First and foremost, I’m all for promoting money going to charity, and in this case you have to applaud Stu Bykofsky’s longtime effort to benefit children through Variety, The Children’s Charity. A great effort by Mr. Bykofsky, no doubt. That being said, however, by spotlighting politicians to do so comes across as hypocritical. There has never been a politician in the history of this country who has put his/her constituents ahead of themselves. NEVER. So this event simply turns out to be an insider’s gathering for political junkies/media that cover politics, NOT the average taxpayer who can’t take any of the participants at face value. In this end, it’s hard to tell who’s had the last “laugh”, and for the majority of us, there’s NOTHING funny about these “performers.”

Isn’t Trivedi the ONLY candidate that could have pulled off ethnic humor being, ya know, the only candidate (besides the unfunny Fattah) that isn’t white?

Stu Bykofsky’s a jerk. It’s all for his own ego. Dance, Puppet, Dance!

“Deficit in July Totals $165.04 Billion”

I am glad to hear that the candidates are whooping it up as the new Rome burns…

BB:

Seeing the politicians doing it is what draws the people to buy the tickets.

It is a fun event (unless you’re Chaka Fattah) for a good cause.

Transplant,

All the candidates or their surrogates were male, too, which may explain a lot of the humor. In 2008 the co-host (female) told an off color joke that was hilarious but much different from the jokes told by the guys.

The event was great-fun, particularly the effort of the cameo-auctioneer, Dave “The Hammer” Schultz. Granted, some of the jokes were aimed @ political junkies, but others (excluding those that might be viewed as off-color) simply reflected a mood which, for one night, allowed levity to reflect a few simple-truths.

What was amazing was not just how Chaka Fattah was so purposefully unfunny, but also how his wife [who would be expected to be media-savvy] attacked anyone who reminded her of that fact (outside, on the sidewalk, as well). I was told that this was a performance that was similar to those he had evinced in the past so, perhaps, someone might wish to apprise him of the expected atmospherics when people attend this Variety Club $$$-raiser.

Those who wish to read more of what was said to this PACKED-HOUSE of 300+ (@ $75/per) may wish to consult:

http://aboveavgjane.blogspot.com/

or

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2010/08/11/hughe-dillon-bradley-cooper-ice-cube-jason-schwartzman-dine-out-in-philly/

One final example of why this biennial [I think] event has been so well attended was revealed by Joe Sestak, who had obviously labored to provide a unique routine; the slide-show which punctuated his “perspective” on the Clinton “job” offer.

BTW, Manon misspelled “acquiesce” @ the end [forgetting the last "e"].

The only logistical downer was the fact that all the meters within a 2-block radius of 3rd and Spring Garden were 2-hour limited, which seems weird for a region that would want to attract people to hang-around a bit…year-round.

But the turnout, per staff, included a lot of people who were NOT aligned with a particular candidate’s table, reflecting broadening interest in the ability to understand the personalities of the candidates.

BB: who cares if the money is raised by politicians if it’s going to support the Variety Club. Politicians participate in charities all the time. This event was for anyone who wanted to buy a ticket – any average taxpayer – not just for political insiders and media junkies. If you don’t want to spend your hard earned money on a ticket, then you don’t have to, but don’t sit here and rip on all the good people who did and who subsequently supported a quality Philadelphia charity, regardless of their motiviation for doing so. If you hate politics and politicians so much, why are you reading PA2010 and making the effort to leave a comment? You just represent the worst in this country – those people who just sit back and complain about anything and everything, instead of trying to look at the good in what people are trying to do. Not all politicians are bad – so get off your high horse and shut up.

Adam, What “people” are you talking about? These folks can’t even do their job properly, nor do they care about the average citizen. So please explain why would anyone other than political junkies/insiders/media care one iota to see this? To me it’s totally disingenuous to spend an evening on supposed comedy when they can’t even put their constituents ahead of themselves. We have SERIOUS problems with politicians in this country and joking around is not amusing to most of us when they can’t do their job, nor care about us the average taxpayer.

Novafan, relax take a deep breath, I obviously struck a nerve with my opinions. You didn’t read my comments clearly. Number one, I said I support the money raised by the event going to the Variety Club benefiting children. Number two, OBVIOUSLY anyone could buy a ticket, but the event IS primarily for political insiders/junkies/media, that’s a fact. If it wasn’t, more of the general public would attend than a majority of insiders. Number three, I praised the people involved in the event for the children’s charity, mentioning Stu Bykofsky by name. Number four, do you see the word “hate” anywhere in my comments? Why are you making that reference? I still like to follow politics even though there has never been a politician in history that has put his/her constituents ahead of himself/herself, that is why I read this web site. It allows us all to share our opinions on politics in Pa. and elsewhere. Believe me, I try everyday to look for the good in people, it’s part of my human nature. But I see NONE in politicians which is indeed sad, that is why I complain because politicians should be no different than other human beings. Number five, I am not on a high horse and I will not stop offering my opinions on this site or others as long as my conduct is within the parameters set by the publishers of the websites. I would never dictate to you what to do or not to do. Did Dan Hirschhorn make you the king of this website to tell me what to do simply because you do not like my opinions?

HOG’S HELL VOTE COMING SOON…

I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog …

[...] big up for Stu Bykofsky, who kept us up late, but provided us with a few gems, including a great impression of an angry Chaka [...]

You called Meehan’s routine the best?? If the other jokes were of the sexist-stupid quality of the one shown here, you must be tone deaf.