The Laura Trap: Looking for Laughs in All the Wrong Places

Will Jon Stewart acquire a comrade in his crusade to destroy democracy? Rumor has it that Fox is preparing a Daily Show ripoff to star Laura Ingraham. If that's true, left and right really have switched places: In just a decade, we've moved from a clueless effort to find a liberal Rush Limbaugh to a clueless effort to find a conservative Jon Stewart.

Count your blessings, Fox. You already have your own version of The Colbert Report. Don't get greedy.

Comments

[whit]

laura ingram is hilarious in her own right, so the show could be good. don't know if she'd translate to TV.

i wonder if liberals would find stewart as funny when he starts ripping into the next (democratic) president.

they certainly lost their appreciation of dennis miller when he switched sides. i think that stewart, while obviously left of center methinx, would have a good time bashing idiocy of the left, just as he has done with idiocy of the right

[Ken]

This will fail. Al Franken was right: conservatives can't be funny because they don't understand irony. Any person who can support a flag burning amendment has no sense of irony.

[3rdpoliceman]

I used to like Laura Ingraham until the Terri Schiavo case. Listening to her talk about that made me want to pull over and bang my head on the steering wheel.

I think Jon Stewart is hilarious, even though I know I'm far to the right of him politically. The Colbert Report is awesome too.

Iv'e heard some Republican talk-radio types wringing their hands over the fact(?) that a lot of people seem to get their news from The Daily Show. They don't apparently see anything wrong with millions of people who get their news from talk radio though.

[Evan]

Whit,

The best thing Stewart has on the left is their toothlessness. Once they get back into power, I dunno what in the hell he'll do---because much of his political/partisan commentary is based on the assumption that liberalism is somehow more just and good. The "idiocy" of the left that you speak of is actually much of the "control subject" for his jokes.

[Jennifer]

God save me from uptight conservatives who think bitchiness means they have a sense of humor.

"Hey! Didja know there's an official White House dog?" (holds up photo of a Presidential daughter) "Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk! Too bad Twain is dead so he can't blurb my book for me."

[Bubba Zanetti]

Stewart is an insulated asshole who long ago surrendered attempts at comedy in order to take shots at Bush. Stewart's soliloquy-based questions and the 100% vocal, partisan crowd prevents any real dialogue when a guest appears who dissents from his worldview.

That being said, I watch at least twice a week...it's vicious, mean-spirited and intends to injure, like an Ozzie Guillen press conference. We need more of that in this media enviroment.

[Bubba Zanetti]

Furthermore, Ingraham lacks Stewart's cynicism, killer instinct and comedic delivery. Her show will suck, bank on it.

[RU Sirius]

Tucker Carlson has been desperately trying to make himself hip and funny with his MSNBC show ever since Stewart bitch slapped him. He's not funny though (not intentionally) and maybe he doesn't qualify as conservative since he calls himself a libertarian. I don't know. Does anybody here actually LIKE this guy?

[Scott]

The righties seem to be missing one key ingredient in the production of a comedy show, a comedian. A bitchy political pundit is not a good substitute. BTW, wasn't the Miller CNBC show already a failed attempt to copy Stewart and The Daily Show.

[Garth]

What Ken said. Seriously, humor from a conservative bent is rarely funny even if the the same from the left can be suffocating and insufferable.

And it's PC to make fun of old white guys and their corrupt, fuddy-duddy ways. What's Laura gonna do? Comically eviscerate some sustainable-energy-lefty-black-woman on TV?

"You and your "flower power" are hurting America!"

Never gonna sell.

[thoreau]

On the other hand, consider the implications of a major news network running a comedy show: Either it is an acknowledgement that there is much truth in humor, or it is an acknowledgement that "news" is nothing more than entertainment.

I like "Countdown" with Keith Olberman.

[Fidolicious]

Ken,

Yeah, Franken's a riot. Anyway, this show will suck. Big time.

