NBC'S CYNTHIA McFADDEN HERE WITH THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE
LAUGHS. GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. >> WELL, THE WRITERS AT "FUNNY
OR DIE" READILY ADMIT TO LEANING LEFT, BUT THEY SAY THEIR GOAL IS
TO WRITE COMEDY THAT TRANSSENDS PARTY LINES.
THE HIGHEST COMPLIMENT THEY SAY IS WHEN PEOPLE FROM ALL
POLITICAL POINTS OF VIEW LAUGH. FUNNY IS FUNNY IT THEIR MANTRA.
TAKE A LOOK. >> SO, I CALLED THIS NEWS
CONFERENCE, AND YOU'RE GOING -- I MEAN, YOU'RE GOING TO FLIP
OVER THIS. YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS.
>> SOME OF THE HOTTEST POLITICAL JOKESTERS AROUND.
THE FOLKS AT "FUNNY OR DIE" WITH 50 MILLION ONLINE FOLLOWERS.
>> I HAVE TO KNOW. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE THE LAST
BLACK PRESIDENT? >> SERIOUSLY?
WHAT'S IT LIKE FOR THIS TO BE THE LAST TIME YOU EVER TALK TO A
PRESIDENT? >> HUMOR WITH A PURPOSE IS WHAT
THEY CALL IT. >> I'M GOING TO PRESS THIS.
>> DON'T TOUCH THAT, PLEASE. >> THAT "BETWEEN TWO FERNS"
VIDEO LED A MILLION PEOPLE TO SIGN UP FOR OBAMACARE.
>> IT'S ALSO A BILL THAT WON'T GO ANYWHERE.
>> HAD A RARE GLIMPSE INSIDE THEIR NEW COMEDY WAR ROOM IN LOS
ANGELES. >> JUST MAKE A HEALTH CARE SONG.
>> A RAPID RESPONSE TEAM TO TRY AND KEEP UP WITH POLITICS THESE
DAYS. THE DAY WE VISITED --
>> THE BIGGEST STORY POLITICALLY RIGHT NOW IS BERNIE INTRODUCING
MEDICARE FOR ALL BILL. >> WHAT'S THE FUNNY IN IT?
THEY SAY WATCH SANDERS' FINGER. HE MAKES A LOT OF GOOD POINTS.
>> IT'S CLEAR AS DAY HE'S TYPING OUT SOCIALISM, COMMUNISM.
>> HE'S DOING MORSE CODE FOR SOCIALISM.
LOOK AT THE FINGER. >> THEY TAKE THEIR POLITICAL
FUNNY VERY SERIOUSLY AROUND HERE.
>> BECAUSE POLITICALLY IT'S STILL DIFFICULT.
>> AND ONE OF THEIR SECRET WEAPONS IS THIS GUY.
>> IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING RESOURCE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO DAVID AND
SAY I DON'T GET WHY THESE THINGS -- HOW THESE THINGS CAME
TOGETHER, WHY THEY HAPPENED. >> DAVID IS DAVID LITT, A FORMER
SPEECH WRITER FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA WHO NEVER INTENDED TO END
UP IN POLITICS BUT AS A SENIOR AT YALE, A PLANE TRIP CHANGED
HIS LIFE. >> IT WAS THAT LITTLE AIRPLANE
TELEVISION IN THE SEAT IN FRONT OF ME AND I SAW BARACK OBAMA
GIVE A SPEECH. I REMEMBER THE EXACT MOMENT.
>> PEOPLE WHO LOVE THIS COUNTRY CAN CHANGE INTEREST.
>> BY THE TIME THAT PLANE LANDED, I WAS READY TO DO
WHATEVER IT TOOK TO HELP BE PART THAT HAVE CAMPAIGN.
>> YOU WERE 24 YEARS OLD WHEN YOU WENT TO WORK AT THE WHITE
HOUSE. >> YEAH.
WHICH AT THE TIME I THOUGHT WAS VERY OLD.
I WAS LIKE I'VE BEEN OUT OF COLLEGE FOR TWO FULL YEARS.
>> YOU'RE A BIT OF A CHILD PRODIGY IF I MAY SAY SO.
>> YOU MAY SAY SO. >> COULD HAVE GONE TO COLLEGE AT
12, 13. >> I'M GLAD I DIDN'T, BUT, YEAH.
>> NOW 31, HE' HE'S WRITTEN A CD AND SELF-DEPRECATING BOOK ABOUT
HIS WHITE HOUSE YEARS. >> YOU SAY THE PRESIDENT DIDN'T
KNOW YOUR NAME UNTIL THE SECOND TERM.
>> HE THOUGHT MY NAME WAS LIPS RATHER THAN LITT.
I THINK HE THOUGHT IT WAS A NICKNAME, NOT REALLY SURE, BUT
THE THING IS WHEN THE PRESIDENT. UNITED STATES GETS YOUR NAME
WRONG, YOU CAN'T CORRECT HIM. HE'S GOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS
TO DO, ALL RIGHT, LIPS IT IS. >> FOR FOUR YEARS LITT WAS IN
CHARGE OF ONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S MOST HIGH PROFILE ANNUAL
SPEECHES, THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER.
>> I WANT TOES ESPECIALLY THANK ALL THE MEMBERS WHO TOOK A BREAK
FROM THEIR EXHAUSTING SCHEDULE OF NOT PASSING ANY LAWS TO BE
HERE TONIGHT. >> THE PROCESS INVOLVED SOME
DOZEN WRITERS AND 600 JOKES. 600 JOKES FROM ONE SPEECH.
>> 600 JOKES FOR ONE SPEECH AND MAYBE THAT SPEECH WOULD END UP
WITH 30 JOKES IN IT, SO IT WAS A VERY SELECTIVE PROCESS.
>> ACCORDING TO LITT, PRESIDENTIAL HUMOR CAN PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE. >> THERE'S TWO THINGS TO ME THAT
JOKES CAN DO FOR A PRESIDENT. ONE IS IT'S JUST A REMINDER THAT
THIS PERSON IS HUMAN. I'M JUST A PERSON.
I MAKE MISTAKES, AND SO SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR CAN DO
THAT, AND THE OTHER THING THAT COMEDY CAN DO IS TELL THE TRUTH
IN A WAY THAT YOU'RE NOT ALWAYS ALLOWED TO IN POLITICS.
>> AND THESE DAYS HE SAYS NOTHING COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN THAT. >> I THINK YOUNG PEOPLE
RECOGNIZE THAT OUR POLITICS RIGHT NOW IS NOT WORKING THE WAY
IT'S SUPPOSED TO, AND COMEDY IS A WAY OF ACKNOWLEDGING THAT
WITHOUT TOTALLY GIVING UP ON SYSTEM SO HAVING THE SENSE OF
THE ABSURD BUT ALSO A SENSE OF POSSIBILITY AND A SENSE OF HOPE
AT THE END. >> WELL, FULL DISCLOSURE.
I'VE KNOWN DAVID LI TT ALL OF HIS LIFE.
HIS MOTHER IS MY BEST FRIEND IN LAW SCHOOL AND WHEN DAVID WAS 2
YEARS OLD HE AND I WERE LEFT ALONE IN A ROOM TOGETHER WITH A
FISH TANK, AND I'M GOING OH, LOOK AT THE PRETTY FISHY, RED
AND BLUE AND DAVID PROCEEDED TO LIST THE LATIN NAMES FOR ALL THE
FISH. I SAID TO HIM MOM HAVE YOU
TALKED TO HIM LATELY? >> YEAH