Video: The exquisite timing of SNL
posted at 1:15 pm on January 10, 2010 by Ed Morrissey
Do you think Harry Reid was watching SNL last night? Obviously the writers concocted this sketch before anyone knew about Reid’s remarks in the Halperin/Heileman book being released tomorrow, but they couldn’t have timed this any better if they had tried. I imagine that Lorne Michael’s staff was doing some high-fives when the news broke yesterday, knowing this was running after the football game:
That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in years on SNL. In fact, I could easily have seen South Park doing this same exact skit, with Randy as MacGruber. I expect that Trey and Matt may have something coming up in March that’s more specific to Reid.
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Of all the broadcast shows it is SNL that amazingly manages to provide some moments of levity, I gave up on them years ago, but they have been hitting the ball with the Obama Wen presser, the Bxtch is the new black which gave me some needed lift after the relentless woman bashing by the Obots, and this too…I am still mad enough to spit
I want all the bums OUT I am DONE
bunch of lying twofaced backstabbing he man woman hating snotty intellectual wannabes that cant find their axx with two hands and a frakking flashlight….
I am gonna work my axx off to get them OUT OUT OUT
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 1:21 PM
I think those are the only times SNL’s brand of humor work.
abobo on January 10, 2010 at 1:22 PM
Does anybody have a non-HULU version? They won’t stream to IP’s outside the US :(
S. Weasel on January 10, 2010 at 1:22 PM
He’s Facebook friends with Spike Lee…lol.
joejm65 on January 10, 2010 at 1:23 PM
Now that’s funny.
AZCoyote on January 10, 2010 at 1:24 PM
HYSTERICAL!
D2Boston on January 10, 2010 at 1:24 PM
I think it was the opposite….Michael trying to see if an alternative skit could be written calling Republicans evil racists.
Have you forgotten the SNL treatment of Palin already?
angryed on January 10, 2010 at 1:24 PM
Martin Rufus King…LOL!!!
joejm65 on January 10, 2010 at 1:25 PM
If that’s the funniest SNL has put out in years, I’m glad I stopped watching it many years ago.
I just don’t think it was that funny…at all.
bridgetown on January 10, 2010 at 1:26 PM
Wow. Stunningly not funny.
Crawford on January 10, 2010 at 1:26 PM
They forgot to have the white guy doing an apology tour, prostrating himself before Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, and offering large sums of money to their respective
shake-down, er . . . “social justice” organizations.AZCoyote on January 10, 2010 at 1:27 PM
+100
AH_C on January 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM
Funny? Timely? Meh. This could have been done 10 years ago and still been old.
rrpjr on January 10, 2010 at 1:29 PM
So out of 535 members of Congress, there isn’t one you think is doing a good job? What makes you think replacing any of them will satisfy your antipathy towards any and all elected officials?
The tea party – code pink of the right!
NoStoppingUs on January 10, 2010 at 1:30 PM
now that was some funny
John the Libertarian on January 10, 2010 at 1:31 PM
Very funny. Hope next week they embellish it.
ctmom on January 10, 2010 at 1:32 PM
ok..I thought it was funny.
becki51758 on January 10, 2010 at 1:32 PM
yep
29Victor on January 10, 2010 at 1:32 PM
That was hilarious. I hope the MacGruber movie coming out will be this funny.
cubachi on January 10, 2010 at 1:33 PM
More likely, Lorne was congratulating Jim Downey for his timing while other members of the writing staff were sulking…
jon1979 on January 10, 2010 at 1:34 PM
Shouldn’t it be Saturday Day Live.
Night is so, you know.
notagool on January 10, 2010 at 1:35 PM
I will wait for a direct assault on Reid.
(I’m trying to remember if you need a permit for mace in NYC?)
mad saint jack on January 10, 2010 at 1:36 PM
You mean inviting her on to complete one of the skits?
She checkmated them.
MadisonConservative on January 10, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Yeah, thousands of sane Americans attend Tea Parties.
