{"id":108094,"date":"2024-09-28T22:26:50","date_gmt":"2024-09-28T15:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108094"},"modified":"2024-09-28T22:26:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-28T15:26:50","slug":"how-snl-has-been-shaping-politics-for-50-seasons-npr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108094","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018SNL\u2019 has been shaping politics for 50 seasons : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-25217\" class=\"bucketwrap image x-large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"&#10;        --source-width: 3000;&#10;        --source-height: 1688;&#10;    \">\n        <picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/webp\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/webp\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" data-format=\"webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" class=\"img\" type=\"image\/jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton during the \" a=\"\" hillary=\"\" christmas=\"\" sketch=\"\" on=\"\" december=\"\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/3000x1688+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2F2e%2Fa7cb1b63402b82e1af581cd13c7f%2Fnbc-photo.JPG\" data-format=\"jpeg\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton during the &#8220;A Hillary Christmas&#8221; sketch on December 19, 2015.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    Dana Edelson\/NBC<\/p>\n<p>                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><\/p>\n<p>        Dana Edelson\/NBC<\/p>\n<p>    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As a comedy nerd who has watched <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> since I stumbled on a rerun of the debut episode back in the mid-1970s, I\u2019m convinced SNL has had a profound impact on how America views politics.<\/p>\n<p>But the show has seemingly struggled in recent years, as the absurdity of modern politics has caught up to satire. Former president Donald Trump\u2019s references to myths about Haitian immigrants eating pets, his running mate JD Vance\u2019s comments about women without children, Vice President Kamala Harris having to defend stories about working at McDonald\u2019s as a youth \u2013 it all seems like stuff which would have been in sketches years ago, instead of real life.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-backstage-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap backstage\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>As a historic election looms, and the show begins its landmark 50th season this week, SNL faces an ongoing challenge: to make America laugh \u2013 and think differently \u2013 about a political world which has gotten stranger than anyone could have predicted when the show debuted back in 1975.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5123455-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5066895\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/08\/08\/nx-s1-5066895\/tim-walz-jd-vance-snl-casting\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2024\\\/08\\\/08\\\/nx-s1-5066895\\\/tim-walz-jd-vance-snl-casting&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/15\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/15\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/1351x1350+91+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F06%2F78%2F5e8199744c1d9e53603353e5d41d%2F6-images-6.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Who might play the VP candidates on SNL? A few ideas: Jim Gaffigan (clockwise from left), Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Jason Sudeikis, Zach Galifianakis and Jon Hamm.\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5123455-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>Already, the show\u2019s been on summer hiatus for the year\u2019s three most seismic political events: President Joe Biden\u2019s terrible debate performance against former president Donald Trump, Biden\u2019s eventual decision to step aside for Vice President Kamala Harris and Harris\u2019 domineering debate performance against Trump. So they\u2019ll need to hit the ground running Saturday, when comic actor Jean Smart hosts the show.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">A political impact from the beginning<\/h3>\n<p>I decided to bounce some of my harebrained theories about SNL\u2019s impact over time off Al Franken, who wrote some of the show\u2019s earliest political skits and worked there for many years as a writer and performer, before serving nearly ten years as a U.S. senator from Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>(Franken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2017\/12\/07\/568909860\/sen-al-franken-to-make-announcement-amid-calls-for-him-to-resign\"><u>resigned from the Senate in 2018<\/u><\/a> amid allegations of misconduct from several women who accused him of touching or kissing them in inappropriate ways. He has denied some allegations, said he remembers others differently, apologized for making some women feel uncomfortable and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2019\/07\/29\/the-case-of-al-franken\"><u>said he regrets resigning the office<\/u><\/a>.)<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-secondary-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap secondary\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>When it came to political satire, Franken says he and his fellow SNL writers had a pretty simple goal: Craft stuff that would be funny for people who knew both a little \u2013 and a lot \u2013 about politics.