TDS 3.0: Season One Talk

[tenativelyyours]

We went through the whole process of these 'polls' the last two Presidential elections though and not a single one really was right until the primaries kicked in and people actually voted for who they wanted and not just gave a knee jerk football fantasy meets warcraft type of wishful thinking.  Nate Silver is the only one I would listen to saying Trump has numbers and not just blather. 

 

Yeah Ivanka's face does this weird disappearing thing as you gaze from top to bottom.  Between the eyes and that weird jaw she kind of looks ike a rodent.  A cute rodent.  The type that is the best friend of the Disney anthropomorphic heroine.  Or the one that takes the lead in making Cinderella her dress.  But still some sort of mouse. 

 

Loved the yada yada yada.  The guy who did the global warming piece needs to go. The newest guy however, who did the piece on the Republican Jewish meeting did a god job for the first time. 

 

The interview with Marion was pretty worthless and yet silly fun fluff.  I know she has a tendency to throw interviewers because she seems to have a complete grasp of English (and still better than an not insignificant number of people here in the states.  Those attending Trump rallied with their shades at a weird placement on their weird forehead for instance) and yet she called it very much a work in progress somewhere else I saw her.  Graham Norton maybe?  At one point I could Trevor soor of off balance as he maybe realized that.  Which I found funny.  The maniac thing was also funny.

[fastiller]

What angora said, about last night's show. Trevor was hitting it out. And Hasan had a big, big assist. Trevor looks as if he's gone from innocent, wide eyed newcomer who thinks it's funny the way in which America does its politics to a Jon-esque "Jesus Christ, are you people out of your fucking minds?" mentality in a little over two months.

I'm not sure that Trevor Noah ever was wide-eyed -- even as he was a newcomer.  He may've pretended to be, but I think he had a full grasp of just how we do our politics here in 'Murica!

[zxy556575]

It's probably safe to say that, while Trevor has been based in the US since 2011, he didn't pay the same level of attention to politics before TDS. So maybe semi wide-eyed?  ;)

 

The guy who did the global warming piece needs to go.

 

I thought he had potential but was showing his nerves and honestly, his accent was a little hard for me to understand (but I have hearing deficits and the closed captioning on TDS is very hit or miss).

[topanga]

 

I've gotten to the point where I get queasy hearing Trump jokes, but since these were mostly regarding his statements about Ivanka, I don't mind the joking.

I know, right? I can't remember which night this was, but when Trevor showed Trump's quote about not being able to date Ivanka because he's happily married and is her father..., I was in hysterics when Trevor commented about never being so happy to see ellipses, and then later started screaming, "A list? Why do you need a list?" 

 

 

 

 

Has anyone heard any more on the Zadroga Bill?  Turtleboy (aka Mitch McConnell) promised to bring it up for a vote this week.  So far, I have heard nothing about it.  I hope they keep holding his feet to the proverbial fire to get these heroes the benefits they need to stay alive.

Oh and agreed on Trevor and his accents -- he positively nails them most of the ttime.

As of yesterday, the Zadroga Bill still hasn't been given to Congress for a vote. It's being attached to something called an omnibus budget bill, and congressmen are being promised that it'll come to a vote later this week--or early next week. We'll see. 

 

And I agree about Trevor and the accents. I really want to know his process for studying and learning different American accents. Did he only start doing American accents when he moved to the U.S.? Or was he learning them even when he was in South Africa? I loved his description of the Trump supporter guy with the jacket, bow tie, and baseball cap--and the NASCAR cheese tasting voice he used for him. That was incredible--doing an impression of a southern NASCAR fan who's trying to be fancy at a cheese tasting event.  And in a podcast interview, I heard Trevor do spot-on impressions of a white cab driver in Erie, PA, and a table of black (culturally urban) comedians. The man has a gift. 

 

I hope viewers continue to allow Trevor to grow and make the show his own. So far he seems to have a wonderful relationship with his writing staffers: they're writing great jokes, and he's delivering them to perfection. I know his staff is quite diverse -- there are some black (African-American) writers along with 2 African writers, plus an Indian-American.  And I believe the correspondents sometimes write for the show, too. I'm not sure how many women are are on staff, though.

 

--I'm not saying that having diversity on the writing staff will automatically make the show better. But having a more diverse writers' room will provide different perspectives on current news events, and I think that will make the show more nuanced and ultimately will make it a better show. 

 

 

ETA: I never thought about Trevor in that way when I first started watching him on TDS, but now I find myself mesmerized with his face. Those dimples. Those eyes. Something about a funny, intelligent man is always sexy. Although I never had the hots for Jon. Loved what he did on TDS, but...

Edited December 10, 2015 by topanga

[Ankai]

The Nightly Show also did a bit about the Republicans pandering to Jews, but wasn't this the same place where Trump said that both the Jews and Palestinians had to do their part to bring peace to the Middle East? And that the Jews in the audience have bought candidates, but won't be able to buy him? 

[dusang]

The guy who did the global warming piece needs to go. 

 

I thought he had potential but was showing his nerves and honestly, his accent was a little hard for me to understand (but I have hearing deficits and the closed captioning on TDS is very hit or miss).

 

His pieces thus far have not been my favourites but this one was particularly bad -- I actually couldn't understand him on some lines and ended up fast-forwarding the last couple minutes.  His accent is so odd -- honestly I thought he must have a speech impediment of some sort but maybe that's how Singapore, New Hampshire, and Australia blend together?

[peeayebee]

I just thought it's a Chinese accent. I agree that his piece was bad.

 

I do like the new correspondent. He had good material to work with, plus he's appealing and has good comedic skills.

 

Btw, I did see in the latest Fox News polling that Trump has *increased* his lead in South Carolina after those "Ban all Muslims from our shores" stuff.  

I read that every time Trump says something outrageous -- which is basically every time he opens his mouth -- he goes up in the polls. So it benefits him to keep his name in the news. When he's not in the news, he goes down in the polls.

[nodorothyparker]

I don't know if it was the piece itself or the correspondent because I quickly lost interest, but the climate change thing was really not good.  I quite liked the new correspondent who was was proportionally good as his predecessor wasn't.  What exactly has to go through your mind where you think cribbing on Schindler's List is your best bet for Jewish votes and donors?

 

"You can't yadda yadda banging your daughter."

[trow125]

The new "Jewish correspondent," Adam Lowitt, has been with the show since 2002. I agree that he did a great job.

Lowitt has moved up the ranks at “The Daily Show” joining in 2002 as an intern to his current position as an Executive Producer/Writer for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” Lowitt is also a six-time Emmy® award-winning Executive Producer/Writer for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” As a stand-up, he has performed on Comedy Central as part of “John Oliver’s New York Standup Show.”

[possibilities]

Wow, I hated him. I'm surprised I was the only one.

[zxy556575]

Kimmel also mentioned Jon's work on behalf of the Zadroga bill on his show and asked viewers to tweet.

 

I've always liked Trevor, but after watching his comedy specials, documentary, and listening to his NPR interview, I think I have an official crush. But motherly, like pinching his cheeks and calling him boychik.

[attica]

I believe Strahan when he says nobody thought he was handsome before he was on tv. (His allure to women when he played football was probably due to size, strength, and money.) It's interesting he admits that out loud, though.

 

Was anybody else really depressed when those gun-training dudes were all 'nope, never getting rid of guns.'?

[ganesh]

Strahan was a lot more bulked up during his football days. He's still a big guy, but he's lean and trim now. 

 

I'm surprised/not surprised that this big report that the training guy authored isn't more widely known. The entire piece should just be broadcast everytime the NRA opens its ignorant mouth. These mass shootings are largely its fault. 

 

I don't get how the second amendment became so sacrosanct. It's not like there aren't limits already. You still need to obtain a license. I don't see why X hours of training shouldn't be required. Pilots need a certain amount of hours to get a license. You need background checks for lots of jobs, so I don't get why having them for guns is so radical either. 

[possibilities]

When the trainer said "that won't happen," I actually thought it was an improvement over the paranoia of "They're taking our guns! Better stockpile them!!"

 

It's weird to me when people value guns over other rights. If we defended our privacy and other rights as zealously as some people defend the right to guns, we'd have a very different society.

[peeayebee]

 

I don't get how the second amendment became so sacrosanct. It's not like there aren't limits already. You still need to obtain a license. I don't see why X hours of training shouldn't be required.

Exactly. After all, there is the phrase "a well-regulated militia" in the amendment. So, let's regulate them.

 

I was shocked to learn that you can get a concealed-carry permit THROUGH THE MAIL from Florida AND it is valid in 30 STATES! 

 

I thought Jordan's piece was pretty good. BTW, when there was that picture of a gun next to Trevor, I thought the gun grip looked like Florida. Surely somewhere there's a drawing of the US in the shape of a gun.

 

The interview with Strahan was fun. I don't watch him and Kelly in the morning (or at any other time), but I've seen him occasionally with Terry Bradshaw and the other guys during football games. He has a great personality.

[marceline]

I had to shut off the show during Jordan's segment. The idea that a permit in Florida instantly becomes valid in 30 states, including mine, was more than I could take. It overwhelmed any humor I might have found in the piece.

[DeLurker]

I was shocked to learn that you can get a concealed-carry permit THROUGH THE MAIL from Florida AND it is valid in 30 STATES! 

As a former Floridian, I am perversely proud of all the batshit crazy stuff that happens there.  I was thinking the state had lost its edge when I found out that in Norway, Texas is slang for crazy. 

The fact that 30 other states recognize the validity of a thru-the-mail concealed carry permit proves that Florida needs to up their crazy game.

[ganesh]

I don't think Jordan's piece wasn't supposed to be funny. Or funny in a sick, this is actually true way. He was in essence the joke. He was playing the training straight, 4+ hours of it, and flat out got *got* in all the scenarios. He definitively proved that the "good guy with a gun" is a total canard *and* he had the expert who co-authored the FBI report flat-out stating that based on *13 years of data*. Who even said, there were more *unarmed* people who stopped bad guys with guns. 

 

And there was a fairly famous case this year about the people who shot a cop in a mall in Minnesota, I think. The good guy with a gun thought he would be able to take care of it, and he got blown away for his troubles.

I mean, own a gun if you want to own a gun. But it shouldn't be 200 times easier to obtain a gun license than a driver's license. 

 

Time Magazine should have made the "law abiding gun owner" Person of the Year. They're directly responsible for the blatant slaughter of thousands of innocent people this year. 

Edited December 11, 2015 by ganesh

[fastiller]

I thought Jordan's piece was pretty good. BTW, when there was that picture of a gun next to Trevor, I thought the gun grip looked like Florida. Surely somewhere there's a drawing of the US in the shape of a gun.

 

 

Do you mean like these ones?

[angora]

I was a little disappointed when I realized we were getting two field pieces, because, other than Tuesday's extended Trump take-down, this week felt a little Trevor-light to me.  That said, both parts of Jordan's report were fascinating/appalling.  People really need to hear the data the trainer/expert guy was sharing, and ganesh, ITA that Jordan was playing this much "straighter" than he normally does.  If he'd been clowning around during the shooter-scenario training, the whole point would've been lost, but to me, they were genuinely showing how ill-equipped he was, that in a really situation like this, he'd only be adding to the danger for both himself and others.

 

The interview with Michael Strahan was really fun.  Loved Trevor speaking German, and him getting so excited that Strahan had been fat as a child was weirdly charming.

[peeayebee]

 

Do you mean like these ones?

Kind of. I was wondering if the entire continental U.S. could be made into a gun. The southern tip of Texas -- or 'crazy,' as the Norwegians say -- could be the trigger.

[Skyfall]

I also have felt sorry for those clip pullers and those who sit and watch Trump and or Fox News all day.  Don't see how they keep their sanity.  Btw, I did see in the latest Fox News polling that Trump has *increased* his lead in South Carolina after those "Ban all Muslims from our shores" stuff.  So, at least in one state, it is actually *helping* him.

 

Has anyone heard any more on the Zadroga Bill?  Turtleboy (aka Mitch McConnell) promised to bring it up for a vote this week.  So far, I have heard nothing about it.  I hope they keep holding his feet to the proverbial fire to get these heroes the benefits they need to stay alive.

 

Oh and agreed on Trevor and his accents -- he positively nails them most of the ttime.

TRMS had an update last night. No movement yet but they promise to have it with one of the final bills of the year.

[Victor the Crab]

If the incident of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut three years ago, where 20 children aged 6-7 old were gunned down by an armed madman two weeks to Christmas, wasn't enough to change Americans perspective on firearms, then WHAT THE FUCK WILL?!! Seriously, that should have been the flashpoint for change, instead it went the other way as far as fuck as they can be.

 

I love watching Fox NFL Sunday for years. The reason is that the chemistry within the cast of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Jimmy Johnston is close to perfect with the combination of entertaining and informative. Michael Strahan joining the group after his retirement managed to enhance that chemistry. His interview with Trevor showed us why.

[crowsworks]

I loved them pointing out that even if a 'good guy' with a gun is there - when the cops arrived they would shoot first and ask if you were a good guy later.

 

Shoot out at the Golden Corral! (JON)

 

Edited December 12, 2015 by crowsworks

[tenativelyyours]

If they dumped Kelly Ripa and just had Strahan on, I would watch that show.  He manages to be charming and hard working and yet well aware that life has handed a nice set of cards to plays with.  Trevor can still be rough with interviews.  This was one of his best.  I think Strahan made him a bit relaxed since he had just been on Michael's show.  I had to laugh also at the synchronicity of Trump being on with Strahan after Trevor's segment about banging Ivanka and then Strahan being a guest on tDS.

 

I got a sense that Strahan was trying at first to be careful about what he said since he likely knows if Trump stays in the news and even in the campaign into 2016, it is likely his show might want him on again.  But then it seemed he rather gave a mental shrug and decided what the heck, 

[peeayebee]

I don't think he said anything anti-Trump. He basically just said that he and Kelly asked him about the campaign, then he brought up his daughter, which confused him and Kelly. He definitely had to be diplomatic. On that kind of show the hosts can't diss their guests afterwards.

[zxy556575]

On that kind of show the hosts can't diss their guests afterwards.

 

Maybe they should start making an exception in Trump's case. Ratings are more important than spreading ignorance and bigotry, I suppose.

 

I don't care that Trump and Regis are personal friends and that Trump has a long history on that particular show. The broadcast media should be ashamed of the way they scramble and claw to book Trump no matter what he does or says. If they refused to give him a platform we'd all be better off.

Edited December 12, 2015 by lordonia

[trow125]

I don't care that Trump and Regis are personal friends and that Trump has a long history on that particular show. The broadcast media should be ashamed of the way they scramble and claw to book Trump no matter what he does or says. If they refused to give him a platform we'd all be better off.

I was disappointed when I saw that Trump had been booked on "Kelly & Michael," and I was even more disappointed when I saw that he's going to be on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" next week. At least it seems highly unlikely that he'll ever appear on TDS after Trevor Noah's "he wants to bang his daughter!" segment.

 

The only thing that might actually help is if all the other candidates demand equal time and the talk shows realize that if they want the ratings/controversy that come with Trump, they'll also have to welcome Jeb!, John Kasich, Martin O'Malley, etc.

[33kaitykaity]

Two Klepper segments in a row?  Jeez, Trev, are you phoning it in already?  Gaak.  

[paigow]

Shoot out at the Golden Corral! (JON)

The missing ingredient for fun at office Christmas / Holiday parties is your own firearm...get drunk...then when a terrorist / angry co-worker starts shooting, see if your drunken stupor improves reaction time, target selection and accuracy. 

[tenativelyyours]

I don't think he said anything anti-Trump. He basically just said that he and Kelly asked him about the campaign, then he brought up his daughter, which confused him and Kelly. He definitely had to be diplomatic. On that kind of show the hosts can't diss their guests afterwards.

 

I don't think he did either.  What I was refering to was Strahan talking it about it and not dancing a little bit around either.  He went from genial reluctance to admitting what he seemed to actually feel.  Which was kind of my point about the show he hosts.  I guess I should have been much clearer since I led you so far astray.

[peeayebee]

No no, my fault. I just reread your OP and see that I led myself far astray.

[KerleyQ]

I loved them pointing out that even if a 'good guy' with a gun is there - when the cops arrived they would shoot first and ask if you were a good guy later.

