President Obama could say that one reason his approval rating has gone up is that Fox News and hate radio have focused their hate more on the candidates for president than on him.
9
What a shame that a Presidential staffer needs to write an op-ed reassuring us that President Obama is funny, despite all evidence to the contrary. Until now, he has come across as the ultimate, carefully controlled, sobersides.
Now we learn that Mr. Obama is good at delivering humorous lines. Does he lighten up at other times?
Now we learn that Mr. Obama is good at delivering humorous lines. Does he lighten up at other times?
1
Why do I find the entire concept of the Correspondents' Dinner obscene? All those pols and celebrities (now indistinguishable) schmoozing with the people who are supposed to cover them at arm's length?
Isn't Donald Trump getting the GOP nomination because the people in that room sucked up to him, encouraged him, failed to challenge him, in order to fill 16 or 20 feature articles a day for a year?
Is selling papers more important than protecting this nation from fascism? Is this why the First Amendment gives the press such privileged standing?
Isn't Donald Trump getting the GOP nomination because the people in that room sucked up to him, encouraged him, failed to challenge him, in order to fill 16 or 20 feature articles a day for a year?
Is selling papers more important than protecting this nation from fascism? Is this why the First Amendment gives the press such privileged standing?
8
Celebrity worship is alive and well for Obama among many of the fawning, swooning comments posted here.
Personally, I don't find it amusing or clever or inordinately charming, when a person of enormous power, who makes decisions that will impact the lives of the poor, the working class, the struggling, the indebted - makes clever, scripted jokes about a for-profit health care system that enriches the few and leaves millions struggling.
It's not hilarious to me when the man who has a kill list and casually flies drones around the world in undeclared wars - incinerates hospitals, and civilians then makes knee-slappers about sending drones after the Jonas Brothers if they look at his daughters.
When a person with that much power - over life and death, impoverishment, equal justice before the law dons his fancy tuxedo and waltzes charmingly into yet another elite get-together to show us all yet again his smooth persona - I don't find it entertaining. It wasn't funny when Bush did it, it's not funny now.
Perhaps I would be entertained and maybe even slightly fawning, if the person were fighting for the good of the people and not the tiny sliver at the top. Then joke away and I'll laugh along. But that isn't the case.
Personally, I don't find it amusing or clever or inordinately charming, when a person of enormous power, who makes decisions that will impact the lives of the poor, the working class, the struggling, the indebted - makes clever, scripted jokes about a for-profit health care system that enriches the few and leaves millions struggling.
It's not hilarious to me when the man who has a kill list and casually flies drones around the world in undeclared wars - incinerates hospitals, and civilians then makes knee-slappers about sending drones after the Jonas Brothers if they look at his daughters.
When a person with that much power - over life and death, impoverishment, equal justice before the law dons his fancy tuxedo and waltzes charmingly into yet another elite get-together to show us all yet again his smooth persona - I don't find it entertaining. It wasn't funny when Bush did it, it's not funny now.
Perhaps I would be entertained and maybe even slightly fawning, if the person were fighting for the good of the people and not the tiny sliver at the top. Then joke away and I'll laugh along. But that isn't the case.
2
The absolute correlation between intellect and an appreciation for satire and irony which is totally absent from the bible belting conservatives.
They have Rush Limbaugh -We have Colbert .
Kinda say's it all about the capacity for nuanced reasoning.
They have Rush Limbaugh -We have Colbert .
Kinda say's it all about the capacity for nuanced reasoning.
11
Had he comfortably gone along in these challenging times with the benefits of the office, to the extent that were possible, he still would have arroused the wind. That he chose to face into it and take it on better explains the contempt he has endured from the opposition than any other factor. That he finds comfort in the humorous aspects of his position possibly helps explain his resilience.
12
He's a natural comedian, and his administration knows how to use that.
No, he's just a clown.
No, he's just a clown.
2
If Hillary managed to get President Obama appointed to the Supreme Court (fat chance!), I'd expect him to be even funnier than the late Justice Scalia.
1
I don't think Justice Scalia was the least bit funny, nor is Obama; both men can be considered arrogant and difficult to work with.
The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner should be dumped, especially when we are at "war" and because it features the same level of humor as a high school slam fest which only wealthy, well dressed rich kids may attend. (Bullying in a tuxedo is still bullying.) With an all volunteer military sheltering the vast majority of Americans from personal sacrifice in support of our seemingly endless military actions, with many Americans facing economic difficulties and with with much of the world in various stages of natural and man-made crisis, it is particularly disgusting to see a bunch of smug rich and powerful people celebrating their insider status at an event that epitomizes the unhealthy cronyism between press and politicians in what Mark Leibovich called "America's gilded capital" ("This Town")
1
I think President Obama should have his own talk show possibly in coordination with John Stewart although he'd make a great Supreme Court Justice. Not too many jokes there though unless you count its conservative wing.
