When President Obama went on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno recently, it generated blockbuster ratings for NBC and general agreement among most observers that it was an astute, politically pragmatic move by the president. He got living room intimacy, unfiltered exposure to a key demographic and predictable questions lobbed up in a non-confrontational manner. And, he’s really good at stuff like this.
I still think it was an ill-advised gambit – and not just because the informal jocularity led to the “Special Olympics” gaffe while engaging in self-deprecating humor.
I think the dignity of the office, however old-school and pre 24/7 media ubiquity that sounds, matters. I think context still counts.
For example, Obama came on right after a skit about all the goofy crap you can buy at a 99-cent store. The last oddity was Leno’s favorite: a Jesus-on-a-cross keychain with an inexplicable reference to “Betty Boop” on the flip side. Obviously, one person’s hilarity is another’s sacrilege. Then: “We’ll be right back with the president of the United States.”
I cringed from my couch. But it wouldn’t be the last.
Before the president could answer a question about AIG bonuses and the House’s 90 percent ex-post facto tax, an ill-timed commercial break intervened. Prior to the president’s answer that he understood Americans’ anger, but that he had reservations about the punitive tax’s constitutionality, he and everyone else had to wait until a trailer for “I Love You, Man,” a tease to “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” a spot for Mississippi casinos, a commercial for AT&T and other stuff had played out.
The president, whoever it is, deserves better than having his Q&A interrupted by a Rogaine commercial.
But I finally found someone who agreed with me on Obama’s late night turn with Leno. Someone who also admits to being “old-school” when it comes to the “dignity” of the highest office in the land. The mayor of Tampa.
Pam Iorio, a literal student of history, recalled the time that President John F. Kennedy wouldn’t wear a cowboy hat to please photogs and Texans. He just wasn’t comfortable with it. It wasn’t the “image” he wanted to convey, she noted. She thought Obama’s chatting up of Leno on the set of “The Tonight Show” was not an “appropriate” forum for the president of the U.S. Even if he’s good at it, which he clearly is.
But she did offer up a media alternative for the president. He should consider doing a “Ross Perot,” she advised. In other words, do a prime-time television address – relying only on himself and graphs and/or charts – and explain to the American people the complicated, convoluted financial mess that has battered this and other economies around the globe. He has to assume the role, one he is uniquely suited for, of “Explainer-in-chief,” said Iorio.
And don’t limit it to that, she urged. He’s his own “best advocate.” Just don’t have him share the stage with anyone, she underscored.