So earlier in the day I saw a post about this skit some website or another suggesting that it was great.
I did not read the whole thing because I didn't want the skit to be spoiled before I had a chance to see it. (#Alaskaproblems.)
But as I'm watching the damn thing I kept shaking my head and saying out loud, "WTF? That's not what happened at all!"
Think Progress noticed the same thing:
“BILL: And if I pass the legislative test, then I wind up on the President’s desk…
BOY: President Obama what’s the big idea? That bill was trying to become a law.”
In the sketch, once the bill reaches Obama’s desk, he pushes the bill down the steps. But this is the opposite of what actually happened. Obama was desperate to see an immigration bill — of virtually any type — cross his desk. In May 2013, he reached a tentative deal with a bipartisan group of House lawmakers, which would have been substantially more conservative than the Senate bill. It was ultimately rejected by Republican House leadership.
“BILL: Don’t you have to go through Congress at some point?
EXECUTIVE ORDER: Oh that’s adorable, you still think that’s how government works.”
The implication here is that presidents before Obama didn’t use executive action for major policy areas. In fact, George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan both used executive orders to protect undocumented immigrants. In 1989, Bush’s order protected about 40% of the undocumented population, roughly the same percentage as Obama’s order.
Think Progress ends the article by saying that SNL is under no obligation to get their facts right in order to do parody, but I disagree with that.
Maybe back in the 70's SNL could be a little sloppy, and get by with it because their viewers were not nearly as well informed as viewers today. But in a world where they are competing with brilliant satirists like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and HBO's John Oliver, they need to cross their fucking 't's" and dot their fucking "i's."
Do you know how you know when you have really screwed the pooch while presenting a political parody? When freaking Ted Cruz is quoting you while attacking the President, that's how.
I have been pretty underwhelmed with SNL this season, but I thought I would give them a chance to his their stride.
Yeah well forget that shit now. I am done with them.
This was so funny and the outrage is cracking me up. This program is based on humor, much of their humor comes from mocking that which they find abhorrent (think mocking Palin in the Amy Poehler skit while they made her sit and watch, Classic SNL!). This skit was obviously skewering the fearful rightwing crazy people that have been losing their shit over this executive order and they did a great job mocking those assholes.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how many have their panties in a wad over this. I can only think it is because some rightwing outlets thought that SNL had their back while they really were blasting their idiocy. Just like The Daily Currant, some satire seems to be a little too subtle for the left wing hystericals to understand.
I'm disappointed that you are feeding this outrage machine. Perhaps you should watch it again?
To be fair NBC and ABC are in a dogfight to stake out the position as the more far to the right of the networks. Just watch the morning talk shows and the people are for the most part a bunch of prissy right wingers. Ditto the evening news people.
ReplyDeleteAs am I. And I let them know. You can give NBC your opinion at http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/blog
ReplyDeleteAt the bottom of the page is a link that says: We want your opinion. I gave it to them!
I wrote the following:
Certainly SNL writers of all people know that the best comedy has some truth in it. Take the Sarah Palin sketch where you pretty much quoted her word for word. It was one of your best and sent Tina Fey to the top of the charts.
Which is why I am wondering how you could possibly think that the Immigration skit was anywhere near funny, as it was as far from the truth as you could possibly get.
If you're going to parody politics, perhaps you'd like to try knowing something about it. For one our President did not grant amnesty nor sign an executive order. He signed an executive action. Big difference. But it appears that you get your info from Sarah Palin herself. So, maybe it was meant to be a parody on you?
Whatever it was meant to be, it was a complete and abject failure. Congrats. When Ted Cruz starts using your skits on his FB page to further the lie, then you've lost the majority of the Americans who voted in this president. Twice.
Go you!
Delete+ 2.
DeleteOther than clips of Palin parody, I quit watching them when all the good characters left years ago. Fey and Poeler were anomalies that should be given their due, but the rest of the show has become just dumb high school skits. Not funny.
ReplyDeleteNo comparison to the genius of Akroyd, Radner, Chase, Belushi etc
Mildred
Mildred, I SO agree with you. I can't stand to watch SNL anymore as well.
DeleteI cannot remember the last time I watched SNL. Lost interest in it a long time ago!
DeleteLorne Michaels has always been right-wing. He just knew he could make more money with a left-leaning SNL.
ReplyDeleteNow that crazy lies have entered the social bloodstream, he's allowing his true colors to shine. Watch on Saturday night for more of the same. He should be cringing that Ted Cruz is quoting him, but it'll make him more commercial, and bring in some of the nuts to stay up late (or watch on their computers).
The lies have gone viral.
So far this season I've watched one skit, and only because people were saying it was very funny. It wasn't.
ReplyDeleteSome of us have always found SNL not that funny.
In total agreement, Mildred, and they're too lazy to learn their lines. The incessant cue card reading is dull beyond belief.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to consider... many programs on tv have fallen victim to cost-cutting which has decreased their value to the viewer. Scripted tv is competing with garbage reality tv which is very cheap to produce. Some of the people who make the decisions only factor in the dollar signs when calculating programming value. This may be happening with SNL. You can look at cast changes, writing staff changes, and look at the quality of the product they are producing. Has anyone noticed how they are HYPING the "Fall Finale" concept? Anyone notice how they try to hide the shorter seasons (fewer episodes)?
