Tina Fey is Famous Because She Looks Like a Celebrity

Recently Sarah Palin was interviewed for a book about SNL that will be out in September.  Saturday Night Live’s portrayal of her through the actress Tina Fey in 2008, became a cultural phenomenon against electing the Republican ticket because Fey acted stupid while looking like Palin.  Of course, the Republicans blamed Palin for losing the election, by parroting the arguments given by crochety demagogues, instead of defending her, because they have no strength in the conviction that their own ideas can win.

The real Palin told the Hollywood Reporter what she thought about the Fey portrayal, and as a private citizen, looked at it as the liberals defend Fey, that Fey was simply doing her job.  And if Fey was simply doing her job, launching her career on the back of a wronged Palin, then Palin certainly has the right to point out that Fey owes her.

Jaime Fuller shares the opinion of then cast member Horatio Sanz at the :

Former cast member Horatio Sanz thought both Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush impression and Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin impression had a huge effect on public opinion. “As funny as Will’s impression was, the audience as a whole, the whole country, would probably see that as, ‘Oh, I like Bush. Because he’s Will.’ You know, if Will hadn’t done that impression, or at least made him likable, it may have tipped it the other way. I honestly think so. We made up for it. I think Tina’s impression basically killed Sarah Palin.”

Because of the cultural focus on jokes at SNL becoming the reality for those who do not ever intend to realize their duties as citizens to understand political discourse and take part in it, Sanz, in my view was somewhat correct, and shows that as an institution, SNL would do all it needed to to make sure Republicans didn’t win.  Fey at the time was little known, except for SNL, and the likeness between her and Palin made it easier for people, who didn’t know the Alaskan Governor but for a month and one half, total, before election time, to think she was unintelligent and silly.

So Palin, looking at the portrayal as the catalyst that launched Fey’s career, figures Fey owes her something.  A simple acknowledgement that it is a reality that Fey should own up to, Palin says tongue-in-cheek, that Fey ought to pay for at least some of the things she had to pay out of pocket for, while simultaneously launching Fey’s career.

She wouldn’t mind if Fey thanked her for the career help. “If I ran into Tina Fey again today, I would say: ‘You need to at least pay for my kids’ braces or something from all the money that you made off of pretending that you’re me! My goodness, you capitalized on that! Can’t you contribute a little bit? Jeez!’ “

In 2008, I shuddered when voters argued against Palin by saying she was so stupid to say that she could see Russia from her house.  That was the first inkling for me that popular culture and a ridiculous press combined with an unresponsive Republican Party meant that we will be in dire straights for a very long time.  Since then, Republicans have been caught distancing themselves from any traditional values so as not to seem polarizing, while the left said they had a war on women, and lost, once again by not standing up for the truth.

Instead of looking at popular culture combined with media malfeasance and refusing to take a stand, Republican’s only weapon is the truth, stated consistently and relentlessly, with the belief that if the American people are presented with the truth, they will make the right decision.

They cannot do so if they are not informed.

Incidentally, in an earlier version of this website, I coined the comment, “The only reason Tina Fey is famous is because she looks like a celebrity.”  I think I’ll add it to my website again.