Sarah Palin's Appearance on SNL a Huge GOP Disaster

Sarah Palin joined SNL tonight and proved, once again, that John McCain lacked judgment in having her on his ticket, while also unwise not to veto her SNL appearance. In isolation, Palin's very brief moments were not, in themselves, the problem. The problem was largely contextual.

Consider, for example, the respective experiences of two groups watching SNL tonight: conservative members of the GOP, on the one hand, and young voters who McCain might have hoped to attract to his failed campaign on the other.

Without Tina Fey, this was Saturday Night Dead and there was nothing worth seeing but more nails being indirectly pounded into the GOP coffin.

Josh Brolin hosted, reporting that in learning to play W, he concluded that neither W, nor he, should ever be, or have been, president.

Then in sketches and in "Weekend Update," viewers were reminded of the deep economic difficulty the country finds itself in, and we all know what good the economy has done for John McCain's candidacy. Thus, over and over, viewers were reminded of McCain's biggest problem, besides Sarah Palin.

Then, no viewer could be sure when Gov. Palin would appear after the traditional SNL welcome. One could think she *might* appear on "Weekend Update," but one watched with heightened attention early on wondering if she might appear in one of the ever more artless sketches.

She didn't, and showed appropriate restraint, I suppose, in letting just her arms dance about while remaining seated in her chair during someone else's inane rap. But prior to this, millions of viewers were exposed to one sophomoric (naw, make that 5th grade) sketch where the word "fartface" was repeated perhaps 100 or more times, and another about a guy who would shoot a ping pong ball from his rear end.

I just can't imagine very many members of the Christian Right, to whom Palin appeals and who might have been checking in to see how their darling was doing, enjoying these words filling their living rooms tonight. Then Palin was compared to Dan Quayle in one otherwise forgettable moment, and for those of us old enough to remember, we were reminded of conservative Justice Clarence Thomas' alleged one-time interest in pornography. Trust me, no helping hand of any kind was extended to Palin or McCain.

After all, this is Saturday Night Live who've skewered her week after week. Were they going to be nice? And now, by appearing on the program, it certainly drew its biggest audience of the season. Maybe the biggest audience in years, but I fail to see how the GOP was helped.

Often these cameos on SNL humanize a candidate in some helpful way. A candidate will often seem like a good sport by going on. Al Gore was wonderful after the debacle of 2000, but he appeared after finally conceding and when it was all too late. He was funny and very human. But we already know Sarah Palin can sometimes display humor and be human. But tonight, SNL gave us another piece of evidence that Gov. Palin's judgment, and that of her running mate, may not be what we want guiding the nation and the world for the next four years.

Cap all this off with the toughest, and most incisive Obama ad I've yet seen, with McCain helping to bury himself with the perfect soundbite linking him ever more closely to Bush ("I voted with him over 90% of the time, more than some other members of our party" or words to that effect) and you've got another bad day or two for the GOP, and maybe more depending on how long people talk about tonight's debacle. He just doesn't have the time to keep making mistakes like this and get off message. The clock is ticking with just 16 days left before the election, and more and more voters this year are casting their ballots early.

I just shook my head in amazement tonight as the Obama ad ran and thought, man, the Obama campaign doesn't miss a trick placing that particular ad where they did, while the McCain campaign misses nearly every one, and does sometimes seem to be run by those who would wish him to lose in November.

Comments

[iralarry]

I am so put off by S.P. that I simply did not watch it. I have difficulty with candidates for high office pandering to pop culture fascination. I do not think it helps them in my opinion and may undermine the seriousness of their agenda. I do have a decent SOH, so I am not being curmudgeonly here. I do not want to be entertained by my elected officials but rather served by them. There may be a place for this popular stuff, but not now in the middle of a campaign of such magnitude as to be a redeclaration on the course of America. In fact, given Sarah Palin's bawd appeal, it is befitting of her to exercise her populist show(wo)manship given her propensity for sycophantism.

[AProudRepublican]

I think by going on she showed herself to be confident and a good sport. I felt she handled herself with class, poise and grace. SNL can make fun as her as much as they like, but because I believe them to be highly unfair, it does nothing to sway my opinion.

[hellboundtrain]

The whole show is live from the funny farm!

John McCain has been HELPING TO CREATE the economy that we have RIGHT NOW!

So why would anybody in their right mind even consider for an instant with rewarding him with POTUS?

Maybe that's the thing, though, too many people not in their right mind.

[leap2three]

This article sums up my impression of the event perfectly. It was a stupe move by the Republicans to have let this happen, very poor judgment, indeed. But the rap was brilliant. She just sat there like a duck in a shooting gallery while jabs were made left and right...and the Dem commercials...it was a complete slam.

[gliderguy]

Inane rap? That was some of the best, funny rap I have ever had. I want it on my iPod. What a hoot!

[DrewRicketts]

Sarah Palin, with her Joe SixPack pronouncements, has no sense of irony. Everything in her world strikes her as real. (i.e. Going for the White Joe Vote is the same as going for the American vote)

http://newsone.blackplanet.com/nation/media-chases-the-white-joe-vote/

[oneheretic]

The only thing more laughable than Palin's appearance on SNL...is the idea of her holding any political office.

“We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.”
Mother Teresa of Calcutta

[gaustinw]

Too bad none of the GOP studied old SNL. They would have discovered in 1976 when Ron Neeson, Ford's Press Secretary, appeared on the show, they didn't do political stuff - they did as blue & dirty material as possible to embarrass Neeson and his candidate for choosing to go on the show.

That and you have to be able to laugh yourself if you are going to play yourself. Palin has shown no ability to do that.

[spiffarino]

You mean Ron Nessen.

Yep, they made his job rough. It wasn't long afterward he was replaced by Jerald terHorst. Not a friendly place for conservatives since many lack even a rudimentary sense of humor.

[MBryant]

Alec Baldwin said "that woman is against everything we stand for!" .. even if SNL bent over backwards for Sarah Palin the show could hardly be even politically moderate and there is nothing they could even think of to do to help her. Sure - it makes her a "good sport" to do the show - but she could do that by being a little less caustic to Obama. It was a big mistake for her to appear and I agree - it was a big night for SNL - they tried (unsuccessfully) to clean up their act for her. There wasn't any viewer who would be more likely to support her or more importantly, John McCain, afterwards.

[DinSea]

After the ping pong ball out the arse sketch I turned it off. Never even saw Palin. Can't stand her.

[HeyFella]

Can't stand her either, you didn't miss a thing.

[viince]

In regards to Gov. Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL, she was sort of just there.

[biskitdaddy]

This just goes to prove Sarah Palin has absolutely nothing of substance to say. This woman obviously has a pull string behind her neck because all she has to say is "pals around with terroists" and "who is Barack Obama?" Well, I for one would sure as hell like to know who YOU are!

Try cracking out of that plastic bubble and answering some tough questions and give your opinions on the issues the voters are concerned about, instead of making appearances on comedy shows. Tell about your associations with the Alaska Independence Party and if you hate America as much as they do; and clear up that Troopergate mess you created.

Try stepping up and telling the truth about SOMETHING and stop blaming Obama!!!

[ob4meor]

Palin did on the show what she does for McCain - she's a prop. That all!

[liseworks]

I couldn't agree more - it was dis.atrous for Palin -

The irony is that she's funny (to us) when she's being serious -
When called upon to be funny : she's not. as in : really not !

[CBS]

I don't think she comprehended what was going on and how damaging it was to her. Especially the rap performance where Amy "sho ots a mother humpin moose.

[Catfish1968]

the rap was not inane, either. It was brilliant.

[jerseywolf]

I rather enjoyed the rap as well.