Taking Both Sides
CNN’s The History of Comedy is focusing in on political comedy this week, and one of their early citations is the late Pat Paulsen, who ran for president in 1968 as a gag as part of his stint on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Paulsen was notable for his satire of politician’s double-speak and bald-faced lies, all delivered in his trademark deadpan style. That’s evident here in a performance art-like split screen of him answering a question two ways, one for liberals, the other for conservatives. Paulsen went on to run for President again five more times, getting 1% of the New Hampshire Democrat primary vote against incumbent Bill Clinton in 1996. –Eric Gould