As another political season comes to its
conclusion, it makes sense to reflect on the impact of comedy on politics. Today, political satire can been virtually everywhere
on television, most adroitly on “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.” Once
upon a time, though, “Saturday Night Live” was the dominant source for political
commentary on television.
Premiering in 1975, “SNL” and its “Not-Ready-For
Prime Time Players,” represented the more cynical zeitgeist of the post-Vietnam/Watergate
era, when there was little reluctance to skewer our national leaders. “SNL” quickly played an important role in the
first election during its nearly four-decade run, the 1976 contest between
President Gerald Ford and Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
Though only on the show for one season, Chevy
Chase made an indelible impression in portraying Ford. Though the former University of Michigan
football player was one of our most athletic presidents, Chase took advantage
of a pair of televised stumbles by Ford to create a view of the president as a
bumbling leader. Interestingly, Chase
made no attempt to impersonate Ford’s voice or other mannerisms.
With original producer Lorne Michaels absent for
several seasons in the early-to-mid 1980s, “SNL” didn’t engage in much political
commentary. But when he returned for
season 11, the show produced some of its best material. One of its famous political sketches came when
Phil Hartman portrayed Ronald Reagan during the middle of the Iran-contra
scandal. The “Gipper” famously had an
image as a genial leader who left the details to his subordinates. In Hartman’s
skit, Reagan plays a grandfatherly role in public while secretly masterminding
every detail of the arms-for-hostages agreement in private.
Of course, Dana Carvey’s masterful take on George
H. W. Bush remains the gold standard for political impersonations. By exaggerating Bush 41’s mannerisms and
voice, Carvey captured the essence of his persona. Indeed, when people try to do impersonations
of the elder Bush today they are simply imitating Carvey—whether they realize
it or not.
While both Hartman and Darrell Hammond did a fine
job as Bill Clinton, “SNL” truly returned to the center of the national water
cooler in the disputed 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. Hammond’s portrayal of Gore in the first
debate, with his constant references to the Social Security “lockbox” made the
term a national punch line. Gore’s
advisers made him watch the skit to show make him aware of the image of his
public persona. Will Ferrell’s W was
also impressive and his invocation of “strategery” as the center of his political
philosophy so reflected Bush’s own mangled syntax that many actually believe he
said it.
2008 may have marked the high point for “SNL,”
with several shows making a significant impact on the dialogue of the
campaign. Hilary Clinton referenced a skit
mocking the media’s fawning coverage of Obama during one of their many
debates. Though Fred Armisen struggled a
bit with his Obama, Amy Poehler’s Hilary was excellent.
Still, Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin was probably the
most impressive “SNL” political character since Carvey’s Bush 41. Clearly aided by the physical similarity
between her and the Alaska governor, Fey also captured her voice and
mannerisms. It became difficult to
discern between the two.
You can’t win every election and this campaign
has been a bit disappointing for the long-running show. Furthermore, younger viewers are increasingly
moving away from it for fresher programs.
Still, “Saturday Night Live” has been a key part of our politics since
the disco era and remains so today.
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