Political Punchlines Get More Punch

[Dancing_Dave]

Political punchlines get more punch

BY MARK DE LA VINA



THE SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
If politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians, then send in the clowns.

Comedians and entertainers have taken an increasingly harsh tone in their political humor in recent months. At least, that's the consensus among observers asked about the monologues heard on TV and in comedy clubs.

David Letterman and Jay Leno have been telling barbed jokes about the administration's handling of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and its justifications for the Iraq war.

Stand-ups were cracking wise on a rise in poll numbers for John Kerry during the week when he stopped campaigning in order to honor the memory of Ronald Reagan.

Comedians, unlike many mainstream media outlets, can - and increasingly do - express what the average citizen is thinking, said Frederick Turner, assistant professor of communications at Stanford University.

"Sometimes, information is too hard to take in all at once, and that's one thing that comedians do in a culture - they serve as early warning systems. They're the clowns who can tell the truth, the clowns who can say the emperor has no clothes," said Turner, who specializes in media and American cultural history.

CLIP

Read the rest at http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1458&u_sid=1180918

It certainly is true that disaffection from the Iraq war has become an ever-growing underlying force for cultural change. It's high time that more political canidates get up there toward the leading edge with David Letterman and Michael Moore.

Those are the canidates I am willing to do a benefit concert for. I am willing to do my bit to raise the energy level of something I can really believe in.

No blood for oil!



EDITED BY ADMIN FOR COPYRIGHT REASONS

[0007]

1. Even Tommy Frank laughs at his stupid Commmander in Chief

"The Daily Show" has been broadcasting hard-hitting pieces that, though laced with humor, take leaders to task at the same time.

The program recently ran a June 2004 clip of Vice President Dick Cheney saying he had "absolutely not" linked 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta with Saddam Hussein's government. That was followed by a December 2001 clip where Cheney says a meeting between Iraqis and Atta was "pretty well confirmed."

Gotcha!

"Mr. Vice President," Stewart said, staring into the camera, "I have to inform you: Your pants are on fire."


......and John Kerry shot his ass off?

[Dancing_Dave]

2. Thanks for adding a bit more of the insightful story!

:)

[Moderator]

3. Dancing_Dave

Please remember that the rules of DU are that you can only copy and paste four paragraphs from a COPYRIGHTED article.

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