There's a vicious rumor going around that Mitt Romney passed Universal Health Care

May 1, 2011 2:40 AM

Mahalo! What A Week: US President Barack Obama at the recent White House Correspondence Dinner (SLYTP - 19 Min)
posted by The Whelk (250 comments total)

Excellence. That is all.
posted by likeso at 2:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Whelk : I think you might have screwed up and linked to the Friar's Club Roast of Donald Trump by mistake.
posted by crunchland at 2:58 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Seth Meyers 1

Seth Meyers 2
posted by The Whelk at 2:58 AM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

Ol' Dirty Biden?
posted by mannequito at 3:01 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

There were a few funny moments, but it felt pretty contrived the audience had to force a laugh at some of the bits and some fell flat altogether. I say we recall him, I expected better.
posted by tomswift at 3:10 AM on May 1, 2011

Well, he's a politician, not a comedian. I give it five gold stars. Four of those are for the Fox comment.
posted by Summer at 3:13 AM on May 1, 2011 [6 favorites]

I thought his timing was really good, but then you get into "good ...for a politician."
posted by The Whelk at 3:18 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

"Renowned fruit and vegetable enthusiast, Michelle Obama."
posted by Virtblue at 3:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

You guys don't think he wrote any of that himself, do you?
posted by crunchland at 3:23 AM on May 1, 2011

Crunchland, no. But that's not really the point.
posted by Summer at 3:25 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

hence the comment on timing.
posted by The Whelk at 3:26 AM on May 1, 2011

Seth Meyers killed. Giving a rundown of other parties:

"The New York Times party used to be free, but tonight, apparently, there's a cover. So like everyone else, I'll probably just go to the Huffington Post party. And the Huffington Post party is asking people to go to other parties first and just steal food and drinks, and bring it from there."

audience roars
posted by Mikey-San at 3:30 AM on May 1, 2011 [51 favorites]

(and by "killed", i of course mean "had a great set that didn't get nearly enough applause")
posted by Mikey-San at 3:31 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Meyers on Trump was fantastic... all those shots of the side of Trump's head, I kept expecting it to explode...no, wait, that's not what I meant....I kept hoping it would explode.

If nothing else, this event has firmly defined Trump as the joke that he is, perhaps now he can go away...
posted by tomswift at 3:41 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

The Trump jokes were just mean and not particularly funny, but boy, did I ever enjoy them.
posted by lrobertjones at 4:05 AM on May 1, 2011 [8 favorites]

Oh come on...

"Donald Trump often talks about running as a Republican, which is surprising. I just assumed he was running as a joke"

That was funny.
posted by rdr at 4:09 AM on May 1, 2011 [21 favorites]

Yeah the Trump stuff was needlessly cruel and that's still my opinion after watching it five time.
posted by awfurby at 4:16 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

I felt bad about the Trump stuff until I thought about everything he's said or did for decades.
posted by The Whelk at 4:17 AM on May 1, 2011 [115 favorites]

Did I really just see Optimus Prime and the Karate Kid? What the what?
posted by ColdChef at 4:18 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

*Tries to feel bad for Donald Trump. Fails.*
posted by Summer at 4:19 AM on May 1, 2011 [32 favorites]

"The Lion King" made me laugh loud enough to wake my kids. Holy crap.
posted by ColdChef at 4:21 AM on May 1, 2011 [6 favorites]

OMG, that intro! That intro! With the pulsing birth certificate! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
posted by iamkimiam at 4:21 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Yeah the Trump stuff was needlessly cruel and that's still my opinion after watching it five time.

I don't feel bad for a millionaire who put a full-page ad in the paper in an attempt to get five kids executed. About anything. Especially not some jokes.
posted by Mikey-San at 4:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [53 favorites]

I don't feel bad for a millionaire who put a full-page ad in the paper in an attempt to get five kids executed.

Thanks Mikey-San, I hadn't heard this before. Man, what a loathsome human being.
posted by marsha56 at 4:31 AM on May 1, 2011 [16 favorites]

With jokes this mean, you kind of wonder what got cut.
posted by ColdChef at 4:33 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Did I really just see Optimus Prime and the Karate Kid? What the what?

AMERICA!
posted by The Whelk at 4:36 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

No so sure about the comments about timing being good for a politician, Obama is an incredible public speaker. He just doesn't usually get to make gags.
posted by Damienmce at 4:36 AM on May 1, 2011

Loved Obama's part. Loved Seth Meyers' stuff even more. One can not make fun of Donald Trump too much. The man deserves every mean thing said about him that evening.
posted by snwod at 4:41 AM on May 1, 2011

To be clear, I l
posted by awfurby at 4:42 AM on May 1, 2011

...oved the Trump jokes.
posted by awfurby at 4:43 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

It started out strong but got kind of meh towards the end. I think he had like 5 of good material. Obviously a politician has to 'stay safe' and staying safe is the bane of comedy.
posted by delmoi at 4:44 AM on May 1, 2011

Mitt Romney needs his own Reality TV show if he wants to compete with Trump and Palin to become the GOP candidate.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:46 AM on May 1, 2011

Haha, I laughed at Meyer's CDO joke.

They keep throwing to random people during his performance. I have no idea who they are. Any ideas? They showed some random dude with a goatee during the NBC/comcast joke. Who was that guy?
posted by delmoi at 4:47 AM on May 1, 2011

Trump called the president a liar and impugned his integrity, intelligence, and citizenship.

And people feel sorry for that racist sack of shit? Obama and Meyers should go on the road with a full hour of this stuff.

Take that you blowhard douchebag toupeed moron.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:00 AM on May 1, 2011 [72 favorites]

One can not make fun of Donald Trump too much. The man deserves every mean thing said about him that evening.

He seems to not have any sense of humor about himself. I don't see how he could possibly run for President. Hey, Mr. Trump? This is just the tip of the iceberg of what happens when you put your name on the ballot. Your opposition and the press dig up every terrible thing they can find about you, and if they can't find anything, they'll make something up, and either way it'll stick around for YEARS.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:01 AM on May 1, 2011 [8 favorites]

Feel bad for Trump over a couple of jokes? Not just no, but hell no. I wouldn't piss in that man's mouth if his tonsils were on fire. Heh, I never get to use that line.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 5:05 AM on May 1, 2011 [11 favorites]

"fox on his head"...snicker.... :)
posted by tomswift at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2011

How far nutty and how far to the right do you have to be before Karl Rove thinks you're part of the nutty right?
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:08 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I would not feel sorry for the man had he run from the room crying. Anything that marginalizes Trump more is a plus in my book, though with the state of the republican party I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into a rallying cry for the moron. It's like watching a new twilight zone episode where a privileged 15 year old boy pretends to run for president, and somehow half of the country takes him serious. But ohmygodareyoufuckingkiddingme it's actually happening.
posted by justgary at 5:10 AM on May 1, 2011

I loved the video intro - using Hulk Hogan's intro music was a stroke of genius.
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:12 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Judicious use of the 'nerdprom' tag by CSPAN.
posted by knave at 5:13 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

( Trump) seems to not have any sense of humor about himself.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that anyone in this day and age with hair like that suffers from that disability. Typical narcissistic bully. The dipstick took credit for Obama's long-form birth certificate finally being released. He's the kind of man who could strut in a phone booth.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 5:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [10 favorites]

Loving how more and more bad stuff keeps coming out about The Donald.
posted by DanCall at 5:15 AM on May 1, 2011

Yeah, Obama is too damn charismatic. Every time he wants to send terminators back in time to kill Afghani children he should give a speech first. I thought that the speech was pretty good. I mean, the opening video fearured the Karate Kid, Hulk Hogan, and Optimus Prime. What.
posted by chunking express at 5:29 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, the only thing worse than being joked about is not being joked about. Trump surely appreciates the attention. His circus act becomes more valuable with every mention.
posted by three blind mice at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2011

awfurby: Yeah the Trump stuff was needlessly cruel and that's still my opinion after watching it five time.