Mr. President, you need an agent and the sky's the limit.
Mr. President, you need an agent and the sky's the limit.
7
One has to be very intelligent to do comedy.
8
You mean the comedians don't have teams of writers????
Remember Obama can't give a speech without a teleprompter, and his sarcasm doesn't pass for funny.
Remember Obama can't give a speech without a teleprompter, and his sarcasm doesn't pass for funny.
1
The Class Clown is not very funny nor informative for some of us. JFK and RR could provide humor and make a point with class.
2
I will miss President Obama and his family.
20
Obama's policies are the biggest joke of all, and the joke is on us. See, for example, http://www.nationalreview.com/article/396643/obamas-war-science-henry-i-..., http://www.nationalreview.com/article/432333/precision-medicine-regulati..., and http://www.hoover.org/research/new-american-grand-strategy.
4
Delivering his hilarious comedic annilihation of Donald Trump, on the same night he had already given the order to annihilate Osama Bin Laden, and not reveal what must have been his overwhelming pre-occupation, was the epitome of grace under pressure.
16
One can only hope that Obama's masterful evisceration of Trump at the 2011 WHCD will be played again and again by the Dems during the general election campaign. At this point, anything that will help keep Trump out of the Oval Office is worth a try (I was going to say "worth a shot", but then it hit me that the spooks reading my comment in Utah might misunderstand the idiom, and I'd soon have some unwanted visitors).
6
"“Some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress. ‘Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?’ they ask,” Obama said, at the time. “Really? Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?”
This has to be one of his best lines, and still cracks me up.
This has to be one of his best lines, and still cracks me up.
16
Obama sat down and had a beer with the Cambridge, MA police officer who put Professor Henry Gates in jail!
I think it was Jerry Seinfeld who called Obama the "coolest" President. So true! Can't wait for whatever comes at tonight's Correspondent's Dinner!
And while I love Obama's classics from the previous 7 Dinners, I personally think his best zinger was when he recently addressed Congress; maybe the State of the Union speech? He referenced that he wouldn't be running in this year's election, and the boors on the right predictably clapped and cheered. With perfect timing and his usual dignified elegance, he responded with "I know this because I won both of them", of course meaning thee 2 elections he had won. Ouchie indeed!
Game, set, match Obama! You outclassed every single one of them, Mr. President!
If only the cameras had focused in on the faces of those he had again managed to humiliate with his superior intelligence.
And while I love Obama's classics from the previous 7 Dinners, I personally think his best zinger was when he recently addressed Congress; maybe the State of the Union speech? He referenced that he wouldn't be running in this year's election, and the boors on the right predictably clapped and cheered. With perfect timing and his usual dignified elegance, he responded with "I know this because I won both of them", of course meaning thee 2 elections he had won. Ouchie indeed!
Game, set, match Obama! You outclassed every single one of them, Mr. President!
If only the cameras had focused in on the faces of those he had again managed to humiliate with his superior intelligence.
19
Sarcasm, arrogance or bullying cannot be dressed up as humor or superior intelligence. Just call it what it is.
1
The high point of all the Obama WH Correspondents Dinners was the 2011 graceful but lethal skewering of Donald Trump. We all know now that PBO had the Commander-in-Chief we should all want; intelligence, grace and nerves of steel. I will miss him dreadfully, but I am so grateful we had this man as president.
7
The 2011 WH Correspondents Dinner will never be equaled. PBO gracefully skewered Donald Trump, all the while knowing he had given the go ahead for the bin Laden raid the next day. Some of the jokes about Trump would have come back to haunt him if the raid had failed, but there he was, smiling and chuckling and relaxed. This is the Commander-in-Chief I want:intelligence, grace and humor with nerves of steel. I will miss President Obama dreadfully, but I am so happy and so proud we had him for eight years.
27
Is Donald Trump planning on attending this edition of the Correspondents' dinner? I would bet not. He is probably still "well-done" from the last roasting he sat through.
6
The Trumpeter should wear ear muffs tonight as he will once again be skewered by President Obama. The Donald was soundly and thoroughly roasted a couple of years ago. Trump could not even smile or laugh when he was the president's target: A mark of a very thin-skinned insecure man. This will be great. Pass the popcorn.......
7
I think the US is going to miss President Obama more than they know.
40
Yeah, Trump ain't funny in so many ways.
4
When many people are struggling economically, this sort of behavior is totally inappropriate. It gives the impression that the entire Washington establishment, Democrats, Republicans, and the press, are a wealthy elite whose income comes from the taxpayers' money. While they throw big parties and yuck it up, the rest of the country can't find a job and can't pay for the basics necessities.
This is why Sanders and Trump are so successful. While their policy proposals may or may not be any good, they are dead serious.
This is why Sanders and Trump are so successful. While their policy proposals may or may not be any good, they are dead serious.
