Posted by
Political Prescience on Friday, October 17, 2008 9:57:11 AM
The continuing caricature of Republicans as losers continues
unabated. The “special” Thursday
night episode of Saturday Night Live* continued
to skewer John McCain, Sarah Palin (though, only very briefly) and it mocked
McCain’s supporters.
McCain was painted as simple-minded, crotchety and
stiff. There was a send-up of a
supporter (wearing a McCain/Palin t-shirt) who walked about rambling, was
barely intelligible and spewed wacky statements. Obama was played as calm, cool and reasoned. Nearly the entire show was a political
piece meant to portray Republicans as dumb and out of touch.
There may not be a way to counter such portrayals and there
are many people who choose to accept this stereotype, which is an act on
intellectual weakness. Telling and
retelling jokes that deride Republicans is becoming a cultural phenomenon. Once
upon a time, in a more thoughtful America, comedy was effective as a mild
reinforcer of political conceptions; today the parodies, comedians and
late-night hosts** establish the points of view - and the GOP will suffer at
the polls as a result.
These caricatures explain in large part why McCain’s
popularity improves after debates and recedes in the following days, the
comedic attacks combine with the vitriol of the left and a (distorted) picture
is painted in the collective conscious of many Americans. The combing of MSM
distortions, Democrat talking heads who repeat misinformation and a non-stop
portrayal of Republicans/conservatives as buffoons add up and to reduce
McCain’s overall standing.*** The media assault is immediate, incessant and
one-sided.
*http://www.hulu.com/watch/39637/saturday-night-live-update-thursday-debate-open
**http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/16/late-night-comics-skewer-republicans-seven-study-finds/
***http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-souring-on-mccain