# Obama joke at the WH Press Corps Dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 30, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408 "2012-04-30T12:45:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/1 "2012-04-30T12:45:53Z")
Did anyone see Obama’s speech to the WH Press Corps this weekend? I thought it was freaking hilarious, but I didn’t get one of his jokes…The difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom…a pit bull is delicious. I get the part that he’s taking a shot at himself over eating dogs as a kid, but is he implying that eating Sarah Palin would NOT be delicious? I didn’t get that part… ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/2 "2012-04-30T12:55:28Z")
Didn’t Spalin make the original quip (well, make the original quip famous). Something like Q: What’s the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? A: Lipstick. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/3 "2012-04-30T12:59:27Z")
It does imply hockey moms aren’t delicious, but the punchline is that the pit bull is delicious. You might be reading too much into it. That’s a funny joke, though. Maybe it’s a signal the outrage-over-stuff-the-candidates-did-to-dogs-30-years-ago phase of the campaign is over. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/4 "2012-04-30T12:59:53Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Didn’t Spalin make the original quip (well, make the original quip famous). Something like > > Q: What’s the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom? > A: Lipstick. Yes, she did…but I didn’t get the “delicious” spin as it pertains to her. Was it a sexual reference? I would think not. But I don’t get the joke that she is somehow not delicious. BTW…my favorite joke of the night: In my first term, we repealed DADT. In my second term, I will institute my new secret policy: It’s Raining Men. I spit water all over the coffee table. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/5 "2012-04-30T13:38:36Z")
The dog food bit referred to a recent bit of kerfuffle about Obama having eaten dog meat as a child and Romney’s campaign use of that bit. See this ABC news story for details. [Link](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/obama-as-a-boy-ate-dog-meat/) ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/6 "2012-04-30T14:08:41Z")
Is it a hijack to say that this is one of many reasons I went from thinking Obama was full of crap (at his inauguration etc) to admiring him as a remarkably dignified and patient individual? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/7 "2012-04-30T14:13:39Z")
I don’t think it was specific to Palin, it was just a basic joke formula that she popularized. The President couldn’t say “No culture considers hockey moms to be food” because that wouldn’t be funny. And he could hardly say “I’ve never eaten a hockey Mom” because think of what all the 13-year-old boys would’ve done with that one! ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/8 "2012-04-30T14:21:16Z")
> [@Imago](#): > > Is it a hijack to say that this is one of many reasons I went from thinking Obama was full of crap (at his inauguration etc) to admiring him as a remarkably dignified and patient individual? I’ve always thought that. I couldn’t disagree with Obama more politically, but unlike other Democrats during my lifetime (Clinton, Gore, Kerry) I like the man personally. He seems to be a loving father and doing what he feels in his heart is the correct thing (even if I disagree with that). > [@TruCelt](#): > > I don’t think it was specific to Palin, it was just a basic joke formula that she popularized. The President couldn’t say “No culture considers hockey moms to be food” because that wouldn’t be funny. And he could hardly say “I’ve never eaten a hockey Mom” because think of what all the 13-year-old boys would’ve done with that one! And maybe I’m reading too much into it, but these types of “What’s the difference” jokes need to have a double meaning so that the distinction you make is funny both ways. I get that Obama was razzing himself over eating dog meat as a kid. But the joke left me wondering because the other side and how it relates to Palin (or a hockey mom) NOT being delicious was left hanging out there. For example, old joke: What’s the difference between a catfish and a (fill in an ethnic group) woman? One has whiskers and stinks and the other is a fish. Ok, offensive, but you see how it applies. You are insulting the ethnic woman for her facial hair and hygiene while doing a misdirect because everyone thinks you are talking about the catfish first. Obama’s joke has no such element. Palin could have been left out of it entirely. It could have been just that Pit Bulls are delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/9 "2012-04-30T14:26:12Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Obama’s joke has no such element. Palin could have been left out of it entirely. It could have been just that Pit Bulls are delicious. She _was_ was left out of it entirely. The joke plays on the “hockey mom” line because otherwise there is no setup to the joke. It’s not intended to be a slam on hockey moms. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/10 "2012-04-30T14:40:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > She _was_ was left out of it entirely. The joke plays on the “hockey mom” line because otherwise there is no setup to the joke. It’s not intended to be a slam on hockey moms. Right, it’s like “What’s the difference between a hamster and a gerbil?” “There’s more dark meat on the hamster.” It’s not about the hamster, it’s about the amusing juxtaposition of animals considered pets and food. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/11 "2012-04-30T16:27:30Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > It does imply hockey moms aren’t delicious, but the punchline is that the pit bull is delicious. You might be reading too much into it. That’s a funny joke, though. Maybe it’s a signal the outrage-over-stuff-the-candidates-did-to-dogs-30-years-ago phase of the campaign is over. Right! It’s time to start asking what they’re gonna do to dogs **now!** ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/12 "2012-04-30T20:26:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Right! It’s time to start asking what they’re gonna do to dogs **now!** They burning your dog! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/13 "2012-04-30T22:22:02Z")
Am I the only one who thinks it less just self-deprecating humour, but also [a dig back at Romney](http://jezebel.com/5901745/ann-romneys-birthday-party-to-be-hosted-by-a-dude-arrested-for-barbecuing-a-dog)? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/14 "2012-04-30T22:27:45Z")
I thought the whole thing was really flat, especially compared to last year. Last year he just killed it, and he had just sent Seal Team Six on a mission to get OBL. Maybe he just had better material last year - the birther thing was in full swing and Donald Trump was in the audience. Seth Myers was also 100X better than Jimmy Kimmell. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/15 "2012-05-01T00:14:29Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > The dog food bit referred to a recent bit of kerfuffle about Obama having eaten dog meat as a child and Romney’s campaign use of that bit. See this ABC news story for details. [Link](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/04/obama-as-a-boy-ate-dog-meat/) This is it. The jab at Palin is secondary to the jab at the “outrage” over Obama having eaten dog as a child. You probably had to be there… I didn’t see the whole thing, but of the jokes I heard, I thought this was the weakest. The one I thought was the funniest was about [Trump.](http://newsone.com/2004984/white-house-correspondents-dinner-obama/) > [@](#): > > “Last year at this time, this very weekend, we finally delivered justice to one of the world’s most notorious individuals,” Obama said, a seeming reference to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden. > > Instead, a picture of Trump appeared on the room’s television monitors. Obama last year delivered a scathing roast of Donald Trump, the real estate mogul who flirted with running for the Republican nomination and claimed he has solved the “mystery” of Obama’s birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/16 "2012-05-01T02:10:47Z")
[Here’s a link to the speech, for those who haven’t seen it yet.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlJG5mpsyvI) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/17 "2012-05-01T04:30:40Z")
I don’t know, I thought the bit about the Man Show (“In Washington, that’s what we call a Congressional commission on contraception”) was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/18 "2012-05-01T05:14:48Z")
He WILL look like Morgan Freeman as an old man! ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/19 "2012-05-01T17:12:50Z")
Morgan Freeman has very conspicuous freckles, and Obama doesn’t. Believe it or not, that was all I could think when he made that joke. But I will say if looking like Morgan Freeman at the end of his second term is the worst thing that happens to Obama, he’ll be a lucky man. Freeman’s pretty darned good looking (although, admittedly, he does look considerably older than the President - but I’m not convinced Obama will look quite that good when he is same age Freeman is now). ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408/20 "2012-05-01T17:38:51Z")
I absolutely agree Freeman is aging wonderfully. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-joke-at-the-wh-press-corps-dinner/620408.md?page=2)