Tina Fey teams up with John McCain on "Saturday Night Live"

Wow. Tina Fey is awesome. Somehow she didn't seem as uncomfortable with McCain as she was with Palin. Hmmmm.

That was nowhere near as cool as the Palin rap though. Amy Poehler is hilarious. Hopefully when someone shows that to Archie when he's older, he will have no idea who she is, because her 15 minutes ends on the 4th!

We've got a general election here in NZ on the 8th, but that's easy to forget with the coverage Palin is getting. What a scary woman.

It is defintly is a smart move from McCain, so close to the election, coming up as mister nice guy on a popular show.

But that's also what i thought after Sarah Palin went to the show, and the polls i got to see this week on the rachel maddow show, showed that she's less popular, or at least appears less qualified for VP than a few weeks back.

And to remain optismistic, i just hope people don't have such a "disposable" memory, the campain has been running for months now, and even if the last impression counts, it can't possibly change someones mind, specially between such different candidates..... can it?

That said, I'll be holding my breath until Tuesday. Even on this side of the atlantic, i'm hoping for change.

As unbelievable as this is, I find myself forced to stick up for Palin (only this time, though; hopefully in a few days time we won't hear from her ever again....)

You said she didn't really participate when she visited SNL? She sat through a rap about herself (and half-danced to it), she walked through a skit with Fey and she let Baldwin leer at her. How precisely was she under-participating? I thought she showed great spirit, as did McCain. I don't understand why she did it (it's not like we needed to believe she was any more mundane than we'd thought) but at least give her props for doing it.

Love Pussy xx

Wow, i truly did not expect this to be funny because I thought McCain would ruin it with his bad attitude. But I found myself laughing throughout this skit. Definitely not as funny as the Paln rap (really that was pure genius) but still pretty funny and not as stiff as the real Sarah P. And really, Tina was the magic touch.

Sorry Sarah--i'm not really helping with the talking you down. All I can say is fingers crossed people chuckle and then remind themselves that in real life, McCain is a blubbering jack***. And now that I think of it, his skit was only funny because all of McCain's lines were written for him...something that he won't always have as president (and can't get away with after the last 8 years of W's blubbering). 

I wonder if Dr. Maddow will talk about it tomorrow during her special weekend episode? 

I think Tina Fey's support of Hillary Clinton plays a big role in having the McCain/Palin duo represented as funny and agreeable.

Which is fine to me, as I always laugh my head off when I see Tina Fey dressed up as that lipsticky hockey mom...

Still, I think an SNL skit will not play a decisive role in the election day: you don't vote somebody because of a joke!

Happy election day, everyone!

Oooooh, I love a bit of cake. Oooooh, cake. Oooooh, cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. I'm just one of these people. I come home and I need a piece of cake. [Marjorie Dawes]

That lady really creeps me out,  she reminds me of the eerie gentlemen demons from the 'Hush' episode of Buffy.

I just think it's extremely weird that McCain lets Palin be made fun of on the show. 

She's his VP, he's supposed to have the utmost confidence in her right now, but he lets SNL make fun of how she goes off-script and in general, how stupid she is.

If McCain were sensible at all he wouldn't let Tina Fay poke fun at Palin.

Tina Fay is completely anti-Palin; McCain (supposedly) completely pro-Palin. How could they ever work on stage together?!?!

Not to be too much of a wet blanket, but I too am almost sick to my stomach with nerves and don't think we should be talking each other down yet.  This is my first election as a US citizen (and yep - already voted) and have followed it so closely for the last 6 months that I spend more time on it than my real job.

My fear is that the national polls really give a terribly false sense of security - it *does not* matter that Obama 'appears' safely ahead in the popular vote, and frankly it makes me nervous to see this cited over and over. The only thing that matters is the electoral vote and in the swing states McCain has made significant progress in the last several days alone. 

Last minute deciders have traditionally played safe, especially citing security issues - and who knows what Bush may launch in the last few days. Am I the only one who thinks the incursion into Syria was timed to at least benefit a Republican push?

