Live, From New York...It's Hillary Clinton!

Saturday Night Live opened tonight with a fake presidential debate hosted by mock Brian Williams and Tim Russert. Williams and Russert were bored by healthcare and were overly nice to Obama, while Amy Poehler, as Hillary Clinton, played mildly indignant. After the debate, instead of the opening credits, there was an "Editorial Response." The real Senator Clinton, seated at a desk and wearing the same brown tweed as Poehler's Clinton, said how she loved the skit and was happy to be back in New York, if only for a few hours. Then Amy Poehler, still in character as the senator, joined Clinton at the desk. They chatted, during which time Clinton asked Poehler if she really laughed like Poehler's Clinton and asked for her earrings back. The New York Senator then said, "Live from New York it's Saturday night!"

Watch the editorial response:

More on the rest of the show from the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet:

Political satire contains an element of truth and in a cartoon, Obama was shown to be going to great lengths to prevent Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson from being seen campaigning for him. He is shown--remember this is a cartoon--meeting with Jackson in a broom closet before sending him off on a phoney diplomatic mission and putting a dog collar on Sharpton that zaps him if he gets to close to an Obama rally.

Giuliani dropped his presidential bid in January and has endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has not been on SNL for years. Giulianiappeared on SNL's "Weekend Update" segment.

"I would have done things differently," Giuliani said.

Specifically, what asked Seth Meyers.

"I've given it a lot of thought and realize that my one key mistake was years ago when I hosted this show and wore a dress. I really wish I could have taken it back."

So his mistake was not bypassing the early primaries?

"The Florida plan was solid. But the dress killed me."

The Florida plan was solid. But the dress killed me.

Comments

[Mollye]

Great intro! Best of luck on March 4. Texas relatives say you will win, Big Time!
Hillary 2008

[mix2007]

Wow, Bill Clinton endorsed Obama in 2004:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-fkoctaB18

[iluvlibs]

Would you people please give Hillary a break For Gods sake . if it were not for her husband (yes with all his failings too ) the Democratic party would be extinct. All you Democrats seem to forget that he did do a lot for our party and by the way I prob will vote for Obama because I think he can win. Why because what the press and our own party has done to demean everything she and her husband say and do. We are fortunate enough to have two wonderful candidates why do we have to smear one because we like the other? If we dont all come together on this we will have four more years of the same BUSH-McCAIN. Give her a break she prob doesnt have a chance but if Obama was not in would you all be saying the mean hurtfull things your saying?

[Clarabell]

iluvlibs - I agree with you. I voted for Obama in the primary because I decided at that time that he might have the best chance to win. But I too am sick of all of the Hillary haters, including those who proclaim to be Dems. I will vote for whichever Dem is nominated, but I'll tell you, it sure gives one a stomache ache -- especially knowing that all of this hate stuff can put the Repubs back in office. I know there is a lot of prejudice against Obama, but I don't think it is anything like what Hillary has had to endure. However, I do think that his seemingly "free ride" in the MSM might come to a screeching halt when the nominee is decided and we have to go up against McCain.
Thanks for writing an intelligent and thoughtful post -- something that is often quite rare.

[books93]

For the person who said that if not for Bill Clinton, the Democratic party would be extinct. Excuse me? I voted for the man...twice. I lived through those years. He did a lot and then he threw us to the wolves. If not for Bill Clinton's idiocy we would never have had 8 years of George Bush. Bill Clinton gave the Presidency to the Republicans as a gift wrapped in a note that read "that depends on what your definition of 'is' is." Please, Bill is the reason we're battling to take back the White House.

And frankly, HIllary can't do it. She is supposed to be the great supporter of women. But she has $170,000 in her campaign coffers that came from International Profit Associates, a company that is under investigation for massive incidents of sexual harassment, and she refuses to give the money back. Way to support your fellow women, Hillary.

Obama at least realizes that if we want to return the country to any semblance of greatness and make progress, we have to reach across the aisle to end the gridlock and get things done.

[hippybaby1970]

snl used to be funny, but besides an occasional clever skit it has been fairly stinky for years now. what i find hillarious are the writers demanding more money for the low brow crap they have been producing. that includes tina fey.

[gxy2008]

Sybil

[msfiskvletterman]

3/2/08
1:51pm
Alexandria, VA

Sorry I missed the beginning of the show--I was at Walmart--could you show us the clip with Tina Fey?

[zuzuzpetals]

Lorne Michael's lost his political cojones twenty years ago and SNL became "establishment".

We stopped watching the first and second time when he made both the deadly Bushes look all warm, cuddly and drink-buddyish; just "guilty" of a lot of endearing, odd mannerisms. This really was sending a meta-message to viewers: don't worry, they're harmless, go back to political sleep.

Very potent. Or it would be, except the show has become that one unforgivable thing--boring.

