Video Of The Week: Obama On Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee

Comments (Archived):

1. This was funny. Security guard at gate; well played.

   1. An unexpected Drone landing would have been a nice touch.

2. CORVETTE Stingray 1963 in ice blue!!! I’m in love!

3. That was very entertaining, but I was expecting they would go to Starbucks or Blue Bottle. Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau had his year-end interview on CBC at a Balzac coffee location that was cleared for the occasion.”This car looks like a submarine.” Why don’t they make cars like that anymore?Loved this: “How many leaders are out of their mind?” “A pretty sizeable number. The longer they stay in office, the more likely it is to happen.”I like the coffee mug. I want one like it for my morning latte. But kidding aside, I don’t think any of the next US presidential candidates are going to be as cool as Obama. Look North for the coolest leader 🙂

   1. They do let Obama out to visit regular places (Ben’s Chili Bowl, Five Guys, etc.) but he’d have to be in the tank and not Jerry’s car.

   2. Cinematically and comically (or whatever it’s called) the way they did this actually opens up and gives you more material to work with. A sit down anywhere for an extended length makes it more like a typical interview or late night appearance. Note all of the props that they were able to work into this bit.

      1. Well, we got to see parts of the White House and driving on the lawn which was interesting.I would have had them start outside in a public coffee shop, and then pretend they get chased out because they were outed, so Seinfeld tells the President to meet him at the back, and he picks him up from the alley and they drive fast into the streets of Washington and go back to the White House, and it continues as they actually have done it there.

         1. Seinfeld doesn’t give enough money (like Larry David) to get that type of access and flexibility. Plus that would require a great deal of Secret Service clearances and advance work.I wonder how Seinfeld (the nerd narcissist) feels about Larry David’s public success. I am guessing it must be hard for him in a way. I can’t see that he would actually be happy about that. Nobody but people in the business knew anything about Larry David prior to him having his own show. Kind of makes you think about all of the behind the scenes people that are out there who make guys like Seinfeld a success.

            1. True, I had not noticed Larry David until he came out with Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO. And honestly, I’m not finding Seinfeld a fraction funny of what he was during the TV series days. I keep wanting to see what his 2nd act is, but it’s not there.

            2. Noting that anything creative generally relates to hunger and the amount of pain that you feel or emotion. That’s why many musical artists do their best work early on rather than when they are fat and lazy and no longer can create any hits. My theory anyway. (Everyone wants to hear the music from back in the day in other words.) There are exceptions of course. Not a big Seinfeld fan so I can’t give an opinion of any change in the humor but I wouldn’t be surprised if the humor correlated at that time to the pressure that he is under and needing to prove himself which was undoubtedly greater in his early years on network TV rather than doing some web series with limited viewing and not needing the money or the success. No pain no gain.

            3. Think you might be right, though, it’s also fair to say that Seinfeld’s standup was a bit generic even pre-sitcom. I always felt his delivery was brilliant, but the material wasn’t amazing.

            4. Agree it’s all in the tone of his voice and the delivery. Also the reason that women often don’t get the same opportunities as men do. It’s not just about what you say it’s delivery and how you sound saying the words. (Pauses, inflection, phrasing and all of those other ways that are used to describe this.)

            5. Well, unconscious bias is everywhere…if that’s what you mean?

            6. You mean sub-conscious, right?

            7. No, I meant unconscious, although the two are occasionally used interchangeably (as far as I’m aware, in both research literature and common language)

4. Fred, does this make you a “car guy”???

   1. No

      1. Yeah seriously 60’s era car not only with no safety features but spewing all kinds of fumes as well. Modern day cars are infinitely better I’ve never gotten the “old car” thing (but then again I don’t get watches either).

