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On Politics Richard Borreca |
Politics is a funny
business -- just ask JayItem No. 1: "Courtney Love said she once escorted Kerry to a concert. John Kerry once went out with Courtney Love, and he's questioning Bush's judgment."
Item No. 2: "You know what President Bush and Martha Stewart have in common? They're both afraid of a long sentence!"
That might not seem like the usual political news found in the paper, but wait -- these offers from talk-show host Jay Leno could be the political news of the future.
Politicians will do whatever it takes to get you to listen to them. They will hand you cans of SPAM, they will book popular singers, they will offer to clothe your kid's baseball team, if only you sit and listen to their pitch.
The latest tactic in Hawaii is humor and entertainment. The Democrats hooked up with stand-up comic Andy Bumatai, who is now volunteer coordinator for party chairman Brickwood Galuteria, who is himself a TV and radio personality.
Before that, Republicans and Gov. Linda Lingle were falling all over themselves when Angela Baraquio, 2001 Miss America, hosted a call-in cable television show for Lingle.
On a one-dimensional level, the idea of staffing any political party with entertainers, comics and professional personalities is appealing.
A January Pew Research Center report notes that "Young people are increasingly saying that they are learning about the (national political) campaign from comedy shows such as the 'Daily Show' and 'Saturday Night Live.'"
To further convince you that the end of civilization and political discourse is just a rim shot away, consider the Television Critics Association national awards. Last week, it gave the prize for outstanding news and information programming to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" -- picking it over rivals like PBS' "Frontline" and ABC's "Nightline." Jon Stewart and company embody, "a core of truth," the correspondents said.
Political pros such as the GOP's Kitty Lagareta understand the need for a light touch and some comic relief in politics. Lagareta, for instance, put in two years as a stand-up comic with a group called "Hats" that was started by the late Rap Reiplinger. She adds that former Booga Booga member Ed Kaahea is one of the Hawaii Republican Party leaders on Kauai.
The Pew Research Center, however, also notes "that people who say they are learning things about politics on comedy shows don't know much about the current campaign."
So as both political parties open the curtain on "open mike night" to lure in the baggy jeans and skateboard set, they might discover that the No. 1 issue no longer is how to change state policy, but how to get free and legal music downloads online.
"The Last Comic Standing," may be the show to watch to understand politics today.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Richard Borreca writes on politics every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached at 525-8630 or by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com.