Being There is, by far, my favorite movie. I don't know why it strikes me as so funny, probably that it is so dry, and the elites in it come off as naive, not wise.
Sellers' deadpanned lines including "honky," and the faces of the doctors, is too much. That, and using the teevee remote to "click off" the muggers.
Obama is no Chauncey Gardiner. Chauncey had humility and presumed his abilities were quite limited.
The point of "Being There" was the way in which the "elites" managed to make fools of themselves by seeing intelligence and profundity in someone who was retarded. Remember, Chauncey could not read or write. They viewed him as a sage when he was a kindly fool because they thought the others around them saw something they did not see. "Being There" was just a very funny, modern version of the Emperor's New Clothes ... without the tailors.
What's troublesome is that the movie has come to life.