Jacob1983

This probably isn't really a news worthy topic but I think it does deal with politics. I am just curious about what you guys think will happen to political satire when Bush is out of office in 2009?

In my opinion, I think political satire is gonna take a big hit and probably lose a lot of popularity when Bush leaves office. In my lifetime, I have never seen a president been made fun of, ridiculed, mocked, and joked about like George W. Bush has. I kinda feel a little sorry for the big time liberal political satirists like Al Franken, Jon Stewart, and Bill Maher. Jon Stewart will definately miss poking fun at Bush and so will Franken and Maher.
I know that Michael Moore has made millions of dollars off of bashing and insulting Bush but I think the guy may be out of work when Bush is done being our president.

Some political satirists may be out of jobs when Bush is done. Personally, I wouldn't mind that. I think some of those guys take it way too far.

I really believe that the next president, whether he/she is Republican or Democrat, will not be ridiculed, mocked, insulted, and disrespected as much as Bush was.

So my question again is what do you think will happen to political satire when Bush is done being our president? Will political satire take a hit and lose popularity? How will comedians deal with the loss of Bush as their president?
I know for sure that Saturday Night Live will definately hate that Bush is out of office since they won't be able to make fun of him anymore.

ceilirose

LOL..Saturday Night Live has been making fun of Presidents and other public figures since they started in 1975. Dan Ackroyd still does the best Bob Dole out there if anyone can remember wtching it in the 80's.

When they had Dana Carvey doing Bush and Perot and Phil Hartman doing Clinton in 1992 it was almost a classic. The best ones were during the Monica hysteria days when they did a skit with her, Clinton and Hussein. I know on the surface it doesn't sound funny but it really was.

Seriously you Bush supporters are way too sensitive - Clinton was endlessly made fun of during his Presidency and the next President will be too and the next and the next.

Lexis

Its a interesting topic, Jacob so thanks for bringing it up.

I do disagree totally with your read on the situation. Political satire is largely situational - so while someone may mock Bush's inarticulate speaking style, there are plenty of situations that make for a funny sketch i.e. Letterman's Top Ten Bush Hammer list.

In the UK in the 80s and 90's, we had a right-wing party in power. Shows like Spitting Image just ripped apart Thatcher and her ministers. Then Blair becomes Prime Minister. Did satire go away? No. It just changed. So now comedians mock the hand gestures and slickly rehersed speechs. The New Statesman (liberal magazine) runs a funny column each week about the frosty relationship between Blair and our Chancellor.

So, the next President will probably get mocked and satire will continue too. I can see the "First Man" jokes coming already if Hillary Clinton becomes President!

I'm not sure if you watch The Daily Show but Jon Stewart has no problem mocking politicans from any party! I remember one bit he did about Howard Dean had me cracking up like a lunatic! It was hilarious.

And as for all the Bush mocking - he makes it so easy. Calling an EU rep a "piece of work"? To quote Donna from The West Wing, each speech seems to be an "elocution safari" for President Bush. But don't worry, the next guy (or girl!) won't escape the scornful tongue of tha satirists entirely!

ceilirose

Lexis..wasn't there a show in Britain in the 80's or 90's where poltical figures were marionettes with these huge heads?

I remember seeing Thatcher and Reagan prancing around and the humor was great. Not sure if the show is still on but it was funny at the time.

Lexis

Yep, that's Spitting Image. Its been off the air for quite a while now but I remember hearing about the politicans featured in being either quite annoyed/insulted or finding the whole thing hysterical.

There's an impressionist called Jon Culshaw who impersonates Bush and Blair so perfectly - you can't help but laugh.

Jacob1983

What about Michael Moore? What will he do when Bush is done being our president? I know about Saturday Night Live's history. And I remember when SNL poked fun at Clinton for being an adulterer. However, I still believe that Bush gets more jokes toward his expense than any other president in American history.

Bush supporters are not sensitive enough in my opinion. I mean there have been two movies that have bashed and disrespected him.
Farenheit 9/11 and that very distasteful horrible new movie where Bush gets assassinated.
Wag the Dog poked fun at Clinton because of his sex scandals. However, how many people actually remember Wag the Dog?

