The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore - General Discussion

[ganesh]

There's no way some speechwriter wrote that "house that slaves built" line. That was all Mrs. Obama. I'm really interested in what she's going to be doing after they leave the white house. 

I don't have a problem with Corey Booker wanting an '04 Obama moment. I hope he does ending up running for president. 

Wyclef was a good guest. 

Edited July 27, 2016 by ganesh

[Brandi Maxxxx]

2 hours ago, attica said:

I fully suspect that "Slave House!" is going into permanent rotation in my head, just like "incognegro". So, so good.

Same here but unfortunately I know I'll never actually get to use it. Because when people don't get the reference...

[Arcadiasw]

Larry and Trevor will certainly have fun tonight with Trump's latest press conference regarding Russia and the emails. Wow

[Skyfall]

The Frozen moment had me rolling!

[BabyVegas]

As usual, Robin on the panel fills me with delight. She's always funny and well-informed. I didn't like the woman from the National Review on this panel. I mean, I'm always predisposed to dislike anyone from the National Review, but I thought her points were not well made and I really disagreed with her when she said that Hillary Clinton had done some "unfeminist things" to get where she is. That argument was predicated on believing that it's unfeminist to stay with a person who has cheated on you. Really, one doesn't have anything to do with the other. The main thrust behind the feminism (at least the feminism that I've always known) is that men and women are equal. Hillary decided to stay and whatever her reasons behind that decision, it didn't really affect anything in terms of her equality. Also the National Review woman had this idea that feminism requires all women to be nice to each other, which again, I highly disagree with. I think Hillary could believe that men and women should be equal and still go after a woman in a way that might be problematic on a personal level, but not on an equality level.

I really wish that Larry would have someone who is pro-Hillary on. Someone like America Ferrera would be a great guest. She's thoughtful and does a great job expressing why she has gone the way she has. 

[marceline]

I kind of lost it when Robin said that she wished that we could just all stop talking about the cheating and Larry agreed. Larry has been doubling down on that old ass scandal this whole time. He's the first person who needs to let it go.

[Arcadiasw]

57 minutes ago, marceline said:

I kind of lost it when Robin said that she wished that we could just all stop talking about the cheating and Larry agreed. Larry has been doubling down on that old ass scandal this whole time. He's the first person who needs to let it go.

Agreed. Hillary isn't the first spouse to stay when there's infidelity and she won't be the last. It's been almost 20 years. Time to let it go. It's not our marriage and there are things people do in marriages we find questionable but it's okay with them and the same goes for us and our relationships. However, I do agree with what Larry said in the beginning on how Bill Clinton could've handle it in his speech instead of completely overlooking it.

[ganesh]

Seriously. He brought it up in the opener. And Bill isn't going to be saying any of that in a speech to promote Hilary for president. 

You know though? I do not care about their marriage. Whether it was open or he bought her off or whatever. No of which is true, I'm just listing things that I don't care about. 

Not for nothing though, can anyone please identify a former candidate for president that was perfect? It's like *everything* Clinton does is the worst thing ever. Larry's point about things she said last 20 years and Trump doesn't last a day was good. 

Who cares whether you like anyone or not? Can they do the job or not? Can you respect them in the office or not? Yard was right. 

Not to be all drama, but has there been a First Lady who has taken more verbal abuse than Mrs. Obama? The #segment had the tweet that said "blue dress made your ass huge". And that's actually fairly mild.

What's the motivation for O'Reilly to clarify that slaves were "well fed?"

Edited July 28, 2016 by ganesh

[marceline]

2 hours ago, ganesh said:

Not to be all drama, but has there been a First Lady who has taken more verbal abuse than Mrs. Obama? The #segment had the tweet that said "blue dress made your ass huge". And that's actually fairly mild.

I understand why TV shows remove the Twitter handles when they spotlight tweets but sometimes I wish they wouldn't. These people have no hesitation to broadcast their idiocy in the first place so they don't deserve that courtesy.

[ganesh]

You could probably find out with some doing though. 

[ChelseaNH]

4 hours ago, ganesh said:

What's the motivation for O'Reilly to clarify that slaves were "well fed?"

As far as he's concerned, black people are just looking for an excuse to get a free ride through life, but if slavery wasn't actually all that bad, then they can't claim that they're owed anything.