8
sounds like a cherry-picked complaint Johnathan
8
Really? Every serious proposal this president has put forth to help those who continue to struggle-job training, infrastructure spending-has been met with a resounding, "No!" from this not so funny joke of a Congress. Remember those guys? The ones who swept into office promising "jobs, jobs, jobs" and who spend the majority of what little time they are actually in Washington trying to defund Planned Parenthood, repeal Obamacare and prosecute Hilary Clinton.
14
Gee, Obama gets criticized for being too serious most of the time! I guess you can't win if you're one of America's greatest Presidents.
15
I will miss our President. When President Hillary Clinton takes over, don't worry about the correspondents dinner. She'll ace it. I have seen her speak several times now. She smiles and laughs freely. And delivers a joke with perfect timing. Clearly she is more comfortable with policy and really prefers to not be campaigning (come on who can blame her ) but I don't think this President Clinton's years in office will be a comedy drought. What I fear is the big joke we will all become if the other guy win. And it won't be a funny joke.
39
Yeah, and the joke will be on you. And I'll believe gasbag self-important Hillary can gracefully pull off a self-deprecating joke like Obama when I see it.
I'm sure you can tell from this I'm a supporter of Stephen Colbert for President.
I'm sure you can tell from this I'm a supporter of Stephen Colbert for President.
Probably many other presidents were at good at comedy as Obama. I remember that when Jay Leno followed Bill Clinton he said Clinton could be a professional. FDR, JFK, and LBJ all had great senses of humor and the timing to carry it off.
Gore Vidal used to say if Lincoln were alive today he could host the Tonight Show. And Lincoln had to write his own material; no team of joke writers for him.
Finally, as to not making jokes about national security, Mr. Litt apparently forgets that routine by W. showing him searching the Oval Office for all those nonexistent WMDs over which we had gone to war in Iraq. Many people considered it in poor taste considering how many Americans and Iraqis had died as a result of this lie.
Gore Vidal used to say if Lincoln were alive today he could host the Tonight Show. And Lincoln had to write his own material; no team of joke writers for him.
Finally, as to not making jokes about national security, Mr. Litt apparently forgets that routine by W. showing him searching the Oval Office for all those nonexistent WMDs over which we had gone to war in Iraq. Many people considered it in poor taste considering how many Americans and Iraqis had died as a result of this lie.
20
Mr. Litt had nothing to do with Dubya's looking around for WMD in the Oval Office. I thought that skit was horribly inappropriate after several thousand of our service personnel had lost their lives in Iraq. What's worse, the crowd laughed.
5
What an incredible president! Brilliant and benevolent.
25
Already missing him. Loved the Seinfeld drive, him sneaking away for burgers, his grace under pressure, focus on hoops, great family man, bad golf, prevented the second Great Depression, healthcare for all, stateliness and acting presidential, and his jokes in previous dinners at the expense of you know who, I can't bear to type that humourless, blowhard, bloviator's name in the same paragraph as President Obama's. Already missing his presence and authority.
Supreme Court? While a great choice, it would also be the last and continuing laugh on the negative nabobs of the right. I'm laughing inside my head just thinking about how much fun that will be for the next 20-30 years. The gift that keeps on giving!
Supreme Court? While a great choice, it would also be the last and continuing laugh on the negative nabobs of the right. I'm laughing inside my head just thinking about how much fun that will be for the next 20-30 years. The gift that keeps on giving!
66
Being a class clown when the economic recovery is anemic at best and when Obamacare is causing more insurers to go belly up and millions to have insurance that has yuge deductibles is not funny.
7
Where were you when he was almost in tears after the last gun massacre?
8
Did you enjoy w at the same event pretending to look under the dais for weapons of mass destruction?
11
I admire this president as I have not admired a president since, well, Lincoln, and maybe the second Adams (when he was in Congress). And, no, I'm not that old, but I am a historian, so those guys are, in many ways, as immediate to me as is the Current Occupant. And, tho I will not live to read it, future historians will agree with me, not just because he's thefirstblackpresident, blah, blah, blah, but because he has accomplished, in the face of obdurate opposition, so very, very much.
39
The lack of historical chops evident across the spectrum of comments, articles, debates and campaign rhetoric is sadly stunning. All of which makes your small note here refreshing. I might, as a suggestion, toss in TR and even FDR for their boldness and creative use of the office. Thank you.
6
Can anyone imagine Ted Cruz even remotely pulling off a Correspodent's Dinner? He strikes me as utterly humorless.
17
Cruz probably wants to be president just so he can get up there and do a monologue. He thinks he's a great actor. But really, he stinks! He would be excruciating to watch at the Correspondents Dinner.
2
For being equally at ease with making fun of others around and oneself too needs guts and grit that President Obama has in abundance to both communicate his ideas and disarm the opponents as well. The last annual dinner of his presidency for the press correspondents on Saturday night must prove the point with a burst of laughter all around.
35
Apparently, The Man selects jokes pretty much like he decides whether or not to defend red-lines in Syria: listens to everyone then decides that maybe Vladimir Putin isn’t such a bad guy after all.
I’ve often thought that Barack Obama would have been 100% more effective as president if he had the personal self-confidence of Ronald Reagan to let the humor through ALL the time. After all, there are very few Americans who don’t understand that when faced with the choice between crying about something and laughing at it, the wise man ALWAYS laughs. It’s SO much better for your liver.
I’ve often thought that Barack Obama would have been 100% more effective as president if he had the personal self-confidence of Ronald Reagan to let the humor through ALL the time. After all, there are very few Americans who don’t understand that when faced with the choice between crying about something and laughing at it, the wise man ALWAYS laughs. It’s SO much better for your liver.
5
As I recollect it, any time he showed his sense of humor he was roundly condemned for some aspect of it. A Fox tempest would arise if he joked, acted black, sang, talked about the situation where a former colleague was stopped from entering his own house -- part of the constant tempest that arose when he did or did not do anything.
When Republicans want to find something to dislike about Obama, his laughing rather than crying would be very useful. As it is, any overt display of blackness riled up the Birthers and many others and was used by the opposition to divide the country further. Dividing the country and trying to make your side the winning one was never his style, so he did not let his humor out and confirm his uppitiness. I wish he had.
When Republicans want to find something to dislike about Obama, his laughing rather than crying would be very useful. As it is, any overt display of blackness riled up the Birthers and many others and was used by the opposition to divide the country further. Dividing the country and trying to make your side the winning one was never his style, so he did not let his humor out and confirm his uppitiness. I wish he had.
46
C3p0:
We both lived through those times and I remember NO criticisms of his humor, when he expressed it. If the example you gave is of the black Harvard professor who was detained by police, as I recall it Mr. Obama jumped on the cops BEFORE he discovered that the professor had been severely abusive to the cops, and that the man had a history of verbal abuse. That incident was a "uh ... never mind" one if ever I saw it.
We both lived through those times and I remember NO criticisms of his humor, when he expressed it. If the example you gave is of the black Harvard professor who was detained by police, as I recall it Mr. Obama jumped on the cops BEFORE he discovered that the professor had been severely abusive to the cops, and that the man had a history of verbal abuse. That incident was a "uh ... never mind" one if ever I saw it.
6
Lord Roney negotiated with terrorists. I am so glad that he did not get involved in Syria. The UN inspectors report said that the gas was used by the ISIS (if you believe in conspiracy) by the Saudis or the other gulf states. President did not send Americans to die for lie or imaginary WMD. Man get a reality check.
10
He slowed the rise of the oceans and healed the planet. Knows more about the issues than any of his policy directors. We should not be surprised that this polymath is also a gifted comedian with an impressive sense of timing and audience.
86
And did we mention he has perfect pitch?! (Listen to his spontaneous, pitch-perfect rendition of a few lines from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"--sung in tribute to Reverend Al himself, who was sitting in the balcony.)
16
Dan, so true! I hope when he leaves the White House he releases an album of Motown covers - it would be a great way to raise money for the my brother's keeper program, and maybe win a second Grammy!
4
Why do I love, and respect, this man so much?
I just wish he were operating in a world where fear, hatred and the overriding political mandate to keep us SAFE at any cost (ohmigod, those costs!) weren't quite so ... well, overriding, then maybe, just maybe, his tenure would have been truly transformative. But, I guess, until human nature itself transforms, we shouldn't expect any miracles.
Unfortunately, though, without miracles we may end up destroying ourselves.
I just wish he were operating in a world where fear, hatred and the overriding political mandate to keep us SAFE at any cost (ohmigod, those costs!) weren't quite so ... well, overriding, then maybe, just maybe, his tenure would have been truly transformative. But, I guess, until human nature itself transforms, we shouldn't expect any miracles.
Unfortunately, though, without miracles we may end up destroying ourselves.
73
The dinner is always fun and uplifting especially with such a centered and decent man as President Obama. Lets hope that Trump doesn't win because there is nothing, there will be nothing funny in any way shape or form during his presidency.
49
Interesting that "national security is off limits," because jokes about killing people with drones are fair game:
"The Jonas Brothers are here; they're out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans. But boys, don't get any ideas. I have two words for you, 'predator drones.' You will never see it coming. You think I'm joking." (White House Correspondents Dinner, May 2010)
This would be merely tasteless, except that the President really does claim the authority to send death by sky robot, without a trial and away from the battlefield, to anyone, anywhere in the world. Thousands of innocent civilians have died in Pakistan in this way.
Humor isn't always a sign of wisdom and humanity. Sometimes it's cruel, and it reveals what the speaker is comfortable with.
