Althouse: The audience completely failed to cheer or applaud when Jon Stewart announced that Obama was the guest on "The Daily Show."

October 20, 2012

The audience completely failed to cheer or applaud when Jon Stewart announced that Obama was the guest on "The Daily Show."

Here's the whole show. You'll have to put up with a commercial, and then what I'm talking about happens is the first thing after the intro music, 20 seconds in.

"Hey, everybody," Jon Stewart yells in his usual way, trying to get people stoked for the show. "Welcome to 'The Daily Show,' my name is Jon Stewart. We got a good one for you tonight. On our program, uh..." He looks comically at his notes as if maybe he forgot he has the President of the United States on his show. He continues, using a rising inflection obviously intended to evoke a strong response from the audience: "this evening, tonight, the President of the United States Barack Obama..." Nothing. Cheers were intended there. Stewart elongates the sentence with material that I think was either improvised or intended to be muttered overwhelmed by rapturous noise from the audience: "... will be joining us on the program tonight." And then a joke: "He's the star of the new film 'Here Comes the Boom.'" And that gets a laugh, a small laugh, which is interesting because of the way it points up the contrast to the utter absence of reaction to the news that the President was on the show.

This audience — presumably, the key demographic of young adults who went mad for the man last time — is not excited at all.

ADDED: It's "Here Comes the Boom," not "Here Comes the Boo," as I thought I heard, transcribing. I pictured something for Halloween, but it turns out: "A high school biology teacher looks to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school."

58 comments:

Expat(ish) said...: I'm having trouble imagining Mitt on The Daily Show. I can see Ryan, but not Mitt.

Has Hilary or Biden ever been on?

-XC

PS - Meant to say that they must be tired of him on there. How many visits?; 10/20/12, 8:28 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Massive unemployment and financial destitution always spoil the party.

That Obama is so clean and articulate!; 10/20/12, 8:33 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: Rock star.; 10/20/12, 8:35 AM
David said...: I bet they changed their mind after he explained Libya.; 10/20/12, 8:36 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: Lots of puns about whether women are "turned on."

So, today is going to be all about women getting off!

It's the Revenge of the Vaginas!

I hope that the Japanese government isn't as cruel as Uncle Sam! I'll bet the Japs spring for the 9 bucks for the birth control pills! Jap girls don't have to suffer like Sandra Fluke!; 10/20/12, 8:43 AM
Sydney said...: According to The Google, he's been on the show 6 times now. So why would having him on be a big surprise? He's a regular.; 10/20/12, 8:44 AM
Peter said...: How could audience members not have suspected something was up? There would have been a security screening at the entrance to the theater, with barricades on the street outside, and all sorts of cops and Secret Service types in the area.; 10/20/12, 8:48 AM
Wince said...: The caption under the video screen included, "Samantha Bee explains why women voters are turned off by the debates."

Is this part of condescending media campaign to "explain" to you stupid women what you (should) think about the election? Now that you stupid likely women voters are splitting your vote between the two candidates in swing states.

CNN's Yellin: Romney Made Women Sound Like "Mail-Order Product" With Binder Comment

(Video at link.)

“Look, Anderson, it was very unfortunate for Gov. Romney, because it sort of raises this question: Can he relate to working women?” Yellin said. “You know, it made it sound almost like working women are some mail-order product you can order out of colored binders. … And the problem for Gov. Romney is two-fold. One, if he’s trying to show, and he is, that he can relate to and understand the frustrations working women go through, this does not suggest that he understands the sense of ‘outsiderness’ many women feel when they work in largely male environments.”

“And, two, it raises a question, this is a man who, at the time he became governor, had been a top executive in the business world for multiple decades, and didn’t he already know qualified women that he could call upon?” Yellin said. “Why did he need to go outside and get a binder full of women to find some? Now, as Jim [Acosta] just pointed out, he actually did know women, and he had some on his staff, so he did himself a disservice with the way he phrased this, Anderson. But the Obama team is getting mileage out of it.”

Romney gathering qualified women he doesn't know to do a job, unlike Obama who would call upon his all too familiar gaggle of ideological hack hens?; 10/20/12, 8:52 AM
Mark said...: If you watched the show, it was mentioned that the the entire audience is veterans, I think female vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I never thought that applause was a common response among service members whenever their commanding officer is announced, but maybe I have that wrong.; 10/20/12, 8:55 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: That gives me a little hope.
I don't watch Stewart because I find Colbert an insufferable progressive a-hole.; 10/20/12, 8:57 AM
BaltoHvar said...: Timing - he rushed the reveal to get to the punch "...Star of the new..." and the audience did not have time to applaud the reveal. The laughter after the punch seemed rather nervous. They realize "Here Comes the Boom" might be indeed.

