Huckabee doing schtick

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on December 11th, 2007

Sharp-eyed reader Paul sent us a link to the video below, with the short note, “Gov. Huckabee? It’s Shelley Berman… he’d like his act back.”

It’s always fascinating to watch a politician try his hand at comedy. Campaigning politicians rarely do anything that’s genuine or off the cuff. Often, it isn’t until after a campaign is over that we find out that this candidate or that candidate has a real sense of humor or is “genuinely funny.” That’s because spontaneity is discouraged, nearly every word is scripted. As such, even the “funny” must be scripted.

Doing schtick– or trying to pull off pre-planned, funny moments– is risky. We’re not sure if the bit below worked– the audience isn’t miked very well. One more reason to avoid comedy on the campaign trail!