Just A Laugh?

By: Kelsey Knutson

According to Fox news, Tina Fey took the stage at SNL again portraying McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. This time it was a sit-down interview with "Katie Couric" (Poehler) on the CBS news. 

The SNL skit made jabs against Palin and her "lack of knowledge" on many policies in Washington D.C. One part of the skit had Couric (Peohler) asking Palin (Fey) what she wants to do when it comes to spreading democracy abroad, Palin (Fey) replied, "Katie, I want to use one of my life lines...I want to phone a friend."

Saturday Night Live may just be comical show that many young people watch every Saturday night, but does it actually influence young voters?

This question has been raised and is being debated across the country. Many people are wondering if this election is at the hands of stand-up comics and sharp humor. And are the jokes biased?

I think that shows like SNL do effect some voters and how they look at candidates. If you make fun of people on t.v. some people may just simply assume that they deserved to be made fun of, and in turn assume they are stupid. 

However, I don't think this applies to the majority of people that will be voting this November. I feel that many of the young people that will be voting in this election are well informed and have already formed their opinions from what they've learned and read and not from what they've seen on SNL or other comedians. 

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Political bloggers becoming staple in American politics

by: Pat Tierney

With the presidential elections just around the corner, there is no doubt that this race is one for the history books. Along with all the “firsts” that have come with this election, the prominence of blogging in the political circles in quickly becoming historic as well.

Democrats and Republicans alike are turning to the web to voice their opinions and draw support. During this election cycle political bloggers are generating interest on their blogs for candidates, raising funds for their political party and “getting out the vote.”

Bloggers are not just waiting to see presidential debates on television but rather logging onto blogs and starting new debates daily. This is giving people an opportunity to openly discuss the current issues almost in real time.

During the first presidential debate on Friday night, many websites opened up blogs that would run live during the debate. This allowed viewers to blog in real time about the issues the candidates were discussing.

As the race continues the impact that the political bloggers will become clearer. For now however, these dedicated bloggers will continue to hit the web, in search of support and promotion and maybe even a little debate.

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