BlogHer - Political Comedy Videos Are Not Just For SNL & Why Aren't There Any Pro-McCain Parodies? - Comments

Ha! I See You've Thought This Through

Megan Smith — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:09:10 -0500

Hi Gwynneth,

You've thought a lot about this, haven't you? I'm not so sure that Republicans can't be funny, I think they don't allow themselves to be funny. And I for one am willing to help them find their inner jokester.

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog: Megan's Minute

It's true: Republicans just aren't funny...

Gwynneth — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:47:36 -0500

Oh, they do try! But almost invariably, they fall flat as my mom's attempts at explaining Bushonomics, even though she majored in economics. It's not necessarily lack of talent, but, I think, taking themselves too damned seriously...AND hating liberals too much to laugh at them or anyone else.

Being too serious and mad all the time, as well as the renowned lack of sex among Republicans compared to Democrats makes them, well...wet blankets and Grumpy Gus's (that's how Joe the Plumber came off: a curmudgeon, which makes a lousy mascot, by the way).

McCain is the Grumpiest of ALL curmudgeons, with his whining, snarling, finger pointing. He's just NO FUN! Barack isn't a barrel of laughs, exactly, but you feel like you could sit back over a nice dinner with him and have a few chuckles, as well as a spirited debate without being insulted. He also SMILES without looking like he's constipated!

Palin was brought in, not for her expertise, but her "down-homey-ness" (not to be confused with "homie-ness"!), and they hoped, a few cunning, folksy jokes. They were thinking Garrison Keillor and instead got that annoying neighbor who's always yelling at her kids and giving out fake smiles (and winks!).

Her latest attempt at "humor" that I caught was in Ohio, I think, when she salivated over Joe the fake Plumber as he did his cow-plop-dodging sideswaddle (coached no doubt--he's normall stiff as a board when walking!) toward her onstage.

"Here he Iii--zzz!" She drooled, "Wearing his Carhartt's (work pants) and work boots--he's MY kinda guy!" The result was not humor, but nausea. WHY does she feel obliged to keep hinting at sex? Does she feel that, as a woman, she must, or was she told, "YOU'RE the next Ann Coulter!". If so, that was some BAD advice! Coulter's "about as funny as a gut full of pinworms" (Ted Kazerinsky in the film "Neighbors") and looks like a bony, old, bad-tempered horse with its hair dyed blonde.

So now, my husband (who likes Carhartts) is annoyed, NOT laughing and I'm groaning, because NOTHING is worse than someone trying that desperately to be funny and/or sex and failing horribly!

Inflexibility, one of the hallmarks of being Conservative...by definition, is NOT conducive to humor, at all! So, just keep watching the Colbert Report and PRETEND he really is conservative.

I actually liked your idea of having Republicans hire unemployed Dems for jokes. The problem would be, they'd also have to get other Dems to deliver said jokes! I think we can call the GOP the Grumpy, Old-Man Party. No, that wasn't funny...which is JUST why they'd like it! On "Main Street", it would "play", I bet.

Palin As President, Funny Stuff

Megan Smith — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:04:40 -0500

Hi Nordette,

The Palin As President game is hysterical. I especially loved the spinning globe: Something-stan! Very funny.

Thanks for the link.

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog:
Megan's Minute

I Guess It's That Conservative/Liberal Thing

Megan Smith — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:03:59 -0500

I guess by definition, if you're conservative, you're less likely to broaden your horizons when it comes to comedy. Whereas, if you're liberal, sometimes, you broaden your horizons so much, you think everything is funny---which of course it isn't.

Personally, I think it's about taking mental and emotional risks, and the conservatives I know, don't lean that way.

Any conservatives out there got any answers?

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog:
Megan's Minute

It's true!

Mom101 — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:39:09 -0500

The best equal opportunity offenders I can think of are the South Park guys, and maybe Family Guy. But for the most part, the entertainment field skews left. I ended up in a huge debate about that with the sigOth the other night, trying to figure out why it is. I guess Republicans don't encourage their children to spend their days and nights on the road in places called "The Haha Hut" and "Coconutz" trying to hone their comedy stylings, huh.

Wonderful piece Megan.

Mom-101

Thank you. YAY!

Nordette — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:09:35 -0500

OM! I love these clips and links and I needed the laugh, Megan. The first one is just super silly with the holiday phone call. I really cracked up. The Irish song is also a hoot, that's O'bama. Bet it's fun to sing with a group too. Actually, I liked all the embedded videos.

