Kal Penn has been a visible face of support for President Obama, and it seems that, as aggressively and divisively as Mitt Romney is pursuing the more conservative demographic, Obama is pursuing the youth vote.
As we reported earlier, the President appeared briefly on-screen during a Jay-Z performance over the weekend and also in an ad referencing the modern stoner classic Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle alongside Kal Penn and John Cho .
And just as the Jay-Z appearance in such a polarized environment was slightly transgressive, so too was the Kal Penn commercial. Perhaps it may have been a subtle cue to liberals who have decried marijuana prosecutions under Obama in the last three and a half years.
But watching the reaction to Kal Penn tonight, it seems like an excellent gamble. Penn brought a bit of levity to the DNC this evening with a rousing speech, but the star-turned-White House staffer’s words were not without weight or substance.
Penn listed off Obama’s accomplishments, thanking the “invisible man in the chair” before giving some real-life examples of reasons he has committed to fight for President Obama in the coming election as well as in 2007. Penn explained:
“I volunteered in Iowa in 2007, because like you I had friends serving in Iraq … I had friends looking for jobs, others who couldn’t go to the doctor.”
Penn also quipped that he wondered what Twitter hashtags would follow his DNC barn burner, proposing #sexyface, and, judging by the reaction on the microblogging service, his speech had the desired impact. Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice-President Joe Biden, joked:
Kal Penn did not just give you permission to take them off, PUT YOUR PANTS BACK ON, JOE!!! #sexyface
— Dr. Jill Biden (@JillBidenVeep) September 5, 2012
Did you find Kal Penn’s DNC speech impressive and exciting?