Politics as punch line

History certainly bears out the notion that comedy often gets at the deepest truths, says Schmidt, who grew up under a dictatorship in Colombia.

"There are plenty of places still where you can't tell the truth about political leaders because you could be killed," he says, adding that many great works of literature were written as disguised commentaries on the political leaders of the time. "Mother Goose stories were all political humor," he says. "The Brothers Grimm and many funny folk tales and stories were all about real-life rulers."

However, laughter can have a downside in a democracy, says Schmidt. In today's much more open society, where presumably a comedian can't be killed for criticizing a politician, jokes can lead to trivialization of important issues.

"I just hope," says Schmidt, "that at least it will stimulate political discussion in people's homes, even while they're laughing."

While most people enjoy a good laugh at a politician's expense, politicians aren't always keen to invite the laughter in. Four years ago, reporters for the first edition of Jon Stewart's presidential election coverage say they didn't count on any access. "We learned that, against all their best judgment, people will talk to us," says Stephen Colbert, an "Indecision 2004" faux news correspondent. "So we can actually get people. In 2000, we weren't sure whether we could."

Although, he adds with a laugh, a higher profile cuts both ways. "Years ago, I would say 'The Daily Show,' and people would assume I meant some daily news show on CNN," he says. "Now, I say 'The Daily Show,' and they go, 'Daily Show, Daily Show, oh, OK, OK. No.' "

Stewart himself declines the mantle of "wiseman for the young" and says his only goal is to get something honest and amuse people of all ages along the way.

"That's all we want, one human moment," he told reporters at a recent press event for television critics. Getting Senate minority leader Tom Daschle to giggle about the burden of doing debates was a good example. "That's the moment you look for, where they're showing their humanity," Stewart says, adding with a slightly arched eyebrow, "if it still exists, which in many cases, as you know, it does not."

Nonetheless, comedy is a natural draw for younger viewers, says comedian Dennis Miller, who returns this week with a new eponymous show on CNBC.

"I don't think kids even vaguely connect to guys like Jennings and Dan Rather," says Miller, in discussing his new show with television critics and reporters. "If you're an 18-year-old, who are you going to trust to give you the facts? Dan Rather in that epaulet jacket where he's just about to go fly fishing after the show, or are you going to listen to Jon Stewart? Of course, you're going to listen to Jon."

Nonetheless, says Mr. Rather, he reaches younger viewers through the comedians, who watch the news. "If we cover something on the evening news, then Jon Stewart may very well deal with it on his show or Letterman on his." They feed one another, says the CBS News anchor.

Generation gap notwithstanding, Valley College student Harper says comedy also draws people together. "Issues are getting more and more complex all the time," says the philosophy and theater double major, who reads Noam Chomsky in his spare time.

"Comedy helps simplify things. It demystifies things like the war and the budget and things we need to know about but don't understand. Also," he adds with a smile, "it makes people feel good about themselves and their fellow human beings."

Which is not the way the regular news make you feel, he says. Harper has his own name for those shows. He calls them the nightly edition of "Are You Scared Enough Yet?"

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