Laughable: How McCain Abuses The Humor Card

The comedy stylings of John McCain can fall awkwardly on the ear. From rape jokes to casual ditties about bombing Iran, the Arizonan's affinity for off-color utterances has been well documented. Recognizing this, his campaign appears to have settled on a strategy for turning that weakness into a strength.

From now on, it seems, each infelicitous remark or risky attack made by McCain or his campaign will be attributed to that roguish sense of humor -- regardless of whether the event in question could reasonably be construed as comedic.

The first example of this strategy emerged in the immediate aftermath of McCain's now famous "Celeb" attack ad, which compared Barack Obama's celebrity to that of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. "We think it's got a lot of humor in it, we're having fun and enjoying it," McCain told reporters in response to the backlash against the ad's curiously unfunny tone (in which a grave-sounding female voice-over artist questions whether Obama is "ready to lead").

Whether or not you believe the ad was effective, unfair or simply smart politics (or some combination thereof), the bottom line is that it was objectively serious in nature. Lines about "more foreign oil" and "higher taxes" are not the stuff of Saturday Night Live. When confronted over charges of negative campaigning, however, McCain and his campaign made an aesthetic claim instead of a substantive one -- something they probably hoped the political press would be unwilling to call out as disingenuous. After all, there's no accounting for taste, right?

On the other hand, an accounting of strategy is fair ground for political reporters. And it's become increasingly clear that, in citing humor as an evergreen excuse, the McCain campaign is guilty of not only bad faith, but something like ill humor.

How else to explain McCain's response to a reporter's question about Jerome Corsi's error-strewn, anti-Obama book? "Gotta keep your sense of humor," he said. However, the "humor" excuse doesn't quite work if your campaign has decided not to comment at all, so a spokeswoman immediately retracted McCain's statement -- alleging that the Senator thought he was responding to a question about one of his many advertisements.

This week, the humor crutch is being leaned on again. As initial reports out of the Rick Warren's Saddleback Forum made note of McCain's definition of "the rich" as those who earn more than $5 million in annual salary, we're now told the key to understanding the candidate's answer to a serious question is that he was only joking.

Hilarious as all these japes are, is it too much to suggest that the McCain campaign's continuing reliance on them falls afoul of the "straight talk" motto? After all, isn't it the job of presidential candidates to quit messing around at some point and actually deliver serious answers?

Nah, just kidding.

Comments

[locomoco]

It's just a joke!!!

(Henh! Henh! Henh! Henh!)

You crack me up, Unka Fester...

[Susej]

What's more annoying that his jokes is his smirk and yellow teeth.

[Hurin]

As annoying as this "humor" thing is, I think McCain is only making himself look like an undignified frat boy. Sort of like the one currently in the WH. I wonder how that will help his image with the 61% of the country who won't reflexively vote republican this year?

[STParker]

Clinton would be great as an attack dog, beyond that she is worse than useless.

Perhaps Obama will be even worse than the Clintons when it comes to their flaws, but I don't want to hold onto the baggage of the past out of a fear of the future.

HIllary Clinton or none it doesn't matter. The only way that the Dems will win is to destroy them politically and then prosecute them for their crimes. Exactly what they would like to do with Democrats and liberals, except the Republicans deserve it.

[bwither]

They've parlayed his tendency to screw up every time he opens his mouth into an interesting character trait.

What? John McCain said what?! Owe, that nutty John!

[Susan60]

Oh good, If McCain wins we get more frat boy, towel snapping humor. Can't wait! Haven't we had enough of that with Bush? Our problems are a little too serious to be joking about them. Is is wrong for some of us to want a serious minded, thoughful, intelligent president, who won't rely on the lame excuses of a rogue sense of humor when he can't handle a difficult question or issue?

[raker]

If a candidate mentions another candidate's scandal, like Lobbyistgi­rlfriendga­te, or Dirvorcedc­rippledwif­eforrichhe­iressgate, is he Playing the Gate Card? He certainly would not playing the imagination card.

[wndrwrthg]

Remember, he is not playing with a full deck. He was never delt a "humor card" to begin with.

[mikep007]

Reagan was the exact same way. He would tell stupid jokes like, 'We begin bombong Russia in 5 minutes.' and his many surrogates would go to the press and say, 'haha... he was just kidding.'

[whateverWorks]

I was in England when Reagan said that "we will begin bombing Russia" and it was taken very, very seriously-­-screaming capital letters on the front page of newspapers seriously. Everywhere I went, people would ask me, when (not if, when) do you think he will bomb Russia, then." Editorials made the responsible caveat that he was probably joking but the country that gave us P.G. Wodehouse and Monty Python understood that you often joke about what you consider most serious in order to "test the water.." Where others saw some sort of "overzealous" (ie.e, the other unmentioned "N" word--Nazi" in the reception that Obama received in Germany, I saw almost hysterical relief. We look at our bumbling, mumbling, president and feel embarrassment. Europe, living in the shadow of former and current wars, feels fear. We wonder if we could survive another 8 years of a "just kidding" president. For the rest of the world, that question was asked and answered a long time ago. And they don't really like the answer.

[rosal]

It started out with his nervous smile, and it has progressed to constant comedy. The little smile was to show everybody he didn't have a temper, Now his comedy routine is to show everybody he doesn't run a negativie campaign, he is "just kidding" with his horrendous ads. That's what the country needs at this time, a mentally confused comedian.

[mesut]

What is more laughable is the MSM allows this foolishness as if we are watching High School musical.

[dillydawg]

Spot On!

[DoTheMath]

Excellent point, Mr. Colter Walls. The man who prides himself on toughness is using what is generally recognized as a cowardly ploy - saying, "I was just kidding" every time he's confronted for aggressive, dishonest insults. Not tough. Not straight talk. And definitely not funny.

[sharonh]

Ready for WWIII? Heh, just kiddin.

[keepemhonest]

John McCain says Cindy hurt her wrist while shaking hands ... Cindy is in a cast. Last I checked casts are for broken bones.

How did Cindy McCain break her arm - it sure wasn't by shaking hands. Did she reach for those prescriptions she stole from that children's charity, fall and break her arm?

For some reason McCain is lying about Cindy's arm.

[dillydawg]

Or did he break it? He has a heck of a temper. You can see it in that sickening smile.

[UrbanInterloper]

From the perspective of a voter weighing the future leadership of our nation, McCain's constant use of jokes to avoid answering questions he doesn't like feels a lot like Sen. Clinton's overuse of laughter when confronted with tough topics like her Iraq vote. I suspect it will work no better for him than it did for her. Sooner or later, the people will demand answers, or will write him off as feckless and weak.