Comedic Relief In Politics

Political cartoons have been used to portray politicians since the time of colonial America. Through political cartoons, viewers are able to gain a sense of politicians that they would not be able to get from simply hearing the politician speak or reading an article about the politician. Political cartoons often distort the image of a politician, whether is be in a positive way or a negative way. The humorous side of the political caricatures adds a great deal of fun to a campaign that often becomes dry and boring and loses the attention of voters. Debates appear so regulated and practiced in today’s society that they fail to fire up the candidates or the voters. The questions and answers are so structured and rehearsed in the televised debates that it fails to attract or excite the audience. Often times, humor draws attention back to a campaign and a lighter and more enjoyable way of viewing the candidates and their platforms.

Caricatures in which the artist exaggerates or distorts an aspect of the candidate have been part of political campaigns for a very long time. Often times, after a candidate is retired or deceased, caricatures create a lasting memory of the person, not always flattering as in the case of Lyndon Baines Johnson, when he permitted pictures of his scar from a recent surgery to appear on the front pages of the newspaper. One expects a little more dignity than that from the President of the United States. But then if one listens to Sarah Palin's comments, it is questioned how much dignity we find there. When a political debate is spent discussing the comparison of hockey moms and pit bulls, why would comedians and cartoonists not jump at the chance to mock such a comparison? Sarah Palin's style has given comedians and writer for late night talk shows the material they long for. Her rough and tough lifestyle is perfect for comedic programming and political cartoonists.

Although Sarah Palin has been used as the subject of many jokes for both comedians and political cartoonists since she joined the 2008 campaign, nearly every candidate that runs for a political office is used as the subject of jokes as well. Caricatures are used to form images of political candidates. Each of these candidates’ images is not only formed by their stances on particular subjects and political viewpoints, but these images are also formed by caricatures that are portrayed on television and through the newspapers. Just as celebrities’ images are formed from the gossip found in magazines, candidates’ images are formed from the caricatures created by comedians and political cartoonists. As discussed in Edward Rothstein’s article, the caricatures that are used to portray politicians are not truly accurate. Although these images are not accurate, they still remain in the minds of many Americans each day. Political caricatures such as the ones discussed in Rothstein’s article play an important role in political campaigns because they not only allow American citizens to express their beliefs about various candidates, but they allow each American citizen to take what they want away from the forms of media and form their own opinions.