5. ‘Running Wild with Bear Grylls & President Obama’ also shows how cool and funny he is:* https://m.youtube.com/watch…

   1. Wow – fantastic video. Thanks for sharing!

6. .Only a freakin’ dork drives a ‘Vette that is NOT a convertible. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a “good” car. A kiss your sister kind of car.”Are their cooler cars?”Yes, there are. Did you notice any of those astronauts sitting in hard tops? Let me help you, answer: “No.”Because if you are going to drive a cool car, a truly cool car, IT IS A FREAKIN’ CONVERTIBLE.This is why this guy, Seinfeld, and this President are what they are — poseurs, fakirs, naifs, dorks.Who the fuck drives a hardtop when they can drive any car in the world? The Big Red Car knows the answer to that.[OK, it was actually a sweet little bit of banter. I enjoyed it.]JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

   1. My ’86 911 Turbo Porsche White Coup was as cool as they get my friend;)

      1. .Arnold, as cool as YOU can get?No sale.Haha.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      2. The newer ones are actually much nicer. But then again you traded it all in for a subway pass.

         1. It was a phase long gone. When in SF and LA I drove an S4.Practical, safe, fast. Great car.If I find myself out west again that is what I’d get.

            1. 911 isn’t practical (as many nice things are in life) that’s why you also buy a Macan (very fast, has a turbo charger and handles great) or a Cayenne at least on the east coast.. 911 doesn’t even ship with tires you can drive on when it’s cold out you need another set of tires. Not an issue on the West Coast or the south of course. But a 911 will actually slip in a parking lot when the temperature drops below roughly 40o.

   2. He said, it was a submarine, not a car 🙂

      1. .Like there’s something wrong with a convertible submarine? Huh?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         1. Even James needs a hardtop underwater..https://www.youtube.com/wat…

            1. .Good one.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         2. Nothing wrong, as long as it includes scuba gear as standard.

   3. For that matter it was a slush. [1][1] Automatic transmission

      1. .I threw up a little in my mouth. Better go brush.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         1. Did you catch the “When I get older I’m going to ‘git’ me one?” because someone’s Dad or something had a Vette. [1] I think that shows that Obama actually did spend some time in the ghetto.[1] Or something like that I just remember the “git me one”.

            1. .Obama is half white and has never, ever lived in a ghetto. He is a white guy with a very good spray on tan.If he knew the ghetto, he would have slapped Seinfeld and taken that car from him. That would be ghetto.He would have said, “My car, white boy. Git!”Sorry for the insensitive racial stereotype micro-aggression. Completely inappropriate and unnecessary. It is Saturday morning.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

            2. 99/100 (-1 point for the apology although totally understandable..) Don’t bother deleting it I already have a screen shot.

   4. Convertible power. My ride. Need a paint job, like you.

      1. .Sweet ride. Very sweet. I can tell how it has raised your IQ immeasurably.But, then, you know that, don’t you?Very sweet.One more reason to love AVC.com?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

   5. Now very annoyed with myself because in April I photographed a GR8 sky blue Corvette convertible close to Flax art store in SF.It was part of this sequence of shots but now I can’t find the one with the Corvette, :(.Amongst my “quirks” is that I love photographing vintage and super-cars when they happen across my path. This has included the dual engines of a Bugatti, a Ferrari that the owner customized to look like a Batmobile and that corvette.

      1. Nothing that they are expensive as both a marketing strategy (better to price the car at 1 million, or even $400k then at $200k gets way more attention) and because just like the President’s beast it takes a great deal of money when things aren’t mass produced.

         1. Every summer this car parks itself in Knightsbridge.Look at its number plate. Numbers of … the Beast.

            1. .Doesn’t surprise me, the Beast is covering a lot of miles these days.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         2. Ferrari Batmobile.

   6. My Ferris Bueller moment: I dated a girl in college whose father had a classic vette (yes, a convertible). Her parents went away for a few days and I convinced her to let me take the car out for a spin. When a guy in front of me stopped short I rammed into him and cracked the whole front end. Luckily, a family friend of the girlfriend owned a quality body shop and fixed it for us at cost before the parents got home. Still was big bucks for a college kid. The dad never found out.

