| Description |
1 online resource (270 pages) |
| Contents |
Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; List of Tables and Figures; List of Boxes; Preface; CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: POLITICS IS A FUNNY BUSINESS; A Brief History of Political Humor; A Few Words About Our Analysis; Plan of the Book; CHAPTER 2. THE RISE OF LATE NIGHT COMEDY; Late Night Talk (and Other Political Comedy): A Brief History; Why Late Night Talk and Political Humor Matter; Conclusion; CHAPTER 3. A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE; Presidents as Targets of Late Night Humor; Vice Presidents as Targets of Late Night Humor |
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Presidential Candidates as Targets of Late Night HumorConclusion: Presidential Punch Lines; CHAPTER 4. POLITICIANS BEHAVING BADLY; Late Night Comedians and Political Sex Scandals; Money and Power Scandals; Scandalous Policies; Conclusion; CHAPTER 5. WHAT'S SO FUNNY?; Political Institutions: What Can You Trust?; Topical Humor; A Paucity of Policy Jokes?; Conclusion; CHAPTER 6. LAUGHING MATTERS; News, Comedy, and Public Opinion; Late Night Humor Targets and Candidate Favorability; Late Night Humor and Aggregate Public Opinion; CHAPTER 7. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM |
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Two Candidates, Two Approaches to TV Entertainment AppearancesPresidential Candidate Appearances: 1996-2012; Conclusion; CHAPTER 8. POLITICAL HUMOR: PROSPECT AND RETROSPECT; Punch Lines and Populism; The Empire Strikes Back; Satire and Parody on TV; Fake News and Real Politics; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index |
| Summary |
Does late night political humor matter? Are late-night comedians merely entertaining, or do they have the power to influence the way we think about politics and politicians? Politics Is a Joke! situates late night comedy in the historical context of political humor and demonstrates how the public turn to this venue for political information, and are in turn affected by it. Using exclusive data collected by the Center for Media and Public Affairs, the authors conduct a detailed and exhaustive analysis of political jokes on late night TV shows dating back to 1992 in order to pinpoint the main targets and themes of late-night comedy. Politics Is a Joke! uses a wide range of examples, from jokes about politicians' physical appearance and sex scandals to jokes about Congress and even the news media, to assess and understand the impact of political humor on political institutions, politicians and their policies and behavior. Engagingly written with analysis of jokes from comedians like Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Politics is a Joke! is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the crucial role late night comedy plays in our political universe - and anyone who enjoys a good laugh |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-233) and index |
| Notes |
English |
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Print version record |
| Subject |
Politics and government
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Politics and government.
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| Form |
Electronic book
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| Author |
Baumgartner, Jody C
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Morris, Jonathan S
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| ISBN |
9780429961847 |
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0429961847 |
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9780429972928 |
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042997292X |
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0429493290 |
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9780429493294 |
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0813347181 |
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9780813347189 |
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