Whit,

too bad that'll never happen. Stewart's a partisan hack. Bubba's 1:46 post nailed it in the first sentence.

[alkali]

I wonder if it was the news that the Daily Show was hurting democracy that made Fox want to get in on some of that action.

[Herrick and His Balls]

The more important question about Ingraham is: Would you hit that?

[whit]

"This will fail. Al Franken was right: conservatives can't be funny because they don't understand irony. Any person who can support a flag burning amendment has no sense of irony."

this is the kind of idiocy that leads al to (so often be) wrong

yes, comedians tend to be disproportionately left of center. they also tend to be disproportionately jewish/agnostic vs. christian male vs. female.

so, i guess females and christian don't understand irony either (rolls eyes)

like i said, left of center tends to disproportionately dominate media (and entertainment media) in GENERAL

the idea that they can't perform is absurd, or that they don't understand irony.

it's just more franken hubris

like i said, i have NO idea if ingram in particular will be successful, but i have zero doubt that conservatives can be (and are) funny - even intentionally 🙂

much of franken's schtick, as a member of the "smarmy left" is that the distinction between liberals and conservatives is that the latter are ignorant and the former enlightened. the exception is the evil geniuses like rove, who are as smart as the good liberals, but their evilness brings them to conservatism.

i have much respect for franken (for his support of the troops via USO etc.) but as is so often the case, he has no idea what he is talking about

franken would also say that conservatives could never be successful in talk radio either.

oh wait. even HE couldn't make that argument. guys got SOME sense

[Fidolicious]

Good question, Herrick. Also, is that the real RU Sirius in here?

[ed]

Where is it written that Stewart and The Daily Show must attack only the political party currently in power? The show is seriously flawed in this regard. Surely there is enough material coming from both sides of the aisle to skewer both parties. Why alienate half your potential audience by groveling before the other half? The very best satire is politically agnostic, and while the party in power should receive the sharpest barbs, the other side should not be exempt from criticism.

[mediageek]

"Does anybody here actually LIKE this guy?"

I'll watch Tucker Carlson, who at least appears thoughtful and understated, over Anderson Cooper, who's just waaaay too in love with his image as a compassionate news maker type any day.

[R C Dean]

. . .one key ingredient in the production of a comedy show, a comedian. A bitchy political pundit is not a good substitute.

As proven by Al Franken.

I'm not sure if anyone here has actually listened to Laura's radio show - she is quick and pretty witty, although whether she transfers to TV is anyone's guess.

Anyone who pontificates that conservatives can't be funny obviously never listened to the music drops on Rush Limbaugh. I haven't listened in a few years, but back in the day the song parodies on his show were pretty good stuff.

[ATR]

I don't think it's any secret that Stewart falls left of center. It may be pushing it to say he has an "agenda" but there are certainly times when he's not a fair host. (His take down of Bill Bennett comes to mind.) It would be interesting to see how he would handle the Dems in power, since much of the shows appeal comes from it hammering the point that liberals = cute, sometimes bumbling lil' underdogs.

[Matt]

yes, comedians tend to be disproportionately left of center. they also tend to be disproportionately jewish/agnostic vs. christian male vs. female.

yea, Jews like Chris Rock, Pryor, Bernie Mac, agnostics all. And the agnostic jew (sorry, same thing) Sam Kennison, the former preacher.

Left of center, yes. Jewish, uh, you need to re-read http://www.suck.com and find the post on Jewish humour.

[B]

Who cares about this stuff?
We should talk about the all the money Buffet is giving away! I just finished reading the Fountainhead, so this kind of "charity" is suddenly in a different light. I mean, I've know for a while how conservatives denounce the Ford Foundation, but this new behemoth will certainly cause all sorts of new havoc.

[3rdpoliceman]

RC Dean,

I used to listen to Laura almost every morning, but like I said her attitude about the Schiavo thing pissed me off. She is pretty funny though. Her "But... Monkey" schtick is priceless. And she is pretty witty.