Needlessly cruel? Yeah, this is a Washington correspondents dinner, not the Kennedy Awards. That's kind of the point, casual and gratuitous cruelty. Trump could have stayed home if he couldn't take the heat. And what do you think Trump's been to Obama for the past month? Helpful and decent?

crunchland: You guys don't think he wrote any of that himself, do you?

I don't think Bush wrote any of the stale jokes he told at his dinners either.
posted by blucevalo at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I knew he was a Hulkamaniac, right from the very start.

[source]
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:33 AM on May 1, 2011

Trump surely appreciates the attention. His circus act becomes more valuable with every mention.

Yeah, that's why he's got a big scowl on his face the whole time.
posted by blucevalo at 5:34 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Yeah, he was laughing a bit at the POTUS schtick but once Meyers got going on him he looked as though his head was going to explode.

These things are only fun if the jokes ring true. To get angry when people are telling you things that are basically true - you have ridiculous hair, people think you're a joke, your attempt to curry favour with 'the blacks' are falling flat - is not exactly a sign of a good leader.
posted by unSane at 5:42 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

Trump surely appreciates the attention

If his scowl had gotten any deeper, his face would have collapsed in on itself.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:43 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

wouldn't piss in that man's mouth if his tonsils were on fire.

I would, regardless of whether his tonsils were ablaze or not.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [9 favorites]

Piss on his hair and see what grows.

Trump is going to create an international incident if he doesn't shut up. It was necessary to destroy him.

I mean, he makes that stupid Alaskan ex half term governor look sane and nuanced. All he can see from his house is himself.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:56 AM on May 1, 2011 [18 favorites]

Also, the Trump jokes were great. You can't expect to be a total asshole and not get made fun of. The fact he looked so totally humorless about it all makes me feel even less sorry for him.

Seth Meyer was great.
posted by chunking express at 6:02 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

My local newspaper's conservative columnist accused Trump of being a false flag from the Obama administration's "Chicago politics."

Everything traces back to Chicago politics.
posted by mccarty.tim at 6:12 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The shots of Trump's face were gold. I actually rewound a couple of gags just to savour the reaction shot.
posted by jack_mo at 6:20 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I watched this live last night and laughed until I cried a tiny bit, but I had missed the presidential intro song! I just watched it now and laughed so hard I cried a bit again. As it is not yet 6:30am, I think my roommate might be annoyed with me.
posted by chatongriffes at 6:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Something tells me that Trump isn't used to having things like this said to his face.

As much as I hate to see American politics dragged down by clowns like him, I almost hope he does run. He'll never make it through the primary, and the comedy will be unforgettable.
posted by ixohoxi at 6:24 AM on May 1, 2011

The shots of Trump's face were gold.

I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy that part. It feels good to see bullies get their public comeuppance, doesn't it?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:26 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Behind all humor is honesty. All political speeches should be in this form.
posted by hirelearning at 6:30 AM on May 1, 2011

fourcheesemac: Piss on his hair and see what grows.

♫ U-U-U-Urea Pet ♫
posted by gman at 6:38 AM on May 1, 2011 [29 favorites]

I just had a epiphanny!

Given that

• Even when poorly imitating Al Franken the style is incredibly effective for Barack
• Public office transmuted Al from one of the greatest living political satirists into a non-entity in less than twelve months
• Public office transmuted Barack from one of the most inspiring political speakers into a hemhawing incompetent in less than two years

Franken must give over all decision-making duties to his aides and do nothing but write presidential speeches until the end of Obama's administration. If he finds occasionally shouting a Yea or Nay too distracting he can just resign.
posted by clarknova at 6:41 AM on May 1, 2011

Everything traces back to Chicago politics.

If by "Chicago Politics" you mean "melanin", yeah.
posted by clarknova at 6:42 AM on May 1, 2011 [22 favorites]

Public office transmuted Al from one of the greatest living political satirists into a non-entity in less than twelve months

Just because you haven't been paying attention to his work in the Senate doesn't mean he's been on non-entity. Far from it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2011 [41 favorites]

Public office transmuted Al from one of the greatest living political satirists into a non-entity in less than twelve months

Al Franken has been pretty active with his elected office. Most recently he's worked to establish net neutrality, to provide more funding for teaching core skills in public schools, and just this week he introduced a resolution to change the way our country pays for war.

He's done a lot of great things. I'm not sure where you get the idea that the's a non-entity, but I suspect it's because you haven't been paying attention.
posted by hippybear at 6:54 AM on May 1, 2011 [39 favorites]

Or, what AZ said.
posted by hippybear at 6:54 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

It seems to me the joke is on everyone who considers Trump an actual serious candidate for President instead of the self-promoting salesman he is.
posted by three blind mice at 6:55 AM on May 1, 2011

Yeah, what AZ and hippybear said. Franken has been an impressive senator in many ways.

And he was never that impressive to me as a comedian.
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:04 AM on May 1, 2011

Tellya what: if Donald gives me 1/1000th of his money, I'll sit in a room for an hour every week and let the entire world mock me cruelly in his stead.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:07 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

While I loved watching Trump getting what he deserved- but I wasn't that impressed with Meyer's delivery. The jokes were funny, but he spent way too much time smirking, looking at his notes - compares somewhat poorly to Colbert's classic performance from a few years back, even adjusting for the outrageousness of Colbert's number one target being the guest of honor.
posted by pascal at 7:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

The Trump jokes were really pretty good, especially Seth's, but Trump's frozen death glare rendered them sublime. The man doesn't have the grace to laugh at himself, or the savvy to know he should at least pretend to have that grace.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:19 AM on May 1, 2011 [34 favorites]

Trump -> 0wned.

I don't really use gamer-speak, but wow. GG, no re.
posted by andreaazure at 7:20 AM on May 1, 2011

The Washington Bubble And The Forgotten Economic Crisis

Let's begin with Dana Milbank's column about the excesses of the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, which has ballooned from a night into a giant, gross, money-soaked weekend:

The fun begins, appropriately enough, at the offices of the American Gas Association, where White House reporters are feted by the lobbyists of the Quinn Gillespie firm. More lobbyist-sponsored entertainment comes from the Motion Picture Association. Along the way, journalists wind up serving as pimps: We recruit Hollywood stars to entertain the politicians, and we recruit powerful political figures to entertain the stars. Corporate bosses bring in advertisers to gawk at the display, and journalists lucky enough to score invitations fancy ourselves celebrities.

Cee Lo Green sings for us. Seth Meyers tells us jokes. Lindsay Lohan's ex, Samantha Ronson, is our DJ. All the cool kids -- Sean Penn, Kate Hudson, Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Courteney Cox, David Byrne and Bristol Palin -- want to party with us. A Johnnie Walker "cigar tent" furnishes us with scotch and hand-rolled stogies. We are handed Fiji water, or Grey Goose vodka, to slake our thirsts, and Sea Terra Organics Vanilla Body Butters to soothe our pores.

