Obamadulation

Obamadulation
An article in the latest edition of The Economist bemoans the paucity of comic material for mocking President Barack Hussein Obama, suggesting he is just too perfect–and slick–to serve as a target for a comedy routine. Almost in passing, it mentions that, “His race makes some cautious.”

Ya think?

Actually, there are tons of such material available for Jay Leno, Dave Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and all the other comedians on cable such as Bill Maher and Jon Stewart for whom nothing was off limits when it came to former President George W. Bush or even his daughters. Indeed, at every opportunity they still lampoon Bush and if no opportunity avails itself, they will simply invent one.

They and their writers simply choose not to use readily available and copious comic material about Obama for a variety of reasons, not least of which is his race.

They dare not go there nor do they dare to target his missteps, misspeaks, and misinterpretations since, as Obama only half-jokingly said at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, most supported his candidacy and voted for him. How would it look, less than 5 months into his reign, if they now made fun of him?

In point of fact, they never will subject Obama to the unrelenting, scathing “humor” to which George Bush was subjected. You simply don’t ridicule a guy with his messianic aura, and complex.

The Economist article, “Read It and Weep” by “Lexington,” http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13692860, inadvertently says far more about the reasons for the lack of comedic coverage than it does about the reticence of leftists to dare to criticize its living icon, that same President Barack Hussein Obama.

The closest the article gets to a Bush-like assault is this accompanying cartoon depicting a wild onion bouncing across the president’s Oval Office desk and his addled facial expression:

The onion is a reference to the satiric website, Onion.com, which is “unencumbered by any obvious party loyalty” and so continues to hurl barbed headlines and stories including, “Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job,” which is more a poke at the presidency than at the president.

To suggest that only Onion spoofs can ridicule him with patently-absurd headlines and stories has to be a spoof in and of itself.

“Lexington” goes on to quote various comics on the comedic issues they face with Obama.

Letterman shamelessly lauds him as “cogent, eloquent, and in complete command of the issues” and sighs: “What the hell am I supposed to do with that?” No more clips of “Great Moments in Presidential Speeches” for Dave. After all, that ongoing series contrasting well-rehearsed speeches by FDR, et al. with impromptu George W. remarks, or pauses, or a clip showing Bush trying to exit through a locked door were really, really funny.

Bill Maher complains that Obama is “not fat, not cheating on his wife, not stupid, not angry and not a phoney [sic].” Obesity, although not Oprah’s, is hilarious to Maher as are John Edwards’ screwing around with some bimbo while his wife battles terminal cancer, . . .

(Read the rest at http://genelalor.com)