What, about 5 mentally ill women in code pink.
Makes sense.
bridgetown on January 10, 2010 at 1:38 PM
Can’t view it, out of USA restrictions, sigh.
pabo on January 10, 2010 at 1:40 PM
Yeah, I agree.
If you want to see funny catch some old Barney Miller reruns. WGN has been running them every Sunday night and besides The Office it’s the only show we make a point of watching. Even though the show is from the mid-70′s it may as well have been written for today. A few weeks ago they even had a running theme about people getting their swine flu shots. Just goes to show how cyclical history can be.
Niere on January 10, 2010 at 1:42 PM
I thought it was funny…rather than regurgitating the slights of the past, sometimes I just like to laugh.
HawaiiLwyr on January 10, 2010 at 1:42 PM
I laughed pretty hard. :D
Metro on January 10, 2010 at 1:43 PM
Count me in the “not funny” column.
Funny would’ve been firing McGruber and replacing him with various ethnicities and sexes because each one was showing their prejudices.
Besides, everyone knows that what Reid said was meant in a positive way and therefore not racist so we should all just move on…
Skywise on January 10, 2010 at 1:43 PM
I wonder if President Barack Hussein Obama thought it was funny?
Bishop on January 10, 2010 at 1:46 PM
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/macgruber/1191643/
mad saint jack on January 10, 2010 at 1:47 PM
While I do think SNL can be funny, this did not tickle my funny bone. I betcha South Park does a much better job.
Buy Danish on January 10, 2010 at 1:47 PM
A+
fossten on January 10, 2010 at 1:52 PM
I thought it was funny. Calling the black pen African American and then calling the yellow one Asian made me burst out laughing.
atheling on January 10, 2010 at 1:53 PM
Both groups harbor some of the same completely irrational sentiments based on emotion, not reason or logic. Calling for every elected official to be voted out of office is nothing short of lunacy. I understand people are angry, but that’s just plain dangerous. Yes, lets give Nancy pelosi 200 freshman Republicans to screw over. That’ll teach em!
/s
NoStoppingUs on January 10, 2010 at 1:53 PM
well regurgitating slights is an interesting take, the BOOK that is coming out THIS WEEK is a HOT TOPIC, YMMV
Reid getting HOISTED by his own RACIST petard is funny frak you funny
HE is a racist if he thought LIGHT TONE would get Obama elected IMO
Dems who were lambasted as racist for supporting HRC may have a bigger laugh I guess, I know I did
I think it is hilarious that the race card playahs are the real racists and are being busted by lamestreammedia hacks who covered it up during a hugely important political campaign
what is NOT funny, is these ‘past slights’ as you call them resulted in us being stuck with a selected clueless bumbling naive arrogant malignant narcissist who cant run the economy, cant run defense, cant keep his hands off private enterprise and wants to do social experiments
and ps he is taking all of us with him
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 1:54 PM
I thought the SNL skit was racist. Chris Matthews will be heartbroken when he finds out NBC makes fun of black people. Does Al Sharpton or the Color of Change plan to call for a boycott of NBC/SNL??
TN Mom on January 10, 2010 at 1:57 PM
actually over 4 million Americans attended Tea Parties this year
and all of us have many many friends and relatives who know us, love and respect us and know we are not racist extremists
so you can extrapolate those who support the same things we do, like oh i dunno FISCAL SANITY!
I am gonna be Stevie Nicks’ing it all through the rest of the year to the election, “I Cant Wait I cant Wait”
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 1:57 PM
oh please not stoping us!!
when I said VOTE all of T<HEM OUT
I mean THEM, the people running us into the ground,
everyone is not them, it is an expression
but yeah INCUMBENTS are seriously in trouble
but dont worry you dont have to be ‘seen’ with me and the other 4 million pixxed tea party patriots, lol
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 1:59 PM
“Da-RELL”. He’s been watching too much NCAA basketball. :-)
KS Rex on January 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM
My anger comes fhat DEMS I thought were at least reliable for backing each other out of LOYALTY are not even THAT trustworthy, thus my call to THROW THE BUMS OUT!
