The Most Important Election Of Your Lifetime
March 3, 2016 1:02 AM Subscribe
To be honest, I would be happy if 4 or 5 other ex-Daily Show correspondents all created once-a-week shows with their own flavor, each shown on a consecutive day of the week. My DVR will catch them all and I will watch them all and will be happy.
I do like Trevor Noah, but I don't think he's found his voice yet (give him a year, we'll see... Jimmy Fallon's first 6 months were shockingly bad [I know entirely different kind of show, but comparative on some level]). The thing about Oliver and Bee is, they already found their voice, they just needed a chance to give it free rein and its own context.
posted by hippybear at 2:56 AM on March 3, 2016 [27 favorites]
I do like Trevor Noah, but I don't think he's found his voice yet (give him a year, we'll see... Jimmy Fallon's first 6 months were shockingly bad [I know entirely different kind of show, but comparative on some level]). The thing about Oliver and Bee is, they already found their voice, they just needed a chance to give it free rein and its own context.
posted by hippybear at 2:56 AM on March 3, 2016 [27 favorites]
It's the one-two punch of John Oliver and Samantha Bee that works for me, and when you add the YouTubed segments with Colbert, you have almost a full week of half hours of quality commentary which the so-called liberals on the so-called news networks totally lack. (you can just ignore the 'comedy' part)
But as for the topic of that segment, I totally agree and am on the record (somewhere) stating so. It was the 21st Century Tea Party attack in 2010 that has done so much more to influence the future of this nation than either of the Presidential years before and after. And now that the T. in Tea Party belongs to Trump (the modern master of getting his name onto things he doesn't really own), 2016 has the potential of breaking the pattern for Presidential Election Years disastrously.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:02 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
But as for the topic of that segment, I totally agree and am on the record (somewhere) stating so. It was the 21st Century Tea Party attack in 2010 that has done so much more to influence the future of this nation than either of the Presidential years before and after. And now that the T. in Tea Party belongs to Trump (the modern master of getting his name onto things he doesn't really own), 2016 has the potential of breaking the pattern for Presidential Election Years disastrously.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:02 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
If the prospect of Trump being president doesn't have people hand carrying by hand relatives, friends, neighbors - whoever to the polls to either elect a democrat or anoint Idiocracy as president - well... Then I don't know what to tell you...
Treat it like Planes Trains and Automobiles. Get you and your friends to the polls!
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:03 AM on March 3, 2016
Treat it like Planes Trains and Automobiles. Get you and your friends to the polls!
posted by Nanukthedog at 5:03 AM on March 3, 2016
She's absolutely right. Sharing this with my millennial spawn.
posted by headnsouth at 5:37 AM on March 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 5:37 AM on March 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
I get mad at people what don't vote in the midterms and for local issues. For better or worse (for the record worse), I believe my votes count more than many people's. I live in Iowa and I caucus. That means I get to vote early, and I get to help set the tone and narrative of many candidates. I pretty much vote on anything whenever I can. A tax initiative? Yep. Local offices? Yep. If you divided up the amount of cash that is spent on each vote it'd be amazing.
I can move the needle in a midterm. In the general I am literally one of millions. In the other elections I actually stand a chance of being a deciding vote (not in the caucuses).
I once ran in at the end of the day to get my vote in on some local initiative. I think it was on whether or not the town could consolidate outstanding bonds and float a new one at historically low rates. So we were going to get a lower payment, and we'd get enough money to repair the local pool. I was number 170 to vote in a town of 3,000. Maybe someone voted after me, but point sticks.
Whenever I go to these things the people manning the stations are well past retired. I never see college kids. I vote in the general as well.
I'm an issues voter, not a party voter, so I spend my time researching my candidates' positions.
I also get mad at the people in the solid states that say, "I live in X, so it doesn't matter." Red or blue the politicians are going to pander to the people that got 'em there. They will vote on issues important to the demographics that put them in office. They won't worry about the people that don't bother to show up to the polls. And why should they?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:06 AM on March 3, 2016 [12 favorites]
I can move the needle in a midterm. In the general I am literally one of millions. In the other elections I actually stand a chance of being a deciding vote (not in the caucuses).
I once ran in at the end of the day to get my vote in on some local initiative. I think it was on whether or not the town could consolidate outstanding bonds and float a new one at historically low rates. So we were going to get a lower payment, and we'd get enough money to repair the local pool. I was number 170 to vote in a town of 3,000. Maybe someone voted after me, but point sticks.
