Unfortunately, TV audiences in the midst of a writers' strike aren't the only ones short on new material these days. So is political comedian Stephen Colbert. In his recent 'knee-slapping,' 'laugh-out-loud-funny' shenanigan, he veered into Robin Williams Man of the Year territory and attempted a mock run for the presidency (in this case only planning to caucus in his home state of South Carolina). Guess Barry Levinson was too busy dealing with union woes to step up and claim piracy.
But seriously folks.. Colbert for President's plot may not get the chance to thicken, as the South Carolina Democratic Party overwhelmingly refused his application last week. It appears that the comedian opted against running as a Republican when he discovered that the registration fee was a drop-in-the-Halliburton-bucket of $35,000 (versus a $2,500 bargain on the Dems' side). But, hey there's always the Independent ticket. Or better yet, that quirky Libertarian Party; they're always good for a laugh (ask Howard Stern, Penn and Teller, or Drew Carey...).
Some of Colbert's fans claim that the faux-run would bring much-needed levity to an otherwise somber endeavor. Democratic hopeful and fellow S.C. native John Edwards seemed to think the stunt would be a hoot, and shared in the joke claiming that Colbert and his Doritos-sponsored campaign were "stained by corporate corruption and nacho cheese." This is after all the era of post-modern pranksterism -- Generation Jackass. Its political branch, by virtue of its subject matter, aims at taking it to a higher-brow level (one might hope). Certainly, in the past Colbert has used his media muscle to make savvy political commentaries like when he delivered a facetious speech in the presence of W. at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner last year.
But, the recent "campy campaign" has arguably not been one of his finer, smarter comedic moments. From a mildly entertaining 'truthiness' to the true political arena, he seems to have overstepped his bounds. And the context, in my humble opinion, wouldn't make for side-splitting one-liners: an unpopular ongoing war, a climate crisis spurring floods, wildfires, hurricanes and tsunamis, and skyrocketing gas prices.
The current mendacious administration has already blurred the lines between truth and fiction to such a degree that it is breeding a whole new generation of mentally unstable conspiracy theorists. If politicians have already made a mockery of the system, then perhaps a joke campaign by Colbert was, not just in bad taste, but superfluous. All SNL appearances and Kucinich UFO jokes aside, maybe, it is time to start taking something as important as who becomes the leader of the free world, just a little bit seriously, lest we, uh, die laughing.
Of course, in times of censorship, government surveillance and the like, comedy, may well be the final frontier of freedom of expression. But as many comedians would agree, timing is everything. Certainly there's a time and a place for political levity.
Well-liked comedians like Bill Maher and Jon Stewart share their bouillabaisse of humor, truth and irony via their TV panel/talk shows and public appearances. And Maher participated in his own parody version of the heartland's Christian' Hell Houses' redeeming L.A.'s so-called heathen lifestyle in the name of innovative Halloween entertainment. Lewis Black did a comedy special, "Red, White and Screwed," for HBO. Conversely, multi-tasking comedian Al Franken has made no joke about his earnest run for U.S. Senator of Minnesota in 2008.
But getting back to the comedy of campaigning, who can forget those Surreal Life Goes to Sacramento would-be governors during the California Recall Election of 2003? The partial roster of hopefuls read like a bad bar joke: a porn star, a pornographer, a sumo wrestler and petite former '80s child star-turned-security-guard walk into a bar.. These sorts of high kitsch antics, intended to provoke a media-blitz, fall more under the category of "inadvertent political comedy," "media circus" and/or "publicity stunt." Of course, sometimes camp humor prevails, as was the case with Italian porn star "Cicciolina," who became a member of the Italian parliament. Great script. Note to casting agent and writer: forget Robin Williams; get Pamela Anderson, cast her as the porn queen and call it Woman of the Year.
Then there is a wing of political comedians who fall under the sub-category of "activist humorists," my personal favorites. These include East Coast duo, The Yes Men (stars of the 2003 documentary film by the same name) who pose as members of the World Trade Organization and the like at conferences and on air where they give over-the-top phony presentations outlining hypocrisies and failed policies. A group of so-called culture jammers who hate the Bush administration, called Billionaires for Bush dress up in posh attire carrying picket signs which read: "Small Government, Big Wars," and "It's A Class War, And We're Winning."
Last but not least, there is the brilliant Sacha Baron Cohen (a.k.a. 'Borat' and 'Ali G.'), practically in a league all his own, who we've seen cleverly interview political officials and others, posing pointed yet idiotic questions, resulting in responses that speak volumes about his subjects.
For my taste, the more sophisticated, poignant and purposeful the joke or ploy, the better the performance. If it makes you think AND it makes you laugh, then it has served a higher purpose. However, if the humor is low-brow, self-serving and unconstructive what's the point? Hee-Haw on The Hill?
In the case of Colbert's fake campaign, we have to ask ourselves whether the punch line is packed with a purpose. His 'character joke' allegedly paints the picture of a right wing candidate with a larger-than-life ego. One wonders if that ego has bled through from Stephen Colbert the character to Stephen Colbert the man. Was his plan to humorously serve the people, exposing some rarely exposed truth, or simply to use the American voters' platform to promote his new book, I am America (And So Can You)? Ultimately, is there really a humorous thinking/talking point in running for president under a fake persona and touting your greatness? Or is that just politics as usual?
Read more thoughts about the strike on Huffington Post's writers' strike opinion page.