The Best Political Impressions Of All-Time, Round 2: Vote In Decider’s Bracket!

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We’ve reached Round 2 of Decider’s Best Political Impressions Of All-Time bracket!

The first round saw 64 (!) uproarious and incisive impressions face off across four regions defined by era (10s, 00s, 90s, 70s/80s), with some remarkable results. The biggest winner? Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin, which captivated the nation in the fall of 2008, and which here positively steamrolled over John McCain’s John Ashcroft, taking nearly 96% of the vote. No recount necessary, obvs.

Other wins worth noting: Bill Hader’s James Carville, which made quick work of Andy Samberg’s Rahm Emanuel, Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush making minecemeat of Alec Baldwin’s Saddam Hussein, and, in a matchup that captivated Beltway insiders, Dana Carvey’s John McLaughlin over Nora Dunn’s Jeanne Kirkpatrick (R.I.P. John McLaughlin!).

And so it’s on to Round 2! Scroll below for the matchups. And remember, a democracy only works when we vote—and laugh while doing it.

VOTE IN DECIDER’S BEST POLITICAL IMPRESSIONS OF ALL-TIME BRACKET TODAY!

2010 AND BEYOND

#1 Darrell Hammond’s Donald Trump vs. #8 James Adomian’s Bernie Sanders (VOTE)

Hammond portrayed Trump throughout his time in the show’s cast, but it’s his return to the impression this past year, in light of Trump’s presidential campaign, that earns him this spot. Hammond nails every Trump idiosyncrasy – the pomposity, the condescension, the duplicitousness – making the impression as definitive as any Hammond has done.

Whereas Larry David captured the neurotic Jewish side of Sanders, Adomian went more for the squishy liberal, doing whatever it takes to cement a left-leaning vision for America. Debating Anthony Atamanuik’s Trump in specials for Comedy Central and Fusion, Adomian created a Bernie even more lovable to young idealists than the real one.

#12 Jay Pharoah’s Ben Carson vs. #4 Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton (VOTE)

Pharoah’s best creation was, arguably, his Ben Carson. He combined a timid politician with a coy feline to capture the oddness of the real thing – a man who’s brilliant at saving lives, and seemingly nothing else.

McKinnon is the undisputed star of the current SNL cast, and her striving Hillary is a large part of why. With ambition so great she can barely contain it, McKinnon’s Hillary oozes desperation; in her mind, she’s been president since childhood. A knowing and very funny take on the woman who might soon become president.

#6 Kate McKinnon’s Ruth Bader Ginsberg vs. #3 Larry David’s Bernie Sanders (VOTE)

“You’ve been Ginsburned!” SNL doesn’t do catchphrases like it used to, but McKinnon’s prescient impression, unveiled while McKinnon and Ginsburg were both enjoying cultural moments, put RGB over the top as a superhero for our times. Confident, sassy, and tolerating no nonsense, McKinnon showed the supreme court justice to not be one to mess with, serving to propel both to greater cultural heights.

Both the best surprise in political comedy over the past year and the most logical one, David’s unexpected first appearance as Sanders was so well-executed, it felt like the entire internet slapped their forehead at once to proclaim, “David as Sanders – of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” David’s history as a professional complainer served him well as Sanders; his time as creator as two of the funniest shows in TV history led him to create, with SNL’s writers, one of the funniest sketches of last season, as he melded himself with Sanders in the parody “Bern Your Enthusiasm.”

#10 Jimmy Fallon’s Donald Trump vs. #2 Jordan Peele’s Barack Obama (VOTE)

While Jimmy Fallon is not one for sharp political satire, his good-humored ribbing of Trump was a solid reminder that impressions might be Fallon’s greatest talent. The reddish skin and pouty lips are on point; the voice resemblance and mannerisms make for a solid representation of the candidate.

Since SNL debuted in 1975, it’s been the rare political impression that can claim to be the best without having emanated from 30 Rockefeller Plaza. But in an era with ever-increasing comedy options, Jordan Peele captured the Obama crown with his dead-on take on the cool, collected president who allows his “anger translator” to let off steam for the multitude of indignities he suffers on a daily basis. Obama impressions are easy to come by, but only Peele’s felt real.

THE AUGHTS

#1 Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin vs. #8 Margaret Cho’s Kim Jong Il (VOTE)

The impression that roiled the political and entertainment worlds. Fey’s understated carbon copy of the controversial vice-presidential candidate damned Palin with her own words, and made Fey a key player in an already bizarre presidential race.

