Why can’t Obama tell a good joke?

By Michelle Malkin  •  March 20, 2009 01:41 PM

Why are the president’s “jokes” (scripted or not) so lame?

The answer is a three-letter-word (or is that four letters, Joe?): E-G-O.

Barack Obama is constitutionally incapable of self-deprecation, because self-deprecation requires sincere humility. And the Obamessiah — Lincoln/JFK/FDR/Reagan/Soul-Fixer/World Savior/Mighty Mouse rolled into one — doesn’t seem to have a molecule of sincere humility in his body. To laugh at yourself, you have to really be laughing at yourself, not engaging in coy self-aggrandizement.

J.P. Freire illuminated the root of Obama’s humor-challengedness last fall: Good read.

Freire breaks Obama’s “jokes” into two categories: “I’m Great” and “I’m Only Pretty Great.” Indeed, if you watched Leno last night (or read through the entire transcript here), you’ll see that pretty much all of Obama’s attempts at humor fall into those categories. Look at the opening “jokes” about the Secret Service and related entourage following him:

MR. LENO: …Now, you know, it’s funny, because the last time you were here, you walked in, you had your jacket on your finger and you had the two guys with you.

MR. OBAMA: Right.

MR. LENO: And that was it. Big change?

MR. OBAMA: You know, I was mentioning earlier, we landed yesterday and then –- this is an example of life in the bubble. We landed at the fairground down in Costa Mesa. And I see the fairground where I think we’re having this town hall and I said, well, why don’t we walk over there? Secret Service says, no, sir, it’s 750 yards. (Laughter.)

So I was trying to calculate –- well, that’s like a five-minute walk? “Yes, sir. Sorry.” (Laughter.)

Now, they let me walk on the way back. But, you know, the doctor is behind me with the defibrillator. (Laughter.)

MR. LENO: Wow.

MR. OBAMA: Michelle jokes about how our motorcade –- you know, we’ve got the ambulance and then the caboose and then the dog sled. (Laughter.) The submarine. (Laughter.) There’s a whole bunch of stuff going on.

Or this exchange about the privilege of flying on Air Force One:

MR. LENO: Let me ask you some personal things. Now, how cool is it to fly in Air Force One? (Laughter.)

MR. OBAMA: Now, let me tell you, I personally think it’s pretty cool. Especially because they give you, you know, the jacket with the seal on it. (Laughter.)

A more, well, presidential president might have offered thanks and praise to the men and women who protect him, ensure his safe transport, and staff his plush residence/playground, instead of trying to score a few, cheap, lame late-night laughs — one of which backfired miserably.

But then again, a more presidential president with a full plate of domestic and foreign policy troubles on his hands in only the second month of his tenure wouldn’t have been sitting on Jay Leno’s set in the first place.

DISTRACTION!

***

Commenter Flyoverman: “You don’t have to tell a joke when you are one.”

***

You know who knows how to bring the funny? Mark Steyn: ROFL!

***

Flashback: Remembering the master of presidential humor, Ronald Reagan.

And another remembrance from Doug Gamble:

Typical of his inner confidence and easy-going manner, Reagan loved jokes that poked fun at himself. But he also realized that a side benefit of self-deprecating humor, especially as he employed it, is its effectiveness in disarming criticism. When 1984 Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale accused Reagan of “government by amnesia,” the president countered with, “I thought that remark accusing me of having amnesia was uncalled for. I just wish I could remember who said it.”

When it became known that he would occasionally nod off at the White House during the day, he said, “I’ve given my aides instructions that if trouble breaks out in any of the world’s hot spots they should wake me up immediately — even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.” And, “Things have been awfully busy at the White House lately. I’ve really been burning the mid-day oil.”

He loved joking about his advanced age, once telling the White House Correspondents Dinner, “I’ve been around so long, I can remember when a hot story broke and reporters would run in yelling ‘Stop the chisels.’” And, “It was easier to run for president when I was a boy. Back then there were only 13 states.”

But he also used humor to engage the opponent head-on, for example when he told an audience, “The Democrats have a knee-jerk addition to tax increases, and every time their knee jerks, you get kicked.” And, “I’ve been losing weight on something called the Democrat Diet. The way it works is you only eat dessert on days when our opponents say something good about America.”

Cultural references were often the basis of Reagan’s humor, as when he said, “The other side’s promises are a little like Minnie Pearl’s hat. They both have big price tags hanging from them.” And, “If my opponent’s campaign were a TV show it would be ‘Let’s Make a Deal.’ You’d get to trade your prosperity for the surprise behind the curtain.”

Such lines appealed to Reagan’s instincts to go with humor that not only elicited a laugh from the audience, but also scored political points.

