Saturday Night Live’s most recent episode, hosted by Dwayne Johnson formerly known as “the Rock”, attempted a little Barack Obama satire in a skit suggesting that when Obama gets angry he turns into “The Rock Obama”, played Dwayne Johnson in black face.
The idea of Barack Obama as a comic book super hero is an interesting one, especially as a complex one with issues from Marvel Comics. But the sequence of “The Rock Obama” tossing three Republican Senators, including a woman and a wounded war hero, out the window of the Oval Office with Rahm Emanuel looked on with glee fell a little bit flat.
The SNL “The Rock Obama” skit illustrates the difficulty comedy writers find themselves in trying to make fun of President Obama. With President Bush it was “depict as clueless stumblebum. Rinse. Repeat”, regardless as to whether the depiction had any basis in reality. It made most people groan, but northeastern lefties ate it up. But Barack Obama seems to be elusive as the subject of satire.
One of the best Presidential satires Saturday Night Live ever did was one about President Reagan. The SNL Reagan acted like the “amiable dunce” of urban legend when greeting visitors. But then, in private, he suddenly transformed into a sharp, decisive, ruthless statesman that was probably closer to the reality of Reagan. Mind, this skit aired first before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Empire.
The first mistake that the SNL writers made was to depict Barack Obama as the Incredible Hulk. If anyone, Barack Obama most resembles the Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan, but without the god like powers and the full frontal nudity. Like Dr. Manhattan, Barack Obama clearly means well, wants to do the right thing, but is curiously detached from humanity.
Of course it could also be argued that Barack Obama resembles Ozymandias, the rich boy former super hero who models himself after Alexander the Great. Now there is a scary thought.
Here’s a free idea for anyone at Saturday Night Live or any other show who wants to do satire on Barack Obama. And by “free” I mean you have to pay me and acknowledge the contribution.
Barack Obama, overwhelmed by the cares of office, suddenly prays to God for help. Help comes in the form of Ronald Reagan, who is now working as the “last chance angel” for Presidents. This one can be used whenever Saving Grace’s Holly Hunter is guest host.
Source: SNL: The Rock Obama: Don’t Make Obama Mad (VIDEO), Nicholas Graham, Huffington Post, March 8th, 2009
