# Romney and Obama at the Alfred Smith dinner: **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231 "2012-10-19T15:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/1 "2012-10-19T15:18:52Z")
[Obama](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S6g2YkTAYQ4) and [Romney’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBelIMrKll8&feature=player_embedded)talks. Great to hear Obama poking fun at himself for his first debate performance. Both managed to get in a couple of digs at the other side, but it was lighthearted. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/2 "2012-10-19T15:30:42Z")
Both guys were (surprisingly) funny. I especially would not have expected the comedic delivery from Romney, but he was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/3 "2012-10-19T15:39:35Z")
I knew Obama could be funny from previous speeches but Romney surprised me. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Economist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/4 "2012-10-19T15:44:46Z")
Agreed, I think Romney had the best line of the night (“It’s good to relax and wear what Ann and I wear around the house”). Obama was overall funnier, but Romney beat expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/5 "2012-10-19T15:53:21Z")
“Big Bird never saw it coming” got a healthy laugh out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/6 "2012-10-19T16:08:57Z")
I thought I heard people boo during Romney’s speech. Did anyone else hear it? ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/7 "2012-10-19T16:54:20Z")
I’m watching it right now. In the past, didn’t they soley make fun of themselves and not each other, or am I misremembering? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/8 "2012-10-19T16:58:41Z")
My favorite comment from Gawker on the event: “Ha ha ha! It’s funny because they’re all secretly in it together and we’re all doomed.” ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/9 "2012-10-19T17:09:39Z")
> [@Enkel](#): > > I thought I heard people boo during Romney’s speech. Did anyone else hear it? I heard it, but I think it was less booing than “Ooooo!” like he was coming _this_ close to crossing the line. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/10 "2012-10-19T17:12:48Z")
**EE** -Expectations for Romney weren’t all that high. I watched Maddow’s coverage of it. I loved Obama’s self-deprecation. He’s seems more naturally funny. ---
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/11 "2012-10-19T17:16:03Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > My favorite comment from Gawker on the event: > > “Ha ha ha! It’s funny because they’re all secretly in it together and we’re all doomed.” I am afraid to think how true this may be. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/12 "2012-10-19T17:38:16Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > I’m watching it right now. In the past, didn’t they soley make fun of themselves and not each other, or am I misremembering? Yes, they mostly make fun of themselves. I think Obama made a few jabs at Romney (his middle name, the ‘you didn’t build it’, Ryan’s perception of time). It seemed like Romney got it wrong and felt like a weirdly watered down stump speech. He really had to twist hard on his ‘you didn’t build it’ joke about the Church. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/13 "2012-10-19T17:43:21Z")
> [@April\_R](#): > > I am afraid to think how true this may be. I’m heartened that no matter how acrimonious our political debates get, we can still have the two candidates come together for this kind of humor. I worry far more about our country being ripped in two than I do about collusion between Republicans and Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/14 "2012-10-19T17:55:28Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > I’m watching it right now. In the past, didn’t they soley make fun of themselves and not each other, or am I misremembering? They usually get in a few harmless digs at each other. Last time, for instance, Obama joked about John McCain knowing the first Al Smith. I’d say, however, that some of Romney’s jokes were a bit more reality-based and politically-charged than is usual. I thought his material was edgier, and thus funnier, since that’s the kind of comedy I like. But then, I thought Obama was a good deal better as far as delivery and timing. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/15 "2012-10-19T17:58:14Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > They usually get in a few harmless digs at each other. Last time, for instance, Obama joked about John McCain knowing the first Al Smith. I’d say, however, that some of Romney’s jokes were a bit more reality-based and politically-charged than is usual. I thought his material was edgier, and thus funnier, since that’s the kind of comedy I like. But then, I thought Obama was a good deal better as far as delivery and timing. ETA: Yeah, I meant to say that it seemed Romney got very close to the line, not so much as for one particular joke, but the number of them that he told. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/16 "2012-10-20T02:11:23Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > I heard it, but I think it was less booing than “Ooooo!” like he was coming _this_ close to crossing the line. So it wasn’t a speech but an '80s sitcom? Did Anne wear a sparkly sweater with pointy shoulders? ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/17 "2012-10-20T21:03:57Z")
“So much redistributing to do; so little time…” ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/18 "2012-10-22T01:21:54Z")
> [@](#): > > I wish I could use my middle name Gotta say that I thought Mitt was a lot funnier. Having finally taken the time to watch (when I’m supposed to be working), the difference in tone and style between the two was quite striking. I found Mitt’s to be a whole lot more political, edgy and using put downs to get laughs. Dare I say that it seemed he was laughing at, whereby Obama seemed a lot gentler and self deprecating - a more laughing with style. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/19 "2012-10-22T01:46:14Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > I found Mitt’s to be a whole lot more political, edgy and using put downs to get laughs. Dare I say that it seemed he was laughing at, whereby Obama seemed a lot gentler and self deprecating - a more laughing with style. “The worst evil that you can do, psychologically, is to laugh at yourself. That means spitting in your own face.” -Ayn Rand :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231/20 "2012-10-22T01:58:58Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > “The worst evil that you can do, psychologically, is to laugh at yourself. That means spitting in your own face.” -Ayn Rand > > :dubious: In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. John Ruskin [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romney-and-obama-at-the-alfred-smith-dinner/638231.md?page=2)