And unlike many politicians, he could get away with delivering a partisan line without sounding mean, thanks to his twinkle-in-the-eye, tongue-in-cheek delivery. Although he employed his acting and communications skills throughout a speech, they really shot to the fore when he was delivering humor. His timing and “feel” for a joke, whether a one-liner or long form, made him a humor writer’s dream come true.

It was old-friend humor that came to the rescue, of course, when he was on the ropes after a poor showing against Mondale in their first debate in 1984. With the media speculating whether Reagan’s age had made him unfit for office, he put the issue to bed by unleashing, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” Mondale could only laugh along with the audience.

For all the hours of coaching and study that go into presidential debates, Reagan essentially won two of the three he participated in with humor — the one noted above and the debate with President Jimmy Carter with the simple but devastating line, “There you go again.”

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Comments


  1. #1
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:42 pm, Flyoverman said:

    You don’t have to tell a joke when you are one.

  2. #2
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:48 pm, tpitman said:

    And the Obamessiah — Lincoln/JFK/FDR/Reagan/Soul-Fixer/World Savior/Mighty Mouse

    More like Mighty Mouth

    “Here I come to take your payyyyyy”

  3. #3
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:49 pm, ACHefty said:

    Self-deprecating humor deprives your opponent the opportunity to have the first laugh. It’s a jab toward them in and of itself.

  4. #4
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:50 pm, Misscheryl said:

    GAG ME! He.is.revolting.

  5. #5
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:52 pm, Misscheryl said:

    I’ve always said, if you can’t laugh at yourself, someone will do it for you.

  6. #6
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:53 pm, TXGator said:

    When you’ve been fawned over your whole life, you think everything you say is great and important. He has ‘princess-itis’, as his parents/grandparents catered to and spoiled him and gave him an inflated sense of worth. He’s been living in a bubble, with no real friends to tap him on the arm when he’s rambling on about himself, boring everyone. He thinks he’s the most interesting man in the world, but he’s just a man.

  7. #7
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    I just figured out why Obama loves the teleprompter so much! He’s able to see his reflection in it! Yep Barack H.(H doesn’t stand for humility) Obama! The joke is on us!

  8. #8
    On March 20th, 2009 at 1:57 pm, d1carter said:

    I just wonder what kind of trouble this enormous ego is going to get us in?

  9. #9
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    ODS is in full force today.

    Ronald Reagan’s humor reveals him as one of U.S. History’s great bigots.

    “Why not invite Qaddafi to San Francisco, he likes to dress up so much?”

    And of course laughing at Bob Hope on camera… “I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS but she doesn’t know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy.”

  10. #10
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:04 pm, undresiege said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Wholly crap. I’ve never heard those before.

  11. #11
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:08 pm, Misscheryl said:

    “I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS but she doesn’t know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy.”

    That’s hillarious!

  12. #12
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm, swede said:

    Knock knock.
    Who’s there?
    Barry.
    Barry who?
    Uuuuhhh…aaahhh…um…that’s,that’s,thats you know…

  13. #13
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:12 pm, conservativesRus said:

    Thing is with Reagan, there was substance behind the joke. With obama, there seems only to be the joke.

  14. #14
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm, undresiege said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Don’t worry RSS. You’ll soon start seeing posts accusing you of false moral equivalence making. They’ll tell you how Reagan’s rather wicked, dark humor is cool, and how Obama’s lameness is much worse.

  15. #15
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:14 pm, taylork said:

    Ronald Reagan’s humor reveals him as one of U.S. History’s great bigots.

    Umm…no.

  16. #16
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:15 pm, feebiebabe said:

    I was a kid when Reagan was President. I always thought this was pretty funny.

    :D

  17. #17
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:16 pm, taylork said:

    They’ll tell you how Reagan’s rather wicked, dark humor is cool, and how Obama’s lameness is much worse.

    How about the false equivalence of putting Reagan on the same level as Nathan Bedford Forrest?

  18. #18
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:17 pm, pabarge said:

    Mighty Mouse?

    that’s RAAAACCIIIIISSSSTTTTT!

  19. #19
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:18 pm, rightisright said:

    RSS, you libturds get old fast, right after the you open your mouths, instead of your minds.

    Take your hate some where else.

  20. #20
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:23 pm, Bogtrotter said:

    Obama’s Tonight Show Performance: Pandering, Clueless, and devoid of any class at all.

  21. #21
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:25 pm, flaming_o said:

    Why can’t Obama tell a good joke? It’s obvious. He doesn’t have the gift of gab. He really doesn’t have a way with words. He’s simply not eloquent the way his fans claim him to be.

  22. #22
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:26 pm, Hangfire said:

    Ronald Reagan is the greatest President of my lifetime, and the last man to do the office justice.

  23. #23
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:27 pm, conservativesRus said:

    Has anybody mentioned how Sarah Palin gave a whole speech with a malfunctioning teleprompter but obama can’t give a whole sentence w/o his?
    Who’s the one with skills there?

  24. #24
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:27 pm, karnold said:

    Those remembrances of Reagan’s humor got me all misty-eyed. Thanks, Michelle.

    Just makes me think that America is too great a nation to go twenty years without a President. Of course, it also shows how great a nation America is, that it can make it on the strength of its people for twenty years without one.

  25. #25
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:28 pm, cheapseat said:

    history will judge barry the magnificent alongside reagan. reagan will be revered in free societies, and barry will be revered among the thugocracies of the world for being the communist who bankrupted the free world. women, brush up on sharia law, and men, start reading the koran. when the free world is bankrupt, the oil despots will be the rulers of the world.

  26. #26
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, wighttrasch said:

    He doesn’t have the gift of gab.

    flaming_o:
    I’ve got a Blarney Stone he can kiss. Really.

  27. #27
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, feebiebabe said:

    RSS needs to sort out humor, from bigotry. He doesnt seem to have a good grasp of the workings of either.

  28. #28
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, RTater said:

    You can’t go into a 7-11 without a slight Indian accent. Oh wait, he wasn’t even joking.

    I know, Joe’s the backup, but their lack of humor is the same.

  29. #29
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:30 pm, wighttrasch said:

    What do you expect from people who thought ‘Murphy Brown’ was good TV?

  30. #30
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:33 pm, John Deaux said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:
    ODS is in full force today.

    Ronald Reagan’s humor reveals him as one of U.S. History’s great bigots.

    That was a different time. You need to judge it by the standards then, not now. But then again, liberals usually are ethnocentric.

    Identity politics and its ugly twin political correctness have really set this country up for division.

  31. #31
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    That was a different time. You need to judge it by the standards then, not now.

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious mystery disease with no cure. Great comedy!

    (And yes, I am mortified by Obama’s incomprehensibly inappropriate crack at the disabled.)

  32. #32
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:37 pm, Tazed and Confused said:

    RSS has such an elusive memory… to the point where he believes a lie repeated yields truth.

    OTOH, Obama believes he is truth… how myopic.

  33. #33
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:40 pm, John Deaux said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious 100% preventable mystery disease with no cure.

    Fixed it.

  34. #34
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:41 pm, madshark said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:04 pm, undresiege said:
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:
    Wholly crap. I’ve never heard those before.

    I would imagine that one of the reasons you may not have heard those before is that they are in likelihood an Urban Legend. Rock Hudson died as a result of AIDS in 1985. The Statue of Liberty ceremony was in 1986. I seriously doubt that Bob Hope would have made a joke in a public setting of a celebrity who had recently died.

  35. #35
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:41 pm, jsr said:

    “Why not invite Qaddafi to San Francisco, he likes to dress up so much?”

    Not only is that hilarious, but it was also great, humiliating put-down of a sworn enemy of the US. I’ll bet Qaddafi even stopped wearing spiked leather collars afterward.

  36. #36
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:41 pm, txvet2 said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:29 pm, wighttrasch said:

    I’ve got a Blarney Stone he can kiss. Really

    I’ve got something else he can kiss. Really.

  37. #37
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:42 pm, wighttrasch said:

    To paraphrase ‘Step Brothers’, RSS & undresiege can both ride majestic transluscent steeds together across the Bridge of Obama.

  38. #38
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:46 pm, conservativesRus said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm, Red State Skeptic said:
    (And yes, I am mortified by Obama’s incomprehensibly inappropriate crack at the disabled.)

    And therein lies your problem.
    I disagree with almost everything about obama, but I don’t think that was a crack AT the disabled. Do I think he should have said it – no but not for the reason your thin skin would believe. I believe he should not have said it because he should not have been there in the first place.
    Grow up.

  39. #39
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, mike.musculus said:

    Oh! I *love* these sayings…

    How much wood could a woodchuck chuck –
    if a woodchuck could chuck wood!

    Now let me try yours:

    How good a joke could a joke tell –
    if a joke could…
    …toke a smoke!
    …snort more coke!
    drive the country broke!

    I don’t know, Michelle, I think it needs more work.

  40. #40
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious 100% preventable mystery disease with no cure.

    Fixed it.

    So you can laugh at the dying because they are responsible for their disease? You make me sick.

  41. #41
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, wighttrasch said:

    Wholly crap.

    Awesome. By mispelling the first word above, that phrase now means ‘Entirely crap.’

    Which is doubly funny because it’s true!

  42. #42
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm, iamsaved said:

    We need more of Ronald Reagon’s humor. Political Correctness has run amuck in the name of tolerance. It’s nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

    Political correctness seeks to use the natural inclinations of humanity as a method of controlling the masses.

    The originator of both the phrase and its application was that champion of the downtrodden, that hero of the underprivileged, that great thinker, orator and writer, the author of the Little Red Book, Chairman Mao Tse Tung of China.

