SNL Lays the Smackdown on Hillary Clinton
Monday May 12, 2008
It wasn't too long ago that Hillary Clinton was singing the praises of Saturday Night Live for the way it was portraying the 2008 campaign.
Between invoking SNL to score points in a debate with Barack Obama and laughing it up alongside Clinton impersonator Amy Poehler, Clinton milked the show's favorable treatment of her for everything it was worth.
But it's safe to say the love affair has now come to an end after SNL, in its latest show, subjected Clinton to one of the most punishing comic assaults of the election season.
The show opened with Poehler, playing Clinton, making the case for why she is a better candidate to go up against John McCain. To sum it up, Clinton admitted to being a sore loser who has no ethical standards and whose supporters are racist.
Watch the video or read the transcript below:
"Hillary Clinton": "Good evening, my fellow Americans. As we all know, this has already been a long, hard-fought campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. But tonight, with my recent victory in Indiana, and Senator Obama's in North Carolina, we remain exactly where we were four months ago. Hopelessly deadlocked. Therefore, this nomination is going to be decided as it should be, by the superdelegates, based not on primary results or caucuses or delegate counts or popular vote, but on their sober assessment of which candidate will be the strongest against Senator McCain in November. Tonight, I'm here to tell you why I am that candidate.
"First, I am a sore loser. If and when I am the nominee, I know, as do the superdelegates, that Senator Obama will work his heart out for my election. If, on the other hand, Senator Obama is chosen, I will probably refuse to campaign for him. Or, if I do so, it will be in a resentful, half-hearted way, thus ensuring his defeat ... so that I can run again in 2012. You see, unlike my opponent, I'm just not going to lose gracefully. It's not a criticism of Senator Obama, it's just a fact.
"Second, my supporters are racist. If and when I am the nominee, Senator Obama's African-American supporters will be disappointed, perhaps. But they will still rally to me. If, however, Senator Obama is the nominee, my supporters will refuse to vote for him. Partly because I will secretly tell them not to, but mainly because they are racially biased and would never vote for any African-American candidate.
"My third and final argument: Unlike Senator Obama, I have no ethical standards. Even my critics would agree that once I get the nomination, I will stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to win. Whereas with Senator Obama, there are some things he simply will not do. Take, for example, the race card, which he has been reluctant to play. As in, anyone who doesn't vote for me is a racist. I, on the other hand, will be happy to play the gender card, and claim that anyone who doesn't vote for me is a sexist." "So there you have it, sore loser, racist supporters, no ethical standards, qualities Senator Obama simply cannot match. That's not an attack on my opponent, it's just the truth. When you consider that, the choice is obvious. Thank you, and live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Watch the video.
Related:
Best SNL Political Skits
Late-Night Jokes
Hillary Clinton Humor Roundup
Funniest Campaign Moments
Comments
The comedy skit was so blatently satiric, are you sure SNL was really slamming Hillary herself? Or were they parodying the media and/or her critics? “My supporters are racists” should have been the first clue, as that is patently so false. And then using those negative perceptions of her as if they are her strongest assets. That is where I found the comedy, not in a direct hit on Hillary herself. I don’t think this was meant to be a truthful assessment, even if you may feel that it is.
I think any way you look at it, it was a slam on Hillary Clinton. The skit gets at the subtext of what Hillary Clinton has been reduced to arguing, and exposes how completely ridiculous a case she is now making. It wasn’t supposed to be a truthful assessment, but rather a satirical take on the fact that all Hillary Clinton has to cling to now are, in fact, her most unattractive qualities that remain her biggest liabilities as a candidate.
I thought this was a good take on the SNL spoof:
SNL’s Brilliant ‘Sore Loser’ Sketch Illuminates Senator Clinton’s Shadows