Sunday, April 10, 2011

Send In the Clowns

Given the current state of the nation it looks like a good time for the old circus call, “send in the clowns.” On the subject of clowns I take my hat off to Republicans and like thinkers for their contribution. We have our guys too, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. But they’re basically humorists who are funny on purpose.  The laughter they evoke is cerebral. This situation calls for hearty belly laughs, best provided by inadvertent buffoons, the more famous the funnier. This is a field in which the right wing is magnificently endowed.

With the looming departure of Glenn Beck from Fox we face the loss of my choice for an Oscar. I find him funniest with the TV muted. I’d laugh harder at his verbal stuff if the timbre of his voice didn’t remind me at times of the man who made the name Adolph extinct. Turn off the sound and he looks like he could have given Fatty Arbuckle a run for the money.

Even with the departure of the man and his blackboards we still have an abundance of comedy from the galaxy of potential Republican presidents, at this time too numerous to mention. Sister Sarah should be around for awhile in some incarnation. Phrases like “I’ll get back to ya,” “all of them” and “I can see Russia from my house” are now part of our lore. Her entertainment value has dropped now that she is no longer officially in politics and doesn’t have to answer questions from a “straight man.” Sarah without a Katie Couric makes you wonder how Gracie would have been as a solo act without George.

For stand up buffoonery Michelle Bachman has it all. What will she say if there happens to be a Lexington or Concord in Iowa? She should do well in former Confederate states, having relieved them of the onus of slavery. Both she and Sarah would make great poster children for better high school education.  

And now lo and behold, we have here before our very eyes the Great White Hope, Donald Trump. The man’s appearance by itself is good for a few guffaws. I saw an internet video showing that all the hair you see is his. There’s no comb over which raises the question of why he looks as though there is. Could it be a great comedic sense? His embracing of birtherism puts him in the proper company with the built in laugh lines that go with the territory. I do find it curious that a reputedly great businessman has declared bankruptcy twice.

On second thought this man may be just what the country needs. If Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling this year the resulting national default will make a government shutdown look like a picnic. What could be better, a year later, than having a president who has stiffed creditors twice and still manages have his name on countless architectural monstrosities, highways and parks? I opened a pack of matches the other day and there it was again.

But back to buffoonery, I challenge anyone who questions my conclusion of where the talent lies to name a Democrat of note who is in a class with these people.

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