Rush used to have some pretty funny moments on his old T.V. show too. And I agree, the parodies were awesome.

She's also not bad looking - she doesn't have a face for radio as they say. As to how she'd transfer to T.V. - Who knows. Rush's show didn't last long and I guess he was a hell of a lot more popular than Laura.

[Jesse Walker]

Limbaugh's TV show looked like it was shot for cable access. I was amazed at how low the production values were, considering what a big star he was.

[Brian24]

FWIW, I always thought Stewart was a poor replacement for Kilborne until after 9/11, when he started ripping the Bush admin to shreds. It will be interesting to see whether his comedy goes downhill again if we ever see another Democratic government.

As a result, I find Bubba's comment odd; as near as I can tell, Stewart wasn't that funny until he started taking shots at Bush.

[John]

I don't understand the left's obsession with comedians. I sincerely hope that the right doesn't follow suit. I could not frankly care less whether comedians tend to be right or left. All I care about is if they are funny, which few of them are.

That said, Laura is a hell of a lot easier on the eyes than Stewart or Franklin. Considering that it is TV not radio, I would rather watch her for that reason if nothing else, although I would hope I continue to have enough of a life in the future not to watch any of them.

[whit]

matt, you need to understand what the term "disproportionate" means

here's a hint. listing three black comedians as counterexamples to jews being disproportionately represented among comedians is pretty weak. read on knave...

tons of comedians (jews and nonjewish alike) point this out - that jews are disproportionately represented in comedy. pointing out that jews disproportionately are represented in comedy is about as questionable as pointing out that blacks are disproportionately represented in the NBA

last i checked, jews make up about 3.5% of the US population. if u honestly think that less than 3.5% of comedians are jewish, then you have a problem with #'s. fwiw, blacks make up about 13% of the US population. again... do the math...

i don't need to read suck.com to understand basic math or comedy

yawn...

lenny bruce, jerry seinfeld, Woody Allen, Henny Youngman, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling ,Bob Hope, Robert Klein, Mickey Katz, Weird Al, Allan Sherman, Jack Benny, George Burns, George Jessel, the Ritz Brothers (Al, Jimmy, Harry), Danny Kaye, Alan King, Jerome Lester 'Curly' Howard, all 3 stooges (thanks Adam Sandler), oh yea... Adam Sandler, Sara Silverman, Ben Stiller (and his dad), blah blah blah

you know sometimes the idiocy here just astounds me. next, you are going to tell me that the NBA is not disproportionately black, or that Hockey is not disproportionately white... well, Danny Ainge and Larry Bird are white. so i must be wrong (rolls eyes).

[John]

One other thing, if the Left is so God damned funny and not humorless turds they seem to be, why do so many of them have such a problem with South Park and why are they so damned easy to satirize?

[mediageek]

FWIW, people who do well on radio tend to fare poorly on television and vice-versa.

Some communications guy back in the day posited the thought of "hot" and "cold" personalities, and that one came across well in one medium, but not the other.

It's pretty rare that you have people like Larry King who seem to do alright in either medium.

[Brian24]

I would rather watch her for that reason if nothing else,

If you're watching Laura Ingraham in order to find a babe to look at, you're definitely watching the wrong channels. 🙂

[whit]

ah yes... south park

to quote matt and trey . "we hate conservatives but we REALLY f*cking hate liberals"

i find it very telling that so many lib friends that used to like south park like it less and less the more it attacks their sacred cows.

the "smug cloud" episode was classic

or the walmart one

[Brian24]

One other thing, if the Left is so God damned funny and not humorless turds they seem to be, why do so many of them have such a problem with South Park and why are they so damned easy to satirize?

FWIW, I would consider myself "Left" (well, more so than right, anyway), and I'd say South Park is the funniest show on TV.

I may be a turd, but I am not a humorless one.

I'd also say that dogmatic thinking of any sort, be it left, right, or purple, is pretty easy to satirize.

