Saturday Night Live & Governor Chris Christie
Governor Chris
Christie Saturday Night Live
This past
weekend Governor Chris Christie made a cameo on Saturday Night Live to appear
on the segment titled “Weekend Update” to discuss events post Hurricane Sandy.
The link to the video is here. Governor Christie made fun of the impatience of
New Jersey residents. He even poked fun at himself with his “Chris Christie:
Governor” Fleece Jacket. The main focus is when Governor Christie said that he
would not like to thank the “stupid mayors” who decided not to evacuate. I
think that it’s very interesting when politicians poke fun at serious issues or
scandals that they are involved. As a form of political communication,
appearing on television shows such as SNL can help politicians clear the air
and provide comfort and entertainment to the audience.
This
relates to the media-politics relationship that we discussed in class, more
specifically politicians influence on mainstreaming. We’ve talked about
President Obama appearing on late night TV. Going on SNL and doing segments on
late night TV can be used to get more positive coverage and/or providing
neutral coverage. I think in particular for Governor Chris Christie on SNL
provides him with more positive coverage as well as bringing more light to
Hurricane Sandy as the recovery process takes place. It’s actually quite interesting that
Republicans are more likely to go on shows such as SNL than Democrats.
Not only
was this segment used as a chance to bring comedy to Hurricane Sandy, but it
was also an opportunity for people to be thanked for all that they have done in
helping with the hurricane relief. This segment in my opinion brings comedy and
awareness together for the public. That is something that can really only be
done in media. It’ll be interesting to see how in the future more and more
politicians begin using media in that way.
posted by KrisR13 | 3:33 PM
10 Comments:
Thanks for sharing the clip. I had no idea what Chris Christie looked like before seeing it! I was actually surprised at his acting skills. I think you're right that going on entertainment shows allows politicians to control a piece of the media. They are allowed to show off their acting skills and although they don't write the SNL skits, they certainly can control which parts of the skits they actually perform. I'm not sure why you said Republicans are more likely to make entertainment show appearances though. Was that something you read in an article?
As someone who is from New Jersey and has seen Chris Christie speak before I found this to be very funny. He is known to have his explosive moments and to be pretty candid at times. The fact that he is able to poke fun at himself is great. What is even funnier is when Christie says who he doesn't thank because well I think he was serious. I think his take in the skit on the whole Sandy situation did not make light of what happened but brought more attention to the situation. Although the storm is over there still is a lot of rebuilding to be done and by going on SNL he brings the crisis to the forefront of people's minds again. It was a use of media and entertainment in a positive and helpful way. He had control of the situation and used it to his advantage. As a New Jersey voter this would sway me to be more likely to vote for Christie. Not only does he show he is has a personality but that he is still working for NJ.
This was such a great clip to share. I am not someone who often watches SNL skits but this is rather interesting. Chris Christie gained so many followers due to the applauded way that he dealt with the natural disaster in New Jersey. Although you can tell that Christie definitely has a very vibrant personality when he was giving updates during the disaster, seeing him in this medium really showed the bubbly but desirable personality he has. Interesting to point out about the Republicans making more appearances on entertainment shows, I would be curious to see the statistic on that.
As a SNL fan and a Chris Christie fan, I really enjoyed this clip! I am not a huge fan of politicians going on late night talk shows or comedy shows like SNL or the Daily Show, but Christie did a very good job of representing himself and the state of New Jersey especially in the time of crisis. He was charismatic and funny and used this form of political communication in a positive way. I was also interested in Republicans being more likely to appear ons shows like SNL more than Democrats? That surprised me.
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This clip of Chris Christie was great and a smart move on his part. It gave him a chance to bring light to a serious issue and show his personality at the same time. While people do not agree with politicians going on talk shows, it does seem to be more and more successful for the candidates. It gives them a chance to let people see them as a 'real person' and therefore they will connect with them more. Interesting topic and clip, great job!
I was watching SNL and was surprised to see Chris Christie actually appear on Weekend Update. I was expecting one of the cast members to do an impression, and was a nice surprise to see the real Governor Christie.
Christie is not the first politician to agree to appear on SNL - the 2008 election had one politician after another on SNL. It is very interesting to see politicians on Saturday Night Live, since they usually come out and poke fun at themselves, recognize the jokes and stereotypes about them and appear to be in on the joke with America. I actually liked Christie more for appearing, because being "in on the joke" makes a person more likable.
This example of Gov. Christie on SNL is a great example of how useful politicians on late night shows can be to help them build a strong public image and to bring public, mass media attention to a current issue like Hurricane Sandy.
I really enjoyed watching this clip! It definitely made me see Chris Christie in a different light. I've heard of him, but never knew much about him and I think that this clip has potential to help his image in politics. I think humor does play a big role in politics. When someone shows that they have a humorous personality, I personally feel more comfortable with them. The fact that Chris Christie makes jokes about himself as well as others' mistakes, he makes a statement about his own imperfections. As citizens, we do not ask for a perfect government, but we do want someone we can trust and feel comfort in them running the US.
I think the issue of politicians and entertainment programing is interesting. As we discussed many people take it as factual news. I think that it is all well and good, but they need to be clear that it is first and foremost entertainment over news. Good blog post!
Personality is huge for me and I am a fan of Chris Christie. He reminds me of Jim Traficant, a congressmen who was from my hometown that was extremely popular. Everyone loved him even though he went to jail. He defended himself in his own court case and it was the funniest thing I've ever seen, but so true. Christie has that honesty and I appreciate it. He seems a bit rough around the edges, but SNL was a great opportunity for him to be funny and attract people. People like entertainment, but most of al they like what he stands for.
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