Posted on 12/27/2008 8:23:44 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
On Friday morning’s The Early Show on CBS, viewers were treated to what almost seemed like a parody of Barack Obama’s mainstream media paparazzi fawning over the Democratic President-elect, as the show ran a report exploring the question of "How cool is Obama?" and co-hosts Harry Smith and Tracy Smith referred to Obama as "the man" and "the epitome of cool," respectively. Audio of the classic rock group the Chiffons singing "He’s So Fine" even played as the piece on Obama’s "coolness" began. Tracy Smith oozed as she plugged the segment: "We’re actually talking about how a lot of people think that President-elect Barack Obama is the epitome of cool. Look at that guy. Everything, I mean, even in a baseball cap. Don’t you think?" After Harry Smith referred to a New York Times article about the significance of Obama spending his childhood in Hawaii, Tracy Smith added: "That makes him even cooler."
Later during the 8:00 a.m. hour, Harry Smith introduced the report, which featured soundbites from GQ magazine’s Adam Rapoport and Joyce Corrigan of Marie Claire: "Many people are fascinated by President-elect Obama. They think he’s cool. So just how cool is he? We asked some people in the know."
After the report started with an audio clip of the Chiffons singing "He’s so fine," Rapoport declared that Obama "is someone that you look up to in sort of a pop culture way." After a clip of Rapoport talking about how unreal it feels that someone as "cool" as Obama could be President, Harry Smith gushed that GQ also says Obama is "the man": "But that’s exactly what Barack Obama will be. And as if being leader of the free world isn’t enough, GQ magazine says the man is also ‘the man.’"
Then came a soundbite of Rapoport: "Obama is one of those guys, and you’re just like, ‘That guy is a man.’ He is a man, and everyone around him knows it, and he knows it."
Corrigan compared Obama to a "male model" and, after another clip of Rapoport, Harry Smith continued: "On a ‘cool guy’ checklist, the style experts think Obama qualifies in just about every category."
After more clip of praise from Rapoport and Corrigan, and the revelation that Rapoport is more critical of Obama’s jeans, the story finally took a moment to acknowledge the possibility that Obama may not really be perfect:
HARRY SMITH: But be wary of Obama worship.
ROBERT THOMPSON, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF TELEVISION AND POP CULTURE: The Barack Obama administration right now is like the days before Christmas. There’s all this great stuff under the tree, and it’s all promise. Pure magic might be in there. Unfortunately, in those boxes might be a lot of good things, but there’s a lot of bad things that are going to be in those boxes as well.
The report ended as the final soundbite of Rapoport returned to the overall pro-Obama theme: "We’ll see how the next four years go, but so far, he’s walked the walk and talked the talk. And I think, as a guy, you really dig that."
Below is a transcript of the complete report from the Friday, December 26, 2008 The Early Show on CBS, from the 8:00 a.m. hour:
HARRY SMITH: Welcome back to The Early Show. I’m Harry Smith, along with Tracy Smith, and Maggie and Julie are off today.
TRACY SMITH: We’re talking about being cool.
HARRY SMITH: Mmm-hmm.
TRACY SMITH: I mean, you’re cool, but we’re actually talking about how a lot of people think that President-elect Barack Obama is the epitome of cool.
HARRY SMITH: Mmm.
TRACY SMITH: Look at that guy. Everything, I mean, even in a baseball cap.
HARRY SMITH: Right.
TRACY SMITH: Don’t you think?
HARRY SMITH: There was a whole thing in the Times yesterday about his being from Hawaii and a kind of a zen of what it’s like to be from Hawaii and that’s, how that might serve him well in the days and months to come.
TRACY SMITH: That makes him even cooler. There is one fashion faux-pas that he commits, and we’ll talk about that also, coming up.
...
8:18 a.m.
HARRY SMITH: Many people are fascinated by President-elect Obama. They think he’s cool. So just how cool is he? We asked some people in the know.
CLIP OF THE CHIFFONS SINGING THE SONG "HE’S SO FINE": Do-lang, do-lang. He’s so fine. Do-lang, do-lang, do-lang.
ADAM RAPOPORT, GQ MAGAZINE: The President, all of a sudden, is someone that you look up to in sort of a pop culture way, as kind of a remarkably exciting person to have in charge of us.
HARRY SMITH: Adam Rapoport, the style editor at GQ magazine, knows a thing or two about cool.
RAPOPORT: So I got my little Obama picture here in my desk drawer, which, when I saw this in the Times a few weeks ago, I was just like, all right, that’s not fair, that is too cool, he can’t possibly be President of the United States.
