Book Review: Politics Is a Joke! How TV Comedians Are Remaking Political Life, by S. Robert Lichter, Jody C. Baumgartner, and Jonathan S. Morris

Abstract

Politics Is a Joke! How TV Comedians Are Remaking Political Life. S. Robert Lichter, Jody C. Baumgartner, and Jonathan S. Morris. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2015. 253 pp. $32 pbk. $22.99 ebk.In Politics Is a Joke! scholars S. Robert Lichter, Jody C. Baumgartner, and Jonathan S. Morris offer a comprehensive analysis of political humor over time. Their research analyzes the volume of political jokes, the targets of these jokes, and their content across multiple entertainment programs. The culmination of this work is a text that is not only accessible to undergraduate students but one that is suitable for a general audience. The authors offer strong support for the increasing relevancy of political humor; their vivid examples underscore the influence of humor in a modern democracy. Given the dearth of research exploring entertainment media in our polity, this text is a welcome addition to the literature.The text begins with a brief outline in Chapter 1, followed by an overview of the evolution of political humor in Chapter 2, noting its prolific nature in our changing media environment. Chapter 3 succinctly examines the individual and institutional targets of political jokes. Chapter 4 explores the event-driven nature of humor- the scandals and missteps fueling the punchlines; Chapter 5 explores the personal nature of these jokes (e.g., character and traits of targets). In Chapter 6, the authors nicely situate political humor in the context of the news media, exploring how patterns in humor influence public opinion. In Chapter 7, the authors discuss strategic implications of their work and strategies for candidate engagement with late-night comedy. In Chapter 8, the data are discussed in a broader context.A key strength of the text lies in its unique dataset gathered at George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, a dataset totaling more than 100,000 jokes. The authors identify correlations between political humor and public opinion of certain candidates. The implications of Chapter 6 are particularly compelling: In exploring the relationship between news and political humor, they find that jokes not only draw from negative news coverage, but further amplify negative news narratives. Another strength of the text comes from the accessibility of the literature review and its balance. The authors synthesize a highly measured review of the literature that balances the civic benefits of humor with the studies suggestive of cynicism and disengagement effects.The researchers acknowledge that the audience for late night talk shows is limited; however, by overlooking the role of social media, the authors somewhat undersell the significance of their work. Today jokes are swiftly disseminated online, and the longer shelf life afforded through social media may accidentally expose non-viewers to punchlines. Future research should also incorporate satirical programs such as Saturday Night Live, which one could argue is as or more influential than late night talk programs. …