Extract from The Guardian
Late-night hosts decry the Republicans – McConnell, Graham, Barr, Pompeo – who know Trump lost and have fallen in line anyway.
Last modified on Thu 12 Nov 2020 04.06 AEDT
Trevor Noah
As of Tuesday evening, Donald Trump, predictably, refused to concede the presidential election, a defiance of the democratic process echoed on Fox News, the same network that declared Joe Biden the winner, along with every other network. “So which one is it?” Trevor Noah joked on Tuesday’s Daily Show. “It’s like when your dog wants to play fetch, but then refuses to let go of the ball.
“And whether these people believe what they’re saying or they’re just pretending to believe it, it’s terrifying either way,” Noah continued. “But regardless, it’s not surprising.”
It’s not surprising that the president’s “ride-or-die” Fox News hosts like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson are backing his unsubstantiated attempts to discredit the election, Noah added. “What is a bigger deal, is that Republicans with actual power,” such as Senators Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell; the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo; and the attorney general, William Barr, “are also throwing their weight behind Trump’s election challenges”.
By Tuesday, both McConnell and Graham had spoken publicly in favor of Trump’s baseless, distracting accusations of voter fraud, while Pompeo remarked at a press conference that there would be a “smooth transition” to the second Trump administration. “The truth of the matter is, most other Republicans know that Joe Biden will be the next president,” Noah explained.
“And right now, they’re just saying what Trump and his base want to hear, not because they’re worried about the vote that just happened, but because of the one that’s around the corner” – the two Senate run-off contests in Georgia to be held on 5 January, which will determine narrow control of the Senate.
In other words, “Trump is screaming made-up shit that’s weakening trust in American democracy, but Republicans are going along with it so that they can squeeze out a few more seats in the Senate,” Noah concluded. “That’s like burning down your house just to make s’mores. Or dating Kevin Federline just you can maybe meet Britney Spears. Is it worth it?”
Stephen Colbert
“Oh what a strange and troubling world some people would like this to be,” a somber Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday evening. Just one night before, the Late Show host poured champagne to toast the incoming Biden administration; 24 hours later, Colbert shattered the bottle. “I will cut you if you come near me, because there’s some crazy shit going on out there!” he joked.
“All he’s saying is that yes, people are concerned about that stick of dynamite, but the president is fully within his legal rights to light the fuse,” Colbert mocked. “Scissors are in place to cut the fuse if it gets too close, OK? Great, who’s got the scissors? Oh wait, we gave them to the president – I’m sure he’ll do the right thing.”
On Monday, the party line extended to the justice department, as Barr discarded decades of precedent in staying out of electiosn with a memo that authorized federal prosecutors to investigate “substantial allegations” of voter fraud before the results of the presidential election are certified.
“So federal officials are now planning to intervene in our election at the request of their leader. That also has a bit of an international feel, doesn’t it?” said an incensed Colbert. “During Covid, this is the closest we’re gonna get to an overseas vacation – ‘Wow, such a fascinating country. Ooh, I’m going to drink coffee in little cups, order a croissant, poop standing up and just enjoy the coup d’etat.’”
Jimmy Kimmel
And in Los Angeles, Jimmy Kimmel stewed over America’s “Potus [who] refuses to go-tus”, as Trump still denied the results of the election. “Are we sure Donald Trump isn’t just stuck in a White House bathtub and too embarrassed to call for help?” Kimmel wondered. “A reality show host who will not accept reality.”
“How pleased with himself is Vladimir Putin right now?” Kimmel later said, joking that the Russian president’s investment in election interference in 2016 was akin to hitting “the Destroy America lotto”.
More seriously, Kimmel explained that he was “less disgusted with our toddler-in-chief throwing his oatmeal at the wall than I am with the Republican congress-people who are going along with this.
“The baby’s right!” he added, mocking the GOP. “That oatmeal should go on the wall! He’s within his rights to throw it on the wall. We need to let the process of oatmeal-slinging play out.’”
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