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5123455-101\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage1252448986\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/05\/20\/1252448986\/snl-musical-guests-ranked-season-49\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/20\\\/1252448986\\\/snl-musical-guests-ranked-season-49&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2024\/05\/20\/bad-bunny-2-by-will-heath-nbc_sq-70efdedfa64bcca5921dbd1bee9c561c1915c7e2.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"'SNL' just wrapped its 49th season: It's time to cruelly rank its musical guests\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5123455-101\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t try to be liberal or conservative,\u201d says Franken, who worked on the show in various stints from 1975, during its very first season, to 1995, helping write classic sketches featuring Dan Aykroyd as President Richard Nixon during his last days in office and Dana Carvey as both George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot in a debate.<\/p>\n<p>Quoting another legendary SNL writer, Jim Downey, he adds, \u201cWe just tried to do stuff\u2026that would reward people for knowing stuff, but not punish them for not\u2026Sketches that would be funny to everyone, but we were also trying to put in things that, really, really, smart people could go, \u2018Oh I see. They put that in there for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">SNL shapes our view of politicians through impressions<\/h3>\n<p>When <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> nails an impression of a politician, it manages a unique alchemy \u2013 elevating the thing about that person that is so funny it can pretty much define them in the public\u2019s mind. Often, it is something people already suspected about the politician, crystallizing how the public feels about their policies or candidacies.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5123455-102\" class=\"bucketwrap video youtube-video x-large\">\n<p>\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ford on the Phone - SNL\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nEIpAIqzbTg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n    <\/p>\n<p>                <b class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    <b class=\"source\">YouTube<\/b><br \/>\n                <\/b>\n        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>When John McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, Tina Fey produced a devastating take on the vice-presidential candidate as a superficial dimwit given to folksy-sounding word salads in speeches and interviews. Some people even assumed the politician actually said \u201cI can see Russia from my house\u201d \u2013 one of the jokes Fey\u2019s Palin <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/vSOLz1YBFG0?si=jK0B9pC7fyrcsdl0&amp;t=77\"><u>announces during a speech<\/u><\/a> that the real Palin never said.<\/p>\n<p>Think Gerald Ford was a clumsy dolt? That might be because that\u2019s how Chevy Chase <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/nEIpAIqzbTg?si=RV7AOhoy6NgmFPK3\"><u>played him<\/u><\/a> in the show\u2019s first season, even though Ford was a former champion athlete. Aykroyd handled Nixon and Jimmy Carter \u2013 nailing Nixon\u2019s shifty villany and Carter\u2019s wide smile and youth appeal, despite wearing a mustache neither politician had. Dana Carvey\u2019s take on George H.W. Bush as a stiff patrician given to flailing his arms widely also led people to confuse Carvey\u2019s jokes with things the real-life president said and did.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-third-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap third\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>And there was Darrell Hammond\u2019s take on Al Gore <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zDgRRVpemLo?si=iIyoHhDGB1cuRmKF&amp;t=119\"><u>during a debate sketch in 2000<\/u><\/a>, playing Gore as an oblivious technocrat obsessed with the word \u201clockbox\u201d to a crushing effect. \u201cI think [that sketch] elected Bush,\u201d says Franken, recalling how Gore\u2019s team reportedly used the sketch to coach the vice president on future debate performances.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5123455-103\" class=\"bucketwrap video youtube-video x-large\">\n<p>\n        <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"First Presidential Debate: Al Gore and George W. Bush  - SNL\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zDgRRVpemLo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n    <\/p>\n<p>                <b class=\"credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                    <b class=\"source\">YouTube<\/b><br \/>\n                <\/b>\n        <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">But sometimes impressions aren\u2019t enough<\/h3>\n<p>Because so much of the show\u2019s political insight comes from impressions, it creates problems when SNL can\u2019t find the right approach. The show never really found a great caricature of Joe Biden, despite having everyone from Jason Sudeikis to Woody Harrelson and Jim Carrey play him.<\/p>\n<p>When I say they had similar problems with Barack Obama, Franken agrees. \u201c[It] was like trying to climb a smooth, vertical wall,\u201d he says of lampooning Obama. \u201cHe had nothing to really grab onto. You could do an impression of his voice \u2026 but there [weren\u2019t] really a lot of footholds there.