"Losing the Audience?"

Have you ever gone to a "comedy club", where comedians sharpen their skills at the cost of the audience? I haven't been to such a club for quite a few years now, but I remember that some of the comics were very funny; some were not. A good comedian can hold a crowd in the palm of his hand and bring about laughs and guffaws that will rock the rafters. There are "prop" comedians, who use all types of objects to evoke a humorous response from the crowd; Gallagher and Steve Martin are very good in this genre. There are "insult" comedians, who take their audience and carve them to pieces with all types of jibes about their weight, looks and even their race. These people must be very careful or their entire act could blow up in their faces; these performers walk a very narrow line between humor and "hatred". You must really know your craft to be a good "insult" comedian; Don Rickles is the master of the insult, and has done it well for decades.

When a young comedian is just breaking into this craft he (or she) will have good nights, and bad nights. On a good night, the crowd will be happy and responsive, on a bad night the performer will be put through a "meat-grinder" by the audience. It can come in the form of "hecklers" or what may be worse "DEAD SILENCE". Once a comedian loses the crowd, the evening is forfeited; or in "show biz terms", "YOU BOMBED". Too many nights of BOMBS will eventually lead to the end of a comedian's career. After all, the audience will only tolerate so much!

In 2008, it has been said that the independent voter is the one who put Barack Obama into the White House. Left-wing Democrats would have voted for anyone who the Dems put on the ticket, and the Republicans would not even consider the Democratic candidate for this high office. It seems the fate of the United States rests on the independent voter, as does the fate of prospective office holders. If you don't hold the audience, you might "lay an egg" and leave the stage crying.

On August 1st, the most recent Gallop Poll came out, and the figures aren't looking very confidence inspiring for Barack Obama. Mr. Obama has been in virtual free-fall for several months, with the exception of the killing of Usama bin Laden, which gave him a short term boost. Mr. Obama has had previous approval ratings of only 38% as recently as July of 2010, yet he made minor recoveries, still not retaining approval of over 50% from independent voters. The newest Gallop poll shows Mr. Obama with an approval rating of 21% from independent voters! This is an unprecedented low for Obama among independent voters; the audience is not buying his act! I don't know if Obama can win back the American people with his same tired rhetoric about George Bush; it seems to be wearing thin and stale. I don't believe Mr. Obama has any "new material" to use on the American people, and I think there is a "drop of sweat" on his upper lip. Sorry, Mr. Obama, it looks like you are "BOMBING BIG TIME", and I heard somebody say, "Get the Hook!"