More Political Humor

The Joyful Noiseletter is nonpolitical, like Jesus. But when we reprinted
some of JN consulting editor Jim Reed's collection of political humor in the July-Aug JN, we had an overwhelmingly positive response from readers.

Then when we submitted the political jokes to JN's Good Noise Blog on Facebook, the site attracted 1700 readers' hits, suggesting that people
of all political persuasions long for the days when politicians were good
humored and were civil to their opponents.

Here is some more political humor from Reed's collection from those
long-ago days when politicians had a sense of humor:

"Politicians and TV news commentators share something in common – they must always have something urgent to say even when nothing urgently needs to be said."

‒ Columnist Bob Talbert

"Calvin Coolidge was the first president to discover that what the American people want is to be left alone."

‒ Will Rogers

"I have reached the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and three or more become a Congress.'"

‒ President John Adams

"It is dangerous for a political candidate to say things that people might remember."

‒ Senator Eugene McCarthy

"Where else but in Washington would they call the department in charge of everything outdoors the Department of the Interior?"

‒ President Ronald Reagan

"Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."

‒ Mark Twain

"Washington D.C. is a city with Southern efficiency and Northern charm."

‒ President John F. Kennedy

"America is the only country in the world where you can go on the air and kid politicians – and where politicians go on the air and kid the people."

‒ Groucho Marx

"The truth is a frequent casualty in the heat of an election campaign."

‒ Tip O'Neill

"Some people approach every problem with an open mouth."

‒ Adlai Stevenson

When Babe Ruth was asked in 1930 how he felt about making more money than the President of the United States, he said, "I had a better year than he did."

"What motivates reformers is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy."

‒ H.L. Mencken

President Ronald Reagan told this story:

An American and a Russian were having lunch in a Moscow restaurant.

The American told the Russian: "I live in a democracy . I can go to Washington, go to the White House, go into the Oval Office, pound my fist on the President's desk, and say, 'I don't like the way President Reagan is running the country!'"

His Russian friend said: "I can do that! I can go to the Kremlin, go into Premier Gorbachev's office, pound my fist on his desk, and say, 'I don't like the way President Reagan is running the country!'"