[bubba]

I don't understand the left's obsession with comedians.

That's easy. When you don't have substance, you make fun of the other position. When they try to debate, you dodge: I'm just a comedian.

I thought Stewart was funny until he started taking himself too seriously. Once he started thinking he might actually make a difference, he started trying to make political points, at the expense of humor.

He had to work very hard to find Kerry jokes that didn't make fun of Kerry's positions. Or lack thereof.

Colbert amuses the hell out of me. Yes, he's making fun of conservatives, but he's taking the time to at least master their arguments. He'll say something "outrageous" and I know his audience is laughing because they think it's nuts, and I'm laughing because I know it's true. 🙂

[Pro Libertate]

The radio-to-TV transition appears to be pretty hard, at least in the modern era. Even the King of All Media has failed to crack that nut.

Is anyone watching Glenn Beck's show? I've seen a little of it. It seems a little better produced than most radio-to-TV shows, but I haven't been wowed by anything. Well, except by that news babe they hired, maybe 🙂 Of course, I'm not terribly fond of his radio show, either, especially since the Schiavo mess.

[Frank_A]

God, why does anyone watch cable tv for news anyhow?

The commercials are annoying, the tv personalities are walking abortions, and everything is made so as the stupidest schmuck can feel "smart" even though he just walked into the equivalent of:
"You smell!"
"No, you smell, ass-face!"
"You smell!"
"Your mother!"
TV Audience: "Oh Snap!"

And here's my whole complaint about Jon Stewart. Like Bill Maher, he is smug in his "speaking truth to power" since he is protected by the ever-present, sympathetic audience.
Now, Stewart does have several points over Bill Maher, in that he is likable, he can be humble, and isn't so frikin' oily like Maher is. Also, in Stewart's favor, Crossfire was a turd that needed to be flushed, so he was right on that. Not to mention, you can't help but laugh, hard, at how totally Stewart intellectually eviscerated the hapless Carlson.

But, his whole Crossfire skewering of Carlson would NEVER have gone done the same without an audience that thought he was the shit. He just basked in the warm embrace of his audience and in turned ignored, IMHO, the valid criticisms of Stewart's own sin of supposedly wanting to get people more interested in politics but then in reality turning people off via his cynicism.
You can't really have it both ways in wanting to get people involved in politics while at the same time only focusing on ALL the scum and shit that stains the floors of politics. Not. Gonna. Work.

Carlson at least had the balls (but not the wit or brains) to call out Stewart on the fact that he was invited as a welcomed, non-debate guest who then immediatley attacked them and their show in spite of their generosity.
Oh, and jeez, what was his whole, "Come on guys, I'm not a real journalist so I can't be held to the same accountability" crap?! He invites some of the most important movers and shakers in the USA, gets to interview them on his own terms (usually favorable to liberals), and DOES alter the political landscape, and all of that is similar to stadrd journalism that can be held accountable. But when the apotheosis that is Stewart gets called out out, ala Carlson, he gets to pretend that he's just a simple comedian that has no impact on public discourse!!!!
That is utter BULLSHIT. I guess it's pretty nice when you can have so many trappings of power when you don't have to held accountable for them, huh?

Therefore, by these reason's, I conclude that Stewart's not only a coward but his arrogance has insulated his own manifest hypocrisy that he damns the world for.

Oh and Stewart's complaint that Crossfire is "ruining" America...(rolls eyes) NO ONE WATCHED CROSSFIRE DAMNIT!!!!
Get some real balls, Stewart, and go say that on O'Reilly or Hannity and Colmes where you will get attacked and not have an audience to hear your whimpers...

But then again, I'm was a big fan of Kilbourne and was really bummed when he left 🙁
So you can take my rantings with a pinch of salt...

[3rdpoliceman]

Pro Libertate,

I watch Glen Beck a few days a week. He's had a couple of really funny bits on there, but overall it's pretty tame. I keep coming back hoping it will improve.

