Video: McCain on SNL
posted at 11:07 am on May 18, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Today’s a slow day for news, so why not have a laugh? John McCain appeared on Saturday Night Live last night, giving a campaign speech about “oldness” as a way of disarming the age issue. Take a look:
I’m really not much of a fan of these kinds of appearances, but McCain has a tough road to run in this election against a charismatic opponent. He needs to find ways around Obama’s stage presence, and one way to do that is with humor, especially self-deprecating humor. Hillary Clinton has tried this, though, and it didn’t work out well for her, although she never seemed to loosen up enough to roll with the humor like McCain does.I think this SNL excerpt from 2006 worked better, though …
Update: I haven’t seen Barack Obama make these kinds of appearances as yet. No sense of humor, or simply a little too dignified?
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Contains no cackling.
Shy Guy on May 18, 2008 at 11:19 AM
It bodes well for him that he has a sense of humor, socialist are usually humorless. Can you imagine either Hillary or Obama trying to pull that off?
Maxx on May 18, 2008 at 11:20 AM
The cover of the CD in the second video is a HOOT.
EJDolbow on May 18, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Reagan had the best line ever when age became an issue: ” I will not exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” A classic which will never be forgotten.
Steve McCullough on May 18, 2008 at 11:21 AM
That second one is the funniest thing I ever saw and lots of truth there, too!
Glynn on May 18, 2008 at 11:23 AM
If only Babs could sing as good as Old John….
thekingtut on May 18, 2008 at 11:30 AM
The second McCain segment last night, on “Weekend Update”, was stronger, where he argued for diversity in the Democratic Party by having party members continue the Hillary-Obama fight through the general election, while possibly taking another look at John Edwards along the way.
But I don’t know if his handshake and brief chat with Usher at the end of the show while the music was playing is going to win any African-American votes away from Obama in the general election…
jon1979 on May 18, 2008 at 11:35 AM
He did do the little piece about being ready to “declare” last year. And then he declares Da Bears will win the super bowl.
EJDolbow on May 18, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Didn’t he appear in that SNL sketch not long ago against “Bill” and “Hillary”? Albeit, it’s not quite the same as McCain’s…
JetBoy on May 18, 2008 at 11:38 AM
OMG he’s more tone deaf than my husband.
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Yeah, the second segment was really funny.
NBC.com has his appearance on Weekend Update:
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/index.shtml#mea=252556
Complete7 on May 18, 2008 at 11:47 AM
Liberals have no sense of humor, so when they try, it’s so obviously fake and stilted that they can’t sell it
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 11:47 AM
He really strikes me as someone with no sense of humor. Will see if the next several months bare that out. Messiahs are serious, however…no room for humor when there is hope and change to be accomplished.
Nosferightu on May 18, 2008 at 11:51 AM
I do like McCain’s sense of humor
Spirit of 1776 on May 18, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Liberals have no sense of humor, so when they try, it’s so obviously fake and stilted that they can’t sell it
You mean Liberal Politicians have no sense of humor. Comics and Actors are liberals and many of them are funny. This SNL appearance, like his stints on The Daily Show, Letterman etc. will be called “pandering” by talk show hosts. If you take a look at Ed Morrisey’s Graph Topic from earlier, you’ll see McCain is simply playing it smart.
AYNBLAND on May 18, 2008 at 11:55 AM
Wait, they edited out the part about not taking earmarks, and the joke about AZ only having 900 miles of paved roads when it used to have 47,000 or something.
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Here’s Michelle’s (on HA) post Live, From NY, it’s Barack Obama. Youtube link isn’t active, so have to go NBC for that.
Spirit of 1776 on May 18, 2008 at 12:00 PM
An awful lot of what gets promoted as humor from doctrinaire liberals in the entertainment industry doesn’t seem funny to me….but I know I’m in the minority there
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 12:06 PM
LOLZ
It was the Album cover and the “PA PA PA PAPA” that actually made me laugh out loud!
