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McCain pulls bigger laughs, Palin bigger numbers
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McCain with Fey as Palin
John McCain used this weekend's appearance on SNL as a last minute reminder to voters: he's got a sense of humor.
The Arizona Senator and Republican presidential nominee dove feet first into the comedy, appearing in a sketch with Tina Fey as his running mate Sarah Palin. The two were "hawking their goods" on QVC as a response to Barack Obama's prime-time infomercial on three major networks.
Unlike when Palin appeared as the straight woman a couple of weeks ago, McCain delivered one-liners like a seasoned pro (he has been host of SNL before, after all).
One of the biggest laughs came when he was explaining how he ended up on QVC. "I'm a true Maverick: a Republican without money!" McCain quipped. "My only showbiz connections are Jon Voight and Heidi from The Hills."
McCain and "Palin" peddled all sorts of goods on the shopping network: pork knives, commemorative plates, a line of Joe action figures (Joe Six-Pack, Joe the Plumber and Joe Biden) and even a line of McCain Fine Gold Jewelry (get it?). The latter was presented by surprise guest McCain's wife Cindy (as a lovely double for Vanna White).
Fey did score big laughs of her own when she went "rogue" and started selling Palin 2012 t-shirts.
McCain also appeared on 'Weekend Update with Seth Meyers' where he walked through his various ideas for last minute strategies (e.g. the Double Maverick, the Reverse Maverick, etc.).
All in all, McCain got the joke. It was his performance that was funny, not the SNL supporting cast and for that reason I give him a higher grade than his running mate Sarah Palin. Unfortunately, viewers didn't agree with me and Palin's ratings far outweighed McCain's. McCain's episode -- which garnered a 9.0 rating and 20 share according to Neilsen -- was the second highest rated episode of SNL in 11 years. Second to running mate Sarah Palin's episode two weeks before. In plain talk, McCain got 12 million people to watch and Palin got 15 million.
Palin -- feeling pretty confident -- told a rally in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday that Fey should keep her Palin duds, saying "she's going to need it for the next four years."
So what does this all mean? Election 2008 is over. Late night comedy won.
But, don't worry. Late night comedy is still making a last-minute push for voters. SNL is airing a prime-time election special tonight. I wouldn't miss it if I were you. You may just miss something funny.
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