It just seems ALL so contrived and unserious these appearances on fluffy shows instead of sitting down regularly with bona-fide news/talk interviews. Romney does. One would think Team-O would understand that. Oh wait...; 10/20/12, 8:58 AM
KCFleming said...: The US is gonna need some of that old Soviet socialist magic.

The first one to stop clapping disappears. We'll learn.; 10/20/12, 8:59 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: EDH -

Fix for CNN's last bit:
"But the desperate, empty and bankrupt Obama team is getting mileage out of it."

Binders!; 10/20/12, 9:01 AM
sakredkow said...: Ridiculous.; 10/20/12, 9:02 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I never thought that applause was a common response among service members whenever their commanding officer is announced, but maybe I have that wrong.

Have you seen that video (someone linked it here a week or so ago) that contrasts a Bush visit to some Marines in Iraq with an Obama visit? The Marines went bananas when President Bush came in. Hootin, hollerin, whistlin, etc.; 10/20/12, 9:02 AM
ricpic said...: Does Barry's rejection by Stewart's audience mean we're about to be delivered from rule by cool?; 10/20/12, 9:04 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Here Mark, I found it.; 10/20/12, 9:04 AM
Christy said...: Hey! A great scary costume for Halloween in Madison this year - A big binder full of women.; 10/20/12, 9:12 AM
AllenS said...: Wow, Erika, it's easy to see why nobody in the audience of veterans was very happy to see the POTUS.; 10/20/12, 9:14 AM
Tim said...: #ObamaStale

#ObamaNeedsYouthVote-YouthYawn; 10/20/12, 9:15 AM
I'm Full of Soup said...: I hope a President Romney will refuse to lower himself by going on these pop culture venues. We have had four too many years of a cool, hip, incompetent president.; 10/20/12, 9:16 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Erika - wow.
I'd like all the leftwing hollywood jerks to watch that.; 10/20/12, 9:16 AM
michaele said...: My first commercial was a movie trailer with the word 'DOOM' in extra big letters followed by the words 'To Hell'.
I didn't expect such truth in advertising on The Daily Show.; 10/20/12, 9:21 AM
Dr Weevil said...: Wait a minute: this was an all-veteran audience, in a venue where they're expected to applaud as a matter of course, presented with a surprise guest who turns out to be their commander-in-chief (more pressure to applaud), near the end of a campaign in which he needs all the votes he can get, and isn't getting very many from veterans?
Does anyone else think this was a setup to get pictures of Obama being applauded by veterans to use in his campaign? Did he (or his staff) think he wouldn't be able to get any such pictures without trickery? If so, they were half right: apparently, he couldn't even get them with trickery.; 10/20/12, 9:25 AM
virgil xenophon said...: Soldiers have long memories. Remember when Hillery used White House assigned uniformed Officer Aide de Camps as waiters to serve hors d'oeuvres? Or when Obama "advisor" (with her own secret service detail) Valerie Jarrette mistook the formal dress of a 4-star general for a waiters uniform and asked him to get her a drink at a WH cocktail party? Ah yes, GREAT respect for those in uniform by the Donkeys..; 10/20/12, 9:26 AM
Mark said...: Yes, Erika, that is such an exact example of the same situation it is clear as night.

But hey, let's parse this all into micro-segments ... that way we can ignore the applause when he is officially introduced later in the show.

It's hilarious how this one episode is now being pieced into little chunks for partisan flamethrowing.; 10/20/12, 9:35 AM
Steven said...: It's funny because it's plausible.; 10/20/12, 9:36 AM
Sam L. said...: I'll bet there were a lot of binders in the audience.

Oh, vets. And Democrats are trying to keep vets from voting absentee, or prevent their votes from being counted. Applause would be wasted on The Won.; 10/20/12, 9:39 AM
S. said...: Am I the only one who thinks the POTUS going on these types of shows is low rent? Cripes. Seems like there should be a better use of his time. And I would feel this way for any POTUS going on Letterman, Jon Stewart, The View etc.; 10/20/12, 9:39 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Um, Mark, you were wondering out loud if applause is a common response from servicemembers when their CiC is introduced. I gave an example of enthusiastic applause of a CiC introduction to suggest that maybe you're barking up the wrong tree. What exactly do you have your panties in a twist about?; 10/20/12, 9:46 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: Not sure if Obama should do anything unscripted at this point. The "not optimal" comment was clearly not optimal for his campaign. Saw this yesterday: 'My son is NOT very optimal... he is very dead': Mother of U.S. diplomat killed in Libya attack slams 'insensitive' Obama's comment about security fiasco.; 10/20/12, 9:48 AM
john sager said...: TOAST; 10/20/12, 9:58 AM
edutcher said...: Toldja this was happening.

