NBC's "Saturday Night Live" responded to criticism over two skits from its February 23 program that gave the appearance the show was supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign for president by giving the junior senator from New York her own "Editorial Response" in the most recent installment.
To make it clear the show isn't in the tank for Barack Obama's opponent, the real Hillary Clinton was allowed to address the nation rather than "SNL" actress Amy Poehler.
That should settle once and for all the questions about which candidate "SNL" is endorsing.
Hillary's editorial response immediately followed the opening sketch which, once again, was a lampoon of a recent debate between Clinton and Obama:
To be fair, the sketch made fun of both candidates this time, including Hillary's incessant chatter about health care. And, Poehler did present Clinton as having "a personality so unpleasant" that special interest groups will give into her wishes because "life is too short to deal with this awful woman."
However, much as the opening debate sketch last week, there were continual references to moderators being in the tank for Obama, and the questions lobbed at Hillary were much more difficult than those offered to Barack.
In fact, near the end of the sketch, Darrell Hammond, playing the part of NBC's Tim Russert, mercilessly grilled Clinton about her previous statements concerning NAFTA. When Clinton pointed out that she's getting tougher questions, and that "with me, the tone is more hostile," Hammond and Will Forte (as NBC's Brian Williams) pretended to play violins.
As this was immediately followed by the real Hillary's editorial response, it seems a metaphysical certitude "SNL" made it perfectly clear to viewers that during this campaign, it will remain 100 percent impartial...right!
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.




















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Bush and McCain are on next
March 2, 2008 - 11:35 ET by kgBush and McCain are on next week.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
lol right
March 2, 2008 - 11:47 ET by well99Must be nice to get all that free publicity.Glad SNL isnt in the tank for Hill.
it was mildy funny
March 2, 2008 - 12:01 ET by jondelwicheI saw this live and they weren't any too
soft on Hill. How desperate is Hillary to get her mug on
TV, even as Amy is making light of her abrasive
personality?
And let me just say, as a highly trained Arby's male, Poehler's attire seemed about 6 sizes less. Perhaps a little $$$
spent on catered food, more on exercise?
It just reminds me how low these candidates
will go for some attention. Sad. And we wonder
why much of the world thinks we're pathetic....it isnt W,
it's our media=facetime culture.
Crestfallen
March 2, 2008 - 12:09 ET by third eyeDoes anyone know why Maya Rudolph left the show? Because I have to say, shes one of a rare breed of chicks whose eyes are so filled with mischeviousness, that all she has to do is look into the camera and Im on the ground.
Love Maya. Apparently she
March 2, 2008 - 13:20 ET by balboaLove Maya. Apparently she wasn't under contract for this year, and after the writer's strike decided not to return.
third eye and bal -
March 2, 2008 - 17:05 ET by drillanwrA little trivia, in case you didn't know ...
Maya Rudolf is the daughter of singer Minni Ripperton, who's biggest hit song in the 1970s ... "Loving You" (where she hit those really HIGH notes) Ripperton sings "Maya ... Maya ... Maya" at the end of the song for her daughter.
Maya did a heck of a job portraying Donatella Versace.
When you men get home and face an anti-war protestor, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend because she knows she’s dating a pussy… ~ Attributed to General Tommy Franks
By...
March 2, 2008 - 12:12 ET by Warner Todd HustonOf course, by "impartial" they mean they'll equally support and advertise any Democrat.
Making fun of Hill's chatter on health care was a compliment in
March 2, 2008 - 12:38 ET by Dee Bunkdisguise. They want the dems to be clear that it is HER passion and not Obama's. Their one token thing was to make fun of her irritating voice which doesn't really hurt her because everyone is familiar with it already and it doesn't matter to those who like her politics.
They were clearly much harder on Obama. Of course neither imitations compare to how bad they treat Republicans.
One look at the dude playing
March 2, 2008 - 12:50 ET by the strugglerOne look at the dude playing Obama and I'm on the ground. Too funny.He doesn't have to say anything.Ha!
"John McCain threw me under the Straight Talk Express"---Billy C.
Sick
March 2, 2008 - 15:14 ET by iveseenitallThis entire thing makes me sick. There was a time when this nation had serious adults running for the highest office in the land. They discussed issues which were important to the future of the nation. Now they go on SNL and "joke around". Next it'll be Obama doing a dance or McCain playing a guitar. Oh, right, Huckelbee already did that. As a old comic once said, "What a revoltin' development this is!" Sad.
BTW, as we laugh at this, the terrorists and the communists are laughing at us-- and rubbing their hands in glee.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
There was a time when this
March 2, 2008 - 15:29 ET by mandrakeThere was a time when this nation had serious adults running for the highest office in the land. They discussed issues which were important to the future of the nation. Now they go on SNL and "joke around".
You mean like the time Nixon went on Laugh In and said 'sock it to me?"
I guess the candidates just recognize a new generation of voters...though I don't know anyone young who still watches SNL.
"What have you heard?"
March 2, 2008 - 15:31 ET by wiwf"What have you heard?" lol
The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy
Right, it's not happening...
March 2, 2008 - 15:41 ET by iveseenitallWhere did I put that fiddle? None so blind...
NEVER, NEVER trust a "liberal"
Uhmm, I never said it's not
March 2, 2008 - 15:48 ET by mandrakeUhmm, I never said it's not happening. I simply pointed out an example of it happening before. It worked for Nixon didn't it?
I'm not sure going after the youth vote is such a bad thing. It's their future at stake..not mine. (I'm a really old geezer)
How do the candidates reach the young? I know my kids don't bother with political rallies..but they do vote!
