Comedian Dennis Miller's weekly perch on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" provides one example of an unconventional outlet for tweaking a liberal president with humor, he noted.
Political humorist Will Durst suggested that timing may be one factor hurting the conservative comedy effort. Mr. Durst argued that his brand of wit — jokes marinating in the news of the day — doesn't sit well with some modern audiences.
"I hate to say it, but it's not the greased chute to the big time," he said of political humor. "A lot of TV shows don't want political comedy."
That's particularly true right now, he argued. Mr. Durst recalled performing a joke last year about how he had gone from living in a $700,000 house to a $450,000 house without even having to move, thanks to the economy.
Now that same joke is met with "smirks and grimaces," he said.
Conservative humorists can always hope their bits go viral on the Web, a format that can trump the reach of the traditional press and entertainment outlets.
Bob Arvin, creator of PolitiZoid's animated vignettes, said the cliche regarding the left's dominance over traditional media outlets is forcing right-leaning comics to get creative.
"The conservative comedians are using whatever venue possible to get their information out, and the Web is it," said Mr. Arvid, whose work has appeared on Fox News and several Web sites overseen by conservative Internet entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart.
Progressive comedian Kate Clinton said one reason the culture hasn't had a "conservative comic moment" is because conservatives take their politics too seriously. And humor, Miss Clinton said, can be serious business.
Fox News' Glenn Beck often uses humor to hammer home his political messages, but Miss Clinton suggested it is Mr. Stewart's broadsides against Mr. Obama that could offer a road map to right-of-center comics.
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