Sahl to Stewart (sort of): The Importance of Modern Political Satire.

Recent scholarship has gauged the growing significance of political satire in our current political climate (Baumgartner 2007, 2008; Baumgartner and Morris 2006, 2007, 2008; Baym 2005, 2007; Holbert 2007; Prior 2005; Young 2004). This paper is part of a lager project that asks why there are so few conservative satirists in American politics today. There are several possibilities, to include the satirists? inherent liberal nature, the entertainment media?s liberal bias, and the liberal inclinations of the younger viewers who comprise much of satire?s audience. Two more possible explanations are the focus of this paper: That satire is steeped in an anti-establishment tradition; and that satire mirrors the existing political climate, which today is cynical, sarcastic and untrusting of government. This is the second half of an historical examination of political satire. The first half looked at early satire, from the Founding to the post-WWII era. This paper begins with the advent of television and moves to the 1970s. Richard Nixon said "Sock it to me" on Laugh In, which led to President Gerald Ford announcing: "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Following that was presidential candidate Bill Clinton on the Arsenio Hall Show, Attorney General Janet Reno?s SNL "Dance Party," and presidential candidate John Edwards announcing his intention to run on The Daily Show. This paper uses historical analysis to show that when society is amenable to political criticism (an inherently liberal notion), satire will flourish and in post-War America the changing nation was indeed amenable. By examining the past we can better understand the present significance of American political satire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]