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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 12:50 PM Apr 2015

The joke was that Obama wasn’t joking

The White House Correspondents' Dinner has become a strange event. It is, ostensibly, an evening when the president and the press can come together to share a few lighthearted laughs. But it's evolved into a recital of brutal truths — albeit one neither side ever really admits happened.

The joke of President Obama's performance on Saturday was that he wasn't joking. Everyone just had to pretend he was. Take this section, from the official White House transcript:

After the midterm elections, my advisors asked me, "Mr. President, do you have a bucket list?" And I said, "Well, I have something that rhymes with bucket list.’" (Laughter and applause.)

Take executive action on immigration? Bucket. (Laughter.) New climate regulations? Bucket. It’s the right thing to do. (Laughter and applause.)


The tip-off there is, "It's the right thing to do." That's not a joke. That's Obama's actual justification for the aggressive executive actions of his second term — "fuck it, it's the right thing to do." But the norms of politics are such that he typically has to frame his actions as routine, dull, even necessary. He has to search for precedent and downplay the consequences.

more
http://www.vox.com/2015/4/27/8502493/obama-white-house-correspondents-dinner
34 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The joke was that Obama wasn’t joking (Original Post) n2doc Apr 2015 OP
Not "fuck it", but "fuck THEM". tridim Apr 2015 #1
Exxxxactly flamingdem Apr 2015 #8
Seahawks had the superbowl wrapped up in a bow ? NM_Birder Apr 2015 #11
kiddin on the square mopinko Apr 2015 #2
Nice term! nolabear Apr 2015 #12
it's a thing. mopinko Apr 2015 #20
I figured. nolabear Apr 2015 #24
When the audience responds to most of the jokes with "whoaaaaaaaa"... eggplant Apr 2015 #3
Watching the crowd react it became clear that MOST of them are right wingers. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2015 #4
That's what happens when you become part of the "gilded" group erronis Apr 2015 #9
Many of these people were upset that Romney lost.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2015 #10
I didn't get that feeling. I got the feeling that they were relieved that finally... George II Apr 2015 #18
Look how many were leaning forward like vultures.... Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2015 #25
More women were laughing than men. roody Apr 2015 #21
Soooo Obvious! maddiemom Apr 2015 #23
I wish he had told Rahm Emanuel and the rest of the 3rd way jerkoffs to "buck off" in 2009 DefenseLawyer Apr 2015 #5
+1 Populist_Prole Apr 2015 #6
Me too. Enthusiast Apr 2015 #7
Yup (nt) bigwillq Apr 2015 #15
Until he says "bucket" to TPP, he IS Rahm Emanuel ... JustABozoOnThisBus Apr 2015 #17
OK, maybe the one about praying... Fritz Walter Apr 2015 #13
That was a joke about the Muslim claim. Spitfire of ATJ Apr 2015 #26
Point taken n/t Fritz Walter Apr 2015 #28
that's actually a Muslim reference. BlancheSplanchnik Apr 2015 #31
Maybe Obama just has this song stuck in his head? kydo Apr 2015 #14
It was the best of his addresses at that dinner. He got in ALL the zingers that he's been.... George II Apr 2015 #16
LoL! damn, that's a good one. BlancheSplanchnik Apr 2015 #32
Brilliant! And, we know cheney was seethingly, sneeringly PISSED! MO' Better! Cha Apr 2015 #34
Truth in humor. Aldo Leopold Apr 2015 #19
Watched this in a later re-run and was blown away by his sarcasm. maddiemom Apr 2015 #22
I thought the comments on climate change at the end of the Luther hedgehog Apr 2015 #27
Me, too - it was practically state of the Union, CanadaexPat Apr 2015 #30
R#44 & K for, like the way ScienceFiction talks about subversive topics. n/t UTUSN Apr 2015 #29
(“I look so old that John Boehner’s already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral”)! Even Cha Apr 2015 #33

mopinko

(70,127 posts)
2. kiddin on the square
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 01:29 PM
Apr 2015

is what i usually call it.
i dont know what else you can do but laugh at these clowns.

eggplant

(3,911 posts)
3. When the audience responds to most of the jokes with "whoaaaaaaaa"...
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 02:27 PM
Apr 2015

...you know they aren't jokes.

It played more like a Correspondents' Roast. Well deserved, I might add.

erronis

(15,303 posts)
9. That's what happens when you become part of the "gilded" group
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 03:48 PM
Apr 2015

Very few liberals stay that way when they only hang out with extremely wealthy people.

It's strange, most of us would like to be pretty rich - say $500,000 in the bank and a house paid for.

Get into the lower cloud layer (media/actors making $1,000,000/year) and you'll find envy with those with a spare $10,000,000 to throw around.

Unfortunately there are very few well-to-do folks that will wash the feet of the downtrodden. It's much more fun to eat truffles (non-GMO, of course.)

 

Spitfire of ATJ

(32,723 posts)
10. Many of these people were upset that Romney lost....
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 04:06 PM
Apr 2015

They were looking forward to smacking around the working class while covering Queen Ann's latest fashions.

George II

(67,782 posts)
18. I didn't get that feeling. I got the feeling that they were relieved that finally...
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 05:24 PM
Apr 2015

....someone said what lots of people were thinking.

 

DefenseLawyer

(11,101 posts)
5. I wish he had told Rahm Emanuel and the rest of the 3rd way jerkoffs to "buck off" in 2009
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 03:25 PM
Apr 2015

and had followed that "right thing to do" strategy from the beginning.

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,350 posts)
17. Until he says "bucket" to TPP, he IS Rahm Emanuel ...
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 05:24 PM
Apr 2015

... and one more 3rd way jerkoff.

I don't know whose pulling the strings, but it seems strange to try to avoid normal process, avoid debating a bill. Debate is the "right thing to do".

Fritz Walter

(4,291 posts)
13. OK, maybe the one about praying...
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 05:04 PM
Apr 2015

...five times a day.

I suspect it's actually a LOT more, as in "God give me strength to endure" the shit that he has to put up with. But the point is well taken.

BlancheSplanchnik

(20,219 posts)
31. that's actually a Muslim reference.
Tue Apr 28, 2015, 01:00 AM
Apr 2015

He knows "They" want people circulating that absurdity. So "They" can keep the atrocities going behind the scenes.

PBO knows.

George II

(67,782 posts)
16. It was the best of his addresses at that dinner. He got in ALL the zingers that he's been....
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 05:22 PM
Apr 2015

....waiting for years to use.

I really liked the way he addressed Darth Cheney's claim that Obama is the worst President of his lifetime, responding (paraphrasing) "that's a coincidence, I Cheney is the worst president of MY lifetime"!

maddiemom

(5,106 posts)
22. Watched this in a later re-run and was blown away by his sarcasm.
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 06:30 PM
Apr 2015

My reaction, however, was "You GO!" Mr. President! As to FOX, did I miss something or did he ignore them as was deserved?

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)
27. I thought the comments on climate change at the end of the Luther
Mon Apr 27, 2015, 07:25 PM
Apr 2015

sequence were pretty serious,myself.

Cha

(297,316 posts)
33. (“I look so old that John Boehner’s already invited Netanyahu to speak at my funeral”)! Even
Tue Apr 28, 2015, 04:53 AM
Apr 2015

this had a ring of truth.. and that's why there are funny.. because they do.

mahalo n2doc

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