Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, and the race to ridicule America's next president

After eight years of 'no drama' Obama, will comedians get the president of their dreams?

Comedians
(Image credit: REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein, ABC/Adam Rose)

Stop me if you've heard this one: Hillary Clinton is…super-ambitious and inauthentic! Ha! Laughing yet? Probably not. But after eight years of Barack Obama, will we finally get a president who generates some real comedy?

We might, but Saturday Night Live's attempt last weekend for a pre-announcement satire of Clinton wasn't particularly strong, despite cast member Kate McKinnon's ample talents. It relied on those two ideas about Clinton, presented without a great deal of subtlety. (Told by an aide to look natural as she records her announcement video, she sticks her face in the camera and shouts, "Citizens! You will elect me! I will be your leader!".) There's time to develop that character, though, even if after all this time, we still lack a definitive comedic impression of Barack Obama.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.