Kreisler ’95 elicits laughs, political discussion at event

Kreisler opened his routine with jibes against former president George W. Bush and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, saying that he would miss Bush “not just because he gave me material for eight years.”

President Barack Obama didn’t escape Kreisler’s sarcasm either. “He thinks about stuff, but I don’t think that should be the bar for being president.”

The comedian, who has written for “The Daily Show with John Stewart” and delivered stand-up routines across the country, also offered a more serious message, calling for a “revolution in thought” against “what political and cultural discussion has devolved into.”

He advised his audience not to fall for pitches from the “committee to profit from fear” and the “committee to keep people ignorant.”

“Have you ever heard of them?” he asked about the latter. “Good, because then they’ve done their job.”

Despite his commentary, the former politics major has not become a complete cynic. “Politics holds the promise of being a great thing,” he said. “I care about America. I’m obsessed about America. I love the possibility of America.”

One challenge that Kreisler emphasized was resisting a media sidetracked by celebrities like Paris Hilton. “We need progress, not distractions,” he said.

At several points during his act, Kreisler pointed to Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina as a wake-up call to the country about the priorities of his administration, which Kreisler said was composed of “frat boys.”

Kreisler prefaced his sketch with a disclaimer: “I’ll cross some lines,” he warned, adding that he would talk about “guys in power [and] out of power, race, religion, sex and drugs.” He managed to cover each topic during the hour-long performance.

Kreisler approached College Democrats last summer about coming to the University, said Chloe Bordewich ’12, the group’s co-president. Kreisler regularly performs for college audiences, including some college Republican groups.

“Even if people disagree with what you say, as long as you’re funny and not preachy, people will still listen,” he said.

Kreisler also promoted his new book, “Get Rich Cheating,” a satire that emphasizes what he characterized as a culture of corporate corruption.

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Sam Taxy ’11 said he came to the event after hearing Jon Stewart mention Kreisler on “The Daily Show,” adding that he watches Stewart so compulsively that “it’s pretty unhealthy.”

Chris Remele ’13, another “Daily Show” fan, said he came to the event for a simple reason: “I love comedy.”