It's Saturday Night Live's job to mock American politics, but is it up to the parody show to expose presidential candidates' "dark sides?" Dean Obeidallah, who worked on the production staff of SNL for eight years and now has a radio show on SiriusXM, says absolutely.
SNL has mocked Donald Trump for years, most famously portrayed by former cast member Darrell Hammond. Hammond has revived his old character in recent episodes, yet the show revealed that Alec Baldwin will play Trump in Saturday night's presidential debate skit.
Punchlines and impressions are not enough, according to Obeidallah. Late-night comedians, Obeidallah insisted, “have a moral obligation” to highlight Trump’s dark side.
“This is not Mitt Romney, not John McCain," he added. "This is a man who has trafficked in racism, sexism and bigotry."
"It’s going to take comedians to do the job that cable news has relinquished for so much of the campaign,” he said.
Jimmy Fallon faced criticism for apparently going too easy on Trump when he invited the GOP nominee on his talk show earlier this month. He had to remind viewers that he hosts a playful late-night show and he's “never too hard on anyone.”
Since when is it comedians' job to ask tough questions?