Oddly enough, he stays away from most of the controversial topics that he (apparently, I don't get his show in my area) covers on the radio. Did CNN ask him to tone it down, or did he figure that the CNN demo would blow him off quickly if he really showed his true colors?

The result, predictably, is a bland show about very little that tries too hard.

[mitch]

I used to enjoy Tucker Carlson's writing in The Weekly Standard, so many years ago. On TV he seems weak, so I have only watched his shows very rarely, as it made me squirm to see someone I liked look so bad. To be honest, I am amazed he is still on TV; I would have thought he would realize that he is better at writing than the TV gig, and, even if he didn't, don't the people at CNN realize it? What kind of ratings does Carlson get?

Nobody has mentioned P.J. O'Rourke, who is pretty funny. Maybe people here don't count him as a conservative?

[Garth]

Oh whit,

The last time Christians were funny there were lions involved....

[chewy]

Speaking of comedy, and radio personalities on TV...

...Drudge.

[zener]

As long as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report makes me laugh, I'll keep watching.

I think one of the major reasons that Stewart makes fun of Pres. Bush is that he tends to mispeak when he is talking to reporters, which make the Pres. Bush an easy target. Most of the time I see hime making fun of politicians that act stupid in public.

Stewart is in the business of making people laugh, if more people laugh at jokes aimed at a certain political party or a particular politician, that is what The Daily Show is going to do.

Fair and balanced? No. Funny? Yes

[JimL]

The Daily Show?s gag is usually on whomever is in power, but a constant running them is making fun of the democrats for their inability to accomplish anything. He even sarcastically said, while making a good anti-Kerry barb ?Not so funny when it?s you, is it? after some awkward laughs. On a side note, did anyone see his interview with Colin Powell? Stewart was completely and totally intimidated to the point of repeated stammering.

[Mo]

I liked Stewart better than Kilborn (I did like Kilborn's interviews better, though) and I though Stewart was pretty good at poking fun at Bill, which isn't hard. Stewart criticises Dems quite a bit for being indecisive and ineffective. The thing is, that's the primary criticism levied on them by their opposition and why they lost the last two elections (2002 and 2004).

Carlson's criticism was that he didn't grill Kerry. 90% of his interviews are puff pieces, even for Republicans*. Stewart very rarely does serious interviews, so Carlson's comment wasn't really germane.

* There are exceptions, though they're the distinct minority.

[John]

JimL

When I was a legal intern in law school, the Washington firm I worked for handled a case involved a botched Navy fighter project. One of the witnesses was none other then then retired General Powell himself. I had the privelige of sitting in on the deposition of Powell. There was your typical asshole New York litigator who cross examined him. Powell literally crushed the man. I really thought he might cry at one point. Powell had some major stage presence. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen in my life.

[Frank_A]

On a side note, did anyone see his interview with Colin Powell? Stewart was completely and totally intimidated to the point of repeated stammering.

Comment by: JimL at June 26, 2006 03:34 PM

As I said, Stewart is a coward.

As for being Fair&Balance, dude, during the Kilbourne days of yore EVERYONE was skewered in an AWESOME Gonzo-style of reporting that I sorely miss.
Stewart is a phantom imitation of Kilbourne since his audience loves him because he precisly is so merciless to Bush while Kilbourne could get everyone to laugh at EVERYTHING...

But I also like black licorice and think it's been an unjustly mocked candy, so you can make your own judgements of my taste...

[Mo]

I also like black licorice and think it's been an unjustly mocked candy

That explains it all. Black licorice is the spawn of candy hating harpies.

[John]

Frank A,

I would love to see a comedian go after the left the way Stewart goes after the right. I guarentee he would be put in the same catagory as Anne Coulter and Michelle Malkin and would be persona non grata among the left.

[Marcvs]

Both the Left and the Right can be pretty humorless when it's their ox getting gored. Conversely, both sides can be pretty funny when goring the other's ox. I don't think either side has a monopoly on humor (or humorlessness).

