We all know the day is coming in January of 09 when the presidency of George Bush Jr. will be over and a new president who will be smarter and more capable will take over. It will be a grand day for America, but will it be a good day for my beloved ‘The Daily Show?’ Let’s face it the Bush Administration is so bad that the jokes almost write themselves. Even a second grade comic who does knock-knock jokes could do a decent rift about Bush and cronies.
In many ways ‘The Daily Show’ has been my saving grace to get through the last few years. It was something, besides my good friends, which discussed how incompetent Bush had been and made me believe that it wasn’t just me seeing things. It made the news palatable in that I didn’t think it was being dumbed down, or the reporters were pussies, or gave me an anxiety attack. The show made me laugh, usually out loud, and Jon Stewart became the standard in which I will judge my future husband.
‘The Daily Show’ has become so important to American culture at this time that I sometimes feel sorry for people who do not have basic cable…hell, I feel sorry for myself when I didn’t have basic cable and missed out of the first few years of Jon Stewart’s hosting of ‘The Daily Show.’
I think the major appeal of the show, besides the humor, is that it is logical. Although it is filmed in New York it has a very down home Midwestern feel to it. Many may feel that it bends toward the left, but actually I find it is more middle of the road from back in the day. People seem to forget that after Reagan the country became more conservative (primarily because my generation sucked when we were young – that’s what happens when you enter the workplace during a recession and don’t have a worthless war to fight) thus the middle of the road was perceived to more toward the right.
I believe partly because of its popularity that a younger generation of people are becoming interested in politics. Further, they still have the optimism, thus the willpower, to really change things in this country…and not like the baby boomers who were all promises but little follow through (I know I’m being a tad unfair, but I did mention that my generation sucked).
Of course with the changing of the guard one has to consider if Obama administration will be half as amusing as Bush on his average outing to some factory in which he would climb onto something he shouldn’t (which would result in national humiliation) and all of us hip folk laughing at him. Obama has proven he has the ability to laugh at himself, which is something Bush seems to lack. He is a better public speaker who manages to not mangle the English language when making a simple statement. Further, he seems decent – something I wouldn’t say about the current prez.
I’m afraid that the lack of absurdity from the future administration just won’t provide the fodder that makes ‘The Daily Show’ so damn watchable. Sure, Obama can’t bowl, but how much matter can really be eked from that?
A bad economy, an endless war, growing American debt…sigh, ‘The Daily Show’ has its work cut out for it.
© 2008 Westerfield
