In SNL’s celebratory 50th season, no one should be getting more accolades than Alec Baldwin. He’s SNL royalty, the guy who has hosted the show more times than Steve Martin, Tom Hanks or anyone else over the past half-century. So why do I start to groan every time I see Baldwin trotted out once again on the 30 Rock stage? It’s because he’s turned the show into a bully pulpit for his strident politics.

Last night, Baldwin appeared looking exactly like himself but affecting the persona of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new administration’s bizarro choice for the head of Health and Human Services. With a rasping voice that stops just short of choking, Baldwin hits all the expected Rfk jokes — the brain worm, the vaccinations, the random encounters with dead animals. It’s a brief appearance, but it’s imbued with the same smug superiority...