It's that time of year again: Christmas for the funny bone: the Saturday Night Live (SNL) political debates. Over the years, SNL has made these parodies a staple of America's comedic diet. Joke-deprived Americans come back again and again to see their favorite (and least favorite) political figures mercilessly mocked on live TV. Luckily, one can at least have some peace of mind knowing that real politicians would never say such ridiculous things...or would they?
See if you can decipher which of these quotes came from SNL skits and which came from the politicians themselves.
"Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states, I think - one left to go." -Barack Obama on his 2008 campaign trail
SNL or Obama?
"When the President does it, that means it's not illegal." -Richard Nixon
SNL or Nixon?
"I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was." -Mitt Romney
SNL or Romney?
''I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people.'' -Dan Quayle, President George H. W. Bush's Vice President
SNL or Quayle?
''I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man.'' -Vice President Joe Biden on Barack Obama
SNL or Biden?
''I think that gay marriage should be between a man and a woman.''
-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
SNL or Schwarzenegger?
''Come on! I just answered, like, eight questions.''-Barack Obama, exasperated by reporters after a news conference.
SNL or Obama?
"Who let the dawgs out? Who, who, who?" -Mitt Romney, on the campaign trail
SNL or Romney?
ANSWER KEY: (All of these quotes are from the politicians themselves. SNL's got nothing on our nation's elected officials!)
Contact Gabriela Leskur at gleskur@nd.edu