-More Than Half Still Say U.S. Is in Recession or Depression
-Rise in Jobless Claims Bears Watching
-One Million Exhausted Jobless Benefits in Past Year
posted by kliuless at 7:21 AM on May 1, 2011 [25 favorites]

The Trump jokes were just mean and not particularly funny.

Given the kind of life Trump's led, there's very little anyone could say about the man that would be "too mean."

All the cool kids -- Sean Penn, Kate Hudson, Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul, Courteney Cox, David Byrne and Bristol Palin -- want to party with us

Is this some new definition of "cool" that I wasn't aware of?
posted by octobersurprise at 7:25 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm a political nerd so my favorite was Seth Myers' throwaway line after saying the Tea Party would endorse Obama's hair if it got any whiter: "oh, I'm going to get an angry voice mail from Ginny Thomas in 19 years."
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:26 AM on May 1, 2011 [27 favorites]

Is this some new definition of "cool" that I wasn't aware of?

Yup-- DC cool (specific to federal politics and players, not the actual denizens of the district). There's a reason why they call Washington, "Like Hollywood for homely people."
posted by availablelight at 7:37 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Poor, poor Donald Trump. I wonder what he was expecting, back when this seemed a good idea.
posted by Artw at 7:40 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

...And you really have to step back and admire the magnitude of his tactical error. He is making attacks on a Obama using the language of the birther movement, which has traditionally been difficult to respond to because it's so utterly ridiculous that responding in any way would make you look ridiculous. Even something like releasing the birth certificate looks like it's validating Trump...

Then Trump turns up to gloat at a comedy event, where Obama is EXPECTED to be a little ridiculous, and Obama goes ahead and skewers Trump right there and doesn't look a fool for doing it.

That's got to feel good.

And Trump is such a fuckibg idiot he probably doesn't realize he set himself up for it.
posted by Artw at 7:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

I'm baffled by Trump's decision to attend the event. Was he expecting a toast to his heroism or something?
posted by davebush at 7:55 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

"Katie [Couric] was known best for asking those tough questions like, 'Name a newspaper.' Years of hard-hitting questions and she's going to be remembered for the one that could have doubled as a category on the Family Feud. 'Followup question: Name something you keep in your attic.'"

Does anyone else take this as a subtle dig about Trig's Down syndrome?
posted by Zhai at 7:59 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Then Trump turns up to gloat at a comedy event, where Obama is EXPECTED to be a little ridiculous, and Obama goes ahead and skewers Trump right there and doesn't look a fool for doing it.

I suspect the people who think that Trump looks like a fool after the event are the same people who thought that Trump was a fool before the event.

The conspiracy theorists who followed this nut around in the first place aren't going to do a 180 because the president calls him out. If anything, they're probably droning on about the waste of taxpayer money over all the showy video work that was a part of his presentation, and how that's typical of the Obama and his wasting of MY taxpayer money and whatnot.

Trump's so self-absorbed, he is going to likely herald himself for being 1/3 of what the president talked about.
posted by dflemingecon at 7:59 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Thanks for those links, kliuless. Much better reading than fawning garbage about Obama's oh-so-wonderful-amazing-success at slapping down a moron like Trump.
posted by mediareport at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2011

No one will ever top Colbert. They should've ended these loathsome pandering dinners right there.

Seeing our footstool toady media so enthusiastically fellating the powerful people they should be checking on a yearly basis is sickening.

Every year when this rolls around we should be reminded- they're all working together, and they're not doing it on behalf of the public.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:02 AM on May 1, 2011 [26 favorites]

Trump was set up. No other explanation for it.
posted by Dragonness at 8:02 AM on May 1, 2011

No one will ever top Colbert. They should've ended these loathsome pandering dinners right there.

Perhaps you're forgetting MetaFilter's Own John Hodgman and his brilliant description of the Constitution as America's original FAQ.
posted by ColdChef at 8:08 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Trump was set up. No other explanation for it.

Part of me does now winder if the document was released at the time it was knowing there was an upcoming comedey gig and it would make great material...

But that's crazy conspiracy theory stuff - I'm no Donald trump, I believe man landed on the moon.
posted by Artw at 8:09 AM on May 1, 2011

Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans because it will streamline their search for vice president.

Heh.
posted by R. Mutt at 8:11 AM on May 1, 2011 [11 favorites]

The idea of Trump becoming an elected politician makes the Bush days seem sensible and shrewd.

A colleague of mine pointed out that Trump's tactics are those of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello; he fans the flames of racism not because he has any realistic political ambition but because he's filled with a twisted kind of hatred for humanity and able, because of his position and reputation, to do lasting damage to the general, his wife and those who love them both. I think it's a really important connection to make - Trump as a modern-day Iago.

As an ex-pat American it would be a very humiliating and painful spectacle to see Trump and Palin anywhere in the next election. We'd have to look to the wise court fools - Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert etc... to help us get over the pain.

I'm sure someone must have posted a link to the David Remmnick article in the New Yorker three days ago on the birther crap?
posted by ofelia at 8:11 AM on May 1, 2011 [9 favorites]

The Trump jokes were good, but the "You'd have loved 2008 Obama" jokes made my sides hurt from laughter. Louis Gossett SR. HAH!
posted by ColdChef at 8:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

(Also: the "Louis Gosset Sr." joke sounds a lot like Miss Tina Fey. I'd be very surprised if she didn't do a bit of polish on these jokes.)
posted by ColdChef at 8:15 AM on May 1, 2011

Myers could have made some sort of quip about being able to get into the NY Times party if you just lost your cookies at the door. OK that does not quite nail it but there was a joke there, somewhere.
posted by Danf at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Most recently he's worked to establish net neutrality, to provide more funding for teaching core skills in public schools, and just this week he introduced a resolution to change the way our country pays for war.

Strongly-worded letters about the positions of deck chairs, resolutions against icebergs.

There's been a propaganda war on for the last thirty years and the assholes won. Franken was far more useful as a satirist insurgent. He was redefining what was possible. It's what got hm elected. But co-sponsor a bill that uproots our empire-industrial complex? Propose equal rights for gay immigrants? Why not just declare King Diamond the Emperor of All Space while he's at it?

I mean.. not just gays and immigrants, but gay immigrants? And slide that across to this house of reps? To hell with Obama. He's pretty much writing the campaign speeches of his opposition.
posted by clarknova at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2011

Donald Trump Booed as He Arrives at White House Correspondents' Dinner.
posted by ericb at 8:17 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Propose equal rights for gay immigrants?

Many in Congress are doing so as of two weeks ago.

Gay Immigration Battle Heats Up.

Democrats Push Legislation To Secure Immigration Rights For Same Sex Couples.

Uniting American Families Act Reintroduced In Congress.

Now, back to the topic at hand: The White House Correspondents' Dinner ...
posted by ericb at 8:25 AM on May 1, 2011

I mean.. not just gays and immigrants, but gay immigrants?

Well, for what it's worth, the gay immigrant issue actually IS a bit of a big deal. And it has implications for all homosexuals in the country, because it is a direct reflection of how DOMA is pursued and enforced. It was discussed here recently.
posted by hippybear at 8:26 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

I mean.. not just gays and immigrants, but gay immigrants?

I . . . don't think that sounded way you thought it would.
posted by liketitanic at 8:28 AM on May 1, 2011

'Followup question: Name something you keep in your attic.'"

Does anyone else take this as a subtle dig about Trig's Down syndrome?

