Send in the Clowns - With Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Entry into the Presidential Race, American Politics has Officially Become a Circus

When clowns become the single, most powerful influence on the election of the American president, you know that our country has finally come to realize what the rest of the world has always known - our political system is one big joke.

Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin's entry into the presidential race not only re-energized (if temporarily) a flagging John McCain campaign, it also re-energized an old, forgotten show on NBC-TV. Some of you may actually remember it, "Saturday Night Live." In the past month, a show that has been off the political radar screen for decades, was suddenly being cast as the most potent force on the American political scene. Comedy writer/actress Tina Fey's uncanny resemblance to the VP running mate has made Saturday Night Live THE show to watch on weekends.

It seems as if political commentators now wait anxiously for Fey's interpretation of Palin's performance before fully committing to their own opinions. After the Biden-Palin vice presidential debate, an overwhelming number of commentators cited Fey's SNL skit, talking about it more than the actual debate. Walter Cronkite never got that kind of respect. Ed Bradley is turning in his grave. Dan Rather must be fuming: Forty-four years of gritty, hard-hitting journalism - and no one's ever taken his political coverage that serious!

The biggest controversy of the presidential race, so far, has involved a recent SNL skit spoofing the economic bailout package. When NBC took it off their website temporarily, it instantly stirred up speculations that the network caved in to some kind of left-wing pressure. A flabbergasted NBC explained that it was just a technical glitch. The segment was back up later in the day.

Following Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric, Tina Fey's "Katie, I'd like to use a lifeline," was quoted more often than Palin's own erratic and rambling responses. Another of Fey's turn as Palin, "I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers," has been commented upon by analysts across the country more than Palin's actual position on the issue. (If she's expressed an opinion on it, that is.)

What was the press' biggest criticism regarding the recent Obama-McCain presidential debate? That it was too dull. The candidates said and did little more than debate, they complained. Obama and McCain refused to make any major gaffes or express opinions that could be skewered on SNL. That really ticked off many political analysts, who had apparently tuned into the debate expecting to be entertained.

Meanwhile, Stephen Cobert and Jon Stewart are probably gnashing their teeth, trying to figure out how they can reclaim their turf as the most relevant, politically irreverent shows on TV.

Comments

[ChunkyMunky]

How long can she continue to avoid the press? The excuse used to be that she was working on the debate. What about now? This is becoming absurd.

[gecmartins]

"Despite the recent censorship of the current and past administrations Americans enjoy more Liberty than any other nation on the planet."

Would you mind posting the source of that information?

[hippynanainblingland]

Yeah, that's why we have more people behind bars than either China or India (with uxti times more citizens apiece!!!)... because we "enjoy more Liberty than any other nation on the planet."!!!

[MelGoetia]

"..... what the rest of the world has always known - our political system is one big joke."

Our political system or the manner in which campaigns and elections are conducted is certainly something which should be disdained. But we MUST remember that the System of Government that America enjoys is the greatest accomplishment of the struggle of humankind against tyranny. We MUST never forget that this is America - Land of the Free! Despite the recent censorship of the current and past administrations Americans enjoy more Liberty than any other nation on the planet. I don't want to teach a civics class here but I would strongly recommend to those who think that the preservation of Freedom - not FOX Brand Freedom - but the Freedom of the Founding Documents, the TRUE Freedom that we have, the Freedom that for hundreds of years has brought immigrants to our shores; take an Adult Ed. History or Civics class. Go back to college if only to take a class on World History, or Philosophy, or Government. By golly, some college professors will even let you "audit" a class. You don't get any credit but you get to learn something besides what's on the TV. Most lectures are about an hour. The same time frame as many TV shows.

"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." -- Thomas Jefferson

Good luck, Mel Goetia

[ebanks84]

The REAL HISTORY of America is NOT being told to Americans, so what you are saying is basically not true. Yes, we were SUPPOSED to be free, but systematically over the years, we have lost most of our freedoms to a FASCISM-type government in existence right now. If you really want to speak the TRUTH, speak on that. Show Americans how we have been manipulated by our governments over the years in ways they don't know right now. I can't wait for the REAL TRUTH to emerge and see how they will feel then. Let the TRUTH be told in America for A REAL CHANGE!

