Volume 46 - No. 16
April 21, 2016
by Friedrich Gomez
Bob Hope said, “No one can fool all of the people all of the time. That’s why we have two parties.” And in regards to politicians, themselves, political wit, Mark Russell, says, “If you call your opponent a politician, it’s grounds for libel.”
Well folks, it’s here. 2016 is election year and politics has permeated the American consciousness. Every hour of every day is filled with news about the front-running candidates stumping for votes and partaking of that great political tradition of slinging mud, indiscriminately, at each other’s reputation. In the race to the White House tempers have flared and physical encounters have erupted and even speeches cancelled due to the threat of civil unrest. Watching the news on television or reading the newspaper headlines it seems apparent that the political world is critically in need of anger management. The other day I saw a bumper sticker which angrily proclaimed: “People say everything happens for a reason. So when I punch you in the face, remember I have a political reason.” Wow! Such open threats fly in the face of democratic ideals, tolerance, and the First Amendment. Instead of having a clash of ideas in a civil debate, we are having a physical clash tearing away at Voltaire’s pronouncement, “I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” If I had the choice of attending a heavyweight boxing match or a political rally, hmm, I might opt for the heavyweight fight if I wasn’t in the mood for too much violence. I guess the heavyweight question here is, ‘What has happened to politics?’ Amidst all of this turmoil and violence, political humor – now more than ever – can be a welcomed safety valve to vent animosity and restore sanity. For it seems apparent that it is truly impossible to laugh and be angry at the same time. There is certainly no shortage of political humor to revel in, and smile and even laugh at. We Americans need to rediscover our great political sense of humor that we once prided ourselves on. “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!” President Harry Truman’s earned nickname, took political humor to a new level, “My choice early in life was between whether to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference.”
The strange world of politics has long been the target of jokes. President Ronald Reagan recognized this when he quipped, “Politics is the second oldest profession; it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” Reagan was no stranger to making political jokes, “I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through Congress.” And, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
Mark Twain (1835-1910) was a rascal in his observance of politicians: “Suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a
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member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” Twain was never an admirer of deep taxes, once proclaiming, “What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.”
A popular quote attributed to Henry Cate VII also takes a comedic swipe at politics and its practitioners, “The problem with political jokes is they get elected.” This celebrated political pun is a precursor to what satirist and American late-night television host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, said: “I don’t approve of political jokes. I’ve seen too many of them get elected.” Ex-marine and popular political wit, Mark Russell, has made a good living on PBS Specials and touring the nation to capacity crowds who turn out to hear his political humor. Russell is frequently
asked, “Do you have any writers?” Russell’s reply has remained unchanged, “Oh, yes. I have 535 writers. 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives.” Mark Russell’s remark closely resembles Will Rogers’ statement, eighty-six years earlier: “I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” Humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) was one of America’s most beloved public figures. He travelled around the world three times and by the mid-1930s America took him to her bosom. He was many things: American cowboy, vaudeville performer, newspaper columnist and motion picture star who became the highest paid actor of his era, with 71 movies to his credit (50 silent films and 21 “talkies”). Rogers’ political wit had America bowled over with laughter, “Congress is deadlocked and can’t act. I think
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that is the greatest blessing that could befall this country.” One of his remarks made an editor drop his hot cup of coffee, convulsing in uncontrollable laughter: “This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.” (The Daily Telegram #1230, July 4, 1930.) Rogers was proud of his American heritage. He often quipped in variants, “I never had my Americanism doubted. My mother and my father both were part Cherokee Indian. My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.” When Will Rogers died, tragically, in a 1935 airplane crash in Northern Alaska, an entire nation of Americans fell into deep mourning as if losing a family member. He was well-known as “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son,” but in reality, he belonged to America at large.