saturday night lies

8/13/2019 Saturday Night Lies

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52 TOWNHALLJanuary 2014

October, shortly after her

controversial MTV Video

Music Awards act, Miley

Cyrus hosted an episode of

Saturday Night Live. She gave audiences another R-rated per-

formance by donning a brown wig to cover her blond Mohawk and

grinding to the song, We Did Stopa spoof of her summer hit,

We Cant Stop.

Who was Cyrus supposed to be?

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), partying with a flamboyant

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), portrayed by cast member

Taran Killam. Bachmann (Cyrus) and Boehner (Killiam) were

celebrating the successful shutdown of the federal government,

thus proving they could do whatever they want.

Ha.

Politically themed duds like these suggest that SNLs

producers may have an agenda other than laughs and ratings.

Certainly the show has mocked members of both political

parties in the past, but history suggests the jokes have more

often than not been one sided. The parodies may seem like

theyre all in good fun, but survey experts, political science

professors and students make a strong case that SNL can have

a noticeable impact at the polls.

THE SNL EFFECT

Kevin Daley, a junior at Canisius College who did undergraduate

work on humor in politics, sees an inextricable link between

comedy and Capitol Hill.Comedic impressions can have the multi-faceted effect of

entrenching ideological voters while persuading undecidedsa

rare feat in American politics, Daley says.

His theory is corroborated by some empirical evidence.

Mike Dabadie, co-founder of Heart + Mind Strategies, a

communications strategy consultancy, helps conduct a post-

election survey each presidential election cycle to gauge the

scope of what he and his team refers to as The SNL Effect. In

2008, they surveyed 1,049 voters to determine if SNLs political

satires had any influence on November 4.

There was an absolute impact, Dabadie told Townhall.

There was an extremely high viewership [of SNL] in 2008.

Sixty-seven percent said theyd seen the skits.So, how exactly did the votes pan out?

SNL in 2008 had a huge advantage for Obama, Dabadie

explained. He had a 20 point advantage over McCain of those

who saw SNL 59 percent of people who saw SNL voted for

Obama, 40 percent for McCain.

These numbers may reflect that those who watch SNL are

already likely to vote Democrat, but as Daley suggested, the

show has the potential to sway independents as well. The

positive impact SNL had on Obamas 2008 campaign can

perhaps be explained by the comedic efforts of one woman

Tina Fey.

THE FEY EFFECT

The high viewership and political advantage for Obama,

Dabadie inferred, was likely due to former SNL writer and cast

member Tina Feys wildly popular impersonation of Sarah Palin.

There was a media intensity around Palin and Feys

characterthere was such a likeness and a connection.

Fey introduced her Palin impression to SNL fans onSeptember 13, 2008 for the shows 34th season premiere. Her

faux press conference with fellow SNL alum Amy Poehler as

Hillary Clinton was then played on straight news shows for

months to come.

In her best Alaskan accent, Fey spewed a number of airheaded

statements and appeared more interested in winking at the

camera than talking public policy. Feys ditsiest line, which

Palin never actually said in real life, also became her characters

most memorable moment, I can see Russia from my house.

After NBC aired the skit, people started believing the

Russia line belonged to Palin and not her TV doppelganger.

TOP:This Oct. 5, 2013 photo released by NBC shows guest host MileyCyrus, lef, and Kenan Thompson in a scene from the late-night comedyseries Saturday Night Live, in New York. (AP/NBC, Dana Edelson)

BOTTOM:Actress Tina Fey, lef, plays Gov. Sarah Palin, and actress AmyPoehler plays Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Saturday Night Live inNew York. Online viral videos have become a staple of American politics.(AP/NBCU Photo Bank, Dana Edelson)

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To some degree, therefore, the politician became more famous

for her SNL characters fictional taglines than any of her actual

policy stances or accomplishments a confusion which seemed

to take its toll come Election Day.

Sixteen percent said it did [impact their vote], Dabadie

explained. Ten percent say it negatively impacted their view of

the McCain/Palin ticket.

