May 10, 2009
Obmama Kills at Correspondents' Dinner
Our Funny President
C-Span isn't usually where I'd look for entertainment. But I wasn't going to miss the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, an event honoring the press and promoting good relationships between the administration and the media. More importantly, it always involves humor: for the last two decades it has been traditional to feature a comedian as the evening's entertainment.
An invitation to perform is a great honor for any jokester, but also involves the nerve-wracking task of making fun of the President of the United States while he is sitting next to you. In Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot, Al Franken talks about his own experiences and suggests that the biggest challenge is staying edgy enough to be funny, but still keeping it relatively clean. Franken also recommends insider Washington jokes as the key to a successful performance.
The presidential monologue
That's the been the usual MO for the performers, though there are obvious exceptions. Stephen Colbert, for example, refused to drop his persona, even in front of then-president Bush--much to the discomfort of the audience.
Usually, the presidents do not participate in the entertainment. But on Saturday, Obama broke with tradition, peforming his own monologue before handing the mike over to Wanda Sykes.
I've been noting the steady improvement in Obama's joke-telling skills lately; on Saturday he showed he could really play the part of entertainer-in-chief. He was the one taking potshots at the administration, needling the press, and making fun of himself. The latter fact is especially notable given that he has been accused of taking himself too seriously.
Obama's routine was solid. The jokes were pretty classic, ranging from bad puns ("I think we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms") to bipartisan ribbing (Michael Steele "in the heezy" and comparing Joe Biden to the White House dog) to self-mockery ("I will be able to complete [the next hundred days] in 72 days. And on the 73rd day I will rest."). He was bold enough to take some chances, as when he suggested Larry Summers wanted to chair the Council on Women and Girls, and even indulged in a gossipy joke about John Boehner's tan. Not exactly George Carlin, but at least as good as a late-night monologue.
Now, I'm guessing he didn't write all those jokes himself, but as any comedian will tell you, it's all about the delivery. Comedians will also tell you that you need to be yourself when onstage. Obama did a masterful job of using his own, deliberate speaking style to deliver jokes effectively--definite proof that comic patter doesn't always have to be quick to be funny (cf. Ron White). Obama's only problem was a tendency to crack up at the jokes he was delivering, but even this came off as charming, a la Carol Burnett.
