate group.”

This wasn’t the first time something like this has happened. At a party hosted by Media Matters, the DC’s Nick Ballasy wasn’t allowed in but staked out the party with a camera crew outside the door. They were asked to keep a certain healthy distance from the building.

Reporters at the pub have gained a reputation as being a wily bunch. Yes, wily. A look at the DC‘s debauchery:

• Matthew Boyle claimed he was assaulted by U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. John de Jongh;
• After being hacked, the publication offered a gun as a reward to anyone who found the hacker;
• Neil Muro (in)famously interrupted President Obama in the middle of a speech;
• Boyle, a particularly feisty one, tried bullying a Democratic National Committee staffer into giving him a comment from the chairwoman.

It was, however the DC‘s Caroline May who was blocked from entering the CAIR event. May, unassuming and amiable, has hasn’t had any significant dust-ups.

“Caroline is an outstanding reporter, and extremely fair,” her colleague Vince Coglianese told FishbowlDC. “I don’t see how it could be in CAIR’s interest to hold a press conference aimed at defending American values while barring access to a prominent news outlet seeking to cover that.”

When asked if it’s a surprise for the DC to be barred from events, given its reputation, Coglianese said, “Our job is to relentlessly cover the news.” He added, “CAIR’s response to our attempt was so exceptional in nature that we felt it deserved to be reported.”

We requested comment from CAIR.

(A Sprinkling of Things we Think you Ought to Know…)

Is Tucker Carlson running a “hate group?”– A report by The Daily Caller‘s Vince Coglianese says the publication, edited by Tucker Carlson, was barred yesterday from a press conference held by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). “You’re not a news site, you’re an anti-Muslim hate site,” a DC reporter was told by CAIR’s Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper when he tried entering the event. When DC asked for examples to prove that it’s a “hate site,” Hooper emailed a link to a Media Matters post that cited columns published on DC‘s website. That post did not include any original reporting by DC. Both Reason and Raw Story picked up on the conflict and have their own write ups.

What’s Kendra tweeting?– We haven’t seen a byline from Kendra Marr, formerly with Politico and fired for plagiarism, since a story she did for the BBC in April. But she’s still alive and tweeting. A sampling of what she’s been sharing of late:

• A post on a blog called “Stuff Christians Like” that shows there is indeed a “50 Shades of Grace” book. Marr comments in her tweet, “Make it stop! #50ShadesOfOverIt.”
• A New York magazine article about a for-profit private school called “Avenues.” Marr’s personal take: “For profit education, Suri Cruise & another ‘symptom of the teeming niche affluence of Bloomberg’s New York.’”
• A story by FoodBeast.com featuring stackable, pre-filled and sealed wine glasses. “It’s finally come to this…,” Marr writes in a potentially autobiographical tweet.

Quotes of the Day

Reporter gets scolded by stranger

“A crazy lady at the bus stop started yelling I was torturing her by using my iPhone. It tortures me too lady!” — Politico‘s Kate Nocera.

Tapper gives Aniston/Theroux his blessing

“Jennifer Aniston didn’t ask me what I thought about Justin Theroux, but I approve.” — ABC News White House Correspondent Jake Tapper.

The Observer

“The Counter-Narrative is kicking the Narrative’s ass today.” — NYT‘s Mark Leibovich.

A randy viewer to WaPo Columnist and MSNBC Contributor Jonathan Capehart: “@CapehartJ Kissing you on the lips for that article and don’t go wiping it off either.” He replied, “ROFL! No, ma’am.”

MSNBC host employs nickname for Paul Ryan

“At this hour, Blue Eyes is headed to Vegas.” — MSNBC’s Karen Finney filling in for Martin Bashir Tuesday afternoon.

AnonymASS Tipster…

“Umm, it’s Tuesday. Dipshits.” — a lovely reader writes in to tell us we had “Monday” on a Tuesday story. Indeed, the brilliant reader was right and simultaneously an asshole.

Speaking of assholes, too far?

“That’s mean, NY Post refers to Chris Christie as NJ’s “supersized governor.” Give the guy a break #Hotlinesort” — NJ “The Hotline’s” Editor-in-Chief Reid Wilson.

Journo’s home hit by tree

“Apparently there was a storm that went thru Pittsburgh and a tree was hit by lightening and hit my house ” — Pittsburgh Tribune-Review‘s Salena Zito.

Eddie Scarry contributed to this report.

The Daily Caller‘s Executive Editor David Martosko, who largely runs the publication’s newsroom, sent out an odd memo to freelancers yesterday saying that for the rest of June and possibly part of July they should pitch to Deputy Editor Will Rahn (who, for those who aren’t aware, is WSJ Peggy Noonan‘s son) and Senior Online Editor Vince Coglianese. The reason? He’s going on medical leave “for a length of time yet to be determined.” He has told members of the staff that the medical issue involves a tumor. He has also told staff that he’d like to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. We don’t believe the two are interrelated but we thought we’d throw that out there.

