OpEdNews » Satire: Hillary's New Winning Strategy

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March 4, 2008 at 07:46:36

Satire: Hillary's New Winning Strategy

by steve young Page 1 of 1 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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"It's pretty pathetic." - Hillary Clinton, 3/3/08, describing her appearance on the Daily Show the day before the most important primary of her life.

"It's pretty pathetic."

What an opening for a pundit to slam Senator Clinton. Except that they'd be slamming a great political maneuver.

Hillary has spent a year pushing her experience; the last three months ripping into the hollowness of Barack Obama's speeches. She even sent out a surrogate to make sure everyone knew that Barack's middle name rhymed Saddam's last name. And the only thing that fortified were her unfavorable ratings. In fact, most every time she tried the tried (tired?) and true it not only blew up in her face, but it also seemed to give Obama great grist for a simple return volley that, in comparison, made her sound all the more shrill.

With Obama momentum picking up steam and Hillary's prospects doing a header, it seemed that no matter what the New York senator tossed out there fell flat.

And then...

Hel-loo Satire, with a capital S...for Self-deprecation.

With a bit of help from the heavily-viewed Saturday Night Live spoofing the Obama-Media tryst and a week-after followup appearance on SNL by the actual Hillary mocking herself, Clinton's actual chances of winning in Texas and Ohio, once again became an actuality.

Add that to the fact she showed up primary eve on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and you know that her campaign has finally taken political satire seriously.

And obviously, she doesn't even have to be good at it.

Satire as a political tool, even as a pretty nifty weapon, has long shown its value. It's just that politicos never seem to let the hilarious evidence sway them from their disastrous strategy of same-same. Wikipedia, the world's most infallible authority, says that "political satire is a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly forbidden." I'm guessing the "where" they speak of is a losing political campaign.

It doesn't always work, especially when you have your opponent exercising the same. Hillary mocked Obama's speech making. Obama went one better and mocked Hillary mocking him. Or "3AM in the morning? Here's your 3AM in the morning!" Still nothing makes a point better than one that tears apart an opponent's argument with a clever pin prick - heh-heh. I wrote prick - to the funny bone.

Will Hillary's going to the satire gambit lead to an ultimate victory? Not necessarily. Time will tell. But it's already given a good last minute kick to her polls, enough to energize a campaign that only a week ago, pundits had said looked pretty pathetic. That is, until Hillary did the last thing you'd expect...agree.

Award-winning television writer and author of Great Failures of the Extremely Successful", (www.greatfailure.com), Steve Young's "All The News That's Fit To Spoof" appears in L.A. Daily News opeds every Sunday(www.dailynews.com/columnists).

www.greatfailure.com

A talk show host, author, columnist,award-winning television writer and filmmaker, his inspiring book, "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful" (Tallfellow Press) has been published internationally and has become required reading in the Wharton School of Business Masters Program. His "All The News That's Fit To Spoof " column appears every Sunday on the L.A. Daily News Oped Page. Steve has appeared all over national TV and radio with his unique brand of satirical punditry and social observations appearing in national periodicals from the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, to his own weekly Internet column "The Lords Of Loud," at AlbionMonitor.net and The Huffington Post.

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5 comments

A writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

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Mark SashineA writer is a rogue goose. All other gees fly in a flock formation; every goose knows his place and time for honking. The rogue goose is undisciplined. He leaves the formation indiscriminately to have a look at it from aside. He roams back and forth, takes a peep at the leader, honks a little bit from behind, distracts everyone and writes on what he sees. Time passes and as he wants to return back to his place he discovers someone else there. Thus he either has to wait until they land for rest...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Satire? Where?

Neither Hillary nor Obama nor SNL are' satire-prone'. The genre is dead in the US because we do not know what sarcasm is. And what we have is:

- Satire rusts bubbling in the glass of water

That's what we have. There is no satire because it is only bubbling. Take HL Menchken and compare.

by Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3454 comments) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 8:08:26 AM

Midwesterner, veteran of VietNam era naval service, I still feel an obligation to defend the Constitution against "all enemies, foreign and domestic."
John Sanchez Jr.Midwesterner, veteran of VietNam era naval service, I still feel an obligation to defend the Constitution against "all enemies, foreign and domestic."

The problem that you see is not that satire is dead,...

it's that it isn't used much. You nailed it in the beginning when you referred to sarcasm. Sarcasm is everywhere, but it is not the same thing as satire. The two suffer from confused definitions in much the same way that the words skeptic and cynic do. Indeed, to keep track of them you can imagine how a skeptic would be prone to employ satire where a cynic would favor sarcasm.

by John Sanchez Jr. (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 1172 comments) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 8:52:59 AM

Satire

is sarcasm without malice. Satire is a genre, sarcasm is a mood. Cynicism is neither sarcasm nor satire- it is just a convenience- a myopic feeling that you can do anything to anyone as soon as you can. Cynicism is a hate of cowards. Sarcasm is sadness of the strong. Satire is care, take it or leave it. You never use satire if you do not care for the subject and want it to improve. If you do not care you use cynicism.

by Mark Sashine (51 articles, 19 quicklinks, 244 diaries, 3454 comments) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 9:53:37 AM

Sandy Sand began her writing career while raising three children and doing public relations work for Women's American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). That led to a job as a reporter for the San Fernando Valley Chronicle, a weekly publication in Canoga Park, California. In conjunction with the Chronicle, she broadcast a tri-weekly, 10-minute newscast for KGOE AM. Following the closure of the Chronicle, Sand became the editor of the Tolucan Times and Canyon Crier newspapers...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Sandy SandSandy Sand began her writing career while raising three children and doing public relations work for Women's American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). That led to a job as a reporter for the San Fernando Valley Chronicle, a weekly publication in Canoga Park, California. In conjunction with the Chronicle, she broadcast a tri-weekly, 10-minute newscast for KGOE AM. Following the closure of the Chronicle, Sand became the editor of the Tolucan Times and Canyon Crier newspapers...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Oh, you guys

Mark, John

Satire...sarcasism...skepticism...cynicism are like porn, hard to define, but recognized when heard or read.

by Sandy Sand (143 articles, 0 quicklinks, 196 diaries, 1381 comments) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 7:50:26 PM

A concerned citizen who works in the legal field.
AngellightA concerned citizen who works in the legal field.

Repubs New Agenda, STOP OBAMA!

The Republican's New Agenda is to Stop Obama, they want to run against Hillary. They have so much dirt in their Arsenal on the Clintons just waiting to be Unleashed (movies, scandals, lawsuits, books) -- that is why Rush Limbaugh is Begging, Begging his listeners to vote for Hillary. Limbaugh declared: “I want the funeral music to play at some point to the Clintons, but not this early.” America, if Hillary becomes the nominee, we haven't seen nothing yet!

Who released the Canadian Memo and distorted its contents--, where did that come from and who called Goolsbee to a meeting and conveniently set him up? Who pushed up Rezko's trial which, was to start much later this year? Why did the Somali picture come out, along with Farrakahn endoresement and a radio jock mocking of Obama's middle name? Which was allowed to be played over and over again by the Main-stream media. We have to ask these things? Who wants to Kill unity and hope? Was this part of the Kitchen Sink or may be the Basement (Swiftboating)? I do know its dirty politics and until we reject this kind of politicking in America we will be a pawn in their hands, the people of power, and never find our true Independence and Voice which Obama is offering. The Evil Ones are just getting started, warmed up. Someone is trying to pull our strings. The Truth will come out, however. Hopefully, America we can see through this Rouse this time and elect CHANGE!

by Angellight (16 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 11 comments) on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 9:26:25 AM