# The White House Correspondent Dinner **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354 "2011-05-01T05:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/81 "2011-05-05T03:55:03Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Obama didn’t invite anyone. He was a guest. The president has input though. Case in point: Rich Little appearing after Colbert slaughtered Bush- and doing the same damned act he had done at his last paid gig back in 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/82 "2011-05-05T11:39:18Z")
I haven’t seen any evidence that the president was given formal “input”'in the Rich Little choice. The W.H.C.A. itself indicated its desire for less controversy. Furthermore, even if they did consult White House post-Colbert, that wouldn’t be evidence that the president routinely gets “input.” The association goes out of its way to avoid controversy. Which is one of the reasons I’ve always been opposed tomthis kind of coziness between the press and politicians. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/83 "2011-05-05T13:24:42Z")
The pres almost certainly has a veto power, whether or not he can choose the comedian. The pres can simply decide not to go if an unacceptable person is chosen. The association would most certainly change comedians to avoid that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/84 "2011-05-05T13:33:57Z")
> [@](#): > > The pres almost certainly has a veto power Do you have some particular knowledge or is this pure speculation? I have no evidence that the association seeks the White House’s approval before engaging a speaker. It would be a very big PR problem for the president if the president didn’t attend. I doubt very much that any president is going to throw a fit over the choice of speakers. It’s simply not worth the kerfluffle. In fact, the only way for the president to look bad in this situation is to refuse to attend, raise a fuss, or complain. So long as he shows up, plays along, and smiles, there’s no downside. Take a look at the Colbert situation. Bush might have been annoyed by Colbert’s criticism, but in the end, he suffered no harm. It was the association that scrambled to ensure that the next dinner was uncontroversial. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/85 "2011-05-05T13:40:39Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > It also takes big balls to invite someone to speak that is also making fun of you. > > And I laughed like mad at the Palin joke. > > Obama is an amazing speaker - his timing is spoton. This is the big difference from his last funny speech I remember. His timing was horrible. of course, then he was telling jokes with set-ups and punchlines. I think irony is more suited for Obama, which is best done with a straight face. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/86 "2011-05-05T14:15:05Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > This is the big difference from his last funny speech I remember. His timing was horrible. of course, then he was telling jokes with set-ups and punchlines. I think irony is more suited for Obama, which is best done with a straight face. Dead pan is Obama’s comedic style, theres no question, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be punchlines. Look at Steven Wright. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/87 "2011-05-05T14:25:33Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > And some poor sap got stuck with Trump? What, was Paul Reubens busy that night? I almost wonder if someone from the White House quietly made sure that Trump would be invited to the dinner, just because they knew he would be the butt of all of the jokes. I think normally, the president himself is the butt of the jokes, as it’s almost like a roast. And as for the president not attending, he really could do so without attracting negative attention. As **acsenray** mentioned, one could (and various people have) argue that the dinner, with the press sitting down to eat with those is covers, is something they should not be doing. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/88 "2011-05-05T15:05:21Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > That video doesn’t look anything like Toontown. Anyways, it’s Bachmann that’s rumoured to be born in Canada, not Obama. > > 🆒 She moved there briefly after helping Beck hide the body of the woman he murdered in the 90s ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/89 "2011-05-05T16:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] It would be a very big PR problem for the president if the president didn’t attend. [/QUOTE] It would piss off the WHCA but I doubt anybody else in the country would much give a damn. If the choices were don’t go and maybe 12 people in the country outside of the WHCA will think the less of you- or go and get roasted by a comic who crosses lines and keeps running, you’re going to look WAY worse with the latter than the former. If Bush had refused to go when Colbert spoke nobody would remember it but his skewering by Colbert still gets watched all the time on YouTube. > [@sh1bu1](#): > > She moved there briefly after helping Beck hide the body of the woman he murdered in the 90s That is absolutely not true and grossly unfair. A nine year old is not a “woman”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/90 "2011-05-05T16:13:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It would piss off the WHCA but I doubt anybody else in the country would much give a damn. It depends on what you mean by “anybody else in the country.” There would be a significant portion of the population who would consider it a chickenshit move. Really, there’s no downside to the president’s attendance, no matter how harsh the jokes are. > [@](#): > > If the choices were don’t go and maybe 12 people in the country outside of the WHCA will think the less of you- That’s not the choice. The choice is: (1) attend no matter what and look like a good sport (2) refuse to attend and look like a pussy to X number of people. There’s absolutely no reason not to choose No. 1 every time, regardless of how much the president might hate any particular speaker. The president attends these things for the same reason that the association runs it – for an evening of good PR and winking. > [@](#): > > or go and get roasted by a comic who crosses lines and keeps running, you’re going to look WAY worse with the latter than the former. Actually, no, there’s no way that a president can look bad by showing up, being a good sport, and graciously laughing at the jokes, which is exactly what Bush did. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/91 "2011-05-05T23:00:02Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] There’s absolutely no reason not to choose No. 1 every time, regardless of how much the president might hate any particular speaker. [/QUOTE] I’m reasonably sure the PotUS can find a good excuse not to do anything that isn’t of national importance. [QUOTE=acsenray] Actually, no, there’s no way that a president can look bad by showing up, being a good sport, and graciously laughing at the jokes, which is exactly what Bush did. [/QUOTE] No, Bush was made to look like a fool for days afterwards. The crowd in attendance was actually barely laughing, but viewers who didn’t like him anyway were roaring and “the Crazy 28%” were frothing at the disrespect. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/92 "2011-05-05T23:57:22Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Is Trump the least self-aware celebrity there is? He really doesn’t get it that he makes his living as a buffoon? You’d be confused too, if you had a fox living on your scalp. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354/93 "2011-05-06T01:00:59Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > This is the big difference from his last funny speech I remember. His timing was horrible. of course, then he was telling jokes with set-ups and punchlines. I think irony is more suited for Obama, which is best done with a straight face. of course it is, he is a vulcan (via hawaii). i do wonder what would have been said if the original schedule had gone through, and the obl raid went saturday and he did miss the dinner… and then a few hours later “i was unable to attend tonight 'cause i was watching a seal team visit obl’s house”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-white-house-correspondent-dinner/580354.md?page=4)