[possibilities]

I don't want to be cast as a defender of the Natl Review woman, because I disagreed with her analysis. But I didn't take her comment to be about "throwing other women under the bus" to be about staying with Bill. I thought it was more about discounting the sexual harassment charges made by Paula Jones and G. Flowers, and believing that Lewinsky was a liar. Usually, feminists are on the side of women who accuse or otherwise expose those kinds of behaviors, thinking they need to be believed and not discredited. Her messenger shooting spree was one of her mistakes, one she probably would not have made if it had been another politician, and hot her husband who was involved.

However, although I am not a huge fan of Hillary because of other things, but I don't care about or fault her for how she's handled her marriage or the Bill sex scandals, and I think she does have a solid track record of advocating for women's rights and issues. So I think questioning her feminist credentials is basically trolling and BS. I actually think Hillary is genuinely committed to and has demonstrated heartfelt consistency and at times a fair amount of guts in defense of a number of feminist issues. If she had a blind spot with regard to her husband's sexual malfeasance, she has certainly paid enough of a price for it and it's far out-weighed in my mind by her other acts of advocacy for women's health and self-determination, children's health, and "women's rights are human rights" all around the world.

[Victor the Crab]

7 hours ago, ganesh said:

Not to be all drama, but has there been a First Lady who has taken more verbal abuse than Mrs. Obama?

None. Laura Bush, the previous First Lady, has been accused of vehicular homicide and selling dimebags of marijuana during her college days. But nobody ever went after her, because everyone knew going after the First Lady was verboten! But Michelle Obama advocating children eat healthier, and people on the right lose their shit. Would these covert racists do that if she were white? Fuck no!

[wknt3]

9 hours ago, marceline said:

I kind of lost it when Robin said that she wished that we could just all stop talking about the cheating and Larry agreed. Larry has been doubling down on that old ass scandal this whole time. He's the first person who needs to let it go.

At least it's not as bad as Larry's apparent surprise that people don't realize how much worse Trump is than Hillary or how Bernie's supporters won't acknowledge reality. It makes me wonder if he hasn't been watching his own show these past few months.

[ganesh]

Not even just advocating healthy eating, but getting actual nutritionists to put together a reasonable plan, and she's called a nazi. It's not like she was arbitrarily picking foods she likes or something. 

Did Clinton get it this bad? I was barely an adult, so I don't really remember. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, ganesh said:

Did Clinton get it this bad? I was barely an adult, so I don't really remember. 

Yes. From what I can recall, her different hairstyles were mocked; she was mocked for the hairbands she wore, that she wasn't "acting" like a First Lady should--I think she was heading the trying to get Universal Healthcare and was accused of trying/wanting to be the President. And those are just off the top of my head. Everything good she wanted and tried to do was suspect. The only positive thing, meaning that wasn't mocked (at least I don't recall) was her "It takes a village" program.

[attica]

25 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Did Clinton get it this bad? I was barely an adult, so I don't really remember. 

Well, she was accused of drug dealing and murder, so: kinda, yeah. Not the racist stuff, of course, but Clinton Derangement Syndrome was a thing and it was aimed at both of them.

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, attica said:

Well, she was accused of drug dealing and murder, so: kinda, yeah. Not the racist stuff, of course, but Clinton Derangement Syndrome was a thing and it was aimed at both of them.

Right! Forgot about how she was accused of killing Vince Foster. Then the whole Whitewater Scandal...the details escape me, except the part about how it came out of the law office that Hillary worked/was a partner in? Real estate deal?

[formerlyfreedom]

Stay on the show please.

[Arcadiasw]

Poor Mike he can’t win at PTI. Lol. Love his "No, no, no."

 

I have to agree with Ricky when he says Americans don't care about qualifications. It's not just in the job for President but also in everyday life. People can get jobs by who they know, looks or just flat out lying. I've worked with a few who don't know the basic computer skills and wonder how they land a job.

[attica]

1 hour ago, Arcadiasw said:

Poor Mike he can’t win at PTI. Lol. Love his "No, no, no."

A visibly frustrated Mike may be my favorite Mike of all.

That Cass dude on the panel had a William Hurt thing going on. I enjoyed his dry as dust delivery.

[possibilities]

I enjoyed Ricky using himself as an example of someone who lacked qualifications for his job.

[ganesh]

I like that they did a variation on PTI but still stuck it to Mike Yard. 

[marceline]

16 hours ago, wknt3 said:

At least it's not as bad as Larry's apparent surprise that people don't realize how much worse Trump is than Hillary or how Bernie's supporters won't acknowledge reality. It makes me wonder if he hasn't been watching his own show these past few months.

