While recognized for some time this is an admission you do not normally hear from performers.

Samantha Bee is a member of the new set of talk hosts who over the last generation have segued to delivering social lectures instead of generating actual humor and laughter. For proof of this, you need only listen to Mrs. Bee herself. She recently sat for an interview with deposed newsman Dan Rather and the hostess revealed her current challenge with the new Presidential arrival.

“I don’t need to make jokes just to make jokes,’’ said the comedian-in-name-only, responding to a query from Rather about working in the new Joe Biden era. While it is not surprising to realize the plethora of leftist comedians are hesitant to make stinging barbs about a Democrat in the White House, it is interesting to at least hear one admit this is the case. Rather drew this confession by asking her directly about the work.

“Do you, or do you not, find yourself sometimes at least tempted to kind of pull your punches? In other words, you, myself, and a lot of people, more or less were free-swingers against President Trump. But now that Biden is in, I don’t know, do you find yourself sometimes saying, ‘Oh boy, there’s a nasty comedy bit I can unload on Biden,’ but saying to yourself, ‘I approve of him so much I’m going to pull this punch?”

I find it odd to hear Dan Rather suggesting he performs comedic monologues, but I moved on from that concept. For her response, Bee was candid about not wanting to deliver acerbic rebukes against Biden. 

“I can’t deny that that has happened, I think that’s probably true across the board,” Bee said. “You’re like, ‘OK, well, we could be making jokes about the infrastructure plan,’ but in general, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is great.’ Why would I purposefully undermine something that seems to be a great idea?’’

Bypassing for a moment her thought that trillions spent on a plan that barely addresses infrastructure is ‘’great’’, there is the supposition that this is the biggest issue with Biden, a man who is target-rich for mockery on a daily basis. Samantha does not dare venture into those critical waters, because it would damage the burnished image of the man she clearly adores. This is the mentality that leads to the audiences now seen on these shows. There is far less laughter heard anymore, and more likely approving applause delivered from the preached-to choir. 

What trips up Samantha Bee on this matter is the very reason she is asked about this very matter. The primary way she achieved recognition during the Trump years was when she raged at his daughter, Ivanka, addressing her in the coarsest way possible. It was Bee who referred to Ivanka Trump as a ‘’Feckless C—’’, displaying all of the mental acuity of a middle school truant. The revealing aspect is what provoked that reaction in the first place.

Ivanka had posted a social media image of herself with her child, a completely apolitical posting by her. Bee got riled, because around that same time pictures were circulating about immigrant children being penned up in chain-link holding facilities, and supposedly a mother was supposed to…not post matronly images. What made the reaction from the comedienne all the more ludicrous was how quickly those photos were revealed to have been taken during the Obama administration. 

“I like to make really targeted jokes,” she told Rather. “There are more worthy targets right now.” So, back then, we had Samantha Bee pinning her Outrage needle into the red zone over the plight of immigrant children. How is it now that when Biden has ushered in a wave of new arrivals that have caused even more of those children to be caged, in disapproving fashion we have to assume, she finds no material to target in her routine? Suddenly a man who puts kids in cages is not considered a worthy target., and it is entirely due to pure bias on display.

The lack of outrage over the issue from Samantha Bee, and any of the other nocturnal gabbers on TV, indicates there was not outrage at the activity, it was merely at the man. They care little for these kids, only in demonizing the unapproved people when responsible. Given a worse scenario by a guy they like, you hear crickets instead of caustic comments. It is something we have long recognized in these late-night hacks, but to hear it actually being confirmed from the source is one of the few times Bee will have said something amusing.