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President Selfie
As Jonah Goldberg, Rob Long and John Podhoretz noted on the latest GLoP podcast, President Obama has been on a new-media tear of late. A few weeks back, he was interviewed by a group of YouTube celebrities that infamously included GloZell “Froot Loops” Green. Over the weekend he indulged the “brainiac-nerd types” at low-wattage retraction generator Vox.com. That interview was so reverential, Politico compared it to a Scientology recruitment film.
Today, Obama completed his trivial trifecta with a video by cat-GIF website BuzzFeed. The leader of the free world pranced around the White House with the ultimate totem of the me-llennial generation, a selfie stick. He tried on sunglasses, tried out different smiles, practiced stump speeches, and gazed longingly into the mirror. Watch it for yourself:
http://youtu.be/kgQqljC9P0Q
We realize that most politicians are narcissists. But even rookie state legislators understand that public demonstrations of self-regard turn off their constituents. The modern definition of narcissism includes those who desperately want others to love them as much as they love themselves. With this latest show, Obama reveals himself as an old-school Narcissus, content to gaze lovingly at his reflection as the world passes him by.
Published in General
The Meanwhile, Back To Me President™.
That this man was chosen, twice, to be this nation’s leader, makes feel somewhat ashamed to be an American.
And I thought that after the Mandela funeral, the First Lady had put a stop to presidential selfies.
I’m more interested in its effect on diplomacy. Perhaps we would have more luck with a teenage girl in our Iran negotiations.
My only regret is that I didn’t get to this subject header before Jon did. (I had a post all ready.) (Or stewing in my head anyway.)
It’s taken until now, but I am finally embarrassed to be an American.
While the world burns, the President of the United States flounces around with a selfie-stick and his fans clap like baby seals.
It’s like a scene out of a Bradbury dystopia.
OK, OK, I pretty much despise Obama as a president, but the video is cute. I’m jealous because I wish more Republicans could pull off silly stuff that makes them seem more likeable. Wouldn’t Reagan have made a video like this?
The real question is whether he’d make 12 dozen. This video doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a regular feature from a trivial, narcissistic President.
If he just did it once, you might forgive him.
She put a stop to presidential selfies with Danish hotties.
I’m honestly just curious if taxpayers paid for the BuzzFeed ad or if BuzzFeed made an in-kind contribution. And, either way, this is a very interesting way to do “journalism.”
I think you shoulda put a trigger warning on that video.
I don’t think President Reagan would have made anything like this-he had too much respect for the Office of the President and for himself. I remember being furious at Andrew Card, President Bush’s Chief of Staff, for the silly video searching for WMD’s in the White House during the early stages of the Iraq War. I’m amazed some adult advisor didn’t discourage President Obama from acting like a juvenile-especially on the day another American was killed by ISIS.
We wouldn’t want to lower the tone right? Remember Nixon on Laugh In?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRZvlZZ0DY
That was a big comedy show for those too young to know.
The TV was on in the background. I heard my husband murmuring (sputtering invectives) .
He told me to “look at this” as he watched that video.
I assured him that it was video-shopped . . . that there was no way the president would make such an $$ out of himself. But even as I watched I was incredulous. I had no idea they could produce something like that – even with all the new digital technology/programs.
Well. Now I know. And I also know that our great and good land is in deep peril.
That during these troubling times – that someone so unserious is at the helm – is terrifying.
It could be worse. He could be eating Froot Loops out of a bathtub. Oh, wait. The First Lady would nix the Froot Loops. Meusli, then.
Obama would eat the froot loops. Michelle would eat that no-account skank been tryin’ to hang out with Obama.
There are no adult advisors allowed in the White House.
Speaking of interesting ways to do journalism, was the sex all your idea, or is it just something conservative women obsess about unprompted ;-)
It will be interesting to see how the president uses Valentine’s Day to express his self-love.
Son of Spengler
It will be interesting to see how the president uses Valentine’s Day to express his self-love.
It will involve a glue stick. And lots of glitter….
Heavens! Is that even comfortable?
All the parts of this I don’t understand are probably the parts you guys are upset about. Count me in.
Nixon wasn’t president when he was on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In…his five seconds of fame was two months before the election. Lots of modern candidates have appeared on TV in less serious venues during campaigns.
I did not know that. Always remembered it wrong. Sign me up for that NBC gig.
The current ubiquity of the practice does not make it any less puerile.
We have a pretty President.
gag.
At least he wasn’t President back then. That was before he was elected.
You know, LBJ had more class when he showed photographers his gall bladder scar.
Everytime I think President Obama has reached the lowest point in his presidency, he continues to surprise me with a lower low. As an American, I am embarrassed that he was elected to our highest political office twice. I also have great trepidation for our collective security.