How come there are no conservative comedians?

[Ernesto]

Dennis Miller isn't funny, so he doesn't qualify IMHO.

[historian]

1. they are all comedians

but their listeners dont know it. Neither do they apparently

[MsUnderstood]

15. Because it isn't funny

When you defy God, do you think he is laughing *sarcasm off*

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. you obviously

have never watched the 700 Club.

[proud patriot]

3. Ben Stein is not funny either

so he doesn't qualify ..

[Shrek]

4. Larry Miller?

Is he a comedian or just an comedy actor?

[Fenris]

8. No, he's a comedian

[Az]

5. Used to think Rush was a comedian

Making fun of the right wing landoverbaptist style. This was way back in the day. The office I worked in had 3 of us in the support dept who were all very liberal (and one nonpolitically aware secretary). We would listen to Rush at lunch together and laugh our heads off. We swore he had to be a liberal making fun of Repukes by overplaying their stances. We eventually figured out he really was insane.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Me too...

I was appalled when I learned that people actually take him seriously.

[curse10]

6. If you think Colin Quinn is funny

he is fairly right-wing. Primarily because he's a bigot hiding in a comedian's clothing.

[terrya]

7. Yakhoff Smirnioff is a conservative comedian.

The problem is, he's not particularly funny.

:-)

Terry

[CanuckAmok]

23. "Yakov Smirnof"?! Were you dringking Pepsi Clear when you typed that?

Set the Wayback machine, Sherman!

[Westegg]

25. "In America..."

"...you are Life of Party. In Soviet Union, Party is your life!"
--Yakov

[mac56]

33. "In church they say: Stand up for Jesus....

At ballpark they say: For Christ's sake, sit down!" - Yakov

[mitchum]

34. I thought the best thing about the wall coming down...

was that wretched sonofabitch would be out of a gig. Little did I know that Branson would be a refuge for him. God he sucks. Worst comedian ever.

[LTR]

42. Branson is GITMO for really bad entertainers

At least they're all isolated there.

[Richardo]

9. He's not a comedian, but Christopher Buckley is a pretty funny writer...

And I think Ben Stein can be funny, too, but I don't consider him a comedian.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. i think liberals in general

and you in specific, do not find conservative comedians funny. they do exist, but we/you discount them as un-funny

[XNASA]

11. Drew Carey is conservative.

Hold on. He's not funny either. I'll have to keep thinking about this one.

[Richardo]

13. His standup routine in the early days was pretty funny...

...not so much now. A real poster child for the perils of over-exposure. (see also Tim Allen)

[Whitacre D_WI]

16. At least he's honest about it.

He was a big-time Clinton supporter back in the day. Says "I was poor then!"

At least he realizes that the GOP only cares about the rich. Being rich himself, and being a Republican now, means he's selfish -- but at least he's not a hypocrite. ;)

[Odessey]

41. I beg to differ..

Actually, I think Drew Carey is hilarious. I love his self-deprecating humor. He's really quite creative. Give credit where credit is due. Doesn't matter to me if he's liberal or conservative - I enjoy him brand of humor. Same goes for Jeff Foxworthy. Excellent, talented comedians.

[mobuto]

12. PJ O'Rourke

Not a comedian, but a satirist and he can indeed be funny.

[Whitacre D_WI]

18. "Modern Manners" is one of the funniest books I've ever read.

[Fenris]

24. "Parliament of Whores" is a great book

O'Rourke never bashes you over the head with some conservative message. All the drugs he did throughout the 60s and 70s saved him from becoming a Limbot.

[southpaw]

26. Yeah...

P.J. can actually hang with Hunter S. Thompson and Bill Grieder. He is my favorite conservative... next to my girlfriend.

[LynneSin]

14. Jeff Foxworthy?

Not sure if he is conservative but he appeals to the "rednecks" out there

[Ernesto]

38. Yes, but look who he makes fun of.

[mac56]

17. James Lileks, writer and columnist, can be funny.

Unfortunately, he's become a hateful right-wing shill. Takes all the enjoyment out of it for me.

