Sykes Defends SNL "Incest" Skit

On his radio program today and on his blog, Charlie Sykes defended the skit on Saturday Night Live (September 20) that used incest in the Palin family to spoof the New York Times.

Sykes writes:

Some conservatives apparently aren't getting that this SNL skit is a huge send-up of the New York Times... not a rip on Sarah plain or her family.

True, the skit mocked the members of the press, specifically the Times reporters, their cluelessness and their ridiculous coverage of Sarah Palin. There's no question that was the premise.

However, in the process of attacking the press, there was no reason whatsoever to suggest that incest is commonplace in Alaska and Todd Palin is "doing his daughters."

Clearly, that was an unnecessarily inflammatory subject to raise.

The insulated world of the Times reporters could have been exposed without joking about Todd Palin having sex with his daughters.

I wonder if Charlie would like it if someone was spoofing the Left's over-the-top reaction to conservative talk radio hosts and in the process joked about him having sex with his daughter or his sons?

Would that be funny?

I think it's disgusting. It's over the line.

Sykes acknowledged that the skit was extreme, but he said, "That's what makes the best spoofs."

There's truth in that, but I wonder how he would feel if he were in Todd Palin's place. Would he like his kids to be fodder for a spoof, a spoof that suggested his children are victims of incest?

I think the children of the candidates, and public figures in general, should be off limits.

I believe the Palin children were victimized by the SNL skit.

Do you think the Palin daughters' classmates picked up on the fact that the skit was really about the idiocy of the Times reporters and not about their father having sex with them?

I think the "doing those daughters" is what will stick and the Palin children will suffer for it.