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

[CountryOver]

Awwww... I hope that she will have a sense of humor Tuesday night

BECAUSE THE BIG O IS GOING TO BULLDOZE HER.

[dajay]

The Big O? That's a good name for a presidential candidate. GIve me a break.

[Grazziella]

I'll be glad when this nomination process is over. Then maybe the Dems can focus their energy at the Republicans instead of going back and force between themselves.

[StephenJK]

There will be a lot of disenfranchised Democrats coming out of this nomination process. Myself included.

[dajay]

Yeah, as a Hillary supporter I will be focusing my energy on watching Obama get his butt kicked by the nasty Republicans till November.

[rjean]

and johnny boy mccain will be ready...he has more guts and moxy than those two losers put together......

[veracal]

Good for Hillary, with the mismanagement of campaign funds she needs all the free airtime she can get.

I doubt that the Obama campaign will complain about Clinton's appearances on SNL and the Daily Show. But if the shoe were on the other foot we would hear Hillary and her people screaming, crying and whining about the unfairness of it all.

[jsinclair]

Yes, the Clintons would be whining about the unfairness....whining about Obama being a shallow "rock star" that the media loves....filing complaints with the FEC....complaining about sexism and misogyny with the use of the word "bitch"....insisting Obama denounce (or "reject") SNL and any viewers who found the skit funny......

I can't tell if she's more opportunist than hypocrite, or if its the other way around.

[anika]

you cant complain if you don't get invited by the coolest show on tele ...
Its as good as an endorsement from jon stewart !!!
Hope the kool-aid drinkers are watching the news monday .... rezko will be tops...

[SKayum]

except that Obama has already been on SNL and the Daily Show

[Spud777]

Is Hillary running for President or comedian?

[gxy2008]

She wants to be a movie star

A remake of Sybil starring Billary Clinton

[dajay]

No, you got it wrong. Obama is the one who is planning his own tv movie, just ask Will Smith. I don't recall Hillary talking about her own movie. Stop making a fool of yourself by accusing Hillary Clinton, of something that has been done 10 times over by your candidate, Mr. Pop Star.

[venicesurfer]

president. .
they are allowed to go on snl like obama did among others.

[dajay]

Uhh, Hillary has appeared on far less entertainment shows and has talked about a lot less trivial things then Obama. How could any Obama supporter criticize Hillary for her SNL performance?

He is mister Pop star entertainer, with no substance, and it all started with the Oprah nonsense.
Give me a break.

[ColoradoDan]

SNL was a goodbye tribute to Hillary. A gift from Lorne Michaels.She appeared goofy and odd. Even my one buddy who has backed her all this time had to admit he has no idea who she is now. SNL hasn't been funny or watchable in a decade ... so perhaps she was in good company. Anyway, she can't cry that she hasn't gotten all the breaks ... with the poor SNL appearance and the weak Daily Show moment, she squandered even that.

After finally seeing Jack Nicholson's ad for her, I think most will request that Hillary pack her bags ... take her Pro war vote and Nafta pom poms and say adios. Just a terrible ad that is laughable ... this is what it come to. The Joker and a madman at the Overlook Hotel to tell us who to vote for? Jack also jumped the shark about 15 movies ago.

As bad as her campaign was run and Bills exceptionalyl terrible behavior, it was Hillary herself who lost it for herself. The more we see of her, the more vapid and weird she has become. If she had not been married to a President, she'd never have gotten this far. There's many great women who would make a fine President ... but Hillary, like Rice, has been a Bush enabler far too long to be considered to go any further.

[StephenJK]

You're hilarious. Maybe you should start a comedy writing troop.

In consecutive paragraphs you berate two American Paragons of theater.

Yeah, I **stifle laughter** "value" your opinion.

HAHAHAHAH

[Thurber]

Come on. I'm supporting Obama, but I thought the Jack Nicholson ad was at the very least entertaining and in that sense effective for Hillary.


Her other ads (and recent appearances) I can think of, have all made me cringe and wonder just how stupid she thinks we are.

[MikeG2008]

I agree. This has become surreal. Please let it end on Tuesday. If it doesn't, I don't like to think of how depressing and bizarre the Clinton self-demolition will be as the campaign drags on, not to mention how damaging to the country.

C'mon, Texas and Ohio!!

[WaveFunction]

I'm an Obama supporter, but I don't think she did that badly. She's very wise to be making the rounds on comedy shows, trying to take some of the youth/upper middle class vote away from Obama, and attempting to show the electorate the "real Hillary"(whom I find to be a sympathetic and very smart person) is a great idea.

On another note, this whole attitude of "It's over" coming from Obama supporters is not very intelligent, strategically speaking. Texas and Ohio are critical states, and by saying it's over, we are causing (potentially) voters in those states to relax their support for Obama and increase their turnout for Hillary. It's much wiser to set expectations low, so these crucial voters don't get the wrong idea that somehow the entire process has ended and their vote doesn't count.

[jsinclair]

re: Nicholson ad. I guess I'm the only one who found the tone very offensive.

We're at war. Young men and women are dying. Hillary's shares responsibility for all this.

And yet we're supposed to be laughing at the movie clips interspersed with genuine tragedy?

I thought the flippant tone of that ad (and slick one liner about "reality" at the end) showed real shallowness in Clinton's feeling about the war and her part in it. Not a good message at all, in my opinion.

[ObamaEdwards]

That is as natural and charming as she has ever been. Very cute and funny. She would be a wonderful attorney general, don't you think?

[Chandidevi]

No!

[HowietheScreamer]

Nope, she's just fine as the Jr. Senator from Noo Yawk.

[samuraijack]

Not enough media attention for her. And, let's face it, she was a pretty shitty lawyer. I am thinking treasurer. We could see her signature on dollar bills.

[mcnairbo]

Hey! Didn't John Edwards vote for the Iraq war too ObamaEdwards guy?

[Rendon76]

This isn't Hillary Clinton this is a "charm offensive". Anyway I think the reason Hillary is the way she is is because she's been through the ringer with the Republicans, which seems like its all going to come back again if she gets reelected. That's why I'm voting for Barrack Obama.

[lenners]

wow, if this would have been Obama, it would have been him reaching out to the young vote and being generally cool.
I mean its not as if the mainstream media and places like HuffPost don't get an erection every time his name is mentioned. You included im sure :*)

[mcnairbo]

What do you mean it'll come from the republican party ? It's already coming from clowns like you people that claim to be democrats.

[dajay]

No she has been through the ringer with Democrats.

[mhopgood123]

By the way, I agree with one of the bloggers, this show has grown tired and boring just like Hillary herself.

[mcnairbo]

Last week it was the funniest in eons when they made fun of Hillary, now a week later it's tired and boring. How Manic.

[martinchill]

barack will go on SNL, and all he will have to do is stand face-to-face with fred armisten and rake in the laughs. he could walk off stage without saying a frickin' word and it would be huge.

hillary is entitled to a moment now and then.

[vulcan]

Hillary is entitled to nothing and that is why she has lost

[Clarabell]

Not even a "moment now and then?"
Good God!!!

[mcnairbo]

Hell he goes on stage and blows his nose and his fans give him a frickin standing ovation.

[dajay]

Yeah, all he has to do is breath on tv and the it's almost like the seas start to part.

Oh my god, you can't be serious. Please I can't take it anymore. The air on the TWilight Zone must not be circulating.

[oneeyedodin]

Well golldurnit! A nice picture of Hillary. At last.

[Clarabell]

LOOK -- It's the MSM's job to see that a REPUBLICAN gets elected in 2008, and so they play games back and forth with the Dems. And it, the MSM, has been very successful in dividing the Dems amongst themselves. That's why the Republicans are so successful. There are lots of fools out there, both Republican and Democrat, and they are counting on them to get McCain elected. It's really quite simple.