HARRY SMITH: But that’s exactly what Barack Obama will be. And as if being leader of the free world isn’t enough, GQ magazine says the man is also "the man."
RAPOPORT: Obama is one of those guys, and you’re just like, "That guy is a man." He is a man, and everyone around him knows it, and he knows it.
JOYCE CORRIGAN, MARIE CLAIRE: This is Barack Obama coming off his jet on the campaign trail, and it’s almost like a male model image, you know, he’s casual with his hand in his pocket, no tie, loosened shirt top. It’s just altogether, you know, black, white and gray is about as classy as you can get.
RAPOPORT: He looks great without the tie, with the sleeves rolled up. Some of the older politicians, they wear that look and it looks like, [SAID WITH SARCASM] "I’m rolling my sleeves up, I’m getting to work." Obama, he’s not trying to make a point by dressing this way. That’s the way he dresses.
HARRY SMITH: On a "cool guy" checklist, the style experts think Obama qualifies in just about every category.
CORRIGAN: He’s got a perfect, sort of, size 40 long, which is a male model size.
RAPOPORT: He can throw on the baseball cap and look like I actually own this cap and I wear it regularly.
CORRIGAN: Aviator glasses, cool wing-tip shoes.
RAPOPORT: You see those girls, and they’re just so beautiful and so happy. It’s kind of this classic American family.
HARRY SMITH: Rapoport says Obama is guilty, though, of one fashion faux-pas.
RAPOPORT: He could use some help in the jeans department. He’s kind of got the high-waisted bad jeans going. Don’t love those.
HARRY SMITH: Yet, there are plenty of other things he does right.
RAPOPORT: Listen, there’s a lot of guys that will play golf, there’s a lot of guy who plays tennis. That’s not cool, you know. If you can ball, if you can be on the courts, if you can walk down to the gym and get a little pick-up game going, that’s cool. Presidents don’t do that.
BARACK OBAMA: You know, I’ve got pretty eclectic tastes. I’ve got everything from Miles Davis to Stevie Wonder to Frank Sinatra to Jay-Z.
HARRY SMITH: But be wary of Obama worship.
ROBERT THOMPSON, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF TELEVISION AND POP CULTURE: The Barack Obama administration right now is like the days before Christmas. There’s all this great stuff under the tree, and it’s all promise. Pure magic might be in there. Unfortunately, in those boxes might be a lot of good things, but there’s a lot of bad things that are going to be in those boxes as well.
RAPOPORT: We’ll see how the next four years go, but so far, he’s walked the walk and talked the talk. And I think, as a guy, you really dig that.
Trying to make a geeky, wonkish metrosexual into John Wayne is much more than I'd ever attempt. Good luck, guys & gals!
One more example of why I gave up on the little 3 (NBCBSABC) in the early ‘80’s. I only tune in for sports. Otherwise, it’s Fox, ESPN and other stations for relatively unbiased stuff.
This is GAY!
WOW is this the way it is gonna be for the next 4 years, I already barfed when I read this, the media has really gone too far with their hero worship with this guy
I can’t read more than a part of the above.
It’s 0bama-porn and makes me very thankful I do not own a TV.
One of my favorite movies. “They all have one, you’ll see.” ... “You repo guys are out to lunch!”
Stories of the "How cool is X?" variety are the stuff of enthusiast publications such as the teen fan magazines of yesteryear. Whatever the reporters and producers of CBS news might be, it would be a grave mistake to confuse them with journalists.
I think he’s the equivalent of mud.
How long before this generates backlash? I certainly cannot believe it is anywhere near *cool* to go on and on about anyone’s *cool*. When do the pre-teenagers rebel and redefine cool again, for their generation?
I think my response, if I ever have to endure this in person, is going to be:”Oooooooh, that Obama!” (exaggerated swoon)
(rolls eyes)
It’s not hero worship. It is meme-setting. They are simply presenting the inculcation du jour.
Then what?
I think I am going to be sick.
This is getting so over the top that even some of the sheeple will get tired of it.
“WOW is this the way it is gonna be for the next 4 years...”
The MSM will be like this for his whole time in orifice.
BUT, the people will only give him about 6 months - then the patina of Bush-blaming will wear too thin and we’ll see if The One has anything or whether he’s just an empty robe.
I don’t want my president to be cool. I want him (or her) to take charge and do what’s right for the country. Cool is for high school cliques.
And since when has being a street thug been cool? I mean, outside of the ghetto culture.
Me thinks there’ll be 4 years of this drivel... they can only hit the Bush punching bag for so long before the sheeple that watch CBS’s Early Show get bored... then CBS will be wondering wtf... where did our ad revenue go?
Is this CBS or Tiger Beat?
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