The American Spectator

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SNL Hell

2.26.08 @ 12:01AM

LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT'S SATURDAY NITRO
Re: Nicole Russell's Al Frankenstein:

Celebrity candidacies may seem attractive, but they carry some problems. The candidate generally has to have a public image that inspires some measure of confidence in their abilities. Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood and Fred Thompson were perceived as mature, successful men who were able to communicate ideas, and who had been successful in fields other than acting (Reagan as a union president, Schwarzenegger as an entrepreneur, Eastwood as a producer and director and Thompson as an attorney). Al Franken has never done anything of note outside of writing, and his tenure as head writer of SNL coincided with the decline of the show's quality and viewership. In fact, Franken's body of work can be used against him. His most famous book, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, is a collection of sophomoric tirades that alienated as many people as it amused. An excerpt that appeared in Playboy, hardly a bastion of conservativism, received uniformly negative mail due to its childish attacks on what he perceived as conservative "Chicken Hawks." It was full of scatological jokes and cheap shots and prompted one letter writer to ask if it had been written by Franken's child. Appearing live on Politically Incorrect during the '96 election cycle as the liberal counterpoint to Arianna Huffington (now there's a blast from the past), his comments to LTC Oliver North were so offensive that Bill Maher felt the need to apologize to LTC North on the air prior to any response from the public. These and other incidents and comments are easily researched and will provide easy fodder for any campaign.

But, it is as head writer on SNL that Franken is most vulnerable. The obvious decline in the writing of the show and its loss of viewers should demonstrate Franken's inability to manage a small group of writers, much less a Senate staff, and Franken's notoriously thin skin will not help him when these facts are presented to him, and nothing turns off the electorate faster than a good public tantrum.
-- Mike Harris
MAJ, US Army.

Great article by Nicole Russell on Mr. Air America himself. And a perfect photograph accompanying it. You see how you turn out after years of dropping LSD in order to write those stupid skits for Saturday Night Live with Tom Davis ages ago? You become an idiot-stick liberal like Franken.

Sometimes there isn't better living through chemistry.
-- Jim Bjaloncik
Stow, Ohio

ROUT OF AGES
Re: Jennifer Rubin's 1972 All Over Again:

Jennifer Rubin's article re McCain versus Obama describes the current situation pretty accurately. The choice is between someone who is relatively conservative and the Democrat nominee on the far left.

Looks pretty easy for me. Most individuals who are conservative political junkies probably have strong disagreements with any number of McCain positions. I can count his position on accepting embryonic stem cell research, and the assault on free speech that is McCain-Feingold as two particularly troublesome positions. Other readers may have their personal favorites. Still political decisions need to be balanced by what is actually achievable. Conservatives must realize that the country as a whole is not as conservative as we might like. If it was, well then Rick Santorum would be the nominee of the Republican Party. That was my personal pick, but alas I think I was in the minority.

As it stands we have a reasonable chance at electing a moderate-conservative candidate who is infinitely preferable to the left wing neophyte that Obama is. And even more preferable to the fanatical left wing ideologue that Clinton would be. Issue by Issue: On economics Obama wants to raise taxes, views those making over $75,000/year as "the rich", and plans on initiating some kind of ill described "national service" in exchange for a $4500/year grant for everyone to go to college. ( What happened to working part time and saving the money for college!) McCain clearly will spend less on such boondoggles, has promised to preserve the Bush tax cuts, and is much less likely to nationalize the health care industry. On social issues Obama is for unrestricted abortion for any reason, at any stage of pregnancy, paid for with taxpayer dollars. McCain in spite of his position on ESC research, has a zero voting rating from the abortion on demand folks at NARAL, and has a pre-election pro life voting record at least as strong as any of the last several Republican nominees. He is endorsed by Sen. Sam Brownback who has been a prolife leader, and has supported conservative justices from Bork to Alito. On the issue of Islamic terrorism, well, Obama wanted to Bomb Pakistan, and let Iraq collapse into chaos. Need anyone say more?

At this point its time for conservatives to lick their wounds, and realize that sometimes you don't get what you want, but sometimes you do get what you need. Of this year's nominees he might very well be the most conservative electable candidate. (It is amazing how many who bewail his nomination were rooting for Giuliani, when Giuliani's pro-abortion position was completely unacceptable to social conservatives. There is no position that McCain has taken that is so intrinsically bad as Giuiliani's left wing social positions.) Clearly responsible adults can not let the country be handed over to the Obama cult, and still less can they allow it to be handed back over to the likes of Billiary Clinton, should they manage to rise from the dead.

For those of your readers who are claiming they are too pure a conservative to sully their hands by voting for McCain, well, do you really want to see what the country looks like after four years of a extreme left wing democratic President aided and abetted by a Congress controlled by the Democrats?
-- Michael DePietro MD
Hockessin, Delaware

No offense Ms. Rubin. But where in his voting records of the last seven years can you say he is a conservative in the mold of Reagan. And just because he says he sees his mistake in the amnesty bill does not mean he will put a fence in first. He has even stated he still agrees with that bill.

Finally, the list of bills (too numerous to mention) he has joined with liberal democrats against the conservatives of this country do not tell us he is conservative. He gets a half point on security of the nation and a half point for fighting spending. But cutting or keeping the tax cuts, I am still not sure he will do this. However, we do not want Hillary or Obama any where near the White House.
-- Joseph D'Ambrosia

Jennifer Rubin has nailed it: Barack Obama is an ultra-liberal and as Ted Olson recently proved not very bright. Conservatives disappointed with John McCain's nomination (I am one) must consider the alternative to a McCain Presidency before choosing to cavalierly throw away another election -- the "Obamantion" of the U.S. (even if Hillary gets the nomination she'll be compelled to adopt Obama's agenda). On several issues John McCain is a better choice. He promises no new taxes -- since George W. Bush is the only President in 40 years to never raise taxes I'm skeptical, but Obama has promised he would raise taxes on the middle class (those making $50,000 and up).

McCain's pledge to follow in the footsteps of George W. Bush and appoint only conservative Constitutionalists to SCOTUS is good news since it is likely the next President will have at least 1 if not 2 slots to fill. McCain is pro-life and since the Democrats may retain control of Congress he would be a necessary bulwark to block their anti-life agenda. As a combat veteran, from the war Democrats eagerly chose to lose, his position of no surrender to Muslim imperialists/terrorist stands in sharp contrast to Obama. His opposition to earmarks at a time when the Democrat Congress is demanding more pork and Obama plans to spend, spend, spend (though revenue will decrease due to his massive tax increase) is sound fiscal policy.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Health Care, John McCain, Barack Obama, Mainstream Media, Economics, Business, Earmarks, Islam, Abortion, Global Warming, Constitution, Law, Iraq, Pakistan, NATO, Energy, Oil, Unions