I don’t often get to watch Jon Stewart, but last night as I sat in my hotel room here in Barboursvillle, West Virginia, I watched The Daily Show — and Stewart’s devastating take on Herman Cain’s brain freeze. Here it is:
These kinds of segments hurt a candidate. Once they become the easy target of late night and not so late night comedians it means that there is a solidification of a conventional wisdom setting in. It’s the old story: it isn’t bad having people laugh with you — but not at you. Many people are now laughing at — or cringing as they watch — Herman Cain these days. Not a good sign.
David Letterman had this Top 10 list:
Top Ten Thoughts That Went Through Herman Cain’s Mind During The ‘Libya’ Moment
10
“Libya? I remember Lydia, but I don’t remember a Libya”
9
“I told them politics was off limits”
8
“Maybe if I hold perfectly still, everybody will think their DVRs are on pause”
7
“Why the heck am I in Milwaukee?”
6
“Uh, 9-9-9?”
5
“What would Rick Dees do?”
4
“I’m gonna be on YouTube!”
3
“I should have called Bob Costas”
2
“These things are a lot funnier when it happens to Rick Perry”
1
“Well, it’s been fun, see you in 2016!”
Here’s the televised segment:
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.