Video: Obama In Tonight's Late Show With David Letterman

[koheesti]

This was obviously Letterman's campaign contribution to Obama, picked carefully to coincide with the release of Romney's huge gaffe of 47% of Americans being deadbeats.

Letterman had been on Obama's schedule for more than a week before the 47% quote surfaced. The Letterman interview did conveniently coincide with al Qaeda taking responsibility for the attack on our Libyan consulate and the Obama admin finally having to admit that it was a planned terror attack and not caused by that video. Thankfully for Obama, he was on a friendly comedy show, and not a serious news program otherwise he'd have his bags packed in preparation of moving back to Chicago.

[keemapoot]

Of course these guest spots are scheduled ahead of breaking events, but I strongly suspect Obama and Letterman "doubled down" on the 47% opportunity, hence the entire show being only an extended interview with Obama. I can't recall ever seeing an entertainment late night talk show do this for a Presidential candidate (I could be wrong though). Jon Stewart has been making hay with the 47% fallout making fun of Fox news in full damage control as Romney's campaign hq.

This seems to be a potentially deadly self inflicted shot in the foot by Romney. We'll see.

[ricklev]

Biden seems to me to be a decent, intelligent man. Obama also seems to me to be a gifted and caring person. Of course both have flaws as they are human, but their qualities are so powerful. I genuinely can't understand how any one would prefer their opponents.

I guess I pretty much gave up hope for an American revival after Bush was elected the second time. It's so sad because the human fundamentals are all there to create and sustain a country which could provide a decent life for a high percentage of its citizens, not just the top 50 percent or so.

[koheesti]

Biden seems to me to be a decent, intelligent man. Obama also seems to me to be a gifted and caring person. Of course both have flaws as they are human, but their qualities are so powerful. I genuinely can't understand how any one would prefer their opponents.

Look, all four are politicians. By definition they care about wealth and power and NOT about anyone else. The Dems are just better at the illusion because they have a lot of help in the friendly, left-leaning media. That really is all there is to it.

Now, if you can get beyond the late night comedy show and Entertainment Weekly interviews, and look at what direction Obama and Romney want to take the country, I don't see how any real American could vote for Obama. I grew up during the Cold War, since it ended, I've spent over 15 years in the former Soviet Union in 3 different countries. I find Obama's class warfare Marxist strategy f%$# disgusting. Obama is bribing voter segments for votes and has as many billionaires on his side as Romney does. If the media would even pretend to be unbiased, Obama wouldn't stand a chance in November. Funny, how we make fun of the Russian media being in Putin's back pocket but can't see the same happens in our own country. Ugh.

Edited September 20, 2012 by koheesti

[ricklev]

Biden seems to me to be a decent, intelligent man. Obama also seems to me to be a gifted and caring person. Of course both have flaws as they are human, but their qualities are so powerful. I genuinely can't understand how any one would prefer their opponents.

Look, all four are politicians. By definition they care about wealth and power and NOT about anyone else. The Dems are just better at the illusion because they have a lot of help in the friendly, left-leaning media. That really is all there is to it.Now, if you can get beyond the late night comedy show and Entertainment Weekly interviews, and look at what direction Obama and Romney want to take the country, I don't see how any real American could vote for Obama. I grew up during the Cold War, since it ended, I've spent over 15 years in the former Soviet Union in 3 different countries. I find Obama's class warfare Marxist strategy f%$# disgusting. Obama is bribing voter segments for votes and has as many billionaires on his side as Romney does. If the media would even pretend to be unbiased, Obama wouldn't stand a chance in November. Funny, how we make fun of the Russian media being in Putin's back pocket but can't see the same happens in our own country. Ugh.

Obama's governing philosophy seems to me to be pretty much the same as the pre-Nixon Republican party. He seems a lot closer to Reagan than to Marx. Do you really think that believing that and voting for Obama makes me something other than a "real American"?

Edited September 20, 2012 by ricklev

[Ulysses G.]