Come again. Is the attic where people put their Downs babies? That's like a stereotype? Maybe I just missed that episode of Life Goes On. So unless I missed the boat on that one, no, I didn't take it as a dig about Trig's Down Syndrome. I took it as a joke about how dumb Sarah Palin is, and the banality of questions asked on Family Feud.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 8:34 AM on May 1, 2011 [20 favorites]

The funniest part for me was the way Obama said "Meat Loaf". And I laughed a lot at the rest of it.
posted by nj_subgenius at 8:35 AM on May 1, 2011

Every time C-SPAN cut to Trump all I saw was a black hole... my God what a cold man.
posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:39 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

All I saw was the clear striation that stretched from his forehead and curved down to his collar, laterally separating the top part of his hair from the bottom. Absolutely fascinating.
posted by Think_Long at 8:40 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

How the Journalist Prom Got out of Control
- Dana Milbank, Washington Post (May 1, 2011)
posted by Auden at 8:51 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Followup question: Name something you keep in your attic.'"

Does anyone else take this as a subtle dig about Trig's Down syndrome?

I understood it to mean Sarah is the batty firestarting aunt locked up in the GOP's attic.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:52 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't think there were any dog whistles in that joke question. His point was Sarah Palin called a very easy question ("What newspapers or magazines do you read?") "gotcha journalism." She answered it awkwardly and in such a way, it makes you wonder if she even reads the news at all. She had general, easy questions any unfamiliar politician would be asked, ones almost as simple as "name a thing people keep in their attic." And she was either not ready for prime-time, afraid of what people would think if she answered honestly, or just plain not skilled enough to stand up to real (but easy) questions.
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:59 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

I don't know if there's precedence for the president to politicize the correspondant's dinner but I liked this. Aside from showing Trump to be the fool he is, uncomfortable to watch but damn he's the fool who had it coming, he pretty well unloaded on Bachman and Pawlenty, in ways that they too had coming. This dovetails nicely with the "We do not have time for this silliness speech."

Obama's superhero power is being able to destroy enemies with a word. He's been struggling to get by as a just a competent mild mannered president of the world's richest country but with the forces of evil gathering and an election coming up, he would be well advised to come out swinging hard like this. Yeah, they'll criticize you for being too intellectual or disdainful of mediocrity, but damn that's better than criticizing you for being Kenyan or a secret Muslim. I hope this birth certificate crap was a turning point for this presidency.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:05 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

He missed a chance to compare it to things people can see from their house.
posted by fourcheesemac at 9:05 AM on May 1, 2011

In order for the "stuff you keep in attics" joke to be a subtle jab at a Down's syndrome child, we would have to be working for a complex set of shared assumptions that do not exist.

Seth Myers can write some pretty smart jokes, but he's not sneaking subtext in that nobody on earth would like.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:06 AM on May 1, 2011

MetaFilter: With jokes this mean, you kind of wonder what got cut.
posted by lukemeister at 9:08 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

My point is that it's two of the biggest conservative hot buttons wired together. We can't even get basic rights for gay couples with citizenship. The only thing less likely to pass through the house of the 112th congress would be "same-sex immigrant abortions".

If you don't see how that's putting all your kittens in one basket and firing them at a brick wall I'll leave you to whatever point you think you've made. Who knows. You guys could be right. Pyrrhic defeats sometimes serve the greater cause.

But more often not. They're usually just defeats.
posted by clarknova at 9:13 AM on May 1, 2011

When you insult Donald Trump, are you insulting the man or the parasitic creature that has colonized the top of his head?
posted by tommasz at 9:16 AM on May 1, 2011

I pray for a trump/Palin ticket just to watch the most spectacular train wreck/implosion/loony fest in U.S. political history.
posted by freakazoid at 9:22 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Trump sure has strange hair, eh?
posted by Meatbomb at 9:33 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

I love the sound of sycophantic laughter in the morning
posted by simms2k at 9:35 AM on May 1, 2011

I love the sound of sycophantic laughter in the morning

Hahahahaha! So do I, simms2k! So do I! Hahahahahaha! You're so smart!
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:38 AM on May 1, 2011 [20 favorites]

I have very few feelings about Obama as a politician and yet I still found it funny. How can that be?
posted by Summer at 9:40 AM on May 1, 2011

clarknova: My point is that it's two of the biggest conservative hot buttons wired together.

Ah no, filthy fagots destroy Democrats! You do know how we got repeal of DADT don't you? By starting it under Bush. And yes, putting Republicans on the record as supportive of deporting queers to countries where they will likely be executed certainly is a good thing.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:46 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

freakazoid: "I pray for a trump/Palin ticket just to watch the most spectacular train wreck/implosion/loony fest in U.S. political history."

As someone else on MeFi said, 'tis the "You're Fired!/I quit!" ticket.
posted by notsnot at 9:48 AM on May 1, 2011 [22 favorites]

I'd have difficulty not voting for a candidate who made "Real American" the official campaign tune.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 9:56 AM on May 1, 2011

I don't know if there's precedence for the president to politicize the correspondant's dinner but I liked this.

It has traditionally had the form of a roast. That's not really actual politics, it's more about Beltway insiderism. What's fairly new is these things being seen by the public.

Colbert's performance was a real exception to the tradition, largely likely to be unique because of the duality of his satirical persona. The general idea is to give someone slightly drunk on cocktails an excuse to apparently laugh at themselves, not to make everyone in the room squirm uncomfortably.
posted by dhartung at 10:03 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Trump phoned in to Fox this morning to explain he did not think it was a classy evening. "I thought Seth Meyers — his delivery frankly was not good."
But he's proud he got so much attention.
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:04 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

What still makes me shake my head about Trump is how he was able to lose money running a casino. How does that even happen?
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:07 AM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Trump can now move on to investigating more substantive issues.
posted by Tube at 10:12 AM on May 1, 2011

Why not just declare King Diamond the Emperor of All Space while he's at it?

Could someone makes this happen, please? I want to live there.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:14 AM on May 1, 2011

What still makes me shake my head about Trump is how he was able to lose money running a casino. How does that even happen?

The same way it happened to the real economy.
posted by clarknova at 10:15 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Has Trump declared Meyers a loser yet? That's all I need for a bingo.
posted by drezdn at 10:19 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

"Two time Emmy Award Winner, Barack Obama. Fruit and vegetable enthusiast, Michelle Obama, and Joe Biden — Amtrak's passenger of the year, 3 decades running"

Brilliant.
posted by schmod at 10:20 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

I'm half expecting a Donald Trump sock puppet account to spring into life any moment.
posted by unSane at 10:29 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Bill Clinton did a great job at his correspondence dinners. The guy's a born comedian. Obama did well compared to Bush (how could he not?) but he has nothing on Clinton.
posted by brundlefly at 10:37 AM on May 1, 2011

wouldn't piss in that man's mouth if his tonsils were on fire.

Here's a protip that I've learned in my 26 years of living: if you ever find yourself in a situation where you're at a urinal and the magic just isn't happening, imagine that George Bush's (maybe Donald Trump's?) face is at the bottom of the urinal and that you're about to piss all over it. Works like a charm.
posted by codacorolla at 10:37 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Reaction shot
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 AM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

And yes, putting Republicans on the record as supportive of deporting queers to countries where they will likely be executed certainly is a good thing.

A good thing for them. The nastier they get the more they win.
posted by clarknova at 10:45 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hey, did you guys hear that Michele Bachmann was born in Canada?
posted by pickinganameismuchharderthanihadanticipated at 10:51 AM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

I think my favorite joke was after the Lion King, when Obama said something to the effect of, "And, Fox News, that was a joke."

At the same time, I find it so strange. The jokes that are funny are the ones that are true. And this joke about Fox News -- same as other jokes about Fox News from previous correspondent's dinners -- are all about its extreme bias, horrible reporting, and so on. And everyone laughs at them. Everyone always laughs. It's like every single person in this room filled with people who control the media are totally aware of how seriously messed up Fox News is, and they get to laugh about it one night a year, but then they have to go back to pretending not to notice the rest of the time.
posted by meese at 10:54 AM on May 1, 2011 [31 favorites]

Mess, fox news makes like, a shit ton of money.

That excuses anything.
posted by The Whelk at 11:00 AM on May 1, 2011

You know what other network makes a lot of money?

The Hitlery History Channel.

[Sideways Godwin'd!]
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:04 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

In 2003 the History Channel's owners made 885.9 million.

Fox pulled n 12.3 Billion.
posted by The Whelk at 11:11 AM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The "Jon Hamm/Zach Galifianakis" was my favorite.
"Jon Hamm looks the way every Republican thinks they look...Zach Galifianakis looks the way Republicans think every Democrat looks."
posted by ColdChef at 11:14 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

I'm surprised so many here are triumphing the comedic performances at this shitty, corrupt event. A few years ago, at the apex of the Bush years, when Colbert actually mocked the room? A very uncomfortable silence. Colbert was mocking not just Bush, but all the whores in the room. Listen to the comfortable, knowing laughs and hee-haws at Seth's insider jibes. I find this yearly event so disgusting.

again, here's Dana Milbank's take
posted by Auden at 11:21 AM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

A colleague of mine pointed out that Trump's tactics are those of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello; he fans the flames of racism not because he has any realistic political ambition but because he's filled with a twisted kind of hatred for humanity and able, because of his position and reputation, to do lasting damage to the general, his wife and those who love them both. I think it's a really important connection to make - Trump as a modern-day Iago.

Ah, but Iago is an excellent actor -- the sort of person everyone trusts and no-one imagines could ever be such a knave, which is why the plot works. Iago's a manipulative sack of shit, but he's smart as hell. Trump is a thundering egoist who can't manage to take criticism gracefully. And he's definitely not smart as hell.
posted by jrochest at 11:37 AM on May 1, 2011

A 1976 WHCD

"The dinner featured Bob Hope as emcee and Chevy Chase. When President Ford rose to speak, he "accidentally" caught a tablecloth in his trousers, causing silverware to fall in Chase's lap. He also pretended to trip as he approached the podium, flinging pages he was carrying into the audience—he then began his speech with "Good evening. I'm Gerald Ford and you're not""
posted by clavdivs at 11:37 AM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

We Brits snigger at his name* before we even set eyes on the evil buffoon:

1. trump
Northern to midlands slang for a fart, expelling of wind from the anus.
- Oi who trumped?
- Urrgh yuck, the dog's gone and trumped again.
posted by humph at 11:40 AM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Hey, did you guys hear that Michele Bachmann was born in Canada?

Don't you think she looks tired?
posted by schmod at 11:44 AM on May 1, 2011 [12 favorites]

Politico: Donald Trump: Obama Won't Joke About Me.

New York: Trump Roasted and Skewered at White House Correspondents' Dinner.

New York: Trump Reacts to Mockery From President Obama and Seth Myers: 'Not the Greatest'.

Vanity Fair: Every C-SPAN Shot of Donald Trump Looking Angry About Seth Meyers’s Donald Trump Jokes.
posted by ericb at 12:07 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Yeah, the Colbert routine was all kinds of funny. And then it went underreported outside of the blogosphere, probably because it did make the correspondants all kinds of uncomfortable that they really weren't doing a proper job reporting on Bush.
posted by mccarty.tim at 12:19 PM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Every C-SPAN Shot of Donald Trump Looking Angry About Seth Meyers’s Donald Trump Jokes.

Someone needs to make a gif of these. It looks like the only part of Trump moving is his eye lids.
posted by drezdn at 12:20 PM on May 1, 2011

From

New York: Trump Reacts to Mockery From President Obama and Seth Myers: 'Not the Greatest'.

But I was certainly in a certain way having a good time listening. I don't think the American people are having a good time with $5 gas ... I was thinking to myself as they were doing this, 'You know, the American people are really suffering and we're all having fun at a gala.'

The Donald:

You are not feeling our pain.

Sincerely,
The American People

PS. Christ, what an asshole you are.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 12:44 PM on May 1, 2011 [14 favorites]

I don't think you can pull a CHILDREN ARE STARVING IN AFRICA about an event AFTER you attend it.
posted by Artw at 12:49 PM on May 1, 2011 [27 favorites]

I think my favorite joke was after the Lion King, when Obama said something to the effect of, "And, Fox News, that was a joke."


"I want to make it clear to the Fox News table: That was a joke. That was not my birth video. That was a children's cartoon."
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:50 PM on May 1, 2011

So...

He released his long form birth certificate last week so he could use it to poke fun at Trump during his correspondent's dinner speech?

Well played, Mr. Obama. Well played.
posted by lordrunningclam at 12:51 PM on May 1, 2011 [11 favorites]

"I was thinking to myself as they were doing this, 'You know, the American people are really suffering and we're all having fun at a gala.'" --- Unfortunately, the appropriate time to play this card is when you didn't actually attend the gala yourself.
posted by crunchland at 12:59 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't always agree with Obama, and he hasn't done enough 'change' that he promised IMHO, but that was a brilliant speech and the jokes weren't as corny as I would expect them to be.

It would have been better if a bucket of slime was randomly dumped on Trump's head.
posted by Malice at 1:09 PM on May 1, 2011

In profile, with that hair of his, Trump kind of resembles the MSU Spartan logo.
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 1:10 PM on May 1, 2011

Optimus Prime!
posted by Harry at 1:19 PM on May 1, 2011

Hahahaha, one rich member of the elite humiliated another rich member of the elite at a DC party for the elite and their BigCorp. owners and the press and Hollywood personalities BiGCorp. hires to distract us.

Meanwhile, unemployment goes up, healthcare is still fucked, and the rich get another tax cut.

Ah, who cares, we got to see "our guy", our rich elitist, verbally smack down "their" rich elitist, just before they all had champagne and caviar together.
posted by orthogonality at 1:33 PM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Hell, I'm elitist and I'm not even rich.
posted by found missing at 1:38 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Now THAT is how you do a Children Are Starving In Africa.
posted by Artw at 1:38 PM on May 1, 2011 [10 favorites]

So, can anyone explain the side view of Trump's hair to me? With a diagram or something?
posted by Artw at 1:39 PM on May 1, 2011

ColdChef: ""The Lion King" made me laugh loud enough to wake my kids. Holy crap."

The whole routine was good, but I would have been more impressed by the Lion King joke if he hadn't cribbed it from the Daily Show of two and a half years ago.
posted by Rhaomi at 1:39 PM on May 1, 2011

So, can anyone explain the side view of Trump's hair to me? With a diagram or something?

Not sure if it's about the side view, but I can't resist linking this again:

Shocking Truth Behind Donald Trump’s Hair Revealed?
posted by hippybear at 1:45 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

@Rhaomi - I remembered that, as well. Though it's possible it was 'lended' to him if one can believe last year's rumor that The Daily Show's writers contributed to the POTUS' routine.
posted by General Zubon at 1:49 PM on May 1, 2011

egad, 'lent,' not 'lended.'
posted by General Zubon at 1:50 PM on May 1, 2011

Ah, who cares, we got to see "our guy", our rich elitist, verbally smack down "their" rich elitist, just before they all had champagne and caviar together.