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5123455-104\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImage934833407\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/11\/14\/934833407\/heres-the-deal-folks-a-potus-impression-is-harder-than-it-looks\" data-metrics-ga4=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;recirculation&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:&quot;story_recirculation_click&quot;,&quot;clickType&quot;:&quot;inset box&quot;,&quot;clickUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.npr.org\\\/2020\\\/11\\\/14\\\/934833407\\\/heres-the-deal-folks-a-potus-impression-is-harder-than-it-looks&quot;}\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"webp\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/webp\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s=100&amp;c=15&amp;f=jpeg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s=100&amp;c=100&amp;f=jpeg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/11\/13\/snl-biden-and-kamala_sq-8058c2a65ffd16c4df8a6caffa4d33cfdfcbfe0d.jpg?s={width}&amp;c={quality}&amp;f={format}\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Here's The Deal, Folks: A POTUS Impression Is Harder Than It Looks\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/a>         <\/p>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5123455-104\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>The problem with Donald Trump may be the opposite: too many footholds. Alec Baldwin nailed Trump\u2019s scowling self-obsession, while James Austin Johnson captures the former president\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/R3N6Iqp8QIk?si=SbMxBNUjiMuCthQo\"><u>stream of consciousness patter<\/u><\/a>, though finding things funnier or more absurd than what he\u2019s actually done in real life remains a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>This weekend, though Maya Rudolph seems ready to nail Harris\u2019 coolly efficient power, the question remains: who will play crucial figures like Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and his GOP opposite JD Vance \u2013 and what will those impressions say about our politics writ large? (My money\u2019s on a \u201ccold open\u201d Saturday focused on Walz and Vance prepping for the vice presidential debate.)<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Helping the audience process political ideas beyond impressions<\/h3>\n<p>There have been impactful SNL sketches which speak to political ideas beyond lampooning politicians, often in the name of helping the audience process potent ideas.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ad-overflow-3-wrap\" class=\"ad-wrap overflow\" aria-label=\"advertisement\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>One of my favorites is <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SHG0ezLiVGc?si=mHr25EE2sCeopeSj&amp;t=158\"><u>a bit from 2016<\/u><\/a>, where Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock are sitting in an election watch party surrounded by white people. As Trump\u2019s election is confirmed, the white folks are shocked that America elected a candidate with such obvious race and sexism issues, while Rock and Chappelle \u2013 as Black men familiar with America\u2019s hypocrisies \u2013 are not.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">When politicians appear as themselves<\/h3>\n<p>Particularly before the rise of social media, the best way a politician could try to get ahead of how SNL portrayed them was to appear as themselves in the show\u2019s sketches. Obama, Palin, Hillary Clinton, and even Nikki Haley used this tactic, popping up to look like good sports while pushing back subtly against the most insulting parts of the parodies.<\/p>\n<p>McCain, who called <em>Saturday Night Live<\/em> creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/senjohnmccain\/status\/402184925756928000\"><u> a friend<\/u><\/a>, delivered one of the most notable cameos. He kicked off the SNL episode right before the presidential election in November 2008<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/pix6pJUW5-s?si=P1V3MCCJ7xgALbqp\"><u> with an appearance<\/u><\/a> where the senator \u2013 flanked by Fey as Palin and his actual wife, Cindy \u2013 hawked fake merchandise on the QVC home shopping channel, deftly presaging when Trump would <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/donald-trump-watches-bibles-coins-1960247\"><u>do it for real<\/u><\/a> with his own Bibles and luxury watches.<\/p>\n<p>But one of the most infamous political cameos is also the show\u2019s earliest, when Ron Nessen, then press secretary for Ford, hosted the show in 1976 and got his boss to pre-tape saying the show\u2019s legendary opening phrase, \u201cLive from New York, It\u2019s Saturday Night.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Franken says he impulsively asked Nessen to host the show at an event for Ford \u2013 later, he says, Michaels reminded him that handing out host invites was not his job \u2013 but they didn\u2019t really ease up on the president for the episode. \u201cWe had way too much fun with them and the Ford family was not appreciative,\u201d Franken adds. \u201cAnd I think right after that he lost in South Carolina to Reagan\u2026They hated it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2024\/09\/27\/nx-s1-5123455\/snl-saturday-night-live-new-season-50-season\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton during the &#8220;A Hillary Christmas&#8221; sketch on December 19, 2015. Dana Edelson\/NBC hide caption &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=108094\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=108094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108094\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=108094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=108094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=108094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}