Mo Rocca pokes fun at presidential candidates

"I am Mo Rocca. I am a fake reporter on Comedy Central," the spoof journalist said Thursday, retelling a story about why he was invited to a convention for journalists.

But Maurice Alberto Rocca is much more than the "fake" news correspondent for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Rocca - a Harvard University graduate - made an appearance in front of a welcoming crowd in the Multipurpose Room at the Rutgers Student Center of the College Avenue campus, offering students a glance into his amusing life history as well as past works.

He started his speech with a presentation of the upcoming presidential election's past Democratic candidates. He discussed why each individual candidate was groundbreaking.

At one point, he dubbed John Edwards, D-NC, as the "very first 14-year-old candidate" in a comical comparison to the character Doogie Howser from the 1990s series "Doogie Howser, MD."

A picture of President George H. W. Bush was also included, where Bush was dressed in air force attire during the end of the Iraqi war in 1991 - a moment Rocca referred to as "the 'Top Gun' moment."

Rocca linked the president's attire to a psychological cognitive developmental stage, when children are likely to play dress up.

"If George Bush wants to dress up as a pilot we should let him," Rocca said. "We're just being bad parents if we don't."

Rocca discussed his long path to becoming a fake reporter and some of his influences along the way.

For example, in a family trip to Alcatraz, a famous prison in California, Rocca said he discovered a desire to be eccentric.

"People in prison are different. I want to be different," he said.

Rocca has been featured on many television shows, most notably, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," in which he has spoofed a wide variety of topics ranging from the competitive environment of cheerleader camp to the 2000 presidential election.

For students interested in writing for "The Daily Show," Rocca had the following advice: "Keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars," he said.

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