Politics in the US (in the world?) is (has always been?) a fight between the sane rich elitists and the insane rich elitists. Since I'm not on the barricades right now (nor are you, presumably, unless you're writing from your iphone), for the moment I'll take what chuckles I can get.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:53 PM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

How does one be rich but not elitist? I'm sure you could live in a trailer or small house, eat Ramen and save your money.... but why would you? You're rich!
posted by Malice at 2:06 PM on May 1, 2011

This is great stuff.

It also seems like some political opportunism on the part of the White House. I was wondering why the Washington Post invited Donald Trump to the dinner. With Trump present, a light roasting (which he clearly did not expect) would be enough to give him something to rail on the president about. And thus despite outwardly wishing to remove Trump from the news-cycle, he is ensured another. The GOP teeth gnash, and they start to attack Trump.
posted by chemoboy at 2:12 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I think elitist has more to do with attitude than circumstance. You can live in an appropriately sized house and eat food which you can afford without getting all "this is the only way to live, and anyone who has less in their life is unworthy" about it.

And isn't that what elitism is?
posted by hippybear at 2:12 PM on May 1, 2011

The traditional right doesn't seem please with Trump

I'm really hoping some sort of crazy, drama filled schism with the mainline of the party which will dredge up a ton of muck in the primaries, and then sap votes from them in the general. I can't fucking wait for the GOP primary race. "Palin vs. Trump debate" causes me to salivate like Pavlov's dog. I feed on that shit. Mmmm, yeah...
posted by codacorolla at 2:14 PM on May 1, 2011

I don't understand how anyone like Trump could be the subject of late night monologue jokes for a couple of weeks and then attend a dinner like this and not be expecting to take a bit of a roasting. Is he truly so out of touch with everything in America that he doesn't realize that he's been made fun of for weeks? Everyone from Jimmy "the nicest guy in late night" Fallon to Bill Maher have mocked him...

Either his handlers are so skilled that his bubble is opaque to such things in the popular culture, or he's truly delusional about his status, or else he lies to himself constantly about reality. I'm not sure there is a fourth option.
posted by hippybear at 2:16 PM on May 1, 2011

Either his handlers are so skilled that his bubble is opaque to such things in the popular culture, or he's truly delusional about his status, or else he lies to himself constantly about reality. I'm not sure there is a fourth option.

D. All of the above.
posted by chemoboy at 2:19 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

How does one be rich but not elitist?

Not living extravagantly, supporting good but unpopular causes, limiting the inheritance that you pass down to your children to prevent a dynasty from forming.

Two examples that immediately jump to mind are Elizabeth Taylor and Bill Gates. Gates doesn't score huge points on the "not living extravagantly" scale, but does astonishingly well on the other two. Instead of using his money to build an operahouse, or some other "let them eat cake" silliness, he's using it to eradicate polio. And his kids are receiving a (comparatively) modest inheritance.
posted by schmod at 2:20 PM on May 1, 2011

Given the number of people that Donald Trump has "fired," we can only conclude that he has literally the worst H.R. department on the planet.
posted by schmod at 2:20 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Trolling Trump was a canny move, and not just because it was funny. Obama's people will want to make the 2012 election as much about Trump and Palin as possible. Not only are they idiots, but they're delusional idiots who don't know when to shut up and leave a room. The more the Democrats can associate the Republicans with literal lunacy, the more independents and moderates will pull the lever for Obama.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:28 PM on May 1, 2011

Warren Buffett is a pretty good model of how to not be an elitist and be rich all the same.

He's one of the super rich that advocates for paying more in taxes on dividends and investments, increasing the inheritance tax for the super-rich, and getting government out of the gambling business.

He seems like a good guy, and I wish more people with insane amounts of money were like him.
posted by codacorolla at 2:29 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The best part of this, for me, is the contrast between Obama's ability to laugh at himself (and appear to genuinely be amused!) and Trump's complete inability to even pretend to have a sense of humor. I mean, come on, you can't even pretend to laugh at your patently-ridiculous hair?
posted by notashroom at 2:34 PM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Trump is such a narcissist that he can't even save his own skin by even pretending to laugh at himself. His worldview simply does not allow for him to be the butt of a joke.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:43 PM on May 1, 2011

After reading this article about Trump's blatant sexism, I can't feel particularly bad for the Trump jokes.
posted by gudrun at 2:49 PM on May 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

Trump is such a narcissist that he can't even save his own skin by even pretending to laugh at himself. His worldview simply does not allow for him to be the butt of a joke.

If you had the misfortune of seeing the Trump roast on Comedy Central, you'd see instead that wax statue glare, he had goofy assed smirk when people like Snoop Dogg and Whitney Cummings spoke about him. It was different since he didn't know the comedians roasting him nor did he give a shit. He was just Trump being Trump: Media Whore Extraordinaire.
posted by birdherder at 2:54 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

After reading this article about Trump's blatant sexism, I can't feel particularly bad for the Trump jokes.
Gross. Not surprising, but just ... how does he live in that head of his?
posted by notashroom at 3:02 PM on May 1, 2011

New Iowa straw poll indicates that the leading Republican presidential candidate is "None of the above."
posted by crunchland at 3:03 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

I enlarged and enhanced the C-SPAN cutaway of Donald Trump for your increased schadenfreude.
posted by unSane at 3:07 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

The faces on Mt. Rushmore are less stoic than that.
posted by crunchland at 3:13 PM on May 1, 2011

I know this might sound kind of ironic, but I never really could imagine what a "black look" was until I saw those Trump reaction shots. Gaw-damn, that is a black look he's giving Mr. Obama and Mr. Myers.
posted by lord_wolf at 3:13 PM on May 1, 2011

I enlarged and enhanced the C-SPAN cutaway of Donald Trump for your increased schadenfreude.

I was thinking when I saw that first screen grab that CSPAN needs to be in HD. But then I'd be mortified if they actually did.
posted by birdherder at 3:13 PM on May 1, 2011

Meyers. Meyers. It's Seth Meyers. He's not related to Michael Myers. It's Meyers.
posted by hippybear at 3:22 PM on May 1, 2011

His hair in the side view looks like something Devo would wear.
posted by davebush at 3:26 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

DEVO wearing plastic Donald Trump hairpieces would certainly be a work of art.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 3:49 PM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Or excellent nightmare fodder -- you make the call!
posted by palomar at 3:53 PM on May 1, 2011

Get them on the phone. Now.
posted by chemoboy at 3:54 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I don't understand what idiot decided to put Trump where I couldn't see him nearly well enough. I really wanted to enjoy watching the rage dance on his racist face, and he was half in shadows. Poor planning!
posted by jenlovesponies at 4:38 PM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

jenlovesponies, I was thinking the same thing. Who was in charge of coordinating camera angles and seat planning?? They blew this one.
posted by marsha56 at 4:44 PM on May 1, 2011

Trolling Trump was a canny move, and not just because it was funny. Obama's people will want to make the 2012 election as much about Trump and Palin as possible. Not only are they idiots, but they're delusional idiots who don't know when to shut up and leave a room. The more the Democrats can associate the Republicans with literal lunacy, the more independents and moderates will pull the lever for Obama.

