Obama’s Berlin speech was very good and inspiring, but I really wanted him to end his serious and moving speech by saying “And, following in the steps of John FitzGerald Kennedy, I want to end by stating that I am a jelly donut.”
Everyone is always talking about how humorless he is. I think that would have taken care of that. All his speech would have been out there, but the Berliners were in a party mood, and I think would have loved it. The American Press would have 'splained it to those members of the public who didn’t get it. I don’t know, but I think it would have been great. I’m open to discussion.
I’ve read a lot about JFK over the years, and have seen equally-authoritative sources take different sides in the whole “ein Berliner”/jelly donut debate. But yes, it would’ve been a funny gag for Obama.
The newest effort at a comic take on Obama - and the best, I guess, but so far they’re all weak coffee - is that he has no sense of humor and is totally serious at all times. I can’t think of many funny things he’s said, but the most amusing one I can think of was his comment to AIPAC- he gave a facetious description of himself based on some of the emails that have been going around, and said “Let me know if you see this guy Barack Obama, because he sounds like a scary guy.”
Oh, I don’t know, I expect Obama will make a similarly ineffectual president. All polished speeches and good on-camera presence, but no “there” there.
Roddy
OK, this is what I was looking for. I wondered about that. Because if I said I was a New Yorker (not that I am), no one would think I meant I was a magazine. On the other hand, the joke has been going around for years, so I think people would understand that it was meant as a joke. But the media loves raising controversy, even if it doesn’t actually exist. Bill-O in particular would have a field day, as would McCain, of course.
He was pretty funny on his Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me (NPR show) appearances, certainly better then most of their other political office holding guests. I think the “no sense of humor” thing is just his opponents throwing caricatures at the wall and hoping one of them will stick.
To me, a good sense of humor is almost synonomous with strong sanity. A person doesn’t need to be able to make jokes, but he bloody well better be able to get them.
But McCain’s biggest advantage over Obama in this campaign might be that he’s spent 10 years or more ingratiating himself with the press by joking around with them. It’s clearly an element of that elusive thing we call charm. Someone doesn’t have to be a stand-up comic to be elected, but it helps if he can make a joke or two, preferably ones that don’t require a PhD to get, but also aren’t “hey, get a load of the tits on that babe” level either, like McCain’s '86 rape joke.
“Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’”
That’s supposedly him making that supposed joke. I’m not standing for the authenthicity of the link, but that’s what he’s allegedly said.
ETA: That’ll teach me to leave my windows open for too long.
That and pneumonia.
