David Carroll Column: A sense of humor wouldn’t hurt

Published 8:30 am Saturday, July 26, 2025

There are many traits I admire in a person, such as kindness, intelligence and patience. A sense of humor is also near the top of the list. I am always impressed by powerful people who can take a joke, and who don’t take themselves too seriously.

One doesn’t reach the top of their profession without self-confidence. But it’s refreshing when that trait is accompanied by self-deprecating humor.

Longtime readers may know that I love presidential history. Books have been written about every president, and some of their life stories could fill a library on their own.

I tend to favor the presidents who understood that the office brought with it an inescapable reality: There would be heat in that kitchen. Newspaper columnists, editorial cartoonists and comedians would have their say, and they would often voice their opposition to White House policies.

Being on the receiving end of the insults and jokes is not always pleasant, but it comes with the territory. Plus, the First Amendment allows each of us to express our views freely, without government interference or regulation.

During the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson had more than his share of battles with reporters, including the sainted Walter Cronkite, who couldn’t stay neutral about the war in Vietnam. Speaking to the White House Correspondents Association, Johnson said, “The relationship between presidents and the press has always been sort of a lovers’ quarrel. Thomas Jefferson said in 1787, if he had to choose between a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, he would gladly choose the newspapers.”

Jefferson changed his tune after he became president 15 years later. He said, “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.” He would not be the last president to do battle with the press, although some did it with more grace than others.

During Mark Twain’s reign as America’s best-known satirist, he needled presidents of both parties, much as late-night hosts do today. His relationship with Theodore Roosevelt was described as one of “mutual disagreement and mutual respect.” Twain’s work inspired generations of comedians, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has been awarded to David Letterman, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels and Jon Stewart, all of whom have skewered presidents from both sides of the aisle.

In “SNL’s” early days, the show portrayed Gerald Ford as a clumsy ex-jock and Jimmy Carter as a toothy nerd. Neither portrait was flattering, but again, it’s part of the territory, and the presidents understood that.

Ronald Reagan was often imitated by comedians like Rich Little and Robin Williams, and he got the Don Rickles insult treatment at his second inauguration dinner in 1985. Guess who laughed the loudest at Rickles’ jokes? You already know the answer, and you can watch it on YouTube.

George H.W. Bush was the subject of pinpoint parody by Dana Carvey on “SNL” week after week. Some of the jokes portrayed Bush as giggly and flustered. How did Bush respond? By inviting Carvey to the White House. The two became lifelong friends. (Carvey would go on to imitate a befuddled, confused Joe Biden 30 years later, also on “SNL.”)

It was once a tradition for the president to attend the White House Correspondents’ dinner, seated on the dais while being roasted by comics. A highlight of each event was when the president himself would take the podium to respond with some well-aimed jokes of his own.

Bill Clinton was a good sport, even while being scorched by reporters. George W. Bush famously appeared side-by-side with comedian Steve Bridges, a look-alike, sound-alike impressionist who mocked Bush’s well-earned reputation as the master of the malaprop. Barack Obama, who didn’t have the best relationship with the White House press corps, attended all eight of the dinners during his presidency, often calling attention to his mistakes, and showing how he had aged during two terms of dueling with reporters.

Of course, America is different now. In our ultra-divided, thin-skinned political climate, we aren’t laughing as much as we used to. I hope we can somehow regain our sense of humor.

David Carroll is a Chattanooga news anchor, and his latest book is “I Won’t Be Your Escape Goat,” available from his website, ChattanoogaRadioTV.com. You may contact him at 900 Whitehall Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405 or RadioTV2020@yahoo.com.