Sarah: fivethirtyeight.com is keeping me sane during this time.  Nate Silvers' scientifically rigorous polling site has the breakdowns constantly updated.  And...dont type 538.com...it is a McCain campaign site...

I'll be taking the Xanax until Wednesday, and in the meantime...yes on Obama, No on 8!

I agree with the above poster - people have made their decisions and I don't think a skit is going to change their minds at this point. It would take a lot more than that (I would hope!).

And, anyway, I think really the skit just made that ticket look even more foolish - as someone noted above - McCain basically was letting Palin look like the idiot she is (well done again, Tina!)....so, I wouldn't worry one bit, Sarah.

I'm already past the point of no return, I in no way am the right person to do any talking or downing! I couldn't even bring myself to press play on the video above!!

I've ruled that no one in my household should put a TV on to any of the news stations like my favourites CSPAN and NPR, and especially not CNN, MSNBC, or anything in between. I'm watching Netflix, lifetime TV, or even MTV until election day!! I can't do this to myself anymore!!

So as a fellow Sarah to you Sarah about THE Sarah McPain duo...go out and volunteer for the Obama campaign, and then take a few friends with you to go vote!

(p.s. and I live in Pennsylvania!! Talk about twisting and turning at night!) 

I will say my girlfriend helped me out last night(after we returned from a day of volunteering, after I'd been talking to the supposed 'undecideds' on the phone all day...of whom a subset is also known as "The Stupids" according to Jon Stewart). She talked about remembering how far we've come as a nation to even be where we are right now, on the verge of electing Barack Obama...life as we knew it is no more, no matter what the consequences. I think we all know whats about to happen - and its a great time! 

Now let me get back to my lifetime movie! 

Love never loses its way home. Remember...its about the journey, not the destination

I have to agree with many of the posters above that the majority of people have probably already decided who they are going to vote for before this sketch. The candidates are just so different I can't see how 5 minutes or so would change someone's mind dramatically. If anything it may sway someone who is teetering on the edge. Having said that it could push someone either way...I'm sure I'm not the only one who though it was a little unprofessional of McCain doing this only days before the result? Is it confidence or desperation (or neither..)? I mean he obviously has a sense of humour, but I'm not sure that it actually going to help.

My favourite bit was definately the hawking of the "Palin 2012" t-shirts. My only fear is that someone will actually market them now...

The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes, but don't be afraid...

I found the sketch hilarious, and I was relieved to see SNL and Tina Fey take the Democrats to task for a change. I'm no Republican (or Democrat for that matter), but I hate to see only one side get skewered, or do the skewering. So it was nice to see a little fair play.

I'm a little sad to see how virulent all the divisiveness is these days, even on this site. I think this election in particular is one of the more optimistic we've had in a long time. I think I'll be pretty pleased with whoever wins. Obama and McCain are both good men, both intelligent, both willing to work with others to do what's right for the country. Each has policies and ideas I like, and some I dislike. Neither has a good position on gay marriage.

In the end, I can't bring myself to hate either one of them, which seems to be the driving force behind a lot of the political discourse right now. I don't hate Republicans or Democrats, or Socialists or Green Party... ers. The whole point of our system is that we can disagree on things and not kill each other. We can even be friends, like Biden and McCain have been for decades. All the hate, coming from each side, just makes me wish we'd have listened to Washington. Political parties are a bad idea. 

Well, I'm no Debbie Wasserman-Schultz or Bill Ritter, but I'll do my best to try and talk you down, Sarah. 

First, I feel obliged to acknowledge that John McCain is actually a pretty funny guy. He's done SNL several times over his career, including hosting the show once in 2002. His speech at the Al Smith dinner a few weeks ago was hilarious. So, to a lot of people, this sketch will remind people of how likeable John McCain is...

But what this sketch also did, and what will ultimately keep people from switching their allegiances after watching this sketch, was re-emphasize concerns about Sarah Palin. Polls have, over the last few weeks, consistently shown Palin as being a drag on the Republican ticket. This is true particularly among suburban white women in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania who are weary of Obama, but think that Sarah Palin is unfit to be vice president. McCain needs those women to win and there's no evidence to suggest that he'll get them. 