 

Shoot out at the Golden Corral! (JON)

 

I remember after the Portland shooting, they interviewed a student who is also a vet, who was, indeed, carrying at the time.  He said that, in that situation, he (and some other people who were also carrying) decided that it would only make things more difficult for the en route law enforcement.  And I think he was right both for the reason you mentioned and because, if the cops arrive and those "good guys with guns" are already actively involved, it gives law enforcement more potential bad guys to focus on.  They need to be able to process the situation and act as quickly as possible.  That becomes more difficult if they have to quickly mentally sort out the folks with guns and process which side they each fall on.  And then there's the fact that the average citizen isn't remotely experienced with or trained to handle that kind of situation.  I'm sure they'd all like to think that, if they were ever in that situation, they'd be a calm, cool and collected "hero," taking out the bad guys with precise, clean shots.  But, in the stress of that situation, it's far more likely that they'll end up hitting innocent bystanders.  An active shooter situation isn't the same as target practice at your local gun range Sunday afternoon. 

 

Of course, one of my many pet peeves of the NRA response to public shootings is "if everyone in that theater was armed, none of these people would be dead now."  Well, no.  Because unless you're also a psychic who can read the minds of every theater goer and know not only that someone is planning on attacking but also who they are, that shooter is still getting a chance to get the jump on the situation and take a few people out before you know what's going on. Not to mention, the last thing I want when I go to a movie theater is to be surrounded by a bunch of twitchy people waiting for their cue to take out a shooter.  I have a teenage son with Tourette Syndrome. I don't need a situation where he has a tic mid-movie and some self-imagined Dirty Harry misinterprets the situation and decides he's a threat.  Also, the threat of the "good guy with a gun" being in the theater isn't going to scare off a lot of these shooters.  They're planning on going out in a "blaze of glory."  Knowing that they'll likely be killed by another movie goer isn't going to deter them.  They're essentially already planning on either being taken out by a cop or turning their gun on themselves once they've gotten some shots off on the people in the audience. 

 

 

The only thing that might actually help is if all the other candidates demand equal time and the talk shows realize that if they want the ratings/controversy that come with Trump, they'll also have to welcome Jeb!, John Kasich, Martin O'Malley, etc.

 

If I was running the GOP party or was working on the campaign of one of the other candidates, this is exactly what I'd encourage the others to do.  You know the other candidates are all pissed off at the minute by minute coverage of every ridiculous thing that comes out of Trump's mouth (and, to a lesser extent, Ben Carson's mouth).  So start demanding that equal time.  One of two things will happen - you'll get enough opportunities to promote your own campaign, or the talk shows will decide the ratings boost isn't worth scheduling Trump if they have to take the other candidates.  Either way, you're going to seriously cut down on the extreme advantage Trump currently has when it comes to exposure on the talk shows. They can't do much about the news media covering him so much, but they can focus on the opportunities where they do have the option to demand equal attention.  

[ganesh]

The GOP chair and other congressional leaders just had a meeting about that. It leaked in the news.

Edited December 13, 2015 by ganesh

[angora]

ITA, KerleyQ.  Jordan's piece hit all of those points so fantastically.  In the shooter scenario, he 1) shot an innocent bystander, 2) got shot multiple times by two different shooters, neither of whom he shot himself, and 3) got shot by cops who didn't know he was a good guy.  Throughout, he was a danger and a distraction who didn't contribute at all to ending the situation.  It's good to know that there are those, like the students you mentioned from the Portland shooting, who understand this and realize that the safest course for EVERYONE is for them to keep their weapons holstered and make space for the police to do their work.

 

Even though it made me laugh HARD, I was a bit unsure about the original Donald Trump Wants to Bang His Daughter segment.  I appreciate that Trevor took time to apologize for bringing Ivanka into it and demonstrated how normal/healthy/appropriate she seems compared to Trump - stressing that the issue is with HIM, not Ivanka, went a long way toward mitigating my discomfort.  (Also, I loved the end-of-segment entreaty for everyone to call their dad and thank him for not being Donald Trump.)  Now, though, as it's cropped up since, I'm really getting into it.  Trevor's coverage of Trump's unsolicited rebuttal on Kelly and Michael was fun, and when they talked about it in the Michael Strahan interview, it cracked me up that Trevor turned directly into the camera to say, "Donald Trump wants to bang his daughter," like it's a PSA announcement a la, "Just say no," or "Only you can prevent forest fires."  Since the show evidently caught Trump's attention with this, if they keep it up, things could get interesting - we know what a class act Trump can be when someone says things about him that he doesn't like.