-Wasteland Man.
WastelandMan on May 18, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Um, where did the pic of the superman shirt and tights body come from? Tell me Babs didn’t really wear that getup on an album cover…even in the fashion challenged 70s.
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 12:12 PM
I have a perfect “blackout” skit for Obama on a future SNL:
Obama wanders onto a darkened stage (dressed in his usual suit and tie), held by a SINGLE SPOTLIGHT, and then the stagelights come up to reveal a bowling alley… with a banner across the back saying “THE TYPICAL WHITE WOMEN’s 10 PINS TOURNAMENT“.
He turns around to notice a clutch of elderly ladies, hefting pastel balls up and down in their hands, glaring slightly-menacingly at him, as he blurts out, in a cracking voice:
“Grandma?!”
Fade to black quickly.
CUE SOUND: a perfect strike being struck. BOOM!!!!
He has a sense of humor right?
Black humor, no doubt.
profitsbeard on May 18, 2008 at 12:17 PM
McCain should use the older SNL singing skit as his only campaign commercial this Fall.
He’d beat Obama, just for sheer chutzpah.
(And would win the Jewsish vote, hands down.)
profitsbeard on May 18, 2008 at 12:21 PM
profitsbeard, you’re too good!
That Memories song goes along to perfection with “oldness”. He should make use of it, in a funny way. It’s disarming.
“…for 20 years she tried doing my job” – sums up to perfection what’s wrong with Hollywood, and our country – “your children isn’t learning”
Entelechy on May 18, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Love it… I saw the open last night and it was decent. These days you simply have to make appearances like this, otherwise you come off as ‘out of touch.’
Any slam of Babs’ politics is worth the time. :-)
cannonball on May 18, 2008 at 12:25 PM
“socialists are usually humorless”
“Liberals have no sense of humor”
These are amazingly stupid comments.
Clinton Obama and McCain have appeared on all the late night shows.
Not surprisingly, they all suck. Bad delivery, bad lines, bad everything.
And anyone who thinks anything that came out of their mouths came out of their own brains and not the writers’ brains has clearly fallen off a very high turnip truck.
Reagan’s youth and inexperience was the best presidential campaign joke ever. Second place goes Richards with the”born with a silver foot in his mouth” line about Bush Sr.
Many of you guys are so blindly partisan you can’t even acknowledge a joke from the other side of the aisle.
How sad.
Dave Rywall on May 18, 2008 at 12:37 PM
I know i am probably alone on this thought. I find it highly disrespectful of the office of PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES to appear on these comedy shows. Stewart, Colbert, Letterman, and Leno, no place for a serious candidate for this position to be seen. Sense of humor is one thing, disrespect something else. Probably alone, but that’s how I see it…
pueblo1032 on May 18, 2008 at 12:37 PM
The second video was the best one. Yesterday the jokes were not all that great. I like the SNL skit he did playing John Ashcroft as a guest in Hardball alongside Tracy Morgan as Harry Belafonte. That was one of the funniest political skits ever on SNL.
jencab on May 18, 2008 at 12:40 PM
I thought he did great last night. He was much looser than Clinton was in any of her appearances. I’m guessing a lot of the audience didn’t understand his stuff about pork barrel spending, but other than that I think this is a really good way for him to grab some of the youth vote.
BadgerHawk on May 18, 2008 at 12:49 PM
I agree it is silly to say there are no leftists who are funny. But, since humor comes from and displays one’s world view, much of what the lefties think is funny I think is disgusting.
One example is Chris Rock saying Pro-abortion rallies are a great place to pick up chicks because you know they put out.
EJDolbow on May 18, 2008 at 1:02 PM
I was just telling my boyfriend the other night that SNL hadn’t been funny in years…i just had to send him a link to this and eat my words. The second vid is hilarious and adorable.
surrounded on May 18, 2008 at 1:03 PM
I don’t agree with McCain on some of his policy, but I really can’t help but genuinely like the guy.