I have one on my personal blog that is about McCain giving the VP potentials he rejected the let down. I've also been keeping up with the SNL stuff.

I had an unexpected laugh recently, however, not watching a political satire video but an online game classifed as political satire, PalinAsPresident. Partisan, for sure, but still fresh.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link.

We All Have To Do Our Part

Megan Smith — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:42:20 -0500

Hi Deb,

Look, we all have to do our part in the service of political comedy. Sacrifices must be made.

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog:
Megan's Minute

I'm skeered to look

debontherocks — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:17:41 -0500

Funny! But I have worked very hard to get my family NOT to send me links to that stuff!

YES WE CANDY! --Come trick-or-treat with Sarah and John at the GOP Mansion!

Deb
www.debontherocks.com blog
www.3smartgirlz.com consulting

What Can I Say?

Megan Smith — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:03:56 -0500

I'm simply tired of coming off as some kind of partisan Barack Obama shill, when the real problem is that McCain supporters just can't seem to put a decent parody together.

And it was a pleasure to meet you as well!

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog:
Megan's Minute

Funny stuff!

Suzanne Reisman — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:28:38 -0500

And I'm referring to your commentary, not the links. (Although those are good, too.)

So glad that we finally met in Boston!

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Political Comedy Videos Are Not Just For SNL & Why Aren't There Any Pro-McCain Parodies?

Megan Smith — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:38:25 -0500

You've seen the SNL election parodies and sketches: Tina Fey as Sarah Palin thanking elementary school students for helping her prepare for her debate with Joe Biden; Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden saying he'd take a bullet for his good friend John McCain...but McCain is "mentally unstable;" Even the real Joe Biden cracked up at that one. Then there's the SNL town hall meeting debate where Chris Parnell as Tom Brokaw keeps hilariously cutting off the candidates to save time.

With twenty-two days left until Election Day 2008, I thought now would be a good time to bring you some political video parodies that aren't so well known, but still quite funny.

First, one of the funniest videos I've seen this whole political season, Phone Atone from Birthright Israel in which the candidates atone for their sins for Rosh Hashanah.

There are some smooth song stylings out there with political themes as well. Next is the pub song, "There's No One As Irish As Barack Obama." But be warned...it's catchy.

Comedian Roy Zimmerman is the star of the following two videos, "The Man, The Myth, The McCain" and "To Be A Liberal."

For you swing dancers, or voters, out there, you can't beat "Takin' it Back with Barack Jack" from Wil Galison and his jammin' orchestra. If you're a former "Ryan's Hope" fan or current "One Life To Live" fan, that's Ilene Kristen on vocals.

Now I'll be honest with you. When I do these political video parody roundups, I try to balance out pro-Obama and pro-McCain videos equally. But I gotta tell you, you Republicans need to get off the dime. I can find as many pro-Obama videos and song parodies as I want. But if I want pro-McCain or pro-Palin comedy, I'm up the creek without a paddle.

I don't mean political speeches and slick commercials, I don't mean your Uncle Milton sitting in his basement, banging out something about McCain on his second hand keyboard. I'm talking about quality comedy.

The closest I came to a pro-McCain political song was The McCain Boogie on GodTube. The problem? It's an instrumental. No lyrics. No catchy puns and double entendres. See, I just don't think you Republicans get the whole parody thing.

Is it a lack of talent? Are Democrats the only ones who can rhyme McCain and campaign? There have to be talented Republican comedy/song writers somewhere in this country. Is it that Democratic songwriters are the ones out of work and have the time to write this stuff?

Here's an idea, since Republicans are so rich, why don't they hire some of those unemployed Democratic songwriters to write some fun pro-McCain songs?

Until then, if you know of some pro-McCain video parodies, musical or otherwise, feel free to let me know. No sick stuff, mind you or I'll "report spam" your butt faster than you can say Obama.

All I want is some good, clean pro-McCain political fun.

Finally, if you're tired of CNN's Wolf Blitzer screaming in your ear, check out this future Christiane Amanpour and her take on the election. You'll be glad you did.

Thanks to BlogHer CE Mata H, also of Time's Fool, for the links to "There's No One As Irish As Barack Obama" and "Takin' It Back with Barack Jack."