There is a good summary of the late night coverage (including Comedy Central and SNL) of DeLay in this morning’s Austin American-Statesman:
“Late-night TV comics have discovered the pugnacious ex-exterminator from Sugar Land and are helping to make DeLay into a household name — and not in a good way.”
Drip, drip, drip.
The downside for DeLay is tremendous:
“The potential for damage might be greater for DeLay because he remains relatively unknown outside of Texas and Washington. Forty-two percent of people polled April 1 and 2 had never heard of DeLay or knew so little about him they had no opinion of his performance, a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll found.
A significant number of voters, particularly those 18 to 29, rely on late-night comedy routines for much of their political news, according to a 2004 poll by the Pew Center for the People and the Press.
In addition, a study by Dannagal Goldthwaite Young, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, found that late-night monologues and skits most influence viewers who aren’t particularly knowledgeable about politics.”
Young voters are crucial to us. They listen to Jon Stewart, and they are far less homophobic than their parents.
They may not understand the danger the deficit poses for them, but they do understand the danger of The Church Lady having more control of their lives. Chastity belts are not popular with this crowd. And they understand and loathe hypocrisy.
Talk to the youth. I have found that my 17 year old son and I can communicate around Jon Stewart and SNL very well.
Great point about young people, instead of criticizing them for not reading every newspaper from stem to stern. They do pick up the gut problems behind the likes of Tom DeLay. Let’s hope they get to the polls too.
It’s pathetic in a way, but this is very bad news for Tom DeLay. When you get called a crook every night, eventually people want to know why you’re still in office.
extremist will hurt him more. Most people are pretty cynical about politicians – they expect them to be crooks. They don’t like it, but they aren’t going to spend much time worrying about it. Crooked politicians are just a fact of life.
But crazy and with their hands of the controls of the country? That makes people really nervous.
And the ones who get booted out (or incarcerated) – I think people see them as having lost control. They got careless, they got blatant in their corruption. That loss-of-control is a sign of instability, of craziness, and so they must be purged. It doesn’t hurt that DeLay is known as the BugMan. It just sounds crazy. When the ridicule starts, it’s over. He’s toast.
Thanks for posting this. I’m in Austin, but I don’t get the Statesman. I’m really glad to hear that DeLay is getting his due in the late-night comedy department!
I haven’t been reading the AAS much even though I get it, because I just haven’t had time. But lately, I’ve caught some really good stuff. The one about the lesbian foster parents and their kids that put a face on Talton’s hateful amendment to bar gays from being foster parents impressed me so much I had to do a diary on it. And a kick-ass editorial in that same edition on the topic. Go AAS!
And Brad Buchholz continues to impress the hell out of me. He had this one in last Sunday’s paper. Be sure to click the link to the “extended conversation” too.
I second your evaluation of the Statesman, Janet. The coverage of the legislature this session has been very good, and the piece about the gay foster care ban was excellent.
Sorry for taking so long to reply. Have not had time to hang out here. 🙁 I’m glad to hear good things about the Statesman. I’ve just been assuming it was bad. I wouldn’t have time to read it, though, so I still won’t be subscribing.