FlyWillVote.com And Humor In Political Debates

As I watched the Vice Presidential Debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris this past week, I, alongside many other viewers, thought that a fly had landed on my screen. As I took to twitter (to tweet “THE FLY“, the social media butterfly that I am), I saw that millions all around the country had also seen a fly on top of Vice President Mike Pence’s head for several minutes.

Tweets flew in from all over the world, and before the end of the week, Saturday Night Live had capitalized on the madness with their cold open:

SNL’s Cold Open from October 10, 2020

As such, I began to ask: is there a role that humor plays in political debates? The great rhetorician Cicero once said that “By making our enemy small, inferior, despicable, or comic, we achieve in a roundabout way the enjoyment of overcoming him.” So what happens when politicians make fun of each other on the debate stage — does it serve them well, or does it show that they lack substantial political backing?

One of the most memorable moments in debate history occurred in 1984. It was the second presidential debate between President Ronald Reagan, then aged 73, and his challenger, Walter Mondale, then aged 56. Henry Trewhitt, the moderator, asked President Reagan, who was already the oldest president in American history, “Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances [referring to the Cuban missile crisis]?” Reagan replied, “Not at all, Mr. Trewhitt, and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue in the campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent‟s youth and inexperience.” The auditorium filled with laughter (including Mondale and Trewhitt). The humorous comment ended any and all concern about Reagan’s age after his performance in the first Presidential debate.

There are many reasons why debate humor is unique in the Presidential campaign. First, the presidential debate is one form of campaign communication that reaches much of the American voting electorate (far more than an average campaign speech). Second, watching presidential debates has a tremendous effect on a viewer’s knowledge of the issues, issue salience, and most importantly, candidate vote preference. Third, although debates are typically only about 90 minutes, it’s common for newspapers, cable news, and social media to spread stories for several more days.

So what is the role of humor here? Put simply, humor is unexpected and memorable. Few people remember Lloyd Bentsen, Michael Dukakis’s vice presidential nominee in the 1988 presidential election, but his line responding to Dan Quayle’s comments comparing himself to Jack Kennedy will live on in infamy:

“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” Those words were played and replayed by Democrats and served as great fodder for comedians all over the world. In just 22 words, Bensen shut down Quayle’s argument that he was old enough to seek the second-highest office in the United States. Benson couldn’t just come out and say, “You’re young and naïve,” and as such, we see that jokes are for stating what everyone thinks but is too afraid to say.

The debates give candidates an opportunity to play president for a few hours; to show the American people what their presidency would look like. You wouldn’t expect humor to be common, but it is — in fact, humorous one-liners stand out amongst the monotonous and pre-rehearsed lines. Because humor is not expected and is interesting, it often receives the newspaper coverage. As a result, presidential candidates end up being cast in a positive light.

Candidates use humor to identify with their audience, show superiority over another candidate, and leave the audience in a positive mood. Candidates should use humor at least a few times, or at the very least, after someone hilarious happens (such as a fly landing on your opponent’s head), immediately posting a tweet referencing it:

Joe Biden’s Twitter account, minutes after the conclusion of the Vice Presidential Debate