We wrote Martosko for comment. Here’s what he had to say:

“For the record: My health is none of your business.
Sincerely, David Martosko”

We wish Martosko Godspeed. We’re told the newsroom is being run by Rahn and Coglianese in his absence.

See the letter…

Read more

Late Sunday night, The Daily Caller published its first story in what will be an investigative series about Media Matters for America and its allegedly cozy relationship with the Obama Administration, MSNBC and certain scribes such as WaPo‘s “The Plumline” blogger Greg Sergent and BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith. The story names a number of journalists and outlets who have purportedly always been “game” for accepting leaks from MMFA. Apart from the aforementioned Sergent and Smith, they include MSNBC President Phil Griffin, Daily Kos, Salon, HuffPost‘s Sam Stein and former editor Nico Pitney, LAT‘s Jim Rainey and San Francisco Chronicle‘s Joe Garofoli.

The project was a group effort: Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson, who doesn’t normally attach his byline on a lead story, and Vince Coglianese are the primary authors, with Alex Pappas and Will Rahn contributing.

The story centers on MMFA Founder David Brock and his reportedly systematic effort to “influence” the national media. Former and current employees describe what they allege to be his erratic, manic and paranoid behavior in the workplace, badmouthing Obama in social settings, cocaine use and more. The degree of security around Brock is astonishing.

An excerpt: The threat he faced while smoking on his roof? “Snipers,” a former co-worker recalled.

“He had more security than a Third World dictator,” one employee said, explaining that Brock’s bodyguards would rarely leave his side, even accompanying him to his home in an affluent DC neighborhood each night, where they “stood post” to protect him. “What movement leader has a detail?” asked someone who saw it.

A little comic relief: Brock apparently can’t stand ugly people, and once wanted to can a researcher for his or her looks. “‘David really doesn’t like ugly people,’” one employee explains.

Part I has a little something for everyone: war room researchers having sex at work, drugs, guns and mental illness.

Brock and the named reporters chose not to defend themselves… The piece is predominately comprised of anonymous sources, but there are a lot of them, and internal memos such as one stating that “Media Matters intends to spend nearly $20 million in 2012 to influence news coverage.” Neither Sergent nor Smith would comment for the story despite requests. Brock also had no response. “I called Brock’s cell and office, texted him and sent notes to both of his email addresses,” Carlson told FishbowlDC. “No response. Disappointing.”

Last night we crashed the Heritage Foundation Media Christmas Party held at their posh Capitol Hill headquarters on Massachusetts Avenue because, well, why not? It’s Christmas, the season of giving, and what would giving be without someone there to take it? ‘Tis the season to party crash, after all, and it is the unofficial sport of Washington. Well, right after Hill staffers hooking up with interns.

First impression: Nice digs! The Heritage Foundation has some bucks, and they dropped some buck on the lobby of their 7^th floor theater, where the party was held.

Second impression: This was a Christmas party, damn it! None of this PC “Happy Holidays” garbage here, it’s the Christmas season. Christmas tree glistening away in the reflection of the ceiling to floor windows overlooking Union Station, Christmas ties and freshly nogged eggs. OK, maybe not the egg part, but the rest was all Christmas.

Third impression: Top-shelf booze. This soiree was for media types, after all, and even conservative media types love them some alcohol. There was plenty to be had here, Bombay Sapphire, Absolute, etc. No bathtub gin/rail swill here, that stuff is for liberals and this was a 1% party.

Fourth impression: These people know how to eat. The buffet spread had crab cakes (delicious), chicken breast slices (delicious), tiny wieners baked in croissants (huh?). Yes, the tiny wieners were a bit out of place, but they weren’t all that bad, actually. And the dessert table? A diabetic coma waiting to happen, but what a way to go.

Fifth impression: Who goes to a conservative media party? Turns out a lot of people. The room was full of Heritage staff, Hill staff and media types from Human Events, The Washington Times, Roll Call, The Hill, Fox News, etc. Surprising was the age range. While there was a disproportionate share of curmudgeons there (looking at you, Cal Thomas, John Gizzi and Al Regnery), there were a lot of young people there too. Jason Mattera, the soon-to-NOT-BE-Editor-in-Chief of Human Events, Vince Coglianese from the Daily Caller, Conn Carroll from the Washington Examiner, and boybander extraordinaire, Slate’s own Dave Weigel.  Also in the crowd, towering over it and the only thing in the room taller than the Christmas tree was Jim Pinkerton, the 6 foot 9 inch writer/contributor for Fox News.

Overall impression: A much better party than expected. Though, admittedly, the expectations were low. Probability of adding this party to the must-crash list for next year? High.