TDS 3.0: Season One Talk

[MrWhyt]

Sam Bee is so much better at political commentary. She's so hard-hitting. Why wasn't she made the new host of the Daily Show?

She had her deal with TBS in place before Jon announced his retirement.

[ganesh]

I don't understand the context around the latest Trump thing. Who was he calling a pussy? Or did someone else say it first and he repeated it?

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't understand the context around the latest Trump thing. Who was he calling a pussy? Or did someone else say it first and he repeated it?

 

It was Cruz. Well, I don't watch any of his diatribes, but a friend of mine told me that Cruz was the target.

[FartyPants]

I don't understand the context around the latest Trump thing. Who was he calling a pussy? Or did someone else say it first and he repeated it?

 

A lady in the audience (plant, maybe?) yelled it out in reference to Cruz being a little less extreme on torture. which Trump repeated with that happy smirk

Edited February 10, 2016 by FartyPants

[khyber]

I was fine with how Noah was doing--it's a pleasant ten minutes or so (I don't watch the interviews) of my day four days a week--

That's exactly how I watch the show. The first two segments and stop at the interview. 

[angora]

Cruz and Trump trading barbs on who won't wimp out over waterboarding is so ugly and gross. Good on Trevor for again emphasizing that 1) this is America's Republican frontrunner getting away with spouting this crap, which means 2) an alarmingly large number of people apparently SUPPORT that crap.

I laughed so hard at Jeb campaigning in the Dunkin' Donuts drive-through.

I couldn't tell you what, but something felt lacking in the Hilary/women voters story. It needed a little more SOMETHING, I dunno. Jessica's bit was perfect, though - a thing of glorious, untaxed-tampon beauty. Jessica two days in a row? The comedy gods are with us!

[redfish]

Cruz and Trump trading barbs on who won't wimp out over waterboarding is so ugly and gross. Good on Trevor for again emphasizing that 1) this is America's Republican frontrunner getting away with spouting this crap, which means 2) an alarmingly large number of people apparently SUPPORT that crap.

 

 

Which does not bode well for the Republican primaries if that kind of mentality is allowed to fester and the electing public for being encouraged to support that idea. Scary.

[angora]

I think they covered most of the primary craziness (still surprised at Jeb coming in 4th.) I like Kasich going from invisible to 2nd place, Christie "taking Rubio down with him," and Rubio's supporters assuring him they know it's his fault. On the Democrats' side, I liked Hilary's subtext warning Bernie that Black people were voting next, and the polling numbers on "Your Facebook Friends" cracked me up.

Roy's piece was interesting to me because its stance was so moderate, highlighting both the goofiness and the reasonableness of the couple he was with. Yes, they had their tricked-out Carson-mobile and seemed to think that a tinny "Yankee Doodle Dandy" emanating from an article of clothing "gets the message out" (I can't even,) but they also wanted to hear what each candidate had to say, including Democrats. Likewise. Roy was surprised to hear what some of the candidates were like outside of the high theatrics of the debate/TV environment, while confirming his suspicions that other were talking out of their asses. (Am I right in thinking they skipped Trump because the couple was afraid Roy would get kicked out for heckling?)

Enjoyed Olivia Wilde. That's two actresses this week talking about their documentaries - I like it.

[attica]

Ooh!! Ooh! [/Horshack] I know all about Yankee Doodle and Macaroni to help out Roy and Bud and Doris: The first thing you need to know is that the song Yankee Doodle originated as an ethnic slur against the Dutch. (Yankee being a bastardization of "Jan Kees", the Dutch version of "Joe Sixpack"). So all the lyrics of the song are about how this rube is so stupid and uncouth. The next thing you need to know is that Macaroni was a set of super-fashionable young men, whose style ran to the amazingly ornate. So when our Yankee friend sticks a single measly feather in his cap and decides that it's Macaroni-level stylin', listeners of the song are supposed to guffaw at the epic fail.  Thus endeth the lesson.  

 

I liked Roy's piece a lot.

[ganesh]

I liked Hilary's subtext warning Bernie that Black people were voting next.

