Live Blog: Alfred E Neuman errr Alfred E Smith Dinner
Posted: October 20, 2016 Filed under: just because, Live Blog | Tags: Cardinal Dolan, Catholic Charities, Diocese of New York, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Jokes 59 CommentsGood Evening!
Thought we’d see if any one is going to watch the annual Alfred E Smith Dinner tonight. Any bets any which way to see if Donald Dumpf has any kind of sense of humor? Will Hillary come in looking like Joan Arc with a sword, shield, armor and a tightly surrounded by secret service?
Rumor has it, his inability to take a joke or seven about him uttered by President Obama at the 2011 Alfred E Smith dinner caused him to hoist himself this year on the American people.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have some tough shoes to fill — could either of them take over President Obama’s role as comedian in chief?
With 19 days left until the election, they’ll have their chance to try out Thursday night at the 71st annual Alfred E. Smith charity dinner, where many presidential candidates in the past have taken a break from the vitriol of the campaign and make fun of themselves.
It will be the last time the two will share a stage before Americans head to the polls on Nov. 8.
Both nominees are slated to attend the 9 p.m. ET white-tie event at the Waldorf Astoria, which will air live on CBSN, that benefits Catholic charities and some of the neediest children in New York. The fundraiser honors former New York governor Al Smith, who ran for president in 1928 and became the first Catholic nominee of a major party.
We’re undoubtedly going to see some awkward moments. What will the jokes actually be like at Cardinal Dolan’s little soiree? The dinner has not always been friendly or neutral politically.
A charitable foundation that takes his name was launched in 1946, two years after Smith’s death, and over the years its annual dinner has become “a ritual of American politics,” as historian Theodore H. White put it, where candidates of opposing parties would come together for a few hours of comic relief at the height of an intense campaign battle.
But the white-tie dinner itself has not been free of controversy, especially for its host. Cardinal Dolan, for example, was excoriated by conservative Catholics in 2012 when he continued the tradition by inviting President Obama, whose stance in support of abortion rights and other issues outraged some.
There was some precedent for Dolan to punt on an invitation to Obama: In 1996, then-Cardinal John O’Connor did not invite either of that year’s candidates because he did not want to give President Bill Clinton, an abortion rights supporter who was running for re-election, a church-sponsored platform that tends to show the candidates in a flattering light.
And in 2004, then-Cardinal Edward Egan did not invite either candidate, President George W. Bush or his challenger Democratic nominee, John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights.
But, what goes down tonight is kind’ve a big secret. Join us if you’re up for yucks and YUCK!!!!!Z
The dinner is such a ritual that it has its own episode of The West Wingdedicated to it. But there have been breaks in the tradition. In 1996, neither presidential candidate was invited. The official explanation was that the candidates were not able to confirm attendance, but it was widely reported that the Catholic leadership was dismayed by then-president Bill Clinton’s veto of a bill that would have outlawed late-term abortions. In 2004, the two candidates were not invited and there was speculation that it was Democratic nominee John Kerry’s pro-choice stance that was the issue.
Trump and Clinton, however, are both expected to attend tonight, though neither campaign has shared details about what the candidates will say. A statement from the foundation confirming the candidates’ attendance promised that the two would “deliver the evening’s keynote speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good-humor that has become a hallmark of the gala.”In an election season filled with unusually harsh and spiteful rhetoric, some good-natured humor might be just the antidote the American people need.
We can only hope the secret service keeps Donald in a corner some where.
Are you ready? Grab the popcorn and your sense of humor, irony, and patriotism!!!
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Hillary and Donald are seated at the dinner now. I’m watching Chris Hayes on MSNBC right now.
is it on TV? or stream?
Oh, I see it. looks like a stream. damn.
I see, CNN is going to show their speeches. I think I’ll watch for a while.
MSNBC is going to show it. They are giving periodic updates and showing the dinner. Hillary is wearing a gorgeous fuschia dress.
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I’ll go there. CNN has been yapping. they say they are going to go but it’s just yapping
It’s on C-Span too.
Me too!
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I’m recording it on CSPAN to watch tomorrow.
Trump getting roasted about not paying taxes.
Here we go. Can Donald be self-deprecating? I doubt it.
Uh oh. He’s whining.
My dad used to say that: “Modesty is my best quality.”
This feels so awkward. Trump is not smooth.
These jokes are horrible.
yeah, we were just saying, he has bad writers.
Really bad.
OMG, brings up calling Hillary “a nasty woman.” Gross.
Now that was funny. Talks about Melania stealing Michelle’s speech.
OMG, Best joke of his night! Milania stealing Michelle’s speech.
Not if he wrote it.
Trump is crossing a line here, giving a campaign speech now and taking shots at Hillary.
Yes, it’s getting very creepy. The guy next to Trump is getting some unbelievable expressions on his face.
Hillary is so corrupt . . . she got kicked off the Watergate Commission.
Holy fuck. Most awkward Al Smith speech ever.
Cardinal Dolan looks really freaked out.
Yup, he looks towards Hillary to let her know he gets what is happening.
WHAT AN ASS! He is literally setting himself on fire. He has not class. He is a dick.
He said Hillary is “pretending not to hate Catholics.”
No humor now. This is his stump speech. Ugly.
Here’s Hillary, getting a lot of applause.
Who is the lady in the red dress behind the podium on her gold I Phone? She’s more engaging then Trump
With the white gloves? Been so long since I have seen a woman with white gloves, let’s see I recall the movie Pretty Woman. You remember that movie?
You can see everyone relaxing. They know she won’t step in it.
Hillary with some pretty good jokes. Tells Donald to feel free to stand up and yell “wrong” while I’m talking.
Says Trump thinks the Statue of Liberty is a 4.
Notice they aren’t cutting to Trump for reactions as much as they did Hillary.
I’ve never seen him laugh.
Good point, BB.
I’ve never seen him laugh or really smile.
He forms his lips into a rictus, the better to display those absurdly white veneers.
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I thought he was lighting himself on fire until she start torching his dumb ass!!!!
Wow. Brilliant close.
Thank you for the reminder, bb. I would have missed it if you hadn’t put up the post.
Thanks, but Dakinikat put up the post. We did talk about it this afternoon, and she said she could do it.
And then I promptly got lost on family quality time … Nearly everyone was down here.
Oh, sorry. Thanks dak. I’m glad I didn’t miss it.
Whenever you think Trump can go no lower, he out does himself.
Listening to Franken on the Maddow show, and watching Trump. He is livid. He is so
I didn’t know this was going on. I saw on Al Giordano’s twitterfeed that the Orange Dogpile was booed. Apparently the first time that’s ever happened. Anyone here know what that was all about?
Now that I see you folks’ comments, I’m sorry I missed it!
He was horrible as usual. You can probably watch in on C-Span if you want to.
I just watched it on C-Span. I can’t find a part that shows the end of Clinton’s speech, but everything said above matched my impression. I saw about 35 minutes.
I’m sorry I missed it too.
Plus finally a woman gets to attend an event alone and it’s fine.
Hah! Good point.
Booed by a room full of priests …
https://www.rawstory.com/2016/10/booed-by-a-room-full-of-priests-trump-bombs-at-the-alsmithdinner-and-the-internet-goes-nuts/
Ok. Watching it now. He has bad writers. Agree it is corny stuff.
Betcha he wrote the jokes himself.
This is a good clip.