John Oliver Takes on the “Electoral Clusterfuck” of the Presidential Primaries and Caucuses

“This is a system that clearly needs wholesale reform.”


Ah, presidential primaries and caucuses, or as John Oliver described them on Sunday, “the electoral foreplay that we have been engaging in since February, which will culminate in the mass balloon ejaculations of this summer’s conventions.”

Despite the fact that both Republicans and Democrats have all but decided their respective nominees, as the recent chaos that erupted at the Nevada Democratic Convention demonstrated, emotions over who will make it to the general election are still running high. Much of that can be blamed on a deeply complicated set of rules that tend to differ from state to state, and it can leave voters with the suspicion that the entire process is rigged.

“To be fair to both parties, they are basically private clubs and they can set their own rules,” Oliver said. “But if you play by a system of complex, opaque rules that nobody understands and that you could use to your advantage, even if you don’t, you are going to alienate voters.

“This is a system that clearly needs wholesale reform,” he added.

Watch above to see the Last Week Tonight host break down the convoluted system.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

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