Whenever I go to these things the people manning the stations are well past retired. I never see college kids. I vote in the general as well.
I'm an issues voter, not a party voter, so I spend my time researching my candidates' positions.
I also get mad at the people in the solid states that say, "I live in X, so it doesn't matter." Red or blue the politicians are going to pander to the people that got 'em there. They will vote on issues important to the demographics that put them in office. They won't worry about the people that don't bother to show up to the polls. And why should they?
posted by cjorgensen at 6:06 AM on March 3, 2016 [12 favorites]
I just get mad at all my friends who literally only care about the presidency. Your state government has a far greater impact on your daily life, and is more likely to do completely idiotic things. As much as a bad president can hurt, the federal government is strong and can mostly take care of itself.
posted by miyabo at 6:25 AM on March 3, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by miyabo at 6:25 AM on March 3, 2016 [8 favorites]
I vote just about every year. I did actually skip voting in 2015 because everyone that I wanted to vote for was running unopposed, was in no real danger of losing their office, or the one race that was actually contested (for a school board seat) I really couldn't decide between the two candidates. But even then the reason I didn't vote was because I knew that I was still going to get the same outcome as if I had voted.
The rest of the time, I research every single item on the ballot. The races for the various judges seem to attract some extra, fly-under-the-radar kind of crazy trying to sneak in.
posted by VTX at 6:35 AM on March 3, 2016
The rest of the time, I research every single item on the ballot. The races for the various judges seem to attract some extra, fly-under-the-radar kind of crazy trying to sneak in.
posted by VTX at 6:35 AM on March 3, 2016
I live in Oregon, I voted in 2010 because I got all I needed to do so in the mail. Of course, living in Multnomah County and Portland, so while it's also is a big blue whale in a sea of red. In Oregon every couple of years a conservative hack tries to get the vote by mail laws removed, because the whole "everyone can vote easily" thing prevents the rest of their regressive politics from getting enforced.
posted by mrzarquon at 7:07 AM on March 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by mrzarquon at 7:07 AM on March 3, 2016 [6 favorites]
VTX, like you, I research everything on the ballot, including judges, since you never know when you may be called on to, ah, interface with the justice system. It can be surprisingly laborious to compile the records of rulings of individual judges. I keep telling myself I need to follow them in "real time" so I'm not unprepared at election time. But then I end up not doing it, due to that midterm laziness that is the subject of the OP.
I do cast a vote for the unopposed candidates as a way of thanking them for doing the job, and letting them know that someone out there is paying attention.
posted by Weftage at 7:21 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
I do cast a vote for the unopposed candidates as a way of thanking them for doing the job, and letting them know that someone out there is paying attention.
posted by Weftage at 7:21 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, that's an image that's going to linger.
posted by benito.strauss at 7:26 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by benito.strauss at 7:26 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
I live in Oregon, I voted in 2010 because I got all I needed to do so in the mail.
I'm FL, the phallus of the US, and I've been voting by mail for nearly 10 years. I've also signed up my wife and millennial daughter. I've shared via social media our local supervisor of elections vote-by-mail signup site before every election. It's easy to sign up and yet no one does. There really is no excuse not to vote and 2010 is exactly why we're screwed no matter who becomes president.
posted by photoslob at 7:31 AM on March 3, 2016
I'm FL, the phallus of the US, and I've been voting by mail for nearly 10 years. I've also signed up my wife and millennial daughter. I've shared via social media our local supervisor of elections vote-by-mail signup site before every election. It's easy to sign up and yet no one does. There really is no excuse not to vote and 2010 is exactly why we're screwed no matter who becomes president.
posted by photoslob at 7:31 AM on March 3, 2016
I just get mad at all my friends who literally only care about the presidency. Your state government has a far greater impact on your daily life, and is more likely to do completely idiotic things.
This. (I'm looking at you, non-Chicago Illinois voters, how do you like your Trump-esque governor now? Or are you all still under the delusion that if the legislature would just cave and cut rich people's taxes some more, and outlaw all unions, the problems will just magically go away...)
