Media Biases 261 Election Connection The 2000 Presidential Debates from a coma to find that, due to a hospital mix-up, her left arm had been amputated, infected with syphillis, and then reattached....As you can imagine . Etta’s prescription drug bills are staggering. They run to nearly $113 million a day! . Now, under my plan, Etta’s prescription drugs would be covered. Under my opponent’s plan, her house would be burned to the ground. And that is wrong. That is just wrong! The Gore team was embarrassed by the SNL parody, which was even covered in the New York Times political pages, and forced the candidate to watch a tape of it. But this tactic may have backfired as many observers found Gore too pas- sive in the second debate, agreeing with George W.Bush over and over again. Saturday Night Live parodied Gore again, this time portraying him as repeating “I agree,” over and over again. Al Gore was not the only target of SNL’s barbs. SNL portrayed Bush as a simpleton, not even able to understand his own campaign speeches: SNL’s Debate Jim Lehrer: Governor Bush, the next question is for you. Darrell Hammond’s portrayal of Al Gore and Will Ferrell’s par- Two weeks ago, at a meeting of the Economic Club in Detroit, ody of George W.Bush were so good that the New York Times you said the following: “More seldom than not, the movies ran coverage of the episodes, and network news replayed the gives us exquisite sex and wholesome violence, that under- footage several times. scores our values. Every two child did. I will.” What did you mean by that? George W.Bush: [clears throat] Pass. eptember of 2000 was not a good month for George W. Jim Lehrer: Perhaps if you could see it on a monitor? S Bush. Although his standing in the polls had been high all year and the Republican Convention was a success, Al Gore [the exact phrase appears on the monitor for Bush to read] came charging back after the Democratic Convention and led in the polls for most of September.But Gore’s support George W.Bush: [reads monitor] Pass. began to slide toward the end of the month, and he trailed in Jim Lehrer: Really? No idea what that could mean? most polls right up to election day. One explanation points to his poorer than expected performance in the debates. George W.Bush: Could be . education? After the first debate Gore was widely criticized for sighing loudly while Bush spoke, interrupting during Bush’s turn, Television does not merely allow the public to see the lecturing the audience in a school-marmish fashion, and ex- debates, it permits writers and comedians to shape public aggerating about several matters, including his mother’s judgments on the debates. Studies that detail how much prescription medication costs. effect the debates and subsequent parodies had on the elec- These criticisms were brutally developed in a widely tion are not yet available, but it is clear that Gore altered his seen skit on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Here is an excerpt strategy in the subsequent debates to avoid a negative media illustrating Gore’s exaggerations. The transcript can be judgment on his performance. Bush too probably altered his viewed at snltranscripts.jt.org. style on the basis of media reactions, giving prominent roles to such respected member of his team as vice-presidential Jim Lehrer: Governor Bush, both you and the Vice-President candidate Dick Cheney, and prospective Secretary of State have offered plans to provide prescription drugs for the Colin Powell, perhaps to relieve fears about his capacity to elderly. What makes your plan superior? do the job. Despite their harsh treatment by Saturday Night Al Gore: Jim, I’d like to interrupt here and answer that Live, both candidates appeared in an introduction to the pro- question as if it were my turn to speak. Jim, let me tell about gram three nights before the election. Americans do not a friend of mine. [holds up a picture of an elderly woman] want candidates who cannot take a joke. Her name is Etta Munsen. She’s 94, she’s a widow living on Social Security in Sparta, Tennessee. Etta was born with only • Do you think that the parody gives a fair representation of the one kidney. She also suffers from polio, spinal meningitis, lung, candidates? liver,and pancreatic cancer,an enlarged heart, diabetes, and a rare form of styctic acne. Now, several recent strokes, along • How might a candidate combat negative media judgments? Is with an unfortunate shark attack, have left her paralyzed and it worth trying, or are these portrayals largely beyond the candi- missing her right leg under the knee. Just last week she woke date’s control?.