The process
March 2, 2008 - 17:15 ET by iveseenitallThe entire process has become a joke. Look at the choices we have. There's a true hero who derseves all the praise he gets for that, but otherwise does not seem to know where he stands on anything, (witness U.S. Grant). Then there's the old communist who sees the presidency as a means to create a welfare state in which she can settle the score with the capitalists. Lastly, we have a naive (at best) young black left-winger who's still wet behind the ears and appears to think he's a contestant on American Idol rather than a presidential candidate. Something is wrong. And the country is in deep soup.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Well iv, I'm sorry if the
March 2, 2008 - 17:32 ET by mandrakeWell iv, I'm sorry if the process has not produced the result you hoped for. I can't really disagree on your analysis of the candidates. I'm not impressed with them myself. But as Churchill observed..
Democracy is the worse form of goverment, except for all the rest.
So I hope 'the process' serves the young well :)
BTW..the US will survive this intact..it has many times in the past..I'm a born optimist
Responsibilty
March 2, 2008 - 17:58 ET by iveseenitallWe will survive. But we were given the responsibilty of showing the young the right path. It seems to me we've failed miserably at this, mostly by turning our heads and pretending certain things weren't happening. Now the voices of protest are being silenced by the mocking of basic principles. Right has become "wrong" in the eyes of so many. It has become the object of ridicule. It's sad.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Politics isn't exactly
March 2, 2008 - 21:49 ET by balboaPolitics isn't exactly looked at fondly these days. Scandal after scandal has made politicians look like a bunch of crooks and politics look like the land of back room deals.
tax returns?--experience!
March 2, 2008 - 17:28 ET by docbShe can not release her tax returns or her WH papers but she can go on a late night TV show that is making fun of her...She is truely deperate for coverage of any kind.
Now her playbook about the caucus strategy is out[ see below] and she does not look good there either. She has never picked up the phone @ 3:00 am---she has NO national security experience and NEVER had a security clearance!!!!
What a fraud...Go home
Get out your helmets , Texans... Strange that the process worked for bclinton twice in the 90's but the hclinton campaign is confused by the unfairness of the process now!!! Is this a new plan to get sympathy or just a continuance of arrogant planning on their part....Think the later... A Dallas paper has some of the hclinton playbook but the MSM will probably ignore this.
Hillary herself was coaching precinct captains in these techniques this morning: http://www.suntimes.... On Saturday morning, Clinton told 200 precinct captains in San Antonio they needed to seize control of the election-night caucuses. ?We?ve got to do the Texas two-step,? Clinton told them. Texas? unusual hybrid primary election offers voters two chances to vote for their candidate: In the morning at the polls and then in the evening at caucuses in every precinct. .... To that end, Clinton backers passed out flyers urging precinct captains to request the ?envelope? full of materials at the caucus that will allow them to serve as temporary chair of the caucus. ?If there is no envelope, take out your own materials and announce the start of the convention,? the instructions say. ?Possession of the envelope allows you to serve as temporary chair and control the start of the precinct convention.? Clinton, her voice growing hoarse, urged the precinct captains to recruit their friends. ?There are 8,000 sites for these conventions and we want to be represented for each and every one of them,? she said.
The reason she
March 2, 2008 - 22:27 ET by Cape Conservativecan't release her tax returns is because "she is sooooo busy" - you know, making a fool of herself on SNL certainly is a higher priority than calling her accountant to release their records ;-)
The late-January SNL was
March 2, 2008 - 19:20 ET by ThisnThatThe late-January SNL was removed from u-tube by NBC for "Copyright" reasons. If you recall, this was unflattering to Clinton. Now, we have this version up on u-tube. Questions:
Will it stay up, and for how long?
If taken down, will it be for the same reason (copyright)
If it stays up, will it be because it's more favorable to Clinton?
Is NBC trying to control internet content?
Is Google/u-tube beholden to other MSM demands?
Is Noel behind all these shenanigans? Is he secretely the "internet puppetmaster"?
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
sure, tnt
March 2, 2008 - 21:21 ET by Cape Conservativeblame it all on Noel - the "master puppeteer" can take it ;-)
If Google caves in to Pakistan - guess it only follows they'll cave in to NBC just to keep things on the up and up - no bias shown!
TNT
March 2, 2008 - 23:03 ET by Noel SheppardTNT,
Puppetmaster here. This video is from NBC's site. So, it should last. ns
PUPPETMASTER? LOL NOEL!
March 2, 2008 - 23:14 ET by Free StinkerNoel: 32,768 (because I don't count higher without a computer)
TNT: 0
Pledge to not support RINOs ever again!
Finally, Free Stinker
March 4, 2008 - 18:50 ET by ThisnThat... I got on the scoreboard!
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
I guess Rudy Giuliani was
March 2, 2008 - 21:21 ET by Hero SquadI guess Rudy Giuliani was brought in to bring some balance to the show during his segment on the news. I thought his sarcastic response to Seth Meyers asking him "Would you have done anything differently?" was classic. His insistence that it was his dressing in drag on SNL when he was a guest host, not his all-in Florida strategy, that cost him the nomination, was pretty amusing.
They've now had Huckabee, Clinton and Obama do guest spots on the show. I assume the door is open to McCain, if he so desires.
*****
"People only insist that a debate stop when they are afraid of what might be learned if it continues." - George Will
My hope is
March 2, 2008 - 21:23 ET by Cape Conservativehe will decline - there has to be a line drawn somewhere for the dignity of the (hopefully) presidential office!