Whatever one may think of Saturday Night Live at any given time, during presidential election years, the show seems to blossom and it delivers its most consistently incisive and hilarious satire. From the beginning, with the show's breakout depiction of Gerald Ford as a literal bumbler, Saturday Night Live has succeeded in finding ways to use comedy to express certain fundamental truths about our political figures. Who can forget Dan Ackroyd's Jimmy Carter talking a caller down from a drug overdose, Phil Hartman's affable, insatiable Bill Clinton or Dana Carvey's interpretation of George Bush as a patrician weirdo. The show not only spoofs our political figures but, now more than ever, helps us define them through satire. In recent years, the show has wielded so much power over our understanding of politicians that one could make a powerful (but unproveable) argument that it actually influences our elections. Modern politicians have even attempted to engage the show (a few have even hosted it) in an attempt to have some sort of control over their image or at least to show that they are not bothered by the joke (even when they are.)
Gerald Ford was the first president to be lampooned on SNL and Chevy Chase's "impression" of him must have seemed odd at first. The young, handsome, actor looked nothing like Gerald Ford and didn't particularly try to sound like him. However, Chase's awkwardness and pratfalls did capture a something truthful about the president and his Ford became a popular recurring segment. Later, Dan Ackroyd not only portrayed a counter-culturally astute Jimmy Carter but also Richard Nixon in Watergate flashbacks.
During much of the Reagan administration, SNL was in disarray and it was during this period that creator Lorne Michaels had left the show, only to return in the mid-eighties. By this time the show was getting back to doing some great political satire, such as featuring Phil Hartman as a Ronald Reagan who was able to go from a sweet old man to a cold-blooded mastermind on the turn of a dime. During the Iran Contra scandal, this portrayal held a lot of currency.
By 1988, Saturday Night Live was fully ready to capitalize on that year's election. The presidential debate parodies were becoming a highlight of the show and Dana Carvey turned in a wildly exaggerated, but hilarious turn as George Bush. Also memorable was Jon Lovitz as a put-upon Michael Dukakis of "I can't believe I'm losing to this guy" fame.
For the 1992 election, Phil Hartman turned in another great impression as the fast food-loving Bill Clinton and Carvey not only played Bush but also Ross Perot, who was an SNL-ready character if there ever was one. However, it was VP candidate William Stockdale who really stole the show even even in an election full of out-sized characters. Phil Hartman and the writers seized on Stockdale's bizarre behavior and outbursts to portray Perot's running mate as seemingly crazed and shell-shocked.
While the 1996 election was not particularly inspiring in real life nor in comedy, the dramatic 2000 contest was perfect fodder for the show. Both the debates and the election's aftermath provided the show with months of rich comedy. Before he became a big movie star, Will Farrell brought George W. Bush to life on SNL as a carefree Texas dudebro. Master mimic Darryl Hammond was his foil, as a hilariously dull Al Gore.
There's a story that after his first presidential debate against Bush, Gore's team made him watch the SNL version of the debate so that he could better understand how he was coming across to audiences. In fact, once could make the argument that these two characterizations were instrumental in how the American public came to understand the pivotal 2000 election, with Bush presented as charismatic and likable and Gore coming off as smug and condescending. This is a rare instance of the show having a genuinely damaging effect on a Democratic candidate.
In the decade after the 2000 election the wall between SNL and the political world seemed to come down. For example, longtime SNL writer and cast member Al Franken was elected to the US Senate representing Minnesota. While it was not uncommon for political figures to appear on the show or its political-themed specials, in this decade high-profile political figures such as John McCain and Al Gore actually hosted the show.
By the time of the 2008 election, SNL had political satire down to a science and with the emergence of social media and video-sharing services like Youtube allowed the show's political sketches to go viral and high interest in the election meant that SNL had a bigger influence than ever on the election. While John McCain was a friend to the show it didn't stop SNL from mocking his own campaign stumbles.
However, it was his running mate, Sarah Palin, who provided the most memorable fodder for comedy. The Alaska governor was picked from relative obscurity and she delivered some impressive speeches at the start of her involvement with the campaign, becoming an instant celebrity but as the campaign wore on, Palin proved herself unprepared for the demands and scrutiny of a presidential contest. Her stumbles culminated in a series of disastrous TV interviews. SNL responded with a series of hilarious send-ups of Palin, bringing back former cast member Tina Fey, to whom it was commented Palin beared a certain resemblance.
The Fey/Palin sketches became immensely popular and became a news story themselves. They were also expressed a fundamental narrative about Sarah Palin's persona: she was charming but ridiculously unprepared to be president. Was it true? Probably, but more importantly, people seemed to think it was true. Good satire only gets mileage if people feel it expresses a truth about their reality and Fey's impression of Palin got a lot of mileage. While Sarah Palin has appeared on SNL a couple of times, she rarely passes an opportunity to publicly grumble about Tina Fey and the way she was portrayed on the show.
2016 is another exciting election and a high watermark for the show. Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton both present excellent fodder for comedy. Trump, ever the celebrity, even hosted the show during the Republican primary, to much controversy. By the time the debate season arrived, the show revealed that Tina Fey's old 30 Rock costar, Alec Baldwin, would be portraying Trump in the much anticipated SNL presidential debate sketches. In the modern era of SNL, stunt casting celebrity friends of the show as political figures is a way to build interest, as it did when Larry David played Bernie Sanders over the summer.
Baldwin's Trump impression proved to be biting and presented Trump as a sort of grotesque perpetually scowling man-child. This was a departure from the perhaps more technically accurate but toothless portrayal prior to Baldwin's involvement. Trump, ever thin-skinned skinned, publicly complained about the portrayal calling it "unfunny" and a "hatchet job." The popularity of Baldwin's impression of Trump and its dissemination throughout the media perhaps contributed to a larger media refocus on Trump's personal flaws.
Clinton has had a more savvy response to the way she has been portrayed on the show during this election season, embracing the show despite its sometimes unflattering presentation of her. Kate McKinnon's portrayal has become quite popular on the shoe and the comedian seems to have captured some of the high-strung pathos behind Clinton's very controlled public persona. She seems to have come to the conclusion that despite the show sometimes presenting her as inauthentic and calculating, it was ultimately better for her image to show a sense of humor and take the hits.
It would seem that after more than forty years of SNL political satire, politicians have learned that they have no control over how it is used against them. However, people like John McCain, Al Gore, and Hillary Clinton have learned that building a relationship with the show allows them an opportunity to have some control over they are defined in the media. Ultimately, SNL can offer politicians a high-risk, high reward venue to show humor, humanity, and to appear gracious and magnanimous which are few and far between in American politics.
Patrick Garone
Follow Me On Twitter
It would seem that after more than forty years of SNL political satire, politicians have learned that they have no control over how it is used against them. However, people like John McCain, Al Gore, and Hillary Clinton have learned that building a relationship with the show allows them an opportunity to have some control over they are defined in the media. Ultimately, SNL can offer politicians a high-risk, high reward venue to show humor, humanity, and to appear gracious and magnanimous which are few and far between in American politics.
Patrick Garone
Follow Me On Twitter
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