Just how long can HBO stand by the radical HBO host John Oliver? He’s been spewing hate for years, but on Sunday Oliver dismissed and downplayed left-wing rioting and violence in Portland at not “dramatic.”
After playing a clip of several Fox anchors, including Sean Hannity, Oliver sneered, “That tone does not honestly reflect the conditions on the ground. That firebombing, for instance, seems to be a reference to either a firework or a small fire that was set, which is significantly less dramatic than he is trying to make it sound.”
So it’s come to this: Trying to redefine firebombing as not that bad? Here’s some of the reports, according to the Department of Homeland Security, on violence in Portland on Sunday:
At 11:19 p.m. local time rioters launched their first laser attack of the night against federal officers. Shortly thereafter, at around 11:45 p.m. local time, rioters fired the first mortar fireworks of the evening at federal officers.
At 11:49 p.m. local time rioters breached the courthouse fence before exiting again shortly thereafter.
At 11:54 p.m. local time a fire was reported in the vicinity of the courthouse outside the fence perimeter. More rioters continued to climb the fence.
As of 11:58 p.m. local time at least 4 mortars fireworks had been launched at the courthouse.
12:03 a.m. local time federal officers announced their third warning for rioters to cease and disperse.
At 12:04 a.m. local time a flare was thrown into the fence perimeter at the courthouse.
Not “dramatic”? If flares were thrown in Oliver’s face, he might change his mind. Not mentioned, of course, by the liberal host, that three officers have likely been permanently blinded by laser pointers.
Instead, Oliver spun into conspiracy theories, accusing the White House of preparing a “staging ground” for “an authoritarian show of force.” Is this comedy or Alex Jones radio?
Look, the troubling thing here is, Portland seems to be being used as a staging ground by the President to put on an authoritarian show of force. And this could end very badly, especially as he's now apparently threatening to use federal force in other cities as well, which is absolutely outrageous. And if you, like Trump, think that it is fine to use federal troops as a prop to crush the constitutional right to assemble, then, like a great American, I'd like to offer you a basic cognitive test, which is: How many fingers am I holding up? [Holds up both middle fingers.]
The HBO host is nothing more than a partisan actor in all of this. In May, he promised to cover the Tara Reade sexual assault allegations against Joe Biden. He lied. Oliver has also lashed out at “racist,” “evil” conservatives.
And while Oliver's attacking Fox News, perhaps he should look at the ratings. According to Nielsen Media Research between December 31 and July 23, Hannity's audience is 382 percent larger, which includes a 96 percent advantage in the 25-54 demographic. As for Hannity's primetime colleagues, Tucker Carlson has had a 373 percent advantage and Laura Ingraham's viewership being 306 percent larger.
If you’d like to contact HBO about its support for Oliver, here is the network’s Twitter profile.
A partial transcript is below.
Last Week Tonight
7/27/2020
11:04JOHN OLIVER: And the reason federal agents were not called in might be that things weren't actually especially dire in Portland. Protests have been mostly peaceful there. Which is not to say there haven't been some isolated, chaotic incidents. Although those situations have not been helped by the fact the local police force — under the leadership of Ted Wheeler, incidentally — have routinely overreacted, using things like tear gas, to the point where wheeler actually became known as "Tear gas Teddy.”
...JOHN OLIVER: It's about one block that was actually starting to see fewer confrontations between protestors and police before federal agents moved in. Or, if you watch Fox News, it's the end of America as we know it.
...
SEAN HANNITY: Three federal courthouses have now been damaged on multiple occasions. The Hatfield courthouse was firebombed. The U.S. Custom House was vandalized. Police were attacked with lasers. Several officers now assaulted with sledgehammers. Stores were broken into. Buildings were set on fire. This is insane.
JOHN OLIVER: Yeah, it is insane, because that tone does not honestly reflect the conditions on the ground. That firebombing, for instance, seems to be a reference to either a firework or a small fire that was set, which is significantly less dramatic than he is trying to make it sound. And that rolling list next to Hannity's head is mostly graffiti. In fact, graffiti is listed 12 times in a row there, under the headline "Violence in Portland," which is a huge overstatement. And at that point, it would have been just as accurate if that heading had said "Cannibalism in Portland," or "Texas chainsaw massacres in Portland" or "9/11s in Portland."
Look, the troubling thing here is, Portland seems to be being used as a staging ground by the President to put on an authoritarian show of force. And this could end very badly, especially as he's now apparently threatening to use federal force in other cities as well, which is absolutely outrageous. And if you, like Trump, think that it is fine to use federal troops as a prop to crush the constitutional right to assemble, then, like a great American, I'd like to offer you a basic cognitive test, which is: How many fingers am I holding up? [Holds up both middle fingers.]
