Barack Obama’s Turn on ‘Between Two Ferns’
With the March 31 deadline looming to shepherd as many of the uninsured as possible underneath the umbrella of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama has turned to Hollywood for a little help, appearing on Funny or Die’s parody talker, “Between Two Ferns .”
During the deliberately screwy program, host Zach Galifianakis typically walks guests through a minefield of insane questions and uncomfortable pauses.
POTUS fared better than most, firing back at Galifianakis with scripted comebacks skewering the comedian’s film career and personal hygiene. Joke writers apparently had plenty of time to prepare; The New York Times reported that Team BTF approached the White House about arranging the surreal sit-down last summer.
The preparation was wasted on Republicans, who were, understandably, not terribly amused.
Rep. Randy Weber of Texas couldn’t help but challenge the president’s priorities. (Benghazi’s still at the top of his list.)
Instead of wasting time with a parody interview, he should be focusing on finding answers re: #Benghazi
— Randy Weber (@TXRandy14) March 11, 2014
Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska bemoaned the lack of communication down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The President jokes w/ Zach Galifianakis about #Obamacare, but still won’t meet w/ Republicans to discuss commonsense healthcare solutions
— Rep. Adrian Smith (@RepAdrianSmith) March 11, 2014
House GOP leadership aide Doug Heye was sure he caught a whiff of desperation.
That President Obama is shilling Obamacare on “Between Two Ferns” ought to suggest that it’s not, um, popular.
— Doug Heye (@DougHeye) March 11, 2014
Assuming traditional news shows are officially off the table for the final ACA push, we here at HOH couldn’t help but wonder how Obama might handle mixing it up on other fake gabfests, including:
The life-threatening tactics employed by “The Eric Andre Show”
The ambush journalism practiced by “Troy and Abed in the Morning”
The earth shattering revelations exposed by “The Larry Sanders Show”
The raw brutality of “Space Ghost Coast to Coast”
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