NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” wants to Tina Fey Mitt Romney.
The sketch show’s impression of Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential election helped paint a negative picture of the Alaska Governor. The show was so effective, even major news outlets still can’t tell the difference between Palin and Tina Fey’s version of the populist figure.
This season, “SNL” is going after Mitt Romney, the likely GOP presidential candidate. Last night, the show once again opened with a skit skewering Romney for lacking principles and being a stiff.
“SNL’s” Weekend Update segment also mocked Romney again for being out of touch with ordinary Americans, one of the core themes hammered home nearly every week. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama gets left alone. He’s the most powerful man in the world, a position that used to be catnip to comedians. That ended Jan. 21, 2009.
Let’s be clear. Candidates should be fair game for satirical mockery. If Romney wants to run for the presidency, he needs a thick enough skin to deal with “SNL” and company.
If only the playing field were remotely level. Today’s comics by and large treat Obama as comedy Kryptonite, staying far, far away or doing their level best to protect him and his shoddy record (hello, Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele”).
Instead, comedians focus all of their energies on the GOP, tag teaming with liberal news organizations and Hollywood to fuel Obama’s re-election campaign.
It’s simply not funny, but it’s only just begun.