please post this. I forgot it was on. Oh wait, on the west coast doesn't it come on in thirty minutes!? I might be able to see it.

I have mixed feelings about her being on. I KNOW, I KNOW,,,,they have every right. My mixed feelings have nothing to do with rights. I'm afraid they will go for the safe jokes, the jokes that reinforce the very politico/cultural environment that allows corruption and small mindedness to thrive.

I was always disappointed in Farrell's impersonation of Bush for this same reason. He was funny, no doubt!! And that is wonderful. But you can be just as funny and, at the same time, hold people's feet to the fire. To be funny about accents and stupidy seems to me to be exactly why corrupt folks are always more than happy to go on SNL.

Remember Colbert at the correspondent's dinner. He could have just done Leno jokes and everybody would have had fun.

If you take George W. Bush, George HW. Bush, John McCain, any random oil exec and Sarah Palin, and made a glove out of them where each one represents a finger - Sarah P would be in the middle and would be given extremely high platform shoes, so that the effect of the raised finger would be perfect.

Then this glove can be tied to the rotor of a Marines Black Hawk that would then tour around the country, blast Kid Rock music as the rotating hand will say to the entire nation, "Fuck you, America!"

David, your comment gets my vote for the most unusual campaign suggestion I've heard yet. I am off to read your posts now out of curiosity and entertainment value.

She is a grave concern. Do you think that her appearance on SNL caused undecided voters to vote for her? Or was it simply diversion from more pressing issues?

She demeans herself to be involved and does not even register it. She is of the mindset that there is no such thing as 'bad publicity'. the public perception is similar to that of my own "Lady Di'. On the night she died I was in a queue to get ticket returns to see 'Phantom' in London. I was 30 back so had no real likelihood of gaining entry but enjoyed the 'chat' anyway. A New Zealand couple were ripping Charles and I was trying some perspective. He had probably only loved Camilla all the time. Di had a series of lovers and Hewitt and Harry? Of Course. Some though could never see anything wrong in Diana. I did get in to the show as a guy from a ticket company wanted cash for face value tickets last minute. No one in front of me trusted him. I called him back and he came down the line and I asked if he would stay until we converted ticket into entry. He said yes. We got in and had a great time amongst people who had been booked one year. Great seats at face value. Later that night whilst traveling, by car, north to Peterborough my home town I heard of her demise. I felt guilty. I wish no harm to Sarah other than she return to Wassila and write her memoirs. In the UK we pick the party and the party picks the leaders. Much safer I think. We got shot of poor Tony quite easily. Brown? Not that much better but at least he cannot choose a quilter from the Outer Hebrides as his Deputy Prime Minister? Google 'patrick lockyer' to see my subversive rants.

Tina Fey, appearing earlier on Letterman, said she was sure that Sarah Palin was as smart as she (Tina) was...and that's not good enough at all.

Frankly, I thought Palin was awkward in the opening sketch, but the script was hilarious. We're going to miss Amy Poehler, too, who rocked the place rapping as Palin's late "substitute" during Weekend Update.

I was fully prepared to laugh at a funny skit and regret that they gave her the chance for that, but as it turned out, I thought the opening skit was painfully flat (and not just Palin's part), and the Poehler rap was funny but Palin's presence for it was awkwardly forced. All around, a lame couple of skits for SNL.

I actually prefer the "faux" Palin portrayed by Fey as I find her much more aesthetically and intellectually appealing. Tina Fey is beautiful, intelligent, witty and self-deprecating. Self-deprecation is something that doesn't exist in the far-right. Fey is a lot like my wife, ummm or vice-versa. ;-)

Why is this a problem?

I felt that everyone involved with SNL last night, from Lorne to the actors to Palin to the audience knew that this wouldn't be particularly funny, that it was a kind of feeble attempt to give McCain / Palin "equal time" on the show and let Palin recoup some of her pride after having been trounced over the last few weeks on the show. A stunt, pure and simple, like the other campaign stunts of having Hillary and Obama on the show during the primaries. It won't have any lingering effect and won't change many minds on their Palin preconceptions. Mean satire always works better than pandering, and last night was deliberately lukewarm in the satire department.

I thought Palin appeared as a smarmy hyper feminine school principal who was putting up with the hi-jinks of the 'kids' so she could look cool. It was clear she did not approve of SNL's lampoon and Baldwin's line condemning her while taking her by the arm for a 'tour' backstage was lame. More disquieting was his, "You're even more hot in person," bit. Please. They should have had a voter fraud satire with the Fey and Palin trying to cast a vote and a fight breaking out over I.D etc. No one believing that Palin really was Palin.

I wrote SNL asking them NOT to allow her on the show just because SPalin is making fun of every intelligent person who watches.

Palin wasn't going along with the joke though; she was the joke. There'a big difference.

Here's an interesting take on the SNL appearance and why it will probably hurt the GOP more than help from the HuffPo:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kubey/sarah-palins-on-snl-a-hug_b_135894.html

I don't know. Compared to Bush, Sarah Palin looks like a Fields medal contender. She at least has an above average IQ. With Bush I have serious doubts, no matter what anyone says. He probably had the CIA doing his homework at Yale, which is how he managed to get Cs and Ds.

I thought Palin looked uncomfortable throughout, just taking one for the team. And the whole thing was eclipsed with Powell's Sunday morning endorsement.

There are repressive governments, and America is not. A vote for Sarah helps it not to become one.

I'm pretty sure Tina said that it was Palin or someone from her campaign who persistently called SNL to be on the show. I don't think they went after her, she went after them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong!

I guess she thought we were all born yesterday and would forget how truly ugly and disgusting she is w/her filthy venomous mouth at her rallies. It's not politics as usual for me.

I take everything she says at her rallies and in her interviews (the few she gives) at face value. She means what she says, and says what she means.

I wasn't the least bit impressed by her appearance on the show. When the moose appeared in front of the screen and was shot. It was a stark reminder of what this woman does for excitement.

The grand scheme here was to suggest to those of us who are a hell of lot smarter than she could ever be that she's a good sport and truly, truly, appreciates how well Tina plays her.

Quite the contrary, she despises Tina's portrayal of her because it depicts her for what she really is....a dim wit.

Hey by the way....doesn't she brag about how she went after the good ole boys in her state and big oil so she could give back to the tax payers in her state some of "their" money?

Isn't that sort of what Obama wants to do? Take care of the little guys by going after the big guys who made a ton of money on all of us. Like big oil!

Just throwing some food for thought out there.

I just watched this after taping it; thought the beginning was lame, but the joke was on Palin and she didn't get it. "my press conference"? but she hasn't done any! And then saying she wouldn't answer any questions...well, Duh! Then Poehler did a great rap as Palin while Palin waves her hands in the air. I think it just showcased how dull she really is.

I'm from England and have only seen a brief clip of Palin on SNL. I have also seen film of one of her rallies where people are shouting out "Kill Obama!" Now Palin may be getting on her high horse about obama hanging out with this Bill Ayres chap many years ago, yet at te same time she appears to be allowing incitement to murder of her political opponents by her followers at her rallies AND NOT APPEARING TO BE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT! When someone shouts out "Kill Obama" it is incitement to murder and it's happened at her rallies. if she is unable (or unwilling) to confront this and one day becomes President, then God help America and God help the human race.

Paul,

I didn't think Palin did anything but stand or sit there in each of her skits. She proved she could read a cue card. Kind of lame, really. The fact that she chickened out of doing the rap number says it all: Not ready for prime time.

Cheers,

David

I'm afraid that there is nothing funny about Sarah Palin anymore. They can't do sketches because she's wisely limited her public appearances, so what can they satirize? Her nasty, divisive stump speeches? Her refusal to acknowledge the unethical behavior documented in the recent report from her state? It was clear that she was completely out to lunch about what they were doing. She's dumb enough to call herself "Caribou Barbie" on national television! Go figure.

