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Political Humor

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The moment the first human strode to the front of a group and proclaimed "I'm in charge, here," there was undoubtedly some other human in the back of the group snickering to his friends about their new leader's odd regional accent and hyperactive sweat glands. Since then, the price of power has been to become the butt of jokes.

Through mockery, satire, parody, wit, and the good old fashioned joke, the comic's job is to reveal the hypocrisy and insanity of the world; nowhere is their job made easier than in the realm of politics. While the pundits strain for balance, the punsters try as hard as they can to tip the scales, to strip away the pretense and pomp and show us the fleshy pink underbelly of governance.

True humor isn't funny just because it's cutting. A dull sword is a brutal weapon, and it's effects are sickening. But a razor-sharp scalpel, in the hands of a talented surgeon, can perform miracles. Talented humorists wielding a razor-sharp wit can have the same effect. I hope you will find the humorists here to be of that ilk.

Caveat Interneter: Some of the humor linked to from this page is blunt, rude, and tasteless. Just like politics. You've been warned.

Blogs and Websites

Regular irregular humor

The Onion
The definitive satirical newspaper is now online and as biting as ever. Not always safe for work... especially if you work in politics.
Fafblog!
Fafblog? Yes, Fafblog! Transcendantly brilliant, bizarre, painfully funny, and sometimes so on-target that you can't even laugh. Truly, the world's only source for Fafblog.
Fanatical Apathy
Adam Felber of NPR's Wait, Wait -- Don't Tell Me! maintains this commentary and satire blog. Very intelligent and very funny.
Open Source Poor Man
Righteous angry rants mixed with viciously on-target humor. Oh! And kittens!
About.com's guide to Political Humor
Funny & topical, the way a good political humor website should be.

New Political Humor

Subscribe to the Weekly Radio Address, a snappy parody of the real President's address to the nation.

At the Huffington Post, playwright Chris Durang breaks the story of President Bush's new speechwriter.

Silver Screen Satire

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Doonesbury's lost "Harriet Meirs" series

The bestest lost Doonesbury series ev-ar!

See the lost Harriet Meirs series online. These strips were slated to be published beginning October 31st, but were pulled at the same time Harriet Meirs was.

Dear Leader's Daily Thought

Diary of a President.

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Books

Remember books?

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Political Jokes

...of the intentional variety

  1. You know why they cancelled the nativity in Washington D.C. this year? Because they couldn't find three wise men and a virgin.
  2. How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb? None. Politicians only promise change.
  3. How many dead politicians does it take to change a lightbulb? As many as possible.

Focus On

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
For over seven years, Jon Stewart and the producers and writers of Comedy Central's The Daily Show have been laying the smackdown on politicians and the media. Their blazing wit and dead aim have earned the show multiple Emmy awards, a long-running best-seller (for the parody textbook America (The Book)), and even a prestigious Peabody award.

Separately, Stewart's appearance on Crossfire, in which he begged Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson (and, by extension, the rest of the media) to "stop hurting America" has become an iconic piece of American culture, and was cited by the head of CNN when the show was cancelled.

TV on DVD

Big laughs on the small screen

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Radio

The Capitol Steps
A group of current and former Congressional staffers sing parodies and perform comedy sketches skewering their colleagues and superiors. If you've listened to NPR on a holiday, you've probably heard their radio specials. If not, check out the site for a few online treats.
A Prarie Home Companion
Really? Oh, yeah. Don't let the laconic delivery and the Minnesota Lutheran sensibility fool you; Garrison Keillor is a keen observer of life in these United States, and, when the occasion calls for it, he can burst a bubble or two with the best of them.
The Al Franken Show
Another Minnesota native, SNL alum Al Franken's radio show on the Air America network brings the hammer of truth down on the... um... "truth-deficient" right-wing politicos and their media brethren. Franken's dry, acerbic wit can sometimes offend, but he is smart, well-informed, and passionate.

Reader Feedback

I want to know what you think. What do you find funny?

  • stumax Feb 13, 2008 @ 10:50 am | delete
    Leslie - Good call. I totally forgot about those cartoons!

    Rinchen & Erika - Thanks for the tips. I'll check out those sites.
  • LeslieBrenner Feb 12, 2008 @ 11:14 pm | delete
    I love David Rees' witty cartoons at Get Your War On. Also love Tom Tomorrow at Working Assets.
  • RinchenChodron Jan 31, 2008 @ 4:35 pm | delete
    Hi, This lens should be interesting! I just created a lens on a travel book, by an NPR correspondent and no kidding, I found myself laughing out-loud even tho I was alone. It's about international travel and searching for the geography of Bliss!

    Check it out
    http://www.squidoo.com/ericweiner
  • ErikaM Sep 24, 2007 @ 3:46 pm | delete
    I share your love of political humor. Great lens! Are you familiar with the political parodies on FlowGo.com - Political Cartoons? they're silly, but genius in their ridiculousness.
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by

stumax

I was listening to my father's First Family albums when I was 8 years
old. My first attempts at political humor came from doing my best
impersonation... more »

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