I agree with ygolo's direction concerning "edge".
I think the best comedians surf domestic/international policy for trends that are important to people inside their target demographic.
One of the primary reasons George Carlin experienced so much popularity early on was because it became cosmopolitan, post-Suburbia, to deride unpopular sociopolitical behavior. Oh - and The Draft. The Draft galvanized a generation of middle-class white kids. These same white kids created a forum for cultural critique in which certain figures offered a banner under which to spearhead flower-power mentality, while dually lampooning the domestic policies that could send them abroad.
The best comedians are visionaries. From unpredictable cultural patterns, they are able to cross-stitch incisive analysis. If properly accented, their countermovement can initiate broad social change.
Among other things, humor is an instrument of dissent.
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