NEWS AND OPINION:
The White House Correspondents’ dinner has finally come and gone on a tidal wave of glitter, controversy and several thousand selfies on Saturday night - a chaotic, controversial but nonetheless charming springtime rite in the nation’s capital. This was President Obama’s finale, marking his eighth and last correspondent’s dinner.
Along with exercising his well-known comedic timing, Mr. Obama also purposefully dropped the microphone as a symbolic gesture of his impending curtain call. See his complete remarks from C-SPAN’s intrepid coverage here
Comedian Larry Wilmore had his say as the evening’s entertainment and provided the source of a endless commentaries both pro and con in the aftermath. See for yourself. Find Mr. Wilmore’s moments here.
And if indeed the red carpet is significant, find all the arrivals here
Some 2,600 impeccably attired guests, plus 250 actual White House correspondents, inched their way around a sprawling hotel in the nation’s capital to dine upon filet of beef, honey-infused shrimp souffled potatoes with duck confit and a delicate selection of dessert tapas. Hundreds of spectators perched on overlooks and along sidewalks to get a peek at celebrities throughout the night. Hundreds of limousines rolled through the rain, black Cadillac Escalades the preferred ride for traffic gridlock on Connecticut Avenue. “The Beast” - President Obama’s virtually indestructible limousine - held court in a nearby driveway, itself the subject of much curiosity.
Among the really major fetes with business or media sponsorships, there were a dozen preparties Friday, six after-parties and three big Sunday brunches.
Only one of the White House hopefuls attended the big doings. Sen. Bernie Sanders rocketed in from the Oregon campaign trail to attend. Clad in plain suit, light blue shirt and a somewhat tired tie, Mr. Sanders was the guest of CBS News for a soiree that included the red carpet walk for celebrities and non-celebrities alike.
Though the bodacious dinner is not without critics, it remains a significant, hybrid event that throws together politicians, wonks, military brass, diplomats, lobbyists, entrepreneurs, the famous and infamous, plus journalists, both celebrated and obscure. Everything was over by 11 p.m. or so.
The sheer spectacle troubles some observers.
“The bad news. There still will be the embarrassing red carpet,” Patrick Gavin tells Inside the Beltway. He wrote and produced “Nerd Prom,” a 2015 documentary film chronicling the excesses of the weekend, and remains troubled that the event has been co-opted by marketing and public relations.
“The good news: People’s exhaustion with this week and their heightened awareness of the various hypocrisies and embarrassments will hopefully move hearts and minds to reassess this week’s role in Washington’s social and economic life,” says Mr. Gavin.
Soul searching aside, the dinner is still unique, with interesting juxtapositions of noteworthy people. Among the multitudes: Fox News, for example, boasts Vivica A. Fox and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. And The Washington Times? The guests included Bobby Jindal, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, former CIA director Michael T. Hayden, Monica Crowley, Russian Federation ambassador to the U.S. Sergey I. Kislyak, Republic of Azerbaijan ambassador to the U.S. Elin Suleymanov, American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes, plus Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi.
FINALLY A TIE BETWEEN TRUMP AND CLINTON
Trying to follow the match between presidential front-runners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is a lot like putting together a mosaic: lots of little pieces.
But patterns emerge. Mr. Trump appears to be closing in on his rival, as a new Rasmussen Reports of likely voters from both parties reveals that the two candidates are tied, each with 38 percent of the vote. And here’s more: A NBC News poll found that Mr. Trump had reached a milestone, garnering 50 percent of support from likely Republican voters for the first time since NBC began tracking the trend five months ago. Last but not least, let us ponder bias in the news.
Politico asked 82 active campaign reporters who would win the 2016 election, and 86 percent said Mrs. Clinton. Another 78 percent reported that Mr. Trump’s campaign was “most hostile to the press,” while 94 percent accused the candidate of manipulating the media. Another 49 percent of the journalists said they weren’t registered with a political party, 22 percent said they were independents, 21 percent were Democrats and 8 percent Republicans. Their average age: 34.
ABOUT THAT REAGAN MOVIE
“The liberal Hollywood elite has never been kind to Ronald Reagan, but mocking the victim of a fatal illness is a new low in public discourse. Everyone that is a party to this film should be ashamed of themselves.”
— Reagan biographer and presidential historian Craig Shirley, on news that actor Will Ferrell plans a comedy film about the 40th president’s experience with Alzheimer’s disease.
“It’s a tragedy that one in every nine families in America will be visited with, and we find it disgusting that such a film would even be considered by Mr. Ferrell or anyone else.”
— John Heubusch, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, on the same topic.
WEEKEND CANDIDATE TRACKER
The candidates are focused on different outcomes this weekend. Among the Democrats, Friday is a fundraising day for Hillary Clinton. She hosts two herself in New York City, while former President Bill Clinton does the honors at three events in Florida, and daughter Chelsea hosts one in Indiana and another in Kentucky. Sen. Bernard Sanders is campaigning in Oregon before heading east for the aforementioned White House dinner.
And the Republicans: All three can be found in California, speaking at the state’s GOP convention in Burlingame, just outside San Francisco. Donald Trump offers a keynote speech, then it’s off to South Bend, Indiana. Gov. John Kasich is also in the Golden State, appearing at events in both San Francisco and San Jose. At last check, Sen. Ted Cruz and running mate Carly Fiorina are due in the Golden State on Saturday.
One addendum: Talk radio host Michael Savage tells Inside the Beltway that Mr. Trump will appear on his show, which is broadcast from California. “Misinterpreted as ’isolationist’ by internationalists, Mr. Trump’s foreign policy is based more on making America’s interests dominant — not subservient,” declares Mr. Savage.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: HGTV “Dream Bungalow,” built in 1929 in Asheville, North Carolina. Two bedrooms, two baths; 1,322 square feet, traditional “shotgun style.” Fully furnished, decorated and completely remodeled and updated by the lifestyle cable network; features open floor plan, loft, hardwood floors, wall tiles and mosaics, vaulted ceilings, skylights, gourmet kitchen, custom storage. New deck, outdoor kitchen, front porch, low maintenance landscape, one-car garage. Priced at $450,000 through MyMosaicRealty.com; enter 3152332 in search function.
POLL DU JOUR
• 64 percent of Americans are afraid they will not have enough money for retirement.
• 60 percent fear they don’t have enough money to cover unexpected medical costs.
• 51 percent fear they can’t maintain their accustomed lifestyle, 45 percent fear they can’t cover normal medical costs.
• 41 percent worry they can’t cover monthly bills; 34 percent fear they can’t pay rent or mortgage.
• 21 percent are worried they can’t make minimum payments on credit cards.
Source: A Gallup poll of 1,015 U.S. adults conducted April 6-10 and released Thursday.
Cranky admonitions, polite applause to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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