An Open Letter to the Producers at Saturday Night Live
Rumors that Gov. Sarah Palin is planning to appear on Saturday Night Live are gaining traction in the mediasphere. Nevertheless, a representative of the show told me that "reports of a Sarah Palin/SNL booking are unconfirmed" but added: "That said, 'Saturday Night Live' maintains an open door policy for all of the candidates to appear."
Okay, it's still only a rumor, but Palin has said she wants to be on the show and you have an open door policy. That's not a "No."
Why does Sarah Palin want to be on the show?
It's no secret. Saturday Night Live is a showcase for celebrities. It is fabulously popular show, and it offers its hosts a lot of cred. Palin wants to appear on the show, obviously, to boost her image, to make her look like someone who has a sense of humor -- a wonderful person who can take a joke... and a star. But in truth, it would be a nationally televised campaign appearance scheduled right before people will be marking their ballots.
Here's my issue. Should Sarah Palin be treated like a star? She's a candidate for our country's second highest office, true. But how has she earned the right to call the shots -- to be on a show like yours -- when she is apparently not even able to hold a single press conference? Shouldn't a legitimate candidate for such a prestigious office at least level with us about who she is -- give us an opportunity to judge whether she's capable and worthy of our trust or just a poser?
This is a woman who is leading a tour of heated increasingly ugly political rallies asking the insinuating question "Who is Barack Obama?" and linking the United States senator to terrorism through his ties to William Ayers. Never mind that the Ayers story has been debunked every which way. Palin's "fans" do not get it. They don't want to get it. So there's Palin inciting crowds into calling him a terrorist and a socialist, and in some cases, yelling out "Kill him," and apparently enjoying every minute of it. It doesn't get much worse than that.
But while she wrongly accuses Obama of "pallin' around with terrorists," neither her ignorance nor her own dirty laundry is being exposed. She has not answered to the American people. Her appearances are heavily managed. Her cloistered campaign has given the press unprecedentedly little true access to interview her on behalf of the American voters. Saturday Night Live should be asking along with the rest of us: "Who is Sarah Palin?"
Palin complains about being annoyed by interview questions she can't answer and calls fairly straightforward sit down interviews "gotcha journalism," as if it wasn't fair to ask a hockey mom who is running for the second highest office in this country a question of substance (or even "What newspapers and magazines do you read?"). Apparently, it's not fair to require her to demonstrate her readiness for the office. Should this person be rewarded with a "star turn" on your show, which for all its satirical power is still a forum for entertainers. This is gaming the system. Palin can shrug off whatever happens on the show as mere showbiz, play it to the hilt as free publicity, revel in it as a national media appearance without a downside. How much will you allow our political process to be manipulated? To some of us, it's not a game or a game show.
While our economy, and with it the world's economy, are sinking and screaming for help and leadership, while we are at war in two countries and international tensions are of serious concern, while our environment is in real danger, and real people are losing their jobs and their homes, all Gov. Palin can do is attack Barack Obama. She has answered none of the important questions about her own knowledge of the Constitution or economics or foreign policy. She has not held forth in any substantive way on the kind of solutions she intends to propose and how she goes about formulating those solutions, according to what resources and lines of thought. Nor, as she happily casts stones at Obama, has she addressed her own questionable associations and dealings.
I sincerely request the producers at Saturday Night Live consider whether Sarah Palin deserves the imprimatur of your respected show, or, at the very least, that you require something of this candidate before she is allowed to take advantage of your reputation.
If you are seriously considering putting this woman on the air before America votes, I'd ask you to require that she conduct an open and lengthy press conference. It should feature a fair sampling of unbiased reporters (if such can be found) -- or at least reporters from different sides of the cultural divide -- without preconditions. Any question is fair game, including follow-ups.
Why not do it on the show? Require her to answer questions -- real questions -- on the Saturday Night Live stage. As the cost for her star turn, make her reveal what she knows and what she believes in an unscripted question-and-answer session with real people asking real questions. Hold her accountable. Don't toss pillows and let her answer with talking points. For American voters, it would present, at last, a live, televised, unscripted Palin -- an edgy and sure to be riveting "skit" that would generate material for untold numbers of subsequent episodes. It would be a ratings bonanza!
Please don't let Sarah Palin promote herself without first representing herself seriously as a candidate. If she is too cowardly to face the nation -- to reveal herself as fully as the other candidates have done -- then she should drop out of the race.
PALIN ON SNL? NOT WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS!