At Gridiron dinner, Kerry takes shots at Cruz, Crist, and himself

[Tx4obama]

At Gridiron dinner, Kerry takes shots at Cruz, Crist, and himself

March 8 at 11:00 pm

Have you heard the one about the roomful of elite Washington journalists rubbing shoulders with the city’s power players?

Of course you have. The annual ritual of the Gridiron Dinner, with its white tails and creaky jokes and hokey song-and-dance acts performed by the Fourth Estate, might seem as anachronistic as bipartisan socializing. Still, it’s going strong in its 129th year.

On Saturday night at the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Secretary of State John Kerry filled the headliners’ slot usually reserved for the president (President Obama has attended twice, but bowed out of this year’s festivities). And we’re told by even the skeptical journos in the audience that the SecState put in an impressive performance.

Kerry, in keeping with the Gridiron’s roast-y traditions, in which the speakers take good-natured shots at themselves and one another, first offered an appetizer course of self-deprecation by poking fun at his own wealth. “White tie and tails – or as we call it at our house, workout gear,” Kerry joked, according to prepared remarks. “Or as we call it at our other house, pajamas. … Or as we call it at our other house, swimming costumes.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/wp/2014/03/08/at-gridiron-dinner-kerry-takes-shots-at-cruz-crist-and-himself/

[DFW]

1. My dad was president of the Gridiron Club

That was back in the days when it was an organization only of journalists. Organizations like Fox "News" don't contribute to Gridiron. They infiltrate it.

Back in the 1990s, they actually had real humor at those things:

Although I've heard Kerry actually does have a sense of humor. Seeing Cruz right in front of me would have made me gag, so it's just as well I don't go any more. I'm sure part of the reason Obama passed is when he found he'd have to sit at a table where Cruz was 4 feet away. I would have, too.

[Beacool]

3. That's a great video.

Very funny!!!

[MBS]

4. This really is funny. Thanks. n/t

[DFW]

5. Even Gingrich was ROFL

He was Speaker of the House then, and even he had to admit Hillary's video was masterful. Clinton's speech was fabulous, too, and as the crowd was eating of Clinton's hand, Gingrich commented to my mom, who was seated next to him, "Anyone who thinks he will be a pushover in the (1996) election is delusional." Fortunately, he was right.

[Sunlei]

2. Kerry said, “so nice to put faces to the metadata.”