On Thursday, March 16, history was made when the president of the United States made an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
This appearance was received with mixed controversies being the first by any president while in office.
Many argue that with the present state of the economy, it was just not the right time for any public comedy by the commander in chief.
Obama commented that he thinks the American people understand that it “took us a while to get into this mess,” and it will sure take a while to get out of it.
The studio audience responded with cheers when he ended, “… they are going to give us some time.” In a sense, he is correct because he is a “fixer” and due to the nature at which he met the economy, he actually needs time to get the economy where it has to be.
This appearance also brought out the fast-changing culture in America where comedy and politics combine with ease.
The president took a great portion of the time pitching the late-night audience on issues of the economy and addressed the issue of American people being enraged over the bonuses paid to the workers at American International Group, Inc., or AIG. The president spent some time explaining the transition of AIG from a “regular old insurance company” into a risk-taking enterprise entitled to mortgage-backed securities whose failure was a big threat to the U.S. economy.
It was also a great moment getting the president’s financial views as he urged everyone to have confidence in the banks because their deposits are protected.
He gave the audiences and viewers the feeling of hope which should emanate from setting the mind right because this is the only way we can get out of the economic turmoil.
When Leno teased the president on his poor bowling skills as he exhibited during the primaries, Obama compared his poor skills to the Special Olympics. This resulted with the president giving a call to the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, from Air Force One on his way to the White House.
Viewers expressed mixed feelings about the president’s appearance on the show. One school of thought is that it reflected badly on the office. Others believe it was a follow-up of Obama’s campaign.
Some say that Obama is simply being himself – a normal guy.
What really is wrong with a little levity in times like this? After all, he already proposed a solution to the crisis. It is just a matter of time to see its effects on the economy.
After all is said, it is understood that despite all odds, this appearance provided more knowledge on the economic affairs than it did to comedy. It was just one of the ways Obama wanted to take some time off from his busy schedule while doing some work at the same time.

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