Originally Posted By skinnerbox One of Zach's best efforts! Obama is the perfect straight man. Too funny! <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/18e820ec3f/between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifianakis-president-barack-obama">http://www.funnyordie.com/vide...ck-obama</a>
Originally Posted By Tikiduck Great stuff. Imagine all the Republicans out there who think this is the real thing.
Originally Posted By mawnck Sorry, but this made me absolutely cringe. At what point do stunts like this become beneath the dignity of a head of state? Whatever that point is, I think this is well past it.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Nixon on Laugh-In... did that make you cringe? H.W. Bush on SNL... did that make you cringe? Clinton jammin' with his sax... did that make you cringe? It was funny. POTUS has a sense of humor. Good for him. You need to lighten up.
Originally Posted By ecdc I don't think it was brilliantly funny, but it was okay. And cool that Galifianakis had him on to talk about Obamacare, but still didn't pull any punches.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://time.com/19822/obama-between-two-ferns/">http://time.com/19822/obama-be...o-ferns/</a> <<There’s a cringe-humor generation gap; if you’re over a certain age, or simply haven’t watched much of a certain kind of contemporary comedy, you’ll probably watch it thinking that the segment is bombing>>
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Nixon on Laugh-In... did that make you cringe? H.W. Bush on SNL... did that make you cringe? Clinton jammin' with his sax... did that make you cringe?<< H.W. did his bit from the oval office on tape, and managed to stay reasonably presidential about it - participating, but still staying above it. Clinton was playing a musical instrument - nothing wrong with that. Nixon? Ill-advised, but at least it was over with in a few seconds. All very different from trading scripted barbs with a B-list comedian, on a no-budget internet series on a NSFW website, for SIX AND A HALF MINUTES. >>There’s a cringe-humor generation gap; if you’re over a certain age, or simply haven’t watched much of a certain kind of contemporary comedy, you’ll probably watch it thinking that the segment is bombing<< I prefer to think of it as a maturity gap. Nevertheless, there lies the problem. The President of the USA has no business doing a humor bit (especially a very long one) that most people over 28 aren't going to find the slightest bit funny. I don't want a 52-year-old POTUS that's trying to be one of the cool kids, thanks. I get what they were trying to do here, but I don't think *they* get the collateral damage it's going to cause. Don't EVEN get me started on the Washington Press Club Dinner. When I'm elected President, they can stuff it.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>that most people over 28 aren't going to find the slightest bit funny<< I haven't been this flattered since I wasn't carded at the bar seven years ago.
Originally Posted By ecdc According to HHS, some 19,000 people who watched the video clicked over the healthcare.gov. Keep in mind, those are only the people who clicked over directly, since the healthcare.gov administrators can only see who came from the previous site. Not too shabby for a half a day.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>Oh god, that was hilarious!!!!!<< You just want us all to think you're 28 >>I'm beginning to think mawnck doesn't find much funny.<< Actually, I prefer someone who says what he actually thinks instead of just joining Team D or Team R on every single solitary issue. Me, I thought the "interview" was forced but still funny. But it's just gross how this (this!) just turns into ultra predictable left/right sides. After conservatives meltdown the next couple of days because Obama has disgraced the Presidency (but invading the wrong country totally doesn't!) all will be forgotten and hopefully some more young people will have signed up for Obamacare.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>But it's just gross how this (this!) just turns into ultra predictable left/right sides.<< Maybe he's just trolling now? >>I'm beginning to think mawnck doesn't find much funny.<< I thought The Lego Movie was hilarious, FWIW. But yeah, I think the collective national sense of humor, or at least a portion thereof, left me behind right around the time of the Vacation movies, which I find absolutely bewildering. WHAT IS SO FUNNY? Some psychoanalyst would probably have a field day with my sense of humor. Funny or not, I still don't think the President should be doing this sort of thing, no matter which party he represents. I think it undermines his authority.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I understand what you're saying, but I'll disagree. I think if it had just been "hey, I'll show how cool I am by doing this bantering thing with Zack Galifanakis," - like it was comedy for comedy's sake - then yeah. But this was essentially a political ad to try to get young people to sign up for insurance under the ACA. Obama could have done a dry political ad, paid big bucks to air it, compressed it into 30 seconds, and reached essentially no one he needed to. Instead he does this thing, free, for as long as he wanted, gets millions of views, and thousands of sign-ups. And I don't see it as any more degrading than the typical political ad, and less so than many. And that's essentially what this was.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf I actually thought this was pretty funny. And I really liked how Obama actually seemed pissed off the whole time. And the birth certificate and drones parts were gold. It's obvious the president is looking for creative ways to reach young people to get the to sign-up for health insurance. After all, they are critical to the success of Obamacare. Kudos for the effort.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "You just want us all to think you're 28 " I could deal with that. I think I'll always think of myself as that age you might as well too! Even though I prepare to take on 36 this year! This thing just had me laughing out loud the whole time. I've never seen this show from Zach, and I watched others afterwards, and they were just as funny.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>Instead he does this thing, free, for as long as he wanted, gets millions of views, and thousands of sign-ups. << The end doesn't justify the means. While promoting the website, he's diminished his office. >>And I don't see it as any more degrading than the typical political ad, and less so than many.<< Oh, that's not true. It's much more degrading than the *typical* political ad. Although you can certainly find some doozies that are more so, usually for fringe candidates. Don't we make fun of the Tea Party types when they do exactly this sort of low-rent pandery comedy thing in their political ads? I know I do ...
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>While promoting the website, he's diminished his office.<< I think most Americans appreciate a sense of humor and a measure of self-deprication from our presidents. The bit at the end (SPOILER), revealing that the "Between Two Ferns" segments have been taped at the White House since the Bush years, was hilarious. This is the sort of clever/social mediaish campaigning that has been missing from the healthcare rollout all along, and it's nice to see them keep plugging away in fresh ways.
