President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

I agree that they seem to be on a crusade with Trump. I think it is part over-correction for letting the guy host the show during the primary, part effective strategy for popularity/relevance.

Look at Stephen Colbert, the guy went from rumors that CBS would swap him with James Corden to being the late-night leader and it's hard to argue that a focus on Trump isn't the leading cause for it.

As far as treating Obama with kid gloves, I have to believe a lot of that owed as much to SNL's inner workings as political agenda. I mean, they didn't have a black guy in the cast so Fred Armisen initially portrayed him. I still don't know how there wasn't more outrage about that. Then they get Jay Pharaoh who has a killer impression, but let Armisen continue to do him anyway for a bit due to (I assume seniority). Jim Downey retiring couldn't have helped either, since he basically defined the show's political humor and was himself a conservative. I wouldn't argue that SNL has never been liberal-leaning, but I bet it is for sure now full-on echo chamber in the writers room.

Maybe I'm just naive, but I think if Jeb Bush won the nomination and became president or if Hillary had won the election, the SNL humor would more or less be in keeping with what the show's established norms. They've taken quite a few shots at Hillary, but relative to how they have treated Trump it seems innocuous if not non-existent.

 

I can drive a car.

 

Or, it's so much easier to satirize Trump than Obama. How do you make fun of careful competence? Of reserve?

Honestly, pitch an Obama skit that's funny. Oh, and that also can't be remotely interpreted as racist.

 

Is this another Rainman thing?

I've only ever seen bits and pieces of the movie, so your references are all going right over my head.

 

Absurd. Truly.

 

It's a culture war now, and it's open warfare. SNL aligns with the left. Tough shit if you don't like the targets they pick.

 

It most certainly is. But, even though I think Schneider's being disingenuous, the Trump impression itself could be used less often to greater effect. I think their best Trump-related sketch in a while was the Bachelor sketch with Mueller.

With Obama, the impression was unremarkable for so long because they gave the it to a guy who wasn't black and didn't really do a great impression of him anyway. But they still did a good job with political satire under Obama with bits like 'Black Voter Update.' I think its equal parts not wanting to be racist and not having a lot of material to skewer.

 

No. That's cool. As long as everyone is on the same page, and is honest about it.

Similarly, I don't have a problem with Trump not going to the WHCA dinner, or not inviting Congressional Democrats to the recent State Dinner.

Fuck them. If you want all out war, don't expect Trump to pretend that the political norms remain in place.

 

When you go on another Hillary jag, you're going to have to bone up on the blackjack scene.

 

I get it, buddy. I can see how having a president with your level of literacy gives you hope. Now let the grownups talk. And moving your lips when you read counts as talking.

 

I've seen clips, as the movie has passed into pop culture consciousness.

He can count cards or something right?

And, I get the basic theme, that the Hoffman character gets obsessed with certain topics, and can't be shaken from them, but anything more specific than that is going to be missed by me.

 

I think you can say SNL, for one reason or another, could have gone after Obama harder. But I think it's crazy to think Trump isn't easier to satirize. Just disregard their presidencies. One is a college professor who became senator. The other is a guy who flaunts his wealth, plasters his name on anything he owns, and became even more famous for hosting a reality show that played on an exaggeration of this persona.