Commentary by Kevin Hassett
June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Conservatives need to cut David Letterman some slack.
They were in an uproar last week after the CBS late-night show host mocked Sarah Palin and her family. Letterman decided it would entertain his audience if he ridiculed the Palins’ unfortunate experience with teen pregnancy. Palin responded that Letterman’s remarks were hostile to young women generally, and that there is a double standard in America today that allows celebrities to make fun of Republicans, but not Democrats.
It is irrefutably in poor taste to make jokes about a teenager’s sexuality. But it is the job of comedians to push the boundaries. Sometimes, they go too far. It is fine to boo a bad joke, but we will leave a ton of delicious material on the table if we punish transgressions too severely. We might even undermine our democracy.
If a comedian fails, turn the television off. There is no reason to go on the “Today” show and attack him, as Palin did with Letterman.
Truth is, the problem with Letterman right now isn’t that he’s going after Republicans. Rather, a review of his signature Top 10 lists suggests that Letterman is committing a cardinal sin in comedy, treating the nation’s biggest political celebrity with kid gloves.
As a result, Letterman’s material feels stale. His lists have lost their edge.
For every Top 10 slap at President Barack Obama (one thing Abraham Lincoln would say if he were alive: “OK, Obama, you’re from Illinois, too. We get it!”), there have been multiple hugs and kisses (one sign he’s getting nervous: “Friends say he’s looking frail, shaky and ... no, that’s McCain.”)
Old Spice Republicans
In “Top 10 Things Overheard at the Meeting Between Barack Obama and the Republicans,” Letterman made fun of Republicans (“You fellas really need to take it easy on the Old Spice”) and Bill Clinton (“I miss the Clinton administration when we’d meet at Hooters.”) He made no jokes at Obama’s expense.
The soft treatment of Obama is in striking contrast to the manhandling of George W. Bush, which started early and never let up. In 2001, Letterman’s “Top 10 Pieces of Advice George Bush Gave to Graduates” included, “Move to Mexico, because I’m gonna run this country into the ground,” and, “If you don’t know a foreign leader’s name, call him ‘Pierre.’”
Comedians have been making fun of politicians for as long as there have been politicians. They, and we, relish the opportunity to make fun of the powerful. Just about every politician has something that creates an endless supply of material: John McCain’s age, Clinton’s alleged philandering, Gerald Ford’s purported clumsiness.
Obama Home Runs
Even if Letterman’s own bias takes Obama material off the table, there are many other comedians swinging for the fences and connecting. Since Obama is so powerful and popular, material that hits him hard will be especially successful with audiences.
Comedians have zeroed in on Obama’s arrogance and cozy relationship with the media. If, as one recurring joke goes, the only difference between God and Obama is that God doesn’t think he is Obama, then the possibilities are endless.
Jay Leno had a field day. “An estimated 75,000 people attended a Barack Obama rally on the banks of the Willamette River,” he joked during last year’s campaign. “And if you believe the media, listen to this. After the rally, Barack Obama fed them all with just five loaves of bread and two fish.”
Here’s Stephen Colbert: “Shocking news out of Illinois today. Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges, including the allegation that he was selling Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Now, I personally am surprised Obama even needed a seat. I thought he just levitated.”
Free comedy may be as important for democracy as a free press. Given the state of the press, comedy may be our only hope.
No Rules
So lighten up when they go after your side, celebrate when they attack the other guys, and resist any attempt to constrain humor by imposing rules on comedians. First of all, comedians naturally break rules, often with terrific effect. Second, it is hard to think of any rules that might make sense in all cases.
Palin appears to believe that a politician’s family should be off the table. Here are two words that refute that notion: Billy Carter.
Back in the 1970s, there was hardly a comedian in the country who didn’t have a wealth of Billy Carter material. The beer-swigging brother of President Jimmy Carter once paused to urinate publicly on an airport tarmac and warned Americans in all seriousness that beer “is not a good cocktail-party drink, especially in a home where you don’t know where the bathroom is.”
We might never have another Billy Carter. I hope and pray that we do, and that an army of comedians will stand ready to make fun of him.
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