Super Hero Barack Obamas possesses a facility for language and an easy-going manner that simply puts everyone at ease. He had the packed room of media masters, the rich and famous and celebs eating out of the palm of his hand.Here are some of the highlights from the comic-in-chief.
The question today is at what will President Barack Obama be more successful: telling jokes at the correspondents’ dinner or reforming America’s health care system? Right now, Barack Obama is ahead on points as a comedian as the president got high marks for his comedy act at the annual dinner.
It doesn’t hurt that Obama’s got a natural boyish charm and an ability to be self-deprecating. He possesses a facility for language and an easy-going manner that simply puts everyone at ease. He had the packed room of media masters, the rich and famous and celebs eating out of the palm of his hand.
Looking towards the future, Obama said, “In the next hundred days, I will meet with a leader who rules over millions with an iron fist, who owns the airwaves and uses his power to crush all who would challenge his authority in the ballot box.” He paused and then delivered the punchline, “It’s good to see you, Mayor Bloomberg.”
In another moment, President Barack Obama quoted former opponent Hilary Clinton by saying she had helped get former Republican senator Arlen Specter to change parties by saying, “Arlen, you know what I always say, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.’”
He then poked fun at Hilary Clinton’s aggressive nature by saying that when she returned from Mexico just before the swine flu epidemic broke out that she embraced him warmly. He said, “The second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and gave me a big kiss and told me I better get down there myself.”
Barack Obama also alluded to his “new friend,”saying, “He’s warm, he’s cuddly, loyal, enthusiastic; you just have to keep him in on a tight leash - every once in a while he goes charging off and gets himself into trouble.” The set up was that he was talking about the new White House dog. After a pause, he quipped, “Enough about Joe Biden.”
Of course, the healthcare issue is no laughing matter. Some feel that Barack Obama is making strides, while others see it differently. On Tuesday the Salt Lake Tribune said, “the health-care industry just flopped on the floor and exposed its belly to President Barack Obama in a craven gesture of submission. Groups like America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America — key players in defeating Hillary Care in 1994 — sent Obama a letter voluntarily offering to control costs. They can’t spell out with specificity how they’ll conjure up $2 trillion in savings during the next decade, but that’s beside the point.”
In other words, the question is what can the president really do? Isn’t Barack Obama simply using smoke and mirrors to create an appearance that reform will work?
This will be one of the biggest fights of the Obama presidency as those who oppose a nationalization of healthcare and those who want aggressive healthcare reform will fight Barack Obama and those who want to control costs and see Obama’s plan as a real solution will support him. Obama said that the groups that have pledged to help control costs have created the opportunity for a breakthrough while advocates of healthcare reform feel that the president and the companies are just trying to find a shortcut around the real solution:public health insurance.
Funny, but the correspondent’s dinner, which was filled with some ultra critical types, may have been the easiest crowd Barack Obama will play to over the next four years.
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