S03.E19: 2016 Democratic National Convention

[Athena]

Quote

Main segment: 2016 Democratic National Convention
Segments: Voter ID laws in the United States, 2016 Turkish purges

 

[SnideAsides]

Yay, How is This Still a Thing? is back. I wish they'd do another Other Countries' Presidents of the USA segment (and it's not like there aren't plenty of options - Dilma Rousseff? Jacob Zuma? Shinzo Abe? Hungary's racist PM, or Estonia's popstar-fucking version of Trudeau?), but I still love it anyway.

[trow125]

Loved Oliver's righteous anger and look of pure disgust when he was talking about Trump's reaction to Khizr Khan's speech. 

[AimingforYoko]

7 hours ago, trow125 said:

Loved Oliver's righteous anger and look of pure disgust when he was talking about Trump's reaction to Khizr Khan's speech. 

Yeah, his reaction was uncomfortably real.

[purist]

Righteously angry John Oliver might be my very favourite John Oliver. Superb.

[Primetimer]

If your name is Debbie Wasserman Schultz, you might want to skip it.

View the full article

[Jediknight]

9 hours ago, trow125 said:

Loved Oliver's righteous anger and look of pure disgust when he was talking about Trump's reaction to Khizr Khan's speech. 

Yeah, that was fantastic.

I was expecting Oliver to mention Michelle's look after the audience applauded "built by slaves."  That was a look of someone who wasn't happy that line was getting applauded.

[atomationage]

I thought the ending of the show was great, but I think it was just too late to be commenting on the conventions.    The Khan family was the best part of the show, and John's reaction to it.   That's more current since the reaction to Drumpf's idiocy is still fresh. 

[iMonrey]

John could not hide his anger at Trump's response to Khizr Khan. That was more than just editorializing, the vehemence was palpable. I don't think I've ever seen him that pissed off, he dropped any pretension of playfulness in that bit. 

[trow125]

44 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

John could not hide his anger at Trump's response to Khizr Khan. That was more than just editorializing, the vehemence was palpable. I don't think I've ever seen him that pissed off, he dropped any pretension of playfulness in that bit. 

The journalist Mark Harris commented on Twitter that one reason for Oliver's visceral reaction was the fact that his wife is a war veteran. That hadn't occurred to me in the moment, but it would explain why he seemed to take it so personally.

[peeayebee]

The opening on the anti-voting rights bills being struck down was very good, particularly all the info about No Carolina's construction of the law.

I love that Khan says of Trump that he has a black soul. That is so true. He also pleaded that Trump's family try to teach him about empathy. I love listening to Khan speak. He is so eloquent while being emotional. To me he really seems concerned about Trump's state of mind and heart, and incredulous that Trump has become the man he is (or as John put it, a half-man).

I read an article where the writer pointed out how stupid Trump was for bringing more attention to Khan's speech at the DNC. Khan was not a prime-time speaker -- I can't remember what time he spoke -- so a lot of people wouldn't have even heard his speech. Trump shot himself in the foot by responding the way he always responds to criticism of him. Khan and his wife are not meek, weak peons Trump can bully into silence. There's no way he can win this argument unless he backs down, which.... ha. 

[Jamoche]

2 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Yeah, that was fantastic.

I was expecting Oliver to mention Michelle's look after the audience applauded "built by slaves."  That was a look of someone who wasn't happy that line was getting applauded.

I'd think a lot of them were jumping ahead to the point she was about to make that we have a black president in a house built by slaves, but yeah, wait for it.

Re tanning beds, when he got to the part about spending 10 minutes outside instead: So, looks like hunting Pokemon has the side benefit of giving you all the vitamin D you need.

37 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I read an article where the writer pointed out how stupid Trump was for bringing more attention to Khan's speech at the DNC. Khan was not a prime-time speaker -- I can't remember what time he spoke -- so a lot of people wouldn't have even heard his speech.

