You know that SNL sketch where David Spade and Helen Hunt are flight attendants who absolutely refuse to acknowledge any question their passengers have beyond saying"BUH bye"?

That's basically what it's like to watch President Obama talk about the economy.

For those of you who didn't see his town hall on CNBC last week, the meeting basically went like this:

A veteran who is struggling to make ends meet begs President Obama to tell her if this is "her new reality."

Obama: You're the bedrock of America!

A young law school graduate who can't afford to pay the interest on his loans, get a house mortgage, or even start a family asks Obama if the American Dream is dead for him.

Obama: You're the bedrock of America!

To be fair, he did say more. For example, he told the struggling veteran that "times are tough for everyone."  And the law school graduate who said he couldn't afford marriage?  "I'm not going to comment on that!" joked Obama.  

The whole thing was basically a chance for Obama to reassure Americans that things are just fine. Calmly and repeatedly. 

In short, it appears we have elected the presidential equivalent of Total Bastard Airlines.

In comedy, I learned that if you say something and people don't laugh, it's not funny.  (Actually, it is funny. Very funny.  And someday they will all know, Eva. Someday they will all know....)

I know that comedy is a matter of taste, but if an American feels unemployed, then they probably are. 

I can't say I have patience for the argument that the economy has been headed toward disaster for a long time and that it's tough to undo.  That's an argument you and I can make because we're lazy and we aren't President.  

People who are President are, like, supposed to try.   It isn't trying to release a statement saying you are "enormously pleased" with Larry Sumners for his "experience, brilliance and judgment." 

It also isn't helpful to hold a series of agonizingly staged publicity stunts (visiting homes of real Americans!)

According to the New York Times, Obama first went to the backyard of Paul and Frances Brayshaw of Falls Church, VA, where

"Half the guests were neighbors of the Brayshaws; the other half — who, along with the president, did all the talking — were handpicked by the administration and came from around the country to share exactly the kind of stories the White House wants to tell, personal tales of how the bill had improved their lives."

Knocking on people's doors so you can explain how helpful you are.  That's not a solution. That's the world's most useless Publisher's Clearinghouse. 

As Paul Krugman said last month, Administration officials insist that

"The economy is continuing to recover, albeit more slowly than they would like. Unfortunately, that’s not true: this isn’t a recovery, in any sense that matters. And policy makers should be doing everything they can to change that fact."

There is more to helping people than repeating the same infuriating platitudes, over and over again.  But in the meantime, thank you for voting the blue skies of Total Bastard.