SNL: I'm Just a Bill Cold Open

A rare thing: Saturday Night Live's cold open actually skewered Obama.

Everyone is familiar with Schoolhouse Rock and "I'm Just a Bill."



SNL looked at Obama's immigration executive order and criticized it, questioning the appropriateness of bypassing Congress and questioning the constitutionality of the order. It was actually amusing.

Here's video:



What's really hilarious is the fact that the Washington Post dissected the comedy bit to defend Obama.

This is no joke.

What "SNL" got right and wrong in its skewering of Obama's immigration action http://t.co/ImzsZpge9g http://t.co/TCLWN4DMMK
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 23, 2014

Zachary A. Goldfarb, Washington Post, writes:

Last night, Saturday Night Live's "cold open" mocked President Obama's new executive action shielding 4 million illegal immigrants from the threat of immediate deportation. To the tune of a "Schoolhouse Rock!" song, Kenan Thompson dresses up as a "Bill" and explains how Congress passes one. Until Jay Pharoah, playing Obama, pushes Thompson down the Capitol steps.

"There's actually an even easier way to get things done around here, and it's called an executive order," Obama (Pharoah) says. Bobby Moynihan shows up dressed as an Executive Order and sings, "I'm an executive order, and I pretty much just happen."

The Bill (Thompson) climbs back up the stairs and declares, "Look at the midterm elections. People clearly don't want this."

Obama is asked whether this is constitutional. "Of course," he says. "Presidents issue executive orders all the time." Then the Executive Order (Moynihan) starts singing, "I'll create a new national park ... or a new highway," and, keeping with the rhythm, the president adds, "or bring legal status to 5 million undocument[ed] immigrants."

The Executive Order then looks at himself and shouts, "Oh my God! I didn't have time to read myself. Woah!"

This skit got a couple of things right, and a couple of things wrong. For starters, Obama didn't sign an executive order. He is taking executive action, in particular by directing the Department of Homeland Security to expand programs that defer deportation for classes of undocumented immigrants — parents of U.S. citizens or permanent-resident children, as well as undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children.

...The cold open got the basic explanation of what the difference is between a law and executive order right. And SNL also is correct that more Americans, even if they support comprehensive immigration reform, don't believe Obama should do it by fiat.

As to whether the executive action is unconstitutional? That's a matter of debate, of course. Some House Republicans think so and may add a complaint to a suit they are planning to file challenging Obama's executive actions on his health-care law.

Isn't this insane?

This White House has hacks in the Leftist media "correcting" SNL.

"It's not 5 million. It's 4 million." It's an "executive action," not an "executive order."

The Post didn't point out that executive orders don't smoke cigarettes. Hey, you missed that one!



Thanks for the laughs, Washington Post!