Seeking Everyman, Obama Does Leno

Seeking Everyman, Obama Does Leno
http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/video/clips/president-obama-full-interview-319/1067541/
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: March 20, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/arts/television/21watch.html?hp


President Obama didn’t look burdened by his office on “The Tonight Show” on Thursday; he seemed bemused.

As he described the problems of American International Group and the credit crisis to Jay Leno, Mr. Obama behaved less like a beleaguered president than the head of a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia reporting back to the main office -- concerned and engaged, but intent on maintaining his professional distance and neutrality.

At times, he may have seemed a little too removed. When he described the plight of Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner ( “He understands that he’s on the hot seat, but I actually think that he is taking the right steps”) Mr. Leno jumped in and said teasingly, “Now, see, I love that it’s all his problem.” Mr. Obama tensed up and tried to correct himself, and it took him several beats to surrender to the joke and laugh along with the audience.

But overall Mr. Obama, the first sitting president to be a guest on “The Tonight Show,” delivered a familiarly smooth, winning performance in an unfamiliar setting – a fireside chat for the flat screen age.

Presidents have tested the dignity of their office on television in the past, of course, but rarely so early in their tenure. Former President George W. Bush made a brief appearance on a primetime game show last April – near the end of his second term and before the economy collapsed. ( “I’m thrilled to be on ‘Deal or No Deal’ with you tonight,” Mr. Bush said from a giant screen in a pre-taped cameo. ”Come to think of it, I’m thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days.” )

Like his predecessors, Mr. Obama has traveled out of the nation’s capital and held town hall meetings around the country. He chose to align himself with a late night comedian to signal as vividly as possible that a little more than midway through his first 100 days, he is still an outsider, in Washington, but not of Washington, not a combatant but an envoy sent there by voters to cease hostilities and clean up the mess.

Town hall meetings and West Wing news conferences do not convey the notion that the president is one of us. Making jokes on a talk show and drawing simple analogies for complicated issues -- which he did with great skill as a candidate – were a way to reassure and befriend viewers. The White House tapped Mr. Leno because he is viewed as the voice of the average Joe. At times, Mr. Obama managed to out-everyman Mr. Leno. “I do think in Washington it’s a little bit like `American Idol," Mr. Obama said with a grin. “Except everybody is Simon Cowell.”

And that desire to bond with ordinary viewers explains why Mr. Obama went on the show with so little fanfare or presidential ceremony. The President didn’t pre-empt Mr. Leno’s customary opening monologue and routine about wacky oddities (on Thursday, Mr. Leno did a show-and-tell of silly things found at a 99 cents store; one was a crucifix, made in China, with the words “Betty Boop” inscribed on the back.) And Mr. Leno didn’t deviate from his usual entrance each night, in which members of the audience are herded to the edge of the stage so the star can ruffle heads and grab hands, quite like a politician at a campaign rally. The band played “Hail to the Chief” as Mr. Obama walked out, but like any other guest, he shook hands with the band leader, Kevin Eubanks (who wore a suit for the occasion), then shook hands and half-hugged Mr. Leno.

He wore a tie, unlike the days when he was a candidate, and wore a dark suit and a white shirt with the collar opened, but he spoke informally, joking about the strange restrictions imposed by the Secret Service and noting that on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, his daughters were most awed by the dish of Starburst candies.

He had one impolitic moment when trying to make a self-deprecating joke about his bowling score of 129, saying, "That was like the Special Olympics or something." But mostly he stayed benign and folksy even while discussing the need to undo bonuses, fix banks and regulate credit card rates.

And inevitably, he talked about the long-promised family dog, joking that he might not get one after all. “This is Washington,” he said with a sly smile. “That was a campaign promise."