Sarah Palin joined SNL tonight and proved once again that McCain was unwise to have her on the ticket and even more unwise not to veto this appearance. In isolation, Palin's very brief moments were, in themselves the problem.
But consider what people tuning in experienced, especially her conservative base fans and any of the young people they hoped to attract to their failed campaign. SNL has long been Saturday Night Dead and without Tina Fey there was nothing worth seeing. Josh Brolin hosted, reporting thay playing W taught him that neither W, nor he should ever be president.
Then in sketches and Weekend Update viewers were reminded of the economic difficulty the country finds itself in and by now we know that the economy has done nothing but hurt John McCain. 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 thought might guess she'd appear on Weekend Update, but one watched all the awful bilge wondering if she might appear in a tasteless sketch. She didn't but millions of viewers were exposed to scores of fart jokes, a sketch about a guy who would shoot a ping pong ball from his rear end, and Palin being compared to Dan Quayle. No helping hand of any kind was extended to Palin.
Often these appearances help humanize the candidate, but we already know she is human and capable of error and has a sense of humor. But now we know better than before that her judgement and that of Sen. McCain is indefensible.
Cap that off with one of the most tough and incisive Obama ads of the campaign purchased midway though the program. I just shook my head and thought, man, the Obama campaign doesn't miss a trick and maybe the McCain campaign really is being run by those who wish him to lose and lose badly.
Worth checking out:
http://notopalin.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/palin-on-snl-she-killed-a-moose-that-is/
This instance is simply another example in a long list of the poor planning coming out of the McCain camp. Sen. McCain once boasted about his ability to make quick decisions then deal with the outcome later. I believe his selection of Gov. Palin without full vetting or even knowing her is proof of that.
When David Letterman asked Sen. McCain last week why he chose Gov. Palin as his running mate, his answer: "I'm proud of her."
Would he say that if he chose Sen. Lieberman or Gov. Romney? Hardly. But it shows how sexist he is (as if any doubt existed after he once referred to his wife Cindy as a c---) and how willing he is to use her to get what he wants.
Is that really putting "Country First"?
Palin's guest shot, widely anticipated since Fey began imitating her a month ago, led "Saturday Night Live" to its highest mark in overnight Nielsen Media Research ratings since March 1994, when assaulted skater Nancy Kerrigan was guest host.
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/19/palin-smiles-snl-mocks-anew/
Wow, for someone that the MSM has demonized it sure seems that a lot of people still want to see her. The polls also seem to be turning away from the annointed one- don't count your chickens.
Palin is a *phenomenon* in the mind of the GOP base. She is the GOP projection, of the imaginary Sen Obama, they created in their minds... *The Celebrity, Empty-Suited, Chosen-One,* with a wacko preacher (Muthee), and pals with terrorists (her secessionist husband, and the Alaska Independence Party, which Palin spoke to this year).
Palin is as much what's doing McCain in, as the financial meltdown.
Thanks for informing the american people that Sara Palin would give an excellent press comference! We were all wondering what kind of press comference she would give if she were actually to give one. Thanks for answering that question for us in such a brilliant way! Palin's press comference would be so much better than Tina Fey's and any that non-executive-experience Obama could ever give.
With this stroke of genius, it is now unnecessary that Palin give a press comference! The american people have all they need to know!
Even if Al Gore can't tell a joke to save his life. he is basically a fairly decent individual and understands how he is coming off. Even Richard Nixon saying "sock it to me?" on Laugh In worked because "mister go to the beach in wingtips" Nixon knew that he was a stiff like Gore is.
But Palin is a stiff with a mean streak. She has never been one of your typical gladhanding work the room kind of pols. She has gotten where she is by slinging mud and being treacherous, even to political allies. She is what would happen if Franz Kafka gave birth to a female version of Bob Dole. Humor has never been a big part of her arsenal and her innate narrowmindedness and shrewd solipsism comes through loud and clear. So the SNL appearance was just overly forced and made her look pathetic. There is nothing Americans hate more than folks who look like they are trying too hard to be cool, especially when they are as hateful as Palin, who is one "Nuke the Whales" pamphlet short of being Lyndon Larouche.
God knows I'm no fan of Palin, but dammit, she was funny. She got her lines out smoothly and with good inflection, she didn't fumble any jokes, she chair-danced with enthusiasm -- it's not going to earn my vote, but hey. Live comedy's hard, and she pulled it off pretty well.
So, point taken that the rest of the show's not a conservative's cup of tea, but I honestly don't think they watched the McGruber sketches. They just unmuted it when Palin popped up onscreen, and that's a win for her.
Then again, I also enjoyed "Mark Wahlberg talks to Animals". Perhaps I'm easily amused.
Obama's ad was perfectly timed.
But, wow, Mr. Kubey, you really laid it out in this post. So true about SNL without Tina Fey -- dull, dull, dead. Add to the SNL fiasco and consider McCain trolling back to Letterman -- one of the few to ask McCain honest questions -- and to then press them (and the mean is not even a journalist or news commentator!) Letterman really exploited his advantage -- to the benefit of us all.
Not a good week of dipping into late night comedy.