The Spectacle Blog
Democrats and sympathetic media types like to cite the personal likeability of President Obama as an indicator of his reelectability (just today on MSNBC, Jonathan Capehart did it). So it seemed a no-brainer that Obama would go on Jimmy Fallon’s show last night to do some humorous personal appeals. In 2008, I wrote that candidate Obama only had two jokes: “I’m great” or “I’m only pretty great.” Why hasn’t Obama grown out of his ego-inflating “I’m Pretty Awesome” approach to humor?
Obama’s cameo on Fallon’s show featured him “slow-jamming” the news (video below). Except Obama didn’t make any jokes. He just read off the usual talking points about student loans (appealing to the youth vote amirite?). The whole stunt was based off of having other people do funny things around him while he was himself. When your whole shtick is simply contrasting your stature with the clownishness of comedians you’re not being funny. And does it really count as playing the “straight man” if you really think you are above all of it? Or when you crack jokes and they fall flat?
In fact, Obama thinking himself to be pretty awesome has been something of a buzzkill of late. At National Review, Jim Geraghty pointed out this excerpt of Jodi Kantor’s new book:
Obama had always had a high estimation of his ability to cast and run his operation. When David Plouffe, his campaign manager, first interviewed for a job with him in 2006, the senator gave him a warning: “I think I could probably do every job on the campaign better than the people I’ll hire to do it,” he said. “It’s hard to give up control when that’s all I’ve known.” Obama said nearly the same thing to Patrick Gaspard, whom he hired to be the campaign’s political director. “I think I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,” Obama told him. “I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.”
This bit appeared in a New York magazine profile:
The president’s friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett sometimes pointed out that not only had he never managed an operation, he’d never really had a nine-to-five job in his life. Obama didn’t know what he didn’t know, yet his self-confidence was so stratospheric that once, in the context of thinking about Emanuel’s replacement, he remarked in all seriousness, “You know, I’d make a good chief of staff.”
He thinks he’s capable of anything. But a key part of being funny is often insecurity and self-deprecation, qualities he appears to lack.
When Obama appeared on Saturday Night Live in his contest against Hillary Clinton, he couldn’t even muster a funny line. The one thing he said was: “I have nothing to hide. I enjoy being myself. I’m not going to change who I am just because it’s Halloween.”
L.O… uh. Hm.
To be fair, yes, one has to be very self-confident to make it out of a single-parent childhood and meet with success, let alone to become president. But at some point, you take into account your limitations and chuckle at yourself. Instead, Obama seems pretty confident to lord it over us: He’s awesome. Just totally awesome.
(UPDATE: Worth saying, I think Fallon is hilarious in this.)
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David W| 4.25.12 @ 5:01PM
A disgrace to the office and to the nation. I'm glad I'm from Texas....
lester| 4.25.12 @ 6:02PM
Obama does not know that "there are things he knows, there things he knows he does not know, and there things he doesn't know he doesn't know."
Attribution to one Don R.
hungrymoose| 4.25.12 @ 6:03PM
"He thinks he's capable of anything"
Maybe he spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express.
RS| 4.25.12 @ 6:05PM
Obama needs some lessons in humility.
Perhaps William Shatner can give him some pointers on being less egocentric.
Mike 3/505| 4.26.12 @ 6:41PM
THAT was the funniest thing I've heard in months! Can I use it?
Blacque Jacques Shellacque| 4.25.12 @ 6:09PM
Democrats and sympathetic media types like to cite the personal likeability of President Obama as an indicator of his reelectability (just today on MSNBC, Jonathan Capehart did it).
I'm willing to bet that the "likeability" aspect drops off dramatically after being around the guy for long enough and seeing how he really is.
PattyMor| 4.25.12 @ 6:45PM
His problem is, he thinks he's still cool. But even some of the dupes who voted for him have him figured out. The schtick will not work in 2012 because the man has a record and its dismal. He's like a CokaCola with the fizz gone out. It looks the same, but the pizazz is gone, never to put back.
