* I know this will sound naively old school and most folks won’t agree, but I don’t like seeing the President of the United States going on late-night talk shows. Most recently Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Even though President Obama is really good in this format.
Of course, I know why he does it. It’s all about pragmatic politics and poll numbers. About taking your unfiltered message to a key demographic where you can tee off on non-gotcha questions and not get interrupted until you’ve actually finished your answer. In the process, flashing personality, humor and smarts. Frankly, this President could host his own show.
And I know the history of such late-night TV sorties. Jack Kennedy went on Jack Paar, Richard Nixon went on Steve Allen, Bill Clinton went on Arsenio Hall, etc. And it worked. They were seen in a different context by a different audience. And it was savvy strategizing. And there was no going back.
But they were candidates–not sitting presidents. A little dignity, please, for the office of the presidency amid all pop culture all the time.
Thus, I still cringed when I heard Jay Leno say, “We’ll be right back with headlines and the President of the United States, Barack Obama.” When the president came out–after goofy headlines and before Yo Yo Ma–he had been immediately preceded by ads for Geico, Aetna, Audi, Wal Mart, Energizer, Kit Kat, Kindle Fire, Netflix, Current Affair, a News Channel 8 tease and a newly released movie.
I just think the President–whatever the party, whatever the popularity–deserves better than following Puss in Boots.
* Watching the GOP presidential debates–aka Fox talk show-host tryouts–has often been an exercise in frustration and, when you include off-putting audience responses, even outrage. But when the topic is foreign policy, it gets downright scary. Allies and enemies, not just Tea Party yahoos, are watching closely.
Shooting from the lip about the economy and social issues comes with the debate territory. Making factual mistakes is more than embarrassing when it comes to foreign affairs. And saber rattling about pre-emptive strikes if Iran doesn’t play nice over its nuclear program is disturbing.
One riff on Iran last Saturday in South Carolina by Newt Gingrich–and he’s the one with professorial bona fides–was particularly illustrative. He called for the use of “Maximum covert operations–to block and disrupt the Iranian (nuclear) program, including taking out their scientists…All of it covertly, all of it deniable.”
Can someone neuter this Newtron bombast? Nothing like airing out to the world those covert, deniable contingencies for taking out another country’s scientists.
Obama never looked so reasonable. “What Stuxnet computer worm?”
* No wonder Saturday Night Live has had a problem recently lampooning the GOP primaries. How do you satirize a parody? Thank you, Rick Perry.
Now we have Herman Cain, otherwise preoccupied with issues that question his character and moral fiber, claiming that God has urged him to run for president. You can’t make this up. The Deity’s message, according to Cain, was received after “more praying than I’ve ever done before in my life.” Before
acceding, however, Cain channeled Moses: “You’ve got the wrong man, Lord. Are you sure?”
How preposterous. What pandering. Such sacrilegious crisis spin.
If you’re going to play the blind-sided Moses card, at least play it credibly. To wit:
“You’ve got the wrong man, Lord. I’m the faux-outsider, lobbyist, Koch Brothers’ bud with the bumper sticker economic plan that would be disastrously regressive for the middle class. Are you sure, Lord? I’m the Tea Party ploy to push Romney to the right and disingenuously make the case that right wingers couldn’t possibly be racists. I’m essentially clueless on foreign policy and didn’t know that China had nukes until last week. And it’s taken a month to get the Missus to say I really am respectful of women. My God, Lord, this has to be your worst call since asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Oops, sorry about that. But, my God, why me? Just askin.'”