Senate Candidate Writes McCain SNL Skit

Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken, a former cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live, participated in writing the opening sketch on last night's show, according to his campaign. Though initially denying that Franken had a hand in writing the sketch, campaign spokesperson Colleen Murray later admitted that Franken had helped develop the skit in consultation with Lorne Michaels, legendary producer of the show, and the show's head writer, Seth Myers. The sketch is a spoof of a John McCain campaign commercial recording session that depicts the Republican presidential nominee recording voice approvals for campaign commercials. The commercials feature a series of increasingly disingenuous and patently false assertions, yet each wins the approval of the fictional McCain.

Franken's past writings have caused a bit of trouble for his Senate campaign. He has had to explain a controversial article he penned for Playboy magazine in 2000 that contained graphic sexual references and descriptions. And several Minnesota lawmakers raised objections to jokes Franken had told over the years that contained bigoted, homophobic, and misogynistic themes. Franken has dismissed the criticism, saying that he has had a long career as a satirist, and that if he had to respond to every criticism of his material, "That's all I'd do," indicating the sheer volume of objectionable material that he has produced.

If a portrayal of a candidate from Saturday Night Live catches on, it can impact upon the presidential election. In the Democratic primary, a sketch on the show lampooning journalists for their fawning treatment of Sen. Barack Obama during one of the debates may have helped bring about greater scrutiny of his campaign in the weeks following the show. That scrutiny may have contributed to the lengthened primary on the Democratic side.

But for Franken, the sketch he helped pen may have an impact on his Senate campaign. Franken has been criticized by his opponent, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) for, among other things, being from Minnesota but not holding its values. Franken has not lived in the state for much of his adult life, instead cavorting with show business pals in New York and Los Angeles. His sketch poking fun at Sen. McCain may ultimately score some points for Obama on the presidential campaign trail, at the cost of reminding Minnesota voters that Franken may prefer to travel in circles far from home.