Why Obama Can't Be Parodied

Parody is a form of comedy/commentary that involves highlighting the ridiculous. Done right, it’s one of the most interesting and entertaining forms of comedy, and it can be devastating to its target where the target lacks substance or hides behind a facade. Parody is particularly effective against politicians; they make prime targets. But what about Obama?

Obama is rife for parody. Like all politicians, Obama has flaws. Some might even argue that he has more flaws than most. Moreover, more than any politician I can recall, Obama lives behind a facade that he’s finding harder and harder to maintain. Consider this:

• The most obvious flaw with Obama is the difference between how he speaks when he’s reading from the teleprompter and how he sounds when he’s speaking “off the brain.” He’s like some modern-day Cyrano De Bergerac, which should be fertile ground for comedy, as comedy thrives on contradiction and juxtaposition.

• Obama also speaks in a strange combination of dispassionate rhetoric (as if he were teaching a course he’s taught so many times that he no longer pays attention to the lesson) and anger. And if you doubt me, as yourself two questions. First, what was the last thing Obama said that you knew he felt passionately about? Secondly, how long would you work for a boss who spoke to you in the tone Obama constantly uses on us. Even the left has noticed that he’s generally dull and joyless when he speaks these days.

• Obama has shown a propensity for shooting off his mouth, backing off immediately, and then trying to claim he never backed off -- as he did with the mosque incident and the beer summit. This and his acceptance of the Nobel Prize for Hopeful Anticipation shows a Bidenesque lack of judgment or control combined with a good deal of arrogance.

• He’s shown a disturbing lack of substance in all of his endeavors, which he compounds with simplistic attack phrases, such as “just tell me whose ass to kick.” This has been a primary source of griping in his party as they feel he’s set convoluted or contradictory goals and then attacked them when they sought his guidance.

• He’s also shown he “doesn’t get it” in terms of the amount of work the job demands. Indeed, he routinely claims to be too busy to get around to important matters, even as he spends his days on vacations.

• And speaking of vacations, he has a wife who spends her days taking luxury vacations at five star resorts with MC Hammer-like entourages (like the left's stereotype of Nancy Reagan), while Obama preaches austerity (like the left's stereotype of the hypocritical preacher). He’s also clearly embraced the rock-star culture even as he talks about being humble and accuses his opponents of not being serious.

• He has also shown a penchant for using his daughters as political props.

• And he’s shown himself to be all but humorless.

Each of these is a trait that comedians have used to parody other politicians in the past. Yet they won’t lay a finger on Obama. Why? I think the answer is obvious, even as it is unpleasant. The answer boils down to race.

When parodying any human being, the first order of business involves mocking the person’s mannerisms: without this you cannot have a parody. If you want proof, think about everyone you’ve seen parodied in the past. Reagan was mocked for his age and his speaking tone. Bush I was rich and spoke funny. Bush II was stupid. Palin was mocked for her colloquialisms. Carter was mocked for his accent and general wimpiness, Schwarzenegger for his accent, Nixon for his sweating and paranoid tone, and Ford for his clumsiness. Clinton was mocked for his salesman like mannerisms and evasions. Gore was mocked for his wooden speaking style and penchant for telling whoppers.

In each instance, you know instantly what I’m talking about without me even needing to get into specific quotes or policies. The reason for this is that parody is mostly defined by attacks on a person's mannerisms. Indeed, parody must always begin by taking the person and exaggerating them for the audience. If you can’t exaggerate the person to unrealistic proportions, then the things you say next will sound like nasty criticisms of the person rather than funny zingers aimed at the caricature. It’s the difference between: “I did not have sex with all those women!” and “you betcha I can see Russia from my house” -- which make a myriad of points without sounding personal -- and “Clinton lies about his affairs” or “Palin’s response was stupid,” which are harsh and pointed comments aimed directly at the living breathing person.

And therein lies the problem. Before we can parody Obama for his policy failings and other flaws, we must mock his personality. But here’s the catch: you can’t do that without being accused of racism. If you point out that he sounds angry, you’re accused of perpetuating the “angry black man stereotype.” If you point out his Cyrano problem, you’re accused of perpetuating the “stupid black man stereotype.” If you point out his penchant for vacations and living the highlife on our dime, you’re accused of perpetuating the “lazy black man stereotype,” or worse. If you talk about his use of his kids as props, you would be accused of perpetuating the “bad black father stereotype.”

What does that leave us? Nothing except criticism, which just isn’t that funny.

If Obama were white, I think you would have seen each of the above flaws exploited. You would have seen scenes where Obama uses soaring rhetoric to order off of menus in five star hotels, but uses his dispassionate tone when arguing with his wife. You would have speechwriters writing the argument for him. You would have him using his angry tone at all the wrong times. You would have him promising to never rest until he completed the task at hand, right before heading on vacation as he complained about the 5 hour work day being forced upon him. And you would have him using his daughters as human shields to protect himself against reporters and other politicians.

But you won’t see that. As I’ve said before, each of these things was said or done to other politicians in the past. But with Obama the game is different because comedians know that they will be accused of racism if they try it. Thus, the path of least resistance is to avoid the parody entirely and instead parody his fans or enemies.

And if you think I’m wrong about the desire of people to take the path of least resistance, ask yourself when the last time was that Hollywood presented you with a black street thug or advertisers used a black character as the butt of the joke. Both Hollywood and Madison Avenue have learned that it is easier to avoid anything that could bring out the race or gender lobbies, because those groups aren’t trying to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, they are trying to stamp out all negative portrayals.

That’s why Obama can’t be parodied. And if history is any guide, this will ultimately hurt him and his legacy severely. Because there’s only one thing worse than a politician we all laugh at. . . that’s a politician we aren’t allowed to laugh at.