Did you dig Obama on Letterman last night? Most of today’s commentary focuses on the fact that he was serious after making with some jokes. (“I was actually black before I was elected” may have been scripted but it still played like a snap.) This after a Sunday full of talk show appearances – all in the same chair! — talking about health care reform, the economy, the wars…

Difference is the audience. The ratings for the Sunday talk shows are always actually rather low — but the demographics are primo! Well-to-do older viewers tune in (hence all the luxury car and financial management ads) and they have mostly made up their minds about those issues, or are at least paying attention. 

The average Letterman viewer is more, well, average. They tune in for some laughs, some celebrity sightings (and sometimes mishaps), some music. And the idea that this articulate, well-meaning man could actually convince a few of them to put down the bong or the beer or the cup of cocoa for a minute and actually grapple with the benefits of a better run health care system is quite moving to me, in a small d democratic way. We elected Obama — we did! — and most of us are still pulling for him. The fact that haters don’t like it can’t change the path we chose unless we let them. These are the same people who put an inept puppet and his evil henchman in the driver’s seat and looked the other way as he drove the country off a cliff. They had their chance. Now get out of the way. 

My favorite ad lib was actually Dave’s. After the president said that he let his daughters relax this summer he allowed that he didn’t have that option. “I couldn’t goof off all summer,” he said. 

“Others have,” said Letterman. 

‘nuf said.