CNBC renames itself The Rick Santelli Rant Temple

The New York Times notices the unsurprising fact that CNBC has been happy to replay Rick Santelli's outburst. But a quick trip to the CNBC website indicates that the fever was substantially more contagious. Links to the clip cover the site like chickenpox, where it is variously referred to as Rick's Revolution, Rick's Rant, Rick's Tea Party and Rick Santelli's Shout Heard 'Round the World, as if George III had been reincarnated as an adjustable-rate mortgage. Then there is a second video clip of Rick explaining his position to the shiny Larry Kudlow ("we need to be American about this"), referring to himself in the third person ("Rick is going to be On. His. Way.") and starting sentences with things like, "If you listen to my rant, Larry..." And: "Why is this rant...such a big deal? And: "You know, I've ranted for years..."

And so forth.

But wait, then there is a follow-up posting of something called "Santelli's Manifesto." There's an article that asks "Would You Join Santelli's 'Chicago Tea Party?" and an article that instructs, "Join Rick Santelli's Chicago Tea Party!" Then there's another article on "Rick Santelli and Million Dollar Homes," and yet another another article informing readers that "Europe Loves Santelli." (Potential problem: Europe is not America.) This might be great for CNBC, but it makes me think that Marc had the right theory on Friday..