New York Governor not laughing at Saturday Night Live skit

The late night comedy show that did those dead on impersonations of Sarah Palin? Funny during the campaign, but at least one high-profile politician isn't laughing now.

Seems that New York Governor David Paterson doesn't appreciate Saturday Night Live's treatment of him. Before you label him a spoilsport, this isn't like Mark Wahlberg's complaint.  He didn't like it when the writers had a doofus-like Wahlberg impersonator talking to goats.

The Governor could have a legitimate concern. His backers say the show lampooned his disability.

Too far?

Paterson is legally blind. And Fred Armisen (who also impersonates Barack Obama) portrayed him to be confused, bumbling, and not knowing which camera to look at.

Further, when Armisen held a chart -- more stereotypical humor: He held it upside down.

In the skit Armisen discussed his plans to replace Senator Hillary Clinton. The qualifications?

"Whoever is appointed senator must -- like me -- be caught totally off guard and be comically unprepared to take office," he said. "Come on, I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie."

Not funny

The Governor's office put a statement out condemning the portrayal.

"The governor engages in humor all the time, and he can certainly take a joke," said a spokeswoman. "However, this particular 'Saturday Night Live' skit unfortunately chose to ridicule people with physical disabilities and imply that disabled people are incapable of having jobs with serious responsibilities.

"The governor is sure that Saturday Night Live with all of its talent can find a way to be funny without being offensive," she said.

Stereotypes

The National Federation of the Blind wasn't appreciative of the skit either.

"The biggest problem faced by blind people is not blindness itself, but the stereotypes held by the general public," a spokesman said in a statement. "The idea that blind people are incapable of the simplest tasks and are perpetually disoriented and befuddled is absolutely wrong."

The Gov

How about Governor Paterson himself?

"I can take a joke," he told the New York Daily News. "But only 37% of disabled people are working and I'm afraid that that kind of third-grade humor certainly adds to this atmosphere.

"Let's just say I don't think it helped," he said.