[KerleyQ]

Since the show evidently caught Trump's attention with this, if they keep it up, things could get interesting - we know what a class act Trump can be when someone says things about him that he doesn't like.

 

 

I fully expect that we'll soon see him tweeting that "That new guy on The Daily Show begged me to come on his little show.  I turned them down, it's small time." 

[ganesh]

The only problem with Jordan's piece is that the "law abiding" gun owners would be like, "oh *that* wouldn't happen to me. That guy is an idiot who has only held a gun for 5 hours." Even though you have real life examples to the contrary. 

I'd really like that report to get more press. I don't even remember it being in the news.

[paigow]

Of course, one of my many pet peeves of the NRA response to public shootings is "if everyone in that theater was armed, none of these people would be dead now." 

The NRA would make air travel safer if EVERYONE could carry guns onto an airplane...what could go wrong??

[ganesh]

Someone needs to put the NRA down.

[ChelseaNH]

I think Wayne LaPierre should only speak in front of armed crowds from now on.  In fact, I insist on it.

Edited December 14, 2015 by ChelseaNH

[paigow]

Guns in the theatre reminds me of Tombstone. When Billy Zane finished his St Crispin's Day monologue... Curly Bill and his gang loved it so much, they shot the saloon ceiling to bits...

[angora]

I liked the comparison between the climate agreement and signing up for a gym membership - it's an important first step, but don't start congratulating yourself until you follow through and put in the work.

 

I thought the zombie nativity segment with the split-screen was terrific!  Really nice satire there, both in a general sense (everyone focusing on "their" issue regardless of what question Trevor asked them, the whole thing of course devolving into squabbling and noise) and a specific one (loved Jessica talking about zombie inclusion in the media - sure, they're being represented now, but that doesn't mean shows aren't still perpetuating harmful stereotypes!)  And Roy's "advent calendar" of police shootings was, sadly, right on the money.

[possibilities]

Jordan's conversation with the Trump supporters reinforced my worst fears. I don't even know what to say beyond that. Is it good that it's out in the open? Or is it terrifying beyond belief? What is the constructive response?

[angora]

You're telling me, possibilities; that was just horrific.  The guy who was just as mystified as Jordan was re: why he even supported Trump, the lady insisting that "the vast majority" of undocumented immigrants are criminals... I just... *shudder*.  It got to the point where, when Jordan was trying to find out what would put them off Trump, I couldn't even tell who pissed me off more:  the two guys who were apparently cool with registering Jews, or everyone else who just proved their bigotry/hypocrisy by supporting the registry of Muslims when doing that for another religion would be a deal-breaker for them.  Ugh, NO words.

 

Also?  Jeb Bush running a Nigerian prince scam.  Thank you for that, Trevor.

[ganesh]

That's not a Nigerian prince scam, that's a straight up OG mafia shakedown. You can't charge people to opt out of a mailing list. 

 

Jordan's piece is part of a much larger picture I've been noticing on the political landscape.  On Sunday, there was a similar focus group piece on Face the Nation where a Republican pollster/pundit was essentially doing the same thing, but within the context of the Republican candidates only, as opposed to the more general piece Jordan did. They were both quite similar, but on Sunday, they talked about Obama too. One thing that came across is the massive hypocrisy in groups and the massive information deficit.

I know Jordan can't really antagonize too much, but when he flat out said the thing about Mexicans isn't true, the woman was like, "ok, so?" I don't think it matters to them. You can point out how wrong they are, but they'll just double down on it. I think it was a good move in that case for Jordan to just push as far as he could to see where it would break down. I tend to think those people who put down the placard when Jordan said "register Jews" were only doing it because they were like, "oh I'm on tv, he said Jews."

 

Basically, both groups came down to, "why do you think that?" "Because" and "Trump is saying what people are thinking." Ok, that's fine, but then you're all a bunch of ignorant marks. I'm doubtful Trump believes what he's saying. He's a businessman. He's selling a particular product and they're eating it up. I mean, criticize Obama all you want, or you don't like Clinton because she's too establishment. If you can't say really why you support a particular candidate, you're an idiot, and you're dangerous because it doesn't matter. You don't have to write an essay when you vote. 

