Good gosh, Mr. President. You know you don't have to answer every question, right?
President Obama was doing one of those act-like-a-regular-person campaign appearances by calling into Miami radio host Michael Yo's "The Yo Show." Yo stupidly wasted his first question by asking about the supposed dispute between "American Idol" judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.
Faster than you can say, "Haha, haven't thought about it, what we're focused on now is jobs," the president offered a much longer-than-it-should have been rumination on the state of "Idol" affairs.
"I think that they are going to be able to sort it out, I am confident," the president — of the United States — said. "I'm all about bringing people together, working for the same cause. I think both outstanding artists are going to be able to make sure that they're moving forward and not going backwards."
Yo asked if Obama had a favorite.
"Mariah, she's actually done some events for us," Obama said. "I've gotten to know her and Nick (Cannon), she's a wonderful lady," he said. "Nicki I don't know, but I've got her on my iPod."
Minaj jokingly endorsed Romney before expressing her support for Obama.
After the "Idol" question, Obama talked about some substantive issues. But the damage was done. The Mariah-Minaj answer played into the Republican narrative that Obama cares more about celebrity than doing his job. Can you picture the Drudge Report headline? You don't have to. It's posted above.
Can anyone think of a situation where a candidate got a boost by weighing in on some pop culture nonsense? Remember Mitt Romney's clumsy soliloquy about Snooki?
Stop taking the bait, guys. We'll still respect you. Actually, we'll respect you more.
Listen to the dumb interview:
