TPM2012

SNL Relives Rick Perry’s Debate Flub (VIDEO)

SNL Relives Rick Perry’s Debate Flub (VIDEO)

Ah, another Republican presidential debate. It had been so long — a whole month? — that expectations at the CNBC debate were high.

Thankfully, Rick Perry didn’t disappoint. The Texas governor searched — and searched and searched — for the third government agency he would cut when he gets to Washington. So Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader gave Perry another shot this weekend, and the result was perhaps even more awkward than the original flub.

Perry’s brain freeze this time stretched upwards of five minutes, with the GOP presidential hopeful tearing off his blazer, and admitting, finally, that he probably won’t be president.

It got so bad that Jason Sudeikis, playing Mitt Romney, finally asked the debate moderators if the candidates could just move on. “I want to be president, but not like this,” he said.

And finally Herman Cain — played by Kenan Thompson — stepped forward, saying he would spill the details of his sexual harassment scandal if the moderators would just leave Perry alone.

Watch the video:

Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Saturday Night Live
David Taintor

David Taintor is the Front Page Editor at TPM, where he contributes to TPM's Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com

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EllDeau 23 pts

Does it cease being funny when it's no longer satire and it's just reality? Does that make it funnier? Sadder? Both?

me1idiot 16 pts

not available in europe. darn

eve 30 pts

not a good skit -- I doubt anyone could top the real event with a skit.

snerd 52 pts

eve Painful as the original.

Mr.E. 771 pts

Really? I thought it was hilarious.

New ad: "It's 3:00 a.m. Will this candidate even be able to answer the damn phone?"

eve

mattdotb 24 pts

Thankfully, people are starting to see Perry for the fraud that he is. It's not just that he forgot something. Anyone can have a moment where they're stumped and don't know the leader of Pakistan (ha ha) or whatever. But the issue that is most disturbing is that Perry came to the debate with a canned response that he obviously didn't feel very strongly about. This is why he forgot it.

Christopher Rollins 709 pts

I was sad they didn't include Jim Cramer.

haaz 19 pts

"Will there be rabbits?"

Oh, my... :-D

Lycurgus 21 pts

haaz The "Of Mice and Men" part was awesome.

gaijinlaw 236 pts

I confess I snickered a bit at Sudekis' line, “I want to be president, but not like this.”

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