Oh, and BTW, 9/11 marked the end of irony. Didn't all of you get the memo?

[Frank_A]

I also like black licorice and think it's been an unjustly mocked candy

That explains it all. Black licorice is the spawn of candy hating harpies.

Comment by: Mo at June 26, 2006 04:08 PM

🙁
That hurt Mo...very deeply...I think I'm gonna cry...

😉

[BornAgainIconoclast]

When MSNBC first hit the air in 1996, I enjoyed watching their little "Gen-X Roundtable" after a major story, with people like Ingraham, Delroy Murdock, and other relatively new (and in my generation) voices on Cable News. They ditched that format in no time ever since, MSNBC has been the boring boomer alternative to CNN.

At least with Ingraham back on TV, you get conservative intelligence and wit without the psychosis of Coulter (a person I always thought of as the Bizzaro Ingraham, anyway).

[thoreau]

The real question is, what kind of sweetener do they use in black licorice?

🙂

[Frank_A]

The real question is, what kind of sweetener do they use in black licorice?

🙂

Comment by: thoreau at June 26, 2006 04:40 PM

DAMN YOU THOREAU AND YOUR DAMN HFCS PROPAGANDA!!!!!!!!

Now, where are my 2.5 kg pieces of rock sugar, because my diabetes commands me to eat and in this way I can laugh in the face in the of nefarious HFCS cabal for their condmemning me to a life of impotence, early death, and amputation of my toes...

[Pro Libertate]

Black licorice is gross. Seriously.

[Akira MacKenzie]

This will fail. Al Franken was right: conservatives can't be funny because they don't understand irony. Any person who can support a flag burning amendment has no sense of irony.

I agree with Ken. Irony and a willingness to poke fun at the establishment makes for great political satire. Since the Right expects us all to bow down and worship the Establishment (especially when they are in charge) or be branded a "liberal, atheist, sympathizer of gays/terrorists/illegal immigrants," thumbing their nose at convention is not on their list of priorities. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one conservative who has ever been deliberately funny:P. J. O'Rourke. During his "Republican Party Reptile" days in 80s he was hilarious because although he was hardly a leftist he was more than willing to point out or thumb his nose at the hypocrisies and stuffiness of conservatism as well. (This is guy who boast making out with his girlfriend at Jim & Tammy Faye Baker's Fundie theme-park, something that would be considered literal blasphemy among today's crop of Republicans.)

Sadly, P. J. has become yet another dry, dull conservative who is no longer willing to preaching the virtues of "driving fast while on drugs and getting you wing wang squeezed and not spill your drink." He'd become yet another right wing old fart who's too willing to distance himself from his pre-National Lampoon counterculture days and thinks that poking fun at the allegedly bad hygiene of modern anti-war activists is still funny.

[Rush Limbaugh]

"Hey! Didja know there's an official White House dog?"

Hey, didja know that I never ever said? Molly Ivins is a liar, and so are you for repeating it.

Copyright 1992 Multimedia Entertainment, Inc.
RUSH LIMBAUGH
SHOW: RUSH LIMBAUGH (9:00 PM ET)
November 6, 1992, Friday 11:15 AM

LIMBAUGH: Thank you. This show's era of dominant influence is just beginning. We are now the sole voice of sanity, the sole voice of reason. We are the sole voice of opposition on all television. This is the only place you can tune to to get the truth of the opposition of the one-party dictatorial government that now will soon run America. Oh, I mean, we are only beginning to enjoy dominance and prosperity. Most of these things on the in-out list are not even funny, but a couple of them--one of them in particular is.

David Hinckley of--of the New York Daily News wrote this, and what he has--he's got--it's very strange. He says, In: A cute kid in the White House. Out: Cute dog in the White House.' Could--could we see the cute kid? Let's take a look at--see who is the cute kid in the White House.

(A picture is shown of Millie the dog)

LIMBAUGH: (Voiceover) No, no, no. That's not the kid.

