I have always thought that Fred Armisen's Obama is very good! I don't see why no one likes it! He does a great job and on the occasion when SNL is actually funny, he can often be the one behind it!

I think what it comes down to is that for most people the common perception is what is there to make fun of when it comes to Obama? Wow! Look at that dude! He's so...well spoken? Totally devoted to his family? Really calm?

And that's not even touching on everyone walking on eggshells because of the race factor. Which is total BS.

If you're a political junkie or an Illinois resident, you know that Obama is actually a very funny and down to earth guy. It's okay to laught at him! He won't be offended! He'll probably laugh back!

So SNL, fire Armisen. Hire someone who is actually funny (and you're allowed to pick a Black dude. It's not racial profiling, I promise.) Loosen up. If Obama says or does something goofy, call him on it. The country will thank you for it.

It's the writing that's not funny. The problem is that everyone at SNL seems to worship Obama, so instead of making fun of him for say, cutting ties with everyone shady he's been linked to, or having him make hyperbolic claims about saving the world or something, they're just letting Armisen regurgitate things he's actually said. His impression is pretty accurate, he's just not saying anything funny.

I think Armisen's impression has at least improved a bit during the last few months. When watching the SNL Presidential Bash, we could see his earlier impression during the Hillary debates. That was awful.

I think Sudeikis has Biden's expressions down, but does Biden really yell that much? I never notice Joe yelling as much as Jason does.

I think they held off from any real satire until the guy actually won (WOOT!)... but now, yes, they can have more fun with him and hopefully get a better ringer :-)

I agree! Biden seems more smiley than loud to me...

You inadvertently point out the real issue: SNL typically transcends politics in the name of humor (and should), but they since they clearly wanted Obama to win the election, they steered clear of doing anything but simply representing him. I agree with a previous poster that he seems to have a great sense of humor about himself. They could make fun of the fact that he has big ears, something, but they don't. I think I might be more offended if they started taking jabs at him now because it would only substantiate the hypothesis of their protection of him.

YES!!! THANK YOU!!

I agree that Armisen's impersonation is awful, but SNL does not worship Obama. Has everyone forgotten about how they practically endorsed Hillary? In the primaries they poked a lot more fun at Obama than they have of late.
Jason's Biden may not be completely accurate, but it's hysterical.

My favorite political impression on SNL is Kristin Wiig's Nancy Pelosi. There's something to be said about a woman who can make you crack up just by her eye movements.

I totally agree Nadine. I was just about to post the same thing. As for "worshipping" Obama, just last week Colbert had a bit making fun of Obama for misquoting Fred Sanford. Funny stuff. While he's not a human gaffe machine like Bush, or even Biden, I seriously doubt that comedians will avoid taking advantage of whatever comedy they CAN glean from the future president.

Eh, I disagree. Even when Hillary was the front runner, the jokes were all about how she's a bitch, a ball-buster, etc. There was one Democratic primary skit that focused on all the male candidates being accused of sexism during debates and if I remember corectly, they didn't even represent Obama in it because it was the night he appeared on SNL.

Personally, I do think that SNL/Daily Show/Colbert Report went easy on Obama because they wanted him to win and hey, that's totally within their right. They don't have any responsiblity to the American public to be completely impartial.

And really, SNL wasn't that hard on McCain. The worst thing was probably the last debate skit where John McCain had an imaginary friend (???) which was not really funny. They were much harder on Palin, who kind of brought the attention on herself.

I have to figure out some way to work the phrase 'Jerkwadder' into my daily life. For some reason that makes want to piss my pants.

I think Armisten is okay as Obama. He's gotten better with time. But I agree that Michael Keeghan Key is way funnier, and Mad TV is just better in general at dealing with celebrities of color because they actually have comedians of color (and presumably writers) on the show.

SNL is a bit... white bread. Which is maybe why they are able to get great hits on Palin, McCain, and Biden, but not on Obama.

I heard an interview with Seth Meyers, where he called Amy Poehler's Palin Rap as "one of the great moments of performance in SNL history." It was, but it wasn't any better than Key's Obama singing about Oprah Winfrey on Mad TV. And where else could you have the same performer playing both John McCain and Kim Jong Il?

John McCain's wierd stiff-arm thing is due to his broken arms not being set properly when he was a POW.

Did you make fun of Bob Dole's inability to use his right arm, too, due to it being injured in World War II?

The SNL parodies of Presidential candidates has always been over top top. Hillary's not that bitch, Palin's not that folksy, and Biden's not that loud, but by exaggerating those qualities, you can get more comedy out of politicians then by playing them absolutely straight and accurate. Jason's Biden during the cold open of Jon Hamm's episode wasn't dead on accurate, but it was over-the-top and THAT'S what made it funny, taking a gaffe and running with it.

As for Fred's impersonation, as long as it falls into the "hell, close enough" vein, I can buy it. Hartman's Reagan wasn't that accurate, and Chase's Ford wasn't even CLOSE. But they made it work.

The fact is that Armisen's impression just sucks. The voice and style of speaking is just off. I had hoped with all the attention they were getting with the election, they'd find someone else for the impression. Four years of that impression is going to be difficult to watch.

The sad thing is that Lorne didn't even get the "funny" Good Burger actor.

The sad thing is that Lorne didn't even get the "funny" Good Burger actor.

Yes, the whole point of the presidential impressions is to exaggerate for comic effect: let's not forget this is comedy, where anything can and should go, whether it's Gerald Ford's clumsiness or Bob Dole's tightly-clutched pen (Norm MacDonald, anyone?). Let them find their own way into the character, but there shouldn't be limitations on how they go about it. It is, after all, a comic interpretation.

On the subject of Chevy Chase's Ford, it's worth noting that SNL pioneered the presidential parody, and that at the outset, the greatest concession made to physical accuracy was to dust Dan Aykroyd's moustache to match his Carter-greyed hair -- a far cry from today's wigs, appliances and (occasionally, gasp!) pigmentation. Audiences now expect big-budget production values with their parodies, but it's still what the performer does with it that makes it. Ms. Fey's a good example of the resemblance being dead-on but the performance being the clincher.

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