In a sense, playing Kim allows an actor to begin with a blank slate, as his true persona is as mysterious as most else about the country he leads. Playing the ruler on 30 Rock, Cho sought the goofiest portrayal possible, squeezing laughs out of anything from Kim as a news show weatherman, to Kim as Alec Baldwin’s character from Glengarry Glen Ross.

#12 Frank Caliendo’s George W. Bush vs. #4 Amy Poehler’s Hillary Clinton (VOTE)

Caliendo combined accuracy and buffoonery to create a President Bush that skewed a bit too close to reality for comfort. In his hands, Bush came off just dangerously clueless enough to make people wonder if it wasn’t less an impression than an accurate re-creation.

Poehler captured, better than anyone before or since, the frustration of being Hillary Clinton. While Kate McKinnon plays Hillary’s desperate ambition, Poehler’s Clinton was eternally flummoxed, battling Republicans and Bill and whatever else demeaned her on her attempted path to the White House. A tour de force performance throughout.

#6 Fred Armisen’s David Paterson vs. #3 Darrell Hammond’s Al Gore (VOTE)

Armisen’s take on Paterson had little to do with politics, or even personality. Let’s call it what it was – a really funny impression kinda mocking a blind guy (and New Jersey). But Armisen’s impression never failed to slay the SNL audience, turning his take on New York’s surprise governor into a prime piece of stumbling physical comedy. Some advocacy groups had issues with it, but Armisen was let off the hook when Paterson himself did a sketch with Armisen-as-Paterson on the show.

“Lockbox.” The brilliance of SNL’s 2000 election material was in having two actors who could not just embody, but create the images of the candidates they portrayed. As Gore, Hammond was Ferrell’s perfect foil, and his portrayal of the vice-president as tiptoeing warily through the race while Bush bulldozed all around him might have made a bigger impression on voters than anything the candidates did in real life.

#1 Bill Hader’s James Carville vs. #2 Will Ferrell’s George W. Bush (VOTE)

Carville is a unique, highly-spirited figure in American politics, and Hader captures every kink and quirk, making him ooze with slime while also seeming like a great guy to wind up with at a party. Hader takes his Carville full-on lizard, playing up the famed consultant’s physical oddities while cementing him as a man who knows where the bodies are buried – literally – in Washington.

“Strategery.” With this one word, Ferrell defined then-candidate Bush as a feel-good buffoon with an addictive staccato laugh and a thorough misunderstanding of world events. Ferrell’s Bush was also the comic actor’s first step on his path to megastardom.

THE NINETIES

#1 Dana Carvey’s George H.W. Bush vs. #8 Will Ferrell’s Janet Reno (VOTE)

So great it set a new standard for impressions, Carvey’s Bush uttered catchphrases that became so ingrained in our culture, many to this day think Bush said them himself. “Not ga da” (Bushish for “Not gonna do it”), and “Wouldn’t be prudent at this juncture” became as associated with the president as his “thousand points of light.” Bush had been seen as a boring president, but Carvey – perhaps in a lesson for whoever tackles Obama next on SNL – figured out how to make him funny.

Ferrell’s impressions were less concerned with accuracy and politics than with establishing starting points for bits that could be taken to various levels of absurdity. His Reno was no different, portraying her as a stiff, tough-talking, take-no-guff politician by day, and stealth dance machine by night. That he brutality touched on her every negative aspect and still got the real Reno to dance with him on SNL shows the depth and brilliance of the portrayal.

#5 Dana Carvey’s John McLaughlin vs. #4 Norm Macdonald’s Bob Dole (VOTE)

The McLaughlin Group was an odd mix of basically the same five or six journalists who argued about politics on TV for decades. Given how the panelists picked at each other, the show was ripe for parody, and SNL took great advantage, from Phil Hartman’s “The Sinatra Group” to Carvey’s take on how the priest-turned-pundit favored crisp, interrupted discussion and, ultimately, his own simply stated views over those of his panelists.

Given the distinctive nature of both his comedic voice and his literal one, Macdonald is not a comedian who would seem to carry a talent for impressions. But his Bob Dole nailed the senator’s hard edge and easy-to-anger demeanor, and his own appreciation for absurdity made it work in settings from a debate with Bill Pullman’s president from “Independence Day” to, brilliantly, making Dole a disgruntled housemate in the “Real World” house.