Schumer is my beef right now on that score
you tell ME a single DEM who deserves to keep their seat then
I am a DEM and that is who I mean by THEM
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM
A solid B+.
jukin on January 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM
Gawd help me but to quote Jeremiah Wright
The PEOPLE “has ve) got to be sick of this shxt!!
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:01 PM
That was hilarious. A+ indeed.
Still laughing at the African American pen …
MetaThought on January 10, 2010 at 2:02 PM
What I walked away from this skit is that if you have a guy in charge of dismantling a terrorist threat, this guy shouldn’t be so caught up in political correctness or the game is over.
Electrongod on January 10, 2010 at 2:04 PM
Uh, if they were all voted out, then there wouldn’t be any Pelosi to screw over 200 freshmen Republicans.
Sheesh, talk about “irrational”.
atheling on January 10, 2010 at 2:05 PM
Fiscal sanity? I guess that means opposing earmarks, correct? Even Ron Paul approves of ear marks. He understands that if a budget is passed without earmarks, the President gets to decide how to spend it, and I’m willing to bet if push comes to shove, you’d rather have Republicans decide how to spend the money versus President Obama, no? A budget can pass without any Republican support, but once they realize they cant STOP it from being spent, why not decide to control how its spent?
I’m ranting, I know. I just wish people like Glenn Beck and Palin would use logic. I’m all for a more Conservative party, but we are cutting off our noses to spite our faces and no one seems to care.
NoStoppingUs on January 10, 2010 at 2:05 PM
And let me tell you yeah Im emotional about it, we were frakking cyberstalked by Obots throughout the campaign and verbally harassed and had people calling our jobs and shxt like that
it really pixxes me off to see these comments released in this book today to see leadership doing this crxp
I use my anger to raise money for good candidates, to wit I just donated to Brown and Lowden
or we could all roll over vote in the incumbents and sigh like the grownups who got us here, right?
gimme a break, get some fire in your belly and fight for what you believe in donate, call, whatever
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:05 PM
no uberfool FISCAL SANITY means NOT LETTING DEBT SERVICE TO GDP reach 85%
got an argument on that?
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:06 PM
South Park put out an episode in 2007 entitled, “With Apologies to Jesse Jackson.” Probably one of the funniest episodes ever.
John Eric on January 10, 2010 at 2:06 PM
PS My Senator MAC actually has NEVER BOUGHT AN EARMARK to AZ and no I will not be voting for him
FISCAL SANITY is not trying Keynsian stimulus with BOTH HANDS and a TRUCK when the first 7 ROUNDS FAILED
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM
Hopefully, the magnetic strip thingy is worn off the race card by now.
bitsy on January 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM
Physician heal thyself. You’re not using logic, either.
When has Palin been illogical? Do give us an example.
atheling on January 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM
FISCAL SANITY is not cutting back on security on the border and airports at a time of war but spending a boatload on HEALTHCARE REFORM in a NON EMERGENCY that does NOT STOP THE ENTITLEMENT surge that will KILL THE BIDGET IN 7 YEARS
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:07 PM
FISCAL SANITY is NOT RAISING TAXES during the worst recession since the big D
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:08 PM
I could go on all day but I wont
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:08 PM
and if you are ‘upset’ that I am ‘emotional’ and not logical, take comfort in that Im a recovering LIB DEM not a GOP member
Im just one of the pesky millions who will hopefully help us get balance back in November :)
ginaswo on January 10, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Eh, it was OK. Although I rarely find these MacGruber sketches funny at all. I wonder if anyone under 35 even gets the joke.
I liked the Chinese presser and the Palin 2010 spoof a lot better. Most people in SNL’s audience probably have no clue what Reid said about Obama.
