RSS Feed MenuWas that the most sycophantic White House correspondents dinner ever? Certainly the most so I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty bad when the president’s speech about the press is not only much funnier but also more daring than the comedian’s speech about the president. (“Many of you cover me; all of you voted for me.”)
Had she only lived in a different time and place, Wanda Sykes could have had a big career as a licensed jester at the court of some absolute monarch …. Her performance was so abject I have to imagine it shamed the people who had hired her. At least I hope it did. And I’d like to hope – but maybe this is just wishful thinking – that some of the journalists who had to witness the display emerged onto Connecticut Avenue determined to work just a little bit harder to show some independence themselves.
ChristianMiller // May 10, 2009 at 6:22 am
I saw only a tiny part of this. It was horrid – I couldn’t watch. The applause on, “you all voted for me” was huge. A laugh (if it was funny) yes, because it is supposed to reference the perceived media bias that, er, doesn’t really exist (except for those sitting at the Fox table), but the laugh wasn’t that big because the sweeping reference isn’t false and mocking, but quite true, and the applause after the laugh is an unabashed admission of that.
ottovbvs // May 10, 2009 at 7:13 am
Get a sense of perspective David. It was a social occasion where jollity and roasting people is de rigeur. You don’t say whether you were present btw. Actually from a few clips I saw Obama was hilarious and proves he can do pretty much anything from shooting hoops to running the govt. I didn’t see the Sykes routine. Really, conservatives are going to have to show a bit of humor and grace under pressure as Michael Steele did when Obama had him in the frame. He was genuinely laughing at himself and my opinion of him went up. As for poor old :Franco wrote 36 minutes ago”I saw only a tiny part of this. It was horrid – I couldn’t watch.”…..He wouldn’t recognize grace under pressure if it was at the end of his nose. Get a life guys for godsake.
krove // May 10, 2009 at 8:09 am
Wow you conservatives really are Anal. Get life and a sense of humor for crying out loud.Franco would have hated it because Wanda hit on Saint Limpballs.
ChristianMiller // May 10, 2009 at 8:33 am
krove ottovbvs I know it really is great we finally have a President that you guys can devote yourselves to. I guess we are all relishing our opposite fates. Us happy to not have to defend every little silly attack Democrats used about Bush, and you guys who finally have what you always wanted, and yet there are some naysayers present! Oh my!
ottovbvs // May 10, 2009 at 9:23 am
Franco wrote 42 minutes agokrove “and yet there are some naysayers present! Oh my!”……..The problem is the silly little attacks on Bush were about pre-emptive wars, politicizing the justice department and so forth, not ketchup, handshakes and roasts. That’s not to say the late lamented GWB didn’t have his share of pratfalls. The fundamental problem I’m afraid is you far right conservatives want to deny reality and I won’t do that. I’ve been involved in various enterprises in my life where this mindset took hold and they all ended in disaster and cost a lot of money. You need to get a dose of reality and in situations like this lighten up. Anyway I now have a lunch date with my bride. Have fun.
Neo // May 10, 2009 at 11:04 am
Most important question …Did Obama use a teleprompter ?
larryo // May 10, 2009 at 11:07 am
“Was that the most sycophantic White House correspondents dinner ever?” Not even close. The most sycophantic White House correspondents dinner involved the appalling spectacle of David Gregory dancing on a stage with Karl Rove, just before Gregory was anointed to take over Meet the Press.
nealjking // May 10, 2009 at 11:35 am
Probably the most memorable comedian was Stephen Colbert in 2006.
sinz54 // May 10, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Ms. Syke said: “Rush Limbaugh, I hope the country fails, I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? “I’m currently struggling with kidney failure myself. So I don’t find that “joke” particularly amusing.I have a wish for Ms. Syke too.
ChristianMiller // May 10, 2009 at 2:29 pm
The comedienne is supposed to roast the President, but she gave him a couple of easy ones and saved her big guns for Obama’s opponents and predecessors. Is this the change we can believe in? Hoping for people to die is okay when the person you are referring to is a Republican or an adversary of the Democrat mantra, I suppose. What complete and utter hypocrites these people are.
