#19 President Obama on Between Two Ferns

A sitting president letting Zach Galifianakis insult him for six minutes to save the Affordable Care Act.

I’ve always been a fan of Obamas poise, the timing and precision leads me to believer there is hope for the art of statecraft. But this show was surprising, I think it was the humility of the scenario. Perhaps with the backstory, the proper use of power?

In March 2014, the sitting president of the United States walked onto a Funny Or Die set with two potted ferns, sat across from Zach Galifianakis, and let himself be insulted on camera for six minutes.

The point was the Affordable Care Act. Healthcare.gov enrollment among young people had been lagging. The administration needed a way to reach an audience that wasn’t watching the State of the Union. So Obama did Between Two Ferns.

It worked. Traffic to healthcare.gov spiked. The video drove more young sign-ups than any other single piece of outreach that season.

But what makes it beautiful isn’t the policy outcome. It’s the deadpan. It’s the willingness to look small, to be the straight man, to let the bit land. When I first saw this it was radical to see a president be made fun of and stay in the joke. A head of state who seemed to be able to let the ego slide artlessly without losing the necessary poise.

I think about this clip a lot. About how power can be wielded with lightness. About comedy as civic infrastructure.