Blue Spot

At Obama Event, a Comedian’s Jokes Fall Flat - NYTimes.com

At another point in his standup routine, he began: “My little nephew came to me and he said, ‘Uncle, what’s the difference between a hypothetical question and a realistic question?’ I said, I don’t know, but I said, ‘Go upstairs and ask your mother if she would make love to the mailman for $50,000.’ ”

The joke rambled on until the punch line that he and his nephew lived with “two hos.”

When it came time for Mr. Obama — who has made an issue of parental responsibility among black men — to speak, he gave an abbreviated version of his campaign speech and then chastised Mr. Mac.

“We can’t afford to be divided by race,” Mr. Obama said. “We can’t afford to be divided by region or by class and we can’t afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you’ve got to clean up your act next time. This is a family affair. By the way, I’m just messing with you, man.”

Later, an Obama spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, formally repudiated Mr. Mac.

“Senator Obama told Bernie Mac that he does not condone these statements and that what he said was inappropriate,” Ms. Psaki said.

Labels: Obama supporters, Race, sexism