"The Jonas Brothers are here; they're out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans. But boys, don't get any ideas. I have two words for you, 'predator drones.' You will never see it coming. You think I'm joking." (White House Correspondents Dinner, May 2010)
This would be merely tasteless, except that the President really does claim the authority to send death by sky robot, without a trial and away from the battlefield, to anyone, anywhere in the world. Thousands of innocent civilians have died in Pakistan in this way.
Humor isn't always a sign of wisdom and humanity. Sometimes it's cruel, and it reveals what the speaker is comfortable with.
4
The man is charged with the responsibility of cleaning up a huge multi-national mess created by his predecessors. He also has to protect us. He also has to stop the wasting of brave American soldiers' lives. Thus, he employs drones. You think he's happy about it? You want to question how he meets his responsibility? Then what would YOU do?
10
I remember David Litt in high school as a freshman. He was already pretty funny. Most of his jokes had to do with Frank Sinatra, the mafia, and hobos. Good stuff.
9
Although not from a president, I think one of the funniest jokes I ever heard from a politician came from Adlai Stevenson in 1956 when he was the Democratic nominee for president:
Reporter: "Mr. Stevenson, what do you think of the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale's comment that God would not favor your candidacy?"
Stevenson: "Personally, I find the Apostle Paul appealing and the Apostle Peale appalling."
Reporter: "Mr. Stevenson, what do you think of the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale's comment that God would not favor your candidacy?"
Stevenson: "Personally, I find the Apostle Paul appealing and the Apostle Peale appalling."
59
Oh, I will miss him.
109
I agree with commenter Mark, unfortunately ... Hillary has not demonstrated more than a strained attempt at a sense of humor at her husband's Nerd Proms. I wonder if a President Trump would be insulting or self-deprecating in that situation.
1
Need you ask? Insulting, without question.
1
Let's fast-forward to the 2017 Correspondents' Dinner, the first during the (for argument's sake) Hillary Clinton administration.
President Hillary: "People have asked what my husband Bill's role will be in my administration. Well, I can tell you one assignment he will NOT have - interviewing the interns. Ha ha ha"
President Hillary: "People have asked what my husband Bill's role will be in my administration. Well, I can tell you one assignment he will NOT have - interviewing the interns. Ha ha ha"
16
So........you just could not resist that one, could you.
5
How about, Bill never sacrificed Americans for WMD!
5
Republicans can forget eight years of republican decimation of the nation, but will never stop talking about twenty-year-old hanky-panky. Selective memory is their forte.
6
Did you hear the one about the Republican Senator that wanted to work with the White House? Nope - neither did I?
117
Did you hear about the President who was bring hope and change to our country, he forgot that he had to work with both sides of the aisle. He told the voters what they wanted to hear and then veered left as soon as he was elected. He doesn't talk like Trump but his actions on just about every important issue are far worse.
6
Please tell us how he forgot to work with both sides of the aisle after making repeated overtures to the Republicans? ...Some of whom turned down his personal invitations to meet at the White House? Tell us also how he failed to us when he kept the country from falling into a total Depression? Please tell us what actions you're speaking of ... and how they have harmed you?
42
Kind of a one-sided view of history, don't you think?
2
"In the next hundred days, our bipartisan outreach will be so successful that even John Boehner will consider becoming a Democrat. After all, we have a lot in common. He is a person of color. Although not a color that appears in the natural world." -- Pres. Obama, 2009
Classic.
Classic.
107
I heard a recording of Obama when he called in to the NPR radio program "Wait, Wait - Don't Tell Me" - back when he was Senator Obama. He was funny in a wonderful and endearing way. He is a remarkable man whom many people seem to dismiss out of hand. So sad.
89
Sorry, one of the not a good idea people here.
The correspondence dinner had its high when Stephen Colbert was the MC.
He did not expect any future influence on elected or monied people later.
When Wolf Blitzer is facebooking (you just became a verb) his Mom showing her he is flipping burgers on the White House lawn
Time to end it.
The correspondence dinner had its high when Stephen Colbert was the MC.
He did not expect any future influence on elected or monied people later.
When Wolf Blitzer is facebooking (you just became a verb) his Mom showing her he is flipping burgers on the White House lawn
Time to end it.
2
Too much whine tonight?
9
Not surprising that this President would have a great sense of humor - he is a very intelligent man. In a study by Hauck and Thomas, researches focused on 3 variables, creativity, intelligence, and sense of humor, and concluded that creativity and intelligence were independent of one another, however a sense of humor correlated highly with both creativity and intelligence.
I would urge Trump followers to ask themselves when, if ever, they have heard their candidate utter anything that would point to his having a "sense of humor".
I would urge Trump followers to ask themselves when, if ever, they have heard their candidate utter anything that would point to his having a "sense of humor".
72
My preferred candidate for president is Barak Obama. Lots of people are supporting candidates who have no chance of winning so I figure I can do it too.
Obama is my man. He'd make a fantastic president. Face it, nobody's had better experience. He's done great, and here we are getting rid of him...
