ABSTRACT
Americans have a long tradition of satirizing their political leaders, institutions, and issues of the day. Political cartoons have depicted politicians and political controversies from the fight over the Stamp Acts of the mid-1700s to the present day.1 Since it debuted in 1975, skits depicting politicians have been a regular feature of the popular NBC comedy show Saturday Night Live.2 The show’s parodies of presidents and the quadrennial presidential debates have become cultural traditions, almost rivaling actual election debates and presidential press conferences. Politicians have also long been targets of humor from late-night talk-show hosts. One study of the 2000 presidential campaign found that late-night comedians made 771 jokes lampooning then-Governor George W. Bush and 494 at the expense of Vice President Al Gore.3
