Electionwise and Naked Campaign Reviews: And the Winners Are...

Now that the race for president has been narrowed to two people, we can finally get down to the truly important questions of the campaign.

Like which candidate looks better drawn on an eggshell? And if Founding Father James Madison were alive today to provide commentary on the race, would he really use the phrase “word to your mother?”

I don’t want to suggest that the process of electing our next president should be taken lightly. But adding a little levity to the next few months can’t hurt.

Two (relatively) new podcasts fit the bill.

The first is the New Yorker’s Naked Campaign, and inspired little video podcast featuring one of the magazine’s well known illustrators, Steve Brodner.

In the two- or three-minute podcasts, he sketches politicians (and others) in media that are strangely revealing (George Bush in egg salad bas-relief, the average voter in a sea of stock prices on newsprint are among the most notable.)

He creates the likenesses with surprising speed, and it’s a delight to see candidates past and present emerge from just a few quick pencil lines and brush strokes. In seconds, he spins an illustration of John McCain into one of Woodrow Wilson. He provides commentary that’s enlightening or infuriating, depending on who you support, though he tries hard to straddle the line between voicing his own opinion and reporting what others are saying.

If you’ve ever stood slack-jawed at the mall or at a carnival admiring an airbrush artist drawing a caricature of kid or a happy couple for a few bucks, you’ll love this podcast, no matter who you plan to cast your ballot for in November.

The second podcast worth a listen is Minnesota Public Radio’s Electionwise. The weekly podcast entertainingly addresses all those political questions that didn’t get answered by your high school textbook. (Oh, and the questions that seem to get bypassed in favor of focusing on the production values of John McCain’s latest commercial or Barack Obama’s sense of style.)

Hosts Curtis Gilbert and Molly Bloom tackle listeners’ toughest questions: Why are there only two major political parties? And how much work are Senators McCain and Obama missing while they recite their stump speeches in tiny towns across the country?

They bring in heavyweight analysts to provide commentary, but lighten the mood with pleasingly goofy impersonations of politicians past and present. (Jesse Ventura, anyone?) Oh, and there’s a little beatboxing and a little bit of American Idol.

Each episode is like a Vespa: shiny, small, zippy, fun.

Choosing the next leader of our country is serious business. Thankfully, understanding how we got there definitely doesn’t have to be a chore.