A Horse's Ass?

In the category of what were they thinking, we need to flash back to Sarah Palin’s audition for a future talk show when she appeared on Saturday Night Live. Not that she’s going to be on SNL, but if she’s not the VP then she will have her own television show—whatever else you may think of her qualifications, she was very good on that show. But that’s not the issue here and now. My pal Kat came over tonight and she asked me what I noticed about the Palin appearance. I told her I was only moderately interested in Sarah because I had just talked to my college roommate who happens to be Andy Samberg’s mom and she was quite concerned about Mark Wahlberg’s threats against Andy. Well, Mark came on and made a little bit of an issue about how unhappy he was with Andy’s imitation of him and how he was going to beat the crap out of him. But, someone must have clued him in on how much press he would get from anyone even mentioning him on SNL and he and Andy made-up. Whew! My former roommate can take a breath. It is horrible when a parent thinks their child is in danger and it doesn’t matter whether they are a celebrity or a screw-up—danger is not fun. But back to Sarah, I had honestly seen nothing extraordinary in the backdrop but noticed she had highlighted her hair. “You mean you didn’t see the horse's ass behind her?” Kat said.

“No I didn’t notice any horse’s ass but the candidate” I said. (I know It’s another cheap shot but sometimes I can’t help myself). So we went back and took a look. If you want to follow along here’s the link. http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/gov-palin-cold-open/773761/.

In the background, when Sarah and Alex Baldwin are talking, there is a Lincoln-like figure who is holding on to a horse, or it could even be a llama. At some point the figure leaves the animal with it’s ass prominently displayed and walks away — leaving the horse's ass as the Palin backdrop. Now what kind of message do you think they were sending. Further, do you think Palin was aware of it. Further, do you think it was planned or just a coincidence?

What I really liked about the show was that SNL did not change who they are (their voice) to suck up to a candidate. And she played along. She is their generation and despite her seeming inflexibility about many things, she appeared on a show where she knew they were not supporters and they would not be kind. Pretty amazing for someone who shoots moose from an airplane.

Apparently, her popularity has diminished in the polls. Her popularity has clearly diminished with McCain. The interpersonal connection has gone who knows where. What started out as a team has degenerated into a threesome. It is apparent that Cindy has come between them — literally, she is standing in between them in almost every still you see. It must be impossible for photographers to shoot any kind of an intimate picture when it appears there is no longer any intimacy. But unlike Senator McCain and his lovely spouse, I have to say, I like her a whole lot more now that I know that she really wants to be a talk show host before she grows up. When I watched her during the convention and events that followed, I couldn’t figure out the personal dynamic — but now that I know it’s all about what she wants to do after the campaign, I feel much more relaxed. Which is not to say I am comfortable about the Palin factor in this election, but if they lose I know she has another career path to follow and Willow, Twig and the rest of the trees and bushes won’t starve.

So do you think that subliminal messages are acceptable in politics? Should the McCain campaign now make an issue about the horse’s ass? Should they protest the appearance and cite some kind of fairness doctrine — like if you put a horse's behind, behind us you have to do the same thing with Obama? Or do you, like I, think that John McCain and his cronies hated the fact that Sarah had a good time at the ‘Ticket’s” expense and now, they are just sorry that the horse’s ass appear to be the decision to select a “Wheel of Fortune” contestant instead of someone who could have competed on “The College Bowl”. We’re just sayin...Iris