"The Sunday Political Brunch" -- May 31, 2015

Dr. Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is a freelance Political Reporter based in New England at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com

and a Political Analyst for KGO Radio 810-AM in San Francisco.

(Providence, Rhode Island) – It seems as if everyone is now running for President. As I predicted, former Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD) is now in, with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and former Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-RI) on the way. To me one of the best parts of campaign season is all of the political jokes and cartoons. The potential of another Bush v. Clinton matchup has cartoonists such as Chris Bok, all dialed it (see cartoon above). Let’s “brunch” on political comedy this week:

“The Clown Car” – As some of you may know, I used to do stand-up comedy in the 1970s and 80s, and worked along a comic in Milwaukee by the name of Will Durst. Oddly enough, we later reconnected in San Francisco where I was a political reporter-anchor and he was a full-fledged professional comedian, www.WillDurst.com.
With a now crowded GOP field, Will posted this gem: “On Monday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is expected to bring the GOP that much closer to achieving its apparent goal of matching each voter with their own individual candidate.”

“Dirt Poor!” – Hillary Clinton made headlines when she talked about the sad state of her family finances. Comedians had a field day: “In an interview Hillary Clinton said that she and her husband were dead broke when they left the White House. Hillary said things were so bad, the two of them needed to share a bedroom.” –Conan O’Brien

“The Gay 90s” – One issue where many candidates in both parties have flip-flopped, is regarding same-sex marriage. The Clintons used to oppose it, but now support it: “Hillary Clinton has temporarily changed her campaign logo to rainbow colors in support of marriage equality. Of course, her idea of marriage equality is both of you should get to be president.” –Seth Meyers

“Fuzzy Math” – Even former Presidents are being picked on. No one is safe is the world of political comedy: “Both President Obama and former President George W. Bush were interviewed on ‘Face the Nation’ over the weekend. President Bush said there’s a 50 percent chance his brother Jeb will run for president in 2016. Then he said, ‘But there’s an 80 percent chance he won’t.’” –Jimmy Fallon

“The Independent Streak” – All politicians know the keys to the White House rest in the hands of independent voters. These days there are not enough registered Republicans or Democrats to bring either party to victory. They must search for independents, and even folks who are Libertarian-minded. “Rand Paul calls himself Libertarianish. And we all know what a Libertarian is. That’s a Republican who smokes pot, or a Democrat who owns a gun.” –Will Durst

“Bush League” – The prospect of a third Bush presidency has comedians wisecracking. Even one comic got in one last punch line before he retired. “Jeb Bush may run for President. Bush Presidencies are like ‘Caddyshack’ movies. They should have stopped with one.” –David Letterman

“Dodgeball!” – Hillary Clinton took seemingly forever to announce her candidacy. Comics loved poking fun at the obvious: “Hillary Clinton said she wants to travel this year, and won’t make any announcements about her plans to run for president until 2015. When asked where she’ll travel, she said, ‘New Hampshire, Iowa, and maybe spend a few months in Florida.’” –Jimmy Fallon

“Three’s a Crowd” – A Clinton-Bush rematch of 1992? But there’s only one person missing: “This promises to be a fabulous development for comedians everywhere, precipitating the resurrection of all our 1992 Bush/Clinton material. It’s the green thing to do. Recycling meets nostalgia. Together again for the very first time. A rematch by proxy. Now, if only we could coax Ross Perot back into the fray!” –Will Durst

Editor’s Note: An earlier edition of this blog posted Saturday afternoon included a joke about Vice President Joe Biden, hours before the death of his son Beau was announced. Out of respect to the Biden family, we have removed the item. Our prayers are with them, as is our deepest respect for Beau’s public and military service. May God bless his soul.

You can find many more jokes at http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/2016-Election/fl/2016-Election-Jokes.htm

What are your thoughts on political humor? Share your funny lines by clicking the comment button at www.MarkCurtisMedia.com.

Cartoon credit: Chris Bok at www.BokBluster.com

© 2015, Mark Curtis Media, LLC