Posted on 10/17/2008 5:12:41 AM PDT by IbJensen
GOP Presidential Hopeful Delivers Laugh-Out-Loud Speech.
Obama Follows With Talk Of His Home Planet Of 'Krypton'
NEW YORK (CBS- If only John McCain had more nights like Thursday.
The Republican presidential hopeful walked into the 63rd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan as a clear underdog, not just in the polls, but also in a room filled with an overwhelming number of powerful New York Democrats. By the time he was through with his near-14-minute speech, he probably made a lot more friends and earned more respect than he'd had previously.
For his part, Barack Obama had plenty of his own funny moments, but following McCain on this night proved to be much more difficult than most out on the campaign trail.
McCain has been criticized for being combative and a bit of a bully in debates, but was anything but on Thursday night.
McCain brought down the house, lighting up faces and shedding a room full of tears with a speech that put a fun touch on countless issues that have been leading the news over the last few weeks.
The Arizona senator touched on his age, wealth, the media, voter registration and, of course, his opponent, Obama.
"This is a very distinguished and influential audience and as good a place as any to make a major announcement," McCain said. "Events are moving fast in my campaign. And, yes, it is true that this morning I dismissed my entire team of senior advisors. All of their positions will now be held by a man named 'Joe The Plumber.'
"Already my friends, my opponents have been subjecting Joe to their vicious attack machine. His voracity has been questioned by Barack Obama's running mate, 'Joe The 6-Term Senator.' He claims that this honest, hard working small business man could not possibly have enough income to face a tax increase under the Obama plan. What they don't know is Joe The Plumber recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses."
It didn't take long for McCain to bring Obama into the mix, and considering what the two have said about each other over the last 20 months, Thursday night seemed like a good time for some comic relief.
"This campaign needed the common touch of the working man. After all, it began so long ago with the heralded arrival of the man known to Oprah Winfrey as 'The One.' Being a friend and colleague of Barack I just called him 'That One,'" McCain said in reference to his bully-like tactics in the second presidential debate. "He doesn't mind at all. In fact, he even has a pet name for me: 'George Bush.'"
In attendance Thursday night were such dignitaries as Sen. Hillary Clinton, Gov. David Paterson, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Mayor Ed Koch. McCain managed to get one of the best laughs of the night at the expense Clinton.
"It's been that kind of contest and I come here tonight to the Al Smith Dinner knowing I'm the underdog in these final weeks, but if you know where to look there are signs of hope, even in the most unexpected of places, even in the room filled with proud Manhattan Democrats. I can't shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me.
"I'm delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary."
McCain also took playful shots at former President Bill Clinton and had some fun with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, host of "Hardball."
"I told him, maverick I can do, but messiah is above my pay grade," McCain said. "It's going to be a long, long night at MSNBC if I manage to pull this thing off."
He then launched into a point of contention in the Obama camp – voter registration.
"So, you know I have fun with the media. We all know that the press is really an independent, civic-minded and non-partisan group … like ACORN.
"In case you haven't been following my opponent's 'Get Out The Vote' campaign, ACORN is helping to register groups that were previously excluded, overlooked and under-served – second-graders, the deceased, Disney characters."
While many believe McCain and Obama don't like each other personally, it would be hard to prove as such after listening to McCain's heartfelt comments on his opponent.
"I don't want it getting out of this room, but my opponent is an impressive fellow in many ways," McCain said. "Political opponents can have a little trouble seeing the best in each other. But I've had a few glimpses of this man at his best and I admire his great skill, energy and determination. It's not for nothing, but he's inspired many folks in his own party and beyond. Senator Obama talks about making history and he's made quite a bit of it already. There was a time when the mere invitation of an African-American citizen to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult. Today is a world away from the cruelty and prideful bigotry of that time – and good riddance.
"I can't wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well."
Obama later took the podium and said he's not necessarily "the chosen one," but could in fact be a superhero.
"For the last few weeks John has been out on the campaign trail asking this question: Who is Barack Obama? I have to admit I was a little surprised by this question. The answer is right there on my Facebook page," Obama said. "But look, I don't want to be coy about this. We're a couple weeks away from an important election. Americans have a big choice to make, and if anyone feels like they don't know me by now, let me give them some answers ...
"Who is Barack Obama? Contrary to the rumors you may have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-El, to save the planet Earth."
He then launched into the genealogy of his birth name.
"Many of you know I got my name, Barack, from my father," Obama said. "It's actually Swahili for 'That One.'