I only hope that I’m half as sharp as him when I get to his age.
KMC1 on May 18, 2008 at 1:08 PM
funky chicken:
Here is a blast from the past for you, funkychicken. I remember this album from 1977 like it was yesterday.
HeIsSailing on May 18, 2008 at 1:10 PM
I suppose, given a monkey on typewriter kind of numbers scenario, the sheer amount of lib comics will probably yield someone who is funny. The majority of them, as someone mentioned Chris Rock, just plain suck. Their political humor is flat and predictable: bush sucks, cheney is going to drop dead any second; Rumsfelds a nazi; Ashcroft was religious nut who enjoyed violating civil rights. That’s all you hear. When they stay away from politics, a lot of it is gutter and toilet humor. If you don’t mind that too much, yeah, some of its funny. But I think what a lot of folks here were referring too is what I mention above regarding the tics they all have when talking about the right wing.
As to McCain’s clips, meh. I still think Huck making a fool out of himself on (insert date here for anything he’s said recently) is funnier. That guy is going to have to be pulled off the stage with a giant hook.
austinnelly on May 18, 2008 at 1:13 PM
I can go along with that. I’d rather they didn’t do it, but they do…and the 2006 clip was great, SNL’s lefty viewers need a little food for thought, even if they have to be taken by surprise with it.
Maybe i don’t watch enough of it, but from what i see, as far as dignity, tv is pretty much a wasteland altogether.
surrounded on May 18, 2008 at 1:45 PM
Nearly every single famous comedian is a liberal.
He did a bit on the Colbert Report a few weeks ago not sure if that counts though.
crr6 on May 18, 2008 at 1:51 PM
I think he played himself in costume as himself on the Halloween episode last fall. Not really the same thing.
Tanya on May 18, 2008 at 1:58 PM
I think Limbaugh does a better McCain than McCain.
Best line, “Pretty Annoying Huh?”
Kini on May 18, 2008 at 2:27 PM
Question: How long did that 1/2HOUR NEWS HOUR conservative version of the Daily Show last?
Answer: Not long. 15 episodes.
Why is that?
Dave Rywall on May 18, 2008 at 2:32 PM
I don’t know about stand-up comics, but in terms of the blogosphere there’s no doubt which side is funnier.
Give me Goldstein & Ace & Allah any day of the week over anybody on the other side.
Purple Fury on May 18, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Are you arguing that conservatives aren’t funny at all or that liberals can be funny? You seem to be arguing the former.
!/2HNH wasn’t funny cause Joel Surnow isn’t funny and doesn’t know what’s funny, even if he does know what’s conservative. It’s like Ridley Scott directing a Woody Allen script. It wouldn’t work. TV producers are like film directors. Joel should stick to political thrillers.
Conservatives can be plenty funny. Ever heard of Iowahawk?
The Apologist on May 18, 2008 at 2:54 PM
me too!
surrounded on May 18, 2008 at 2:59 PM
OMG I left out Iowahawk…
/shame
Purple Fury on May 18, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Both those vids were hilarious!! “…and tell them what cute things the cat did.” lol, love it!!
1/2 Hour News Hour wasn’t original, it was supposed to be “the Conservative version of the Daily Show” and it tried way too hard. Lame.
emmaline1138 on May 18, 2008 at 3:08 PM
I thought this was a well done sketch by the Mav: funny, tonally sound and applauded crazily by the audience.
Pulling off a positive appearance like this on national TV in a key demographic…people awake and watching TV at 1130 Saturday nights, not SNL watchers per se coz theres none of them left…is worth many millions if it had to be paid for and run nationwide.
Given how much the press/hollywood are in the tank for Obama, this stuff is pure gold in a close election.
Mike D. on May 18, 2008 at 3:18 PM
Awful…
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 3:19 PM
yep
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 3:20 PM
If Hillary and Obama couldn’t even entertain Dave, you know they aren’t funny.
funky chicken on May 18, 2008 at 3:23 PM
Who really know’s how this guy will perform once (if) he actually gets into the Oval Office. He might surprise us. With a sense of humor like this, well we know that he at least has “some” objectivity.
