SNL Mocks Presidential Debate, MSNBC Meltdown [Videos]

In addition to the Big Bird sketch, Saturday Night Live had a field day last night with the first presidential debate and its aftermath.

In the open, cast member Jay Pharoah portrayed a distracted Barack Obama who revealed himself as preoccupied during the debate about forgetting to get his wife an anniversary gift among other things. Jason Sudeikis was Mitt Romney in the sketch droning on about his “41-point” plan.

SNL also mocked MSNBC’s post-debate meltdown, and Sudeikis — in the role of a typically out-of-control Chris Matthews — “suggested Obama man-up and get a face tattoo like Mike Tyson,” NBC Philadelphia notes.

Comedy aside, political pundits continue to weigh in on Obama’s poor debate showing. The Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank, who generally supports the administration, offered this analysis:

“But Obama has only himself to blame, because he set himself up for Wednesday’s emperor-has-no-clothes moment. For the past four years, he has worked assiduously to avoid being questioned, maintaining a regal detachment from the media and other sources of dissent and skeptical inquiry.”

“Obama has set a modern record for refusal to be quizzed by the media, taking questions from reporters far less often than Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and even George W. Bush.”

Lisa Fritsch of the American Thinker offered this evaluation:

“Indeed, Obama has been brought up by an adoring and overindulgent liberal media who have coddled him for the last eight years on everything from his appearance to Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, and his caught-on-a-live-microphone secret handshake with Russian President Medvedev, where he promised that he will have ‘more flexibility after the election’ to work with the Russians on missile defense. Additionally, we have the age-old public displays of media affection, including Dave Brooks’ awe over the crease in Obama’s pants and the ‘thrill up’ Chris Matthews’ leg. With a sycophantic media like this, who needs accountability?”

Watch Saturday Night Live mock both candidates at the presidential debate and provide a satirical view of MNSBC’s post-debate reaction: