The funnymen and women over at NBC have put their biases aside and focused on true comedy in the latest political sketch of the season, a ten minute recap of the Presidential town hall-style debate at Hofstra University. From the moderator, to the Long-Island questioners with over-the-top accents, to the uncanny resemblance of the candidates, the cold-open skit was a truly non-partisan, laugh-out-loud recreation of last week’s very serious debate.
The skit touched on a range issues from Tuesday night’s debate, from questions about the price of gas, to Mitt Romney’s perceived harassment of moderator Candy Crowley and Barack Obama threatening to “cut” Romney if it comes to blows with his GOP contender. Even Tagg Romney’s on-air radio comment last week about wishing he could “take a swing” at the president, made an appearance in the skit when President Obama (played by Jay Pharoah) began threatening Mitt Romney (played by Jason Sudeikis).
During a heated exchange in the skit, Romney suggested to Obama that after the debate, “you and me outside… just the two of us, no secret service.” Obama replied, “in that case, you better bring your Mormon magic underpants and your wife’s dancing horse, ‘cause blondie when I play, I play for keeps.” Tagg Romney stood up in the audience and said, “Let me at ‘em, Dad.”
The exchange about wealth and pensions crept into the debate when Romney said, “By the way, what’s your salary as president?” When Obama replied “$400,000- $400,000 a year, I mean, what’s it to you?” Romney retorted, “$400,000… yeah, that’s what I pay my cats, ok? Now why don’t you go sit down before I beat you to death with my paycheck.”
Even the contention that President Obama and moderator Candy Crowley (played by Aidy Bryant) were in cahoots made an appearance when Romney approached the desk asking for more time to say “four more things.” The president perceived the approach as a bullying tactic and came to Crowley’s rescue, asking, “Candy, is he bothering you?”
And just like the real debate, during the skit, Crowley came to President Obama’s aid on the question of Obama calling the terrorist attack in Benghazi a “terrorist act.” After guest star Tom Hanks (who played the role of disheveled questioner Kerry Lapkis) got around to asking his question, which was simply stated “Libya,” Obama and Romney sparred about rhetoric with Crowley chiming in to say, “Governor, he has in fact used the phrase ‘terrorist act’.” At this point in the skit, President Obama dropped the microphone, backed away, and brushed off his shoulders as if to signal that he had just won.