I hate to ruin the satisfaction we're all having here but as has been noted for quite some time, if the the Obama 2012 campaign continues to be "make fun of the people who are certain to not get the nomination" we're in for a lot of trouble.

It's all well and good to point out on the whole what a freak show the GOP stable is, but making Trump, Palin, etc. icons of the "wrong" pick makes people like Mitch Daniels and Paul Ryan the "serious, sensible" people who are busy destroying the country with actual votes while Trump and Palin are being aforementioned carnival barkers.

At some point it has to shift from "these people are idiots" to "we're trying to fix the country but these idiots are in the way" and I feel like that's still not happening, and that worries me a LOT.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 5:13 PM on May 1, 2011 [7 favorites]

Mitch Daniels

No matter how hard Daniels tries, his campaign will come up short. Either a Republican candidate will rise head and shoulders above Daniels or Mitch's debate skills will make Obama look like an intellectual giant.
posted by drezdn at 5:20 PM on May 1, 2011

"I thought Seth Meyer's delivery frankly was not good - he's a stutterer." (around the two minute mark in the video).
posted by zippy at 5:22 PM on May 1, 2011

Mean, drezdn. But true.
posted by CunningLinguist at 5:23 PM on May 1, 2011

The traditional right doesn't seem pleased with Trump

Yet allowing Palin, Bachman and either of the Pauls act as their de facto figureheads goes on.

I'm having a harder and harder time determining where, exactly, the political right draws the line between sensible and crazy.
posted by contessa at 5:33 PM on May 1, 2011

I thought the traditional right decided to go into hiding at an undisclosed location to keep up the Tea Party's appearance as a grass-roots, decentralized organization?
posted by mccarty.tim at 5:43 PM on May 1, 2011

He added: "I thought Seth Meyers — his delivery frankly was not good. He's a stutterer."

He, being Trump, opens mouth, inserts foot and does't even realize it.

Ridiculing a speech defect is not a brilliant move if you want to appear presidential.
posted by notreally at 5:52 PM on May 1, 2011

Oh, Donny. Grasping at straws with a "stutterer" insult? That's pathetic even for you, brah.
posted by palomar at 5:53 PM on May 1, 2011

if the the Obama 2012 campaign continues to be "make fun of the people who are certain to not get the nomination" we're in for a lot of trouble.

If the Obama 2012 campaign is predicated on giving the Donald Trumps of the GOP as much opportunity as humanly possible to get the nomination - or force their opponents to become more Trumpish in order to win - then I think that's a pretty damn good idea.
posted by mightygodking at 6:20 PM on May 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Yeah they tried that with the outlandish, way-too-far-right governor who was in a movie with a monkey haha haha what a maroon oh shit.

To repeat The Buffalo Beast, in 2008 46 percent of American voters decided their problem with Bush was he wasn't stupid enough.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 6:49 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

We Brits snigger at his name* before we even set eyes on the evil buffoon:

1. trump
Northern to midlands slang for a fart, expelling of wind from the anus.
- Oi who trumped?
- Urrgh yuck, the dog's gone and trumped again.

For what it's worth, Donald Trump's ancestors came over from England.
posted by riruro at 7:02 PM on May 1, 2011

if the the Obama 2012 campaign continues to be "make fun of the people who are certain to not get the nomination" we're in for a lot of trouble.

Maybe this is true—though I laughed at the jab at Ryan, too; maybe none of this stuff by itself will reelect Obama (in fact, I'm very sure it won't, assuming we even want him reelected), or defeat the Republicans, or save the US, or whatever. But right now, at this moment, the jokes at Trump's expense are still funny, regardless of how stupid American voters are. You can think that the whole Washington Press Corps thing is excessive, or decadent, or futile, or inadequate to solving this country's problems and still think that as it went, it was funny. And you know what? Fuck it. One of these days the goddamned American voter is going to drive a stake through my heart again, so this monkey boy is going to laugh while he can.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:11 PM on May 1, 2011

I don't think anyone mentioned the awful and overly long "The President's Speech" trailer. Oh noes - teleprompter failure. What.
posted by Glinn at 7:12 PM on May 1, 2011

Glinn, Obama's inability to speak without a teleprompter is a standard right wing trope.





Almost certainly not relevant, but because political junkies are hanging out in this thread:



By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — White House says Obama to make late-night statement Sunday; subject not announced.

highly unusual.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:16 PM on May 1, 2011

My guesses are

1. They found Bin Laden

2. They found an asteroid
posted by unSane at 7:19 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Or something about Libya.
posted by jeanmari at 7:25 PM on May 1, 2011

Well shoot, I'm already recording The Borgias. I don't want to turn off the recording in case this is nothing. On the other hand, I don't want to miss the warning that the Yellowstone Supervolcano is exploding.

Maybe it will be streamed online.
posted by Justinian at 7:26 PM on May 1, 2011

Can I expect this statement to be on CSPAN?
posted by meese at 7:26 PM on May 1, 2011

White House says Obama to make late-night statement Sunday

Live! From the White House! It's Sunday night!

Maybe this comedy thing has gone to his head and he wants to audition for Leno's job.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:27 PM on May 1, 2011

my bet is that Ghaddafi is dead or has agreed to exile.
posted by Chrischris at 7:27 PM on May 1, 2011

I can't imagine anything about Libya would rise to the level of a last minute 10:30pm Sunday announcement.
posted by Justinian at 7:27 PM on May 1, 2011

What are some other things that have been announced in a similar fashion? I guess we'll find out in two minutes.
posted by codacorolla at 7:28 PM on May 1, 2011

http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/
posted by jeanmari at 7:28 PM on May 1, 2011

I love how Obama's Grave Presidential Announcement will be interrupting Celebrity Apprentice. (It's not about Libya, btw)
posted by Rhaomi at 7:28 PM on May 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Not living extravagantly, supporting good but unpopular causes, limiting the inheritance that you pass down to your children to prevent a dynasty from forming.

I don't believe being rich automatically means you have a moral obligation to support any causes or keep a dynasty from forming. Just because someone does or doesn't do that doesn't make them an 'elitist'. I think more or less going out of your way to be a dick to those you deem lesser than you makes you elitist.

Therefore, I don't think being rich and selfish or wanting the best out of life (after all, this is the only one you'll ever have) makes you elitist at all.

This is coming from someone who is very much NOT rich.
posted by Malice at 7:29 PM on May 1, 2011

Obama's inability to speak without a teleprompter is a standard right wing trope.
Thank you. Still way too long tho.
posted by Glinn at 7:30 PM on May 1, 2011

My guesses are

1. They found Bin Laden

2. They found an asteroid

3. They found Trump's hair's birth certificate
posted by Flunkie at 7:33 PM on May 1, 2011

my first post was a guess but there is now a twitter rumour that they killed Bin Laden
posted by unSane at 7:35 PM on May 1, 2011

Whelp, I turned the TV on to see it live.

