I know this is old news, but I had Saturday Night Live in my TIVO, and being that it’s Sunday night, and there is shit on, I decided to watch it. The reason I bring this up at all is that I just wrote a rant about writing for art (and I hate to use the word love here, but you get the general idea) as opposed to writing for money. SNL just proved to me that there is a different aspect on which to write for … and that’s writing for some point; propaganda if you will. And even if you agree with SNL’s brand of opinion (which often times I do), it is what it is. Propaganda is writing that is loaded down with persuasion; plain and simple.
Now look, SNL has been proving that whoring out your writing, and writing stuff by committee isn’t the best idea for years; this show has actually been proving that the public will tune into an hour and a half show for 3 minutes of vaguely good content since Eddie Murphy left. (Tivo is brilliant since you only have to watch that three minutes.)
Last’s night show opened with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler doing their lame impressions of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Now I’m not going to make this a political rant, because I’ve decided that there are some things that I’m going to make off limits on my blog, but my general rants aren’t one of them (of which this is one, and I’m going to change my mind about doing political rants soon enough). I had gone to a wedding this weekend (in Downieville, California … beautiful town, but you can not use a cell phone there to save your life, so beware if you’re a cell phone whore like myself), and everyone there had been talking about how dead-on Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impression had been, so I was intrigued to see it. Okay let me say first off, looks wise, Tina Fey hit it out of the park. I almost thought I was looking at Sarah Palin for a minute. After her physical appearance, however, my compliments fade.
I’m all for comedy, and political satire, and Amy Poehler’s impression … well always has been kind of stupid to me. She doesn’t look like Hillary, she doesn’t talk like Hillary, she doesn’t have any of Hillary’s traits … The comedy of their Hillary impression is supposed to be that of a beaten Hillary Clinton trying so unsuccessfully to maintain some kind of dignity and grace while still being toted as the biggest victim in American History … first Bill getting blown in the Oval Office, and then Barrack being blown by the press for months costing her the nomination. Tina’s impression of Sarah … well come on folks IT WAS A HIT PIECE; it wasn’t comedy. Hey SNL, I get it, Republicans stupid idiots, and Democrats smart eccentrics. GOD I GET IT … ENOUGH ALREADY! How fucking lazy are you? Lets go over the last bunch of SNL Presidential Impressions … first there was Ford … Chevy Chase played him out to be a guy who was in a daze and fell down a lot, or (hmmm, what’s the word I’m looking for) stupid! Carter, a president who was has been cited by most historians as the worse president of the modern age was played as a totally brilliant man who just didn’t get that everyone wasn’t as smart as him (but god love him for trying, right?). Regan was Stupid, Bush One was Stupid, but Bill Clinton was smart and crafty. Bush Two was of course … well stupid. Now this with Sarah Palin? I’m just becoming insulted.
The notion that Palin’s foreign policy can be trimmed down to her being able to see Russia from her house, that cheesy Wisconsin accent, or that she thinks that global warming is god hugging the world (McCain actually is one of the only Repubies that has actually mentioned global warming, which is good since Regan couldn’t mention AIDS and look what that caused. Those guys are making progress I guess) is just stupid! I guess Sarah had been flaunting her breasts at her stump speeches all over the United States as well like Tina Fey’s impression suggests … I’m also pretty sure that Palin doesn’t believe that dinosaurs were around 4000 years ago.
Look I’m not sure why everyone is so hostile, and let me say this, I don’t dislike Sarah Palin I disagree with her. God, the sheer mention of a candidates name to an opposing party can get you into a party brawl. She’s walks her talk, and although I don’t personally want to walk her talk, I certainly understand the need for respect when it comes to people of character. Along those lines, I’m not sure if everyone is aware of this, but ALL politicians hang out with shady characters. I’m not sure why the press has given Barrack the monopoly on that. I’m not sure that being 72 disqualifies you from the white house … or owning 7 houses. My dad is that age, and he’s smarter than he was when I was younger (although he only owns one big house).
I guess all I want is to know what these guys actually think about things. I want interview that are neither hit jobs or fluff pieces. I want honest reporting about candidates so that I can make my own decisions. I don’t know that John McCain has anything to do with reproduction rights as President, but I don’t know that he doesn’t either. I want to know these things. I have plenty of friends who are totally pro-choice, but would never have an abortion. Perhaps Sarah Palin is one of those people … I don’t know. Lets settle down America … and get a grip on things. All these personal attacks are simply not necessary from either side.