#6 Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot vs. #3 Darrell Hammon’s Bill Clinton (VOTE)

Another figure ripe for parody, Perot’s Texas twang and swagger combined with his diminutive height and high-pitched voice to cut a unique and memorable swath through American politics. Carvey accentuated every quirk so well that when Perot debated Bush in real life, the show wisely went split screen so Carvey could portray both.

Hammond evoked Bubba’s mischievous boyishness and the “aw shucks” ability to have any misstep treated like a teen’s unwitting infraction. Especially as later compared to Hillary Clinton’s steely focus, Hammond’s Clinton was the ultimate politician-as-scamp.

#10 Phil Hartman’s James Stockdale vs. #2 Phil Hartman’s Bill Clinton (VOTE)

In hindsight, Hartman’s impression of Stockdale, a man who spent years in Vietnamese prisons as an American POW and was lambasted while running as Ross Perot’s vice president, was terribly unfair, cementing a reputation for the American war hero as doddering and confused. Still, at the time, Hartman sank his teeth into the impression and made it a hard one to watch without laughing, even if those laughs now come with a large side of guilt.

Possibly the greatest match ever of impressionist and subject, Clinton’s peccadilloes gave Hartman the ammunition to play up the president’s larger-than-life traits, portraying him as a joy-filled man of many voracious appetites. Bill Clinton has long had a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step unmatched in American politics, and Hartman channeled it all, showing Clinton at his glad-handing best.

THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES

#1 Chevy Chase’s Gerald Ford vs. #8 Carl Weathers’ Jesse Jackson, Jr (VOTE)

The one that started it all. SNL’s first notable political impression found Chase making no effort to resemble his presidential subject. But Chase’s twists, turns, and tumbles in Ford’s name not only helped make him a star, but many believe the portrayal contributed to Ford’s loss in the 1976 presidential election.

It was a one-time appearance, but Rocky star Weathers perfectly captured Jackson’s infamous rhetorical flourishes. His smooth-talking take on the reverend-turned-politico showed us why Jackson became such a public force.

#5 Jon Lovitz’s Michael Dukakis vs. #4 Gilda Radner’s Barbara Walters (VOTE)

The best impressions nail an essential aspect of their subject. Lovitz’s “I can’t believe I’m losing to this guy,” during a sketch parodying his debate against George H. W. Bush, became a touchstone comment that might have had greater impact had the candidate not exercised the bad judgment to step inside a tank.

Radner was never known as an impressionist, and on its face, one could see her take on Barbara Walters as the mere mocking of a speech impediment. But Radner was an endearing actress with a talent for lovable characters, and it spoke to her warmth as a performer that Wawa came off as a hilarious set piece that in no way disgraced its subject.

#6 Dan Aykroyd’s Richard Nixon vs. #3 Phil Hartman’s Ronald Reagan (VOTE)

Aykroyd’s Nixon is best remembered in contrast with his Carter, as this presidential take was as slippery and concealing as his Carter was sweetness and light. Aykroyd emphasized Nixon’s verbal quirks just enough to solidify the impression without making them the centerpiece. Overall, his greatest achievement here was enabling people to laugh at one of the darkest episodes in our history just after it happened.

Hartman portrayed Reagan as a secret mastermind using forgetfulness as a ruse, giving a forceful performance to create an alt-world Reagan that, had he existed, would have explained a lot. The late Hartman remains one of the show’s best all-time impressionists. His Reagan was just one character that reinforced his command of voices and mannerisms.

#10 John Belushi’s Henry Kissinger vs. #2 Dan Aykroyd’s Jimmy Carter (VOTE)

For all his popular, over-the-top characters – the Samurai, the Cheeseburger guy, Joliet Jake Blues – Belushi could play lower key as well. His Kissinger impression, best known for the “Pray for me, Henry” sketch with Aykroyd’s Nixon, displayed Belushi’s versatility.

Given his later associations with projects such as weakened versions of the Blues Brothers, it’s easy to forget that Aykroyd was as essential in SNL’s early success as anyone. His Carter captured how the president often matched the looseness of the times, such as speaking publicly about the lust in his heart. Aykroyd’s depiction of him talking a man down from a bad acid trip – “You’ve done some orange sunshine, Peter…Do you have any Allman Brothers?” – remains an all-time highlight.

VOTE IN DECIDER’S BEST POLITICAL IMPRESSIONS OF ALL-TIME BRACKET TODAY!