John Oliver is wrong again. The liberal HBO host has a long history of bashing conservatives. But on the October 8, 2017 Last Week Tonight, he scoffed at the idea of George Washington statues being next on list to take down.
During a show on the Confederacy, Oliver derided, “The President's concern seems to be that tearing down statues leads to a slippery slope.” He then played a clip of Trump saying:
This week, it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that stonewall Jackson's coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?
Oliver sneered:
I'll tell you where it stops: Somewhere! Anytime someone asks "Where does it stop?" The answer is always fucking somewhere! You might let your kid have Twizzlers but not inject black-tar heroin. You don't just go, "Well, after the Twizzlers, where does it stop?"
Three years later, we have statues of George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant being vandalized, as well as and one honoring the nation’s first all-black regiment during the Civil War. Will Oliver admit just how wrong he was? Doubtful. After all, this is the same host who allowed a scant 26 seconds on Tara Reade, the woman who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, on May 3. He promised, “I’m sure we will talk more about this as the story unfolds.” He hasn’t.
A transcript of the October 8, 2017 comment is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Last Week Tonight
10/8/2017JOHN OLIVER: And yet the President's concern seems to be that tearing down statues leads to a slippery slope.
DONALD TRUMP: This week, it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that stonewall Jackson's coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop?
OLIVER: I'll tell you where it stops: Somewhere. Anytime someone asks "Where does it stop?" The answer is always fucking somewhere. You might let your kid have Twizzlers but not inject black-tar heroin. You don't just go, "Well, after the Twizzlers, where does it stop?" And the same is true of Confederate monuments. Think of it this way. All people, living and dead, exist on what I'll call the Hitler-Hanks spectrum from bad to good. And at some point on the spectrum, monuments to honor people are inappropriate. Although it gets tricky around the middle, where, of course, you'll find Adolf Hankler.
And look, there are clearly people deserving of statues who were imperfect humans. And sometimes our standards change over time, which can get tricky, because you' judging historical figures by modern standards. But for many Confederate monuments, especially those erected well after the civil war valorizing the cause or leadership of the confederacy, this really isn't a close call.
