Saturday Night Slander

A generation ago, comedian Chevy Chase made a name for himself through a series of pratfalls he took as a character who might best be described as the Klutz-in-Chief. Chase’s send-up of former President Gerald Ford became synonymous with ‘70s humor and, some feel, helped to usher in the way for Ford’s ultimate political downfall.

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Now, we have the 21st century’s answer to Chevy Chase—Tina Fey, channeling her inner Sarah Palin. She has the beehive, the glasses, the distinctive accent. But what should be just harmless fun has crossed the line of good taste and civility. Not too long ago, a “Saturday Night Live” skit suggested that the Alaska Governor’s husband, Todd, might be having intercourse with the couple’s daughters. Incest is hardly a reason for laughs but, when the subject matter is applied to a Vice Presidential nominee’s family, it is particularly diabolical. This bizarre attempt at humor is just more evidence of the double-standard that is being applied in this year’s Presidential race. Can you honestly imagine “SNL” running a segment on incestuous secrets in the Obama household? Can you imagine the outrage from the liberal left if such satire were to occur? Or what if radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh played a parody tape depicting Obama beating his wife? The National Organization for Women and the NAACP would probably launch a nationwide boycott targeting Rush’s advertisers. Cable news would run stories non-stop demanding that Rush resign from the airwaves. The media would be in full-thrown hysteria, demanding retribution for the tarnishing of their icon. However, truth be told, there are many aspects to the Obama candidacy that are worthy of lampooning. There’s the razor-thin resume…the associations with a Who’s Who of radicals…the alliance with a preacher who doesn’t know when to quit talking. There’s the recycling of old liberal ideas from the ‘80s…the idea that Obama may just be a multi-cultural reincarnation of Mario Cuomo. Of course, there are also a number of things about an Obama Presidency that wouldn’t be funny at all: the virtual certainty of taxpayer-funded abortions, diplomatic niceties with rogue governments, a dangerous abandonment of Iraq. I’ve heard people say that they’re actually frightened by the prospect of Obama in the White House, based on his naïve and extreme stands on issues. But you won’t hear these concerns raised in the fawning portraits of Obama on entertainment news shows such as “Access Hollywood.” Hollywood has made Obama into a god—or at least, a prophet of Tinsel Town’s official religion: liberalism. He can do no wrong in the eyes of the liberal elites. In sharp contrast, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin can do nothing right in the view of mainstream media. Her decision to bear a child with Down Syndrome is even portrayed as irresponsible. She is chastised for seeking the second-highest office in the land, as if, in so doing, she is abandoning her family. She is ridiculed for being a hunter, a fisherman, and a former beauty queen. While Palin herself told CBS’ Katie Couric that she considers herself a feminist, the feminist establishment likens her to public enemy number 1. Both the news media and the comedy kings are not out simply to make fun of Palin, but to crucify her. After all, she worships the Trinity—not the ladies of “The View.” And so slander against Palin is fair game, while one word raised against Obama is considered high treason. Something tells me, though, Palin’s Reaganesque nature will allow her to rise above all the “SNL” insults. After all, her ratings are better than theirs.