RoR: Forum

I have mixed feelings about this.

With our bipartisan hegemony, watching things like this can make me feel like a lamb watching two wolves acting lighted-spiritedly together ... until they get hungry.

It reminds me of the time Bush let that impersonator make fun of him -- in a side-by-side podium.

It reminds me of how Kings had jesters who may have served as a distraction. There may have even been folks who laughed all the way to the lion pit, or guillotine.

I'm not comfortable with public servants even having a sense of humor about what they are doing.

Nevertheless, I laughed.

Ed

Post 1

Friday, October 17, 2008 - 11:07pm

They were both funny. McCain's timing and deliver were great. I'm with Ed in feeling a little queasy watching how friendly they are - it points up too clearly that it is really us versus them, not them versus them.

Obama made a small mistake - he told a series of economy jokes and you could hear the laughter become a little nervous, a little forced and not as robust. When the camera showed McCain's face at this time, his smile started dropping away. Obama has gotten into this "Bad Economy = Good for Me" a little too much - he has forgotten that the rest of us see it destruction of capital, loss of wealth, hard times, and trouble ahead.

Post 2

Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 8:34am

Steve,

Obama has gotten into this "Bad Economy = Good for Me" a little too much - he has forgotten that the rest of us see it destruction of capital, loss of wealth, hard times, and trouble ahead.

I think you give him too much credit. Perhaps you'd word it differently, if pressed, at a coffee table -- but he has most-probably not forgotten anything, most-probably knows exactly what he's doing, and most-probably even knows what we think about it, too.

Maybe you had "forgotten" that he didn't write his speech (that professionals did)?

Ed

Post 3

Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 9:04am

============SPOILER ALERT=============

In my mind, I tried to come up with humor that would be deeply offensive to freedom-lovers. I did this in order to show that while no topic may be off-limits for a neutral party or professional comedian -- that there are some things that politicians shouldn't ever joke and laugh about (because that would be too "Toohey" -- if you know what I mean by that). Imagine this:

Obama shows up at the Halloween Party wearing a Karl Marx costume with a thick beard. After a couple of drinks, Obama (Marx) gets up onto the coffee table and lifts his arms up into the air to call attention to himself. He lifts a leg to the side as if in a musical and proclaims: "From each according to his ability!" while looking around for reactions. He leans the other way and kicks out the other leg and proclaims: "To each according to his need!"

The whole room of millionaire career-politicians is filled with thick laughter, but one hilarious bellow stands out from the back of the room: it is John McCain ... in a Benedict Arnold costume.

That should be sufficiently revolting enough to make my point. Here's actually some of what Obama said in his speech:

Given all that's happened these past few weeks on Wall Street it feels like an odd time to be dressed up in white tie, but I must say I got a great deal, I rented the whole outfit from the treasury department at a very good price.

Looking around tonight at all the gourmet food and champagne it's clear that no expenses were spared. It's like a executive sale meeting at AIG. ...

And while the collapse of the housing market's been tough on every single home-owner, I think we all need to recognize that this crisis has been eight times harder on John McCain.

Is laughter appropriate? Is it appropriate for them?

Ed

Post 4

Saturday, October 18, 2008 - 12:30pm