This is a pretty depressing time. And it’s important for us to turn that depression into action — which we’re very good at over here at Midwest Values PAC.
But today, I told my team that I’d like to tell you a joke. It’s not my joke.
Now, some people ask me why I became a comedian.
The answer is “my Dad.”
My fondest moments of childhood are watching TV with my family growing up. Watching comedy. There were four of us. My Mom and Dad, me, and my brother, Owen.
My Dad had a bad habit. He inhaled his pipe. That’s right. He smoked a pipe and inhaled the smoke. That gave him a bad cough. Which is why he always carried a handkerchief. And when something would get him laughing, he’d start coughing, often coughing up phlegm which would go into his handkerchief.
That’s why when Johnny Carson would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, Buddy Hackett!” my Mom would leave the room.
In 1997 I met Buddy Hackett. We were on a plane from New York to LA and I couldn’t help myself. “Mr. Hackett, I’m sorry to interrupt your flight, but I’m a big fan and my Dad idolized you.”
Hackett responded without hesitating: “A guy goes into a doctor’s office. He’s got a dot on his forehead. The doctor tells him, ‘In six weeks you’re going to have a penis growing out of your forehead.’ The guy says ‘Doc, cut it off!’ The Doc says, ‘I can’t cut it off. It’s attached to your brain. You’d die.’ So the guy says, ‘What you’re telling me is that in six weeks when I wake up every morning and look in the mirror, I’m going to see a penis growing out of my forehead?!’ The Doc says, ‘No, no. The balls will cover your eyes.’”
That joke would have made my Dad cough up phlegm. Which is again why my Mom always left the room.
I hope you enjoyed this brief respite from thinking about Donald Trump and his henchman, Elon Musk, but I must now remind you that the whole purpose of Midwest Values PAC is to defeat Republicans who empower Trump and his goons.
And I hope you liked Buddy’s joke. Also, don’t smoke!
Al
P.S. Since I gave you a joke in the email, I’m going to make this P.S. a serious one. As you know, MVP is about supporting Democrats and progressive independents. And even in an off-year there are important elections in New Jersey and Virginia. And MVP will be supporting Democratic efforts in both states. No joke.
