Mary Louise Smith, chairman of the Republican National Committee, is a woman with a cause. Only 22% of the electorate now considers itself Republican, and Mrs. Smith has decided that her party's image badly needs some sprucing up. Last summer, she got the R.N.C. to sponsor two TV shows on the theme "Republicans are people too," and now she is trying to persuade the nation that Republicans are funny. Come January, if all goes well, a 196-page book, Republican Humor, will roll off the presses, chock-full of the favorite thigh-thumpers of G.O.P. politicians.
A few offerings have already come in from the...