Barack Obama’s sense of humor fits perfectly with the elitist White House press corps that routinely cover him, and there was never a better example that one remark he made in his series of jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night.
Take note of the journalists’ responses from the transcript. Obama, targeting his intrepid foe Michelle Bachmann, said:
Of course, even after I’ve done all this, some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress. “Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?” they ask. Really? (Laughter.) Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell? (Laughter and applause.) I’m sorry. I get frustrated sometimes.
I am not giving up. In fact, I’m taking my charm offensive on the road — a Texas barbeque with Ted Cruz, a Kentucky bluegrass concert with Rand Paul, and a book-burning with Michele Bachmann. (Laughter and applause.)
A book-burning. He’s essentially calling Bachmann a Nazi or some other kind of fanatic. And note that not only did the audience laugh, they applauded.
That’s repellent, but considering the odious haughtiness of the Washington elite, it’s not surprising at all.
Obama concluded his remarks with this:
Those of us in public office, those of us in the press, those who produce entertainment for our kids, those with power, those with influence — all of us, including myself, we can strive to value those things that I suspect led most of us to do the work that we do in the first place — because we believed in something that was true, and we believed in service, and the idea that we can have a lasting, positive impact on the lives of the people around us.
A positive impact? Coloring your opponent as a fanatic may be seen as hilarious and something to applaud for Obama and the Washington elite, but to think of themselves as positive in the same breath is nothing short of malevolence masquerading as beneficence.