Sarah Palin Appears on Saturday Night Live (SNL): But is it Too Little, Too Late?

Sarah Palin makes it to SNL...in person.



Over a million views by mid-day Sunday, October 19 - aka, the day after. Let's do a little deconstruction, eh?

Governor Palin appeared on the show that has, and honestly continued to lampoon her, though from a tight little squiggly angle if you tried to frame it as such you could say that SNL took some liberties lampooning themselves (but only in addition to the lampooning they did of Mrs. Palin) by describing what they do, parody, for the viewing audience in the show's opener on Saturday.

Wise move? These appearances can mean a lot to a public figures' persona. Some have argued that because Mrs. Palin refused to do interviews when the world was asking,"who is Governor Palin" and because Tina Fey was more than willing to portray her; public perceptions may have been influenced by these circumstances.

Mrs. Palin has been sought after, being a relatively unknown political figure - despite what the campaign says about her being the most loved Governor of all U.S. states. In addition to being unknown, she has been relatively unwelcoming to press coverage. (Recently it was sited that Joe the Plumber had done more interviews in 24hrs than Mrs. Palin had since her selection).

The exposure, in addition to the "hip-factor" of appearing on a program like Saturday Night Live, logically could lead to a positive reception from the voting electorate. But, I don't see it happening, not this time.

One reason the appearance won't work for Palin is that the momentum has shifted. Had she appeared on SNL a few weeks back, when interest in the Republican ticket was skyrocketing, and before people begun to suspect a certain weakness in her filling the slot of VP, her appearance may have been better received.

Another reason is the type of character she played on the show. She did not come as a heroic figure, only a mocked figure. True, she exhibited some disapprovement in what SNL was doing (by way of replacing Tina Fey at the podium), but the belittlement Alec Baldwin gave her was just a jab too deep. Palin wasn't able to recover.

Down for the count, down to the count the Presidential election has shifted and Palin is no longer the focus. The economy, the pressing deadline (less than days) and a growing sentiment (if not all out declaration) of Senator Obama's victory have taken the news lead.

In Sum: Mrs. Palin's appearance was too little, too late.

*See the further mockumentary aspects of Mrs. Palin's visit to SNL by watching her spot on Weekend Update. (Had she refused to appear, she likely would have done better for herself.)