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Humor has long been researched, studied and found to be a very effective tool in coping
with all types of human struggles; illness, grief, defeat, stress, Political Campaigns, etc.
Based on that axiom I would conclude that political humor would be a great benefit to
any of the candidates that can hone the skill. Which of course, invites debate on a topic as
controversial as a war, what is funny?

The late night talk show hosts, cartoonists, political speech writers, all of us, have a funny bone. Successfully tapping into it is the challenge that may determine the outcome of our US elections.

Consider some of the campaign soundbites from candidates gone by. Humorists gave them
a spin, and suddenly they were not just political jargon but part of the US pop culture
lexicon. "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy," "I am not a crook," "1,000 Points of light,"
"Are you better off than you were four years ago," "I did not have sexual relations with
that woman." Even "I like Ike" provided a laugh, decades later to a new generation when
Fonzi uttered in an episode of "Happy Days," "I like Ike, my bike likes Ike."

Jon Stewart, has often remarked how incredulous it was to him that his fake news
program was given access to both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.
With their coverage of what The Daily Show dubbed "2000 Indecision" they employed
political humor which greatly enhanced interest in the US Presidential elections.

Whether we find the joke funny or it provokes us to ask, "What's funny about that?"
both reactions draw attention to our elected officials and their platforms. It reminds us that we hold many freedoms, including the freedom to start a campaign on a law that regulates
political humor.

Political humor can be funny and reminds us we are free to laugh!
Without freedom we may never be able to laugh at anything.

Learn more about this author, Beverly Robinson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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