What other choice do we have? And don’t tell me Ron Paul or some libertarian candidate. DD
Darvin Dowdy on May 18, 2008 at 3:30 PM
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DfDeportation on May 18, 2008 at 3:36 PM
IMHO, the 1/2 Hour News Hour should have been written by Scott Ott.
Now THAT would have been funny.
Janna on May 18, 2008 at 3:49 PM
I saw this on SNL last night (the first episode I happened to catch in years) and I liked McCain’s appearance. I thought it was pretty fun and a a good use of humor in the campaign.
Grafted on May 18, 2008 at 4:20 PM
That CNN anchor dude is HOT!!!!!
SouthernGent on May 18, 2008 at 4:28 PM
Hey surrounded, your drink mix was pretty darn good. Just to get back to ya:)
Spirit of 1776 on May 18, 2008 at 4:28 PM
The age issue,McCain did fine,he laughed at himself
and it was good!
So Liberals,the age issue,nothing to see here,move it
along,there are much more important issues than McCain’s
age,like Liberal appeasement,and Rubins callous and
attempted smear on McCain!
canopfor on May 18, 2008 at 4:37 PM
Nice warm weather refreshment, eh? Tastes so innocent and wholesome too!
Glad you tried it.
surrounded on May 18, 2008 at 4:54 PM
wow….yeah he is.
surrounded on May 18, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Obama doesn’t appear on SNL because he’s in the lead.
OK, how many here remember Nixon’s “sock it to me?”?
B26354 on May 18, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Not until you mentioned it.
My collie says:
Less government, not more. On the other hand, it might be a sin.
CyberCipher on May 18, 2008 at 6:50 PM
Hey Ed,
You’re missing the second half, which can be found over at Hulu.com.
Darnell Clayton on May 18, 2008 at 6:52 PM
Yeah, it’s about a perfect summer evening drink. Thanks for sharing it.
Spirit of 1776 on May 18, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Disgusting AND funny.
mikeyboss on May 18, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Did you check out the 1/2 Hour news Hour on Fox?? What a bomb…
It’s hit or miss on both sides of the aisle.
AprilOrit on May 18, 2008 at 8:57 PM
And SNL isn’t just Liberal writers BTW…
AprilOrit on May 18, 2008 at 8:59 PM
No, just an arrogant jerk.
labrat on May 18, 2008 at 9:50 PM
I’m reminded of Reagan on the old Dean Martin show when he was governor. McCain really disarms people who might try to dismiss him or hate him by doing this.
Bob Dole learned too late to be his sweet lovable self during the campaign. The big Mac is going to crush B. Hussein’s butt. He’s gonna kick his Dukakis all over the place.
Mojave Mark on May 19, 2008 at 1:30 AM
Question: How long did that 1/2HOUR NEWS HOUR conservative version of the Daily Show last?Answer: Not long. 15 episodes.
Why is that?
Dave Rywall on May 18, 2008 at 2:32 PMI don’t really care. I long for the days when I didn’t know what any actors political bent was.
Glynn on May 19, 2008 at 1:40 AM
Rats. It’s late. It should have been quotes, not strike out. Off to bed forme.
Glynn on May 19, 2008 at 1:41 AM
So what are you saying? That “stand up comedian” has to be part of the resume for the 21st century politician? I blame the voters who are looking for entertainment in the political process instead of substance. McCain, Clinton, and Obama are all awful choices but they are the last men standing primarily because they have the entertainment value that the real candidates could never muster.
highhopes on May 19, 2008 at 10:03 AM
Maybe the Obamessiah is a man of sorrows like the prophet Isaiah talked about.
Well, Obamessiah may not be these things, but we esteemed him anyway.
abcurtis on May 19, 2008 at 10:10 AM