Yeah, I've definitely noticed during this campaign that Larry has some blind spots about how he's exhibiting some serious hypocrisy. He considers himself a feminist and I believe him. But it's hard for me to reconcile the Larry who goes after Bill Cosby with the Larry still making tired old jokes about Hillary from decades ago. I just want to scream "Dude, you're divorced! You know as well as anyone that what happens in a marriage is complex. Let it go, Elsa!" Part of it might be that I lived the Lewinsky scandal in real time. I've heard every "Bill is a horndog" joke ever made. There's no new territory there. It's the political equivalent of "I just flew into town and boy are my arms tired!"

[ganesh]

Larry said it himself; stuff the Clintons did decades ago still lingers around, and stuff Trump does doesn't last the day. Well, Larry, you're part of that problem too.

[marceline]

It's pretty clear to me that Ricky was drunk as hell on the panel. I'd love to know what was in that cup.

Edited July 29, 2016 by marceline

[kassygreene]

Was he drunk or medicated?  What happened to his hand?  That was a gnarly cast.  (Unless that was someone else?)

[marceline]

That's true. It could've been pain pills. He was so unfiltered and laid back that narcotics would probably be a better explanation.

I was wondering what happened to his hand too.

[wknt3]

I would also guess pain medication and fatigue/general loopiness seeing his hand. Whatever it is I hope that his hand gets better soon, but it did make for a great panel (along with the awesomeness of Cass Sunstein.) It was a strong show all around actually. PTI alone is usually enough to make a show good, but combined with a good intro and a great panel it was an excellent show. The only thing I can really think of to improve it would be if Ricky shared some of his meds with Larry.

[ganesh]

I liked Grace's piece. She was funny by playing it mostly straight. 

I get that the libertarian party should have some voice. Johnson is on the ballot in all the states, but it's splitting hairs with republicans. 

Lowering taxes isn't going to do jack. cf., Kansas for the millionth time like this month. Smaller government? Wow so bold. 

How exactly is weed going to be legalized on the federal level really? I would like to see that, but it's clearly a state issue currently. How do you move that to the federal level? Is that really a strong part of the platform you're going for? How are you electing libertarians at the grass roots level? Every time this guy is on anywhere no one actually asks him anything beyond. What's a libertarian? He's been on 65 tv shows. We've heard the same exact commentary. 

I'd like to know what he thinks he can do to get into the debates. That should really be the focus if they want people talking about a third party. No answer. 

Edited July 30, 2016 by ganesh

[possibilities]

That interview with Gary Johnson really shows how Larry is not a journalist. It wasn't even funny, so it didn't even speak well for him as a comedian. He didn't ask Johnson to talk actual policy (other than the marijuana issue, which is always a go to for comedy crowds), he just let him recite his slogans. I wish the show would not invite politicians on if they aren't going to ask serious questions and make them actually do something other than deliver slogans.

[wknt3]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

That interview with Gary Johnson really shows how Larry is not a journalist. It wasn't even funny, so it didn't even speak well for him as a comedian. He didn't ask Johnson to talk actual policy (other than the marijuana issue, which is always a go to for comedy crowds), he just let him recite his slogans. I wish the show would not invite politicians on if they aren't going to ask serious questions and make them actually do something other than deliver slogans.

Cosigned. Perhaps my biggest frustration with this show is it's failure to seize opportunities like this. Why no questions about the troubled history of racism in the libertarian movement? Or about government activism and minority rights? Or about issues specific to the younger generation? Isn't this show supposed to be about alternative POVs and hard truths?

[ganesh]

I don't think holding Larry to journalistic standards is appropriate. However, 'what is a libertarian' is a weak opening to the interview. There's lots of questions Larry could have asked from an alternative POV that could have been funny and insightful at the same time. I don't expect this show to go after politicians, but I do think the show shouldn't just be a forum for their bs either. That was basically free ad time. 

This show needs to find its voice for the general election. 

[attica]

On 7/30/2016 at 3:17 PM, ganesh said:

How do you move that to the federal level? 

Two ways spring to mind which would nudge it out to the states: 1) Have the FDA stop classifying it as Schedule 1 (i.e. no medical value) -- which they've recommended, but not implemented; 2) permit growers, wholesalers, and retailers to use federally chartered banks for their proceeds. Those are big enough obstacles that once toppled, might well domino the smaller ones.

Grace's piece on the strippers in Philly urge me to share the RNC version: Part 1 and Part 2. Spoiler: RNCers are cheap tippers.

[trow125]

Finally caught up with Friday's show last night, and... is it just me, or did Grace look REALLY uncomfortable during most of that strip-club piece? I'm not sure what was the point of sending her there, or why there were so many shots of gyrating butts.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, attica said:

How do you move that to the federal level? 

