The White House Correspondent's Association dinner is a public display of why there is no legitimate media in this country anymore. The annual event is an opportunity for the sitting US President to play comedian, delivering one-liners and gimmicks to a gaggle of adoring an self-important media hacks whose invitation to the party is one of the key perks of being a government conduit for misinformation and the crown jewel on the DC circle jerk circuit. It is a celebration of Washington's own pompous self worship and a pox upon what at least once in theory was a democracy were the power of the state was held in check by a critical press carrying out their duties in the traditions of the First Amendment. Now it is only a festival of political con artists and what can only be described as presstitutes for their ongoing selling out of journalistic ideals and responsibilities to suckle power and damn those who don't.
While lacking the complete gaucheness and insensitivity that has been on display in the past - particularly George W. Bush's disgusting jokes and slide show about Saddam's missing weapons of mass destruction as Iraq was engulfed in violence and American troops were dying or Karl Rove's rap routine (note the slimy David Gregory) this year's soiree was sickening in it's own way. The 2014 edition took place over the weekend at the Washington Hilton and in giving his performance Barack Obama was exalted as a great comedian by the adoring audience. Here are some pieces excerpted from El Presidente's remarks as published on the White House website:
I want to thank the White House Correspondents Association for hosting us here tonight. I am happy to be here, even though I am a little jet-lagged from my trip to Malaysia. The lengths we have to go to get CNN coverage these days. (Laughter and applause.) I think they’re still searching for their table. (Laughter and applause.)
[Very presidential, joking about that missing airplane is as insensitive and dishonorable to the grieving families of the passengers as anything CNN has done in the 24/7 coverage]
We have some other athletes here tonight, including Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Jamie Anderson is here. We’re proud of her. (Applause.) Incredibly talented young lady. Michelle and I watched the Olympics -- we cannot believe what these folks do -- death-defying feats -- haven’t seen somebody pull a “180” that fast since Rand Paul disinvited that Nevada rancher from this dinner. (Laughter.) As a general rule, things don’t like end well if the sentence starts, “Let me tell you something I know about the negro.” (Laughter.) You don’t really need to hear the rest of it. (Laughter and applause.) Just a tip for you -- don’t start your sentence that way. (Laughter.)
[Gratuitous establishment shot at Paul but I will give Obama credit here, the Senator is often his own worst enemy and the attachment to the racist welfare rancher for cheap political points and then Republican running from the man as if he had the Ebola virus is par for the course]
Speaking of Rand Paul -- (laughter) -- Colorado legalized marijuana this year, an interesting social experiment. I do hope it doesn’t lead to a whole lot of paranoid people who think that the federal government is out to get them and listening to their phone calls. (Laughter.) That would be a problem. (Laughter.)
[A truly disgusting comment that shows just how serious that Barack Obama is on reigning his NSA Stasi and their unconstitutional surveillance and data-mining programs - also the talking point "paranoid libertarians" is invoked again to stifle debate]
Anyway, this year, I’ve promised to use more executive actions to get things done without Congress. My critics call this the “imperial presidency.” The truth is, I just show up every day in my office and do my job. I’ve got a picture of this I think. (Laughter and applause.) You would think they’d appreciate a more assertive approach, considering that the new conservative darling is none other than Vladimir Putin. (Laughter.) Last year, Pat Buchanan said Putin is “headed straight for the Nobel Peace Prize.” He said this. Now I know it sounds crazy but to be fair, they give those to just about anybody these days. (Laughter.) So it could happen.
[Of course Obama doesn't bother with the inconvenient truths that the trouble in Ukraine was completely provoked by the US and his State Department with their coup d-etat against the democratically elected leader and backed by neo-Nazi thugs like the ones who just burned down a trade union hall in Odessa the other day - something that Barry still has not acknowledged. The Putin bashing comes down to a thin-skinned narcissist avenging his wounded pride despite the possibility that his petulance could provoke a nuclear war - and they all laughed too...]
n a more serious note, tonight reminds us that we really are lucky to live in a country where reporters get to give a head of state a hard time on a daily basis -- and then, once a year, give him or her the chance, at least, to try to return the favor.
But we also know that not every journalist, or photographer, or crewmember is so fortunate, because even as we celebrate the free press tonight, our thoughts are with those in places around the globe like Ukraine, and Afghanistan, and Syria, and Egypt, who risk everything -- in some cases, even give their lives -- to report the news.
And what tonight also reminds us is that the fight for full and fair access goes beyond the chance to ask a question. As Steve mentioned, decades ago, an African American who wanted to cover his or her President might be barred from journalism school, burdened by Jim Crow, and, once in Washington, banned from press conferences. But after years of effort, black editors and publishers began meeting with FDR’s press secretary, Steve Early. And then they met with the President himself, who declared that a black reporter would get a credential. And even when Harry McAlpin made history as the first African American to attend a presidential news conference, he wasn’t always welcomed by the other reporters. But he was welcomed by the President, who told him, I’m glad to see you, McAlpin, and I’m very happy to have you here.
[Out comes the race card again - hey, it's an election year and both sides play it although one would expect that the sitting US President would deem such a thing as beneath the dignity of the office]
That is enough of it, if you want to see it the link is here and is yet another damning piece of evidence at exactly how low that we have sank in America. While the roast went on in Washington the roasted bodies were still being dug out of that burned down trade union hall in Odessa. I will give Obama a small bit of credit though, at least he didn't make any jokes about torture like that moron Sarah Palin did at the NRA convention. The event itself is a long-running tradition, much like that loathsome National Prayer Breakfast that ignores the separation of church and state and they are both a waste of time for anything other than the DC inside baseball clique and the careerist media toadies whose participation puts them in a position to prostitute themselves out to the power that they are supposed to be protecting the rest of us from. The only time that the event had anything worthwhile to offer was the classic 2006 demolition of then president George W. Bush by Stephen Colbert that was accompanied by the sounds of puckering assholes and clicking china.
They are like H.L. Mencken would have referred to such as "jackals" and "jackasses"
(Image: Getty Images)
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