US President Barack Obama will perform at his final dinner of The White House Correspondents' Association on April 30 [Pete Marovich/EPA]
Comedy
is a risky business for politicians. Even professional stand-up comics get
booed off stage. When officials joke, they are taking a gamble. Gags can win
over crowds and ridicule rivals. But they also fall flat and, worse still, irk
the very people they need votes from.
The
2016 White House race is lacking in good humour, but, thankfully, there is one
US politician who can reliably crack jokes. President Barack Obama only gets
average job approval ratings, but he is admired for his deadpan delivery.
"He's
the best comedian president we've had," Dean Obeidallah, a Palestinian-American
comic, told Al Jazeera. "He uses comedy like a comedian, not like a
president dabbling in comedy, to slice and dice his opponents."
On Saturday, April 30, Obama will perform at his final dinner of
The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) - an annual black-tie gala for some 2,600 celebrities,
journalists and officials that has a reputation for political ribbing.
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