It was prime time on the west coast, but a lot of people would have missed it anyway: Fox News cut away to something else while he was on.

[atomationage]

There is an MSNBC interview with the Khans by Larry? O'donnell on YT with the Khans:

[GHScorpiosRule]

20 minutes ago, atomationage said:

There is an MSNBC interview with the Khans by Larry? O'donnell on YT with the Khans:

That just broke my heart. Again. I saw Mr. Khan's speech at the DNC. And I teared up; but this interview? I was bawling. I would say Drumf should be ashamed of himself, but that would be assuming he had any shame to feel. He's an empty, self-absorbed narcisstic shell of a human being.

[atomationage]

I forgot to mention the point of the clip for me, that Mrs. Khan talks about her son, in just the way John Oliver described.  Also, it was good to know that they have grandchildren.

Drumpf is apparently doubling down with the hate, and other right wingers are claiming that Khan belongs to some subversive organization. 

Fareed Zakaria called Drumpf a bullshit artist on the air on CNN.

The part of this week's show on Voting Rights in North Carolina was also terrific,

Edited August 2, 2016 by atomationage

[HawaiiTVGuy]

  7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

John could not hide his anger at Trump's response to Khizr Khan. That was more than just editorializing, the vehemence was palpable. I don't think I've ever seen him that pissed off, he dropped any pretension of playfulness in that bit. 

The journalist Mark Harris commented on Twitter that one reason for Oliver's visceral reaction was the fact that his wife is a war veteran. That hadn't occurred to me in the moment, but it would explain why he seemed to take it so personally.

Yeah, I remember that, and funnily enough they met at a Republican National Convention. Amazing how tone-deaf Trump is to equate him having "work very, very hard" with the sacrifices of military members and their families.

[simplyme]

18 minutes ago, atomationage said:

Drumpf is apparently doubling down with the hate, and other right wingers are claiming that Khan belongs to some subversive organization. 

Oh, geez. I took a look, and sure enough. Some folks are claiming that Khizr Khan is an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood AND that his son Capt. Humuyun (hope I spelled that right) Khan was an agent too.

Here is what snopes has on it:

http://www.snopes.com/khizr-khan-is-a-muslim-brotherhood-agent/

[tenativelyyours]

This just might be Drumpf's version of the hidden camera private speech by Romney.  It amazed me watching the clips from his interview with Stephanopolis was not to convey how sympathetic he was the family's loss and their sacrifice while still not conceding to the accusations.  And instead he just goes deeper.  He really could not immediately get into some kind of weird competition like he always seems to do.  He can never admit that someone has more life experience in a certain instance.  He had to go, at the minimum, separate but equal and given enough time will put himself ahead in some fucked up sprint of sacrifice and suffering. 

And he does that with everything.  Not just the bragging about his wealth and accomplishments, but as soon as anyone seems to have something he doesn't, he has to one up it.  It's bizarre and creepy the levels he takes this.  I dare Clinton to tie and anecdote of a long horrible labor with Chelsea to some question on healthcare in whatever debate they end up having and see just where he goes.

It just amazes me that we have drumpf picking a feud with a private citizen over his son who was killed in service to this country.  Instead of simply trying to make it go away and maybe even take the tiniest nibble of humble pie and thank them and offer condolences for a loss you cannot comprehend and while incredibly grateful for such a sacrifice, as a parent you think no parent should have to face the death of a child.  I have to wonder how much of a set of raving assholes his kids are and maybe even worse as they have gotten to enjoy suddenly being more important.  Because surely if any of them had the tiniest bit of common sense that their apologists and cheerleaders afford them, they would realize that going after them and trying to smear them is the stupidest thing ever.  Play to the base?  Yes.  Play to veterans in general who make up a nice tidy segment of swing voters?  Oh hell no.  I think a small but perhaps telling segment of voters just heard a whistle and it is not nice on their ears.

[MisterGlass]

This makes me so sad. 