Tell the DEA to stop "enforcing" against it. I mean, if it's just a plant, like any other plant, and people grow it, sell it, process it, buy it, use it... and don't risk fines or jail or asset seizure, etc-- it's a whole different ballgame than now.

And if it's truly legal, like any other non-prohibited substance, or even like alcohol or tobacco or other legal recreational substances, it can be taxed and regulated and some rules can be made, without people being prosecuted for growing, buying, using, or selling.

Even in Massachusetts, where medical marijuana is legal, the feds interfere with the process of people growing, selling, and accessing it. And even with a prescription, it's not covered by Medicare or Medicaid (federal insurance) like other drugs.

Re Gary Johnson or any other candidate, I think they could ask any kind of follow up at all and it would have been better. He said he wants to get the government out of our lives and downsize it. So Larry could have asked what specifically he would want to cut-- Rick Perry wanted to get rid of a few departments, even if he couldn't name them. Johnson might want to do the same-- find out. I have yet to hear anyone ask this, and he gave Larry a perfect opening. It can still be funny. Ask him what they ask other guests-- how would he respond to the most recent police shooting? What does he think of the historic role of the federal government in civil rights and did he think that involvement was wrong? What would he want the federal government to do, if anything, if there was a hurricane like Katrina or a terrorist attack like 9-11-- send help to the target, or leave it to the locals? Larry seemed totally checked out, and I don't know why. He's capable of focusing on issues, and has asked a variety of panelists for their thoughts on things they wouldn't necessarily know anything about. So why doesn't he do this when he has a politician on the show who supposedly SHOULD have answers, especially about their own positions? It's mystifying.

[ganesh]

3 hours ago, attica said:

Two ways spring to mind which would nudge it out to the states: 1) Have the FDA stop classifying it as Schedule 1 (i.e. no medical value) -- which they've recommended, but not implemented; 2) permit growers, wholesalers, and retailers to use federally chartered banks for their proceeds.

Does Johnson actually know that? Because on the show, he supported legalizing it, but didn't elaborate, as has been the case in every single appearance I've seen of him. 

I don't know what his motivation is. He's just there. What's his motivation? 

[Brandi Maxxxx]

5 hours ago, trow125 said:

Finally caught up with Friday's show last night, and... is it just me, or did Grace look REALLY uncomfortable during most of that strip-club piece? I'm not sure what was the point of sending her there, or why there were so many shots of gyrating butts.

They probably didn't want to send someone who would enjoy it too much.

[khyber]

The take-off of the female Trump media apologist was frighteningly accurate.

[Victor the Crab]

8 minutes ago, khyber said:

The take-off of the female Trump media apologist was frighteningly accurate.

...and spooky! O.o

[wknt3]

1 hour ago, khyber said:

The take-off of the female Trump media apologist was frighteningly accurate.

Yeah that was scarily, hilariously, depressingly accurate. A very well written piece. It was a really good show overall. As a Bugle fan I wish Rory had managed to work jet skis into the Tank Mancusso bit. If he was going to do The American why not go all out. I was also happy to see Larry and everyone else calling out Mike Yard's BS.

[iMonrey]

I don't watch this show regularly so I don't know the panelists by name, but the one guy (not the DJ, the other one) was driving me nuts with his false equivalencies between Clinton's "lies" and the utter bullshit that Trump simply makes up out of thin air. They are in no way "equal" in regards to the lies they tell - and why is this guy just buying into the right-wing propaganda against Clinton anyway? What, exactly, does he think she lied about? Are we back to that dumb e-mail server again? 

This is what scares me so badly, that guys like this honestly think there's no difference between Clinton and Trump, and that the people who came out to vote for Obama won't come out to vote for Hillary. If they honestly think it won't make any difference who wins the presidency because they're both "the same" then they're idiots, and we're in big big trouble.

[khyber]

16 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Yeah that was scarily, hilariously, depressingly accurate. A very well written piece. It was a really good show overall. As a Bugle fan I wish Rory had managed to work jet skis into the Tank Mancusso bit. If he was going to do The American why not go all out. I was also happy to see Larry and everyone else calling out Mike Yard's BS.

I didn't know that Rory was The American, that's great.  Whenever I walk down the street wearing my Bugle ball cap, I half expect someone to walk up to me and say "F**k you Chris!"

[Hooper]

Quote

I was also happy to see Larry and everyone else calling out Mike Yard's BS.

