An article in The New Republic raises an interesting, if peripheral, point: an Obama-McCain election would not be good for late-night comedy or satire programs like The Daily Show. It's pretty difficult to make fun of either candidate. In Obama's case, his stand-out traits include charisma, sincerity, and optimism--to mock such qualities could risk coming off as tacky or pessimistic. Also, due to his race, making fun may require caution; SNL players do not want to be accused of having poor taste. Similarly, McCain's history as a P.O.W. makes him relatively off-limits. True heroism isn't exactly a salient trait that lends itself to mockery.
When you consider such candidates as Al Gore, John Kerry, and George W. Bush, you realize how potent their public personas were to such comedy shows. The article points out that in this election, Hillary Clinton, Mitt Romney, and John Edwards would provide much more easy fodder for comedy writers.
Believe me, I enjoy televised skewerings of politicians immensely. However, I think the Obama-McCain scenario might present an interesting opportunity for the comedic focus to shift to other absurd aspects of the election besides the candidates themselves. For example, skits could highlight the often inane media coverage of the campaign, the confusion of the primary system (superdelegates are begging for a send-up), or the one-upping pattern of endorsements (i.e. Schwarzenegger will beat up Chuck Norris...and that's before any parody!). In this way, such sketches could provide searing commentary about our electoral system as a whole rather than making caricatures of our Commander in Chief. Since our nation seems primed for an era of unity, not trivializing the presidency--especially after 8 years of Bush bashing, and before that the Lewinsky bonanza--could be a helpful change of pace.
Do you think Obama and McCain are in fact immune to satire? Who will play them on SNL?
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=1dcb1ebb-dd0f-4d5a-901b-5104f448e11d
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3 comments:
I really like your post and the points you raise about the potential uses of satire beyond just poking fun at the personality traits of the Presidential candidates. I would bet that a show like The Daily Show will continue to make fun of the media coverage of the campaigns, like you said, in addition to attacking parts of each candidate's rhetoric. The Daily Show, to its credit, goes after the issues more than a show like Saturday Night Live, and I think there will still be plenty to attack in what Obama, McCain, or even Clinton have to say in their stump speeches.
I completely agree that a show like SNL will have a harder time with McCain and Obama, if those are the nominees, because their style is so well respected and so highly regarded. The "poor taste" issue also would come into play for both men, like you said, so I think they would indeed have to move carefully through such satire. I'm sure there will still be plenty to satirize about each candidate, in terms of the techniques they repeatedly use to get their points across, but it will be tricky. Especially compared to anyone named Clinton, as the entire family has a well known history and a well known set of characteristics that can be easily mocked.
I really like your ideas about what shows like these could satirize instead, and how helpful it might be. Going after the process of endorsements or superdelagates would be humorous and even a bit enlightening. I hope the satire is intelligent in this campaign, especially now that the writers are back at work and SNL is coming back on the air (this coming Saturday).
Don't you think they'll joke about McCain's age? Seems ripe for shows that cater to the 18-34 crowd. This is a great topic in a campaign communication seminar, since so many of us learn about campaigns or "enhance" our learning with comedy shows.
What it comes down to is that no one is immune to satire. Satirists will make sure that they are making tasteful comments about each candidate, but they will find something that will be easy to poke fun at. Each candidate is sure to slip up between now and the election and I am positive that each time they do Saturday Night Live writers are taking note. Not to mention that Vice Presidential candidates will be fair game too. I also am nearly positive that somehow the Clinton's will work their way into a sketch no matter what. All in all, satire is going to flourish no matter who the candidates are.
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