(Picture shown of Chelsea Clinton)

LIMBAUGH: (Voiceover) That's--that's the kid. We're trying to...

(Applause)

LIMBAUGH: No, just kidding. I'm just getting. Oh. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. Hold it. That was a terrible thing. That--that was an absolutely terrible--I am--I am sorry.

[AC]

Powell literally crushed the man.

I didn't realize Powell was that big. Was he charged with murder?

[Frank_A]

Sadly, P. J. has become yet another dry, dull conservative who is no longer willing to preaching the virtues of "driving fast while on drugs and getting you wing wang squeezed and not spill your drink." He'd become yet another right wing old fart who's too willing to distance himself from his pre-National Lampoon counterculture days and thinks that poking fun at the allegedly bad hygiene of modern anti-war activists is still funny.

Comment by: Akira MacKenzie at June 26, 2006 04:59 PM

Dude, O'Rourke is over 50 years old, it's kinda hard to talk about the pleasures/ironies of doing lines of coke with your stock-broker buddies on the bathroom counter-tops of New York's finest clubs when you got two young kids to take care of and you probably have more plaques in your arteries than you have hair on your head.

Also, if you want more people like me on our side, who were converted from consveratism to libertarianism precisly because of O'Rourke, then you gotta stop saying stupid crap like this:
This is guy who boast making out with his girlfriend at Jim & Tammy Faye Baker's Fundie theme-park, something that would be considered literal blasphemy among today's crop of Republicans
(rolls eyes)Great to know you don't stereotype people Akira. Because, there's no such thing as 9/11 Republicans, or Guilliani Republicans, or the remnants of the conservative-libertarian Fusionists to actually rally to our cause against the social conservatives.
And I bet they so do love to be called hacks for the Administration...

[highnumber]

I remember the Clintons getting their licks (figuratively, as in punches) from Stewart back in the day. Mind you, the conservatives got their share as well. When we had a Democratic administration and through the 2000 election fiasco (both candidates got skewered), I never noticed any bias on the show, but once Bush took us to war in Iraq, then the show took a turn. Perhaps a sense of moral outrage infected Stewart's psyche. Really though, even Letterman seems sickened by a lot of what's been going on, and I always pegged him as right leaning.

[whit]

"I agree with Ken. Irony and a willingness to poke fun at the establishment makes for great political satire. Since the Right expects us all to bow down and worship the Establishment (especially when they are in charge) or be branded a "liberal, atheist, sympathizer of gays/terrorists/illegal immigrants," thumbing their nose at convention is not on their list of priorities. "

get over your unseemly, irrational bias man. the left - the same people who instituted campus speech codes, Mckinnonism, "no free speech zones" on college campuses (and during WTO in seattle), that opposes rightwing speakers by throwing pies in their faces, etc. etc. gets a pass by you

deal with the fact that people are people and there is little difference in the regards u mention

only a biased fool would fail to see that his "side" was just as guilty as the other in the regards mentioned

[whit]

oh btw.. speaking of jewish comedians... Jon Stewart

[Mark Borok]

Rush Limbaugh ?

If the swapping of Chelsea Clinton's picture for a dog's wasn't intentional for a cheap laugh, then what the hell was the point of the joke?

[The Buffoon]

I looked at my icehole een the meeror today, and it blew my fahcking mind!

Comedic homages aside, Ingraham really is funny, when she isn't being an openly partisan hack (just like, um, Jon, uh, Stewart is). A few months ago (during the pardon-for-Tookie-Williams silliness), she had a bit where Byron York read the lyrics of "Gin and Juice" that was weirdly funny beyond description.

