Funny Business

In arguing that a generation of voters is disengaged from the political process because Dave, Jay and Jon are blithely flip and cynical about it in their monologues, Paul Brownfield seems to be suggesting the politicians have nothing to do with it (“Cheap Shots at a Steep Price?,” Aug. 27).

The type of political humor coming from the talk show monologues has nothing to do with comedians not caring about politics. It has more to do with their understanding that the sixth-grade-civics model of our democracy is not the one we ended up with. I don’t have access to my senator because I don’t have enough soft money to get his or her attention. But how many jokes can you do about campaign finance reform? Better just to make fun of a candidate’s inability to spell “potato” before moving on to the celebrity interviews.

As to Brownfield’s notion that today’s comedians make their living with an “unending stream of easy cynicism,” think of it this way: If the assumptions underlying cynicism were wrong, things wouldn’t be the way they are. There would be no reason for satire. But such is not the case, thus satire and cynicism persist. If the cynicism happens to be easy, it’s only because the politicians are so helpful.

Bill Maher is right when he says he shouldn’t be lumped with Leno, Letterman and Stewart. They’re all very funny and talented, but Maher runs a different kind of show. He (and Harry Shearer) stand apart from the others in that they are far more intellectual in their attacks. Even when his guests are busy tossing out fatuous comments and struggling to come up with punch lines that stray from the point under debate, Maher brings it back to the issues. And, as proof of his skills as a political satirist, he not only gets in the best lines but they’re almost always on point.

BILL FITZHUGH

Woodland Hills

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Let me see if I have Brownfield’s take on political comedy correct. If you attack anyone on the political right, you are committed and less dismissively bitter. If you attack anyone on the left, you are cynical and uncaring. What a bunch of horse dung!

GREGORY LEO PEARMAN

Laguna Hills

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I was somewhat amused to see Bill Maher identified as a “self-described libertarian.” He would have to be “self-described” because this libertarian sure wouldn’t describe him that way.

Is Maher four-square for gun rights and the 2nd Amendment? Does he stand for the freedom of people to express their 1st Amendment rights by giving unlimited money to the candidates of their choice? Does he believe that the government should not be involved in education at the federal level? How about getting rid of the income tax and replacing it with nothing?

Gee, I must have missed the shows where he expressed these deeply held libertarian beliefs. Apparently Hollywood types think that libertarians only care about drug legalization. Sorry, Bill, you have a long way to go before your journey to libertarianism is over.

BILL CARROLL

Newhall

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I cannot thank you enough for finally pointing out the damage these so-called comedians do. The only reason President Clinton was not destroyed by the nightly massacres from Leno, Letterman and until recently Maher is that the public did not laugh and did not listen. Instead, the public figured that it had a very good president who sinned. Not good enough to destroy.

To put these clowns in the same frame with Johnny Carson and Mort Sahl is truly abominable. Carson and Sahl did not turn people off politics, they turned them on.

BATYA DAGAN

Los Angeles

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I was very surprised that Brownfield failed to note a recent political comedy record-breaking milestone: Jay Leno just told his 1 millionth Clinton/Monica joke. And ya know, ladies and gentlemen, this is no mean feat. (Well, maybe a little mean.) You can’t just blurt into one of these jokes. There has to be a current event that day involving a man, woman or tobacco product. If, by some stroke of luck, that happens . . . well, baby, you’ve got political comedy pay dirt.

Congratulations, Jay, and keep those fresh and daring knee-slappers coming.

BEN OSTROW

Van Nuys