Boy howdy, Mike slipped several notches down my hierarchy of TV boyfriends with that stupidity.  He really doesn't need to have the producers set him up as the mustache twirling villain role in all those PTI segments with Rory.  He showed himself to be amply capable of self inflicted jackassery.

[BabyVegas]

33 minutes ago, Hooper said:

Boy howdy, Mike slipped several notches down my hierarchy of TV boyfriends with that stupidity.  He really doesn't need to have the producers set him up as the mustache twirling villain role in all those PTI segments with Rory.  He showed himself to be amply capable of self inflicted jackassery.

Mike and Ricky sometimes seem to have the same problem: no ability to grasp nuance and no ability to empathize unless it directly affects them. It was the same way when Mike didn't get why telling a woman to smile might be a dick move. Perhaps I was just projecting, but at least Robin looked like she was about fifteen seconds away from smacking him. 

Also, was it just me, or did last night's panel feel off? I felt like the guest talked a lot but didn't really say much. Maybe I just didn't understand his point, though.

Edited August 10, 2016 by BabyVegas

[trow125]

4 minutes ago, BabyVegas said:

Also, was it just me, or did last night's panel feel off? I felt like the guest talked a lot but didn't really say much. Maybe I just didn't understand his point, though.

Totally agree. One problem is that the guests are booked well in advance, then the show obviously decides that day what the panel topic will be. The guest just didn't seem like he was that well versed in the topic du jour (Roger Ailes/Fox News sexual harassment). I wish they'd try to do a better job of matching topic to guest.

[wknt3]

1 hour ago, Hooper said:

Boy howdy, Mike slipped several notches down my hierarchy of TV boyfriends with that stupidity.  He really doesn't need to have the producers set him up as the mustache twirling villain role in all those PTI segments with Rory.  He showed himself to be amply capable of self inflicted jackassery.

Yeah and it's not the first time either unfortunately.

44 minutes ago, BabyVegas said:

Mike and Ricky sometimes seem to have the same problem: no ability to grasp nuance and no ability to empathize unless it directly affects them. It was the same way when Mike didn't get why telling a woman to smile might be a dick move. Perhaps I was just projecting, but at least Robin looked like she was about fifteen seconds away from smacking him. 

As far as nuance is concerned I'm willing to cut Ricky some slack as he is so young that it's normal to see things as black and white and any acknowledgement of shades of gray is selling out. Also it seems at least some of it is a pose that he's been growing out of. What I've called his " stoner slacker nihlist" comedic persona before. Mike is old enough to know better. I totally agree about Mike's inability to empathize with others' experiences outside his own. It's his biggest weakness and why that even though he's the funniest of the cast I can't ever see him as a show runner or a host.

[possibilities]

The thing that was weird about the panel (for me) was that the subject was very much one that impacts women, and the male guest was mansplaining and dominating the conversation. I would have wanted to hear what he had to say on some other topic, and mostly he was trying to be supportive, but he would not shut up and let the women speak, and the subject made that even more annoying. It's too bad, because he seemed like he might have been a good guest if he had shared the airtime better, or if the topic had been something more relevant to his own experience.

[ganesh]

On 8/9/2016 at 1:43 PM, khyber said:

The take-off of the female Trump media apologist was frighteningly accurate.

That was a really good impression. The whole "so we're on the same page" really nailed the woman irl. 

4 hours ago, BabyVegas said:

Mike and Ricky sometimes seem to have the same problem: no ability to grasp nuance and no ability to empathize unless it directly affects them. It was the same way when Mike didn't get why telling a woman to smile might be a dick move. Perhaps I was just projecting, but at least Robin looked like she was about fifteen seconds away from smacking him. 

Robin was getting sick of his deal for sure. He's pulled this before. What exactly is she lying about? Missing a "c" down a list of forwarded emails on 3 out of 30000 messages? I don't get the point when he goes down that road. I assume he's voted before. I'm reasonably confident that someone he has voted for has lied.

What's a "lie" in this context anyway?

I think part of the problem is that he's old enough to have been around for 30 something years of Clinton witch hunts. So there's some residual "here we go again" syndrome. 

[attica]

TNS: Please stop with the Bill-Clinton-as-horndog jokes. There is nothing fresh you can add to the pile; you come off like hacks. Plus: not currently relevant, so save your joke ammo for current events! Sheesh.

I did get a chuckle out of imagining Obama's own Suicide Squad, not because I think he wants a third term, but because the Slo-mo shoulder-to-shoulder roll down Pennsylvania Avenue, as congresscritters flee in terror, would be everything, ever.