In the past few weeks, we’ve seen late night “comedy” descend into a total abandonment of jokes as well as an endorsement of Joe Biden. The complete partisanship continued Sunday on HBO as far-left host John Oliver accused the racist GOP of delivering a “fucking threat” against America at the party’s convention. In an assist to Biden, he even lied and portrayed the liberal Democrat as not that at all extreme.
The Last Week Tonight host fumed, “It was four days of a full-throated denial of objective reality. For one thing, there was the misleading portrait they painted of Trump's opponent.” Disparaging one’s opponent at a convention? What a novel concept. Oliver then lied and said that the Democrat never hinted he supported defunding the police. (He has: According to the New York Post: “Asked if money should be ‘redirected’ away from cops, he replied, 'Yes, absolutely.'”)
After playing examples of GOP convention speakers attacking Biden, Oliver lamely insisted, “Honestly, that sounds great. Unfortunately, he has promised to do exactly none of those things. Biden is a radical environmentalist, police-defunding socialist in the same way I'm history's greatest Zazu.”
Later, the host showed just how liberal he is, demanding elected progressives all across the country help pull the country left:
Because as much as I or the RNC would like to believe that Joe Biden will be an agent of radical change, there is just no reason to believe that. To the extent that real change is possible through the ballot box this year, it will be if Biden is elected alongside Progressive candidates all down the ballot, from the senate to state legislatures to city councils to sheriffs. And even that will be very much a beginning and not an end. None of this is easy. But it has to begin, and now.
As for the GOP convention suggesting “the best is yet to come, Oliver screeched, “Given everything we've seen in the last four years, is sounding less like a promise and more like a fucking threat.”
Naturally, the comedian smeared Mike Pence as a racist after playing a clip of the Vice President:
PENCE: The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African-American neighbors.
OLIVER: Well, hold on, Mike. Who is the "We" in that sentence? Because it seems you're making a distinction between "We, the American people" and "Our African-American neighbors," who I guess, by extension, are somehow a different group entirely. But I guess that sentiment shouldn't be really surprising, coming from Mike Pence, a man who permanently looks like he should be living in "Ken's White Flight Dream House."
Oliver is the same Democratic hack who promised to cover Tara Reade and then hasn’t. Basically, he’s just a HBO shill for the DNC.
Here’s the HBO twitter page if you want to let them know what you think.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more.
Last Week Tonight
08/30/2020
11:02 PM ETJOHN OLIVER: The main theme of the convention seemed to be "Telling lies in front of flags." Because it was four days of a full-throated denial of objective reality. For one thing, there was the misleading portrait they painted of Trump's opponent.
JASON JOYCE: if Biden wins, he'll be controlled by the environmental extremists.
NATALIE HARP: We'd be one step closer to government-run healthcare.
ERIC TRUMP: Biden has pledged to defund the police.
DONALD TRUMP: And he's even talking about taking the wall down, how about that?
OLIVER: Honestly, that sounds great. Unfortunately, has promised to do exactly none of those things. Biden is a radical environmentalist, police-defunding socialist in the same way I'm history's greatest Zazu. You can say I am all you want to. And honestly, I wish I was. But the fact is, it’s not even close to being true.
(....)
OLIVER: But maybe the biggest gulf between the RNC and objective reality concerned race. Again and again, RNC speakers were at pains to reassure viewers that racism in America is mostly a relic of the past, and whatever remains can be easily overcome. Take Nikki Haley's speech, in which she flatly insisted America is not a racist country. and then told the inspirational story of how the confederate flag at her state's capitol was taken down in 2015 after the massacre at Mother Emmanuel Church.
(....)
OLIVER: Oh, that's what happened, is it? That sounds nice. Just a few things there. it's a peaceful story of unity and hope as long as you start the story immediately after a white supremacist killed nine people at a historic black church. Also, Haley's version of that story ignores the fact that the eventual removal of the confederate flag was jump-started by artist and activist Bree Newsome Bass, climbing the flagpole in front of the state house like she was on an anti-racist version of American Ninja Warrior. And that she was then arrested, and that the flag was then re-raised 45 minutes later. Haley also conveniently leaves out the part where the candidate she's endorsing has defended those who proudly fly the flag by saying, “It represents the south.” So Haley turning what happened in South Carolina into a smooth, hopeful story of racial reconciliation is a bit like if someone asked her what the film Do the Right Thing is about and she said, "A Brooklyn neighborhood comes together to help redecorate a pizza place." I mean, sure, Nikki, I guess that's technically true, but some pretty important parts there. And a lot of the RNC's messaging on race seemed intended not so much to win over black voters as to reassure white people that they could vote Republican without being racist.
(....)
MIKE PENCE: The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African-American neighbors.
OLIVER: Well, hold on, Mike. Who is the "We" in that sentence? Because it seems you're making a distinction between "We, the American people" and "Our African-American neighbors," who I guess, by extension, are somehow a different group entirely. But I guess that sentiment shouldn't be really surprising, coming from Mike Pence, a man who permanently looks like he should be living in "Ken's White Flight Dream House."
(....)
OLIVER: Because as much as I or the RNC would like to believe that Joe Biden will be an agent of radical change, there is just no reason to believe that. To the extent that real change is possible through the ballot box this year, it will be if Biden is elected alongside Progressive candidates all down the ballot, from the senate to state legislatures to city councils to sheriffs. And even that will be very much a beginning and not an end. None of this is easy. But it has to begin, and now.
Because our current situation is completely unacceptable. And the RNC this week actually ended up being a pretty good reminder that where we still might end up going is genuinely terrifying. Because if it showed us one thing this week, it's the danger in continuing to be governed by an administration that encourages the ugliest forces in American society, that lionizes threats of violence against peaceful protest, that tells us there is no conflict between supporting law enforcement and "Our African-American neighbors." And that insists that the "Best is yet to come," which, given everything we've seen in the last four years, is sounding less like a promise and more like a fucking threat.
