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Palin on SNL: What Did You Expect?

Posted by Alec Baldwin, Huffington Post at 10:35 AM on October 20, 2008.


30 Rock star Alec Baldwin weighs in on Palin's performance on Saturday night.

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In 1998, I attended the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington. A friend who is a lobbyist there escorted me to a weekend's worth of events. As we moved around a brunch reception one late morning, I turned and suddenly faced Henry Kissinger. I remember thinking, at that exact moment, that here before me was the man who defined the horrible abuses of American political and military power that have cast such an enormous shadow over America's reputation since the Vietnam war. Not exactly to a Hitchens-esque degree, I was horrified. My political opposite one foot away from me. "Alec, this is Henry Kissinger," my friend said. I paused and said, "I'm sorry to hear about your mother."

Kissinger's mother, Paula, had died the month before, at the age of 97. She had lived in the same formerly German-Jewish community in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan for decades. Kissinger looked me in the eye and, with what I believed was genuine emotion, said, "Thank you for saying that to me." I mention this because I wonder, what did some of you people actually think would happen with Palin on SNL?

Saturday Night Live is a comedy show. It's not Meet the Press. It doesn't "ask the tough questions" or" set the agenda." It attempts, with varying degrees of success, to make people laugh. That's it. Whether they skewer and savage people in order to do so, they don't care. When you come on a show like that, you are prepared in advance to get worked over. Palin knew that. Palin came on to be a good sport. And she was. She was polite, gracious. (More so than some of the famous actors who come through there, believe me.)

However, I assume that, like Meet the Press, SNL feels an obligation to offer their special forum to any and all public figures and officials who are current. Headline making. And in SNL's case, would make for a hit show. Several people decried SNL for giving her a spot on the show. You're kidding, right? The woman is the Vice Presidential nominee of one of the two major parties in this country. Don't put her on SNL? With all of her exposure and the Tina Fey performance? What reality are you in?

If you think an appearance on Saturday Night Live would sway voters and actually effect the outcome of the election, you may have more contempt for the electorate of this country than the Republican National Committee does. And that's a lot of contempt.

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Tagged as: snl, baldwin, palin


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I'm glad Alec Baldwin is an actor...
Posted by: sliver on Oct 20, 2008 12:56 PM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
... and not a writer.

How did this Kissinger story relate to the Palin story?

Good thing he normally has writers telling him what to say.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

SNL did what it does, and without losing its cred
Posted by: nomomorons on Oct 20, 2008 2:48 PM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It was funny, Tina was tops, Amy was awesome, Sarah was--er, subdued. And that was good for her, and instructive to the public. For the first time since Couric exposed her, Palin was NOT controlling the venue/message/exchange. And she pulled back from her obnoxious arrogance. Which tells us that it's a bit of a bully act.

BTW, the ref. to Kissinger is about manners. The basis of civilized society? Something Republicans forsook years ago. Not surprising that good Democratic Alex still practices them.

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Being used as a campaign tool
Posted by: Sunnydayz on Oct 20, 2008 7:52 PM   
Current rating: 4    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The problem I have with it is that this is such an obvious attempt by the political strategists to make Palin more "accessible" and to help build "image".

You dont have to assist people in politics to promote image over substance and it doesnt matter if you think it would work or not. If you are participating in their efforts, then accept that you are.

I think SNL is a pretty good show and the political lampooning is great but that doesnt mean it has to, nor should it, start becoming a forum for any politicans (of any side) to sell their "image" and reach a demographic they wish to.

If you offer yourself up as a campaign tool, deal with it and dont make excuses.

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» RE: Really? Posted by: jimidee
Tina Fey for Vice President!
Posted by: PJAW on Oct 21, 2008 6:17 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]

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roseonatwig
Posted by: abrazweig@hotmail.com on Oct 21, 2008 11:05 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
INVITING PALIN ON THE SHOW IS "NORMALIZING" HER AND EVERYTHING SHE STANDS FOR.
I GUESS SNL'S OVERRIDING CONCERN IS-SHOCKINGLY ENOUGH- THE BOTTOMLINE.

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