Mar 19 2009
President Obama Rocks The Tonight Show
Now that’s how a President does a late night talk show. Tonight President Barack Obama visited The Tonight Show and met with host Jay Leno for an informative, intelligent, enlightening, and entertaining interview. After all the news reports, rumors, editorials, and water cooler talk, Obama gave Leno and the audience a succinct and easily understandable summary of current concerns, including the AIG bailout and subsequent bonus scandal. For every issue, Obama gave an explanation of what caused it, what the result was, and what was going to be done to fix it.
It’s so refreshing to sit here and watch the President on TV, and be interested in what he has to say, and be impressed by his answers. The current President also proved he’s got a great sense of humor and great comedic timing. He proved that you can be clever, good-natured, and give and take a joke–all while still maintaining respect for the Office.
One of the points that President Obama made about the AIG bonuses is something that really hit home for me. He spoke of the long time trend in the financial district of a sense of entitlement–of individuals feeling they are all-important and actually deserving of these million or multi-million dollar bonuses. I think this extends far outside the financial district, into many areas of business in the entire country. There’s no sense of accountability, or responsibility for others or to the community as a whole. Rather than trying to do what’s best for the customer, everyone’s out to just make a buck, no matter what the ethics or consequences.
In the interview, Jay Leno asked Obama what it was like to ride on Air Force One, and they spoke of all the grandeur of the Office. While it was all done with a tinge of humor, you could tell that Obama was a little in awe of the privileges of being President. Rather than taking it for granted and not even noticing, or being cynical about it, he was respectful and appreciative.
When President Obama spoke of the economy crisis and other issues, he said ultimately it was his responsibility to make sure things got fixed. He didn’t put us in this situation, but it was his responsibility to fix it.
Obama said that one of the main things that needs to change in the country, in order to help prevent future recessions like this one, is the return to accountability and responsibility. It was also clear that being appreciative of what one has, rather than having a brash sense of entitlement, was also necessary. What makes his words meaningful is that he’s leading by example.
When it really counts, Jay Leno steps up to the plate and gives good solid interviews. This was one of those cases. He asked a good balance of serious and light questions, was respectful but also kept the President on his toes. The two had a good rapport and it made for an enjoyable TV event. I think if Obama went on The Tonight Show once a year, it would be a nice way to connect in an informal setting with the American people.
Watch The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC, weeknights at 11:35/10:35c. Here’s a clip of some highlights from tonight’s show:
(If you can’t see the video, go here.)
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PHOTOS: President Barack Obama and Jay Leno, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 19, 2009 screencaps, c2009 Big Dog Productions, NBC Studios.
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Thanks for posting the video. I wasn’t able to see this last night, and I was planning to go look for the clips at some point, so you saved me the trouble.
I agree totally with what you wrote. It’s such a relief to have a President who is smart and funny and engaging, especially after 8 long years of Smirky McChimp. (Oops — did I just give my political leanings away? ;))
I agree also with what you said about responsibility and accountability. I think so many of the problems, from Enron to AIG, stemmed from people being focused only on what they could get away with.
And I agree too about how refreshing it was to watch Obama being so appreciative, which was again such a stark contrast to you know who.
Obama on the Tonight show once a year? Hey, I could watch this every week!
Hey, MsTerri, glad I was able to help with the vid. I figure it always helps to make my point if I’ve got video to back it up.
And yes, I think I get your political leanings…heh. Seriously, it was probably the last 6 years that every time I saw the President, I changed the channel. That’s a pretty awful thing. Now if the President is on, my husband and I are 90% more likely to tune in and watch the whole thing.
But it’s not wholly political for me. If McCain had won, depending on how much he continued to cater to the super right, I think I would have watched him on TV a lot more than I had been, too. McCain is at least intelligent and articulate and has some really good ideas.
Obama actually got a lot of flack for being on the Tonight Show, but I hope that doesn’t stop him from doing it again. You can’t please everybody all the time, particularly the press, but I think he pleased a lot of the regular home viewer that enjoyed seeing him on our level, so to speak.
Thanks for your comments!
I think it’s great that he was on the Tonight Show. I watched Obama’s press conference tonight too, but I think it’s good to see him in more informal settings as well, to see a bit more of the person behind the role of President. Plus, there are people who won’t watch the press conferences, or 60 Minutes, etc., so being on the Tonight Show gives Obama a way to communicate with people he might not reach otherwise. I haven’t read/watched the criticism of his choosing to do that, and offhand I can’t imagine why anyone would object.
(As long as he doesn’t do anything to make himself look like an idiot — we had a local politician here who shot himself in the foot by posing for a photo standing in the shower with two radio shock jocks, with his torso bare, and the rest of him wrapped in the shower curtain — it was some kind of publicity stunt for the radio station, and they must have convinced him it would be a good idea for him as well. The newspaper got ahold of the picture and put it on their front page, and that was the end of his political career.)
I digress. But being on the Tonight Show isn’t embarrassing or undignified or anything like that. Actually, I think Obama has shown perfect pitch so far in his appearances.
Well, Obama did take extra heat for making a joke about the Special Olympics. It was really a joke about himself, and most people that have a right to care didn’t get all that bent up about it, but of course every word he says gets scrutinized.
I also saw some articles about his online chat and how they were all ready to say how cheesy it was–and then it turned out that it all went really well. This was another example of exactly what you’ve said–he reached a segment of the population that aren’t watching press conferences or 60 minutes. And he answered questions that the little guy wanted answers to.
I can’t believe that stunt with your local politician…egads…didn’t he have any adivsors to tell him that was a bad idea? I mean, I think it’s kind of funny, but you’d have to know that a large segment of the population wasn’t going to be all that thrilled about it. Eep!