NoLeftTurn on January 10, 2010 at 2:16 PM
Won’t stream here in Florida…
Dandapani on January 10, 2010 at 2:16 PM
Have you forgotten the SNL treatment of Palin already?
angryed on January 10, 2010 at 1:24 PM
You mean inviting her on to complete one of the skits?
She checkmated them.
MadisonConservative on January 10, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Yea, the couple of lines she had and the snowmobile, moose snuffing song she sat through really showed ‘em.
rjl1999 on January 10, 2010 at 2:17 PM
It was funny in the sense that it makes fun of liberal Whites and the whole of Human Resources departments (but I repeat myself) across the fruited plain. Human Resources is the death knell of businesses.
SouthernGent on January 10, 2010 at 2:17 PM
Ooooh, ouchey! This was funny. I thought the press conference between obama and Hu Jintao was funnier a few weeks back, but this was good. The timing was perfect–and it totally doesn’t help Reid get this out of the news any quicker ….
Harry reid has his own timer ticking down up there in DC. I wonder if he can get his sensitivity classes done before Nevada locks him in a room with DUH rell, the girl and something ticking…
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Funny stuff Ed, thanks. Little 7% was wonder why I was laughing so hard…
Kinda hard to explain racism and the underlying joke to a 7 1/2 year old when he has never been exposed to it.
Oh, wait! We are all monochromatic, aren’t we!
(by the way, what ever happened to the little red flag thingy?)
Seven Percent Solution on January 10, 2010 at 2:25 PM
Ahh! He’s got a gun!
KSgop on January 10, 2010 at 2:26 PM
saw this last night
loled my head off
blatantblue on January 10, 2010 at 2:28 PM
Glenn Beck, illogical? How long have you watched him, ten seconds?
Beck is probably the best of any mainstream narrators at step by step analysis to a logical conclusion.
Logic? Get you some!
donh525 on January 10, 2010 at 2:30 PM
Would you be so kind as to link the quote that you are laying at Palin’s feet. You cannot continue to spew fabrications about Palin or the T.E.A. party movement without someone asking for proof. So I’m asking. Put up or shut up.
denniscb on January 10, 2010 at 2:40 PM
I’m surprised that Sir Charles signed on for this…
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 2:44 PM
First,the skit wasn’t funny,just stupid.
Second,I do believe that “vote them all out” means just that -ALL good or bad.The purpose of an anti-incumbent movement is to return political power to where it belongs,in the hands of the people.There is a problem with trying to keep the “good” ones and remove the “bad” ones.Who decides who the good and bad ones are?As long as we equivocate on whom to vote for,the people remain powerless to the politicians.It is in the nature of modern American politics that incumbency turns the good ones bad.Once entrenched in incumbency they become complacent and neglect their real constituents in favor of those special interests who can insure their re-election.Anti-incumbency not about the job a particular office holder is doing,it is about the fundamental right of the people to be heard,and the obligation of the office holder to listen to what the people say.
All politicians start with the intent to serve the people,but the longer they are in office,the more that intent turns toward retaining the office,regardless of the needs of the people.
This is why we need to vote them ALL OUT TWICE.TWO CYCLES-NO INCUMBENTS.
DDT on January 10, 2010 at 2:45 PM
I didn’t realize how Dark Skinned Charles Barkley was till I saw this skit. I should axe if it’s OK to laugh. Dat some dialect he gots too. Turribull.
JohnBissell on January 10, 2010 at 2:46 PM
That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in years on SNL.
daesleeper on January 10, 2010 at 2:50 PM
Even though he isn’t in office anymore, blame Bush!
daesleeper on January 10, 2010 at 2:51 PM
Sir Chrales did this skit?
Comma Dee for a change
jdsmith0021 on January 10, 2010 at 2:54 PM
I’ve asked him to do the same and he hasn’t responded.