 

Really. Both states are over 90% white. It's absurd that they have such a seeming influence over the nomination process. Even when both are proportional, so winning isn't even necessary.

 

I was surprised that Roy didn't know the song. I thought everyone knew that. That was a good piece though. 

[nodorothyparker]

I liked Roy's piece a lot too.  Our electoral system is such a weird mix of unadulterated goofiness, outright WTFery, and "yeah, that seems as reasonable as anything else" and he really highlighted it all in a surprisingly goodhearted fashion.  Sure, the couple was riding around in a Carson mobile and thinking there were deeper political messages in a musical sweater, which could have made them very easy to dismiss, but they were also making the effort to hear everybody out.  I liked that the piece didn't take the easy devolve into just trying to make them look foolish as some correspondent pieces sometimes would have in the past.

 

I laughed out loud at the joke about Bernie leading with your Facebook friends.  I can be pretty liberal on a lot of things, but oh my God you have no idea.

[topanga]

 

...On the Democrats' side, I liked Hilary's subtext warning Bernie that Black people were voting next, and the polling numbers on "Your Facebook Friends" cracked me up.

 

Roy's piece was interesting to me because its stance was so moderate, highlighting both the goofiness and the reasonableness of the couple he was with. Yes, they had their tricked-out Carson-mobile and seemed to think that a tinny "Yankee Doodle Dandy" emanating from an article of clothing "gets the message out" (I can't even,) but they also wanted to hear what each candidate had to say, including Democrats. Likewise. Roy was surprised to hear what some of the candidates were like outside of the high theatrics of the debate/TV environment, while confirming his suspicions that other were talking out of their asses. (Am I right in thinking they skipped Trump because the couple was afraid Roy would get kicked out for heckling?)

When Trevor mentioned the Facebook friends, I was like, "how does he know my Facebook friends so well?" Scary.

 

I liked the Carson supporters. People who can laugh themselves and their strong principles are always interesting to me. I wonder if they really don't think Obama if black or if they were just joking. 

--But they never went to a Ben Carson rally. I would've liked to see what he was like in a smaller group. 

 

And maybe Trevor didn't want to get into the technicalities of the NH primary by mentioning that Hillary got almost as many delegates as Bernie did, despite losing the primary. 

 

 

 

 

Cruz and Trump trading barbs on who won't wimp out over waterboarding is so ugly and gross. Good on Trevor for again emphasizing that 1) this is America's Republican frontrunner getting away with spouting this crap, which means 2) an alarmingly large number of people apparently SUPPORT that crap.

Yes, that's downright scary. 

Edited February 11, 2016 by topanga

[ganesh]

Sure, the couple was riding around in a Carson mobile and thinking there were deeper political messages in a musical sweater, which could have made them very easy to dismiss, but they were also making the effort to hear everybody out.

 

Well, not really. They went to "hear Clinton out," but also said they were doubtful she'd say anything to change their mind. This struck me more as an old retired couple making a day trip around a fairly small state. I don't think they should be made to look foolish, and it was actually a good piece at what goes on in a primary besides the staged stops at the diner, etc. But I took away that this was even more useless than I thought. 

 

I wonder if they really don't think Obama if black or if they were just joking.

 

I didn't think they were. Which is worse. 

 

[angora]

The climate plan cock-blocking was depressing, though I liked the bit about other countries slacking too if they knew the U.S. wasn't going to follow through.

 

The Pornhub story was kind of wild, but I guess I could see it.  Things that made me laugh:  Trevor postulating that charity had been Pornhub's secret plan all along, the prospect of users being conditioned to find social causes a turn-on, and the porn forest.  (Although, would this be the same grandpa who's telling his grandkid about what ice was?)

 

I thought the Trump-as-ringmaster piece was just so-so.  I got where they were going with it, but it seemed a little thin.  My favorite part was Coney Island guy, both his bewildered reactions to Jordan's Mexican rapists/Palin references and his argument that calling Trump's campaign a circus was insulting to circus performers.

