Difficile est satiram non scribere.
(It is difficult not to write satire.)
--Juvenal
The Recall Show With Jay Leno
By Sharon Waxman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 9, 2003; Page C01
LOS ANGELES
Who better than Jay Leno? His appearance brought full circle a candidacy that was announced on the comedian's show back in August, thereby signaling that this campaign would be unlike any other in its odd amalgam of entertainment and politics.
But Tuesday night there was a difference. This time Leno appeared in the heart of Republican election-night headquarters, before a crowd of celebrating Schwarzenegger supporters and a riveted national television audience.
He didn't look entirely comfortable, either. He ventured a joke or two that he'd already tried on his program -- one about Schwarzenegger being tickled that his critics were finally calling him a decent actor -- before introducing the governor-elect -- without ever actually praising the man.
The election-night introduction "was something he agreed to do with Arnold as a friend," said Rebecca Marks, spokeswoman for NBC Entertainment, in charge of "The Tonight Show." "He was not in any way endorsing him politically. It was a personal appearance."
Marks compared the appearance to entertainer's appearances at USO tours, where they appear before military forces for no pay as an act of patriotism. "He just wanted to do his part, like on a USO tour." She then gave another example. "Or like last week, where he appeared before a Republican fund raiser. That wasn't political - he was just there to make people laugh."
Asked if appearing at a fund-raising event might not be misconstrued as, well, fund-raising, marks replied "Of course not. Everybody knows Jay is completely impartial in his humor, so the fact that he was passing through the crowd, taking envelopes stuffed with cash and checks with lots of zeros, means nothing. Similarly, introducing the new governor at his victory rally doesn't say anything about his political leanings. Nor did his leading the crowd in chants of "Ahh-nuld! Ahh-nuld!" he was just trying to liven things up.
Critics all this the "Leni Riefenstal defense," but others noted that the average IQ of Leno's audience would prevent them from recognizing the reference. In the end, all agreed, what matters most to Californians is celebrity, and Leno could no more be blamed for associating with it than, well, a movie star can be blamed for groping starlets.
(Remember, Kids, the part in bold is actual 100% news-flavored media product. The rest is the fakey part.)
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