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Despite the often expressed opinion that Gerald Ford was defeated in the 1976 presidential election because of his pardon of Richard Nixon, I believe the loss can be attributed primarily to “Saturday Night Live.” For months prior to the election, the late-night comedy show–hugely popular in its early days–started each week with a Chevy Chase satire of Ford doing a stupid, clumsy pratfall making Ford appear not very bright and far less than presidential.
“SNL” ushered in the era of TV comedians being a major force in shaping public opinion about presidents and public policy.