"And I got my middle name, obviously, from someone who never thought I'd be running for president."
Both McCain and Obama will be back out on the campaign trail on Friday, likely with gloves off once again.
But for one night they showed that even the two most recognizable people on the planet, vying for the most important job there is, have a human side.
Amen, brothers. Amen.
I thought Obama looked uncomfortable when McCain was doing the ACORN schtick...he genuinely laughed at some of it, but not ALL of it.
McCain was 100% “on” last night and the best part was, he was TOTALLY getting the jabs in about Obama. Obama looked uncomfortable (and uh, Barry, no white tails for you, they look, well, ridiculous) and stiff.
Wish THIS McCain had been around the past few months...maybe we would not be in this mess!
That may have been an attempt at humor, but it fell well flat with me. I didn't see any humor in it. I think that Obama was using the occasion to continue trying to build his persona as The Messiah.
I've felt that way ever since he slithered into the Senate. If he's elected president I wonder what adjective we'll use then.
He realizes that Obama isn’t only a communist he’s a baby killing communist.
McCain’s speech was full of self-deprecating humor. Obama chose one, insignificant physical trait (big ears) about which people know he’s sensitive. He seemed to be saying, “See. I can laugh at myself too.” But then he tried to mask his self-perception as a Messiah figure as humor. Then he ended his speech as though he were at a campaign event, which was not the intent of the evening.
His relatives state he was born in Kenya and they were present. His mother wasn't treated nicely by her inlaws so she fled to The Peoples' Republic of Hawaii.
She, of course, was never married to Barry's reprobate father and herein lies the true comparison to be made, not to JFK, but to WJC.
and don’t forget the college students who are registered in more than one state, the felons and mentally ill.
I think that whoever wrote McCain’s speech was deliberately trying to rattle Obama. Good.
Ah. I see how the mistake was made.
I elected to never see this contemptible movie as it was, according to the reviews, was an anti-Catholic film.
Obama's jokes about his origins and name weren't "self-deprecating". They were merely symptomatic of his true evasiveness on his subject and bordering on the weird.
Obama showed little sense of humor, although he felt he had to try because of the venue. Humor and playful humility are not in his arsenal. He is a wooden egotist and it shows. My wife thought he had an evil and insincere smile and she's pretty good at reading people.
Obama is the Straw Man. Over 90 percent of the time, when responding to a criticism, he will introduce a Straw Man, rather than answer the question posed.
But 80% of voters either flunked Logic 101, or never took the course.
(Statistics created 10/17/08 from a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and various other gases. But that doesn’t mean they’re not accurate.)
Of course, JFK’s father was also a reprobate.
When he read the bible verse, he stumbled, like it was the first time he had read it.
No surprise to me. Senator Government is too absorbed in himself to be able to make any kind of humor work.
Your wife is right. Hussein does have an evil and insincere smile, and that's because he's an evil and insincere man. But one thing he is sincere about is his determination to remake America into the socialist, authoritarian "paradise" that he has advocated ever since his rise to political prominence in Chicago's corrupt Democrat machine.
Most Liberals can’t take a joke and can’t tell one because they do not like being laughed at.
Most Conservatives don’t mind telling or being the butt of jokes and will tell jokes on themselves in a way that makes the joke really funny.
I thought that part was particularly funny. Mc got some good laughs with that. The BOWEL Movement was NOT funny for the most part.
I agree 100%. He is way oversold as a orator. How can anyone rate him better than Clinton, Reagan, Rummy, or Rush. I am really confused, because I just don’ understand the guy. I have listened to hundreds of speakers that far outclass Obama.
Hussein Obama may have a human side, although it doesn't show, but his other side is anything but humanitarian. For just one example, he went to Kenya last year to campaign for his cousin, the communist Raili Odinga who was running for president of Kenya, and gave almost a million $ to the Odinga campaign. Then when Odinga lost he advised him to publicly contest the election result.
That led to weeks of rioting by Odinga's mostly Muslim supporters and attacks on Kenyan Christians who supported his opponent. Hundreds of Kenyans were killed and many thousands were displaced by the rioting, and Hussein Obama's vaunted humanitarianism was nowhere to be seen after 50 Christian Kenyans were locked in their church building by pro-Odinga protesters and burned alive when the building was set on fire.
If anyone is interested you can read more about itHERE, including a letter from American missionaries in Kenya who are convinced that Hussein Obama is still a Muslim in spite of his claim to be a Christian.
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