 

Do people really consider Red Lobster fast food?  A chain, sure, but fast?  One of those things was not like the others.  Anyway, I loved the Denny's bit, especially the part about the U.S. government wanting to put their name on the card for the "reparations" check.  Also, Trevor's childhood aspirations to eat a Big Mac and end apartheid made me smile (the Pizza Hut hut image was funny, too.)  IMO, the show does well with knowing just how many Africa jokes to throw in.

 

Ben Stiller?  Meh.  I did like Trevor explaining his adolescence as the "funny best friend" until his face fixed itself.

[dusang]

Also, Trevor's childhood aspirations to eat a Big Mac and end apartheid made me smile (the Pizza Hut hut image was funny, too.)  IMO, the show does well with knowing just how many Africa jokes to throw in.

 

Monday's episode was pretty excellent overall but I particularly loved the "free T-shirt Monday!" crack about the SB losers. (Although, I don't think they are "free" but the joke lands better with "free" rather than "glut markets in the developing world with shit North America doesn't want in order to salvage a profit T-shirt Monday!!")

Edited February 12, 2016 by dusang

[ganesh]

I thought the Trump piece was good just to show how ignorant those people were. I don't think Jordan was leading them on to act stupid either. They're just repeating what Trump says. 

 

Actually, TDS has been doing a great job overall actually portraying what types of people all the voters are. 

[peeayebee]

Jordan's bit with the sword swallower wasn't much, but I liked the part at the Trump rally. Seeing the intellectual level of some of his supporters is humorous, though I hope we can still laugh as Trump's popularity goes down. Please. I also liked how bored everyone appeared to be when Trump stopped throwing out his incendiary statements.

 

Loved Roy Wood Jr's piece.

[Traveller519]

The Carson-mobile couple gave me hope, as did the more sane republican candidates in their town hall formats. Obviously Fiorina was just a soundbyte machine, but the others seemed downright reasonable. As did the couple who was taking the time to be informed.

 

The crazies definitely make for better TV, but it was nice to see some deeper digging.

 

I think all the correspondents pieces this week really hit. Though Hasan didn't have anything if I recall. Hopefully he's working on something fantastic (assuming Desi is now on mat leave).

[annabel]

Desi can stay home and raise her baby, I didn't find any of her pieces entertaining.

[tenativelyyours]

I'm of the other persuasion and love the ad truth bit that Desi has done a couple of times and am eager for her return as campaign season gets even stupider. 

 

I thought this was a good week and if an indicator of how the show is going to do the whole election cycle I will be pleased.  Very pleased.  Roy Wood Jr is still a little rough in some areas.  But his pieces this week were really good.   think I heard Jessica and the show were in South Carolina doing a field piece a little while ago.  I hope that is true.  Though I heard a lot of claims about sightings in Iowa and New Hampshire in regards to the show that I think were either untrue or they had lots of pieces to pick from. 

 

I liked the Carson Couple as well.  I think though, for me, it did tap into the crazy.  The crazy of how what we see in the media can be so different than the actual truth of the matter.  But then it seems I never hear much during Iowa and New Hampshire how many winners of those states crash and burn soon after. They are not and haven't really been the lynchpins to our elections so much as the first hurdle for the media in the batshit marathon.

[possibilities]

fivethirtyeight.com has been talking about how the Iowa and NH winners don't necessarily translate into national victories, but in general I agree that the media isn't really reporting on the big picture. It seems like they are actually minimizing the broad perspective in favor of the daily shot of excitement... more statistics are used in sports journalism than in political reporting these days. TDS should do a story on that comparison.

 

I am tired of Roy always talking about how much he hates his assignment, at the beginning of pretty much every assignment.

[Victor the Crab]

I am tired of Roy always talking about how much he hates his assignment, at the beginning of pretty much every assignment.

I love it! :D

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am very much enjoying Trevor and how he's tackling the election coverage. BUT ( and please don't bean/ream me!) I do also, still very much miss Jon and his rage. I can't help but think how he would be handling the craziness that is going on right now.

 

Sue me.

[zxy556575]

This throwaway line from Roy made me laugh: "Stay in your lane Trevor."

[attica]

Typical! TDS goes on vacation, Scalia drops dead!

[shok]

Typical! TDS goes on vacation, Scalia drops dead!

 

And the Republicans have another 'debate' which was not much more than a bunch of kids throwing shit at each other, except most kids I know are better behaved.

[Gulftastic]

And Cruz has porn stars in his commercial!

[peeayebee]

This throwaway line from Roy made me laugh: "Stay in your lane Trevor."

I think this is the third time I've heard this phrase, and I love it. I want to use it myself, but I'm afraid the people I'm with wouldn't get it.

[Victor the Crab]

Typical! TDS goes on vacation, Scalia drops dead!

 

And TNS and Real Time. :P

 

At least we'll have Ollie and Samantha and Stephen to talk about it, I hope!

Edited February 14, 2016 by Victor the Crab

[zxy556575]

About Roy's fast food piece -- how can anyone, much less "journalists"* be surprised and shocked these days that creamy salad dressings have a ton of calories and fat? Really??

 

Not to be all defensive on McDonald's behalf or anything, but their Southwest Ranch Salad comes with a variety of dressing options. With balsamic vinaigrette, it's 370 calories and 13 grams of fat.

 

 

 

*Referring to the TV newscaster shown in the segment, not TDS.

Edited February 15, 2016 by lordonia

[tenativelyyours]

I'd more concerned about the sodium levels in their salads.  The lower in calories and fat the higher in sodium.  Our local news did a story about their latest salads and one had more 77% of the daily requirement for sodium.  I've had a reaction to getting a huge dump of sodium at once.  I had to avoid chains for the longest time which I actually had not problem doing but had co-workers who loved themselves some Applebies or Olive Garden when give the chance and figured I was anti-social for begging off until someone else figured out a pattern of having what she realized was a sodium overdose if you will.  Not just a persistent dehydration a couple hours later but restless and almost panic attack weird physical symptoms. 

 

What was the with dressing count again that Roy said though?  I have it in my mind it was 700 some calories but I also feel that can't be right,  I mean almost four hundred calories in a dressing can't be right...can it?  Or is there something else?  And why am I asking since I haven't eaten at McDonalds since I actually played with my Happy Meal toys.  And yes I was a kid when that happened! 

[Bastet]

I just looked it up, and while the ranch dressing is 200 of the just over 700 calories, the salad also has two kinds of cheese, tortilla strips, some sort of glaze, and "buttermilk crispy" chicken.

[tenativelyyours]

Sounds more like a wrap without the wrap than an actual salad.  Reminds me of the running skit on SNL a few years back where they used to do the fake ads for the food places that had the most outrageously unhealthy food.  Like the burger wrapped in a pizza, deep fried and then wrapped in another pizza.

[ganesh]

I think the point Roy was trying to make was that, you're not going to McDonalds to get a salad, so if you're finding out how unhealthy it is, and surprised, that's kind of on you. If you can't actually make your own salad, most supermarkets actually have better options at the same cost. 

 

I mean, sure once and a while isn't going to kill you, and everyone likes to chow on some fries sometimes, but you kind of know what you're getting into here.  

[tenativelyyours]

Different strokes.  I got the sense that Roy was pointing to the idea behind places like McDonald's having salads in a general sense.  And plenty of people I know go to fast food places with friends or family but want to try to stay in a food conscious lane.  Roy seemed to be saying that here you are at McDonalds , maybe due to simple time and proximity, maybe because of who you are with.  Certainly not simply because you want junk food and so shouldn't dare think maybe a salad is more healthy than a Big Mac.  And you do order a salad trying to stay on the better side of things dietary wise and they slam you with this.  Maybe he was going to greater irony there in that people who eat a salad at McDonalds should still read what the salad has and what the caloric intake is going to be by reading the dietary info the restaurant has posted somewhere. but it escaped me with his incredulous what the fuck yell that seemed rather sincere as he then explained why he had such a mix of incredulous outrage in what I do realize was a 'piece'.

[angora]

Yay, the show is back! Man, they really picked a bad week to be off - just drive-by mentions of Cruz's ad troubles, and Trump's fight with the Pope/latest Islamaphobia, while the Supreme Court situation got a little bit more discussion during the interview with Cory Booker (who was lovely. Really enjoyed that interview.)