Daley explained SNLs reach in 2008, Feys oft-mentioned

Palin performances had the dual effect of confirming left wing

stereotypes about conservatives while raising legitimate concerns

about Palins fitness for office among independent voters.

And SNL continued to attack Palin after Obama was elected.

In 2012, the show aired a fake movie trailer called Palin 2012,

that portrayed an apocalyptic world in which Sarah Palin was

president, warning viewers, Planet Earth is going rogue. Did

SNL make a Lieberman 2004 or an Edwards 2008? horror

film? Nope.

SURPRISING CONFESSIONS

SNL has mocked its share of Democratic politicians too. Cast

member Jay Pharoah, for instance, recently parodied President

Obama as a clueless bystander unaware of his own health care

law. However, such hits on Democrats are the exception, not

the rule.

Former SNL prime time player Chevy Chase has even

admitted that harming Republicans drove his bumbling

portrayal of President Gerald Ford. Ford, who played linebacker

for the University of Michigan, was among the fittest presidents

the United States has ever had. But Chase somehow managed

to make Americans believe Ford used his ties as Kleenexes,

walked into walls, and fell off ladders. He turned one of our

most athletic presidents ever into a guy who couldnt walk and

chew gum, Dr. Kevin Hardwick, a political science professor at

Canisius College, told Townhall.

In the opening skit of one particular episode, Ford (Chase),clumsily fell down a whole flight of stairs before announcing,

Live from New Yorkits Saturday Night! Apparently Chase

didnt mind almost giving himself concussions in his attempt

to paint Ford as daft.

Days before the 2008 presidential election, Chase gave a

surprising and brutally honest interview with CNNs Alina

Cho. Reporting on the impact SNL has had on politics since

the 1970s, Cho introduced Chase by stating, Some believe his

portrayal of Gerald Ford as a bumbling buffoon cost Ford the

election in 1976. The journalist urged her guest to provide

insight on this point and this fascinating exchange ensued.

Cho:You mean to tell me in the back of your mind you were

thinking, Hey, I want Carter ...Chase:Oh, yeah.

Cho:And Im going to make him look bad.

Chase: Oh yeah. What do you think theyre doing now,

you think theyre just doing this because Sarahs funny? No, I

think that the show is very much more Democratic and liberal-

oriented, that they are obviously more for Barack Obama.

Chase is not the only SNL cast member to admit that politics

trumps humor at SNL.

Like Chase, Will Ferrell also pleased viewers with a wildly

popular political impression that he eventually admitted was

influenced by political ideology. As George W. Bush. Ferrell

HEART

+ MINDSTRATEGIES(1,049 people surveyed)

76 percent of those surveyed said theywatched SNL during the 2008 election.Of those who saw Tina Feys Palin skits, 15percent say it negatively impacted their viewof the McCain/Palin ticket. 10 percent say SNLimpacted their vote in 2008.

FREQUENT SOURCES OF ELECTION

NEWS OF MILLENNIALS, PEOPLE

AGED 16-32:

68% Network News

58% Online Aggregator (Yahoo!, Google) 56% Cable News

52% Facebook or Twitter

50% Political Satire Shows

(The Daily Show, The Colbert Report,

Saturday Night Live)

50% News Website

44% Newspaper

37% Late Night Talk

(The Tonight Show, Late Night)

Source: Comedy Central/TRU Insight survey (online 25 minute

survey of 1,020 Millennials).

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constantly made the 43rd president sound unintelligent by

making up words such as strategerie and confusing common

phrases: Im gonna be around for a long time, on the job,

making the tough decisions 24/7thats 24 hours a week,seven months a year.

Ferrell would later tell the A.V. Club in an exclusive interview,

I had a couple of opportunities to go and meet him [Bush],

and I declined, partly out of comedic purposes, because when

I was on the show [Saturday Night Live] at the time, it didnt

make sense to really meet the people that you play, for fear of

them influencing you. And then the other side of it is, from a

political standpoint, I dont want to meet that guy.