    “Correctness” in Marxist-Leninist thought is a reference to toeing the party line, called the ‘correct line’ and Mao Tse Tung insisted on it.

    Sounds familiar – Liberals added it to their playbook during the Clinton years I believe.

  43. #43
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm, feebiebabe said:

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious mystery disease with no cure. Great comedy!

    I guess that is why Reagan, in 1984 placed a large sum of money in the budget to be used specifically for AIDS. Further noting, it to be a priority for the DHHS.

    <blockquote”[T]his budget provides funds for maintaining — and in some cases expanding — high priority programs in crucial areas of national interest…including drug enforcement, AIDS research, the space program, nonmilitary research and national security.” [and that AIDS] “remains the highest public health priority of the Department of Health and Human Services.”

    or:

    [I]ncluding what we have in the budget for ’86, it will amount to over a half a billion dollars that we have provided for research on AIDS in addition to what I’m sure other medical groups are doing. And we have $100 million in the budget this year; it’ll be 126 million next year. So, this is a top priority with us. Yes, there’s no question about the seriousness of this and the need to find an answer.

    or

    We will continue, as a high priority, the fight against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). An unprecedented research effort is underway to deal with this major epidemic public health threat. The number of AIDS cases is expected to increase. While there are hopes for drugs and vaccines against AIDS, none is immediately at hand. Consequently, efforts should focus on prevention, to inform and to lower risks of further transmission of the AIDS virus. To this end, I am asking the Surgeon General to prepare a report to the American people on AIDS.

    If Reagan was a true bigot, he would have joked and acted in accordance with these jokes.

    These were jokes.

    I can see you get all of your “Reagan is a Bigot” information from watching the TV movie The Reagans… and that, RSS, is a joke in itself.

  44. #44
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:48 pm, Zippy_Slug said:

    hmm.. Just a thought in regards to The Dear Leader’s gaffe/joke about special Olympics on Leno..

    After listening to just the audio.. There appears to be quite a bit of laughter during the comment.. but nothing really before to set the audience off.. Could this be a audio-shop? A little post-editing, let’s try to drown out the comment so the oooooh’s from the audience won’t be heard? The tonight show doesn’t go on live.. it would be quite possible.. The audience reaction seems rather “forced” there.. Like a laugh track at the ready..

    Listen again.. let me know if I’m not the only one..

    And if so.. why? The Dear Leader cannot be made to look the buffoon he is?

  45. #45
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:53 pm, James Felix said:

    ODS is in full force today.

    You keep trying to redefine “deranged” as “people who disagree with me”. It won’t work. And the attempt is particularly appalling coming from the side that invented political derangement.

    Ronald Reagan’s humor reveals him as one of U.S. History’s great bigots.

    This from the guy that yesterday said “black america is a third world country” and flat out said it’s blacks that need welfare and medicaid.

    “Why not invite Qaddafi to San Francisco, he likes to dress up so much?”

    Denizens of San Franciso dress more flamboyantly than other cities, though certain neighborhoods in Manhattan try to compete. They’re proud of it. So how exactly is that comment bigoted?

    And of course laughing at Bob Hope on camera… “I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS but she doesn’t know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy.”

    So Reagan’s responsible for Bob Hope now?

    And your messiah cracks jokes about disabled kids. Worse, he cracks unfunny jokes about disabled kids that he then feels the need to backpeddle from.

    If you want to talk about bigotry, there’s only one political party that thinks people should be differently based on skin color, and only one that has an actual klansman in Congress. Hint: it’s the one you support.

    If you want to talk about Reagan, he inherited an economic crisis and left the country stronger than when he found it. When your guy can say that maybe I’ll find it in myself to care about some jokes made at San Francisco’s expense.

  46. #46
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:54 pm, BlameAmericaLast said:

    Celebrity culture and mentality, what can we really expect from this poser?

  47. #47
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:54 pm, no2pcbs1 said:

    zero is a product of an ivy league education, no class, no standards, no ethics, but is dedicated to his teleprompter and anything it tells him to say. and we’re told he’s really smart, harvard says so, yet so many are not impressed by this clown. the fact that he was elected proves this country no longer has any standards, at least non that are of any value. a mighty country slowly turning into a third world joke.

  48. #48
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:56 pm, huggybear said:

    That was a different time. You need to judge it by the standards then, not now.

    Actually, by today’s standards the Statue of Liberty joke is pretty funny. But at the time it was told, when there was no treatment and thousands of people were dying excruciatingly painful deaths, not so much. Feel free to hate teh gayz all you want, but anyway you slice it that joke at that time was in extremely poor taste*, far more distasteful than any Special Olympics or Nancy Reagan/seance jokes that lit a few fuses around here.

