Dino Baskovic Can’t Lose

Much has been squawked about "Saturday Night Live" and its most recent opening sketch, in which cast member Fred Armisen portrays a beleaguered Barack Obama conceding broken campaign promise after promise.

I thought Ed Rollins' commentary was on the money:

Humor with some truth in it is always dangerous. Make no mistake, a drumbeat of belittlement can damage a president.

President Gerald Ford, a gifted athlete, could never overcome the image of a bumbling, clumsy man who banged his head constantly after the hilarious portrayal of him by Chevy Chase. The senior Bush, George H.W., was brilliantly played by Dana Carvey, and more viewers remember our 41st president as the goofy, inarticulate caricature than as a serious man who served his country in many positions.

But the real question being debated on cable TV because of the "SNL" parody is this: "Has the media's love affair and honeymoon with President Obama ended?"

Great question, Ed.  As his own network illustrated, "SNL" has effectively forced that answer since the Ford administration (though, perhaps CNN made its point too well).  Anyway, I said earlier today on Facebook that "I suspect liberals will hastily lash out at this while convervatives wrongly praise it, but [the Rollins piece] is about the fairest assessment I've come across [of] Obama in office to date."  Judging by the sketch going viral overnight with the media pundits on patrol, that may very well be the case.  Not having a heckuva lotta patience for punditry, I shan't posit a pun; however, I do have one beef with last Saturday's opener.

That being?  Fred Armisen.  He's mildly amusing, meaning: not that funny.  None of his recurring characters are all that memorable, and how he parlayed "Aqua Teen" into a coveted repertory role is beyond me.  His Obama impersonation is below average, garnering chance laughs at best thanks to sight gags and what I assume to be a merciful studio audience.  Still, it's a presidential spoof and that's what SNL does well.  Or does it?

As Rollins stated, Chevy Chase's portrayal of Ford was plain stupid.  Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton was more silly than funny, and never matched the sheer genius that was Phil Hartman's study of Slick Willy.  (Note to Hammond: leave already.)  And while nobody questions that Tina Fey pummeled Sarah Palin or that Comedy Centrail derailed the "Straight Talk Express," I'm not so sure that Lorne Michaels can make or break a presidency like he once could. 

Whether you agreed with the message, the sketch was weak.  In my humble opinion, Hulu is the real hero.  Sans video sharing, the segment would've rolled over like Liberty, a reference far too old for today's technorati.

In the old days, 30 Rock commanded a presence at the polls.  Anymore, they'd need to hire a modern day Sterling Cooper.

Or Rollins.  After all, he canvassed for a Kennedy.