(CNN) - Saturday Night Live, the longtime NBC sketch comedy show that has arguably wielded significant influence this presidential election season, skewered the McCain-Palin ticket for the second straight week in a row Saturday.
In the show’s opening sketch, a Darrell Hammond impersonation of John McCain is shown in an advertising studio recording his tagline for a bevy of negative - and ridiculously false - campaign ads. The ads level such allegations as Barack Obama wants healthcare coverage for the entire universe (including Osama bin Laden) and supports tax cuts for pedophiles.
The sketch also takes a dig at McCain's age, portraying the Arizona senator as unfamiliar with digital recording technology (After he is told it is a new technology McCain says, "Like 8-track?")
Politico reported Saturday the sketch was actually conceived by former SNL writer Al Franken, the current Democratic challenger to Norm Coleman's Minnesota Senate seat.
SNL has already proven its ability to crystallize emerging campaign narratives this election cycle, widely credited with raising a general perception the media was in love with Obama during the primary election season in a series of sketches last winter. SNL's portrayal of Sarah Palin last weekend also synthesized several questions raised about the Alaska governor's readiness to serve as vice president.
With a weekly viewership stretching into the millions that reaches a swath of (mostly young) voters who aren't as closely following the ins and outs on the campaign trail, SNL has a clear ability to shape general perceptions of both presidential tickets in the final stretch of the race for the White House.
Responding to SNL's depiction of McCain, spokesman Tucker Bounds said, "Saturday Night Live is funny, Barack Obama showing no sign of life or leadership during a banking crisis is not funny."
From CNN Politics
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It is not good for democracy that young build their political thought based solely on SNL. This show is highly biased against one of the two main parties, but this bias is not expressed through logical thought or well fundamented reasoning. This bias is plain, low level mockery, which only serves to form gut-level voters. And we all know how dangerous this can be.
As usual, SNL feels the pulse of America and runs with it in hilarious fashion. Last week's Tina Fey as Sarah Palin sketch was the best ever on that show. "And I can see Russia from my house!" Brilliant!!
Obama/Biden '08
SNL has long since diminished to realm of TV Land. Who Cares.
Everybody who love Barbara Streisand please stand up.....one......tw...
anybody......somebody..........
We now live in a time when comedy shows like SNL, and the Daily Show provide people with better information and better commentary on news events than CNN, FOX or any major media outlet can provide. People don't trust the media anymore. When people laugh they are just acknowledging truth.
They definitely deserve it. Here's a proposition: Perhaps if McCain and Palin stopped lying, then SNL would get off your backs a little.
No way, no how, no McCain-Palin – Senator Hillary R. Clinton
SNL is just telling the truth period. We all know Palin is very inexperienced even some of the honest Republicans are saying openly. We also know how much Mc Same has been lying, if people were not paying attention he would probably got away with it. GOOD JOB SNL.
What would one expect from Al Franken or NBC, which has become a media outlet for Obama? If they keep up this one sided 'humor' it will backfire.
The ads in the Franken sketch were not nearly as untruthful as
the McCain ads accusing Obama of calling Palin a pig or saying
that Obama is in favor of explicit sex education for kindergartners.
You sold us this freaking war, CNN. Now you want to sell us
a president in the mid-stages of senile dementia.
So in an attempt to salvage it's abysmal ratings, SNL has become a partisan outlet for cheap pot shot politcal attacks. This is sad.
It's appropriate to mock these two traitors, whose policies have stolen from the american tax payer in unparalleled proportions.
The republican way has shown us what not to do.
We need change, and that change is Obama. We can not allow ourselves to vote for the SAME policies that have created this mess. McCains de-regulation platform, and socialism for big business is a doomed policy.
We will kill our children, our economy, our rights and our constitution if we elect McCain.
Vote Obama/Biden '08. Bring change to the white house, not criminal investigations, where the elitists feel they can disobey our judicial system at will while dictating it's ok to ignore the boundaries for others.
In another sketch, they also mocked the New York Times for their elitist liberal bias and attacks on Palin - but this fact is mysteriously absent from the article above. I wonder why. But since this is CNN, I guess I shouldn't.
For those of us that watch the McCain campaign from other countries and wonder how McCain/ Palin can just outright lie, steal, and cheat their way through a campaign SNL is a good source to know not everyone is fooled by the McCain lies. Since the McCain Palin speeches are all pretty much the same this is the only thing worth watching. I always look forward to the SNL skits and they should thank the McCain camp for the never ending lies that turn into good sketches.If SNL did not spoof this campaign the rest of the world would think Americans allow them to lie to the world without any recourse.Since Palin came on board and McCain had dropped all honour they are fair game for these spoofs and instead of fuming at McCain and Palins mockery of a campaign I get to laugh with Americans on a Saturday night.Keep up the good work SNL.Keep digging the grave Palin and McCain.
Or a SNL skit where Obama meets one of Hillary's PUMA supporters in a cat fight, or in a mud pit. I could get into that.
Or an SNL skit with people being interviewed about what to do with the styrofoam greek temple speech backdrop. Who had to take that thing apart? Was it recycled? Or just thrown away?
Or, an SNL skit comparing the love fest Obama got on "the view" and the bashing that McCain got on "the view". I think most of the AMerican public saw that charade and would love to see it bashed.
Or maybe it would be more fun to have a skit about Obama calling Emil Jones to tell him to let the Illinois ethics reform go through because he needs to have a positive mark on his resume. After all, he hasn't actually ever really changed anything, and getting Emil Jones to let a vote happen on Illinois reform might actually make it seem like Obama did something.
NBC IS OBAMA'S NETWORK.
Hi I'm John McCain and I approve this message by SNL.
Angry people who riducule others, are losers.
Hilarious. Next the McCrazy campaign is going to complain about it like they did with the Palin sketch, or maybe they actually have a sense of humor now.
Some will argue that Obama has been equally negative, but this is not the case. You might argue that the Limbaugh comparison was deceitful, but John McCain is out-sleazing Obama 5 to 1.
Equal time, or impartiality does not necessitate an equal skewering for all parties when only one is being sleazy.
Just to preempt comments from McCain supporters.
Always remember the famous quote;"What's worse than being talked about? NOT being TALKED ABOUT" SNL is the funniest show on TV and I am sure McCain and Palin are getting just as many laughs as we are from these skits!
McCain/Palin 08..................................................................
Great, Al Franken's campaign is already funded by hollywood and now has SNL doing his bidding, literally. Is his campaign a big joke to him? Al Franken's narcissism will allow Norm Coleman to survive the Bush years.
Truth and Honest were the topics SNL tackled in the opening act.
I found it fair. McCain has approved many false campaign ads.
When they rolled into the press briefing room skit allowing reporters the option of traveling to Alaska to vet Palin's past, I found it extremely offensive. SNL took satire and twisted it a bit too tauntly for my taste.
I am an Obama supporter and I do believe families are off limits. SNL crossed the line.
Palin is so cocky, so arrogant, so egotistical, and so unknowledgeable that my perception of her has quickly transitioned from laughable, to annoying, to now startling and frightening.
The McCain campaign virtually DEMANDS to be mocked.
It would be impolite to deny them.
for those who mat cry foul- political satire has been around for hundreds of years. Great that people are paying attention!
"With a weekly viewership stretching into the millions that reaches a swath of (mostly young) voters who aren't as closely following the ins and outs on the campaign trail..."
Why is it that 'young' people who watch SNL are supposedly not following the ins and outs of the campaigns??? I take it Alex Mooney has researched this demographic??? Let's watch the stupid generalizations!!