Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Finley Peter Dunne.
Will Rogers, Groucho Marx, Dorothy Parker.
Fred Allen, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce.
Mort Sahl.
Bill Mauldin, Herblock, Tom Toles, Pat Oliphant.
Walt Kelly, Jules Feiffer, Garry Trudeau.
Tom Tomorrow.
Art Buchwald. Russell Baker.
Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Lily Tomlin.
Garrison Keillor, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Klein, George Carlin, Al Franken.
Jon Stewart.
Steve Colbert.
A fine list, indeed.
Nice to see prose, stand up, and cartoons all cited.
I'd add James Thurber, though.
Posted by: Kevin Wolf | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 09:14 AM
Lewis Black
Posted by: helmut | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 10:34 AM
Bill Hicks.
Posted by: Shayvartzgeleh | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Margaret Cho.
Posted by: Shakespeare's Sister | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 10:58 AM
Hey, our Wodehouse had more to say on politics than every last member of that list combined.
And I mean that entirely seriously.
Ryan
Posted by: Ryan | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 12:03 PM
OT
I just wanted to grouse somewhere lower traffic about how irked I am about having my not-really-that-offensive posts deleted in John A's current hissy fit over at www.americablog.com.
I don't know why, but having what I said wiped away (although, amusingly, his response to my first post did not get deleted) gives me a little twinge of sadness. I've backed up my most recent post locally, although I'm damned if I know what to do with it other than sit and protect it like a little ego-egg.
Posted by: Michael McLawhorn | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 12:18 PM
Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Posted by: Raenelle | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 12:22 PM
On topic:
Thomas Paine
Posted by: Michael McLawhorn | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 12:27 PM
Um, did I miss something? What was the question?
Posted by: Nance | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 01:11 PM
Dennis Miller
Posted by: blue girl | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 01:15 PM
Kidding!
I figured it was appropriate to make a joke in this comment thread!
:)
Posted by: blue girl | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 01:16 PM
Mike Luckovich.
And the question is, Alex, "What humorists has the Left ever produced?"
Posted by: Linkmeister | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 01:32 PM
BG and Nance,
I was going to say, "Here! Here! Here! Here!...Here here!"
You know, like it was a roll call? And people answer...ah, forget it.
Posted by: mac macgillicuddy | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 01:34 PM
Here!
Posted by: Sam Clemens | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:19 PM
Here!
Posted by: Poor Richard | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:21 PM
Here!
Posted by: Steve-a-rino | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:23 PM
My name is Edith Ann and I'm five years old and I'm here.
And that's the truththththhth.
Posted by: Edith Ann | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:24 PM
It's a four letter word, something you are around the house every day.
Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:26 PM
Fuck you, man!
Posted by: Lenny Bruce | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:44 PM
Thomas Nast.
Posted by: Greg | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 02:47 PM
Joseph Heller.
Posted by: KEn | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 03:47 PM
Johnathan Swift - less funny ha ha, more ouch ouch.
Posted by: Michael McLawhorn | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 05:48 PM
Muhammad Ali.
(seriously)
Posted by: Matt | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 06:09 PM
Well put.
Oddly enough, I had done a post about the lack of conservative humor, (and the related lack of humor in conservatives) Last week:
http://empireofthesenseless.blogspot.com/
Before Colbert gave a frickin seminar on the subject.
I'd add Will Durst.
Posted by: Brian | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 06:14 PM
Aaron Sorkin.
The Smothers Brothers.
Tom Lehrer.
Dr. Seuss.
Posted by: sylvia | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 06:57 PM
bill maher's talk show never did much for me, but his stand-up is sick,funny, honest
and completely restorative- so i'll add him
to the list.
Posted by: daveminnj | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 09:09 PM
I'll second, third and fourth Bill Fucking Hicks.
Posted by: Holden Lewis | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 09:53 PM
Don't forget Jonathan Swift, Ambrose Bierce, H.L. Mencken, Oscar Wilde, Frank Zappa-and Yogi Berra.
Posted by: Retired Catholic | Wednesday, May 03, 2006 at 11:12 PM
I didn't think the list was necessarily "left" humorists. More like humorists in the true American grain - who just happen to exemplify the great American values being crassly exploited (while also ruined) by Bush, Inc.
Posted by: Kevin Wolf | Thursday, May 04, 2006 at 09:21 AM