(Self)-Parody
I'm sure you've seen or heard the stories and studies, over the past few months, agonizing over the difficulty of mocking our new President. Actually, it's not as hard as you might imagine.
LYNN SWEET: ...Everyone wants to know what kind of dog are you going to buy for your girls...?
PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: With respect to the dog, this is a major issue. I think it's generated more interest on our website than just about anything. We have -- we have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypo-allergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypo-allergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me. So the -- so, whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.
It's an instant classic. Facing the assembled press for the first time since the election, Obama deploys a disarming bit of self-deprecation. It's impossible to read this, or to watch the tape, without realizing that Obama is laughing at himself.
But at the same time, it's a perfect example of how Obama likes to think, and a preview of what's in store for us all over the next four years. So at the risk of superciliousness, let's annotate his answer:
With respect to the dog, this is a major issue.
This is how Obama introduces controversial topics, by stressing his understanding of the depth of the passions that they produce, and implicitly, his respect for those on both sides. (And in this case, those passions are very real.)
I think it's generated more interest on our website than just about anything.
Obama likes to justify his priorities by referencing popular opinion and grassroots activity; this is no exception. But he presents it in such a way ("interest") that those on opposite sides of the issue are grouped together, a means of stressing what dog lovers share in common rather than what divides them.
We have -- we have two criteria that have to be reconciled.
Perhaps the purest possible distillation of the world according to Obama. The man is a dialectical thinker. He loves nothing more than to take two seemingly contradictory ideas, to revel in the creative tension they produce, and then to reframe them in a way that appeals to those on both sides.
One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypo-allergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypo-allergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me.
Our educator-in-chief. He lays out the two contradictory imperatives, and provides the underlying rationale for each. But he does so in a manner replete with empathy: as a protective father, he wants what's best for his daughter, but he also makes a claim based upon his own identity and experience. His explanation touches upon both the rational and the emotional factors, without privileging one over the other.
So the -- so, whether we're going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.
I'm sure it is. But you'll note that, despite having devoted a substantial chunk of time to the issue, Obama has left us none the wiser as to his ultimate decision. He's given partisans on either side the sense that he's heard and understands their concerns. He's given the broad middle, which doesn't particularly care, reassurance that he doesn't take this (or himself) overly seriously. And he's presented himself to everyone as a reasonable, caring, and considerate decision-maker. He hasn't, however, tipped his hand. He's going to do this at his own pace. He's not going to be pressured by the tens of thousands of signatories to the petition.
It may seem absurd to read so much into what was, effectively, an extended joke. But humor has a way of cutting to the core of a man's character. This is our president, for better and for worse. He's cerebral. Not impulsive. Carefully controlled. Inclined to soothe passions, and to build consensus. But at the same time, his deliberate pace can seem maddeningly slow. He rarely lowers his guard, or betrays his thoughts and feelings. And for those who feel passionately about an issue, Obama can seem too calculating and too eager to seek the middle ground.
I take some comfort from the fact that Obama himself seems aware of these virtues and vices. But we'd do well to remember this exchange going forward; I suspect it presages triumphs and frustrations yet to come.
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Awesome analysis and spot on.
This is why the blogosphere is going to put talk radio out of business some day, perhaps even the corporate news media, though I suspect they will change through self-preservation.
Amazing how something so small can reveal so much about a leader.
November 10, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
If someone else referred to Obama in a joking reference as a mutt, there'd be an uprising and appropriately so. So of course, there are still boundaries that people will be very cautious at crossing, notwithstanding Obama's ability to laugh at himself. But as Leno noted:
In terms of Obama's comedic stylings revealing a lot about his decision-making process, this analysis is so on point. While I appreciate not having a president that is an impetuous deicider, I expect his methodical, cerebral, compromising style will cause me much agita over the next 4 years.
November 10, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ah, but if you think that's funny, get a load of Obama's 2005 roasting of Rahm Emanuel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdphzxz64BY
November 10, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is a fantastic analysis. I enjoyed reading it, and remembering why we are so lucky to have this guy as our president.
November 10, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Spot on analysis. This was exactly my reaction as I watched it.
The problem I see looming is that Barack's sense of humor is purely deadpan. Deadpan straight up -- dry, no ice. I'm not sure whether America "gets" deadpan. The journalists at the presser didn't even chuckle.
I know that viewers of the Colbert show are used to deadpan -- but even Colbert mugs for the camera. I think Barack's sense of humor is going to take a while to sink in.
November 10, 2008 6:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
President-elect Bob Newhart. I can picture deadpan Bob picking his Secret Service code name: "How does 'Renegade' strike you?"
November 10, 2008 8:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oy, I first thought that you were actually parodying all the overcooked analysis of the presser. Unfortunately, I'm just going to have to do it myself.
November 10, 2008 9:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
...and you're welcome to take a swipe at my own overcooked analysis while you're at it. (C'mon, Genghis. I know enough to leave parody to the master.)
November 10, 2008 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
No worries, I didn't spare you.
November 10, 2008 11:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks to all who have added their thoughts. I was amused that AM found validation where Dijamo saw future heartburn. I suspect they're both right. We're lucky to have him, and he'll probably drive us nuts with some frequency. And I take Alex's point about his dry tone (although I'd add that he got unforced laughter from the media; it's just that most feeds were coming off of his microphone, and didn't pick up the ambient noise). If his apology to Nancy Reagan is any indication, I suspect Obama will adapt his public displays of humor more than the public will adapt to appreciate them.
November 10, 2008 9:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
The pros, from “Writers Speak: A Potentially Regrettable Evening with the Writers of ‘The Daily Show,’” part of the fifth annual New York Comedy Festival:
I think the fact that you have had to go to such lengths to explain how he's really funny, means he's not funny. Someday I bet a reporter is going to ask him if he thinks humor is one of his strengths, and he's going to admit that it's not. What are you going to do then, argue with him about it, tell him he's wrong, that you think he's good at humor?
November 11, 2008 2:43 PM | Reply | Permalink