Also, I feel like for Sanders supporters - yes I think he has great ideas and I would love our country to turn in that direction. But he can't do squat unless all the levels below him - Senate, House, governors, state legislatures - also get filled in with Sanders-esque people. I just don't see a lot of those out there.
posted by dnash at 7:48 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
This. (I'm looking at you, non-Chicago Illinois voters, how do you like your Trump-esque governor now? Or are you all still under the delusion that if the legislature would just cave and cut rich people's taxes some more, and outlaw all unions, the problems will just magically go away...)
Also, I feel like for Sanders supporters - yes I think he has great ideas and I would love our country to turn in that direction. But he can't do squat unless all the levels below him - Senate, House, governors, state legislatures - also get filled in with Sanders-esque people. I just don't see a lot of those out there.
posted by dnash at 7:48 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
[…] I didn't vote was because I knew that I was still going to get the same outcome as if I had voted.
I'd still encourage people to vote, even if only to stop the narrative of "So few vote…" I love the idea of a healthy robust democracy. Also, the only reason one side manages to win at all is because the other side generally stays home. People who are happy with the direction of the country aren't voting, so you get the zealots to the box.
And again, if all you manage to accomplish is show your demographic is a voting demographic you're still accomplish something. If senior citizens voted at the rate the 18-35 year old do we'd have passed a "Everyone over 80 onto the ice flow" law by now. The reason politicians can't touch social security, but can laugh at the idea of free college is based entirely on which group are voters.
The way this election is going I am going to have a hard time feeling bad for the kids that get saddled with another trillion in debt and have crushing student loan debt. Don't like it? Do something about it. Seems like the only way to get someone under 25 to vote would be if there were a 50% off Netflix code for voting.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:59 AM on March 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'd still encourage people to vote, even if only to stop the narrative of "So few vote…" I love the idea of a healthy robust democracy. Also, the only reason one side manages to win at all is because the other side generally stays home. People who are happy with the direction of the country aren't voting, so you get the zealots to the box.
And again, if all you manage to accomplish is show your demographic is a voting demographic you're still accomplish something. If senior citizens voted at the rate the 18-35 year old do we'd have passed a "Everyone over 80 onto the ice flow" law by now. The reason politicians can't touch social security, but can laugh at the idea of free college is based entirely on which group are voters.
The way this election is going I am going to have a hard time feeling bad for the kids that get saddled with another trillion in debt and have crushing student loan debt. Don't like it? Do something about it. Seems like the only way to get someone under 25 to vote would be if there were a 50% off Netflix code for voting.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:59 AM on March 3, 2016 [3 favorites]
One of my local papers puts together a really cool section of their website where you put in your address and it generates your ballot and includes links to summaries of the candidates. They have a set of questions that they send to all of the candidates and the responses are posted there too.
I use that to figure out who/what I'm voting for and bring my notes with me to vote and check the results in the morning. Then I promptly forget all of the details and don't think much about it again until the next October.
posted by VTX at 8:04 AM on March 3, 2016
I use that to figure out who/what I'm voting for and bring my notes with me to vote and check the results in the morning. Then I promptly forget all of the details and don't think much about it again until the next October.
posted by VTX at 8:04 AM on March 3, 2016
photoslob- More specifically Oregon (and Washington now) is Vote By Mail only - every registered voter gets a ballot mailed to them two weeks before the voting deadline. You can drop it in the mail or drop it off at various collection booths. You get a tracking number to track your envelope (not your ballot) to make sure it got voted.
Oregon just passed a motor-voter law also, so you are registered to vote anytime you update your drivers license. It used to be you had to check a box, now you have to uncheck a box to not register. (For those worried, there is still a private address registration if you're in a situation where you don't want to have your address searchable in voter registration databases).
posted by mrzarquon at 8:08 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oregon just passed a motor-voter law also, so you are registered to vote anytime you update your drivers license. It used to be you had to check a box, now you have to uncheck a box to not register. (For those worried, there is still a private address registration if you're in a situation where you don't want to have your address searchable in voter registration databases).
posted by mrzarquon at 8:08 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
I live in Oregon, I voted in 2010 because I got all I needed to do so in the mail.
After having moved here several years ago, I can't even imagine having to deal with going to a polling place, standing in line, going through the ID hoopla, dealing with the rigged voting machines, etc. Instead, I open my ballot, go to my bathroom and do what needs to be done.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 8:29 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
After having moved here several years ago, I can't even imagine having to deal with going to a polling place, standing in line, going through the ID hoopla, dealing with the rigged voting machines, etc. Instead, I open my ballot, go to my bathroom and do what needs to be done.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 8:29 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
In Oregon every couple of years a conservative hack tries to get the vote by mail laws removed, because the whole "everyone can vote easily" thing prevents the rest of their regressive politics from getting enforced.
