Saturday Night Live Nails Satire of Hillary Clinton

I’ll be the first to admit that Saturday Night Live was never really my thing. I think the older I got, the less funny the cast was, so it was a healthy distrust.

Still, I would be remiss not to credit SNL with its brilliant satire of Hillary Clinton (played by Kate McKinnon), which has been a semi-consistent theme on the show for the last year — since the cast got turned over and they started posting their videos to YouTube. (Hey welcome to the 21st century, guys.)

April 12, 2015

Best line (2:22):

[Advisor] Okay, let’s keep going and um, this time maybe focus on all that you’ve done for women’s rights.

[Hillary Clinton] I am running because I want to be a voice for women everywhere.

[Bill Clinton] Did someone say women everywhere?

Takeaway: Before this election year is done Bill Clinton will be an important political topic. Let us not forget that Hillary has consistently campaigned as a champion for women’s rights, yet when her husband Bill — as president — effectively cheated on her, she proceeded to act on what was best for her political future. And that was to keep Bill by her side.

Morally, I don’t have a dog in this fight. People act on their own best interests. But it’s important to note that Bill Clinton’s presence, with respect to Hillary’s campaign, is not lost on SNL, and it’s going to turn up as a factor at some point in the race for the general election.

October 4th, 2015

Best line (1:30-2:45):

[Bartender] Oh me? I’m just an ordinary citizen who believes the Keystone Pipeline will destroy outrenvironment.

[Hillary] I agree with you there. It did take me a long time to decide that, but I am against it.

/

[Barback] I just wanted to say my sister is gay, so thank you for all you’ve done for gay marriage.

[Hillary] Well, you’re welcome.

[Bartender] It really is great how long you’ve supported gay marriage.

[Hillary] Yes, I could have supported it sooner.

[Bartender] Well you did it pretty soon.

[Hillary] Could’ve been sooner.

Takeaway: Man, isn’t Hillary Clinton just so goddamn relatable? Isn’t it great how she’s willing to do a taping for SNL where she’s making fun of herself? Wow, that’s the type of down to earth person we need to lead our country.

No, but for real, Hillary will say and do anything to get elected. And once she’s elected, she’ll go back to supporting her big money interests. She is on the wrong side of history until it’s convenient for her, and then she goes on acting like she was on the right side from the beginning.

October 18th, 2015

Best line (1:45):

I think you’re really going to like the Hillary Clinton that my team and I have created for this debate. She’s warm but strong. Flawed, yet perfect. Relaxed, but racing full speed toward the white house like the T-1000 from Terminator.

Takeaway: This was Larry David’s sketch, but it’s the beginning of a real worry from the Clinton campaign. As she says in the video, “Wait a minute, do you all like this? I’m not losing, am I?”

December 20th, 2015

Best line (1:20-2:15):

[Old Hillary] Oh you changed your hair.

[Hillary] Yes well people said I should, so I did.

/

[Hillary] Well it’s different this time… I’m running against Bernie never heard of him Sanders.

[Old Hillary] What? Bernie? We love Bernie, he’s a great senator.

Takwaway: This might be my favorite of all the Hillary sketches. 2008 Hillary (Amy Pohler) can’t take seriously a threat from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, let alone Republican nominee Donald Drumpf. It remarkably illustrates just how much the country has changed since the campaign she ran against then-Senator Barack Obama in 2008.

March 13th, 2016

Best line (0:58-1:13):

And when it comes to that darn Wall Street, I’ve always believe no bank can be too big to fail, no executive too… you know the rest. It’s that famous mobilizing sentence that works on you guys that I’ve been saying this whole time.

Takeaway: It goes back to Hillary saying anything to get elected, and in this case it’s obvious which of the two Democratic candidates has the stronger message. Since Bernie has made up so much ground on the former Secretary of State, she’s been forced to move her campaign further to the left to remain competitive.

Anyway, if you get the chance I encourage you to watch these clips. Even if you don’t care about politics as much as I do, if for nothing else that they are all pretty damn funny.