Comedy really is dead. Now that Democrats are in power in Washington, will HBO host John Oliver hold them to account in the same way he savaged Republicans? No. On Sunday, he called for Democrats to have MORE power and attacked moderate members of the party for not eliminating the filibuster. After calling for Democratic-supported efforts to “help curb state-level attempts at voter suppression," the Last Week Tonight host ranted, “Unfortunately, the best shot those bills have at getting enacted is if Democrats end the filibuster. And to do that, every senate Democrat would need to be on board. The problem there is, one of those Democrats is Joe Manchin.”
After mocking Manchin’s calls to retain the filibuster, Oliver singled out one of the other handful of moderate Dems in the Senate, Kyrsten Sinema: “And it's not just Manchin. Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema and Dianne Feinstein have also defended the filibuster.”
The former comedian turned Democratic hack closed out his HBO segment by ranting about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris not being extreme enough. This is a comedy show? Where’s the jokes?
Both Biden and Harris have been lukewarm on the issue in the past, which is very frustrating. Because Democrats simply cannot afford to rest on their laurels right now. Republicans definitely aren't! They've made it abundantly clear they're willing to take things to drastic levels. And Democrats just don't seem remotely prepared to meet that threat right now. But you know what? You know what? Don't worry. I'm sure the GOP will simply put the past behind them, recognize what they've done wrong, and shepherd all of us into a bipartisan era of mutual cooperation for the common good. [Horn honks] That was sarcasm.
Oliver is the same hateful host who mocked “monster” Brett Kavanaugh but, in 2020, backed off a pledge to talk extensively about Tara Reade, the woman who accused Biden of sexual assault. Oliver has a long history of assailing Republicans, conservatives and Christians as “racist,” "evil" “Islamophobes.” The comic has mocked the United States electoral process as a “four-year-old’s birthday.”
For more on Oliver’s legacy of hate, see a NewsBusters analysis. If comedy is making fun of the powerful, Oliver truly has given up. He’s now an operative for the state.
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A partial transcript is below. Click "expand" to read more.
Last Week Tonight
2/14/2021
11:07 PM ET
JOHN OLIVER: But that bill actually points to a much larger issue here: Republican legislatures across the country have responded to what's been called "The most secure election in U.S. history" by pushing new laws to make voting significantly more difficult. In Arizona, they put forward 19 bills to restrict voting rights. And nationwide, 33 states are considering over 165 just this year. Now, luckily, there is currently legislation in Congress: HR1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that could help curb state-level attempts at voter suppression. Unfortunately, the best shot those bills have at getting enacted is if Democrats end the filibuster. And to do that, every senate Democrat would need to be on board. The problem there is, one of those Democrats is Joe Manchin.
JOE MANCHIN: We're not going to bust the filibuster. We're not going to bust the Byrd rule that basically protects the filibuster. I'm not going to break the Byrd rule, I'm not killing the filibuster. I'm protecting the senate in honor of Robert C. Byrd, whose seat I sit in. So you're talking about a person that's going to defend the legacy of Robert C. Byrd.
OLIVER: Okay, it's bad enough that you're defending the filibuster, let alone doing it to defend the legacy of Robert C. Byrd, a man who literally used it to try and block the original Voting Rights Act in 1964! He used the thing you're advocating for in the worst possible way. It'd be like promoting Zoom by reminding everyone that Jeffrey Toobin used it. You're really not helping your case there! And it's not just Manchin. Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema and Dianne Feinstein have also defended the filibuster.
And both Biden and Harris have been lukewarm on the issue in the past, which is very frustrating. Because Democrats simply cannot afford to rest on their laurels right now. Republicans definitely aren't! They've made it abundantly clear they're willing to take things to drastic levels. And Democrats just don't seem remotely prepared to meet that threat right now. But you know what? You know what? Don't worry. I'm sure the GOP. Will simply put the past behind them, recognize what they've done wrong, and shepherd all of us into a bipartisan era of mutual cooperation for the common good. [Horn honks] That was sarcasm.