    I would imagine that one of the reasons you may not have heard those before is that they are in likelihood an Urban Legend. Rock Hudson died as a result of AIDS in 1985. The Statue of Liberty ceremony was in 1986. I seriously doubt that Bob Hope would have made a joke in a public setting of a celebrity who had recently died.

    (*if it was actually told as described.)

  49. #49
    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:59 pm, huggybear said:

    You keep trying to redefine “deranged” as “people who disagree with me”. It won’t work. And the attempt is particularly appalling coming from the side that invented political derangement.

    From the side that invented irony. Actually you didn’t invent it, you just perfected it. Thank you for providing me with my daily dose.

  50. #50
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, William Teach said:

    You know, I think back to the Saddleback Forum, and I still think Obambi was trying to make a joke with the whole “it’s above may paygrade” crack. It sounds light-hearted at the beginning, probably something that was discussed and scripted before the debate, because they knew abortion would come up.

    But, you can hear him switch to Mr. Self-importance as he is saying it, then he went off the reservation.

    The joke is on the millions of Americans who voted for this guy.

  51. #51
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:00 pm, Flyoverman said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:36 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious mystery disease with no cure. Great comedy!

    In 1981 few people understood what was transpiring in San Francisco. With a death rate of 100% no one was laughing, not the President not anyone. All we knew was something was infecting homosexual men. We couldn’t even ascertain the means of transmission for two or three years.

    The information about the disease that the President received was admitedly crap, but RSS I presume your standard is that he had to be clairvoyant.

    You might want to go out to YouTube and look at Laugh-in and Dean Martin roasts from the 70′s and 80′s. Today the Thought Police would be all over some of those jokes. It was a different era.

    Biggoted behavior? Your leaping to the conclusion Reagan was a bigot, becasue he was a conservative displays for everyone to see who the bigot is in this thread.

    You might remember during the campaign who were the ones who trashed Obama over his race and Hillary and Sarah Palin over their gender. It was the supposed “enlightened” progressives. Kettle = black

  52. #52
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Misscheryl said:

    I can’t believe the trolls have been allowed digress to the point that this thread is now about what they view as politically correct and what jokes are funny and which ones aren’t instead of why Obama the narcissist can’t laugh at himself.

  53. #53
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:06 pm, TXGator said:

    Typical liberal:
    Yeah, Barack “The One” Obama said something stupid witty in an innocent way that could be construed as coarse. So what? Over 25 years ago, a republican laughed at a joke that wasn’t politically correct. So there.
    Children, one and all.

  54. #54
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:08 pm, huggybear said:

    I can’t believe the trolls have been allowed digress to the point that this thread is now about what they view as politically correct and what jokes are funny and which ones aren’t instead of why Obama the narcissist can’t laugh at himself.

    Well thank heavens we have you to set the thread back on course. Please tell us more about this freakish, highly unusual “narcissitic politician” you speak of.

  55. #55
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:10 pm, Misscheryl said:

    TXGator and they set the hook and everyone clammors to take the bait. Sorry, but no wonder they feel self righteous and self important. They don’t have to grab the spot light – we gladly give it to them. So now this thread has become their soap box. I’m sorry, but that’s how I see it.

    PS – HB – thanks for the invite, but I’m not biting.

  56. #56
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:12 pm, WarTip said:

    The entire government has turned into a joke but there is nothing funny about any of it!

  57. #57
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:13 pm, taylork said:

    Why are the president’s “jokes” (scripted or not) so lame?

    Because he can’t get a jewish write due to his inept Israel stance.

  58. #58
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:14 pm, Misscheryl said:

    Isn’t that the truth WarTip – I just had a conversation with our resident African American liberal and he has some second thoughts about Obama too.

  59. #59
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:16 pm, RTater said:

    MissCheryl #55 – Amen.

  60. #60
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:16 pm, Flyoverman said:

    I must tell my fellow conservatives, I am not really upset with Obama about his bowling comment. He meant nothing by it, I understand that, and I do not intend to criticize him for it.

    What does bother me about Obama is:

    1) Memorial Day 2008 he made comments at a gathering that clearly indicated he did not know the purpose and meaning of Memorial Day

    2) During his European Campaign Tour he skips visiting wounded soldiers and goes to the gym.

    3) As Commander in Chief he snubs the Medal of Honor Winners banquet.

    4) As Commander in Chief he proposes having wounded soldiers pay for their own treatment of war related injuries.

    That is a pattern; a very disturbing one.

  61. #61
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:16 pm, huggybear said:

    PS – HB – thanks for the invite, but I’m not biting.

    Hey no worries, although I am genuinely curious to know when a politician with an overinflated ego became newsworthy.

