We laughed a lot in the office looking at the new coffee table book showing our chancellor in faked private situations. Well, Merkel doesn’t like cameras, she is for sure not a media chancellor like Schroeder. But anyway, unfortunatly no german politician has the confidence to be as humorously and witty as Obama was at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday. Saying things like:
“I would like to talk about what my administration plans to achieve in the next 100 days –During the second 100 days, we will design, build and open a library dedicated to my first 100 days.” And .. “I believe that my next 100 days will be so successful, I will be able to complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day I will rest.” :)
Here is part 1, worthwhile watching.
Interesting by the way, that the speech has kind of two parts. After all this joking it gets really serious in minute 4 of part 2, when he starts to talk about the crisis of newspapers in the US.
Some newspapers are struggeling simply to stay open and”… not every ending will be a happy one”(4.40) — “Your ultimate success as an industy is essential to the success of democracy” (5:00) — quoting Thomas Jefferson saying, when he has the choice to choose a goverment without newspapers or a newspaper without a goverment, he wouldn’t hesistate to do the latter (5.20) — and getting kind of Obama-pathetic when pledging towards the ideals of journalism: “..you help all of us to serve at the pleasure of the american people do our jobs better. By holding us accountable, by demanding honesty, by preventing us from taking shortcuts and falling into easy political games that people are so desperatley wiery of. And that kind of reporting is worth preserving. Not just for your sake, but for the publics.” (6:10).
Word up. — But all this makes me think, how different the political role is. Being funny is part of being an american president. Maybe european politicans should copy that. If they can. Is the role of a politician in europe so different? Or is it the job – and intelligent and funny people rather go somewhere else? Hm.
