June 19, 2009
barry at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents’ Dinner. John Hodgman’s roast of barry.
Incredulous performance. Not at all unexpected or out of character — but shocking in that he completely humiliated the people who have gone out of their way to get him elected. And he did so with obvious glee.
The person who laughed the most was barry — a fact not lost on the camera crew, who made sure to film folks who were pist, embarrassed, shocked and not even close to laughing. It looked like a classroom of first graders being made fun of for wetting their pants.
The leader of the free world had a regular riot making 6th grade fat, ugly and toilet jokes. He joked about joking with world leaders about Gitmo detainees. He joked about the folks in the room losing their jobs. He joked about the husband of his strongest Kennedy ally. He joked about his Secretary of State’s fractured elbow and how it might have been intentional.
His longest joke was about his pal Brian Williams…sorta. It was just a segue to talk about himself and what a great leading man he is. No joke. The video ends abruptly after his unbelievably insensitive and in no way funny joke about the tanking radio/TV business – which is happening in large part because of the media’s love affair with him.
The question is: was it enough for them to see he doesn’t care about anyone but himself?
That nothing is sacred to him — not them, not their families, not the American people, not even the Office of the Presidency?
That the person they have created on paper, on video, in the blogosphere and inside their head does not exist?
That sooner or later the truth is going to be revealed and each and every one of them will be exposed as having been corrupted?
Unfortunately, I don’t think public humiliation is going to be enough to wake some of them up. It will be business as usual: barry rocked, we laughed, fun had by all. No matter their spin – more folks than the sadly disillusioned maroon-haired kid walked out of there with a much different view of barry than they had when they walked in.
BARRY: I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to tell jokes that weren’t funny enough for me to to use when we did this five weeks ago. [laughs] Whatever.
That ‘whatever’ should have clued them into what was coming.
Jokes may not be as good — but neither is the guess list.
I’m just joking!
Not said as a joke – not taken as one.
For me there’s no contest. Why bother hanging out with celebrities when I can hang out with the people who made me one?
I know where my bread is buttered.
Plus we have our own luminaries here in attendance.
Time for Ivy League educated humor.
The Junior Senator from Wyoming, John Barrasso’s here. [preplanned whisper by Gibbs] I’m sorry. He skipped this evening. He’s the George Clooney of the junior senators from Wyoming.
He laughs. They don’t. He doesn’t care. He mocks them for spinning the news in his favor.
Despite the flood of new media – your programming is more relevant than ever before…at least that the impression when I read the blogs every morning.
CHUCK TODD, initially turns pink with pride for being picked and then turns red when barry suggests he has a face for radio. How barry thanks the chief of barry TV.
MIKA MOMMY BRZEZINSKI – the only actual joke. Except to barry – look at his face.
We both have partners named Joe who used to be in Congress and who don’t know how to stop talking.
WOLF BLITZER he uses to insult his favorite target – LARRY SUMMERS. (Summers knows barry is clueless.) He said Wolf’s situation room is cooler because:
[barry's doesn't] have the bandwidth to turn Larry Summers into a hologram.
Ivy-league educated President of the United States reduced to fat kid jokes about a person he appointed. I don’t even think the women Summers insulted would find joy in that.
Next a classy joke about his Secretary of State who broke her elbow, requiring surgery. ANDREA MITCHELL can’t contain herself.
Secret Service spotted Richard Holbrooke spraying WD-40 all over the driveway…Hillary’s ready to settle [her personal injury lawsuit].
Next about BRIAN WILLIAMS, which LEON PANETTA enjoys and which got the loudest applause…until they realized it was just so barry could talk about himself. And what was intended as a joke, with their latest time spent together and the looks on both of their faces, came off as a fantasy….
A few nights ago I was up tossing and turning, trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally, when I couldn’t get back to sleep, I rolled and asked Brian Williams what he thought.
The truth is Brian Williams is a terrible house guest. He put an empty milk carton back in the fridge, leaves his wet towels all over the Roosevelt Room…we’re pretty sure he clogged the toilet and didn’t tell anyone.
I must say the whole thing was worth it. “Inside the White House” is my favorite new show…there’s just something really compelling about main character…interesting narrative…
And he keeps right on about him and mentions shows that are not news insulting them yet again.
In fact, the show has been such a hit other shows want to film their own:
ABC has a show “Dancing with the Czars”
TLC has something called “John & Kate with Peter Orszag”
Nick at Nite’s play on an old classic “Leave it to Uighurs” [pronounced weegers - more detainee humor]
And then to show that nothing is sacred to him he disses his strongest Kennedy ally’s husband and then the press. Again.
Of course, they’ll all be competing with Governor Schwarzenegger’s new reality series, “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!”
That’s how I feel tonight.
As much as they deserve their comeuppance – it was tough to watch their leader do it to them in their house and on camera. Toward the end, folks looked disgusted and more than a few had to have walked out of there having seen the light.
It’s possible that some of these could have been funny, but none of them were delivered in the spirit of jest. They were meant in a decisively cruel way. But how many of them will be honest enough to admit it to themselves? To each other? To the blogosphere? How many will confront him about it?
This is as hysterical as his daughters’ going on a joyride as an explanation for Air Force One’s terrorizing flyby over Manhattan.
It’s nothing personal but this dinner conflicts with my date night…I was supposed to be going out with Michelle for Thai food…in Bangkok.
Then he takes a shot at RAHM EMANUEL, which he makes sure to do at every opportunity, just like Larry Summers. He mentions pictures of Rahm riding a camel.
I admit, I was a little nervous about the whole situation. I said at the time, ‘This is a wild animal known to bite, kick and spit. And who knows what the camel might do?’
The camera shows ERIC HOLDER trying not to laugh because he knows he’s on camera – but he also knows about the no love lost relationship between barry and Rahm. How Rahm doesn’t show barry the respect of a president and how he will always get away with it because he knows exactly who barry is and what he has done. Hence barry’s cowardly attacks in public.
Then — this is impossible to believe — he actually jokes about the Gitmo detainees and how all of the world leaders said to him:
“No thanks, but have you considered Pulau?”
Pulau has done him a favor already accepting some. And who is going to step up now? Watch the incredulous face of the young guy with maroon hair turn into disillusionment. Sad really.
Then, if possible, it gets worse. Just listen how barry laughs at them – his guests – and it is real ridicule. He makes a direct assault on their livelihoods — something that determines whether they can stay in their homes and feed their children, which is as hysterical as someone getting up and “joking” about his assassination.
We’ve been working around the clock to repair our major financial institutions and our auto companies – but you probably wouldn’t understand the concept of troubled industries working as you do [smirk - laugh] in the [emphasis] radio and television industry.
Silence. Instead of sensing the classlessness of his “joke” he taunts them.
Then it cuts off. I don’t know if it’s the end or they just didn’t want Youtube to watch them being humiliated any more. I’m sure barry said he was just kidding and that they have a tough job because they have to dig for the truth and then thanked them for their unbiased and fair treatment and keep up the good job. As I’m sure they gave him a standing O. As I am sure it will be interpreted as “poking fun at”Ho-ho-ho. We don’t joke about that, huh? That’s not funny!
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