Lizz Winstead and Sarah Silverman Discuss Mitt Romney

Much of it is about Mitt's "corporations are people," and such. All of it is funny.
 

Lizz Winstead on The Rachel Maddow Show

I was a listener of Air America Radio for most of its 5-year life, coming in shortly after it started, and dropping it (mostly) when Randi Rhodes was fired. One my favorite shows was Unfiltered, an early morning program with lots of political snark. It starred Chuck D, Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show and author of Lizz Free or Die) and one Rachel Maddow. It was Maddow's first national exposure, and was what paved the way for her solo radio show, her guesting and guest hosting on MSNBC, and ultimately her daily television show.

So, as an early fan, it was fun to see Lizz and Rachel together again. Plus, the interview is highly entertaining.

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Lizz Winstead on the Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood Fracas

You might not know Lizz Winstead by name, but you know of her. She's a comedian, writer, feminist, activist and. . .oh, yeah. . .co-creator of The Daily Show. As I watched the commentary of the Florida Primary on my Twitter feed, I watched Winstead's live reaction to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure decision to defund Planned Parenthood.

If you follow politics at all, you know that Planned Parenthood is a lightning rod of controversy, with constant attacks from the right wing. This is because PP provides abortion services. Though this is only a small part of their mission, they are public enemy #1 to many on the right. There are a couple of ironies here. One being the fact that family planning (contraception, for instance) reduces the need for abortions. But the bigger irony is that PP provides breast cancer screenings and promotes awareness, especially for poor women. Komen's mission is also part of Planned Parenthood's. And by pulling their funding, poor women will be more at risk for breast cancer! Unbelievable. This is far from my issue, but come on.

What Will Happen to Political Comedy Now?

Photo from source, New York Times

Lots has been said and written about a potential problem looming for The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, and for late-night comics like David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien. With the goober-in-chief on his way out of Washington, and a Democrat on his way in, what will they joke about?

Add to that, the fact that Barack Obama is a black man, and you might think that political comedy is sort of painted into a corner here. I don't really see the problem, regarding the Democrat part. After all, SNL's heyday was during the Carter administration, and the show has made it through its 33 years regardless of who controlled the White House and Congress.

The black part is trickier of course. I'm personally amazed that conservative pundits didn't segue from generic hate-speech into outright racism. I was fully expecting it. Subtlety not being their strong suit, they were surprisingly subtle, substituting "Muslim," "socialist" and "celebrity" in place of more plain-spoken hatred. We knew what they meant, but they didn't have to say it.

So if the wingnuts can avoid stepping on a racist landmine, I'm betting the comedians can too. And idiocy isn't going to somehow leave politics, just because there are fewer conservatives to kick around. Don't forget, they'll be lurking around trying to cause trouble, and they love the limelight. Bright spot: Ann Coulter will be in her fifties by the time there is Republican control again! That little cocktail dress might start to look a little (more) sad!

[Excerpt]

Can We Laugh? Yes, We Can

MORE than an hour into a contentious discussion on Wednesday night at the 92nd Street Y, where panelists like the “Daily Show” co-creator Lizz Winstead, the sitcom star Roseanne Barr and the Fox News commentator Monica Crowley had been debating the outcome of Tuesday’s election and how an Obama administration might address the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a few restless audience members began adding their voices to the fray. . .

Read more at: New York Times