President Bush Still Primary Target of Political Humor

As the mid-term election season gets into full-swing, one would think that some of the candidates running for seats in congress or in a governor’s mansion would draw the wit of comedians who are paid to make fun of politicians, among other things. But as it turns out, the comedians that we see on the major networks every night are still only interested in lampooning one politician – the president. While this is certainly a measure of good news for the hundreds of candidates whose fate will be decided in the coming months, it speaks to a larger issue of America’s general indifference toward the political process as a whole.

Comedians create humor by relating it to things their audiences are familiar with. Most Americans simply are not familiar with any of the congressional or senatorial races that are taking place within their own states, let alone races that are occurring in other states. Should we be more aware and concerned? Probably. Is there any clear solution available to remedy the situation? Probably not.

The only non-presidential political figure that gets even marginal air time from the humor circuit is Hillary Clinton. And Hillary is still getting late-night talk jabs largely as a result of her husband’s hilarity-laden presidency (from a late-night comedian’s perspective). Most Americans simply don’t have the time or the inclination to devote precious mental energy to learning about local political candidates and issues. People are typically aware of the major issues surrounding a presidential election, primarily as a result of the media saturation that such an event warrants. That is not to say that most people are interested enough to vote, but they at least know who is running and can often regurgitate some distinguishing characteristic of each candidate.

An article from FOXNews.com recently addressed the issue of the lack of humor that surrounds the mid-term elections. Eventually, the article gets around to looking at some of the political satire shows that are currently popular, specifically, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. The article takes a broad look and cites a study noting that shows such as these can have a negative impact on the way that Americans - especially young Americans - view politicians and politics in general. This report was published some time ago, but it’s still worth discussing to a degree.

Without shows such as those mentioned above, American viewers would never really have the opportunity to view non-presidential politicians outside of their local evening news or CSPAN, neither of which is appealing to the masses. Outside of sensational news events, people focus their attention on entertainment media – dramatic, comedic, and even "realistic" television shows that serve as an escape from the often overwhelming realities of our world. Stewart and Colbert succeed in at least introducing politicians and their ideas to large portions of the American public. Yes, they often do so within the context of satire or humor, but at least there is an acknowledgement that these politicians are out there and that they have ideas that they are promoting. If they strike a chord with viewers, it’s very easy to look further into their platforms. While most Americans do not understand politics, almost all of them understand humor. And it’s a nice way to get their attention.