Long story short: while this ad may have made McCain appear more likeable, it also reaffirmed the most questionable choice of his campaign. All in all, it maybe a wash in terms of influencing voters. 

All that said, be nervous. I know I am. The only person that isn't is Barack Obama and, quite frankly, that's a little unnerving to me at this point.

But all I can think about is that I don't want to wake up on November 5th to a President-elect McCain or, worse, a Heartbeat-away-elect Sarah Palin and wish that I'd done more...as I'm sure that no one else does. So, go to your local Obama HQ and do your part--hell, sit at home, curl up with a laptop and your cell phone (free weekend minutes, ftw!) and use the phonebanking tool at barackobama.com. 

How was that? 

As for the sketch itself, I thought it was hilarious (the Weekend Update bit left a lot to be desired, though). My favorite part was Palin going rogue, but a close second was Fey brandishing her clothes while talking about how expensive campaigns are. Subtlety is hilarious :)

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"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." - MLK

but only because it was very well written, Tina Fey needs an oscar nom for her portrayal of Palin and McCain knows how to memorize lines. his stiff bodylanguage still makes me uncomfortable.

I just hope that people don't find him charming. cos he isn't. I truly hope that appearance doesn't boost his popularity and give him more voters. cos let's face it - no matter how often the McCain/Palin team guests on SNL (or anywhere else) it doesn't change that they are backwards, scary and idealistic (or should I say crazily fanatic) and should not have a say over even a small town of 500 people let alone over a country like the US. If Tuesday turns out to be a dark day I hope it is cos the darker skinned man won the election ;)

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I love Tina Fey's impersonation of Sarah Palin, but the real woman is scary as hell.  For any AfterEllen.com readers who haven't heard it already, go to YouTube and listen to Palin being pranked by a Canadian comedy duo on a Montreal radio station.  Palin honestly believed she was talking to French president Nicolas Sarkozy.  The part where she agrees that it would be "fun" to go hunting with him is pathetic.  Any person who thinks killing defenseless animals is fun ought to be hunted themselves.

Once Palin was told that she wasn't talking to the French president, she got very flustered and hung up.  Not much of a good sport there.

I pray that Obama/Biden win on Tuesday.  It will be a dark four years indeed if the "Republican with no money" (never mind that John McCain owns at least 7 homes, and his wife Cindy made 14 million dollars last year from her real estate investments) and the governor who loves to kill defenseless animals and is easily fooled, get into office.  World War 3, anyone?

Watching his SNL appearance, even I got warm feelings for McCain, and I'm as anti-McCain/Palin as any human can be. I just hope it didn't sway too many wishy-washy undecideds his way, like those baffling voters who claim they're waiting until they enter the ballot box to decide. Who knows what those people are going to base their decision on.

It also makes me nervous that Democrats are over-confident. If there's one thing that's worse than losing (again), it's losing after expecting victory. I have had friends e-mail me asking what I'm doing to celebrate, and I'm like, "Are you crazy! Don't jinx it!!!" Maybe the Republican Machine that won/stole the last two elections has broken down, and maybe it hasn't. We won't know for sure until Tuesday night.

Not to be a downer, but I think many of you overestimate the intelligence of the American public.  While many of us who visit this site are politically aware of the facts of the campaigns, the average joes aren't.  This last minute attempt by McCain is a smart move because it makes McCain seem personable.  To be honest, I believe that's how Bush won.  Even I wouldn't mind having a conversation with Bush, but being approachable does not mean being qualified.  Many people miss that point.  My mom was even more enthralled with Palin after the SNL spoofs because Palin didn't make too many waves about it, therefore "it makes her more personable".  She even mentioned that it was job security for the SNL writers. Scary!  My mom has completely disregarded any of the facts about her abuse of power and lack of qualifications.  

Also, as some of the posts stated, the polls show Obama with a comfortable lead.  This can easily cause many people not to vote because they may believe that Obama will win, which would allow McCain a chance to upset Obama and win the election.  Truman anyone?

and again I am weirded out by the fact that a presidential candidate appears on SNL to make fun of himself and his vice presidential candidate. If I were American I just couldn´t  see myself voting for someone who´s willingly laughing about the obvious faults of his colleague and the voting campaign. Can I imagine Mc Cain talking about foreign country politics or health care issues now? no! Don´t get me wrong, I love a sense of humor, but this is just too weird.

The skit would be great if an actor replaced him. Tina was great as always, but the real Mc Cain kind of let me not stop thinking how wrong that is.

With just a slight brush of her lapel Tina Fey completely undermined McCain's effort to characterize the Obama campaign as rich and elitist. Oh the poor McCain campaign that could only afford to spend $150,000 on hair, makeup and wardrobe for the Palin family in two months.

The whole skit highlighted the tensions emerging between the McCain and Palin camps over the past couple of weeks.  I really haven't seen anything like it in past election campaigns.  It may have seemed like a good idea at first, but I really think McCain is kicking himself for having chosen her.

I thought McCain did well and actually participated, unlike Palin who, as Sarah said, didn't really do much when she as on.

Heck, they even got Cindy McCain to participate! That really surprised me. If she'd actually said something I might have had a heart attack!

If people vote for McCain because they see this, well there's an old saying: "People get the government they _______."

Fill in the blank.

one more thing. if anything, seeing palin and mc cain on snl like that, it would make me not vote for them at all, had I intended that in the first place. (whoa, difficult english tenses, hope I got it right) I feel embaressed for their appearances. how pathetic to use this media for election. and how sad they don´t realize it´s not for the better. what is up with their spin doctors? mho

no offense to snl!love it!

I didn't think it was as funny as the rap Amy Poehlr (spelling?) did. =p That was hillarious to me!

I Think that rap was meant for Sarah Palin to do, but she didn't want to. I can understand.

I wonder if Palin is mad at McCain for participating in these skits =o

I absolutely love Tina Fey.  30 Rock is back, and we get to see her on SNL (any word if she'll pop up on Monday night's special?), yet I still can't get enough of her.

I'm pulling for history to be made on Tuesday night.  I can't calm anyone's fears about what could happen, but from all I've read and seen on TV, I think Obama has a good shot.  Most important thing is to get out and vote.  Canada saw one of the lowest voter turn-outs in October and was "rewarded" with the sitting government getting back in.  Low voter turnout means we're stuck with a George W wanna-be for the foreseeable future.

Get out and vote.  It could make all the difference!

A cat sees no good reason to obey another animal, even if it does stand on two legs.

Obama is making history. McCain is becoming a mere footnote in history and he knows it. His actions are those of a desperate man. How SNL fits into all this, I'm not sure, except that it takes a little bit of humility to make fun of yourself. Of course it does nothing to restore his honor, which I think he has totally trashed, but I guess it's something.

I find hope in the fact that many people are more conscious of the fear-mongering this time around and are talking about how fed up they are with this kind of political race.

Thanks for this post!

www.SeekingSaraSummers.com

Sarah,

There's no shame in thinking McCain is funny on this skit. He is a good sport and flashes that creepy smile like it's going out of style (which it should be).

But all the jokes and cameos aren't enough to offset Fey's past performances. She has really skewered Palin in the past couple months, and the Republicans haven't done anything about it because after the election, Palin is going to be the best-looking, Alaskan scapegoat in sight.

Palin is scary. She's overtly ambitious and none too bright, which equal the perfect combo in a politician. No candidate for office is perfect, but she is ridiculous. A lot of die-hard Repubs in my state (Montana, i.e., RED) have told me they voted for Obama because the McCain/Palin ticket is the greater evil.

Well McCain is funny, still don't agree with his platforms and wouldn't vote for him, but he is funny and certainly a lot more likable then Palin....  Maybe he could do an Al Gore or Jimmy Carter and decide to do something meaningful for the world out of office....  not what I would expect from a Republican, but he is supposedly a maverick... lol...