[whit]

byron york reading "gin and juice" OMFG LOL!

that's even better than shatner doing 'rocket man'

ingram *is* hilarious. i just agree that i have no idea if she will transfer well to the screen.

hers and michael medveds show are my favorite right wing radio shows.

i listen to randhi rhoads in small doses too and franken just for "balance". :l

[whit]

oh, btw...

black licorice (love the taste btw) is estrogenic

seriously

[Jon H]

ATR writes: "I don't think it's any secret that Stewart falls left of center. "

The thing is, if criticism of the Bush administration and the GOP-dominated Congress makes you "left of center", then only about 37% of Americans are right of center these days.

An administration (of either party) that doesn't suck so bad, and a congress less dominated by corrupt, mindless, Republican wingnuts like DeLay and Frist (but held by either party) would probably result in Stewart's political stance looking more centrist, without him actually changing his political views.

[Marcvs]

Apparently, discussing comedy makes people more partisan than any other topic. Interesting...

[Frank_A]

oh, btw...

black licorice (love the taste btw) is estrogenic

seriously

Comment by: whit at June 27, 2006 12:01 AM

And it raises your blood pressure to boot! God I love things that are killing me as we speak 🙂

[whit]

doood! hypertension and a heart attack are one thing...

manboobs and meryl streep film festivals are another thing ENTIRELY

ph33r the estrogen explosion

next thing you know, you suck at math, you can't fold a map, and you have a burning need to discuss your feelings. :l

[Ken]

I stick with my comments. You have to realize that Reason is not "conservative" but libertarian. Libtertarians can be funny. THe left can be funny. But conservatism is all about reverence, for the Church, for the Military, for the Famioly, for Tradition, etc., (go read NRO for a taste), and it simply has little place for irony. Sure the left has kooks that also cannot appreciate irony, just as is true for libtertarians. But they do not have the hard on for piety itself the right does.

[whit]

ken, you are dreaming. the left has just as much of a love affair with itself, and failure to understand irony as the right does. get over yourself, and your silly little bias.

the left hates when its sacred cows are upset, just as the right does.

there is no difference

a true believer (tm) is a true believer.

[Ken]

Whit
I agree that the left has an element with no sense of humor about its sacred cows, in fact I said that in an early post. But if you think about it, part of the meaning of "liberal" is to be open minded and unconventional, and part of the meaning of conservative is to be the opposite. It's no suprise to me why more of the funny people I know of, both famous and not, are liberal while most of the conservatives I know have bad senses of humor. Thinking outside the box is simply not encouraged in that ideology. In fact, thinking inside the box is what its all about there...Again, this does not include libertarians, who are often very uncovnetional thinkers and lumped as 'conservatives' wrongly most of the time.

[Frank_A]

But if you think about it, part of the meaning of "liberal" is to be open minded and unconventional, and part of the meaning of conservative is to be the opposite. It's no suprise to me why more of the funny people I know of, both famous and not, are liberal while most of the conservatives I know have bad senses of humor. Thinking outside the box is simply not encouraged in that ideology.

Comment by: Ken at June 27, 2006 04:20 PM

If you mean 7th Day Adventist types of conservatism, you'd have a point, but most of the conservatives I've known are not this stereotype you cram them into.

Sorry, Jonah Golderg can still get a chuckle out of me.
Guys like the Blue Collar group, who are conservatives and especially the clean comedy of Foxworthy, get a laugh out of me.
They are not your cup of tea, but yes there are conservatives who have humor and can do very well with it.
Dems/liberals just have more since Repubs/conservatives are generally are more hostile to...varied social expression.

Also, if you are zealot for your side, then you are not humorous.
Remember how some talk show host made fun of the LP, and the PR person for the LP made the most asinine, yay-for-orthodox LIBERTARIAN statement ever! Sweet Jesu Christos, what an idiot.

[whit]

on the left's inability to laugh at itself

Q: how many feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

A: "THAT'S NOT FUNNY" (long pause). the term screw is an edifice of the racist, capitalist, heterosexist, patriarchal, white supremacist, imperialist, christian insect culture that subjugates women and tries to keep them down. furthermore, lightbulbs are based on male-centric scientific paradigms that oppress a woman's equally valid "way of knowing"...

or something