SNL producer Lorne Michaels, however, regardless of his

former employees declarations, denied any such bias on the

show. He told Cho, Were not partisan. And were not putting

on anything that we dont believe is funny.Whether SNLs effects on voters are intentional or uninten-

tional, theres no doubting the show has the unique opportunity

to spread a message far and wide. As Chase told CNN, When

you have that kind of a venue and power where you can reach so

many millions of people and youve become a show that people

watch, you know, you can affect a lot of people, and humor does

it beautifully, because humor is perspective and has a way of

making judgment calls.

(AP/Charles Sykes)

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As even cast members admit, SNLs political agenda, coupled

with the millions of viewers in their hands in each Saturday,

proves to be a dangerous combination.

THE 2012 ELECTION

Readers increasingly alarmed by SNLs political influence may

find some temporary solace knowing it declined in 2012, along

with the shows viewership. Obamas advantage with those who

had seen the election-related parodies dropped from 20 points

to 12, according to Dabadie. This can be attributed, in part, tothe fact that the cast had no characters as strong as Chases

Ford or Feys Palin.

That doesnt mean the production team and cast didnt

work with who they had, however. Jason Sudeikis, portraying

Republican candidate Mitt Romney, cast the former

Massachusetts governor as an out of touch politician who

couldnt relate to middle class Americans because of his wealth.

He first cemented this characterization during SNLs 38th

season premiere.

Pharoah, playing Obama, opened the season by stating his

campaign had a secret weapon: Mitt Romney. The camera

then panned to Romney (Sudeikis),

holding a town hall with voters, I

understand the hardships facing

ordinary Americans. For example,

this summer, one of my horses

failed to medal at the Olympics.

Pharoah then deadpanned, Stick

with whats barely been workin, or

take your chances with that.

SNLs portrayal of Romney as

an out-of-touch politician reflected

the real life efforts of the Obama

campaign. In September of 2012,

for instance, the presidents team

released a damning ad called,

Heavy Load, which accused

Romney of turning a blind eye to

the struggles of the middle class,

suggesting he was only interested in

catering to the elite.

MILLENNIALS AND COMEDY

SNLs political bent is particularly

troubling considering where young

voters get their news.

A research study that Com-

edy Central conducted with

TRU Insights and Insight Re-

search, released less than three

weeks before Election Day 2012,

showed that half of Millennials

get their election news updates

from political satire shows such

as Comedy Central late-night talk

programs or Saturday Night Live.Despite these numbers, some

Millennials insist they are not so

persuaded by SNL when deciding

who gets their vote.

I feel like their prime has passed a while ago, Alexander

Morales, a Guilford College student told Townhall. During

the past election, I did find some of their impressions amusing,

although completely ineffective in changing my vote if that

was the intent of their sketches. I really think that SNL is no

longer the trendsetter for political satire anymore. I think that

shows like the Daily Show and Colbert Report are contenders

for that spot.

SNL may be losing political clout with some of its viewers,but Dabadie still foresees the show having an impact in 2016.

For two election cycles now, at a minimum at least 15 percent

of voters polled said SNL impacted their votes.

As long as SNL is Live from New York!, it will bring Capitol

Hill to viewers living rooms whether politicians like it or not

an unnerving reality for conservatives considering the show

has a history of saving its most memorable punch lines and

outrageous impressions for the GOP.

Cortney OBrien is a Web Editor for Townhall.com.

I THINK THAT THESHOW IS VERY MUCHMORE DEMOCRATIC ANDLIBERAL-ORIENTED,THAT THEY AREOBVIOUSLY MORE FORBARACK OBAMA.

I THINK THAT THESHOW IS VERY MUCHMORE DEMOCRATIC ANDLIBERAL-ORIENTED,THAT THEY AREOBVIOUSLY MORE FORBARACK OBAMA.

(AP/NBC, Dana Edelson)

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