[StephenJK]

It's the Obama people that started this war of Clinton Hating. Wait, no, let me rephrase that. It was Obama supporters who picked up 15 year old Republican talking points to belittle, marginalize and exclude Hillary supporters. Well, they've accomplished exactly what Republicans in high places wanted. A decimated HALF of the democratic party. They've accomplished that. Not Hillary supporters. The jaded, exclusionary and downright hateful degree-toting Obama demographic has been very busy sniping the, in their own words, uneducated, ignorant and blind Hillary supporters. Well, I hope they are happy with a McCain WH for the next 4 years. Good job, smartypants!

[Roose]

You've got it wrong StephenJK -- Bill Clinton brought up the race card in SC, then he belittled Barack by comparing him to Jesse Jackson, then her hacks went on to say his wins didn't count because he won red states, then she picks up the Rove dirty tricks book and starts trying to scare voters into voting for her instead of him. Now she's threatening lawsuits in Ohio and Texas if she doesn't win. You ought to evaluate YOUR candidate and her flawed/sleazy strategy for winning.

Your thinking is a good example of a Rovian trick, you throw the dirt first, then when the dirt is thrown back at you, you then howl in false indignation. I sure hope the good people of Ohio, Texas, Vermont and Rhode Island see through this trickery.

I will never, ever vote for her. NOT in this lifetime.

[repubstheirownworstenemy]

Spoken like a true Republican.

[pamelagoodenough]

Stephen,
You have no idea what you are talking about. What are you, 21 years old? Smartypants? Are you kidding. There is an undercurrent of anti intellectualism in this country that is not useful. Yes, professors and educated folks are supporting Barack in droves. Do you think that means we have not considered the issues in depth? Do we not understand history? I am 60 years old and have never been this encouraged about a candidate in my life and that includes JFK.

I watched while the Republicans took the Clintons apart and was sick to death of how they treated the Lewinsky scandal and the Whitewater probes.

Now I have watched as Bill Clinton has come into the picture and denounced Barak in the strongest terms, while Bill himself was just a whippersnapper when he ran. Experience? Being the wife of a President is not experience. Hillary has no more experience than Barack. AND Barack is inclusive. He will unite the party and he will bring people out in droves to vote for peace and justice. This is about beating McCain and Hillary just cannot. She has been too close to McCain and other neocons. And she has been too close to Bill Bill who pushed NAFTA through after promising no to. Where have all the jobs gone? Ask Bill Clinton. Clinton fooled me once. I am no longer impressed with him and I think he has showed the Clinton camp for what it is--part of the Washington machine.

I hope you will change your mind and vote with us in the greatest political event in our history. Barack Obama is what you see. A calm, intelligent, confident man who can look you in the eye, who can listen while Clinton smears him and not become angry. He keeps his cool. He taught constitutional law for years. He is the once-in-a-life-time candidate who will take back our country.

Barack has united the Democratic Party. He is the real deal and no amount of stamping your feet for Senator Clinton will change that. If Barack were losing we would have to accept that too and go on to support the winner. You are the one speaking of divisiveness right here and now.

In poll after poll Obama beats McCain and Clinton does not.

I just volunteered with the Obama Campaign this morning and called women in Ohio. I did not speak to one who said they were voting for Clinton. Every one who answered said they were voting for Barack.
I wanted to vote for a woman too. It will not be this woman and we will wait a bit longer. It is not about gender and race. It is about who is the best qualified, in both capability and personality. Barack wins both hands down.

[dndobson]

I expect you will be surprised to discover that the "decimated half" is more like 5%.

[lafcadio]

Is that a threat? Stop throwing a tantrum because your candidate ran an inept campaign. If you won't vote for Obama in November, it's nothing more than sour grapes.

[JohnKemp]

Don't really know how you can make this statement.

Seems to me that this "super-delegate" nonsense is what is
dividing the Dems amongst themselves," or as Rush frequently states, "Dem leaders never trust the voters, even their own."

Illegitimate "primaries" (sic) in two of our top ten most populous states, MI & FL?

"Super -delegates" switching daily, dependeding upon wheter Hillary or Obama give them the most money?

