And now, this from crankland USA
The Smartless podcast recently hosted two former Democratic presidents of the United States – Bill Clinton and Barack Obama – along with President Joe Biden
The hour-long program with the three presidents was not a hard hitting affair. The podcast hosts, actors Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes, are not Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Smartless is not cracked up to be the second coming of the Ezra Klein Show.
The interview was not without interest, however. Among the points made: The current president noted that his administration has poured more money into red states than blue ones for things like new roads and bridge repairs, the extension of broadband and semiconductor manufacturing, but getting that message out is extremely difficult. Have you noticed? Fox News doesn’t do much reporting on Biden administration achievements.
Nonetheless, Biden said, “I have an obligation to take care of the country.”
Jason Bateman, who has been in show biz since he was a kid, smartly recognized the entertainment dimensions of presidential politics.
Bateman even credited Donald Trump in this regard. “He’s a fun show to watch,” the pro-Biden Bateman said.
The star of “Arrested Development” tried, gingerly, to push Biden into putting in an appearance on Fox News with network host and Trump acolyte Sean Hannity.
Now that would be “must see TV.”
Biden didn’t take the bait.
Barack Obama suggested that running for president did not necessarily entail being amusing, though he did allow that it’s better to relate to voters with stories – perhaps the oldest form of entertainment – than with statistics.
Obama did his share of the talking. On America’s role in the world, he said, Sure, “we got our warts.” But the United States retains its preeminent position in the world. When something goes haywire in the world, other countries don’t dial Beijing or Moscow. They call the capital of the Free World. No one looks to China and Russia as beacons when the lights go out.
The podcast was mildly informative. Maddeningly informative were some of the comments about the show left behind on the show’s webpage.
It turns out that some Americans are simply out of their minds. Here are a number of examples deposited by Smartless commentators.
“Democrats are the CCP” – Chinese Communist Party – “of America.”
“The most corrupt presidents” – Biden, Obama, Clinton – “in history.”
A third claim, “They’re all deranged lunatics who are trying to destroy America…. Everything the Democrat Party has touched they’ve ruined.”
“Everyone here is anti-American & corrupt.”
“Democrats. The culture of hate.”
“The most corrupt president of all time” was directed at Obama.
More than a few comments went Obama’s way. Obama, of course, is African American. Is this the reason for the particular high level of vitriol?
“Never has a president left office to collude with others to impede the next sitting president … until Obama.”
“I’d sit this [election] out, you traitor.”
“Oh give up Barry, you stinking communist. Go play your game in Venezuela.”
“Why did you create ISIS?”
Alongside a photograph of Obama ran this comment, “The imposter.”
In addition to the promiscuous use of the word communist, there are the sleazy sexual allusions. Thus: Barack Obama is gay and Michele Obama is a man.
There was the photo-shopped image of Bill Clinton in a slinky red dress, and the always topical, Biden likes little girls.
“The average voter wants to do right,” Clinton told his hosts. That’s not for these folk, however, who dwell in a peculiar zone of unreality, a world both off the wall and off the grid.
Richard Robbins lives in Uniontown. He can be reached at dick.l.robbins@gmail.com.