We need a funny president
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OK, Sarah Palin might not be funny, but I'd write her in if I wasn?t a Democrat.
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As I was driving to work the other day, I heard a news reporter pose a question about the GOP presidential candidates I would have never thought to ask: "What does a candidate's sense of humor tell us about the kind of president he would be?"
I have given up getting much more than this from headline news. So, instead of being disgusted, annoyed, or cynical like I typically am at such smokescreens, I decided to consider it an authentic question, something that might help me when I go to the polls. I decided to entertain the thought in a deeper way. What comedian or comedienne would make the best president and which candidate most resembles him or her? So let's crunch the numbers.
I have always been a fan of storytelling comedians like Bill Cosby. There is something about a person who can spin a story, take you away from the everyday by putting you back in the every day with new eyes. A comedian who can show you your life in all of its pettiness, tragedy, irony, tenderness and difficulty while making you laugh hysterically at the same time. Imagine a leader who was deeply empathetic to the common man. Now that's a people's president. I think Sarah Palin was trying to be this. But let's face it. She's not funny. Neither is Michele Bachmann.
Then there is Jerry Seinfeld, a comedic genius with few rivals. He is like the Albert Einstein of comedy. A Nobel laureate of comedy if you will. He can see humor in the smallest of details: a word, a gesture, a noise. He takes comedy to the subatomic level. A president like this would see the nuance in negotiation, the importance of saying just the right thing, the dizzying logic that would stymie world leaders. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might be convinced to dismantle his nuclear program by clever wordplay. Perhaps Newt Gingrich is the closest to Mr. Seinfeld in the field. Unfortunately, like the character Seinfeld, Newt is self-absorbed, manic and can't commit.
Is there a comedian out there who makes more biting commentary than Chris Rock? Isn't this what we are looking for? Someone who is willing to point out hard truths? A president who is willing to go against the establishment, a true outsider? A president who is not swayed by lobbyists and special interests and who will make the unpopular decision even if it means alienating others. A maverick. Mr. Rock's tough-on-crime law which would make bullets insanely expensive might please both gun control advocates and adversaries. This is a Ron Paul kind of comedian. Tick off everyone. If only Ron Paul was as smart.
First Published February 26, 2012 12:00 am