Just because you have a southern accent doesn't mean you're a dummy. I hate that stereotype.

vc318

T.V. will just have to find something new to poke fun out - that won't be hard. I'm more interested in seeing the country restored. With the 2 terms it took Bush to destroy the country it'll probably take the next one that long to fix it. But that's my opinion. But back to what you were asking, I'm not that worried about it.

ceilirose

What about Moore? He had a career before Bush and he'll probably have one after Bush goes back to Crawford.

I think everyone in the Conservative movement remembers Wag The Dog. They bring it up enough.

Stereotypes are bad but it's not just people from the South that get it. Bush went on and on in the '04 campaign about Kerry and him being from Massachusetts and how that was a bad thing.

It works both ways..

COOLCAT200

I think SNL doing that to presidents is pretty funny really. Between Clinton hitting on women and Regan falling asleep and the rest but the funniest thing had to be when they had a little kid play V.P Dan Qual.

Jacob1983

No one really knew who Michael Moore was until he made the controversial films Bowling for Columbine and Farenheit 9/11. I remember him when Clinton was president. Moore had some crappy tv show on NBC that didn't last that long. Michael Moore has built his career off of Bush. I would even say that Moore's career blossomed at Bush's expense. This might sound crazy but Moore owes a lot of his success to Bush. If Al Gore had won in 2000, then Michael Moore probably wouldn't have ever made Bowling for Columbine or Farenheit 9/11.

Bush didn't destory this great country. Osama Bin Laden and his evil doers did. Bush has made mistakes but he wasn't the one who flew the planes into the WTC on 9/11.

I support Bush but I honestly will be glad when he is done being the president. I'm just really tired of all the whining and complaining by liberals and Democrats. I mean Dems and liberals whine and complain about Bush and all the bad stuff he has done but they don't offer any solutions.

ceilirose

I forgot about that..that was a good one too. They did one on the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings - Phil Hartman did such a good Ted Kennedy and Dana Carvey was one of those Senators who was 90 years old and completely clueless about what was going on.

Sometimes right before elections NBC will have a prime time special with the highlights of the SNL's political satires. It's worth watching if you can.

Lexis

It's sad you think that Bin Laden destroyed America. And in my opinion wrong. Bin Laden and his cronies hurt you, they didn't destroy the whole country.

Bush had a chance after the horrible pain of 9/11 to be a President who could unite his own people and the world. Remember the headline - "We are all Americans today" in a French newspaper? Remember sky-high support? I remember in his speech on that day he used the words "And freedom will be defended". I actually cried because I thought that's what we would do and the world would be made better.

Bush's "mistakes" are big and numerous. So while he didn't conduct 9/11, he's the man responsible for your response to it. The buck stops with him.

You keep saying that but its just not true. Seriously. I posted today on the liberal thread about Pelosi's plan if the Democrats take control of Congress. Numerous Democrats are putting forward plans on Iraq. Take a listen to John Edwards' speeches - they are full of suggestions and strategies to tackle global issues. Where are you getting your information from?

sum1

There'll be satire without Bush but Bush does get mocked and satirized a lot more than usual. And one of the things that stands out is the satirization/mocking of Bush is often damn stupid and juvenile. Here's people trying to say Bush is stupid and they're being stupid themselves. I'm tired of low down cliched Bush-mockery.

AuburnGrad

Isn't mocking juvenile anyway, regardless of the target? Clinton was mocked mercilessly during his two terms. Bush is an easy target, just as Clinton was in the 90s and Reagan in the 80s.


I don't consider this country destroyed at all. As Lexis pointed out, if anything this country united in a time of crisis. The divisiveness, imo, comes from the mistakes made by not only Bush, but his administration, over the course of the last three to four years, namely over Iraq.

Political satire existed long before GWB and it will continue after him no matter who is in office.

janebeatrix

I'm Indonesian and I'm sorry if I don't have the right to say this. From what I see, Hillary Clinton made it clear that she has other concerns than war; she steated that all people need right now is respect n love to each other, not being cubed with certain religion or races.
So I guess US without Bush will have less wars, the economics could be better, and it's more - I don't know the exact word, but I guess COMFORTABLE n SECURE.
So who are the 2008 candidates? and who do you think will win it?