"Almost one year, and nothing to show for it"

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/10/05/obama_snl/index.html

By Alex Koppelman
Monday, Oct. 5, 2009
"SNL" on Obama: "Almost one year, and nothing to show for it"
Posted in: Barack Obama

Leave it to "Saturday Night Live" to come up with a pretty good way for President Obama to defend himself against some of the wackier charges made about him and his agenda:

Last year, I was elected with a mandate to bring this country change we could believe in. And as time has passed, it has become clear that this promise is troubling to some people. There are those on the right who are angry; they think that I'm turning this great country into something that resembles the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. But that's just not the case, because when you look at my record, it's very clear what I've done so far, and that is: nothing. Nada. Almost one year, and nothing to show for it.

That one might give a few critics of the president reason to pause, but don't hold your breath waiting for the White House to embrace it. Problem is, as the rather funny "SNL" skit went on to demonstrate, the president really doesn't have a long list of accomplishments to trumpet, even after almost a year in office.

The fact that "Saturday Night Live" is now poking Obama for it is a potential sign of things to come, as the impression of various politicians created by the show often ends up bleeding into real-world politics, and can have a significant effect on them. (Sarah Palin, for instance, never went so far as to actually claim that she could see Russia from her house -- now it's unlikely she'll ever be able to escape that one line from the show.) It's one more reason why passing healthcare reform is so important for Obama politically -- he really needs a big win, a major accomplishment, and soon.