Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, was the butt of a joke made by President Barack Obama at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington — one of several prominent politicians and celebrities joked at during the Prez’s humorous speech.
After ragging on Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Rush Limbaugh and CNN, Obama turned his diss track to Sen. McConnell, ribbing both the GOP leader and those who constantly suggest bipartisan cooperation with congressional Republicans.
As he spoke, Obama quipped :
“Of course, even after I’ve done all this, some folks still don’t think I spend enough time with Congress. ‘Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?’ they ask.”
The President continued:
“Really? Why don’t you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?”
He concluded:
“I’m sorry. I get frustrated sometimes.”
President Obama’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner showing in 2013 was widely seen as funny and sharp, but McConnell’s response showed he too could laugh at both right and left missteps.
Harkening back to the summer’s Republican National Convention, and Clint Eastwood’s bizarre and lengthy debate with an empty chair standing in for the President, O’Connell shot back at Obama while joking about his own party.
Over on Twitter, the Kentucky Republican referenced both political moments with a tweeted image of himself, enjoying a beer in what looked to be a bar — alongside an empty chair with a glass of wine in front of it.
The Senator tweeted to his 3,562 followers:
@ barackobama @ eastwood_ Greetings from coal country! Hazard, KY -MM twitter.com/Team_Mitch/sta…
— Team Mitch (@Team_Mitch) April 29, 2013
One tweeter replied “[because] the empty chair bit worked so well the first time around?” Obama White House occasional Office Of Public Engagement dude and guy who played Kumar, Kal Penn, shot back:
@ teddygoff ugh now I have to write a whole new speech making fun of how unfunny it was all over again
— Kal Penn (@kalpenn) April 29, 2013
We have to give it to McConnell — good one!