Don't believe that you can blame anyone but the Dems for their own mess.

[borderorder]

Just as the Republicans have no one to blame but themselves for theirs.

[MidwestMomma]

At least the Democrats believe in having choices and they understand nothing should be written in stone...you have to be flexable in this rapidly changing world!

To someone like you I am sure this seems like a mess but to me this is exactly what people driven politics should be like.

The only mess you need to concern yourself with is the "mess of voters" who will be coming out this fall to support , whom ever gets the party's nomination.

[Clarabell]

JohnKemp - Chris Matthews started "setting" Hillary up long before she became a candidate, and if you can't see that you aren't very well informed. He will try to finish off Obama in time for the November election. As for the Dems being responsible "for their own mess," it's the Republicans who are in a mess, with a bunch of lame contenders and a candidate which many of them hate. Actually that was pretty funny how that all turned out. But how much do you hear Chris Matthews and the "liberal media" talking about this?

I'm familiar with your profile so I know exactly where you are coming from, so don't expect one of your long debates -- not my style.

[galateadoro]

Oh really? The MSM's job is to see that a REPUBLICAN gets elected in 2008?? What are Hillary and Obama if not two Republicans in disguise? Wake the f... up. Take a hard look at their voting records. There isn't a DIME's worth of difference between Repugs and Rats. McCain, Hillary or Obama in the White House will result in the same warmongering, pro-corporation and anti-labor abomination. When will idiots STOP with this lesser-of-two-evils mentality that's destroying this country?

[Clarabell]

galateadoro -- since you are so wide awake, who do you recommend? -- that seems to be missing from your post. And BTW I have been monitoring the MSM for more than four years now, and I can tell you they want a Republican to stay in the WH. You are the one with your head in the sand.

[Clarabell]

galateadora - P.S. I went to your profile to see what motivates you to post here -- I saw a lot of negatives and a lot of anger -- and the only thing I could come up with is that perhaps you like Nader. Now that's a solid choice. If you are wondering what my purpose is, it is to do my damndest to see that we don't have another Republican in office next year, and to try to call attention to the fact that we have a seriously biased media, which I think is probably the biggest threat to our democracy.

[iPolitics]

Hillary did a nice job. Hopefully she had fun since campaigning is so stressful.

If she leaves Wednesday morning it will be a memorable campaign for her in terms of its historic significane. If not, history will remember her refusal to leave and destruction of the Democratic Party.

[mcnairbo]

If there's a destruction the democratic party it'll be because you Obama whiners have pledged not to support Hillary even if she is the frontrunner.

[apcalc]

If she wins, then what?

[Chandidevi]

Is this all it takes to be President...to snicker and joke around and show a side of yourself that we've never seen before? A new and improved side of Hillary Clinton. Hmmmm....will the real HC stand up? This is an insult to the intelligence of the American people...to think that her appearing on SNL as a goof will make them vote for her.

[repubstheirownworstenemy]

It's just marketing. Like the tears. She's showing us the "softer side of Sears".

[oneeyedodin]

S'OK Bush has been showing us all side of his 'soft ' head for 7 1/2 years.

Say what you like about Hillary but she ain't dumb.

[StephenJK]

Awwwe, look at that. He can rhyme. LMFAO

[naturesway]

A sense of humor indicates intelligence. Hillary can laugh at herself...I really admire that in a person.
Everything I see in Hillary is real. All people have many sides to themselves. It's good for America to see all the sides of a person in a genuine way. I feel like I know her and I know I trust her.

[indc]

I would like to see the side that has the tax returns, the donor lists for the library and foundation, the side that has the WH papers...I think of alot of us would...she has time for comedy, I think the reason she is keeping these from citizens and taxpayers is that we would know tragedy and betrayal of public trust if they were reveals...She is always think about us... sweet person that she is.... ha, ha, ha, what a cut up.

[AntonBursch]

You know you can trust Hillary Clinton?

[shinybear]

It's MSNBC payback for the "pimp" remark- nothing more.

