(Community Matters) Very interesting. Gotta consider this within my contexts:
Comedy Central’s “5 Rules to Win the Millennial Vote through Humor “: “Avoid political hack. Save the joke writers for AARP night. You can’t force funny with young voters. Millennials want a candidate with a genuine sense of humor. … Don’t make light of serious issues, as fun as that is. As much as Millennials love a good laugh, they are fiercely compassionate. They want candidates with solutions, not wisecracks. … It’s ok for a candidate to make fun of himself. Humor humanizes, and a well-timed joke at one’s own expense shows personality and self-awareness. Just don’t make fun of your opponent, that’s the job of professional comedians. … Stay up late. Do an interview with a respected late night comedian. They’re a great way to connect with the electorate. Not only will you have a professional host to keep things from stalling, but you’ll be allowed to lighten up.” Video http://on.cc.com/OKIpbM posted from my blackberry
FIRST LOOK – Comedy Central research out today : “[T]here are 80 million Americans in the Millennial generation … just as many Millennials as Boomers and twice as many of these 16-32 year-olds as there are Gen Xers. And although they were born after Reagan took office, 90% of Millennials will be old enough to vote on Election Day and over 60% say that they are extremely or somewhat likely to vote. That’s almost 50 million votes up for grabs. Leading up to the 2012 election, COMEDY CENTRAL partnered with TRU Insights and Insight Research to conduct an extensive research study seeking to define, frame, and understand what role humor really plays in Millennials’ political beliefs and behaviors.
“Key findings include: … Millennials … are very aware of what’s going on in politics. And they are involved and influential. … When it comes to political comedies, they don’t watch to get informed; they watch because they are informed. … What a candidate thinks is funny tells Millennials who they really are. … Politicians must leverage humor to connect with Millennials: this generation needs humor, and they’re saying it will shape their votes.”
Community Matters 
Well, Comedy Central is promoting themselves, of course. Politicians showing up on late night shows is nothing new. Bill Clinton playing the saxaphone on Arsenio Hall. I remember watching Saturday Night Live as a teenager and seeing them cut to John Anderson sitting in the audience. That was before the Millenials were born, and when I, a Gen Xer, wasn’t even old enough to vote.
I also remember seeing Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, and Bob Dole in cameos on Saturday Night Live through the years. Jay Leno has always interviewed politicians and it was on his show that Schwarzenegger announced his gubernatorial candidacy.
Bob Dole always had an awesome sense of humor. Every see him on Letterman? Those two share a similar comic sensibility.