The Final Stage of a Successful Presidential Campaign

  We (and I mean the authors and readers of this blog) all know that you are not really acknowledged as President of the US until SNL spoofs you. So in the face of the final days of the 2012 Presidential campaign a very important question has been asked. Should Jay Pharoah portray Barak Obama? It certainly is not about Jay being one of SNL's Negroes de jour (the other being Keenan Thompson who surprisingly is crushing it ). Darrell Hammond did a hi-larious Rev. Jesse Jackson. As the linked Speakeasy article states (and I repeat this in the most sincere spirit of colorblindness) Fred Armisen is just not funny. However this opens up a larger question and that is the effect of SNL's spoofs on the electorate's understanding of the president (see above). Chevy Chase's portrayal of Gerald Ford had nothing to do with appearance and though Chase depicted Ford as a clumsy clod, it was the popular impression that Ford was over his head in a job that demanded a steadier pose that was most damaging to his re-election chances (enhanced by the pardoning of Nixon and the poorly phrased explanation of the Eastern bloc's relationship to the Soviet Union during the debate with Jimmy Carter). Regardless of Ford's experience as House Minority leader or successful Big Ten athlete, Chase hit upon the public's sense that a lesser man was running things. As has been stated about the great impressions on the show, it is not the most accurate depiction that strikes home (granted Armisen has no idea how to capture Obama's vocal tone or cadence--personally, I think he hesitates because he is afraid of sounding too black) but the most essential evocation that strikes home. The performer that captures the audiences unspoken assumptions about the candidate will put a thumb on the scale of the candidate's success or failure. I knew it was over for the 2008 John McCain  presidential bid when I saw this

Fey's startling physical resemblance and her scribe like approach to Palin's word salad, were just the cherry on the cake of her hugely successful characterization. I think the glassy eyed pageant stare and waxy smile revealed someone not just, not up, for the job but someone that wanted to ride that position to something else. But to the original question whether or not Jay Pharoah should take over the Obama character from Armisen (who, I can not say it enough, is painful to watch) if Pharoah can bring that insight into the instinctive perception we have of Obama that he has brought to his other SNL creations

than let him have at it. I would love to see what we collectively sense about Obama as described by Jay Pharoah. On the other hand I always thought that they should have hired my man below, instead of torturing us (oops did I say that?) with Armisen for 4 years.

Update: It seems that the folks over at Salon recognizing that mimicing ain't easy as, this post details the thread the needle like task of capturing the essence of a public figure for comic effect especial;ly one as elusive as Barack Obama.. Good luck Bro. Jay, good luck.