Obama is my man. He'd make a fantastic president. Face it, nobody's had better experience. He's done great, and here we are getting rid of him...
109
Mine too!
17
I wish he could stay for another 4, no make that 40, years.
11
And I cherish a fond hope for Michelle one day.
2
As President Obama's term, riddled with republican obstructionism, draws to a close, he showed that the joke is on the republicans -- he did not need anyone to write THAT joke for him.
89
Yup, we will miss his jokes. Smile, smile.
But there is one day that was no joke that I will never forget.
The day the President came out before a press conference, with his birth certificate which put the end to Donald Trump questioning his birth place.
He did what he had to do, turned around and walked out. No joke!
And who would think, here we are. Seeing Donald Trump making a bigger joke out of himself than Barack Obama would ever do.
Will we hear and see Trump jokes coming from the President at the correspondents dinner, or will his jokes be Trump free? Nevertheless, he will have us smiling. Thank you President Obama. :)
But there is one day that was no joke that I will never forget.
The day the President came out before a press conference, with his birth certificate which put the end to Donald Trump questioning his birth place.
He did what he had to do, turned around and walked out. No joke!
And who would think, here we are. Seeing Donald Trump making a bigger joke out of himself than Barack Obama would ever do.
Will we hear and see Trump jokes coming from the President at the correspondents dinner, or will his jokes be Trump free? Nevertheless, he will have us smiling. Thank you President Obama. :)
94
"We tortured some folks!" Ahh, ha, ha, haaa. :/
1
From Commander-in-Chief to Comedian-in-Chief, humor is so important in all aspects of our lives and at all ages--from a babies first giggles to our eldest citizen's levity in extreme longevity (Susannah Mushatt Jones, born July 6, 1899) who is turning 117 soon. Life is short, why not laugh a little bit during it. I am very proud of our President.
82
At some point in the future, Americans will realize that they had the unique chance of uniting around a fine and principled man-- and they blew it.
291
A funny and beautifully emotional moment was when Obama was a guest on Jon Stewart's Daily Show on one of its last episodes. He turned to the audience and said something like "I'm issuing an executive order -- Jon Stewart will not be allowed to leave the Daily Show." Perfectly delivered. Brought down the house with laughter, tears and applause.
58
and he is one of the best self-deprecating people i've ever seen.
He really does have a knack, good timing, dead-pan face when needed, but always so classy!
I look forward to this year's gig and will miss him going forward.
He really does have a knack, good timing, dead-pan face when needed, but always so classy!
I look forward to this year's gig and will miss him going forward.
183
Obama is his own joke. Not funny for most Americans today.
7
What sour grapes. You Republicans have never given him a chance. But it's your loss. He will go down as one of the great ones.
21
Uh, NO, definitely NOT a great one. And, I'm not a Republican, just an observant human. I will feel much better in a few months.
Gotta luv President Obama, or b square
11
Easy when the president in question is the joke.
2
O, well said, Sir! You have wit, Sir--that you do.
2
Well, Dan, you're half right.
2
It's got to be easy. The GOP provides an unending source of first-rate material.
13
President Obama is truly a national treasure. I am going to miss him and his immense sense of humor. All I have to do to make myself laugh is think of him making fun of Donald Trump's steaks and wine at a speech he gave recently:
"Has anybody tried that wine?"
"Has anybody tried that wine?"
75
I liked the one from last year "you have a drink with Mitch McConnell
2
The last 7-1/2 years have been a joke. On the American people.
3
No Pat, the biggest joke EVER may just win the Republican Nomination.
17
Sorry you feel that way, because I and all the voters who elected and then re-elected him by a strong margin certainly do not.
53
What were the 8 years prior to that? I guess they were not a joke because no one is laughing.
38
Whomever wrote the jokes, showing the absurdity of his political reality must have been a tremendous relief for President Obama. Really, how does he keep his cool with all he's been put through?
35
A sense of humor requires a natural sensitivity to nuance. This must explain the difference between Mr. Obama's sense of humor and Ted Cruz's. Which is like comparing a Corvette to an oyster.
56
Great article! I will miss Obama as President but perhaps he will have more time to show up on late night TV and other venues where his comedic gifts can shine.
34
You'd expect anyone who runs for high office would be a superb public speaker, a toastmaster type, but for some reason most of our presidents since Roosevelt have been wooden duds: Truman, Eisenhower, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, the Bushes. It is a rarity to have a president you really want to hear, such as JFK, Reagan, and Obama. If Hillary is elected, the joke writers will have their work cut out.
43
hmmm ... she does have a sense of humor, you know?
it's a rare occasion when she displays it, but when she does ... she is funny.
And judging from her SNL stint, she might be darn good at a Correspondents dinner too.
Let's wait and see, shall we?
it's a rare occasion when she displays it, but when she does ... she is funny.
And judging from her SNL stint, she might be darn good at a Correspondents dinner too.
Let's wait and see, shall we?
27
You forgot Bill Clinton. He coil also kill it
5
Regarding LBJ, you should go to the LBJ Library in Austin sometime. There's an exhibition with a tape of LBJ telling stories. He had many faults but he was a gifted story teller who, like Lincoln, used the stories to make points and not merely to get laughs.
And there have been some unsuccessful candidates who have had great comedic skills such as Mo Udall and Bob Dole
And there have been some unsuccessful candidates who have had great comedic skills such as Mo Udall and Bob Dole
5
Thanks for this. Watched the cars piece with Seinfeld. I'm going to miss President Obama, such a lot of class, sense of humor, brilliant, and wise.
316
Well that makes one of you.
6 in 10 Americans are counting the hours until we can say FORMER President Obama.
6 in 10 Americans are counting the hours until we can say FORMER President Obama.
2
I am sure those 6 of 10 Americans also believe there is a (as pronounced by Dumpf Tanz-ania), that he'll build a wall, that no brown people should be in this country and that He'll make America great again and that his company is solvent. Jokes gonna be on all you Dumpf supporters for sure.
20
Apparently they didn't teach math at your law school. With approval ratings at or above 50% right now, I'm not sure who those "6 in 10" might be.
34
The 2011 Washington Correspondent's Dinner was all the motivation that Donald needed to go for it. It was on that night, a night of utter humiliation if you watch the video, that Donald decided that that was it. It was that night he was going after the Kenyan. Donald sat like a stupid lump in the shadows that night at dinner while the crowds gawked and guffawed at a grown man that does such stupid things. Donald did not like that.
I would not want to have been his dog on that night.
Barack Obama is a natural with humor. To do humor right you have to be smart. No getting around it. Even the most illiterate among us who can make people laugh are very smart. So, Barack really dug into Donald's gut. He was really able to slip that dig knife in real deep. Because Barack is smart, and Donald knows it. Ouchie!
I would not want to have been his dog on that night.
Barack Obama is a natural with humor. To do humor right you have to be smart. No getting around it. Even the most illiterate among us who can make people laugh are very smart. So, Barack really dug into Donald's gut. He was really able to slip that dig knife in real deep. Because Barack is smart, and Donald knows it. Ouchie!
146
As a Black lawyer in Washington DC, with the unfortunate, job related requirement to attend the White House Correspondents Dinners every year...I cannot wait until 2017 when President Donald Trump gets his turn at the dais.
Ouchie indeed.
You know what they say about Karma.
Ouchie indeed.
You know what they say about Karma.
2
It would be rude and ungracious if I told you that I don't think that you're really a lawyer, so I won't. But I do not believe that Donald Trump will make it to the White House.
13
I wish the Donald was going to be there tonight!
2
I will miss his jokes, even if they are ghost written.
15
President Obama has so many talents. In addition to being a fine president, he is a better writer, teacher, preacher, and comedian than a lot of professionals.
205
Pretty good Dad too.
6
George W. Bush had funny moments too. At a commencement ceremony: "To those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors, awards and distinctions, I say, 'Well done.' And as I like to tell the C students: You too, can be president."
68
Sad, that we had to experience the C student's presidency.
16
With a little help from your brother that is.
13
Charlie: Except the joke was on all of us Americans.
20
The first time I agree with NYT on Obama. Yes, he is a comedian.
5
Hi is funny and can speak complete sentences too.
78
When it comes to Barack Obama, what's it like to BE the joke?
6
So queries the "barrister" supporting Donald Trump for president--a joke at which the entire world is laughing. Make America ludicrous again.
109
DC, do you ever get out of your Mom's basement? Are you Rip Van Winkle who just woke up? Don't you know about the world on the other side of those basement windows?
It is your GOP who are the joke. Yesterday, today and for the next 50 years. The joke will always be on the GOP. If the GOP were an earthquake they would measure 8.0. If they were a hurricane they would be a category 5.
Wake up and have a cup of coffee, even if Mom's got to make it. It is your GOP that is the butt of the nation.
It is your GOP who are the joke. Yesterday, today and for the next 50 years. The joke will always be on the GOP. If the GOP were an earthquake they would measure 8.0. If they were a hurricane they would be a category 5.
Wake up and have a cup of coffee, even if Mom's got to make it. It is your GOP that is the butt of the nation.
60
Is there really no end to your knee-jerk slurs of the president?
52
"But this president has a talent for comedy — an impressive sense of timing and audience."
This statement nails it, cleanly. Obama's ability to tell a joke, with the right pause, right intonation, and follow up with a toothy grin is flawless. He may have missed his calling as a stand-up comedian, but he has more than made that up by being an outstanding President and role model.
How can one forget that moments after ordering the strike on Bin Laden he made his way to crack jokes, without missing a step. Guts and comedy intertwined that evening.
Farewell President Obama! I look forward to hearing you speak and read some of your writings in the future.
This statement nails it, cleanly. Obama's ability to tell a joke, with the right pause, right intonation, and follow up with a toothy grin is flawless. He may have missed his calling as a stand-up comedian, but he has more than made that up by being an outstanding President and role model.
How can one forget that moments after ordering the strike on Bin Laden he made his way to crack jokes, without missing a step. Guts and comedy intertwined that evening.
Farewell President Obama! I look forward to hearing you speak and read some of your writings in the future.
308
Role model, absolutely. and it applies equally to the First Lady.
8
The attention to communication seems to have come late in the Obama administration, which was initially caught under the spell of 'campaigning in poetry and governing in prose'. You can and should certainly govern in prose (like the Obama administration has done admirably), but you still need to communicate with the public in poetry (and 140-character haikus). This is 2016 after all, Trump is ascendant, and Game of Thrones has already started.
22
The problem with the country is that many people think in 140 characters. The world is a little more complicated.
49
I compare this dinner and laugh to the famous Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD with the legend that it was Emperor Nero when he watched the fire from his palace on Palatine Hill singing and playing the lyre. It is similar to the tens of thousands of civilians, including hospital personnel, who were and are being killed by Dictator al-Assad of Syria and Russian planes.
I have never in my life been so disappointed like I am with President Obama, whom I helped, putting my heart, my soul, and my pocketbook, in his first campaign in Texas in 2/08. I declined the invitation by his field organizer to meet him in Brownsville in the Gulf of Mexico when he was supposed to have breakfast with the preachers, as I thought my name as Mohammad, my background as a Palestinian, and being a Muslim would hurt his campaign.
He set a red line against Dictator al-Assad if he used chemicals, which he did. President Obama did nothing. The Russians have been taking advantage of President Obama’s indecisiveness. The Arab and Muslim world’s widespread notion is that Obama’s Jewish advisors persuaded him to not interfere as a service to Israel. Al-Assad regime has been good to Israel, whose objective is Syria’s disintegration.
This lack of intervention is against the legacy of President Obama and bad for American foreign policy perceived by the masses in the Arab/Muslim world. It will be against the US and Israel. The Republican candidates are delighted to label Obama as weak, indecisive & misguided.
I have never in my life been so disappointed like I am with President Obama, whom I helped, putting my heart, my soul, and my pocketbook, in his first campaign in Texas in 2/08. I declined the invitation by his field organizer to meet him in Brownsville in the Gulf of Mexico when he was supposed to have breakfast with the preachers, as I thought my name as Mohammad, my background as a Palestinian, and being a Muslim would hurt his campaign.
He set a red line against Dictator al-Assad if he used chemicals, which he did. President Obama did nothing. The Russians have been taking advantage of President Obama’s indecisiveness. The Arab and Muslim world’s widespread notion is that Obama’s Jewish advisors persuaded him to not interfere as a service to Israel. Al-Assad regime has been good to Israel, whose objective is Syria’s disintegration.
This lack of intervention is against the legacy of President Obama and bad for American foreign policy perceived by the masses in the Arab/Muslim world. It will be against the US and Israel. The Republican candidates are delighted to label Obama as weak, indecisive & misguided.
10
I gather that your disappointment is sincere but, it seems to me, rather unhinged. Just saying. Puzzling, really. Sorry, reality isn't perfect.
13
"The Republican candidates are delighted to label Obama as weak, indecisive & misguided."
Too bad that they're very, very wrong.
Too bad that they're very, very wrong.
19
So doing the fighting for the Arab world in 2 wars was not enough? Are you disappointed with the Saudis sitting on their billions and doing nothing about the extremists in THEIR backyard? I am tired of seeing American and European blood spilled while the Saudis literally "do nothing". Oh wait, they do breed a lot of terrorists so I guess that is how they contribute.
24
"Ridendo castigat mores," the Romans said. By laughing you criticize the customs. Humor is a powerful tool, but you need a special person like Mr. Obama to deliver subtle jokes with such finesse as he does. Looking forward to that dinner!
And BTW what a very un-lame duck your wonderful president continues to be. I bet big surprises will still come from here to December.
And BTW what a very un-lame duck your wonderful president continues to be. I bet big surprises will still come from here to December.
188
Yes, President Obama has one of the most beautiful, full smiles I have ever seen and it's particularly beautiful when he laughs at a joke the audience appreciates - or even one they don't. His sense of humor is close to the surface and he is perhaps the most "human" President we have ever had. What a guy! What a President!!
410
Then marry him.
And take Obama out of the White House.
America needs a little more than a goofy grin nowadays.
And take Obama out of the White House.
America needs a little more than a goofy grin nowadays.
4
DCBarrister - That is a patently absurd response to a very nice reflection on our President. There is no humor in a cutting response, you should give it a rest and really think about your motivation.
136
Uhmm - you already have a wannabe in Trump. Ooops!