Occam's Tool| 4.25.12 @ 8:17PM
I went to the same high school Hillary Clinton did, many years apart (about 15). I left the Park Ridge area to go to TCU, and, except for summer vacations and winter breaks during school (no money to do anything else), I have NEVER returned.
I hate those people. And Obama fits right in. Not because of his skin color, but because of his vacuous smugness.
Pete| 4.26.12 @ 10:42AM
My same impression of the DC crowd, where everyone thinks they are important
eon| 4.25.12 @ 8:18PM
"Democrats and sympathetic media types like to cite the personal likeability of President Obama as an indicator of his reelectability (just today on MSNBC, Jonathan Capehart did it)."
I'm old enough to remember that they said the same thing about Jimmy Carter. Ditto Bill Clinton.
That didn't make either one of them a competent Chief Executive.
By comparison, Reagan clearly was "likable", and the MSM regards him as the Devil Incarnate to this day.
I think it would be more accurate to say that "progressives" in the media would be burbling about how "likable" Attila the Hun was- as long as he promulgated reliably progressive doctrines and dogmas.
clear ether
eon
albert constantine jr.| 4.25.12 @ 10:10PM
I imagine the critical point in determining Attila's likeability would stem from whether you were pillaging with him or being pillaged by him.
I know where I stand in that transaction with Obama, and while he think he has a mild talent for karaoke, I hardly find him likeable (and believe he has many other shortcomings to numerous to list here).
Jim Treacher | 4.25.12 @ 10:22PM
"He thinks he's capable of anything. But a key part of being funny is often insecurity and self-deprecation, qualities he appears to lack."
Yep. That's why he's transformed the WHCD into just another platform to attack his enemies. It used to be a like a roast. People made fun of the president, and he made fun of himself. Now they all roast anyone who dares to oppose him.
Scott| 4.25.12 @ 10:43PM
Obama is the cubic zirconia president. Bling and shiny at the beginning but over time he went dull. And for the duration, he was basically worthless.
irish19| 4.26.12 @ 8:56AM
"Obama is the cubic zirconia president."
What a perfect characterization!!
Die Limbeckity, Die!| 4.26.12 @ 4:41PM
Actually, cubic zirconium is far more durable than crappy old carbon (diamond). As for worth, diamonds (being common carbon) aren't nearly as rare as advertised. So yeah, I'll take Zr over C any day. Cheers :)
Tim the Enchanter| 4.27.12 @ 2:58PM
Are you naturally this obtuse, or did you have to work at it?
Chris| 4.27.12 @ 3:32PM
Scott, you are being too kind. Obama is more like one of those rings that comes out of a gumball machine. My kids have a bunch of them. They look pretty from a distance, but as you get closer, you can see that they are just worthless crap.
Bob Grant | 4.25.12 @ 11:56PM
Lest we forget other cocky, off putting statements from The Clown-in-Chief such as the classic " I'm Lebron baby, I can play on this level. I got some game."
------
Although in my humble opinion, The Clown-in-Chief is far from funny or cool, Romney would do well to concede them to him.
This should not, however, translate to likeability as he's far from it and Romney should resist calling him "a nice guy", "a likeable guy", etc. Liars, narcissists, leftists, instigators, liars, and dictator wanna be's are never likeable and shouldn't be labeled as such.
The fact that we are even having to discuss these childish antics by our deeply flawed president demonstrates how low he's reduced the stature of the office.
November 6 cannot come soon enough!
Nixonfan| 4.26.12 @ 2:02PM
No. Never attack your opponent as a person. You can like him (as I do) and not vote for him because of policy disagreements. Obama is a good family man and very nice socialist. Let Obama and his surrogates start attacking Mitt as a person and see if it works.
AVCurmudgeon| 4.28.12 @ 7:17PM
Just because you don't want to attack your opponent on a personal level it does not mean you have to buy in (or pretend to buy in) to the "likeability" garbage. All you have to say is "the issue is now whether he is likeable or 'cool', the issue is whether he is a good President. He is not." And then move on.
