The University of Idaho Argonaut

If you have aging Jewish grandparents residing in the Sunshine State, Sarah Silverman wants you to fly down and convince them to vote for Barack Obama.
In a telephone interview with student journalists from nation-wide college newspapers, Silverman explained her part in a grass-roots effort called “The Great Schlep,” along with her take on Sarah Palin, the start of the newest season of “The Sarah Silverman Show,” the content of her jokes and what’s been playing on her iTunes.

While Jews are already liberal, Silverman said, “Nana and Papa” need to know why Obama is the better candidate. She broke it down for an Internet audience in a video called “The Great Schlep,” explaining how Obama “has a scary name” that sounds Muslim, scaring older Floridian Jews.
No one but grandchildren have a greater impact on grandparents, she said, thus creating the need for young Democrats to make sure grandma and grandpa make the right decision on Election Day.

“This is a year where young people can make a huge difference,” Silverman said. “It’s pretty exciting.”
The “Schlep” video was produced in Silverman’s own living room, “just like Osama.” She said she’s only indirectly involved in the campaign run by Mik Moore and Ari Wallach.

“I wish she wasn’t so polished,” Silverman said about vice presidential candidate and University of Idaho alumna Palin.
“She’s scary. The truth is, she’s got charisma and that sucks.”
Silverman said Palin “is a monster,” requiring women to pay for rape kits and being unsupportive of women’s reproductive health and general rights.

Moving past politics, Silverman discussed other topics. She talked in-depth about the creative process of episode creation and the story lines in the new season of her show. The first episode premieres at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on Comedy Central, and the second episode will show the following night. Silverman said the first installment revolves around her and her friends “smoking pot and solving crime.” The second will feature Silverman suing Mongolia for rape.
Silverman is often referred to as “the pretty girl with the dirty mouth” and has been accused of using racial and ethnic slurs in her comedy. She was confronted with the issue as a guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien where she was asked if she thought she could get away with it because she’s a comedian.

“There is a difference between buzz words and jokes,” Silverman said. “I am always the butt of my own jokes. A joke won’t be about race, it will be about an idiot.”
She calls her gags “cerebral shit jokes,” where a viewer could simply see jokes about “diarrhea and wet dreams,” while Silverman claims she has actually made a metaphor about corporate America creating problems and marketing the solutions.
When The Argonaut got a turn to ask the infamous face of female comedians our slew of questions, we opted out of any more political conversation and instead asked what she was listening to these days. “Jenny Lewis,” she said almost immediately. Silverman had nothing but glowing adoration of the Rilo Kiley songstress. “She is amazing,” she said.

Silverman said in lieu of purchasing entire albums, she tends to find obscure singles on iTunes and her music collection is scattered with them. “No Children” by the Mountain Goats, a folk punk group led by John Darnielle, has Silverman using the word “rad.” She and Him, the indie duo including actress Zooey Deschanel, was described as “heartbreaking with awesome, great lyrics.” Silverman said she “loves heartbreak” and her music taste tends to reflect this. Silverman also mentioned Elvis Costello, “of course,” along with lyrically classic Patti Griffin and another iTunes pick-up, “The Show” by Lanka.

Silverman ended the marathon of revolving interviewers by describing her end-of-the-day routine. “I wash my face, take various medications, take maybe one puff of (marijuana) to help me sleep, watch some Law & Order and by the time order happens, I’m asleep on the couch,” she said.