President Barack Obama has received glowing reviews once again for his performance at the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. last Saturday night. Audience members, pundits and comedians alike marveled at Obama’s comic timing and his combination of self-deprecating humor and effective jabs at political opponents, and that praise was well-deserved. However, what may have hindered an A performance from being an A+ was that it seemed at times that the President’s self-deprecating humor went too far against himself. You can follow along with the video above and see what you think:
1:20 “how many pegs are there left?”
2:30 “These days I look in the mirror and I have to admit, I’m not the strapping young Muslim socialist that I used to be.”
5:00 [To Michael Douglas] “Could it be that you were an actor in an Aaron Sorkin liberal fantasy?”
7:20 “MSNBC used to work for David Axelrod.”
8:15 “I remember when Buzzfeed was just something I did in college around 2 a.m. … It’s true.”
14:50 The “Blame Bush Library”
15:05 “some have suggested that we put [the Obama Library] in my birthplace, but I’d rather keep it in the United States.”
What was frustrating, even worrisome about some of these lines by President Obama was that he appeared to concede too much to his opponents, which is the very thing for which so many people have criticized Obama when it comes to important policy negotiations such as the Affordable Care Act, the Sequester, or Social Security. Of course, the media elite in the room got Obama’s humor. But perhaps some voters outside the Beltway did not.
It’s one thing to be self-deprecating at the Correspondents’ Dinner. President Obama did that many times, such as when he made fun of his aging looks, his basketball skills, etc. But there’s a difference between being self-deprecating and actually furthering your opponents’ frames about you. That could further their political success more than yours.
