Political Humor

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Political Humor

• by Don L. F. Nilsen and
• Alleen Pace Nilsen

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• Irish Humor at 2014 Correspondents Dinner
• https//www.bing.com/videos/search?qyoutubeethni
  chumorviewdetailmidDCFEBC474E634ED02506DCFEB
  C474E634ED02506rvsmid794806B23EE17ACF7308794806B
  23EE17ACF7308fsscr-3300FORMVDFSRV

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Sagewood Students Watching a Nilsen PowerPoint
Presentation on Political HumorNote that
Alleen is photo-bombing as one of the students.
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Arizona Politics
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Standouts in the Militaryand in Politics
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2014 State of the Union AddressBiden vs. Obama
vs. Boehner
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How Women Protest WarYarn Bombing
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How Women Support WarRosie the Riveter
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Gendered Body Language
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Historical AwarenessNOTE Ambrose Burnside was
famous for his sideburns.
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Political Spin
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(No Transcript)
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Mark Russell

• Gilbert and Sullivan Parody
• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vcSQ93y6kVxQ

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The Capitol Steps
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• The Capitol Steps Lirty Dies A Nunch of
  Butts
• http//www.bing.com/videos/search?qyoutubecapito
  lstepstrumpviewdetailmid1A88D30881B34A1B0F07
  1A88D30881B34A1B0F07FORMVIRE

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This sign is designed to get ASU students to join
Fraternities and SororitiesNOTE Congress has an
18 approval rating
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Political Correctness
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Visual Imagery

• Benjamin Franklins 1754 cartoon of a cut-up
  snake to represent the un-United States brought
  visual Imagery into American politics.
• Today, photography is enjoying a new role in
  political humor as shown in the analogies given
  below.

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Ben Franklins 1754 Political Cartoon
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Hillary Clinton
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Richard Nixon
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John McCain
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James Carville
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THE ONION

• http//www.theonion.com/content/index

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William F. Buckleys Desk as Compared to Barack
Obamas
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Barack Obamas Desk
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The Budster

• In 1979, Bud Clark, a bar owner in Portland,
  Oregon, posed facing a nude statue apparently
  wearing only a trench coat.
• 500,000 copies were sold to benefit a local fine
  arts group. In 1982, he was elected mayor of
  Portland and served until 1992.

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• JIMMY CARTER and RONALD REAGAN
• In 1980 Mort Sahl said that people did not vote
  FOR Ronald Reagan as much as they voted AGAINST
  Jimmy Carter.
• Sahl concluded If Reagan had been unopposed, he
  would have lost.
• PARIS HILTON and JOHN McCAIN
• In an attempt to inject some life into the 2008
  campaign, McCain ran an ad mocking Barack Obamas
  celebrity status by comparing him with Paris
  Hilton and Britney Spears.
• Hilton responded by posing in a swimming suit by
  the side of a pool and solemnly announcing that
  she would be happy to be considered for the Vice
  Presidency.

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Tina Fey and Sarah PalinWhich is which?

• Time magazine wrote,
• Its hard to tell where Tina Fey ends and Sarah
  Palin beginsthe updo, the wink, the syntax
• Where Palins campaign projected a smart, tough,
  folksy reformer, Fey showed a posing,
  in-over-her-head maverick-bot.
• It is a seamless blending of reality and
  parody.

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• Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vTr0_x2lxRdc

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Tina Fey as Sarah PalinAmy Poehler as Hillary
Clinton
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• Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as
  Hillary Clinton
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vul-3JDAnqjI

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REAL-LIFE RELIEF FROM STRESS

• In 1992, President Bush became ill at a televised
  state dinner in Tokyo. He vomited on the
  Japanese Prime Minister and then fainted.
• The dinner guests were both horrified and
  frightened.
• First lady Barbara Bush stood up and said that
  the incident was the fault of Emperor Akihito and
  Crown Prince Naruhito who that afternoon had
  beaten George in tennis
• When she explained, We Bushes arent used to
  losing! everyone knew she was joking. They
  relaxed because she would not have made a joke if
  she thought the President were in real danger.

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Another Stress-Relieving Incident

• In 1981when President Reagan was shot by John
  Hinckley and was taken into the operating room of
  George Washington hospital for treatment, he
  quipped, Please assure me that you are all
  Republicans.
• The world relaxed when they realized that Reagan
  was probably not going to die because he could
  still make a joke.

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The Juggling Politician

• https//www.youtube.com/embed/n6mbW-jMtrY?rel0

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(No Transcript)
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INSULT HUMOR

• When William Gladstone attacked Disraeli in front
  of the British Parliament by saying that Disraeli
  would die either on the gallows or of a horrible
  disease.
• Disraeli responded, That depends on whether I
  embrace your principles or your mistress.
• In the 1950s when Adlai Stevenson was running for
  President, a voter assured him that Every
  thinking American will vote for you.
• Stevenson replied, That wont be enough.

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Insult Humor Continued

• Mike Peters gained national attention with a
  cartoon that managed to insult three U. S.
  Presidents. It showed
• George Washington saying, I cannot tell a lie,
• Richard Nixon saying, I cannot tell the truth.
• and Jimmy Carter saying, I cannot tell the
  difference.