Thats funny. I don't remember Reagan effectively legalizing illegal immigration by presidential fiat.

[ricklev]

Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan:

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), Pub.L. 99-603, 100 Stat. 3359, enacted November 6, 1986, alsoSimpson-Mazzoli Act, is an Act of Congress which reformed United States immigration law.

the act:^[1]

• granted amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants.
  
• granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously.
  

[koheesti]

Obama's governing philosophy seems to me to be pretty much the same as the pre-Nixon Republican party. He seems a lot closer to Reagan than to Marx. Do you really think that believing that and voting for Obama makes me something other than a "real American"?

Countries change over time and I guess it comes down to what America we were raised in. I was not raised in an America where we looked to blame successful people for our own failures. I was raised in an America where we believed that anyone could succeed as long as you worked hard, studied hard and had a little luck. So for me, a "real American" would NOT vote for someone who like to pit the poor against the rich/successful. A "real American" would look at a successful person and think, "How can I do what he did?" and not "That's not fair! How can I punish him for having more and take some for myself?". So from my perspective, if you think of success as being a bad thing, then yeah, that is un-American. Others brought up in a "different" America will have different opinions on the matter.

I'm pretty dam_n poor (probably that 48th percentile), but I have no feelings of jealousy/hatred towards people who have more money or more success than I do. I don't care if some were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, or happen to be classmates with someone wildly successful, or happen to be born great athletes. That's life.

[maidu]

gadz, Obama and Reagan are different, who woodah thought. Reagan gave Ayotollah Komeini a cake in the shape of a Bible to thank him for enabling the US to illegally provide weapons to the Contras. Obama didn't do anything like that.

It's sad that a US president appears on some shallow entertainment fluff and most people think its totally normal. It's getting more and more like the film 'Idiocracy' every year.

Letterman is an icon to many Americans. Quite intelligent, composed and funny. Perhaps it was Letterman's way of helping Obama out a bit. Perhaps also, Letterman invited Romney to be a guest, and Romney turned his nose up at it as being too 'shallow' or plebian. Anyhow, I'd venture that every president since Nixon has been a guest on one Late Night show or another. If you know anything about American culture, you know that the Late Night Shows are an integral part of it. No amount of parody is too scathing to be allowed. There has been scatalogical humor on nearly every famous person. It's a window on how 'free' America is as regards 'free speech.' It's 180 degrees different than China or any Middle Eastern country in that regard.

[Ulysses G.]

Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan:

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), Pub.L. 99-603, 100 Stat. 3359, enacted November 6, 1986, alsoSimpson-Mazzoli Act, is an Act of Congress which reformed United States immigration law.

the act:^[1]

• granted amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants.
  
• granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously.
  

Sorry, but that was bipartisan legislation, not presidential fiat. Reagan signed the bill after Republicans and Democrats cobbled together an amnesty program in response to concerns from farmers worried about harvesting profits. The official record of congressional debates shows that lawmakers intended the program to provide a steady supply of labor for growers of perishable crops. I have nothing against immigration reform if it is passed by congress instead of being forced down the electorate's throats in order to get reelected.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[koheesti]

Letterman is an icon to many Americans. Quite intelligent, composed and funny. Perhaps it was Letterman's way of helping Obama out a bit. Perhaps also, Letterman invited Romney to be a guest, and Romney turned his nose up at it as being too 'shallow' or plebian.

I used to be a BIG fan of Letterman's - in the 1980's. Back then he was just flat out funny. Now he throws in too much politics. Great was to alienate half your audience.

If Romney turned Letterman down, it was probably the smart thing to do. Letterman LOVES Obama, he would never think of challenging Obama or try to make him look bad. On the other hand, Romney would be going into an unfriendly environment, against a guy with some great comedy writers on the single mission to make the Republican look bad. Btw - this is the same reason you will not see Obama go on Fox News' Sean Hannity for an interview.

