On Political Comedy

Last year, I was invited (check that -- I imposed myself) to write my thoughts about political comedy on DC Standup. I imposed myself on these three questions.
1) Why doesn't Washington DC, the political capital of the country, produce more "political" comics? 2) Why are people more willing to espouse left-leaning views on stage than conservative views? 3) Who is the best political comic of all time?
Here were my answers.
*********************************************************
Answer #1: After a careful reflection, I have come to understand the following about political comedy. Trying to do political jokes, even in DC, is like walking across a mine field. If you step in an area you shouldn't go, audiences, much like the mine, will explode in anger, and in either case, the comic will die, on stage or in the field.
(Some of you might be asking me, "Tom, why would a stand-up comedian be walking through a field littered with mines?" That's a different story altogether – and a very painful one.)
Regardless of how people feel about politics or how they feel about President Bush's last speech about Iraq, Social Security, or whatever issue the media decided to focus on that day, comedians' political views have kept many marginalized and trivialized for years, owing to the fact that many people are surrounded by politics all day long (on television, in the newspaper, the guy sitting next to them at the local watering hole) and aren't in the position to have it thrown back in their faces when they come out to a comedy show. They come there to laugh at simple things in life, like airplane food and supermarkets. People want a quick fix when they go to a comedy show. They want something to satisfy their humorous cravings in a way that they can easily understand it, without having to think extensively for long periods of time. How do you think Larry the Cable Guy grew such a strong following?
I believe the reason more political comedians have not emerged out of DC is because there is not enough dissent and distrust within the populous of this country to be able to poke fun at American politics, although I think Cindy Sheehan is slowly changing that. When the United States initially got involved in Vietnam, people were led to believe that it was the right thing to do because Americans did not want another country to fall to the Communists. As the war continued throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, many Americans began questioning their concern for the Communist menace and they introduced the American menace. As a result, people began to understand government incompetence and pain-in-the-ass bureaucracies almost like they understand how horrible airline food is and how difficult it can be to find something in the supermarket.
So, why haven't more political comedians emerged out of DC? My short and sweet answer, give it time. People will catch on eventually.
Answer #2: I think the answer to this question lies in demographics. For the most part, performance art of any kind tends to attract crowds looking to escape from the ideas that they were taught growing up, such as you go to school for forever, you go to college for forever plus four more years, acquire debt due to student loans, work until you pay them all off and then you die. Pretty bland stuff. That's why people not happy with the status quo are attracted by comedy. Stand-up comedy is pretty much a way to grow up and evolve, for audience and comedian alike.
Answer #3: I think the "best" political comedians are ones that don't have an entire row of CDs for sale at Best Buy or Circuit City. Specifically, I am a fan of Richard Belzer, who has been incorporating politics into his act since he started doing stand-up comedy in 1972. In the 1980s, his phenomenal views of Reaganomics probably would've gotten him shot in rural America, but he found a way to express his views in a way that people could understand them. As a result, he maintained a strong cult status even into today, where he does some of the same material today that he did 33 years ago. In my mind, the Belz is the Man.
*********************************************************
Take them for what they are. This was Tom Myers in September 2005.
~TOM