[Victor the Crab]

Ollie was righteously devastating in his attack on Drumph at the end of his main story. That rancid Cheeto has zero empathy for anyone and believes he can say anything he wants without consequence, which has been true up to this point. Will his comments about the Khans be the turning point in this election? I sure hope so. But I can also expect Julian Assange, with the help of Putin, to come out with some more bullshit dump claiming Hillary Clinton and the Democrats were up to no good. Thus allowing the so-called liberal mainstream media, desperate for their precious horserace, to report on the "Crooked Hillary" meme that Drumph has been tweeting up, the public will sour on her, and then we'll all be holding our breaths up to November.

I was expecting them to mention Drumph when they were talking about tanning beds. Shame that they didn't.

[KerleyQ]

19 hours ago, trow125 said:

Loved Oliver's righteous anger and look of pure disgust when he was talking about Trump's reaction to Khizr Khan's speech. 

I could listen to him call Trump a "fucking asshole" for hours.  It's not exactly a groundbreaking insult, but he delivered it with the perfect amount of righteous indignation and venom (all perfectly accompanied by his accent).  

And he's dead on about the ick of imagining Drumpf being beyond poorly suited to offer comfort to the families of our fallen soldiers.  Just..no.  

[atomationage]

By comparison, Lyndon Johnson, who felt guilty about soldiers dying in Vietnam, used to call their families himself, but then, he was human.   I knew a woman who got such a call from him after her son died.  She said he was very comforting. 

[sacrebleu]

Heh. But LBJ was pretty spectacular bastard in his own right. I believe it was LBJ who suggested that someone spread a rumor about a rival that he fucked goats, when a staffer demurred, he said, "I know it's not true, but I want to see him deny it."

So, it's possible for someone to be a horrible person and still have empathy-- what puzzles me is whether Trump knows he's in the wrong, but equates an admission and/or apology as weakness, or if he truly doesn't understand what he's doing is indefensible.

[atomationage]

Most likely, Drumpf is bipolar.  I've know people like him, and they were all bipolar.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

  21 hours ago, atomationage said:

Drumpf is apparently doubling down with the hate, and other right wingers are claiming that Khan belongs to some subversive organization. 

Oh, geez. I took a look, and sure enough. Some folks are claiming that Khizr Khan is an agent of the Muslim Brotherhood AND that his son Capt. Humuyun (hope I spelled that right) Khan was an agent too.

Here is what snopes has on it:

http://www.snopes.com/khizr-khan-is-a-muslim-brotherhood-agent/

OK, this is some blatant libel isn't it? Completely ignoring context of your sources in order to make false statements? I mean it doesn't seem like they even bothered trying to protect themselves by posing it as a "question" which Faux News is great at doing.

[atomationage]

The source for the Khan libel is  Theodore Shoebat. 

Team Trump Got Its Smears About Khizr Khan From This ‘Proud Fascist’

Edited August 2, 2016 by atomationage
try again

[Dewey Decimate]

This election cycle just makes me want to cry in anger, but thank the gods for the fucking funniest thing I've heard all week: "Hillary Clinton, in full Pitbull cosplay."

("What was Tilda Swinton like as a child?" was a damn fine second place.)

[theatremouse]

5 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

what puzzles me is whether Trump knows he's in the wrong, but equates an admission and/or apology as weakness, or if he truly doesn't understand what he's doing is indefensible.

It's both, I think. Or rather, in this instance he does not know he is in the wrong. He truly doesn't understand. But simultaneously, he also equates any admission of guilt or apology, over ANYTHING, to be a sign of weakness so even if he did have half a breath worth of self-awareness here, he would never say so. In other cases, he likely does know he's wrong but he's just in deny deny deny mode. But here, for him to have gone there in the first place shows he has absolutely no idea what a monster he is being. 

[peeayebee]

There was a book a few years ago about sociopaths. Seriously, I think Trump is one.

[romantic idiot]

The sad thing surely is that he got voted in?