Minnesota's comedic senator
Klobuchar brings down the house
By Anne Schroeder Mullins of politico.com
Feb. 5, 2009
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wowed the folks gathered in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton for the Washington Press Club Foundation's dinner that marks the beginning of the political prom season when Hill seniors and freshmen alike get dressed and dolled up to toast, and roast, each other.
The bar is pretty low for "entertainment" at these affairs, as it's tough to take good, hard shots at people you have to work with the next day. And there's a big difference, of course, between off-the-record funny and reporters-in-the-room funny.
Last year, then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) was a guest speaker — and really nailed it. But it turns out that Sen. Klobuchar is funny. Very funny. Bring-down-the-house funny.
The dinner brings together a handful of big names from Washington's press corps with the lawmakers they invite. This year, the master of ceremonies was CNN's Candy Crowley, and the guest speakers were Sen. Klobuchar and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), all of them making their first appearance at the dinner.
Before the dinner began, McCarthy admitted to Politico that he was feeling a bit nervous. He'd stepped up to fall on the grenade for House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who bailed out of the speaking gig because of an overseas trip.
It's a tough crowd. No one really wants to be there, but they don't not want to be there either. Dinner is eaten. Planners are thanked for their planning and attendees for their attending.
Then Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), always radiant, takes the mic and gives a couple of corny jokes: "When Secretary Geithner gets a call from The New York Times, he doesn't know if it's for a scoop or a bailout." And Barack Obama's e-mail address is I'mAllEars@WhiteHouse.gov, while Rahm's is bleepbleepbleep@WhiteHouse.gov.
And then Klobuchar — who told Politico that she wrote half of her own jokes — stepped up, and things got unexpectedly funny.
"I'd like to make this as short as Bill Richardson's tenure as commerce secretary," she opened. "I raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends — true story! I know that is the record in the Senate, but in the House it's held by Barney Frank." Roars of laughter, even from Frank.
Then she turned to the "great reporters in this room — all of whom got scooped on the John Edwards story by the National Enquirer." She promised not to be too rough with them, though, since "I'm all about protecting endangered species."
Perhaps best of all: "Typically a Republican and a Democrat speak at this -- you could have saved a lot of money by asking Joe Lieberman."
When Klobuchar finished, she received a partial standing ovation, the first this reporter has seen at a WPCF dinner.
She may have even been too funny. One line -- that her position as a member of the subcommittee on oceans from Minnesota was as incongruous as an ethics committee member from Illinois -- led an audience wag to crack that, "She may be on the committee on oceans for a long time."
Still, the crowd loved it, and McCarthy never stood a chance.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
By Anne Schroeder Mullins of politico.com
Feb. 5, 2009
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wowed the folks gathered in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton for the Washington Press Club Foundation's dinner that marks the beginning of the political prom season when Hill seniors and freshmen alike get dressed and dolled up to toast, and roast, each other.
The bar is pretty low for "entertainment" at these affairs, as it's tough to take good, hard shots at people you have to work with the next day. And there's a big difference, of course, between off-the-record funny and reporters-in-the-room funny.
Last year, then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) was a guest speaker — and really nailed it. But it turns out that Sen. Klobuchar is funny. Very funny. Bring-down-the-house funny.
The dinner brings together a handful of big names from Washington's press corps with the lawmakers they invite. This year, the master of ceremonies was CNN's Candy Crowley, and the guest speakers were Sen. Klobuchar and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), all of them making their first appearance at the dinner.
Before the dinner began, McCarthy admitted to Politico that he was feeling a bit nervous. He'd stepped up to fall on the grenade for House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who bailed out of the speaking gig because of an overseas trip.
It's a tough crowd. No one really wants to be there, but they don't not want to be there either. Dinner is eaten. Planners are thanked for their planning and attendees for their attending.
Then Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), always radiant, takes the mic and gives a couple of corny jokes: "When Secretary Geithner gets a call from The New York Times, he doesn't know if it's for a scoop or a bailout." And Barack Obama's e-mail address is I'mAllEars@WhiteHouse.gov, while Rahm's is bleepbleepbleep@WhiteHouse.gov.
And then Klobuchar — who told Politico that she wrote half of her own jokes — stepped up, and things got unexpectedly funny.
"I'd like to make this as short as Bill Richardson's tenure as commerce secretary," she opened. "I raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends — true story! I know that is the record in the Senate, but in the House it's held by Barney Frank." Roars of laughter, even from Frank.
Then she turned to the "great reporters in this room — all of whom got scooped on the John Edwards story by the National Enquirer." She promised not to be too rough with them, though, since "I'm all about protecting endangered species."
Perhaps best of all: "Typically a Republican and a Democrat speak at this -- you could have saved a lot of money by asking Joe Lieberman."
When Klobuchar finished, she received a partial standing ovation, the first this reporter has seen at a WPCF dinner.
She may have even been too funny. One line -- that her position as a member of the subcommittee on oceans from Minnesota was as incongruous as an ethics committee member from Illinois -- led an audience wag to crack that, "She may be on the committee on oceans for a long time."
Still, the crowd loved it, and McCarthy never stood a chance.
© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC
posted by Norman Larson @ 7:40 PM
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