  62. #62
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:18 pm, TXGator said:

    I don’t engage any deranged liberal on this blog…not even to mock or make fun of them. It’s not worth it. I’m open minded, but they can’t influence me, and they are unencumbered by logic and reason. No point in fighting with a pig, as we both get muddy. The pig just enjoys it.
    I don’t even talk to the ones that will jump on one innocuous point, disregarding ten others that make perfect sense. I enjoy reading what intelligent, thinking people have to say, not children with an emotional streak a mile wide. Give me reason.

  63. #63
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:20 pm, Misscheryl said:

    TXGator said:
    I don’t engage any deranged liberal on this blog…not even to mock or make fun of them. It’s not worth it. I’m open minded, but they can’t influence me, and they are unencumbered by logic and reason. No point in fighting with a pig, as we both get muddy. The pig just enjoys it.
    I don’t even talk to the ones that will jump on one innocuous point, disregarding ten others that make perfect sense. I enjoy reading what intelligent, thinking people have to say, not children with an emotional streak a mile wide. Give me reason.

    Well said!

  64. #64
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:22 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    In 1981 few people understood what was transpiring in San Francisco. With a death rate of 100% no one was laughing, not the President not anyone. All we knew was something was infecting homosexual men. We couldn’t even ascertain the means of transmission for two or three years.

    The information about the disease that the President received was admitedly crap, but RSS I presume your standard is that he had to be clairvoyant.

    These quotes are not from 1981. They are from 1986.

  65. #65
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, conservativesRus said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Sure, everyone was making fun of those wacky constituents of his who were dying of that hilarious 100% preventable mystery disease with no cure.

    Fixed it.

    So you can laugh at the dying because they are responsible for their disease? You make me sick.

    I’m not laughing – but when something is 100% preventable, I tend not to be particularly sympathetic – particularly when it we contrast victim by choice with victim not by choice.

  66. #66
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm, wighttrasch said:

    entirely crap.

  67. #67
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:28 pm, TXGator said:

    Misscheryl, we really can’t influence those that are too far gone. If your studies of history don’t show you that there is no such thing as a nonjudgmental, utopian, totally equal democratic society, then you haven’t been studying hard enough. No culture can survive without standards and rule of law. I’m afraid we are well down that path already, and I fear for this once-great nation.
    By the way, I always enjoy reading your smartly witty comments….keep it up, and don’t let those trolls get to you. They love upsetting a true conservative. They only reason we are so easily upset is because we care too much and truly love America. What keeps this country strong is what they detest.

  68. #68
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pm, James Felix said:

    From the side that invented irony. Actually you didn’t invent it, you just perfected it. Thank you for providing me with my daily dose.

    Normally I’d argue whatever point you’re trying to make, but this comment just doesn’t make any sense.

  69. #69
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:33 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    You keep trying to redefine “deranged” as “people who disagree with me”. It won’t work. And the attempt is particularly appalling coming from the side that invented political derangement.

    MM is not deranged by Obama because she disagrees with him. She’s deranged by making personal attacks on Obama’s ego and the authenticity of his self-deprecation. No matter what you think of his policies, one thing you have to give Obama (and should be proud of in your president) is that one problem he does not have is his ego. Someone with an ego problem would not have been able to stomach the attacks he endured during the campaign on the basis of his heritage with such poise. Furthermore, a man with an ego problem wouldn’t be married to his wife (and that’s a compliement to both him and Michelle O). The man is unflappable. To question that is truly deranged.

    As for “the side that invented policital derangement,” I seem to remember the crazy coming out from day one of Clinton’s presidency.

  70. #70
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:34 pm, mike.musculus said:

    No need hb, just watch him!
    A laugh a minute, from the constipated look he uses when he pretends concern to the lilt he uses when he “aw shucks” that shrills into the “don’t spank me, its the other guys fault I did it!”

    Yep, he’s a true-to-life bit-to-bit copy of every Lefty that’s ever hit the bricks. Bleach him and he’s John McCain or John Kerry. Chromnium oxide and he’s Ol’ Una Mao Ze Dong! (current romanizaion)

    Of course, it goes w/o saying, every Lefty here. I can visualize you, or RSS practicing in your mirror, trying to get *each* expression right!

    Tip, dearies: it doesn’t work w/o the teleprompter’s direction. ;)

  71. #71
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:36 pm, mike.musculus said:

    oops, PDA malfunction:
    Una = Unc
    as in “uncle”, for you Leftys.

  72. #72
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:38 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    I’m not laughing – but when something is 100% preventable, I tend not to be particularly sympathetic

    You truly make me sick. I don’t know anything about you, but the fact that the side that so ostentatiously holds up the mantle of Christianity is the same side that wants nothing to do with the helping or even sympathizing with the “least of your brothers” is especially galling.

  73. #73
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:39 pm, chapoutier said:

    RSS,

    Gotta disagree in part. Of course Obama has an ego. A huge ego. He admitted as much in an interview during the campaign.

    What I would find objectionable is the notion his ego is somehow unique for someone in his position.

