As Bernie Sanders prepares to take the legendary stage of “Saturday Night Live,” he is undoubtedly hoping to come off as likable, self-aware and, most importantly, funny. And it’s safe to assume that the Democratic presidential candidate would also like his appearance to translate into actual votes.
But has the “SNL” strategy worked in the past? Well. . .. The annals of the sketch comedy show’s history reveal a pretty mixed bag. And that the less the candidate actually says at 30 Rock, the better.
Gerald Ford showed up in 1976 as he was preparing to run against Jimmy Carter. And while he won points for playing along with Chevy Chase’s impersonation of him as a bumbling butterfingers — even closing the cold opening with “Live from New York, Gerald R. Ford!” — he ultimately lost the election to Jimmy Carter.
Steve Forbes hosted in 1996, which was, perhaps, a gross miscalculation on the part of his advisers. Because, you see, he was Steve Forbes: good with numbers, not so good with punchlines. The Atlantic recently ranked Forbes one of the “Most Awkward/Unfunny” hosts in the show’s history. Of course, he lost his bid for the Republican nomination to Bob Dole. (Dole also appeared on the show, but not until after he lost the election to Bill Clinton.)