From comedy to farce
Saturday night, “Saturday Night Live” opened with this sketch.
Yes, that’s a comedian, pretending to be President Barack Obama, making jokes.
Yes, that was stating the obvious. Unless you’re CNN, then you decide that these jokes are worthy of a fact-check.
Do you remember CNN “fact-checking” when Tina Fey/Sarah Palin falsely stated (for effect) that she could see Russia from “her front porch?” No, I don’t either.
All of this would be merely amusing, if it weren’t for Twitter, which now has a robust online snark for those who search for the hash tag #CNNFactCheck. A sample from The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto:
@DefiantKembro 'El Nino' is not Spanish for "the Nino" #CNNFactCheck @EnasYorl "Wayne's World" was not really a public access cable show. #CNNfactcheck @ArielAkiva The superfans were not actually having heart attacks. #cnnfactcheck @thecomeback After checking every river in America, we have not been able to find a motivational speaker living in a van. #CNNfactcheck @jeffdobbs: Over half of Saturday Night Live is NOT ON SATURDAY NIGHT for Eastern time zone. Outrage. #CNNFactCheck @jkfecke In fact, Blue Öyster Cult never included a cowbell player named Gene Frenkle--the musician didn't exist. #CNNFactCheck @mikehassinger: This just in: "Toonces the driving cat" not real cat, can't even DRIVE! #CNNFactCheck
Other ones that have appeared since Taranto’s post went online:
- @IronyNow Motivational Speaker Foley's Van Positioned by Creek, Not River #CNNFactCheck
- @JimmahIceLLC Breaking: Church Lady not actually lady. #CNNFactCheck
- @IMAO "CNN now reporting that it was not really a large bee and merely Jon Belushi in costume" #CNNFactCheck
- @vadoug: Jane Curtin was NOT ignorant. #CNNFactcheck
Heck, she’s probably not a slut either.
But CNN might want to check that.
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Sarah Palin didn't say "I can see Russia from my front porch"? I thought she did.
I believe this is the first time SNL has actually taken a shot at Obama. In the past, all Obama-related humor had as its target someone else in Obama's world, such as a pliant press, Biden, idiot Republicans, etc. However, SNL wouldn't go after the ONE. Now that they have his supporters don't like it one bit.
[...] you’ll recall, a month ago SNL attacked the president for failing to really accomplish anything – something that was so outrageous that CNN spent 10 [...]