The humor thing is a combination of (a) the Right trying to make him look stuffy and “elitist” by claiming that he doesn’t have a sense of humor, and (b) comedians not having a “hook” they need for a proper caricature.
What personality traits does he have that are ripe for mocking? He’s smart, articulate, personable, and inspiring, but (except for the last one), those aren’t really traits that make for obvious jokes the way that Clinton=Horny/Bush=Dumb/Gore=Stiff/McCain=Old do. So part of the “humorless” characterization is because he’s tougher than most politicians to make jokes about. The most obvious thing that distinguishes him is his race, and nobody (except for black comedians) really wants to go there.
The fact of the matter is that Obama has consistently shown that he has a great talent for self-deprecating humor. But the more the GOP repeats the “humorless/elitist” meme, the more they hope it successfully finds some traction.
I brought this up in a Cafe thread recently, but most jokes about politicians are just cliches anyway. Before the Lewinsky scandal, most of the humor about Clintons was just recycled redneck and trailer trash jokes.
I’ve heard it explained that it was sort of like if someone said to you, “I am a danish,” instead of “I am Danish.” Out of context, one might be tempted to ask if you were cheese-filled or raspberry.
Obama has a fabulous sense of humor, but he’s the straight man, always. Which is good because Hillary and McCain are both clowns.
I mean come on, one of his funniest jokes is something that conservatives take humorlessly. The one about the ray of light shining down and convincing you to vote for Barack Obama.
Koxinga, were you alive during the Bay of Pigs? Do you have the Cuban Missile Crisis to compare it to? I was a young adult when these events happened. I live in the Southeastern United States. I know what it is like living for three days thinking that any hour may be my last.
Although the Bay of Pigs was tragic and a terrible decision on the part of Kennedy, your words are meaningless to anyone who remembers or understands October of 1962. I think the families of those who suffered or died because of the Bay of Pigs might disagree with me. That too is understandable.
I would take another John Kennedy any time. Genuine wit and intelligence. Check his overall popularity ratings while he was in office. In retrospect we can see more clearly his tragic flaws, but he puts everyone else who has come after him in the shade in terms of likeability and grace. And that was, after all, essentially what we were talking about.
Princhester, how dare you make such comparisons. Were you in Berlin in the 30s? Did you know what it felt like, the exhiliration and pride to listen to a man like the Fuehrer after Germany had been trodden on so unjustly and stabbed in the back by the . . . well, anyway, certainly some unpleasant things emerged after the fact, but still, your words have no meaning for some one who, like, lived through it, man. And check out the Fuehrer’s charisma and popularity while he was in office! After all, that’s everything we ever need to consider and all we should talk about here, isn’t it?
Ich bin ein berliner would mean “I am like a citizen of berlin”…
Ich bin berliner would mean “I am litterally a citizen of berlin”…He worded it correctly. While it could also mean a donut, the above example of saying your a new yorker would not mean you are a magazine is spot on.
I watched the Obama speech live on TV and watch him live as often as I can 'cos I missed out on the assassination of JFK as it wasn’t on live TV in the UK and I fell asleep waiting for Neil Armstrong to get his ass into gear.
