WND-TV

NBC CROWNS NEW 'LAUGHINGSTOCK OF AMERICA'

'SNL' ridicules Obama's health chief for website failure

Published: 13 hours ago
JOE KOVACS

2 Videos at the Page Link:



Actress Kate McKinnon lampoons HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" Oct. 26, 2013.


NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” program ridiculed Barack Obama’s health secretary in its opening segment last night, leading one Republican senator on Sunday to label Kathleen Sebelius as the “laughingstock of America.”

Comedic actress Kate McKinnon portrayed the embattled Sebelius, who was trying to alleviate concerns over the crashing and “sucking” of the website where citizens are encouraged to sign up for Obamacare.

“If our website still isn’t loading properly, we’re probably just overloaded with traffic,” she explained. “Millions of Americans are visiting HealthCare.gov, which is great news. Unfortunately, the site was only designed to handle six users at a time.”

She provided a low-resolution alternative, featuring the simple question, “U WANT DOCTR?” and a yes and no box to click.

“And if our site keeps freezing, we’ve also provided links to other helpful websites, such as Kayak.com, where you can purchase airline tickets to Canada, and buy cheaper prescription drugs,” she noted.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., made the rounds on Sunday-morning talk shows to flay Sebelius himself.

“She’s lost considerable credibility,” Barrasso said. “She’s the laughingstock of America.”

Barrasso is among dozens of Republicans in Congress pushing the resignation of Sebelius, whose agency has handled the development and Oct. 1 rollout of the site.

Meanwhile, 33 House Republicans sent their own letter to President Obama, urging him to have Sebelius leave.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said Sebelius will testify on Capitol Hill this week “before she’s out the door.”

“The incompetence in building this website is staggering,” Blackburn told “Fox News Sunday.”

But not everyone on Capitol Hill wants to see Sebelius gone.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., who has pushed to delay Obamacare’s individual mandate, denied Sebelius should leave office.

Manchin took time to praise her record as Kansas insurance commissioner and governor before she joined the Obama administration.

“She’s very capable of bringing people together,” Manchin told ABC. “I think she … will get the job done.”