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(No Transcript)
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SELF-DEPRECATING HUMOR

• Ronald Reagan was the oldest person ever elected
  to serve as U. S. President. He joked about his
  age at a Gridiron Club dinner noting that the
  club had been founded in 1885.
• He quipped that he felt bad at not being
  invitedIt seems like only yesterday.
• His most famous quip came in a televised debate
  with his opponent Walter Mondale. With a twinkle
  in his eye, he said that age should not be an
  issue, and then added, I will not exploit, for
  political purposes the youth and inexperience of
  my opponent.

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Mondale laughed at Reagans joke, but his heart
was broken.He knew at that point he had lost the
election.
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Reagan-Mondale Debate The Age Issue

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vLoPu1UIBkBc

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Gerald Ford was Unexpectedly Appointed
Vice-President, and then President Nixon Resigned.

• One of his best lines was that when he was first
  invited to speak he was then Americas first
  instant Vice-President, and then I became
  Americas first instant President. The Marine
  Corps Band is so confused they dont know whether
  to play, Hail to the Chief, or Youve Come a
  Long Way, Baby.
• Chevy Chase used to do a popular parody of Gerald
  Ford, including his tripping on the stairs of Air
  Force One. In 1986, Ford hosted a Humor and the
  Presidency symposium at the Gerald R. Ford
  Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford turned
  the tables by tripping Chevy Case who had come
  as an honored guest.

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• GERALD FORD Continued
• Robert Orben was the Presidential speech writer
  for Gerald Ford. Sometimes Ford muffed the lines
  Orben had written.
• So Orben attached a 3 X 5 card on the inside
  cover of Fords speech binder, reading, I told
  my wife I knew this speech backwards, and thats
  how Im delivering it.
• This became one of Fords most successful lines.
  He sometimes bungled speeches just so he could
  use it.

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JOHN F. KENNEDY

• Many of Kennedys critics felt that he had an
  unfair advantage because of his familys wealth.
• So during one speech, he pulled a fake telegram
  from his father saying, Dont buy one vote more
  than necessary. Ill be damned if Ill pay for a
  landslide.

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Mitt Romney and the Etch-A-Sketch Saga

• Have you ever played with an Etch-a-Sketch?
• What does it do?
• Do you think it was purposely or accidentally
  cited?
• Predict how many jokes cartoonists could make.

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The Republican Party
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Shaking Up the Republicans
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Explain this Allusion to Rick Santorum
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Toy Story Explain These Allusions
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An Analogy

• At the Democratic National Convention in August
  of 2008, Hillary Clinton said that John McCain
  and George W. Bush had the same policies
• On the economy,
• On supporting the oil companies,
• On supporting big business,
• On the war in Iraq.
• She added that its appropriate that the
  Republican National Convention is being held in
  the Twin Cities. We cant tell them apart
  either.

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Know Your Audience

• President Reagan made a joke to an inside group
  about bombing Russia, but his statement was
  broadcast internationally.
• Talking about Geraldine Ferraro, Vice President
  George Bush bragged that We tried to kick a
  little ass last night. It made the wire
  services.
• Even when microphones have been turned off,
  reporters in the room might overhear sub-rosa or
  joking comments and report them to wide
  audiences.

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DEMOCRATS VS. REPUBLICANS An Example of
Stereotyping

• Democrats buy most of the books that have been
  banned somewhere.
• Republicans form censorship committees and read
  them as a group.
• Democrats name their children after popular
  sports figures, politicians, and entertainers.
• Republican children are named after their parents
  or grandparents, according to where the money is.

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• Republicans tend to keep their shades drawn,
  although there is seldom any reason why they
  should.
• Democrats ought to, but dont.
• Republican boys date Democratic girls. They plan
  to marry Republican girls, but feel theyre
  entitled to a little fun first.
• Republicans sleep in twin bedssome even in
  separate rooms.
• That is why there are more Democrats.
• From the October 1, 1974, Congressional
  Record, submitted by Craig Hosmer

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A Republican attacks Republicans

• John Boehner Are you kidding me?
• http//www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news/53811843538
  11843

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International PoliticsRussia, Germany England
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The Evolution of Political Correctness

• In the early 1990s, Richard Zoglin wrote in Time
  magazine that political correctness started out
  as the province of a small band of liberal
  reformers.
• But it has now become an establishment orthodoxy.
  So
• It is now p.c. to make fun of p.c.

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A Historical Example of the Power of Political
Humor

• During the 1930s prior to WW II, many Americans
  were isolationists, and were strongly against any
  hints of anti-Nazi sentiments.
• On January 19, 1940, almost two years before the
  bombing of Pearl Harbor and nine months before
  Charlie Chaplins The Great Dictator, the Three
  Stooges released a movie entitled You Nazi Spy.
• Because it was considered just slapstick comedy
  critics and politicians paid little attention to
  it, but it strongly influenced many Americans to
  rethink their isolationist attitudes.

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A More Recent Example of Using Humor to Make a
Serious Point

• George Carlin did a comic analysis of the
  changes in the words used to talk about soldiers
  suffering from their experiences.
• Shell Shocktwo syllables from WWI Simple,
  honest, direct language.
• Battle Fatiguefour syllables from WWII And
  fatigue is a nicer word than shock.
• Operational Exhaustioneight syllables from the
  Korean War the humanity has been squeezed out
  its now totally sterile.

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The Language of War Continued

• Traumatic Stress-Disorderstill eight syllables,
  plus a hyphen from the Vietnam War. The pain is
  now buried under the jargon.

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Military Humor
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A Darker Example