Staff Reports
When it comes to political satire shows, “Saturday Night Live” has certainly hit some low notes over the years, and their recent skit featuring Kamala Harris is a prime example of them stepping in it again. Just a few days before the crucial election, SNL managed to conjure up their brand of humor to spotlight Harris, while conveniently ignoring the elephant in the room: the former president. This faux pas has drawn the ire of FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who pointed out the blatant bias at play. Apparently, offering a skit to Donald Trump was not on their scroll of acceptable options.
In a twist of irony, the two-minute segment featuring Harris didn’t just miss the mark; it resurrected old material from a previous SNL skit featuring Trump. The writers recycled content about Harris’s infamous cackle, nearly echoing the snickering takes they had on Hillary’s laugh back in 2008. One wonders if the SNL team has a vault of tired jokes; if they do, it might be time to chuck them out the window. The old adage holds true—what was once funny years ago has now become stale, especially when neither Harris nor her laughing fit can hold a candle to the departed vigor of Hillary.
This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC's Equal Time rule.
The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.… https://t.co/LliZF0po9t
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024
Hillary’s previous SNL appearances didn’t seem to chase any clouds away from her political fortunes. In fact, they may have contributed to her failures in both the 2008 primaries and the 2016 general election. With Kamala Harris now hitching her wagon to the same show, it’s hard not to predict another misfire. It’s as if history’s lesson is flying overhead while they keep trying to recreate past blunders. Kamala seems poised to follow the same unremarkable trajectory as her predecessor.
Moreover, the inclusion of Senator Tim Kaine added a bizarre twist to the skit. They played up the narrative that leftist figures like him cannot recall the names of the very people they insist upon supporting in the name of “democracy.” The humor might have resonated had it not led into a forced mention of Special Counsel Jack Smith, a reminder of the politically charged prosecution against Trump. What was supposed to be comedic fell flat, especially when Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia, had to reassure everyone he indeed still exists while missing the chance to be relevant.
Hung Cao, running for the Senate in Virginia and engaged in a heated race, chimed in with a sharp retort to SNL’s choice to elevate Kaine over him. He more than likely illustrated what many are thinking: while Kaine was busy being a “human punch line” on national television, he was out working with the people of Virginia. Kao’s response was both clever and strategic. It’s like he threw a rhetorical grenade into NBC’s cozy bubble, setting the stage for a stark contrast that might well work in his favor come election day.
One can only revel in the potential karma awaiting those who thrive on elitist antics. If SNL is, in fact, the kiss of death for political figures—sending Hillary and Kamala into the abyss of lost elections—then it’s time for the votes to be cast and the destiny to unfold. The landscape of American politics often rewards the unexpected, and watching Tim Kaine, Kamala, and potentially the entire Democrat ticket unravel after their latest act of media trickery is a recipe for reveling schadenfreude that conservatively inclined Americans may savor long after the credits have rolled.