Steve W from Ford| 4.26.12 @ 2:04AM
For a man who has ever only made his living using his mouth, Obama's confidence is, by definition, arrogance.
Die Limbeckity, Die!| 4.26.12 @ 4:43PM
So he's more like Rush than we ever imagined!
Mike 3/505| 4.26.12 @ 6:45PM
No....ruche has actually, created wealth, employed people and made a payroll off of his won efforts, not by stealing money from other folks. Next.
Mike 3/505| 4.26.12 @ 6:45PM
Rush....own
Chris| 4.27.12 @ 3:57PM
Cute handle D.L.D.! Do you also post as Sarapalinmustdie! and Kill Cheney Today! and Bushreallyisamoron!
Liberal humor is so sophisticated and nuanced.
Buck Bradley| 4.26.12 @ 8:27AM
"one has to be very self-confident to make it out of a single-parent childhood and meet with success, let alone to become president"
It certainly helps to be able to "declare as black" -- essentially Barack made a conscious decision to become a professional black, and it is the only real job he has held ever since that day.
Nixonfan| 4.26.12 @ 2:04PM
Would you like him more if he said he was white?
Star Tripper| 4.27.12 @ 1:45PM
I wouldn't like him more but I could more freely disparge him in public if he was white.
Chris| 4.27.12 @ 3:50PM
I would like him more if he would quit using his half-black skin as a political weapon against anyone who disagrees with his moronic policies. And incidentally, only lefties keep the race war going. The idea that black people are morally or intellectually inferior and in constant need of white assistance, is and always has been the Democratic party, i.e. liberal position. And I would fully support a fully black candidate like Allen West if he ran for president , because unlike our lighter skinned president, he is not a progressive nitwit. Skin color is irrelevant to conservatives, as it should be.
Obama sucks because he is Obama.
Sahyan| 4.27.12 @ 4:14PM
I'd like him more (well, maybe) if he were *honest* about it. On his census form he checked "Black," while the form provided a box for *exactly* what he is, "Mixed Race". He lied on a federal form. I don't care what he "considers" himself. If I declare that I "consider" myself black, it's a lie, because I know better. So should he, but....If Obama's lips are moving he's lying; if they aren't moving, he's preparing to lie.
JP| 4.26.12 @ 8:37AM
The Fallon appearance is just the "small ball" approach to Obama's 2012 campaign. He's pretty secure that he has 47-49% of the electorate in the bag. He just needs a few percentage points in key districts to close the deal. There will no histronics, no announcements of bold new programs from him. He will continue to stoke the race card, he will continue to tweak the "youth vote" with gimicks, and he will just wait for Mitt to make a huge error(s). He will continue to use proxies like Rosen to say nasty things about Mitt, his family and the GOP
This kind of campaign is frought with problems. The President cannot control events. And he dare not run on his record, foreign policy, the economy, and his energy policies. He is left with these kind of gimmicks (Fallon appearance), or giving pep rallies at community colleges. He then becomes a joke when compared to ths 2008 campaign. He is hoping against hope that the economy does not follow the UK into another recession.
My thinking is that as this season unfolds he may just lose a few states that he believes he has in the bag (rust belt states Wisconsin and Michigan). If that happens, he will lose and drag many Senate Dems down with him.
Pete| 4.26.12 @ 10:43AM
We should have NEVER lowered the voting age to 18. Huge mistake.
Mimi Mayes | 4.27.12 @ 2:15PM
So true. Probably a democrat idea.
William Tucker| 4.26.12 @ 11:02AM
"To be fair, yes, one has to be very self-confident to make it out of a single-parent childhood and meet with success."
On the contrary, it is probably Obama's single-mother childhood that accounts for his enormous ego. When you don't have a father around and your mother dotes on you and treats you like a little husband, you get a very inflated sense of yourself. Unfortunately, there are probably far too many young people around now who share Obama's egoism.