What bothers me about what the writer is saying is that they are completely biased. It would have been a complete disaster is Palin would have gone on a far left comedy show and bombed. It allows the people to look at her as a person (something liberals won't admit). The writer is even more biased than the SNL staff and that is what is really scary. Forget that the political “soup de jour” is crap flavored for all who are conservative for one moment and look at Sarah Palin as a human. She has the potential to be the next Ronald Reagan. After all, did we really look at the man who defeated communism as the guy "who acted with chimps and rode horses"? If you did then you are too liberal to be taken seriously or to be writing articles for the blogosphere. Go back to radio and spew your garbage to your 14 listeners. We're not having it here.

I am not sure why SNL issued an invitation to Palin. I know that this was a grand slam for them in terms of ratings, but at the same token, they've essentially become part of a McCain/Palin election campaign. The fact that Palin didn't fall into a shivering blubber may surprise some, but it essentially humanized her, allowed her to show that she too has a heart, and a sense of "lipstic" humour we all dread.

SNL on the other hand, did not, and could not do what Letterman (surprisingly!) achieved with McCain the other day, which is to accept the guest, but confront him with actual questions.

So, yes, I am quite a bit bothered with this performance. Palin is a performer, and Tina Fey, or for that matter, your average soap starler, could probably do as good, or better job as a potential VP. Boo I say. Boo!

Oh puhleeze. Sit back, take a deep breath and feel around on the chair behind you for your sense of humor. Got it? Okay, now slip it on.

Sarah Palin was terrific on SNL. She's just not ready for prime time, which makes her perfect for SNL.

waeg writes: "The writer is even more biased than the SNL staff and that is what is really scary."

If by the "writer" you mean me - do you have trouble addressing people by name? :) - then, yes, I'm certainly very biased, though I have no idea if I'm more or less biased than the SNL staff.

I'm biased towards truth, justice, and the American way :)

I didn't see the skit and while I have no problem with people being renaissance in nature, I'd like them to be focused when it comes to work. I've worked in the film industry and I think what bothers me about Palin performing is that I know she is not doing it as someone who is a true performer, or even interested in performing - the working and the understanding of the craft - but as someone seeking fame. She's not interested in what goes on before it hits the screen - she's interested in the buzz. It really bothers me when a politician needs the fame.

I thought both skits were funny, although Palin herself said surprisingly little. Thus, her being there was funny, but SNL did all the work.

Stop being such whiners. Palin was funny and a good sport on SNL.
You don't have to hate or hate on someone just because you disagree with their politics. I frankly don't think we've heard the last of Sarah Palin. And that's a little scary. But all this negativity over a SNL broadcast is just petty and pathetic.

Since I was not reading Salon religiously over the past year, I am curious about the response when Hillary went on SNL with the similar instance of how good Amy Poehler was at impersonating her. Why is this such a big deal? Sarah Palin has basically been used as fodder for belly laughs since she got the VP nod. I commend her for going on a show that is so obviously against her, I think that takes guts and smarts and by the way Tina Fey is brilliant so if she thinks Palin is as smart as she is then that is impressive. All in all don't we have more important things to be writing about and discussing than a secondary candidate going on a skit show?

Brit,
Actually we choose who might run throught the primaries, then we choose those who choose the leader. So its not all that different.
I didn't bother to watch Ms Palin. Frankly I'm sick of her schtick. So what if she appeared on a comedy show and once again, took not a single question and was the butt of jokes? In 3 weeks she's going to be sitting in Wasilla, feeling good about the fact that while she wasn't selected prom queen she did get her 15 minutes of fame. Then she gets to answer all those nasty questions that keep coming up about her.
And, although the lack of medical records make this a near impossibility (do you realize she is the only one of the 4 candidates to release NO records?) someone just may find out something interesting about little Trig, the special needs prop.