[Ulysses G.]

Btw - this is the same reason you will not see Obama go on Fox News' Sean Hannity for an interview.

Now THAT would be funny.

[ricklev]

OK. I'm outa this topic.

It's just too depressing! Best to all.

[keemapoot]

I think some of you guys are taking this too seriously. Please remember, Letterman, Leno, Stewart, Colbert, Fallon, even Maher are all ENTERTAINERS, COMEDIANS. They are the first to tell you they are not and never intended to be real news or political analysts. Having said that, we know how heavy their influence is, as attested to by the way Bill O'Reilly likes to debate Stewart (there's a big debate next month pay per view), etc., and of course, Maher is all about political comedy with a severe left wing bias. Jon Stewart is adored by the younger voters.

As far as serious news goes, I think you can throw out the two most ridiculously biased channels entirely, both Fox and MSNBC. Neither is real news, just right and left wing spewing partisan vile.

[Ulysses G.]

There is plenty of serious news on Fox. To start with, Chris Wallace and a bunch of the Sunday shows are as fair and balanced as any other media outlet.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[snarky66]

You got to hand it to the guy. He can go on there & claim he wasn't aware of the size of the deficit even though on the campaign trail he said it was 9 trillion dollars. Obama rarely gets called on his in your face outrageous lies.

[snarky66]

Obama also seems to me to be a gifted and caring person.

He is about as warm & fuzzy as a Marxist can be.

[koheesti]

There is plenty of serious news on Fox. To start with, Chris Wallace and a bunch of the Sunday shows are as fair and balanced as any other media outlet.

Special Report is one of the best political shows on TV. I don't watch Hannity. I rarely see O'Reilly. I can't stand the way they both won't let a guest finish a complete sentence or train of thought. Seriously, watch them sometime with a stopwatch in hand. If a guest does manage to finish a sentence, they are not allowed to speak more than maybe 8 seconds at a time. One exception is when O'Reilly has Krauthammer on - Bill knows his limits.

[koheesti]

I think some of you guys are taking this too seriously. Please remember, Letterman, Leno, Stewart, Colbert, Fallon, even Maher are all ENTERTAINERS, COMEDIANS. They are the first to tell you they are not and never intended to be real news or political analysts. Having said that, we know how heavy their influence is, as attested to by the way Bill O'Reilly likes to debate Stewart (there's a big debate next month pay per view), etc., and of course, Maher is all about political comedy with a severe left wing bias. Jon Stewart is adored by the younger voters.

The relationship between O'Reilly and Stewart reminds me of professional wrestling.They want their audiences to think they can't stand each other but both are smart enough to know their ratings soar when they are guests on each other's show.

[keemapoot]

I agree there are a few good contributors on Fox - O'Reilly and Krauthammer, and a few others. I can't decide though, who is more hateful, Sean Hannity or Gretchen Carlson. By the same token, I suppose Chris Mathews has his lucid moments on MSNBC, and Madow is supposed to be the smartest woman on television, but I can't see it.

[cheeryble]

Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan:

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), Pub.L. 99-603, 100 Stat. 3359, enacted November 6, 1986, alsoSimpson-Mazzoli Act, is an Act of Congress which reformed United States immigration law.

the act:^[1]

• granted amnesty to certain seasonal agricultural illegal immigrants.
  
• granted amnesty to illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously.
  

Well pointed out Ricklev and it wasn't a handful this was a mass amnesty and my old friend Alastair Marshall-Andrew, who went to America to a party in LA in about 1974 and just stayed on living and working incognito, was one of them.

[rijb]

A Marxist would advocate taking control of factories. A Marxist would say property and capital are the reasons for inequality. When has Obama done that?

Romney did take control of factories and businesses, using leverage buyouts. The theory is that the parts are worth more than the whole. I saw first-hand what LBOs did to companies and their employees. Vultures like him broke businesses into pieces, fired most of the people and made fortunes without adding any value to the economy.