That's why SNL wouldn't go so far as to endorse Clinton.

The idea of TV shows officially endorsing individual candidates is insane.

The Brady Bunch would have gone Nixon.

[dndobson]

Or it's payback for the "Bitch is the new black" comment Fey made last week....which I thought was pretty funny.

[suki78]

Hmmmm - Kind of like Barack Obama appearing on Ellen Degeneres and "busting a
move?" Come on Texas and Ohio - Vote for the best candidate - Vote for Hillary!!!!

[apcalc]

She was great - I loved it.

[baghdadjoe]

WOMEN WORLD LEADERS: (SELF-MADE)

- without 8 years of being "First Lady"

- without a father or a President-Husband campaigning for them:

ISRAEL: Golda Meir /1969

GREAT BRITAIN: Margaret Thatcher /1979

IRELAND: Mary McAleese /1997

GERMANY: Angela Merkel /2005

None of the above claimed to have visited 82 countries - unelected by the people - as spouse of their President!

None of them claimed that traveling as First Lady without people having voted for them to do so, counted as "foreign policy" experience.

I am not a fan of all of the above. Female leaders can be as awful as male ones. However, they were self-made leaders. If Mrs. Clinton didn't constantly deny the fact that most of her "experience" was without a people's mandate, I would have had more respect. But the arrogance of entitlement is shameful in contrast to the self-made women above.

[NewlyArrived]

You forgot Eugenia Charles - Dominica 1980.

[ThatSharkeyGeezer]

But the most remarkable omission is that of Indira Gandhi, elected Prime Minister of India four times before being assassinated. Without doubt the greatest woman politician of her era, and the first female leader of the world's largest democracy.

[naturesway]

They were accomplished women.
Hillary is among the generation of women first to fight for equality.
If you are under 30, you can not conceive how far we have come.
Hillary is an accomplished woman. And Hillary will be an even better leader than those you listed.

And America will be respected and admired once again.

[baghdadjoe]

Hillary may be a great leader, but of what country?

Her candidacy here is going nowhere.

[indc]

You got to be kidding... at least 47% of the American people can't stand her, and this was before the whiny campaign with assumed entitlement , and before her awful record of poor judgment on important matters was made more widely known, plus her several personalities, she plays good cop and bad cop all alone... remarkably incompetent and sleazy... where are the tax returns, the donor lists, the WH papers?

[ThatSharkeyGeezer]

If you are under 30, you cannot conceive of an American President who is not called Bush or Clinton.

If you're under 30, you cannot understand why a woman who has Mark Penn as her chief strategist can have the audacity to talk about taking on special interests. Because Mark Penn and his various PR affiliates represent every special interest you can name: tobacco, weapons, gambling, mercenaries, utilities and oil.

If you're under 30, you cannot understand why anybody would make a fuss about gender when this election is clearly about judgement and ethical integrity.

That's why Obama is running on a single word: change.

[ThatSharkeyGeezer]

If you are under 30, you will vote for Obama. All the polls prove it.

[zizi]

There's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia (2006) who was an accomplished expert with the World Bank, the United Nations and now has been leader of a country that is recovering from a long brutal civil war.

[andyboy]

Glad Hillary had some fun! Great to see her let her hair down! She can still win if she sues!

This is the real Hillary everybody loves. She saved it for the last minute.

[repubstheirownworstenemy]

Too bad she only trots "this" Hillary out once she realizes that people don't warm up the other more controlling Hillaries.

In fact, I'd have respect for her if she'd managed to have ONE personality. Which is precisely why so many don't feel comfortable with her at all. We can't tell what's real and what's fake. Makes it all seem fake.

[shinybear]

We'll call this one "Vikki"- the happy go lucky and likeable personality.

When she got home she turned into "Hattie", played the piano maniacally and gave Bill an enema.

"Hold your WATER!!!!!!"

[richardsgirl]

"She can still win if she sues!" That's like saying she can still win if she breaks the rules, goes against her word, and defies the will of the American people!!! THIS is the real Hillary everybody KNOWS!!!