At a time when the spotlight on the presidential candidates is brighter than ever, there is a large audience who get their leading source of news in the form of entertainment. Shows like “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live” are some of the late-night comedy programs that have been named for having the greatest influence on voters. Mike Dabadie, co-founder of the nonpartisan research group Heart + Mind Strategies, found that 66 percent of voters during the 2008 election had seen the “SNL” sketches portraying Republican candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin and President Barack Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden.
Essentially all of these comedy programs, from “The Tonight Show” to “The Colbert Report,” are left-of-center. While the right dominates daytime talk radio, the left champions late-night television. Candidates wouldn’t make appearances on late night shows if they didn’t believe these programs had an influence on voters — both Obama and McCain went on “SNL” in 2008, for instance. So it matters for the election, and for independent voters in particular, that there are almost no conservative leaning comedy shows on air.
The right is easier to poke fun at, especially since they are experts at taking themselves too seriously; megalomaniac Bill O’Reilly is an example of this. For instance, after addressing “SNL’s” liberal partiality on a podcast last week, Seth Meyers called out Obama in his Weekend Update segment for publicly speaking out about anything while his opponent Gov. Mitt Romney was on a self-inflicted downward spiral toward defeat with his 47 percent comments and so-called brownface appearance on Univision. The Democrats do not really have to do much when they are constantly overshadowed by criticism on staunch conservative policies that do not work, such as Paul Ryan’s budget plan, gaffes like Romney’s London visit or blatant misspeaking — Romney’s criticism of Obama over the Libya attack — only make the Democrats look even better.
Obama has been a considerably tougher target than his challengers, Romney and Ryan, because his statements are measured and thoughtful, which makes them difficult to transform into comical sound bites. Republicans today have colorfully defined themselves with careless, offhanded comments and fumbles that have thwarted any credibility they once had as serious politicians. Even Bill Clinton, who was relentlessly spoofed on “SNL” for his appetitie for both food and women — think Phil Hartman shoving down chicken nuggets at McDonald’s — is still a popular, praised political figure today. While Democrats make stupid mistakes, modern day Republicans paralyze themselves with an inability to alter their rhetoric and behavior, such as Romney standing by his leaked 47 percent statements.
Since the severely unfunny and failed “1/2 Hour News Hour” — Fox’s one attempt to answer “The Daily Show” — the biggest name in right-wing comedy now is Clint Eastwood. So by the looks of it, if Obama is reelected we are going to have a few more dry seasons of SNL to get through.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 1 print edition. Raquel Woodruff is a staff columnist. Email her at [email protected].
Corey Mondello • Oct 2, 2012 at 7:27 pm
Conservatives who are insane have always numbered more than in any other category or group of people. They are always on the “wrong side of history” and they are obviously the closet thing to spoiled selfish children that people cant but look at them in awe and wonderment. So laughing at them helps us understand their insanity.