When people have looked at the data -- mostly from CA, not OR because CA has in-person and VBM precincts that can be compared to each other -- vote by mail turns out to have very little effect.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:42 AM on March 3, 2016
When people have looked at the data -- mostly from CA, not OR because CA has in-person and VBM precincts that can be compared to each other -- vote by mail turns out to have very little effect.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:42 AM on March 3, 2016
And I thought that in 2008 the Democratic Party had finally turned the corner.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:21 AM on March 3, 2016
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:21 AM on March 3, 2016
Bee-eee-a-you-tiful.
I knew she had a show but not being a cable subscriber I missed out on a lot of this goodness. Samantha Bee is head and shoulders above the rest of the class of TDS-2015. I always thought Jason Jones and Samantha Bee as my favorite well known couple. Seeing her carry a show with such aplomb makes me happy for the both of them.
posted by savitarka at 10:34 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
I knew she had a show but not being a cable subscriber I missed out on a lot of this goodness. Samantha Bee is head and shoulders above the rest of the class of TDS-2015. I always thought Jason Jones and Samantha Bee as my favorite well known couple. Seeing her carry a show with such aplomb makes me happy for the both of them.
posted by savitarka at 10:34 AM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Your state government has a far greater impact on your daily life, and is more likely to do completely idiotic things.
All sorts of power with fuck-all accountability, because who in your city is reporting from your state capitol, as opposed to standing LIVE in an area parking lot where something may or may not have happened three days ago? If I had the power, I'd mute people's exposure to federal elections and amplify coverage state politics a hundred times.
When people have looked at the data -- mostly from CA, not OR because CA has in-person and VBM precincts that can be compared to each other -- vote by mail turns out to have very little effect.
Vote-by-mail is a distraction here. Oregonians who are very proud of vote-by-mail should really be proud of Oregon's civic culture and commitment to free and fair elections with maximal citizen participation. Lots of states aren't really sold on the basic concept of free and fair elections.
posted by holgate at 10:44 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
All sorts of power with fuck-all accountability, because who in your city is reporting from your state capitol, as opposed to standing LIVE in an area parking lot where something may or may not have happened three days ago? If I had the power, I'd mute people's exposure to federal elections and amplify coverage state politics a hundred times.
When people have looked at the data -- mostly from CA, not OR because CA has in-person and VBM precincts that can be compared to each other -- vote by mail turns out to have very little effect.
Vote-by-mail is a distraction here. Oregonians who are very proud of vote-by-mail should really be proud of Oregon's civic culture and commitment to free and fair elections with maximal citizen participation. Lots of states aren't really sold on the basic concept of free and fair elections.
posted by holgate at 10:44 AM on March 3, 2016 [5 favorites]
I still think that my favorite clip is her eviscerating a Kansas state legislator who proposed a dress code for women in the legislature.
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:25 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by NoxAeternum at 11:25 AM on March 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh this is SPOT ON. Thanks so much for this post! This needs to go viral at our next midterm.
posted by bearwife at 12:59 PM on March 3, 2016
posted by bearwife at 12:59 PM on March 3, 2016
I've yet to understand why some states still require a reason to vote absentee. I've been working the polls for years and it's practically crickets during the mid-terms. I expect a decent turnout in two weeks, but mostly for Trump/Cruz.
posted by BobtheThief at 7:04 PM on March 3, 2016
posted by BobtheThief at 7:04 PM on March 3, 2016
"Samantha Bee is the true heir to Jon Stewart - - she has the fire that Trevor Noah lacks."
Please give Samantha Bee the Daily Show, they squandered Jon Stewart's legacy by giving the show to the wrong host.
Salon Gives Love To Samantha Bee and Throws Shade at Trevor Noah
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:55 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Please give Samantha Bee the Daily Show, they squandered Jon Stewart's legacy by giving the show to the wrong host.
Salon Gives Love To Samantha Bee and Throws Shade at Trevor Noah
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:55 PM on March 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Vox has a good dissection of why Full Frontal has found legs quickly.
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:02 AM on March 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by NoxAeternum at 9:02 AM on March 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
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