Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill Visits Cheers

Here’s something you don’t see so much these days. The Speaker of the House–and Ronald Reagan’s arch nemesis in statesmanship–Tip O’Neill made a guest appearance on Cheers, circa 1983. O’Neill’s district was in Massachusetts, and Cheers was the hit tv show of the day. Can you imagine Boehner or Pelosi pulling off something this cool without taking a ton of flack? Newt Gingrich was a hot item with SNL a decade later, but not exactly for his swag.