      1. Impossible for me to believe that actually happened. Stop making things up! [1][1] I am joking but in all honesty any guy who is in love with his car would easily notice any body work done to that car.

         1. You’re prob right, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the family friend told him on the QT, but he never said anything to me or my girlfriend at the time, as far as I know.

            1. See your story above is why I am such a hard ass with my stepkids. They are kept on a very short leash. A year or so ago one of their friends tried my rowing machine in the basement. When they said “my friend did it” as an excuse (as in “wasn’t me it was my friend”) I said “doesn’t matter if that happens you are taking the hit for it” (then did some kind of punishment or loss of privileges). Taught at an early age hard to believe they’d ever let someone drive my car or use anything really important.

            2. Lending out your car at an early age is the equivalent of letting your friend take your girlfriend to the movies ( I did both )

            3. I think lending out a car (or a woman) at any age shows you have no fear of loss which isn’t a good thing at least with a woman.One of the things that threw me about the airbnb thing (and I suspect the same with Fred from what he has written) is the tendency for some people not to have any pride in what they have (edit “not”) earned and the possibility of losing those things or those things getting damaged. Easy come easy go in other words. When you work hard for something, as a general rule, you will be more edgy and fearful about losing that thing that you love or even like or it getting damaged in some way. Reason my wife won’t drive my car but I can drive hers. She isn’t as emotionally attached and doesn’t experience the same beauty.Anyway it’s hard for me to wrap my head around taking a home or a vacation property and letting strangers live there. I’ve worked to hard for what I have to do that. Otoh I know some millenials that don’t have that fear and I suspect that has something to do with not earning (in the same way at least) what they have control over material possession wise.Edit: When my younger brother in law lived in an apartment in NYC and was traveling frequently he actually let strangers stay there with his new (very very attractive) wife. I simply couldn’t understand why he would do that. His wife finally said it made her uncomfortable but it amazed me that this even happened in the first place.

      2. .’Of course it was a convertible. You’ve already established exactly what kind of guy you are. It couldn’t be anything else.What happened with the girl?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         1. The girl must have gotten the Vette because only women get cars that are white typically.

            1. Apparently, we’re supposed to be into magenta-fuschia for Lamborghini Aventadors — although I’ve only ever seen slate gray ones in the Valley.Personally, I like this Dodge blue color … And there’s even a wool being sold in China called “dodge blue”!!!

            2. .I met her.Varicose veins, cankles, and running for President. Married some jerkoff named Bill.No loss.You’ve got the sweet convertible.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         2. Lost touch w/ her. She got married and popped a few kids. In addition to the vette, the family had a speed boat and a sweet country club membership. I was livin pretty large that summer. Sigh.

   7. I mean photos of cars like this one. It’s even better when they’re juxtaposed against ironic signage so that’s what I keep my eyes open for, LOL.

   8. Amarillo by morning up from San Anton in a 1977 Convertible Eldorado Bartitz

      1. .George Strait — I once hit a slice into his yard at the Dominion CC and he retrieved my ball. He was lounging at the pool.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

         1. Texas: room for Big Cars and Open Roads

            1. .There are a couple of drives in Texas that are otherworldly — the drive out to El Paso through Ft Stockton on IH 10, the drive from Sweetwater to Lubbock/Amarillo/Dumas on 385. Then there is the Texline to Raton, NM drive.On a sunny day ……………. wow.Big, big, big country. Filled to overflowing with history from before the invention of barbed wire.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

7. Like Obama’s analogy of being a President to playing football. Wonder what kind of sport maps to VC?

   1. I thought that was a really interesting answer. I think that explains a great deal about why he isn’t able to get deals done actually. Saying that it’s most like football and not like poker or giving another analogy. Politics is deal making, strategy and the art of compromise. I am not exactly sure how that relates to winning a football game other than sports strategy which is not the same as political strategy or business strategy. And I don’t think he was kidding either.

