"Why is humor at the expense of Hillary Clinton something of a national pastime now?" laments the subheader to a teaser headline on MSNBC.com's front page today, "Why comics have a field day with Hillary."
In the story itself, MSNBC's Adam Howard complaints that Hillary is the victim of "sexism" and cartoonish caricatures of her character, rather than on "facts" (emphasis mine):
The former first lady and current 2016 presidential candidate is depicted here and in virtually every other American comedy routine as a scheming careerist who sees her husband’s rise to power as little more than a springboard for her own ambition. It’s a compelling comedic conceit, albeit one largely based on public projections instead of facts. Despite the inherent sexism in virtually all the spoofs, the parodies have endured because they are often quite funny and voters may suspect they contain a kernel of truth.
Howard then added that "Despite nearly eight years in the White House, the Obamas have proven frustratingly hard for most mainstream comedians to mock," and perhaps that's why late-night comedians are licking their chops at the prospect of at least 19 more months of tried-and-true Clinton jokes.
Howard also used liberal comedian and John Fugelsang sidekick to explain how you can mine the Clinton campaign for comedy gold while shielding Mrs. Clinton herself from being the target of the zingers:
And ultimately, the humor is usually not solely about her personality. “I’ve already written many jokes about the absurdity of the media’s obsession with her — the phony e-mail scandal, the lunch at Chipotle, the focus on her logo,” comedian Frank Conniff told msnbc. “I feel the media’s obsession over stupid stuff that isn’t important will be a major comedic vein to tap into.”
And naturally Howard opted to close by reminding his readers just how lovable and witty Clinton herself supposedly is these days:
For her part, the candidate herself seems to be more self-aware and self-deprecating this time around. Before embarking on her presidential campaign, she made uncharacteristically comedic comments to the media back in March. “I am all about new beginnings. A new granddaughter, another new hairstyle, a new email account. So why not a new relationship with the press?” Clinton asked reporters. “So here goes: no more secrecy. No more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do me?”