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching SNL after Chris Katan and Will Ferrell left...talent is gone..Tina Fey and her ilk set the pace for what is the new SNL ..sad.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the President waiting for an immigration bill to come across his desk there have been over 300 bills sent to the Senate, several of which were immigration, but Reid refused to bring them to a vote! Also, he has refused to enforce the laws on the books. If he didn't like them, he had 2 years with a super majority to pass one.
ReplyDeleteLastly, both Reagan and W used a law that was passed by Congress.
It's funny when SNL bends the facts to make the right look more stupid, but not the other way around, huh.
The Senate passed an immigration bill but the House has refused to let it come to the floor for a vote. That's been the problem. The GOP has controlled the House for four years. Four years of nothing substantial, unless it's a vote to undo the ACA (that's Obamacare to you) or to redefine rape. Not one "jobs" bill has been brought to the floor of the House either and that was the sum total of the GOP platform in 2010. Between January 2009 and January 2011, when the Democrats were still in some sort of control, lots of laws were passed including the stimulus (watered down by the GOP but nonetheless) and the ACA (made infinitely more complex by GOP meddling), both of which have had profound effects on the economy and the future health of Americans. This was achieved despite the GOP obstructionist 60-vote filibuster pattern in the Senate. The last session of the House was the most do-nothing session in our history.
DeleteSince he was inaugurated in 2009 President Obama has had to deal with an obstructionist opposition party that has behaved in a seditious manner at every opportunity. This never happened when we had Democratic-controlled Congress and a GOP president.
When Ronald Reagan was in office, the Democratic party had the majority and good laws were passed. When George W. Bush was in office, there were years when the Democrats controlled Congress and ones when the GOP controlled it. It's a fact that this country does better economically and otherwise when Democrats are in control.
Remember that SNL is a comedy show and that most of the people writing for it did not learn civics or much of American history when they were in school.
Beaglemom
"If he didn't like them, he had 2 years with a super majority to pass one."
DeleteYou're obviously a right wing dittohead, so let me educate you: The Dems had a filibuster-proof supermajority for 7 weeks in 2009, between the time Al Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's junior senator SEVEN MONTHS after he was elected (thanks to RWNJ Norm Coleman refusing to concede for that period of time) and Senator Ted Kennedy's death.
More details here: http://factleft.com/2012/01/31/the-myth-of-democratic-super-majority/
If you want to live with the wonderful Dem policies are in place and have been for a long time, I will help you move to Detroit, or Ferguson, MO. Anytime.
DeleteI am hoping Obama does push some of the crazy bills that the Republicans will be pushing through down the steps.
ReplyDeleteObama doesn't know who he is. I am convinced.
DeleteStrange indeed. But we really have no idea what is happened in the capital. No one's honest.
ReplyDeleteDear Ann,
DeleteWe have no idea what is happened in the capital is a terrible sentence. That word, "is" doesn't belong there. We have no idea what happened in the capital might be a little better but you still have a problem. It's that word, "capital." Capital is the Big letter that you use at the beginning of a sentence or for the Name of Someone, as you see in the sentence. Capitol is the building where Congress and the Senate meet.
The Senate passed an immigration bill and the Congress had more than a year to vote on it, too, but they never did. The way that we know this is because we have reporters with microphones and TV cameras, and they show us what is happening, live, right in front of us. If you want to see what is going on in the Capitol, in Congress or the Senate, watch C-Span. It's a TV station that shows you how our elected lawmakers are wasting our tax money by sitting around and doing nothing. It doesn't matter if none of them are honest. You get to watch them for yourself.
I get the feeling that I am talking to a kid in school. Ann, it's time to do your homework and then go to bed. Sarah will send you your Troll Check. It's OK. And, please, don't make me correct your comment again.
Just because it you can watch the Senate and House while they're in session, doesn't, mean you know what is going on. Much of the business is actually handled while out of session.
DeleteMay I suggest some volunteer work, since you must not have enough to care about in your own life, to harp on someone's grammar. This is what we get from common core.
I never found SNL funny. Whores for money is all they where (and ever will be.)
ReplyDeleteParody imitates someone, or something about someone, in an amusing or mocking way to be comedic, and if it's well done, is also poignant. (Tina Fey's parodies of Palin, using Palin's own words without edits, were some of the purest parodies ever.) But by misrepresenting Obama's actions, their portrayal does not qualify as parody, and is instead a straight-up misrepresentation of facts presented in a manner that imitated parody. I don't care about their motive, it simply comes down to a choice between believing they are revealing a disturbing political agenda or believing their attempt at parody was genuine and revealed them to be so misinformed that they're not worth watching. So, given that, I will continue to not watch them, which has for years been more enjoyable than watching them.
ReplyDeleteVery well said. Thank you.
Delete