  74. #74
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:40 pm, wighttrasch said:

    RSS–are you Christian?

  75. #75
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:43 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    RSS–are you Christian?

    yes

  76. #76
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:44 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Gotta disagree in part. Of course Obama has an ego. A huge ego. He admitted as much in an interview during the campaign.

    Everyone has an ego, but I don’t see where Obama has an ego problem.

  77. #77
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:45 pm, conservativesRus said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:38 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    Who said anything about helping or not helping?
    Sympathy and helping are two very different things.
    Actually I’m glad “I make you sick.” The most righteous person who ever lived made a bunch of people sick too – to the point they crucified Him. He had no problem calling sin sin. He didn’t offer sympathy – he offered something entirely different.

  78. #78
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:49 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    I don’t see where Obama has an ego problem.

    “We are The One we’ve been waiting for.”

    “This is the moment the oceans stopped rising.”

    “This is the moment the earth began to heal.”

    “I won.”

    Yep, no ego problem there.

  79. #79
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:52 pm, John Deaux said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:47 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    So you can laugh at the dying because they are responsible for their disease? You make me sick.

    Nice strawman you’ve built there. I never laughed at dying people. I simply pointed out the preventability of AIDS. However, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for people who get a preventable disease through carelessness.
    You can take your feigned indignation and stuff it.

  80. #80
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:53 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    “We are The One we’ve been waiting for.”
    “This is the moment the oceans stopped rising.”
    “This is the moment the earth began to heal.”

    Eh… That doesn’t mean it’s him, it means it’s the moment or the community or whatever the f he was talking about.

    Incredibly dopey — YES!
    Egotastic — not really

  81. #81
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:54 pm, Danceswithdachshunds said:

    Without his colossal ego BHO would just disintegrate into a big fake pile of ….

  82. #82
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:57 pm, Dexter Alarius said:

    RSS #80, you left out the one there was no defense against. That said it all.
    Thanks.

  83. #83
    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:57 pm, bluesoc said:

    Wasn’t the “olympics joke” self-depreciating? Did I miss something?

    (note: a joke in bad taste can still be self-deprecating)

  84. #84
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:05 pm, sims said:

    Speaking of political correctness run amok. Janet Napolitano told Der Speigel in Germany that she likes to use the term “Man Caused Disasters” instead of Terrorism. You know, cause if we don’t use any hard words….

  85. #85
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:07 pm, John Deaux said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:57 pm, bluesoc said:
    Wasn’t the “olympics joke” self-depreciating? Did I miss something?

    (note: a joke in bad taste can still be self-deprecating)

    Actually, I’d have to say it was.

    I think part of the problem is that there is a group of people just waiting to be offended. In the past, they would just shrug off any joke like this. Now that we have been divided up into groups, one is just looking to take center stage with the moral high ground. The other side of things is that the left was waiting to pounce on any imperfection in the Bush administration and used perceived offense as cover to do so.

    The shoe is now on the other foot and the left doesn’t like the taste of their own medicine.

  86. #86
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:12 pm, right4life said:

    God I miss the 80s..it was a great decade…after a miserable, truly awful decade of the 70s…reagan was a great president, and it was a wonderful decade…oh well the country was fun while it lasted…

  87. #87
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:13 pm, TXGator said:

    I will say it is hilarious to see the left get burned by their own brand of politically correct fire. Hillary got out-affirmative-actioned by race (which trumps gender). Rev Wright almost got Obama sent to the sidelines, but we don’t mind black racists since it’s whitey’s fault. Every crazy lib was making fun of Trigg Palin.
    But now, THE ONE mocks those suffering with Down’s, and all of a sudden it’s not such a big deal, an innocuous little rejoinder said without thought.
    Imagine if Trent Lott said the same thing.

  88. #88
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm, right4life said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 3:43 pm, Red State Skeptic said:
    RSS–are you Christian?
    yes

    and yet you support the most pro-abortion president in history…are you for gay ‘marriage’ too?

    cognitive dissonance…

  89. #89
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:18 pm, Red State Skeptic said:

    RSS #80, you left out the one there was no defense against. That said it all.
    Thanks.

    Do you see Obama running around fountains screaming “I won”??

    A little context helps. If you’re referring to when he explained the fact that Democrats have a mandate for change, whereas Republicans do not, because he won the election, that makes him no different from George Bush, except that he is actually doing what he campaigned on, rather than using his win to justify a “mandate” to privatize social security, which W never even talked about on the ’04 stump.

  90. #90
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:20 pm, Regulus said:

    To be able to be the butt of your own joke, you must be able to not only laugh at yourself but also not be bothered when others laugh at you, too. And that’s one step beyond what Hope-a-Dope is capable of.