[chuckd]

A Marxist would advocate taking control of factories. A Marxist would say property and capital are the reasons for inequality. When has Obama done that?

Romney did take control of factories and businesses, using leverage buyouts. The theory is that the parts are worth more than the whole. I saw first-hand what LBOs did to companies and their employees. Vultures like him broke businesses into pieces, fired most of the people and made fortunes without adding any value to the economy.

GM and Chrysler come to mind.

[Ulysses G.]

One exception is when O'Reilly has Krauthammer on - Bill knows his limits.

I like when Krauthammer tells O'Reilly, "Somehow you have stumbled onto the truth this time".

[rijb]

Apples and oranges come to mind. What control?

General Motors, Chrysler Say Their Plants Won't Be Campaign Stops This Election

Edited September 21, 2012 by rijb

[chuckd]

Apples and oranges come to mind. What control?

General Motors, Chrysler Say Their Plants Won't Be Campaign Stops This Election

After donating GM and Chrysler to the UAW, wouldn't it be like rubbing salt in the wound if he campaigned in one of their factories?

He tried that in Janesville and see how that one worked out for him.

[bendejo]

I think of Krauthammer as a real-life Dr Strangelove.

O'Reilly: in a 2008 interview Limbaugh said of him "he's Ted Baxter"

Hannity is an out-and-out GOP shill, probably gets the same monthly envelopes GOP congress members get. He really pushes the stupidity factor to the limits.

Meghan Kelly: there's that saying "by age __ you get the face you deserve" (age varies every time this is said). That scowl is becoming permanent, maybe somebody touched her on the back while she was on the air

Someone went and interviewed her father. Asked if he watched Fox he said "I'm 70, not senile"

Chris Matthews comes across like the kid in the nursery raising his voice to be heard over the other babies, like maybe he should be doing sports. He's actually a pretty smart guy with a background in politics, should do something about his on-screen persona.

I miss der Olbermann. He actually did start out in sports. With that deep voice and dead-pan manner his quips slip up on you.

Eg: "....Bill Hemmer, who had a career in journalism that he gave up to work for Fox News..."

Piers Morgan is Simon what's-his-face from American Idol but trying to come off human. I don't like him but give him credit for asking the stuff the US press doesn't have the spine for, eg ask Scalia anything about the 2000 election and he'll repeat the clever catch phrase he's been hiding behind for 12 years -- get over it. Morgan said "Get over the possible corrupting of the American presidential system?"

He's on brain-dead CNN, and as the saying goes "in the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king."

I think Maddow is the only US journalist with as much guts, but she does have to maintain a career. Morgan can be run out of the country but he can always work in UK.

IMO, the high point of US political satire so far was Colbert at the White House correspondents dinner. Rumor is when it was over Laura Bush told him "<snip> you."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7FTF4Oz4dI

Edited September 21, 2012 by metisdead

[maidu]

Wow, some of you guys really watch and listen to all those speakers. I'm 'out of the loop' as George W. would say. In the 1980's I had a shop selling used Levis, in California, next to a guy who sold water pumps. He would blast Rush Limbough all over his lot each day, so I got an earful of how the far-right thinks. And it was enough for me to to swear off hard-right monologues ever since. I don't know diddly squat about Fox News commentators, except every so often I hear one, and they speak so forcefully, that It's painful to listen, let along decipher the torrent of staccato words. I'm a musician, so the timbre of a person's voice has as much bearing (to me) as the words which eminate from the throat.

[Ulysses G.]

Listen to Chris Wallace. He is great, not loud, not aggresive and his news show - Fox News Sunday - is as good as any anywhere. Special Report with Brett Baier is quite informative too.

They have nothing at all in common with Rush Limbough.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Ulysses G.

[Mosha]

Obama also seems to me to be a gifted and caring person.

He is about as warm & fuzzy as a Marxist can be.

If Obama and the Dems are socialists. Queen Elizabeth is a commie.