Turning a legendary chamber-clearing brawl between House Democrats and Republicans into a cartoon short not only displays “Bills and Brews” creator Matt Laslo’s brilliance in capitalizing on the gems he extracts from pols during his booze-fueled interviews, it makes him a bona fide member of some of the most colorful satirists around.  

Retired Rep. James P. Moran, D-Va., last fall laid the foundation for this fisticuff-y trip down memory lane by sharing how a handful of lawmakers dealt with disagreements back in the day.  

Reducing screwy pols to mere caricatures of themselves is a time-honored tradition among those grossly dissatisfied with what does (or does not) routinely take place in the halls of Congress.  

“Saturday Night Live” sketch writers certainly never want for material while Congress is up and running. And things only get spicier when a certain resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest muscles his way into legislative matters.  

The cut-and-pasters over at “South Park” have had their fun pushing Congress’s buttons over the years.  

The most surreal: When master manipulator Eric Cartman dupes lawmakers into repealing the existing stem-cell ban so he can turn a profit recycling aborted fetuses.  

“Schoolhouse Rock”’s original “I’m Just a Bill,” of course, remains the gold standard for breaking down the business of lawmaking.  

Which is not to say supplementary materials aren’t needed to help fill in the blanks in today’s hyper-partisan environment.  

Drawing on the News’ short but simple explainer regarding the government shutdown, for instance, ought to be required viewing for anyone still stumped about why the parties do what they do.  

Meanwhile, anyone still hazy about how K Street fits into the mix need look no further than political watchdog Craig Hoffman’s take on ideological pigeonholing.  

Never a dull moment, we tells ya.  

The 114th: CQ Roll Call’s Guide to the New Congress


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