Nixonfan| 4.26.12 @ 1:58PM
He had no parents. He was raised by the Dunhams.
Chris| 4.27.12 @ 3:37PM
Frank Marshall Davis was there to massage lil' Barry's ego, among other things.
J.P. Freire| 4.27.12 @ 6:14PM
Bill, that's not "on the contrary" -- your point is in line with my point, though it does frame the reason for self-confidence differently. It's a nit I'm picking because my father was in a similarly unfortunate situation when he was a boy. He is most certainly headstrong and does think himself capable of a lot (and he has accomplished a lot). On the other hand, his mother spent no time doting on him while they struggled in poverty. Their situations are not perfectly analogous, obviously, I'm just saying there appears to be more factors to consider.
And anyway, let's leave it at this. Humor-wise, Obama's a human toothache.
Nixonfan| 4.26.12 @ 1:57PM
I am pretty sure that BHO has a good sense of humor, because he has said some funny things. When he said that he had "saved or crated four turkeys", I laughed; it was self-mockery and funny. It's in there but it seldom comes out. Romney has the same problem.
JeffC| 4.26.12 @ 4:30PM
actually I think his best humor is when he is being deadly serious ... he just doesn't realize teh funny ...
Star Tripper| 4.27.12 @ 1:46PM
If you can't laugh at yourself, and Bambi can't, you don't have a sense of humor.
JeffC| 4.26.12 @ 4:29PM
what single-parent childhood ?
He had step fathers and 2 grandparents every step of the way ... I doubt he ever spent more than a handfull of nights under any roof with just his mother ...
once he hit high school he has been on the silver spoon fast track ever since ...
Marvin E. Fox | 4.26.12 @ 6:16PM
Obama isn't just out of touch now; he has never been in touch with the American sytem of government nor the people who know how important it is to our freedom. Obama's super ego is what gives him his confidence. He has never accomplished anything to support such a magnificent self importance. Perhaps, being the wrong man at the wrong time and becoming the POTUS anyway is enough. But, he doesn't seem to be getting any closer to understanding a Constitution Republic by being POTUS. We can not become Karl Marx's little darlings because we have a Marxist president with a big ego.
Marvin E. Fox
Mimi Mayes | 4.27.12 @ 2:25PM
The point nobody ever makes (besides me!) is that he was born in Hawaii in 1961, 2 years after it became a state, and spent a lot of his childhood in Indonesia. You could not possibly have the love and pride in your country that most of us have if you had never come to the mainland until you were 18 or 19! Not to mention all the anti-American influences on him from his mother & father, Frank Marshall Davis, college profs! So he is totally out of touch with the great majority of us. I find it disturbing to be hated by my president, and to know how little he thinks of our beloved USA.
Sardonikus| 4.27.12 @ 12:56PM
2008 - Hero
2009-2012 - Zero
(?) 2013 - NERO
Tom Kyba| 4.27.12 @ 1:45PM
I love these anecdotes exposing Narcissus for what he truly is. Are there any sites one can go to in order to find more examples?
Vigilant| 4.28.12 @ 11:40AM
Tom Kyba-yes, there's much out there regarding Obama's narcissism. I suspect Occam's Tool, from a professional perspective, has long had a diagnosis in mind. I recommend a short course on Narcissistic Personality Disorder via a little internet research. It will shed light on Obama's behaviors (and probably people in your own life) that cause normal people to scratch their heads in puzzlement.You might start by googling the Sam Vaknin interview on Obama's narcissism, as well as Vaknin's analysis of him back in '08. I got a chill back then watching Obama in action. I've dealt with too many of them personally and professionally not to realize what we were in for. God help us all.
AVCurmudgeon| 4.28.12 @ 7:15PM
He's insecure, narcissistic, and in his effort to show everyone he's "cool" is also apparently enduring a severe mid-life crisis. Exactly why anyone finds any of this endearing will forever be beyond my comprehension.