   2. Maybe it’s like betting on a soccer team. The only game where the lesser team can be wrong about everything, do one thing right – and win the exceptional team that did everything right, except this one mistake.

8. I thought he might be wearing an Apple Watch but it’s actually a fitbit:http://www.geekwire.com/201…

   1. Yep. I can understand Obama choosing Fitbit, since he does not have an iPhone the utility of the watch would be limited.

      1. Not sure why he needs a fitbit anyway. He doesn’t have a weight problem and he shouldn’t need some device to make sure he is getting the proper exercise or whatever you can track with that type of fitbit. Maybe I’m just unclear on the benefits of the fitbit beyond that vs. a traditional watch.

         1. Probably like all 4 of my kids’ grandparents this was a gift from his kids or other relatives that love their Fitbit and want him in their competitions (feedback loop)

            1. Just post the “stupid kids drawings” on the wall and be done with it. Seems like a great deal of work (putting on a watch everyday) just because you got it as a gift. But then again, that’s just me I’m selfish and not sentimental. However I am sure a guy who rises to the top of the heap is less selfish than I am…

            2. All of them love the Fitbit and the competitions

9. Interesting fact. Nice cars attract guys not girls. At least when you are older than college age.

10. Thoroughly enjoyable. Obama sure knows how to carry himself. Be interesting to see weather Putin could pull it off.

11. So Obama golfs with Larry David. I am thinking that is pretty much on the top of the Kickstarter reward chain ranking above being invited to a white house dinner but maybe right below sleeping over in the Lincoln bedroom. I wonder how much you money you need to raise for the President in order to get a golf outing?

12. Seinfeld: What’s the most embarrassing moment of your Presidency.Obama: This might be it.Thanks for posting, very enjoyable.

13. Should have done it in a Tesla

14. Obama’s likability is always fantastic.It’s a new world where Presidents are doing shows like this and the view…celebrity presidency.

    1. Honestly, I can’t imagine wanting to watch 19 minutes of any other president (or candidate) from the last 20 years in this type of format. I already suffer through a lot of C-SPAN just so I can assess how much they really know vs. how much of it is spin.

       1. The comedy worked because Obama makes a good straight man. As such I think that this would work with anyone since it’s easy to be the straight man and be dry and witty doesn’t take many words. One thing to note is that Seinfeld had a hard time letting him say something in some parts of this as he was hogging the spotlight and cutting off Obama.Seinfeld of course phones it in in some cases (and I did enjoy this to be clear) I mean asking “who sets the thermostat” is a just steps away from “Does Michelle get mad when you leave the toilet seat up?” (To which Obama might reply “we have people that lower that for me I don’t have to worry about that..”Was interesting also to see Obama whine about the “oh shit I’ve got to do this job” actually in a be careful what you wish for fashion. And to acknowledge that when doing things like this there is always an agenda by saying that he normally works “Obamacare” into “these types of things”.

       2. .Does that say something about you or him or both?JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

          1. Perhaps, though I was thinking it says something about the other presidents… I’m not a blanket Obama fan but if I’m going to watch politicians do non-political fare, he’s one of the few that are interesting. I have zero interest in hearing John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, W.Bush or others in this sort of format.

    2. There’s already a Celebrity Apprentice format in the executive branch. It’s called the Vice Presidency. Agnew, Humphrey, Quayle, Gore, Cheney, Biden, etc. all failed. Trump will make it PPV.

15. “And Then I Said Obamacare Would Lower Insurance Costs”

    1. IT did . Insurance rates went up less than any other year in decades. Plus millions now have coverage that couldn’t before.

16. You didn’t sell it… classic.

17. ” so, you are semi-retired now, right?” — “I mean, do you still do comedy, stand up?” …. 🙂

18. I am so glad I found out about this very enjoyable ‘interview’!Thank for giving me the chance…

19. Very excellent, Fred. Thank you.