[Dogmudgeon]

19. Julia Gorin -- right-wing mystery comedian

Julia Gorin.

She's an extremely unpleasant right-wing columnist who is usually billed as a popular NYC stand-up comedian as well as a pundit. She does a lot of right-wing pro-Israel stuff that would make even conservative Jews blush. But I have never seen any mention of her among the comedy-oriented message systems, and none of the NYC comedians (stand-up, sketch and improv) I've asked have ever heard of her -- even the ones who claim to be conservative.

Most of the younger right-wingers fancy themselves as hipsters with "rapier wit", like the Idiot Rottweiler. But it's all Johnny-One-Note humor, and once you know how they do it, it's easy to imitate, deflate, and debunk. (That process should take about ten minutes.)

Of substantive arguments, evidence, or appeals to truth, there is none.

To misquote Gertie Stein, "there's no there there!"

--bkl
"... but I don't mind, that's just the kind of cross each man must bear ..."

[mac56]

21. love the Rutles reference!

:thumbsup:

[Dogmudgeon]

31. Glad somebody got it!

Everyone else is so pusilanimous, oh, yeah.

--bkl
And I'm on my way.

[mac56]

32. I'll play the fool, but as a rule...

I'd rather act my age.

[woofless]

20. Simple, they are humorless.

They lack the ability to laugh at themselves (with the possible exception of Bob Dole) which is essential to humor.

[Ready4Change]

22. My take on this:

Biting comments, if they are to be taken as humorous, must make fun of the commenter, not the comments targets.

Thus the problem with conservative humor is that they truly are trying to belittle their targets, and thus advance their conservative agendas. They don't realize that the problem isn't with liberals taking liberalism too seriously. It's with the conservatives taking themselves too seriously.

And I'm by no means letting liberals off the hook. They DO take liberalism too seriously. I find much lacking in liberal humor for this reason as well.

You can't expect people to laugh with you if you aren't willing to laugh at yourself.

[VOX]

28. Some of the best comedy comes from suffering and being an outsider...

From being on the bottom of the pack, the little guy, the everyman, the minority, the hipster.

These are traits not particularly common to conservatives.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. Because the conservative agenda is a joke

all by itself.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. Watch that shitty Colin Quinn show and get back to me on that.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

35. I beg your pardon?

[CanuckAmok]

36. Whatchootalkinabout?! Bill O'Reilley is hilarious!

Wait...WHAT?!..He's SERIOUS?!

Oh, sorry...never mind...

[Khephra]

37. Jackie Mason

But he's not funny either.

[Lazpash]

39. Conservatives by their very nature lack imagination

If one lacks imagination, IMO it would be very difficult to BE a comedian - and Dems don't TYPICALLY provide a LOT of humor fodder (sure, sometime they/we do) - conservatives REALLY DO. IMO, this is a major reason, anyway. $.02

[Kamika]

40. How about Dana Carvey?

He's not super fun, but some of his impressions are, especially of Bush Sr

[SoCalDem]

43. Racism , Greed & Hate are not funny

:(

[Az]

44. The nature of humor is not well suited for conservatives

Humor depends on a number of factors. A key one being avoidance of harm. As Mel Brooks said tradgedy is when I get a splinter, comedy is when someone else falls through an open manhole and dies. The more a threat to us the victim the greater the humor. Thus the threat to liberal comedians are in line with the same threats faced by most people. The percieved threats to conservatives are the common people. Thus the common people are the butt of conservative jokes. By definition this is not funny to the common people.

[bif]

45. Because there's nothing funny about being an asshole

n/t

[YellowRubberDuckie]

46. I always thought that people who are that sexually oppressed couldn't be

funny. They are so frustrated, they just can't manage funny. Besides, isn't enjoying yourself a sin or something?
Duckie