Obama taps Kal Penn of 'Harold & Kumar' for convention. Is that wise?
| Charlotte, N.C.
As the Democratic National Convention opens President Obama has a out that features John Cho and Kal Penn, the actors who鈥檝e portrayed the stoner characters Harold and Kumar in a series of popular films.
What, you鈥檝e never seen 鈥淎 Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas鈥�?
Anyway, the spot opens with a serious president making what seems to be a serious phone call. 鈥淗ey this is Barack,鈥� Mr. Obama says after the unseen party on the other end picks up. 鈥淟isten, I need to know if you鈥檙e on board.鈥�
Dramatic music begins to swell in the background. 鈥淚鈥檓 counting on you. Everybody is,鈥� Obama continues. 鈥淲e have to get this right there鈥檚 a lot at stake here. Just remember that I鈥檓 trusting you on this, and I鈥檒l see you there.鈥�
Swipe cut to Harold and Kumar鈥檚 litter-strewn living room, where they鈥檙e watching cartoons on TV. Kumar, quite, uh, out of it, slowly hangs up the phone.
鈥淲ho was that? It sounded intense,鈥� says Harold.
鈥淭he president,鈥� says Kumar.
鈥淪weet,鈥� says Harold, with all the emotional intensity of a zombie.
Then something on the TV screen goes 鈥渂oing,鈥� the actors laugh at the cartoon, and the ad cuts away to a promotion of the campaign鈥檚 , which Kal Penn is going to host.
OK, is this really a good idea? Two guys whose most popular roles involve large amounts of illegal drug usage, hooked up with the Obama campaign?
If nothing else it provides an opening for Republicans to raise anew the issue of the president鈥檚 own admitted youthful pot usage. And they have. Conservatives say it highlight鈥檚 Obama鈥檚 鈥淐hoom Gang鈥� past, in which he and his friends in Hawaii would drive up into the hills and smoke pot in their cars, according to biographer David Maraniss.
鈥淲ho knows, perhaps Obama is hearkening back to the days in his youth when he would sit around blowing 鈥榮moke rings鈥� and getting high without a care in the world by tapping the undynamic duo of the current generation as a hook for his speech accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday night, writes John Rossomando on , a website aimed at young conservatives.
Well, we can think of a number of reasons why Obama might do this. First off, Kal Penn works for the Obama administration. He鈥檚 been an associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement since 2009. As such, he鈥檚 traveled the country selling Obama鈥檚 policies to various groups. He鈥檚 taken leave to appear in a Harold & Kumar sequel as well as the TV sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."
Second, do we have to point out the generational divide here between Kal Penn and Clint Eastwood? The latter was the RNC鈥檚 surprise speaker, and whatever you think of his performance, he appeals to an older demographic than does Penn. The Obama team tries to make its guy look as young and hip as possible, via 鈥渟low-jamming鈥� the news on Jimmy Fallon and so forth, and this feeds that effort.
Third, Obama鈥檚 been criticized by some liberals for cracking down on medicinal pot dispensaries and in general enforcing the war on drugs. This might be a sly way of winking at those critics. Or something like that.
Anyway, the best part of the ad is that now people will probably compete on Twitter to see who can dream up the best Harold & Kumar policy movie title. 鈥淗arold & Kumar Visit an Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Exchange,鈥� anyone?
