The Simpsons has always walked a fine line whenever the topic of politics comes up. Instead of tilting the show either to the left or to the right, they always steer it towards easier topics - like corruption in politics, the stupidity of voters, and so forth.

 

In this case, the show takes aim square at the right wing, and some of the laughs are mighty uneasy. Part of the problem is that this episode pulls a lot of punches when it comes to Ted Nugent. The episode also suffers from the classic Simpsons problem with regards to current events, which is that the show's long lead time means that contemporary references go stale quickly. (The show mocked itself on this very point, earlier this season.)

 

For those who keep tabs on this kind of thing, South Park basically did this episode, and in many ways they did it better. Having Cartman take on the role of Glenn Beck is a lot funnier, and more sharply satirical, than having Homer Simpson do it in his "Everyman" sort of way. The episode was still pretty great, but if you want your Tea Party criticism sharper and darker, check out the South Park episode "Dances with Smurfs."

 

Anyway. 

 

Homer's rants are always classic, and this episode's flip-out over the conditions of airline travel is no exception. And they managed to squeeze a surprising amount of humor by having Homer fleeing the airline staff while delivering said rant. It's hard to make a funny comment about how airline travel sucks - if there's any topic that has been wrung to death, that's the one. But Homer managed to make it fresh and funny, which is a true comedic feat.

 

The episode rambled through a critique of the Tea Party movement, while making the occasional "fair play" wave towards criticizing the left as well. I spent a lot of time wondering what jokes ended up on the cutting room floor, or were struck from the script in the earliest discussions. 

 

It's been fairly well established that the entire Tea Party movement was in large part astroturfing, sponsored by Fox News. Which is, of course, the sister channel of the hand that feeds The Simpsons. Would you bite that hand? After 23 years? I would certainly be tempted, and I'm sure at least a few people on the writing staff were, too. It seems like it would have been the perfect role for Mr. Burns. Perhaps this one time, they opted - wisely, I should think - not to release the hounds.