 

I'm stuck with conservative talk radio, and there's a lot of them that are petrified Trump is destroying the party. I'm like, 'you reap what you sow'. Nearly 7 years, you all have been preaching hate and fear, and it's on you now. I think most of the GOP establishment thought Trump would implode by now. It's not that far till the primaries, and they are panicking. 

Edited December 16, 2015 by ganesh

[Shannon L.]

 

Jordan's conversation with the Trump supporters reinforced my worst fears. I don't even know what to say beyond that. Is it good that it's out in the open? Or is it terrifying beyond belief? What is the constructive response?

I jumped in here to see what people thought of that segment last night.  I haven't seen all of the special reports over the years, but of the ones I've seen, this is the first one where the Daily Show interviewer looked like he wasn't acting, like he broke character--that he was seriously, personally baffled and even a bit disgusted. 

 

A friend of mine called Trump a demagogue and if you look up the meaning, it fits.  Especially from the British Dictionary (I got this from dictionary.com):  a political agitator who appeals with crude oratory to the prejudice and passions of the mob

 

 

I'm stuck with conservative talk radio, and there's a lot of them that are petrified Trump is destroying the party. I'm like, 'you reap what you sow'. Nearly 7 years, you all have been preaching hate and fear, and it's on you now. I think most of the GOP establishment thought Trump would implode by now. It's not that far till the primaries, and they are panicking.

This. Exactly.

[dusang]

I turned off as soon as the "focus group" started -- I can't see the humour or satire in it anymore, Trump and his followers are just gross.

[KerleyQ]

The first guy in the second row of the focus group, one of the two guys who didn't drop his Trump face at the idea of registering Jewish people, scared the crap out of me.  We're talking "this guy is going to come through my TV and eat my soul" levels of creepy.  

 

And "I don't know" was the answer to why support him because "he appeals to my inner racist" isn't a socially acceptable answer, especially with a camera in your face. 

[nodorothyparker]

Trevor was positively gleeful in last night's opening segment talking about all the continuing insanity of each of the candidates, right through the segue into the sublimely terrible Trump and his doctor skit.  I get a kick out of watching hosts actually seem to enjoy their jobs.  Bush as the Nigerian scammer prince was priceless.  And always, the accents.  I love the accents.

 

Jordan has really been doing some nice work as of late.  Last week's gun piece was brutal and I've seen it referenced in a couple of more "serious news" outlets, which for me is how I know when the Daily Show is really firing on all cylinders and doing the reporting that the real news should be doing.  Why haven't we heard more about the FBI report that was repeatedly referenced?  He was great in the zombie nativity talking heads all talking over each other segment.  And while the Trump focus group wasn't a new idea (a couple of outlets have tried to do the same thing with mixed results), it was terrifying in that you could see the exact moment Jordan went "holy shit, this isn't funny anymore" as he kept trying unsuccessfully to find the line that would finally be too far for these people.  There isn't one because Trump voters don't care if anything that's said is true as long as they like how it sounds.  That's where we are now.

 

I know it's an unpopular idea at least in part because of historical precedents from the Voting Rights era and possible constitutional concerns, but it's because of stuff like this that I've always thought a basic citizenship test demonstrating before you get to register to vote that you understand that the president you vote for doesn't get to just do whatever the hell he wants with no regard for the law or the rest of the government wouldn't be a bad idea.

[ganesh]

I don't need humor to be actually funny, if you all know what I mean. I think you're missing out if you didn't watch either Jordan's gun piece or this one on Trump. It's not supposed to be funny, but it's funny in the sense that 'yeah, ok, the good guy with a gun. Even the highly highly trained law enforcement officials are like, no.' 

 

Same thing here. The funny part is Jordan breaking the people down to the point where the guy literally has no idea why he is supporting Trump. I mean, yeah, beyond, "I don't like nonwhites and gays, but I have a shred of common sense not to say that on tv, but as far as policies go, I got nothing."

 

It's not funny per se. The point is there are people willing to draw the line at registering muslims, but not jews. 

 

I think these people know that the president doesn't get to do what he wants. They're potentially voting out of anger and mostly spite. These are the people who are like, "yeah, shut down the government! Take that Obama!" Ok, great, so now millions of people aren't getting paychecks for the next 2 weeks because Green Eggs and Ham. Thanks. 

I wonder how many of these people are voting in the primaries anyway.