According to many in the media, President Obama’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show Tuesday was swoon-worthy, as he “slow jammed” his talking points on student loan interest rates. Yes, I had to find out what “slow jamming” meant. In this case it was the president intoning his words to a rhythm-and-blues beat provided by Fallon’s band.
Obama’s media pals pronounced it marvelous, because it was marvelous in their sight. For the rest of us, it was meaningless.
It was meaningless because Obama’s coolness is mere entertainment — it doesn’t help anyone get a job.
In fairness, I can see why the president needs to revive his “cool” image. Cool worked for him four years ago against a decidedly uncool opponent. And back in the nineties, being the nation’s entertainer-in-chief got Bill Clinton two terms in the White House (remember that saxophone, and that … never mind).
Some say Fallon’s show was watched by 2 million people, mostly the younger demographic Obama was reaching for. Let’s think about who was watching for a moment.
I’ll bet a lot of viewers were watching from their parents’ sofas. They were on those sofas because they can’t get jobs — and they’re stuck living at home.
Other watchers were probably night-shift security guards. While they might feel lucky to have a job, they’re likely frustrated too, as they consider their older siblings who got on the job market back when the economy was good.
For the guards and those in similar jobs, it’s like being trapped on the bottom of the economic escalator; the ones in front will always be many steps ahead.
Now let’s add in the viewers who wanted to spend their evening somewhere else but were trapped at home thanks to high gas prices, and the waitresses resting their feet after yet another slow night with lousy tips. Do you think they want better entertainment or a better economy from their president?
So I ask: As Americans, are we laughing ourselves into settling for a “new normal” of continual high unemployment? Are we being lulled by slow-jamming promises of a green economy that will never materialize? Are we dancing to the beat of that exploding federal debt?
Or will we finally grab the remote and change the channel come November?
Joanne Butler is a senior economics fellow at The Caesar Rodney Institute of Delaware. You can email her at joanne-butler@comcast.net.