Can anybody recall the last time there was a last second press conference given by the President while at the White House on a Sunday evening at 10:30pm?
posted by Justinian at 7:35 PM on May 1, 2011

'a grave and serious overseas CIA operation' per CNN
posted by unSane at 7:38 PM on May 1, 2011

No TV here...
Any minute now, President Barack Obama is going to address the nation and the world, reportedly about a national security issue of vital importance that does not have anything to do witih Libya. Former Donald Rumsfeld staffer Keith Urbahn has Tweeted "I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden," and other than that I haven't heard any good intel. Let the speculation and insta-reaction begin!
posted by codacorolla at 7:42 PM on May 1, 2011

CNN doubling down on Osama.
posted by fleacircus at 7:44 PM on May 1, 2011

You gotta be kidding me. (Check stock of beer.)
posted by chemoboy at 7:44 PM on May 1, 2011

New thread.
posted by Rhaomi at 7:44 PM on May 1, 2011

as is MSNBC
posted by gaspode at 7:45 PM on May 1, 2011

MSNBC has a headline stating it is about Bin Laden.
posted by jeanmari at 7:45 PM on May 1, 2011

Obama to Bin Laden "You're fired."
posted by drezdn at 7:45 PM on May 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

CBS, also reporting this will involve a security issue and Osama Bin Laden. Moving to new thread. Beer stockpile confirmed.
posted by chemoboy at 7:46 PM on May 1, 2011

Hahahaha, one rich member of the elite humiliated another rich member of the elite at a DC party for the elite and their BigCorp. owners and the press and Hollywood personalities BiGCorp. hires to distract us.

Thank you for doing your best debby downer routine. But meanwhile, unemployment goes up, healthcare is still fucked, and the rich get another tax cut.
posted by justgary at 7:58 PM on May 1, 2011

Official: Osama bin Laden is dead
posted by callmejay at 8:07 PM on May 1, 2011

No TV here...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-delivers-statement
posted by hippybear at 8:29 PM on May 1, 2011

Obama reacts to a joke about Bin Laden.
posted by drezdn at 8:38 PM on May 1, 2011

Did Trump have an inkling he was going to get roasted? His face up on the big screen while everyone pointed and went "ha ha!"?

If not, then it kinda smacked of bullying to me.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 8:49 PM on May 1, 2011

New York Times Obituary.
posted by thebestsophist at 9:51 PM on May 1, 2011

Ugh, wrong tab, sorry folks. Too many windows open tonight. Flagged for removal.
posted by thebestsophist at 9:52 PM on May 1, 2011

meyers was great, but i was also greatly entertained by the looks of terror in the eyes of people surrounding trump.
posted by fallacy of the beard at 10:13 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

What a week indeed.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 5:57 AM on May 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

If not, then it kinda smacked of bullying to me.

The only thing a bully understands is a bigger gully.
posted by clarknova at 6:02 AM on May 2, 2011

Yeah the Trump stuff was needlessly cruel...

As far as I'm concerned it was appropriately cruel. This is a professional bully and publicity addict we're talking about -- someone who's done fairly significant harm to the country for the sole purposes of improving his TV ratings and stoking his own ego.

I say, roast the motherfucker with an acetylene torch.
posted by lodurr at 7:03 AM on May 2, 2011 [2 favorites]

"If you had the misfortune of seeing the Trump roast on Comedy Central, you'd see instead that wax statue glare, he had goofy assed smirk when people like Snoop Dogg and Whitney Cummings spoke about him. It was different since he didn't know the comedians roasting him nor did he give a shit. He was just Trump being Trump: Media Whore Extraordinaire."

Yeah, that Comedy Central "roast" was a sad and bloodless thing, all "Yes, ha ha, I do have a lot of money and fuck young women. You certainly got me there."

This was nice to see the fucker squirm for a bit, though in my perfect world a mob would have already strung him up as an enemy of the people.
posted by klangklangston at 9:19 AM on May 2, 2011 [2 favorites]

For what it's worth, Donald Trump's ancestors came over from England.
posted by riruro at 7:02 PM on May 1 [+] [!]

From Wikipedia:
Trump is a son of Fred Christ Trump [...] and his wife, Mary Anne MacLeod ([...] Stornoway, Scotland)...
posted by humph at 12:48 PM on May 2, 2011

This is a professional bully and publicity addict we're talking about -- someone who's done fairly significant harm to the country for the sole purposes of improving his TV ratings and stoking his own ego.

I say, roast the motherfucker with an acetylene torch.

I agree. It was fun to watch him squirm. But maybe Obama could have set an example by easing off earlier. Plus, the jokes were getting repetitive and unfunny towards the end. "Donald believes in *this* loony conspiracy theory too yuk yuk." That's when the knife-twisting became really noticeable.

I presume America has a Federal anti-bullying task group aimed at school students? Obama could have set an example and not bullied The Combover so much. He had the power.

Oskar Schindler: Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't.
Amon Goeth: You think that's power?
Oskar Schindler: That's what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he's brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down on the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he's going to die. And the Emperor... pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go.
Amon Goeth: I think you are drunk.
Oskar Schindler: That's power, Amon. That is power.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 6:20 PM on May 2, 2011

I see your point, uncanny hengeman, but I thought a big part of that scene was how Schindler was appealing to Goeth's tumid vanity. Since Goeth will never save a life for humane reasons, Schindler pumps him up with tales of power.
posted by Sticherbeast at 7:27 PM on May 2, 2011

son of Fred Christ Trump...



wat?
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:33 PM on May 2, 2011

Yep, you're dead right, Sticherbeast. Wasn't it a great scene.

But still, it works in this sense too. Oskar was speaking the truth, even though he was blowing smoke up an evil person's ass at the same time.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 7:46 PM on May 2, 2011

Hey Dean Yeager!: "In profile, with that hair of his, Trump kind of resembles the MSU Spartan logo."

You take that back. This Spartan doesn't want to be associated even in a tenuous way with anything to do with that crazy loon.
posted by caution live frogs at 9:18 AM on May 3, 2011

I have to update my previous comment...

...and then he interrupts Celebrity Apprentice to announce that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

That's beyond well played. This is the all-time grand master championship smack-down of smack-downs. Mr. President, I stand in awe.
posted by lordrunningclam at 10:13 AM on May 3, 2011 [3 favorites]

All we are are Trumps in the wind, dude.
posted by crunchland at 11:27 AM on May 3, 2011

This is the all-time grand master championship smack-down of smack-downs. Mr. President

Now that we know what was on Obama's mind while he was teasing Trump ("Well handled, sir. Well handled.") and what followed, I can't help thinking that this exchange will follow Trump to his grave. Like Bentsen's "You're no Jack Kennedy" it's the perfect put-down; it's funny, short, memorable, and now it's inevitably associated with a dramatic historical event, an event where Trump is the punchline. In the years to come, I think the short-fingered vulgarian is going to become very tired of hearing "Well handled, sir. Well handled."
posted by octobersurprise at 7:18 PM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]

I mentioned it in the other thread that's active about Trump, but here we go:

"It’s like in golf. A lot of people — I don’t want this to sound trivial — but a lot of people are switching to these really long putters, very unattractive. It’s weird. You see these great players with these really long putters, because they can’t sink three-footers anymore. And, I hate it. I am a traditionalist. I have so many fabulous friends who happen to be gay, but I am a traditionalist." - Donald Trump, telling the New York Times why he opposes gay marriage.

Remember when people joked Palin was proof we were in a satire?
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:58 PM on May 3, 2011 [2 favorites]

so all this silliness comes down to the fact that trump has a short putter.
posted by fallacy of the beard at 8:09 AM on May 4, 2011 [3 favorites]

Nearly 60 percent of Americans would never support a Republican presidential bid by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin or real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump, according to a new poll Wednesday.
posted by Artw at 10:39 AM on May 4, 2011

Propose equal rights for gay immigrants?

Attorney General Vacates Immigration Ruling Over DOMA Questions.
posted by ericb at 1:54 PM on May 5, 2011