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Extreme Mortman: When DC Laughed at Itself: Dan Glickman and the Golden Age of Political Comedy
Posted
May 7, 2026
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May 7, 2026
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40:22Now PlayingLots of people say lots of things in politics are broken.
Here's one item on that list:
Comedy.
"You know, I like Leno and Letterman and the rest of them. I think they're funny. In fact, if they're looking for a writer, I'm going to be out of work in about nine days, so I hope they give me a call. But I think it would be good if politicians started to take back political humor for themselves. The key to late-night political humor is that it targets those qualities that we, the politicians, don't want you to see. But if we were to bring out our blemishes into the open, it takes the edge off the jokes that other people make about us. Even politicians know that people don't always have the highest opinion of them. So instead of denying it or hiding from it, why not laugh about it?"
That was Dan Glickman. 2001. The outgoing Secretary of Agriculture speaking at one of DC's marquee comedy venues — the National Press Club.
Dan Glickman also is a former member of Congress and a former top lobbyist for the movie industry.
And he's the current author of "Laughing at Myself: My Education in Congress, on the Farm, and at the Movies."
Why is Dan Glickman's book so different from other books politicians write?
What are the funniest things Dan Glickman has said — and sung — on C-SPAN?
What are some things people throw at Dan Glickman?
Why do people throw things at Dan Glickman?
And -- is there hope that politicians might once again make jokes— about themselves.
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