Update: Here's a link to the Couric-Palin spoof. Sorry. Gone already.
[Update x2] This one works: HuffPo h/t to rb137
OK, so I've just finished watching SNL destroy Palin and McCain in two separate sketches.
I'll give a spoiler alert, as is traditional.
SNL opened with a spoof of the Couric-Palin interview. A bit later on they spoofed the debates. While they went after Obama a bit, it was clear that they reserved their best barbs for McCain-Palin.
The opening skit had Couric interviewing Palin. In their usual way, SNL took Palin's every tic and amplified it 1000%. The thing is, with Palin it just looks worse and worse.
When they asked the question about the bailout, they seemed to be using Palin's actual words from the real Couric-Palin interview. Tina Fey's rendering of Palin was that of a brainless beauty pageant stereotype. Someone not ready for prime time, as it were.
The debate spoof featured a John McCain who made random, off-the-wall suggestions, and absolutely hammered his "campaign postponed" stunt.
As someone who remembers the spoof of Al "lockbox" Gore, my sense of schadenfreude could hardly have been greater.
Here's thing thing about the SNL meme, though. One can agree or disagree that their pasting of McCain/Palin was fair. I think it was. But it doesn't matter. For people who didn't watch the debate [half of my students in college], but who nonetheless watch SNL, this is what they will remember. This will be their image of McCain and Palin.
When they see the real McCain/Palin on TV, they're gonna think of the SNL spoof. They'll see the real McCain/Palin as caricatures. They'll laugh at them.
Remember back to Al Gore. We all said "but he never said that he invented the Internet. He may have looked wooden, but his policies are better." It didn't matter. The MSM picked up on the SNL meme and ran with it.
Watch. Tomorrow the pundits won't be talking about how McCain/Palin look in debates. They'll be talking about how SNL makes them look.
The SNL meme will be important to us. Maybe worth 1 to 2 points.