He’s just talking out of his a**.
atheling on January 10, 2010 at 2:55 PM
I have proudly missed every episode of that show for at least the last 30 years. I’m waiting until it gets funny; looks like it still could be a while. Ok, the first 1:00 or so of Obama/Wen was funny, but it really was a one-joke skit. It reminded me of a 6-year-old who gets a laugh by burping, then spends the next 10 minutes burping, trying to get the same laugh.
mr.blacksheep on January 10, 2010 at 2:59 PM
Whoever was singing that MacGruber theme song definitely reminded me of Trey Parker. Funny skit, but SNL’s done better work. I thought that one with Phil Hartman and Michael Jordan dealing with similar material back in 1991 was funnier.
Doughboy on January 10, 2010 at 3:00 PM
Yeah, I thought at first that was part of the joke, they were doing jokes from the MacGyver era…
Chris_Balsz on January 10, 2010 at 3:02 PM
It’s a ruse! This is just race bait….If you’re not a liberal, and you laugh at this stuff, it just proves you’re racist because you can identify with it. We’re supposed to be mortified, and recoil with disgust at Macgruber–a typical white person, probably likes guns and the flag and maybe owns a bible too…I’m also disgusted and outraged too that the girl didn’t take charge and defuse the bomb, bust down the door or GI Jane her way outta the cave—*shocked* *shocked* /s/s
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 3:03 PM
Nice. The code pinkos are few and all nuts. One has to search hard and long to find a similar example among the tea partiers who are many and of their strong majority are rational.
shick on January 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM
speaking of the name–MacGruber–wasn’t the MIT dude economist that was the big shill for Obamacare (and simultaneously pulling in $250K from HHS) named Gruber? Is this merely a coincidence or is there some link ? probably nuttin.
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 3:08 PM
can we haz back our 4 minits now ?
CaveatEmpty on January 10, 2010 at 3:11 PM
If it’s any consolation Dem, the conservatives commenters here are not very pleased with our own party. Including the proto-socialist Bush.
shick on January 10, 2010 at 3:15 PM
Look on the bright side. If people like them get in power, they won’t intentionally be screwing up the nation to tear it down and rebuild it in their own twisted image.
Dark-Star on January 10, 2010 at 3:15 PM
The voice is of the same guy who played MacGruber. Don’t know his name.
shick on January 10, 2010 at 3:19 PM
That was stupid AND unfunny.
I want my 3 minutes back!!
KMC1 on January 10, 2010 at 3:19 PM
I managed to get through the first 20 years of my professional life without really thinking about racism, let alone dwelling on it, and as far as I’m concerned, Obama and the PC left dredged it all up and dumped it all over America.
anniekc on January 10, 2010 at 3:21 PM
….but I did think the skit was hilarious.
anniekc on January 10, 2010 at 3:22 PM
All this talk about past and present SNLs I find amusing. I think both had their moments of hilarity and lameness.
shick on January 10, 2010 at 3:25 PM
That was Charles Barkley wasn’t it? I thought it was great.
Hog Wild on January 10, 2010 at 3:30 PM
For example: was this really funny?
Eddie Murphy as Mr. White
shick on January 10, 2010 at 3:34 PM
Ha! That’s funny- I said to my son, “That guy looks like Charles Barkley” I don’t even know who the SNL cast is these days.
anniekc on January 10, 2010 at 3:36 PM
the MacGruber theme song reminded me of Team America World Police.
language warning.
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 3:38 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZdJRDpLHbw
ted c on January 10, 2010 at 3:39 PM
Funny.
And meanwhile, over on HuffPo commenters are referring to Michael Steele as StepnFetchit and Toby. Not funny. But it’s ok to be racist if you’re a Democrat.
juliesa on January 10, 2010 at 3:39 PM
The Huffing(paint)post is getting skewered on some other lefty forums right now, oddly enough on the topic of “global warming. (that being the Chicken-Little BS version being thrown around)
Dark-Star on January 10, 2010 at 3:43 PM
I’m crying laughing…that was really funny. White people can be so stupid sometimes.
Mo2Do on January 10, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Really? They think the Huffers are too extreme, or not extreme enough?
juliesa on January 10, 2010 at 3:49 PM
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