ChristianMiller // May 10, 2009 at 2:34 pm
ottovbvs far right, near right, mildly disagree -you hate us all. Again, what are you doing here? Making sure we Republicans are talking nicely about Obama? Have a nice date with your wife.
cheesehead // May 10, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I thought the president’s jokes were more funny than not. Which surprised me, because his humor in the past has been more sarcastic than comedic.The teleprompter joke was good.The joke about the press voting for him was good. Jokes about the sycophantic press are always in season.Even the first 100 days monument joke was good–because it really was poking fun at the press over-hyping his first hundred days.The joke about the Scare Force One flight was in poor taste, though. First, the original event was hardly funny. Second, what father uses his kids in a joke like that?As for Sykes: she’s never been funny. Now we know she’s got neither taste nor class, too. Good to know.
Mike K // May 10, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I saw a few clips and it was sycophantic. This president does not do humility and he will eventually do some things that the sycophantic media disapproves of. They will have to be disasters for that to happen but he looks disaster prone to me. When that happens, there will be hell to pay as he will not tolerate criticism. We have already seen a couple of examples (Can I just eat my waffle?) and the jokes about the mustard on the burger showed how touchy he and his people are.One day, there will be a reckoning and we will see how it goes after the prolonged honeymoon ends.
krove // May 10, 2009 at 5:43 pm
In what appears to be the worst idea since Waldo Jeffers decided to mail himself to his girlfriend, the powers that be in the Republican party have apparently sat down,thought about it, and then decided to drive Colin Powell out of the GOP:CHENEY: Well, if I had to choose in terms of being a Republican Id go with Rush Limbaugh, I think. My take on it was that Colin had already left the party. I didnt know he was still a Republican. [...]SCHIEFFER: And you said youd take Rush Limbaugh over Colin Powell?CHENEY: I would. Politically.It was one thing to hear Rush babble out Powell last week- having Cheney say this is kind of crazy. Powell was the guy who sold Dick Cheneys excellent Baghdad adventure, and now he isnt good enough for the GOP.Kind of amazing. Four decades of military service, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of State, and they dont want him.Now Cheney is really funny Guy.
ottovbvs // May 10, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Mike K 4:34 PM”but he looks disaster prone to me.”…….This after George Bush…….Conservatives like Mike progressively lose any contact whatsoever with reality.Franco 2:34 PM”near right, mildly disagree -you hate us all.”…….Since I would categorize myself as a moderate Republican of the Colin Powell variety who is apparently rated lower than Limbaugh by the former VP I’d have to disagree. I’m afraid hate is not in vocabulary…..the last person I hated was forty years ago and he was a real a- hole.
tarazeigler // May 10, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I didn’t see the Sykes routine, but the bit I saw of Obama was impressive. He is great for delivering a joke. Not sure that that says anything about his abilities to govern, but that is not the purpose of the correspondent’s dinner. Perhaps David missed all the ridiculous ones over the last eight years.I think that David’s comments are more appropriate to the last press conference. What has “enchanted” Pres. Obama about the office? Are you kidding me? ALL of the journalists in the room should have been embarrased after that display. To Obama’s credit, he even seemed a bit embarrassed for the questioner.
ChristianMiller // May 11, 2009 at 5:14 am
ottovbvs, I believe you are lying when you say you are a Republican. You aren’t even a moderate Republican, you are a Moby, and not a very good one. You reveal the Democrat mind-set time and again: “Actually from a few clips I saw Obama was hilarious and proves he can do pretty much anything from shooting hoops to running the govt.” Got Worship?”Since I would categorize myself as a moderate Republican of the Colin Powell variety…”Ha! So you voted for Obama too and spurned McCain (the uber-maverick/moderate) and call yourself a Republican? Hilarious. “I didn’t see the Sykes routine.”Yet you said this “Francowrote 36 minutes ago”I saw only a tiny part of this. It was horrid – I couldn’t watch.”…..He wouldn’t recognize grace under pressure if it was at the end of his nose. Get a life guys for godsake”I did see the Sykes routine – enough of it – and that is in large part what I based my comment upon. Your critique came from complete ignorance of the facts.