[hippynanainblingland]

While it may be true that our Founding Documents guaranteed more freedoms against tyranny than any other document before or since, it is also true that no sooner were those documents our declared foundation than they were being subverted by those people who want to gain power over others in order to feel worthwhile as human beings... Has anyone out there read "The People's History of the United States:? An eye opener if there was ever one.

[ohmercy]

I miss DAN!
damn it!

[rock2casbah]

You are just witnessing America's first gasp of life air after being locked away for 8 years in
the gulag of a right wing-media induced coma.

To see a mainstream corporate owned media outlet ALLOW the truth, albeit through a comedy
program to be aired over what was supposed to be the free American airwaves, was such a
surprise that this is why you are hearing it as the latest water cooler talk.

It was smply amazing to see that we are finally coming out of the last 8 dark years of right
wing media censorship and propoganda peddling.

[MariosResponse]

Rock, I normally don't subscribe to conspiracy theories, but you've actually made a good point. The Bush era was characterized by heavy-handed censoring of the press, to the point where he and Chaney went after journalists who tried to speak against them. They had no hesitation about ruining people"s careers if they didn"t like what they said about them " and many times, they did¦But also consider that this is not an attack on Bush or Cheney, but their potential replacements. Is it possible that Bush and Cheney are enjoying themselves immensely, watching McCain and Palin be parodied?

[MsDebate]

I hadn't thought of that, but you gave me pause...hummm

[redsongia]

We should be thanking Palin for this. Her interviews sucked so bad they couldn't edit them good.

[ebanks84]

Correct. Now that many Americans have come out of that coma, we are seeing the light for the first time in many years and we are exerting our FREE WILL to say how we truly feel for a change. They can't keep us hypnotized and brainwashed forever. It seems, however, that the media is still in that coma.

[rock2casbah]

You are just witnessing America's first gasp of life air after being locked away for 8 years in the gulag of a right wing-media induced coma.

To see a mainstream corporate owned media outlet ALLOW the truth, albeit through a comedy program to be aired over what was supposed to be the free American airwaves, was such a surprise that this is why you are hearing it as the latest water cooler talk.

It was smply amazing to see that we are finally comng out of the last 8 dark years of right wing media censorship and propoganda peddling.

[MorpheusXNYC]

Actually, I think I'm related to Mario Almonte on my mother's side of the family... Wow.. What a discovery..

[terriertribe]

"Meanwhile, Stephen Cobert and Jon Stewart are probably gnashing their teeth, trying to figure out how they can reclaim their turf as the most relevant, politically irrelevant shows on TV."

Did you mean irreverent?

[MariosResponse]

Yes, thank!

[hamiltons]

i was brought up to respect our president and v/p and i have done so for over 50 years, but things have changed, our executive ,bold faced lies to us and both bush, palin and now[mccain] have dumbed down america to the point where the world is laughing at us .no longer is my respect automatic. i cannot support the ignorant, or people who are Rascist, or JOE 6PACK, because they don't represent most of america. not reading, seeing russia from alaska, shooting moose and wolves from planes is not an excuse for education and knowledge. attending 4 colleges in four years tells me something is awry in palins head, Refusing sex education for others after palin got married while pregnant and having her 17 year old daughter follow suit sends the wrong moral message to america. whatever happened to the repub. conservative mantra of responsility?I guess it only refers to immoral dems.i feel like i'm reading a bad comic book and know that i can throw it away, but alas, this is real america, bold as brass, in our faces, DUMB,DUMBER, AND REALLY DUMB. Quite obviously our country has large areas that still don't believe in equlity, in fairness,or in truth, if our forefathers could see us now, they would be ashamed, i know, i am

[fromero]

Sarah Palin"s theatrical descents from airplanes holding her baby, her skirting questions with memorized scripts, her studied folksy language, her going for the jugular while smiling sweetly, the barracuda glare behind her spectacles"all this might charm and energize the social conservative base, but it"s not going to sway many independent voters. Her shallow grasp of the substantive issues aside, the more independent voters get to know the real Sarah Palin, the more she will turn them off. John McCain made a huge mistake letting his handlers pick the lip-stick, pit-bull, barracuda hockey mom as his running mate. If he loses the election, it will be largely because of her.