Ever since the Skippy Gates thing, fewer and fewer people watch him on TV.

If he was a series, he would have been cancelled at midseason of 2011.; 10/20/12, 10:09 AM
Rich Vail said...: TO be honest...the President doesn't belong on "entertainment" shows at all. He has much too much to do, and wasting time on a show that isn't going to ask any substantive questions is countre productive.; 10/20/12, 10:10 AM
Anonymous said...: Nah - I wish but that's a big reach. He justed flubbed the intro. He rushed it and didn't give the audience a chance to cheer.; 10/20/12, 10:13 AM
john sager said...: TOAST; 10/20/12, 10:15 AM
cubanbob said...: "... will be joining us on the program tonight." And then a joke: "He's the star of the new film 'Here Comes the Boom.'"

If Stewart had changed that to here comes the Choom he would have gotten howls of laughter.; 10/20/12, 10:17 AM
clint said...: Dr Weevil said...

" Does anyone else think this was a setup to get pictures of Obama being applauded by veterans to use in his campaign?"

Ugh.

Now I do.

That's just sad and pathetic.

Can't wait to see what desperation drives the Obama campaign to in the next couple of weeks.

Not at all as psyched to see what the two months of lame duck status produce.; 10/20/12, 10:27 AM
Unknown said...: First, they laughed at him and that was intolerable.

Then,they ignored him...which was worse.; 10/20/12, 10:31 AM
Renee said...: Obama has radio ads on local radio in Massachusetts. I found it strange, because he will win the state. It was an appeal to college age voters, it really treated them as idiots.

It starts off informing the listener that Romney has TWO degrees from Harvard, and not one, so he should know the importance of an education. And that under Romney he would cut education funding, and without an education that young adults can not get a job, buys a house with a yard. I'm assuming Obama was referencing college funding. It ends with, 'Obama gets it.'

I had my children in the car, I informed that Obama has a degree from Harvard as well. As much as I disagree with Obama, I do not speak poorly of the President in front of my children. He's the President, while not royalty he has a tough job.; 10/20/12, 10:48 AM
John Bragg said...: Sorry Ann, your interpretation is off. I've been watching the Daily Show for a long time--Stewart didn't pause for applause there, he went to his joke.

The President wasn't a surprise guest--Stewart mentioned it at least on the show the night before. So the audience knew he was coming.

Did Stewart not get the rapturous appluase he expected in the pre-show, and call an audible? Sometimes he'll hype a guest like Flava Flav would, sometimes he'll underplay it.

Oh, and EDH, the Samantha Bee segment was all about satirizing the condescending turning-women-on/off analysis.; 10/20/12, 10:54 AM
PatCA said...: The audience seems to be experiencing the pre-preference cascade moment: hey, I don't like the guy anymore, but maybe the rest of these guys do, so I won't clap, or maybe I should. I don't know! Am I the only one?; 10/20/12, 10:56 AM
Mary Beth said...: Vets didn't make up the whole audience. The "women warriors" were in the first two or three rows in the center.

The comment that it wasn't Obama didn't have anything to do with it, it was the USO's idea to bring them there, struck me as an odd thing to say.; 10/20/12, 10:57 AM
Anonymous said...: I think you folks are missing the obvious reason President Obama got a zero response from his audience - Obama was addressing the Marine Corpse...; 10/20/12, 11:20 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Sorry Ann, your interpretation is off. I've been watching the Daily Show for a long time--Stewart didn't pause for applause there, he went to his joke."

I didn't say he paused for the audience response, He announced the name in a style that he normally uses on the show with an inflection intended to get a reaction and the elongation of the sentence (full of repeated words) was supposed to be drowned out by cheers (if it was pre-written) or is improvised to hide the disappointment and fill the empty space when the cheers do not come.

Check out the opening moments of other episodes where he names a guest -- like a popular actor -- and maybe you'll understand my point. He has a style that covers up the absence of applause, so you might not notice how awkward it is. But the lack of applause is obvious to me, because I've watched hundreds of his shows and I know how these introductions are down and how Stewart interacts with his audience. Obama is on the show for a big boost, which Stewart thoroughly intends to give him, and this absence of reaction is telling.'