Bulldoglover100 // May 11, 2009 at 5:21 am
I tried to watch but it was actually it was too painful. Her brand of “humor” reeked of payback…and that was not the time nor place for jokes that would appear funny to only part of the room. Bad call for whoever made the decision to bring her on and pay her for that preformance.
barker13 // May 11, 2009 at 7:26 am
Re: Sinz54; 2:11 PM –”I’m currently struggling with kidney failure myself. So I don’t find that “joke” particularly amusing.”And one would hope that even if you WEREN’T struggling with kidney failure yourself that your reaction to the “joke” would be the same.God help us.I’m not a religious guy. I go to Church every Christmas Eve because I love to belt out the Carols and because it’s a family/friends tradition. Every so often I’ll attend Easter Mass. Other than that the religious services I attend are an adjunct to other events – Memorial Day for example, weddings, Christenings, First Communions, etc.In other words, I don’t hold myself out as “holier than thou” and certainly I’m neither a prude nor adverse to “off-color” humor.STILL…Wishing someone to experience kidney failure?Wishing someone to die of AIDS?Wishing someone to have a heart attack?I just don’t see the “humor” some of you who apparently consider yourself more “sophisticated” or “hip” apparently do.Again…. even from a “secular” view… GOD HELP US.BILL
sinz54 // May 11, 2009 at 7:34 am
barker13: I don’t remember any conservatives cheering or laughing when it was announced that Ted Kennedy had a malignant glioma. No conservatives cheered or laughed when Mrs. Edwards announced she had terminal cancer.The only time we conservatives cheer at things like that, is when the public figure is an enemy of America.It turns out that Osama bin Laden really does have kidney failure. Reportedly, he’s been on dialysis for years. Now Osama, he really does deserve kidney failure.
barker13 // May 11, 2009 at 9:13 am
Re: Sinz54; 7:34 AM –And, furthermore, if one of the damaged folks who are “defending” Sykes’ “joke” were to provide and apples to apples example of someone on the Right who had made a “joke” similar to Sykes’… well… someone like me would respond with the same damning of that hateful remark as folks like me have responded to Sykes’ “joke.”Sinz. It’s not about double standards. It’s about these damaged folks being… damaged. There’s something wrong with someone who sees no problem with either Sykes’ remarks nor Obama’s reaction.BILL
sinz54 // May 11, 2009 at 3:16 pm
barker13: I haven’t seen Obama’s reaction, and I know that politicians are real good at concealing their true emotions anyway. And I also don’t know how many of the folks there had already been lubricated by ethyl alcohol before Sykes started speaking.So I don’t want to criticize Obama yet.But I do criticize anybody who wishes kidney failure (or cancer, or any other life-threatening illness) on any law-abiding, tax-paying American. No matter what political beliefs that American has.Anyone who wishes that, has gone beyond just normal political anger, all the way to hate.And that includes Sykes.
sinz54 // May 11, 2009 at 3:22 pm
barker13: Unfortunately, Ann Coulter is prone to making those kinds of “jokes.”I’m not going to cite any of them here, because my post will get deleted.But if you google for “Ann Coulter quotes,” specifically what she said about John Edwards, Supreme Court Justice Stevens, and the New York Times, you’ll see some real zingers equal in every way to what Ms. Sykes said.Ann Coulter is an embarrassment to the conservative movement. She doesn’t just disagree with liberals. She hates their guts personally. Just like Ms. Sykes hates us conservatives personally.
balconesfault // May 12, 2009 at 6:53 am
Nope – I think the most sycophantic White House correspondents dinner was the one where everyone was laughing at a skit of GW Bush looking for WMDs under the White House couch, at the same time soldiers were having various body parts blown off by IEDs searching for the WMDs that stovepiped intelligence reports had ensured us they would find.But I can understand why Sykes jokes about Obama inheriting a “broken” country stung. It pains even us who agree with her.
barker13 // May 12, 2009 at 7:01 am
Re: Sinz54; 3:16 PM –”barker13: I haven’t seen Obama’s reaction…”What am I – your mommy? Take two minutes to find and watch the clip. Jeez…”So I don’t want to criticize Obama yet.”Obviously. (*SMIRK*)Re: Sinz54; 3:22 PM –”barker13: Unfortunately, Ann Coulter is prone to making those kinds of “jokes.”"Sinz. Take this as a compliment: I simply don’t believe you’re this dumb. I truly believe that you retain the capacity of comparing apples to apples.BILL