Democrats are recalibrating their political strategy after the retirement announcement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, a crucial swing vote on cases preserving abortion and gay rights. But as John Oliverbluntly informed the public on Sundays Last Week Tonight, the entire party and the future of many liberal policies is screwed.
There is no good news. Everything is terrible now, Oliver said. Barring some massive screw-up from Trump, the only thing anyone can do is vote. There are two key elections you should really try to vote in: one in 2016 and one in 2014 because that is what got us into this mess.
The comedian highlighted two Democrat arguments that would let them obstruct or delay President Trumps Supreme Court nomination. With the first, Theyve appealed to Mitch McConnells sense of fairness and consistency by pointing out that he refused to confirm [President Obamas nominee] Merrick Garland before a major election. The problem there is that McConell couldnt give a flying fuck about fairness or consistency.
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For Plan B, they argued that Trump cant select the new judge, given that hes the subject of a criminal investigation that could end up before the Supreme Court.But this Trump argument likely wont fly in a Republican-controlled Senate. Oliver was realistic about the Democrats bleak chances, and his solution was both practical and depressing.
I want you to go find a medium-sized cardboard box right now, Oliver advised. Take a pen and write Time Machine on the side of it. Not because itll take you back in time it wont. Its a cardboard box. But what I want you to do is to scream into it empty all the anger and frustration that youre feeling right now into that box. And when youre done, tape it up, go out, vote, knock no doors and take that box with you. And if you ever come across someone whos thinking of sitting out an election because neither of the candidates quite do it for them and theres not much difference between them anyway, open that box into their fucking face and let yourself from this week scream some sense into them.