Obama Visits Tonight Show, Talks Economy, Makes Gaffe

President Barack Obama visited the Tonight Show last night, becoming the first sitting president to appear on the program. He discussed the hoopla as Commander in Chief ("Michelle jokes about how our motorcade -- you know, we've got the ambulance and then the caboose and then the dog sled. The submarine."), explained his Final Four picks, and, responding to a question about being judged after only 59 days in office, said, "We are going through a difficult time. I welcome the challenge. You know, I ran for President because I thought we needed big changes. I do think in Washington it's a little bit like 'American Idol,' except everybody is Simon Cowell."

Of course, a major topic was the economy, with Obama explaining how AIG crumbled to emphasizing his support of Secretary Treasury Timothy Geithner. Plus he said Americans should feel confident of their banks, "Look, first of all, everybody should have complete confidence in the banks. They're deposits are protected. They shouldn't be putting it in their mattresses. I will leave it up to others to provide individual, personal financial advice." You can read the transcript here and the video is below:

Of course, the clip that's getting most play is Obama's comment about his poor bowling skills—he's currently bowling a 129 and likened it to the "Special Olympics." ABC News' Jake Tapper said Obama delivered a "gutterball" with the appearance, pointing out that the Special Olympics remark could detract from his points about the economy.

Well, ABC News reports this morning that the president called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver from Air Force One before the Tonight Show aired to apologize. Shriver told Good Morning America, "He was very sincere, expressed an openness and an interest in being more engaging in the movement and said he was a fan of the movement. And I think importantly said he was ready to have some of our athletes over the White House to bowl or play basketball or help him improve his score."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on March 20, 2009 9:19 AM

Comments [rss]

ides_of_march

A man who takes a private 747 cross country to chit-chat with Jay Leno should not be lecturing anyone else about fuel usage and carbon emissions.

jpeditor

"A man who takes a private 747 cross country to chit-chat with Jay Leno should not be lecturing anyone else about fuel usage and carbon emissions."

TELL IT!

fivefootmohawk

Fuck politically correctness. Fuck it in it's holier-than-thou ass.

SeasTooFarToReach

The entire show is on Hulu

http://www.hulu.com/watch/63587/the-tonight-show-thu-mar-19-2009

ides_of_march

Rome burns, Nero fiddles.

Amateur night at the White House every night.

tmz is evil

Nothing's burning, Drama Queen. Calm down.

Shinobi Shaw

Check this out, Obama is just a puppet working for private off-shore banks.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7886780711843120756

Learn, people, learn!

Shinobi Shaw

HAH! Obama's approval by the american people is dropping faster then Bush's.

just saying

Obama's appearance on Jay Leno's show was ill-advised. I realize that his probable intent was to bring his message directly to the American public. But it was almost offensive to see Obama laughing and joking about so much trivia when so many people are suffering in these hard economic times. (And I did vote for him.)

Regular Guy

So far Obama has been an embarrassment; from "the worst crisis since the great depression" to "the economy is sound" it is apparent he's in a bit over his head but he does have time to recover...The truth is we all voted for him based on his promise of hope and change and even the most ardent supporter knew he would have a tough time with his first term due to his lack of leadership experience...Was Leno a good call? IMO no because it cheapens the office into nothing more than a media circus, but BO is excellent at campaigning and public speaking so maybe he can redefine the office? who knows....Let's face it he wasn't elected for being any more than cool, so let him play it up...

unregistered_wiseguy

The question isn't does he have time to recover; the question is does he have the skill to recover. And there is no visible evidence that he possesses the skill.

unregistered_wiseguy

It's just so unfair of conservatives to make fun of Obama for a slip of the tongue when liberals treated Bush with nothing but class and dignity every time he misspoke about something.

SP

"liberals treated Bush with nothing but class and dignity every time he misspoke"

I agree. Bush was treated with a disproportionate amount of respect. He should have been impeached, and he and his father, and all the senior members of both their administrations, should be sitting in a war crimes tribunal in the Hague right now.

jpeditor

"and he and his father, and all the senior members of both their administrations, should be sitting in a war crimes tribunal in the Hague right now."

Right after Clinton is arrrested for bombing the serbs, and for letting osama run around and bomb everything from 93 on...

click

nothing was more demeaning to the office then having it occupied by bush...and so what if he went on a late night talk show? when is this country going to get the stick out of its ass and worry about the things that are actually important???

i couldn't agree more about conservatives having the collective memory of a goldfish. they say that obama is making the stock market fall. it is absolutely f***ing unbelivable.