[Dragon5616]

I haven't watched SNL since Dana Carvey left. I watched it last night. The only funny line in the whole show was 9iu11iani's line about FL and the dress. Other than that, I didn't even crack a smile. Sheesh. I guess I can safely go to bed at 11:30 on Sat. night with no fear that I'm missing anything.

[dajay]

I laughed my butt off during that debate sequence. It was too close to reality.

[Ais4Atheist]

she's just doing her late comedy rounds, tomorrow night (monday) she's going to be on the daily show, first time since 2003, that should be interesting.

[progressiveinga]

She looked great and seemed relaxed. Good for her!

[jkbowman]

As a supporter of Obama and a Democrat, I found very few reasons to laugh during last night's episode of Saturday Night Life. The jokes were far too Republican and even Rovian at times for me to applaud. However, without fuel from the Obama supporters in the form of complaints I find very little to help Hillary here. - As a result, just as I don't feed trolls, I will not feed SNL.

[JohnShank]

WRONG jkbowman,

The sketch at the beginning of the show, laid bare the obvious bias that the MSM has toward Obama and against Clinton. It is no wonder you did not like the sketch, you are a knee-jerk liberal tool.

[SKayum]

So from now on, anything that doesn't support Obama outright is considered Rovian?

[MikeG2008]

Good to know that Mrs. Clinton can joke around. Interesting that she found the time to run up to New York for this SNL appearance, which I suppose might tickle some undecided voters.

Wouldn't it possibly be a better use of her extra time to work on getting her tax returns and Clinton White House records released?

She complained during the Ohio debate that these records have been delayed due to being so busy with the campaign. Aren't deliberating voters more concerned with knowing the facts that have so far been hidden from them, rather than the fact that Mrs. Clinton can deliver a scripted joke on a comedy show?

Just another pathetic attempt to win voters at any cost.

[dajay]

Almost as interesting as it is that Barack Obama found the time to dance on Ellen's show the other day.

[rjean]

nah those tax returns take time...esp when youre HIDING things...

hillybean just doesnt have the time for that...she's campaigning to be potus...you know the position that is OWED HER......................

and that little drop by on snl................well PRECIOUS wasnt it.......

dont expect the tax returns anytime soon...we're still waiting on john skerry's military records..................................

[WSW]

In its latest episode, Saturday Night Live sends up newly announced 2008 White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), with cast veteran Darrell Hammond playing Hardball's Chris Matthews and Amy Poehler portraying Clinton.

"You're great!" says Hammond several times in Matthews' recognizable accent to Poehler's Clinton. As "Matthews" is about to ask "Clinton" some questions about Iraq, she sifts through his questions until she finds one she feels comfortable with.

"I think most Democrats know me," she says at one point. "They understand that my support for the war was always insincere." Later she goes on a profane, censored "tirade."

[WSW]

A list of the national security and foreign policy advisers to the leading presidential candidates from both parties.
DEMOCRATS

Hillary Clinton

. . . Michael O'Hanlon, Brookings senior fellow and former Congressional Budget Office defense and foreign policy analyst, supporter

Michael O'Hanlon? The Iraq Debacle supporter, surge supporter, and serial dissembler on his support for the war? Why would Senator Clinton want the support of someone who has diametrically opposed views from hers on the most important foreign policy issue of the day? Indeed, why in heavens is O'Hanlon supporting her?

Via Matt Yglesias and Kevin Drum, Here is my problem

[MichaelO]

One Hillary is done on Tuesday, the onus will be on Obama from now on. He will be the man on top and anybody that thinks he'll get to ride 'Obamamentum" for seven months for free forget what happened to the Clinton's. A year on a pedestal before being ramrodded by members of her campaign, the media, and the Obama campaign's mastery of this complicated, overblown caucus/primary system.

So, now that Hillary's body has been tossed down a ditch, maybe Obama can answer some questions. He has the spotlight all to himself now, so... why did your wife's salary go up to almost $500,000 annually after Obama got into the Senate (sounds kinda like the creepy deal Wolfowitz got)? How can you reconcile the pissing and tearing down of NAFTA with 'were going to work and be more open with the rest of the world, not tell them the way it is". Hmm.... Are you ready to negotiate with North Korea? Or finally pull our troops out of South Korea? How about the energy crisis? The housing crisis? The gas crisis? Inflation? What are your plans besides the same boilerplate policies that were on Hillary's website? What makes you any more capable to truly FIX this government as you say, besides the way the government will address the people?

You wanted him, you got him. Now put him to the fire.

[iluvlibs]

Yes they DID. Shame on all of them. Although not many on here agree with that observation. And please I am not Obma bashing. I thnk he is well qualified. I just think its a shame how the Democrats have thrown the Clintons to the wolves. Bottom line get that diot out of the White House.