That said, even though so much had to be glossed over, the stories they DID cover were well-chosen and well-done. Obviously, they were going to talk about the primary, and the remark about New Hampshire and South Carolina being such major indicators of the eventual nominee scared me. Are we really going to be going there with Trump? <shudder> It was bizarre to look back at all the "Jeb's got it in the bag" pundits from last year. Oh, Jeb - I loved Trevor speculating that Dubya pranked him into thinking he couldn't have sex while he was campaigning.

I was also really glad that the show covered Uganda's election, because I'd hoped they would. What a shit show. I liked Uganda's motto "It's Worse Here," and I died at campaigning on a couch on top of a car; that was fabulous. And of course, Trump comparisons. I don't think that bit will ever get old for me (just a lot scarier if he somehow actually becomes president.)o

ETA - I can't believe I forgot to mention Trevor's delightfully incredulous "Trump's wife speaks immigrant??" and subsequent Trump-on-Trump attack. Loved that.

Edited February 23, 2016 by angora

[peeayebee]

I do feel sorry for Jeb! I can't help it. I don't agree with his policies or ideology, but I can't help but sympathize with a victim of Trump's bullying. Also, I doubt Jeb! was saying he was going to have sex with his wife. I think he simply meant he could now relax and sleep next to the woman he loved. It was an awkward thing to say, but... I don't know why I'm defending him so much. I certainly didn't want him to be President. I just hate Trump so much.

[zxy556575]

I don't know why I'm defending him so much. I certainly didn't want him to be President. I just hate Trump so much.

 

Given the Repuglican alternatives, I absolutely wanted Jeb to win the nomination. I dislike his politics but at least he's not a raving nutjob! I'll be voting for whomever the Dems put up, but both their candidates have electibility issues and I'm kind of terrified that Trump might actually prevail. The street interviews with Ugandans on Trump vs Museveni were sad to me.

[ethalfrida]

You can get 4.75 broiled El Pollo Loco chicken drumsticks for 380 calories. I wouldn't waste my calories on McD's salad dressing. in fact, a grilled chicken salad with creamy cilantro dressing is 310 calories. If I am going to pile on the calories it is going to be at a higher end eatery, lol.

[dusang]

I do feel sorry for Jeb! I can't help it. I don't agree with his policies or ideology, but I can't help but sympathize with a victim of Trump's bullying. Also, I doubt Jeb! was saying he was going to have sex with his wife. I think he simply meant he could now relax and sleep next to the woman he loved. It was an awkward thing to say, but... I don't know why I'm defending him so much. I certainly didn't want him to be President. I just hate Trump so much.

 

 

Given the Repuglican alternatives, I absolutely wanted Jeb to win the nomination. I dislike his politics but at least he's not a raving nutjob! I'll be voting for whomever the Dems put up, but both their candidates have electibility issues and I'm kind of terrified that Trump might actually prevail. The street interviews with Ugandans on Trump vs Museveni were sad to me.

 

Seriously -- it is a strange and scary world that has made me sad for the loss of Jeb Bush.

[attica]

at least he's not a raving nutjob!

 

But a raving nutjob is way easier to beat in the general. Go Trump! :)

[peeayebee]

I think the only way Trump won't get the nomination is if the super delegates vote for someone else. So assuming *gag* he gets the nomination, I think he's going to play down his craziness and play up his moderation in order to bring people who don't like Hillary over to his side. 

[trow125]

I'll be voting for whomever the Dems put up, but both their candidates have electibility issues and I'm kind of terrified that Trump might actually prevail.

I'm glad I stayed tuned for "The Nightly Show," which talked a lot about the importance of Hispanic voters in the next election. God willing they'll be highly motivated to come out and vote against Trump.

 

And I'm going to eat my words about Cory Booker being a terrible interview because I did actually enjoy the segment they aired on the show (haven't watched the extended version). Loved the way he seemed flustered by the Ted Cruz jar. I didn't know Ted's wife was a vegetarian! As a fellow vegetarian, now I know that if I'm ever pressed to say one nice thing about Ted Cruz, I can give the same answer as Sen. Booker.