Potty Boy

It's only a gaffe and newsworthy because a portion of America is politically correct, and some people in the media have an agenda to sensationalize this.

America, let's grow a set, and get back to business.

SP

True. I find it hilarious that convervative jackasses are always pissing and moaning about political correctness, but in this instance, they are sooooooo offended. Right. Hypocrite assholes.

Bernie Madoff-Goetz

At least he didn't use the expression "full retard."

capnronman

Look, if you think a president appearing on a talk show is demeaning to the office, you are missing the point. He is not on there to on a whim to chat it up with Jay. He is on there to show America that if a president will appear on this kind of show, things must not be as bad as all that. He’s trying to help restore confidence. Ya see, he’s smart. Not like the last guy. And if you don’t believe me I have some mortgage backed securities I’d like to sell you.

jpeditor

" He is on there to show America that if a president will appear on this kind of show, things must not be as bad as all that."

Call back when you have lost your job.

"He’s trying to help restore confidence."

Maybe he should try not tripling the deficit in 60 days or blowing off all our allies while sucking up to terrorists.

" Ya see, he’s smart. Not like the last guy. And if you don’t believe me I have some mortgage backed securities I’d like to sell you."

Will they be backed by Fannie and Freddie in the pocket of Dodd, Franks, Obama, Waters and Rangel, and be immune to criticism from Repubs who wanted MORE REGULATION on bullcrap loans?

janelle

129 is about my average. i'm no pro, but i don't think that's so bad!

unregistered_wiseguy

It's getting easier to understand why he's picking up the nickname "President Teleprompter."

SP

He was funny, relaxed, and pretty eloquent actually. Yes, it is easy to understand why the Rush Limbaugh crowd would want to dub him with that stupid nickname, because they are fundamentally dishonest and have the collective memory of a goldfish.

mocanlagunas

He wasn't using a teleprompter yesterday and I think he talked very well... not like some previous retard that I want to forget...

nycviabos

It certainly is since the Republican talking points and conservative dittoheads have been stressing use of that "nickname" for weeks, if not months.

ereene

We finally have a president who is articulate, intelligent, and knows how to speak good English, and then some crack reporter at the Times transcribes "They're deposits are protected." And gothamist not only reprints the error, but in bold. To paraphrase Ross, they're means "they are". Their means theirs. It's not rocket science people!

Gothamist_Cynic

Wow conservatives are really desperate.

chris26

I once bowled with the special olympics.... they all whooped our asses.

Not many things in the world these kids can do but bowl is one of them.

It was like Robin Williams in Awakenings.

Outter Burrougher

De Niro played the catatonic person who "awakens" - Robin Williams was the doctor that woke them all up

NannyState

But DeNiro did indeed reverse that role on his Late Night With Jimmy Fallon appearance...

famdoc

He demeaned himself and the presidency by going on a program usually reserved for foolish celebrities hyping their latest film/recording/tour/etc. I was embarrassed that, on day 56, he has resorted to jokes and repartee.

I voted for the guy, am impressed with his handling of the job thusfar, but it's time to get back to work.

SP

Funny, I find lying to the world, committing war crimes, and bankrupting the world economy to be demeaning to the presidency. I guess we just have a different set of moral standards.

tmz is evil

Touche!

Brooklynbobby

Really!!!! Grow up, asshole!!!

famdoc

I'm an open-minded asshole. So, tell me Brooklynbobby and others, why should I be pleased that Obama got on Leno and joked about his bowling score and the Starburst candy on Marine One? Because he's a decent, ordinary guy? I know that. Because he has a sense of humor? I know that, too. No, I think it was an orchestrated public relations gimmick and I think he should be above all that.

Now, capnronman presents some reasonable arguments supporting Obama's Leno appearance. But, I see people every day who are still losing their jobs or at risk for losing their jobs. An appearance on Leno does little to reassure them that things are getting better.

Dude69

Yeah, and what about the Special Olympians who have lost their jobs!? I guess in the minds of liberals Prez Teleprompter can do no wrong, since he turned out to be Pelosi and Reid's hand puppet anyway.

Palin/Jindal 2012!

Nyctini11

U can't be serious? Is he NOT allowed to have a life? he really doesn't have to work 24/7, chill out. I really appreciate the fact that he's human and let's us see this side of hijm. I find it seriously alarming when the only we see an "Official" is at a press conference. Wow, i'd hate to work for you.