SNL: Mayor Bloomberg and Chris Christie Address the Press

The cold opening of Saturday Night Live was notable both for it's lampooning of Bloomberg's feisty sign language interpreter, and for the "Chris Christie" distaste for Mitt Romney.

SNL Skewers FOX & Friends Again

As a long-time fan (since the live first episode in 1975), I can admit that Saturday Night Live has few episodes that are funny all the way through. The key to whether or not they've had a good episode is a strong opening, a good first skit, and a funny Weekend Update. They hit all three last night. The rest of the Louie C.K.-hosted episode was mostly meh for me, but they hit it on those. The strongest bit of the night was the recurring spoof of FOX & Friends, the oddly-named FOX "News" morning program. As always, they've got a rich target to parody, with their "list of corrections" being the best part. Be prepared to freeze-frame!

Chris Christie and President Obama Tour Hurricane Damage

A fine bromance. Image from source, Washington Post

It's got to be a bit irksome to Mitt Romney and his supporters* that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been so effusive in his praise for President Obama. Even worse, Christie has openly dissed Romney. So, one of their big (no pun intended) heroes seems to have gone to the dark side. I'm not fooled for a minute that Christie has become some sort of reasonable guy. I think he's usually a prick. But it is an interesting turn of events during a really bad situation.

[Excerpt]

President Obama, Gov. Chris Christie touring storm damage together in New Jersey

President Obama visited one of the hardest-hit areas in Hurricane Sandy’s destructive path Wednesday, joining New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) — one of his most outspoken critics and a chief surrogate to rival Mitt Romney — for a tour of the damage the storm inflicted on the Garden State. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Romney "Storm Relief" Donations Staged

Poser. Image from source, Think Progress

Ugh. I know that some conservatives are peeved, because there has been criticism of Mitt Romney's "Storm Relief" (*cough*) events. The Red Cross prefers donations of money or blood for disasters like this, because processing donated items requires so much overhead. This legitimate point is seen as griping and sniping by the right. Okay, fine. What do you say, Right Wing World, about the fact that much of the event was staged, with the campaign itself buying a bunch of groceries at Walmart, and then letting event goers to "donate" those items? Harumph.

[Excerpt]

Romney Campaign Staged Donations At Storm Relief Event

. . .Just to be safe, campaign aides reportedly spent $5,000 at a local Wal-Mart on supplies that could be put on display. When supporters arrived at the rally-turned-relief event, they were treated to the 10-minute video about Romney’s life, which was first unveiled at the RNC. The event ended with supporters lined up to hand over supplies and meet Romney. But according to BuzzFeed, this donation process was also staged. . .

Read more at: ThinkProgress

Please Note: Chris Christie Said Nice Things About President Obama

This is not a DC Comics "Elseworlds" comic. It's not an alternate reality news post. New Jersey Governor (and irascible behemoth) Chris Christie has had nice things to say about President Barack Obama regarding Hurricane/Post-Tropical Cyclone/General Bitch Sandy. It's an odd thing in today's hyper-partisan politics for a prominent opposition-party leader to give kudos to a sitting president. And it makes me wonder if Chris (P90-X and fit and trim by 2016!) Christie might not be sort of sitting out this race, in anticipation for the next one.

Mitt Romney Transmogrifies Campaign Event Into "Storm Relief"

Image from ThinkProgress

When mother nature decides to muck things up, she doesn't care if there is a political season a'going on. For President Obama, this means the spotlight is right on him, and he's going to have to step up. He did, and arguably would have anyway. And so far, he's managed not to step on a political landmine. For Mitt Romney, it's probably a little more awkward, if not quite as dangerous. He can't really do anything, so he's trying to morph his campaign temporarily into a relief effort of sorts.

Of course, gathering canned goods and other items sounds good and feels good, but it isn't what disaster relief organizations want (what with having to process, inventory, clean, transport, etc.). So, it's a bit of a misstep, but difficult to criticize because of the sentiment. But it would seem that Mitt wasn't completely successful at dialing back the politics. And that's bad too.

Anyway, who knows if this will effect the election at all. And how weird is it that even in the face of a Frankenstorm hurricane in late October, neither side is much talking about global warming/climate change?

[Excerpt]

Romney Campaign Plays Convention Video At ‘Non-Political’ Storm Relief Event in Ohio
Despite promising to avoid political events while millions of residents in the northeast suffer through the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy, Mitt Romney made stop in the crucial swing state of Ohio on Tuesday morning and engaged in the very kind of electioneering his campaign pledged to forego. . .

Read more at: Think Progress