[ChelseaNH]

I think he's going to play down his craziness

 

Assuming his craziness is under his control, which would make it somewhat less than actual craziness.

 

It just occurred to me, it could actually be useful for Trump to alienate global leaders, so we see how well the world can cope without the US for a change.  Of course, the downside is that everybody hates us for being stupid enough to elect him, on top of people hating him for the fights he provokes, but at least there's the possibility of an upside.

[dusang]

Assuming his craziness is under his control, which would make it somewhat less than actual craziness.

 

I was listening to a podcast (#GoodMuslimBadMuslim) and one of the hosts (comedian Zahra Noorbaksh -- I'm slightly guessing on the spelling of her last name) said that watching Trump, it looks like he's always on the verge of a heart attack and she theorizes that someone (possibly ISIS) has one of his children or his wife or something and is forcing him to say these things.  Obviously she's kind of joking and it's kind of a terrible joke (that an innocent person is in danger, etc.) but it's also kind of... possible?

[tenativelyyours]

Yeah I heard a joke that went something like this:

 

"Afraid of ISIS attacks on the U.S.?  Well vote for Trump."

 

"Because he will stop them"

 

"No, Because if he wins they'll consider their work here done"

 

I heard some conflicting reports about Uganda.  Didn't the security forces actually keep the Doctor and his supporters from leaving the compound as well?

 

Watching the segment on Jeb and I keep thinking how did he get elected in Florida.  Then I think 'Florida'. 

 

I skipped Booker.  I might have to go back and watch.  He just does not work for me and I have no idea why.  On paper he is perfect.  Smart, good looking, charming and out spoken.  Progressive and yet pragmatic.  But there is just something.. Granted I'd vote him over any way who is currently running.  But still he just doesn't excite me or galvanize me the way I feel he should.

[fastiller]

I think the only way Trump won't get the nomination is if the super delegates vote for someone else. So assuming *gag* he gets the nomination, I think he's going to play down his craziness and play up his moderation in order to bring people who don't like Hillary over to his side. 

 

But there's such a rich record of his craziness on tape.  However, you're likely right that he'd play it down.  I'm amazed that there are people out there that think it'd be a good idea to elect to the Presidency a man who states out loud that he wants to punch a heckler in the face.

 

I was listening to a podcast (#GoodMuslimBadMuslim) and one of the hosts (comedian Zahra Noorbaksh -- I'm slightly guessing on the spelling of her last name) said that watching Trump, it looks like he's always on the verge of a heart attack and she theorizes that someone (possibly ISIS) has one of his children or his wife or something and is forcing him to say these things.  Obviously she's kind of joking and it's kind of a terrible joke (that an innocent person is in danger, etc.) but it's also kind of... possible?

 

A colleague of mine has the theory that it's all performance art.

[zxy556575]

I'm amazed that there are people out there that think it'd be a good idea to elect to the Presidency a man who states out loud that he wants to punch a heckler in the face.

 

It wasn't that fucking long ago that Howard Dean shouting -- once! -- in excitement/passion made him an unelectable "loser" in the eyes of the public.

 

The absolute worst part of Trump's campaign for me is that the vile ignorance and bigotry of so many Americans has been brought to light. I honestly had believed they were a small minority.

[dusang]

A colleague of mine has the theory that it's all performance art.

 

I'm not super familiar with Trump beyond the headlines (I've never watched an episode of The Apprentice, I've never paid extensive attention to his crazy) but I also wonder if he thought to garner some headlines and then bow out early, as he did in 2012, and it all just went sideways on him when people actually latched on to his crazy.  He often sounds like he's challenging his supporters to abandon him -- he could shoot someone in the street and still get elected?  WHO SAYS THAT?!?

[attica]

But there is just something.. Granted I'd vote him over any way who is currently running.  But still he just doesn't excite me or galvanize me the way I feel he should.

 

I'm a Booker fan, but I always have the feeling he's looking over your shoulder for the next big opportunity. I believe he's not interested in SCOTUS (although he'd never come right out and say that) because he has his eye on POTUS.