You say you are familiar with the show, but I'd say you're either not observant of the relevant details or you're in denial.; 10/20/12, 11:21 AM
Cedarford said...: Bruce Hayden said...
Not sure if Obama should do anything unscripted at this point. The "not optimal" comment was clearly not optimal for his campaign. Saw this yesterday: 'My son is NOT very optimal... he is very dead': Mother of U.S. diplomat killed in Libya attack slams 'insensitive' Obama's comment about security fiasco.

===================
I for one am getting sick of the "unlimited moral authority" we confer on Victim's Relatives.

How we have to walk on eggshells to please them. How if they get huffy or make political or financial demands as celeb victim Family - we must kowtow to them.

Romney told a nice story about one of the dead ex-SEALs - how he had met him in a party Romney accidentally crashed with his wife and had a good chat on him being from Massachusetts, skiing and places out West. And not knowing it was him, had sent condolances to his family...which once Romney saw the name and knew he knew him from a party ...he followed up with a call to the dead man's wife "I met him, he was a wondrful young man". His wife appreciated it.

Unfortunately for Romney, the Mother is a liberal activist in Massachusetts hates Romney, and as co-Victim, also possessing Absolute Moral Authority - complained that unlike the wife, she was OFFENDED!!!.
So when the press got it, they ran with how Romney OFFENDED the grieving mother by his condolences and mentioning he had met this "fine young guy" to the media.; 10/20/12, 11:22 AM
Al the Fish said...: Remember how Stewart gets away with comments on his show by saying he does comedy, not news. So the POTUS was there to make a joke? (Out of himself.); 10/20/12, 12:31 PM
Lawyer Mom said...: Well, the link was dead so I ran over to Hulu.

Anyway, I couldn't concentrate. Why is Obama wearing a pink bracelet? And does he ever take the coaster off the top of his coffee mug?; 10/20/12, 12:43 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: The audience completely failed to cheer or applaud when Jon Stewart announced that Obama was the guest on "The Daily Show.

In what way is that a failure? Maybe they completely succeeded in not cheering.; 10/20/12, 12:52 PM
Peter said...: Obama has radio ads on local radio in Massachusetts. I found it strange, because he will win the state.

Maybe the stations have listeners in New Hampshire?; 10/20/12, 12:57 PM
Peter said...: Obama has radio ads on local radio in Massachusetts. I found it strange, because he will win the state.

Maybe the stations have listeners in New Hampshire?; 10/20/12, 12:57 PM
Renee said...: Peter, I live near the NH border. The Obama commercials are different on the NH stations. This one was geared solely to the 18-24 crowd. Assuming colleges students in Boston.; 10/20/12, 1:45 PM
BaltoHvar said...: PatCA - How awkward would it have been HAD there been a pause to let the audience applaud, and maybe only a small set did so? Only a smattering, as they say. That would have been hilarious in an "unintended consequences" kind of way.

Carson used to be a master at this after telling a klunker. But with a short time left and a campaign that appears to be foundering, it would have been disastrous.; 10/20/12, 5:54 PM
Anonymous said...: Those shows usually have a warm-up and coaching. It likely was not a surprise to the audience that Obama would be on. There was probably a reason for their lack of reaction though I have no idea what it was.; 10/20/12, 9:31 PM
Robert Cook said...: "If Stewart had changed that to here comes the Choom he would have gotten howls of laughter."

Not unless the audience had wandered in thinking they were attending Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Outside the rabid right, no one would know what "choom" meant. (I only know it has something to do with Obama having smoked pot in college or something because someone here keeps using the term and I asked what it meant.); 10/20/12, 9:55 PM
Anonymous said...: From day one, everything about Obama and his reception has been carefully stage managed and manipulated. But now the message is failing, the telepromptors are no longer working, and when the sign in the studio says "laugh" or "applaud", the audience just shrugs its shoulders. Even if they support Obama, people are becoming tired of gimmicks, tired of all the same old tricks, and tired of spin. Everything about Obama, including his hair, has just gotten old.; 10/20/12, 10:05 PM
Ralph L said...: Obama having smoked pot in college
The Choom Gang was in high school. We heard about it from the archconservative David Maraniss of the WaPo.; 10/21/12, 12:20 AM
Thucydides said...: Now that the emperor was exposed on live TV, it won't be long before the applause stops for the likes of Jon Stewart as well.; 10/21/12, 10:16 PM