Politicians and Comic Relief: Bring it On

COMMENTARY | When politicians poke fun at themselves, it removes a layer of mystery that relates to their human side. In November, Rick Perry appeared on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" to read the top 10 things you'd like to hear him say. Of course, it was comical. This week, Mitt Romney loosened his tie and did the same. Both men exposed a down-to-earth side of their personality. Is this unbecoming to a presidential candidate? I love a politician who can make me laugh.

Honestly, I don't care for most politicians. I liken it to my loathing of calamari: no matter what sauce it's served in, it's still calamari. However, as a voter following the presidential hopefuls, I truly appreciate any humor that serves to soften the blow of the normal political campaign philosophy and nastiness.

At this moment, I can't recall a single thing any of the 2012 presidential candidates have babbled about so far. Perhaps I tend to tune most of that out right now. There is a long way to go in this race to the White House.

I can't forget, though, how darn funny it was to hear Rick Perry say on Letterman, "You try concentrating when Mitt Romney is smiling at you. That is one handsome dude!"

It's that kind of light-hearted moment that makes me stop and think, hey, maybe I've been too hard on this politician after all. Sometimes all it takes to sway me from a totally negative view of a politician is a good dose of humor.

Mitt Romney, in his appearance on Letterman, good-naturedly participated in reading the top 10 things he would like to say to the American people.

Even though he looked a tad uncomfortable in his humorous role, Romney faced the world and said, "Isn't it time for a president who looks like a 1970s game show host?"

He also said, "It's a hairpiece." It wasn't fall-down funny, but for me, it hit the spot. This simple humor did not make me fall in love with Romney. It did provide me with some relief from his often overconfident political strategies.

I can say I definitely like him more after seeing this frivolous side of him.

Any politician who steps away for a moment from hardball campaigning to trigger a few chuckles is OK in my book. It has no bearing on my vote, though.

Sometimes, especially in the political realm, a good laugh is critical. That goes for the politicians and the voters as well.