Rand Paul Airs His Festivus Grievances

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is celebrating Festivus again this year with a series of tweets. But let’s face it, it’s basically Festivus all year round in the Senate.

• The made-up holiday from TV’s “Seinfeld” begins with a celebratory dinner. Senators hold fundraisers at fancy restaurants to celebrate themselves all the time.

• People celebrating Festivus then hold the Airing of Grievances to explain how other people have disappointed them. In the Senate, this is called “Morning Business.”

• Then there are the Feats of Strength, in which Festivus revelers fight each other. Senators hold similar face-offs by trying to show how long they can filibuster. (Paul’s went nearly 13 hours.)

• Plus there’s the Festivus miracle, in which a rather minor bit of good news is celebrated beyond its actual importance. The Senate regularly congratulates itself for doing simple things like passing a budget.

• Finally, there’s the Festivus pole. The Capitol is filled with plain white columns. And if anyone knows about polls, it’s members of Congress.

While Paul may think he’s bringing Festivus to the nation’s capital, in reality, he’s just helping spread the traditions of the Senate to the rest of the country.

Photos: On the Road with Rand Paul