    He’s a man who takes himself way, way too seriously, not necessarily through any fault of his own but rather because of his circumstances: a black man who learned early on that simply by speaking via phonics instead of ebonics he could win effusive praise from condescending white racists seeking to make themselves feel morally superior by patting him on the head and telling him how special he was. As a direct result of this ego stroking, he not only came to believe that he really is special, he’s also totally unaccustomed to anything more than softball questioning — not to mention being challenged — and reacts badly whenever it happens.

    A president who has repeatedly insinuated that anyone disagreeing with him is a racist, and who is so thin-skinned that he feels compelled to wage a proxy war against a radio talk show host is a very small man in a very big job. Hope-a-Dope increasingly reminds me of Captain Queeg’s character in The Caine Mutiny: Seemingly OK on the surface, but who when pressed quickly comes unglued and starts lashing out at others to compensate for his neurotic insecurity.

    Consider the following exchange between JAG officer Barney Greenwald and psychiatrist/expert witness Dr. Dixon:

    Greenwald: You have testified that these symptoms exist in Queeg’s behavior: Rigidity of personality, feelings of persecution, and a neurotic certainty he is always right. Isn’t there one psychiatric term for this illness?

    Dr. Dixon: I never mentioned any illness.

    Greenwald:
    Thank you for the correction. What would you call a personality with all these symptoms?

    Dr. Dixon: A paranoid personality. But that is not a disabling illness –

    Greenwald: What kind of personality?

    Dr. Dixon:
    – Paranoid.

    As I recall, Queeg couldn’t laugh at himself, either…

  91. #91
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:20 pm, hunter said:

    A little context helps. If you’re referring to when he explained the fact that Democrats have a mandate for change, whereas Republicans do not, because he won the election, that makes him no different from George Bush, except that he is actually doing what he campaigned on, rather than using his win to justify a “mandate” to privatize social security, which W never even talked about on the ‘04 stump.

    RSS zero did not campaign as the most socialist president ever, he campaigned as a centrist. Maybe you should wait more than 60 days to start trying to rewrite history. The Clintons actually waited untill Bill was out of office!

  92. #92
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:21 pm, right4life said:

    except that he is actually doing what he campaigned on,

    yeah like getting rid of earmarks, and not hiring lobbyists… :roll:

  93. #93
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:25 pm, huggybear said:

    Normally I’d argue whatever point you’re trying to make, but this comment just doesn’t make any sense.

    Probably because conservatives seem to have a congenital inability to understand irony.

    “Irony”, meaning inherently, obliviously self-contradicting. As in: accusing someone of redefining the word “deranged”, and then in the same breath redefining the word himself to suit his own purposes.

    You keep trying to redefine “deranged” as “people who disagree with me”. It won’t work. And the attempt is particularly appalling coming from the side that invented political derangement.

    See? “Irony.” Now try using it in a sentence.

  94. #94
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:27 pm, sd6104 said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Red State Skeptic said:
    ODS is in full force today.
    Ronald Reagan’s humor reveals him as one of U.S. History’s great bigots.
    “Why not invite Qaddafi to San Francisco, he likes to dress up so much?”

    Mr. Reagan challenged the accuracy of the account during an interview with editors and columnists today, saying: ”I don’t want Qaddafi anywhere in the United States.”

    You must have missed this part of that article. In your world are all accusations truth and all denials a lie?

  95. #95
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm, katablog said:

    Gosh, from the headline I thought this was going to be one of those question and answer jokes:

    Q: Why can’t Obama tell a good joke?

    A: Cuz teleprompters aren’t funny.

  96. #96
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:29 pm, Socky said:

    “Why not invite Qaddafi to San Francisco, he likes to dress up so much?”

    That is awesome.

    So, now it’s bigotry to joke about stereotypes that are promoted and embraced by the groups that are stereotyped?

  97. #97
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:29 pm, right4life said:

    You must have missed this part of that article. In your world are all accusations truth and all denials a lie?

    the libs spent the 80s lying about reagan. and haven’t stopped all these years later.

    the 80s was a great decade, and proved that supply-side economics worked. He wasn’t perfect, but he make Odopey, billy, georgy, georgy jr. look like fools..

  98. #98
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:30 pm, John Deaux said:

    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:25 pm, huggybear said:

    See? “Irony.” Now try using it in a sentence.

    Hey look! huggybear’s trying to teach us using logic. How’s that for irony?

    Would that work?

  99. #99
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:32 pm, Socky said:

    I can understand why RSS and Undersiege are getting so shrill. Every day it becomes harder and harder to maintain the illusion that Dear Teleprompter is as clever or messianic as they wanted everyone to believe.

  100. #100
    On March 20th, 2009 at 4:32 pm, right4life said:

    adn of course obama is using the failed policies of the 70s to fix(?) the economy…when reagan proved that freedom works, and people don’t need the government…thats why he is hated by the left.

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