When Jon Stewart was on Crossfire during the Kerry campaign he was asked by Tucker Carlson if it’s better for him (Stewart) if Kerry loses, meaning The Daily Show’s liberal bias makes jokes less funny if liberals control the government. Stewart sidestepped the question with, “that’s really not how we look at it, our material comes from the theater of it all, which by the way, thank you both.” I’m not convinced. The writing and political satire of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are incredible, but their substance really comes from anger and resentment from liberals over an incredibly incompetent conservative administration. Not for nothing their ratings have been improving steadily for the past 5 years.
Do you guys think an Obama presidency with a Democratically controlled House and Senate will kill the funny?
It’ll be interesting to see how they manage to make fun of Obama without slobbering with love, but they have lots of conservative media to make fun of. No doubt Fox news will make a fool itself over the next months and years.
No. You’re right that their humor comes from governmental incompetence - but there will be plenty of that to come. It may not be as over-the-top, but Obama will make mistakes, Congress will occasionally get bogged down in partisan (and intra-party) squabbles, and so on. Our political system is always messy, and that mess will always provide plenty of fuel for the Daily Show and Colbert Report.
Rush Limbaugh really got going under Clinton, but did just fine under Bush. I don’t see that Stewart, et al will have any problem making the transition either.
They had a very successful time during the Clinton admin. Didn’t you guys have TVs at that time. They will skewer whoever is in power. Humor is everywhere.
Though Bush has certainly delivered a wealth of material, Colbert and especially Stewart still get tons of mileage from criticizing the lazy, complacent, irresponsible, sensationalistic, and absurd mainstream media (not just Fox). That should still provide plenty of fodder, though I have to admit that W’s passing will signal an end to the Glory Days of those shows.
Colbert will have it easier, since his character is anti-Obama. He was really reining it in the for a while, but can let loose again now that he’s won.
But Stewart (and other comedians) will have a hard time. An article in the Times a while back noted that Obama was tough for comedians since he didn’t have any hooks. McCain was old, Bush was stupid, Clinton couldn’t keep his pants on, Cheney was evil, and Palin was a blessing from heaven. But Obama is good looking, smart, well educated, well spoken, in full control of himself, has a beautiful wife and kids, and is black too. The only thing they’ve made fun of was his Messiah-hood. That’s not going to work for four years.
Either they’ll get lucky and he’ll make a mistake, or they’ll make fun of idiotic Republican attacks. Still, I suspect they prefer the current situation to the alternative.
You are dealing with three branches of government and a whole bunch of politicians and associated hangers on. There will be no shortage of stupidity to satire. Including within the Obama camp.
I say yet again - I am looking forward to complaining about the Obama administration!
Joe Biden.
Now, I rather like ol’ Joe (ESPECIALLY compared to the alternative of Sarah Palin) and have a soft spot for Delawarriors in general, but I think the Daily Show people will find him very handy to have around.
And does anybody seriously believe there aren’t going to be enough idiots making fools of themselves in an Obama administration (and in a Democratic Congress) to keep a comedy show in business? Sure, they may have to work a little harder, but they’ll get there.
Biden earned my eternal respect (and a video clip on Colbert) with his response to the reporter in Florida, who was pounding him with “hard hitting” questions. To the last one, trying to draw an equivalence between Obama’s tax plan and Marx’s “to each according to their abilities”, Biden said what every other politician has wanted to say: “Are you joking? Are these real questions?”
No filter between brain and mouth. You gotta love that.
I just get a completely different vibe from the Daily Show than you guys do, or else we’re talking about different shows. the one I watch seems to spend most of its time attacking and making fun of the media, and the way the media cover politics.
Unless there’s not going to be media anymore on January 21, 2009, it seems to me the Daily Show’s main source of material will be going strong.
I don’t think they will have a problem and TDS is not just liberals. I’m a big fan and have been for years. Jon mainly makes fun of anyone on either side. Besides I bet Biden will present plenty of mostly harmless humor.*
As to the liberal part. I am not and I have a friend at work that was still leaning towards McCain until he added Palin. We both love the show and are moderates with Republican leanings.
In off election years, TDS was very good at just showing the all News stations in their silliness. He will just end up doing more of it.
Jim
Of course many others have noted this potential gold mine already.
I really hope so. The best thing for this country is if the only jokes in the administration is the standard Biden, Foot, Mouth, Insert variety. I fear they will find fodder even with Obama, I see no way they won’t. It is too much to ask.
Actually, he’ll have it harder because his character is anti-Obama. The humour from the show has traditionally come from making fun of the far right by pretending to be one of them. That strategy just won’t work when the far right has no power – there’s no (funny) way to make fun of Obama as a parody-rightist, and nobody except for particularly spiteful Democrats is going to laugh at polemics against Republicans.
Rolling Stone magazine brought this very point up months ago with Stewart and Colbert (they were on the cover). They replied (in unison),“Are you kidding? His father was a goat herder!”
Stewart started on him last night. Now, compared to what we are accustomed to with Bush, it was fairly mild, but I don’t see it not happening. They skewer power and all its excesses. Hell, they’ve made fun of Obama before–they did a clip of Lion King after he got the nom. It was hysterical.
What Exit–they SHOULD find ammo for Obama. Satire and mockery is one way to keep power in check. I welcome it (to an extent). Both comedians have a level of decency which they will not go beyond: the kids are probably off limits (even Gin and Tonic–I mean Jenna and Barbi) were off limits and they were a comedian’s dream.