Still, the president is likely to prefer Politico’s take to what’s being offered at the Daily Beast. There, in what is surely the year’s most mirthless slice of attempted comedy—Adam Sandler flick Grown Ups included—“White House survivor” Matt Latimer plays the Ghost of Christmas Sideways with a satirical look at where we’d be in late 2010 had John McCain and Sarah Palin pulled off a surprise win in 2008. The gist is that Obama, leaning over the Truman balcony, is visited by a guardian angel—“call it Obama’s Wonderful Life” Latimer suggests (to the sound of crickets)—who shows him, through a Keith Olbermann broadcast on number one cable news channel MSNBC (tumbleweed), what life would be like without him. Sarah Palin has just quit before serving out her term, to be replaced by the Governor of Guam (guffaw), and McCain has just flip-flopped on tax cuts.
The point seems twofold. First, to be a kind of rib-tickling satire for the Beltway set. To that end, you will enjoy it if you enjoy this excerpt:
”More WikiLeaks controversy today after top-secret documents revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Joe the Plumber once stunned Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar by telling him during a meeting that quote, ‘I learned so much about your country from watching ‘M*A*S*H.’ Secretary Plumber responded to the story by saying he misspoke. He actually had been thinking of ‘Hogan’s Heroes.’
Oi.
Second, that the president is solely responsible for whatever success the GOP is enjoying in the real universe, because, in the parallel one, they’re running some kind of bizarre (and hilarious!) kamikaze administration without his help.
You aren’t looking at the big picture,” the angel replies. “Think of all the dreams you have realized for those unfortunate Republicans. All the chances you’ve given them that they never would have had on their own. Why, without you, John Boehner would be a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice by now.”
“You’re right,” a smiling Obama replies. “My presidency is helping some people.”
“Yes, it is. Because of you, every time a bell rings another Republican is effortlessly winning political office, whether he deserves it or not.”
Imagine: an alternative universe in which this piece was never written.
We will be watching this space as more report cards are handed in.
"Third year"? How does the period from 20 Jan 09 to 20 Dec 10 approach three years?
#1 Posted by D. B. Propert, CJR on Mon 20 Dec 2010 at 04:08 PM
These guys are desperate, aren't they? Not good enough to say that Obama accomplished quite a few of his goals, fell short on others, maintains an impressive approval rating considering the state of the economy, and it will be harder to get anything done in the next two years. End of story. But no. We must endure the vapid silliness of Politico boyz. Why 'o' why are the American people burdened with such a silly, vapid beltway press corpse?
The worst of it is, now the rest of the idea-deficient press corps will parrot that ridiculous CW as though it were gospel. It's going to be a long, long silly season for us serious news junkies.
#2 Posted by James, CJR on Mon 20 Dec 2010 at 10:55 PM
Excellent remarks, James
#3 Posted by Stewart Nusbaumer, CJR on Tue 21 Dec 2010 at 04:01 PM