There should be a need for political satire in today's society. It allows the population to know that the government is controlling every aspect of their lives by allowing anyone to voice their opinions no matter how many people are present. Political satire can be a bit drab at times, but is usually pretty funny when the right people are talking (Tina Fey on SNL for instance). I breathe a sigh of relief that we as Americans can do this. When the times comes that we can no longer do this, our society will have completely changed.

I definitely think it is important for political satire to have its own niche in our society. In the first place, that's what makes our country so great: the ability to criticize or poke fun at our government on one of the most viewed shows on television, without fear of the consequences. That's something that millions of people across the globe cannot say about their situation. Secondly, I think satires are often surprisingly accurate in their portrayal of political figures. Authors and producers know that the only way satire is funny is if it comments on truth, and exaggerates it just a little bit. If the imitation of Sarah Palin, for example, weren't so similar to the way she actually talks, no one would find it funny or compelling. Finally, these satires help to ease the tension in what can become a largely divided nation come election time. Even the most hardcore democrats can get a kick out of watching SNL poke fun at Joe Biden, while still retaining their political sentiments.

I agree- I think without political satire many people wouldn't know much about politics at all. It's scary when you hear the surprisingly large percentage of Americans who can't name the President, Vice President, or their own Senate representatives, and I think political satire can at least draw people in. However, I agree- the point of these satires and comedy sketches isn't to inform- it's to provide entertainment. This of course means that things are grossly exaggerated, and sometimes skewed towards one candidate over another (we've seen this with Sarah Palin- her distinctive Alaskan accent and likeness to Tina Fey have made her almost a sitting duck for political comedians). Like I said during our group's podcast, I think these comedians should make that clearer- they should briefly at the beginning or end of their skits say something about how it is meant for comedic purposes, and give a website or somewhere for interested voters to learn more.

On the other hand, though traits are exaggerated, if the political satire focuses on a candidate's opinions, it might not be all bad if voters base their votes on this information- they at least know generally what the candidate stands for. I don't think this is the best idea, but it's better than if these voters went in completely uniformed or didn't vote at all.

I think political satire already has had and will continue to have a large impact on this election and the way people think about the candidates. I agree that political satire can be very funny and is a great tool to spark peoples' interest in politics; however, it often exaggerates or distorts the truth. In the end, political satire is really what each person makes of it. The important thing is to be informed about the political reality before drawing conclusions strictly based on comedic caricatures.