The sketch on Hillary's presidential candidacy was produced on 12th April 2015 on the Saturday Night Live Show where it was satirizing the announcement of the interest of Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, her political scandals and her personal life. The setting of the sketch is at Chappaqua, the home of Hillary and occurs in her private office and Kate McKinnon impersonates her on the show. Satire is vital in the society because it gives the viewers a new perspective on the issues happening in their daily lives and the people responsible for these occurrences. Although entertaining, political satire plays a crucial role in uniquely informing its audience. The caricature on Hillary Clinton's candidacy effectively portrays her real personality and her public figure hence making the viewer see her in a different perspective and therefore able to have informed opinions.
In this episode, the sketch shows that there are two versions of Hillary Clinton, the one she is supposed to be and the actual Clinton we know which is ironic. These two versions of Hillary Clinton are mocked regarding their personality, however, during this criticism; Hillary is cast in an exciting and good light. This episode revolves around the presidential candidacy of Hillary Clinton and how the message about her interest in the office of the president of US should be broken to the public. Bayer (playing as Hillary’s aid) advice her to use her phone to make a video message and goes ahead to argue that the election is not about Hillary and for that reason a mobile phone "would be more personal and intimate" (Hilary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL) This sketch is funny but also relatable and relevant.
It is common knowledge that Hillary Clinton has been and is still a public figure; she has been associated with various political scandals such as using her private email account while holding the office of the secretary of the state and her role in the US attack. And now that she is contending for the seat most of her critics view her as being insincere. In the statement made by Charles Krauthammer in 2014, "the problem with Hillary is the insincerity has reached has a point where nothing you see is believable. Even if she were sincere about anything you wouldn’t be able to tell it. And the reporting on it is all meta-reporting. It’s not that anybody cares about the event or what was actually said or any interaction, it’s about staging… its theater" (Schwartz). For this reason, Hillary is seen as an insincere and less-than-human who can be compared to phony automation. Basing on these accusations the sketch on the SNL focuses on the public image of Hillary Clinton where she pretends to be nervous about contending for the presidency, and she laughs sarcastically regarding the job ahead of her that she sees as too easy. Bill reminds her that she should be more personable and warm and in response to this she removed her Blazer and it is revealed that she is wearing another similar blazer inside. This moment is funny and satirical; however, this action shows the viewers that Hillary Clinton has only one version and one public face and there is no disparity in whom she is and who she is supposed to be.
McKinnon in her impersonation of Hillary she emphasizes and exaggerates Hillary's speech to bring out a sense of humor. "Hilary is a granny with a twinkle in her eye. Hilary is a granny, and she makes an apple pie" (Hilary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL). In these lines, SNL shows that politics comprises of artistic performances and Hillary is also an actor, and this perfectly concurs with the claim by Krauthammer and her other critics. The performance portrayed by MacKinnon is an example of the performance of a performance, and it indicates that Hillary is an actress who is yet to learn how to do it perfectly. Bayer tells her, "I think you may be coming off as a little hard", and in response, McKinnon asks, "Oh shoot. What part?" Bayer answered, "Well, sort of all of it" (Hilary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL). This statement is satirical, and McKinnon is making fun of Hillary by portraying her as an attention seeker, self-obsessed and crazy person who believes that being nominated as a presidential candidate on democratic ticket is inevitable and the prestigious positions she holds currently is permanent.
The other satirical moment is when McKinnon turns towards the camera shouting, "Citizens! You will elect me! I will be your leader!" (Hilary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL). These were the original words of Hillary Clinton in a past event and McKinnon aims at exaggerating the reality and make it more entertaining. The satire is not just meant to make the audience laugh by attacking Hillary, but also it comments on the scandals, current trends, values, government, leadership and politics and more importantly make the viewers see her as a more personable person. Just like any other comedians, "satirists need to be personal for their comedy to be understood and entertaining" (Thai). It is Ironic that by portraying her as calculating and disingenuous, it is helping her appear less so because by exposing her bad attributes and emphasizing her flaws SNL and McKinnon make her more human. This critique is funny and humorous however through it the viewers can see Hillary as more commonplace, relatable and ordinary person. This point is further emphasized in another case where McKinnon satirizes the approachability of Hillary saying, "Aren't we such a fun, approachable dynasty?"(Hillary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL). The whole concept of this sketch of SNL is not to humiliate Clinton, but they are utilizing the notion that the viewers have about the public person and make comedy out of it while at the same time passing a message. According to Thai, "Satire has made politics more accessible, leading to more informed viewers who have the potential to form more educated opinions and discuss those views with others" (Thai). Satire in this episode has been effective in providing viewers with a different perspective about public person and Hillary in particular and has achieved establishing a balance between political elites and the ordinary people.
Conclusion
Political satire plays a vital role in giving the audience entertaining content concerning the relevant issues occurring in their world as well as revealing those behind these occurrences in a comic way. These jokes help in fueling social conversation because those involved have a way of effectively connecting with this audience. Political satire can change the preconceived notions and help to create a more political involvement since it moulds the public to see these public figures in a more different perspective. Despite many of Hillary's critics claiming she is insincere the SNL sketch effectively brings out a different picture in the minds of the viewers concerning her public face. The emphasis on her flaws in a comic manner opens up the minds of the audience making them change their perception and start seeing Hillary as human and more relatable. From this episode, it is clear that satire has a significant effect on the social conversation and effectively gives the viewers an alternative perspective of their real world.
Work Cited
Hilary Clinton Election Video Cold Open- SNL. YouTube. Saturday Night Live, 12 April 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXdNYXMQoy8
Thai, A. "Political Satire: Beyond the Humor." The Harvard Crimson.The Harvard Crimson, Inc. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/2/6/harvard-political-satire/
Schwartz I. (2015). Krauthammer on Hillary: She's On Her "Marie Antoinette" Tour, It's Theater; "I Almost Feel Sorry For Her". RealClear Politics. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/04/16/krauthammer_on_hillary_shes_on_her_marie_antoinette_tour_its_theater_i_almost_feel_sorry_for_her.html
