What's Funny About Obama?
Rodger Jones, in The Dallas Morning News Opinion blog, raises the topic of humor in the Presidential campaign. He asks if there's "enough good material out there poking fun at" Barack Obama, "chipping away at his Barack-can-do-anything mystique." He considers this to be "legitimate, good humor stuff," in contrast to jokes about George W Bush, which he considers to be "humiliating stuff."
You can sometimes predict the outcome of presidential campaigns by the themes the comedians latch onto for the stuff of jokes. In 1996, Clinton was portrayed as the randy, fun-loving politician. Bob Dole as the crotchety old man. Guess who won. In 2000, George W Bush was portrayed as the drinking, partying, frat boy. Al Gore was portrayed as a smarty-pants and serial exaggerator. Guess who won. In 2004, George W Bush was portrayed as the bumbler who couldn't speak English. John Kerry was portrayed as an elitist and a flip-flopper. There should have been two losers in that election, but I guess someone has to win.
That brings us to 2008. Already, the theme of the jokes about John McCain is clear. He's old. He doesn't know how to use a computer. And Barack Obama? There was a spate of jokes about the press giving Obama an easy time. There was a spate of jokes about Obama being the messiah. There was a spate of jokes about Obama being elitist. But a consistent them has yet to emerge. And a lot of jokes use Barack Obama only as a setup for a punch line against another -- Hillary Clinton or Bill Clinton or Jesse Jackson or John McCain. Unless the comedians zero in on a weakness in Barack Obama soon, John McCain is history. Hmm... John McCain and history. I wonder what the late night comedians could do with that.
OK, seriously, there are Barack Obama jokes. There are Obama jokes about race. They can be funny. Laugh along with me...
"There’s been this question about whether Obama’s black enough.
He bowled a 37 -- to me, that’s black enough."
-- Bill Maher
Why did Obama cross the road?
That's racist.
10wol review: In Bruges
Steve Blow's 10-words-or-less review didn't do this movie justice. But he didn't allow publication of my own review:
F***ing good movie. F***ing good city...for a sh*th*le.
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