We Laugh About Politics So That We Don't Cry

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Everyone is super serious these days about politics. My concern is that no matter who we vote for, the government always gets in. Yes, that sad fact never changes. I’ve worked on campaigns where we were 35 points behind in the polls and won. I was so convinced we wouldn’t pull it off that, exhausted, I went to bed right after the polls closed and slept through the victory party.

I’ve also seen sure things where celebrations turned quickly into wakes. In sports or politics, there are no sure things. So as we fight for what we believe, let’s not forget to be happy warriors and remember that laughter can be the best medicine.

And don’t forget to pray hard. Our local parish in the land that time forgot (there is even a Sears and a Kmart nearby), is having Eucharistic Adoration from when the polls open to when they close on election day. People are signing up for one-hour shifts to pray for our country. They are also praying that the malicious lies that are being told to attack the lives of preborn children are withstood in the breach. Either way, there is no discharge in this war.

So as we battle on, let’s have some entertainment for the troops. Here is a little humor from the past and the present. And don’t neglect that important rule of life: keep smiling and keep praying.

Backstage with then-Gov. Ronald Reagan at an event, I learned two things. One, despite all the aw-shucks, he was one very tough cookie. And two, he could do more to skewer his political opponents with a joke than any other politician I’d ever seen. He could walk right up to the line and not cross it. Here, he compares a blushing bride to the Democrats.

And Bob Hope was no slouch when it came to inserting jokes about Democrats into his films.

And, of course, when it comes to good-natured humor (at least by today’s standards), who could compete with Johnny Carson? Here is his evergreen: is honesty the best policy? And yes, I’ve often wished politicians were tied up to lie detectors. That would be fact-checking we could take seriously!

Joe Biden has been around long enough that even dead comedians can be up to date in their jokes about him.

And when it comes to humor, Donald Trump is no slouch. The Al Smith Dinner was a tipping point. By showing up, Trump proved that a) he can talk and break bread with people he doesn’t agree with, and b) he has a sense of humor. Kamala Harris showed c) she can’t talk to people she disagrees with and d) she has no sense of humor.

Can you imagine a president who believes in hate speech laws and has no sense of humor? How long before humor would be criminalized? Anyway, Trump’s riff on how the garbage man vest makes him look thinner is classic. Even my Nikki Haley delegate friend gave Trump an A+ for his marketing skills on this one. It is classic ham overlayed with the Celtic blarney Trump is famous for!

I was pleased to see our friend Tom Shillue make it into the New York Times today. They quoted him on Biden calling Trump supporters “garbage” on a Zoom call. Biden was “shocking everyone who couldn’t believe Joe successfully logged onto Zoom.” Then the old Gray Lady linked to his entire Gutfeld monologue. I wonder who they’ll fire for that one!

The inaugural ball roast of Ronald Reagan by Don Rickles was something to behold. It was the moment I knew we could soon put a fork in the Cold War. Russian leaders were on oxygen tanks and dying no sooner than they were installed. Could they really comprehend a world where a comedian could do this and not end up in the Gulag?

Here, Bing Crosby deals with a trick-or-treating Paul Lynde and comments briefly on the upcoming Republican Convention in Miami Beach. Consider an era when many Republican actors were into politics — oh my.

And speaking of someone who took part in the Al Smith dinner in days of yore, here is Alan King. If you are worried about the Middle East, remember that the names of the players are about all that has changed. And yes, once upon a time, people on the Left could be funny, too.

And speaking of people on the Left, here is Mort Sahl’s vision of politics. It’s not entirely fair, but is comedy always about fairness?

And what would Kamala Harris make of the not-very-politically-correct Rodney Dangerfield? Would she be more scandalized by Rodney or the fact that Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill are yuking it up together?

Have a great election day, and remember to vote early and often. Lest the feds come after me, I mean, Congressmen, never early and often drunk.