John Oliver often insists he is a comedian, not a journalist. But he just did some remarkable, straightforward and much-needed journalism on an issue of huge national importance, but, sadly, about which the “nation” seems to care little.
In a bullseye 30-minute segment on government surveillance and the impending renewal of the Patriot Act, Oliver travelled to Moscow to interview Edward Snowden (whom he described as the nation’s greatest hero and/or traitor), pressing the NSA leaker to “own” the consequences of his actions in a way previous interviews had not.
The Washington Post says Oliver “wasn’t there to be lectured” and veered “from profane penis jokes to Edward R. Murrow-mode.”
When Snowden revealed the depth and breadth of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance to journalists a few years ago, the public was shocked — sort of. On one hand, the idea that our government had a bottomless appetite for e-mails, phone calls and texts we once thought private was disturbing. On the other, it was really hard to understand what the NSA was doing and how it was doing it. PRISM? FISA? Somewhere in this alphabet soup was something contrary to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it seemed, if only the common man could bother to be outraged by it.
Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept says that the issue of public disengagement is bigger than just knowledge of Snowden or surveillance:
Oliver’s overall discussion is good (and, naturally, quite funny), but the specific point he wants to make here is misguided. Contrary to what Oliver says, it’s actually not surprising at all that a large number of Americans are unaware of who Snowden is, nor does it say much at all about the surveillance debate. That’s because a large number of Americans, by choice, are remarkably unaware of virtually all political matters. The befuddled reactions of the Times Square interviewees when asked about Snowden illustrate little about the specific surveillance issue but a great deal about the full-scale political disengagement of a substantial chunk of the American population.
Here are four takeaways from the interview via the Christian Science Monitor.
Anyway, just watch it. Seriously.
Meanwhile, a supposedly-surreptitious Snowden statue in a Brooklyn park didn’t last long today.
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* POLITICS * Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is hoping to assuage his state’s disappointment at falling at the penultimate hurdle in the NCAA basketball tournament by announcing his Presidential candidacy on Tuesday in Louisville. His father is expected to be there but according to the New York Times will not play a high-profile role in the campaign.
The younger Paul released this teaser video:
But probably all of these political videos should be watched in the context of this classic clip from 1972:
According to Bloomberg, though, Rand likely won’t have much time to bask in the glow of the day, as a conservative group launches a “seven-figure ad campaign” against him for being out of step over Iran.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio appears set to announce his candidacy next Monday. He tweeted today:
Among other non-candidates for now, Chris Christie is planning a trip to New Hampshire later this month for his “Tell it like it is” tour. The HuffPo writes:
Though he is no longer spoken of as a top-tier candidate in most circles, Christie has by all accounts not been dissuaded from a trajectory that would have him officially jump into the race later this spring.
And despite the challenges in front of him, no early-voting state offers Christie a better opportunity to begin turning his political fortunes around than New Hampshire does.
Jeb Bush is hispanic? Who knew? Well, the Florida Democratic Party, it seems, want to make a big deal of it:
On the Democratic side, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his challenger Chuy Garcia are making a final push for votes ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election. With the Mayor expected to be re-elected, The Atlantic asks: “Why can’t the left unseat Rahm Emanuel?”
Garcia seems to embody both the triumphs and the limitations of contemporary progressivism. His strong showing in the first round of voting was a huge win, but the fact that he hasn’t been very competitive since seems to suggest either an immaturity of tactics or a glass ceiling for progressive Democrats. They made an impressive early showing, but when it comes to the vote that matters, Garcia and his allies don’t have what it takes to get across the finish line.
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* BRITISH ELECTION * It was probably only a matter of time before former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair got involved in the current election campaign, and is expected on Tuesday to attack PM David Cameron over his pledge on an EU referendum. The BBC reports that Labour hopes Blair still has “enough lingering stardust to appeal to some voters”.
The BBC‘s Brian Wheeler asks if Britain’s elections are “stuck in the 1950s”.
A recently rediscovered pamphlet from the 1950 election shows that Clement Attlee’s Labour Party fought the campaign on a platform of protecting the NHS, increasing living standards and taxing the rich. There is also a promise to alleviate the housing crisis by building new “garden cities”. The 1950 Conservative manifesto accused Attlee’s Labour government of wrecking the economy and being soft on welfare claimants.The difference now is that the two biggest parties can no longer rely on vast voting blocs that divide neatly along class lines, as they could in the 1950s.
(There’s a quaint newsreel view of election night 1950 here, via MrElectionist)
The Huffington Post reports that Rupert Murdoch’s media empire appears to be encouraging the idea of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg running for Mayor of London, despite pushback from the honorary knight’s camp. The strange story even got a push from current London Mayor Boris Johnson, who said: “My friends: there is only one conclusion. This is a test. Someone, somewhere is mounting a draft Bloomberg campaign and they are sticking their fingers in the wind, testing the waters and generally running it up the flagpole to see who salutes. I want you to know, therefore, that I am standing to attention and signalling my wholehearted approval.”
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* BUSINESS * Blackrock’s Larry Fink writes a commentary piece at McKinsey.com on Our Gambling Culture in which he addresses how “short-termism has taken hold in our culture.”
In many cases, there is a serious misalignment of incentives. Instead of encouraging our institutions and our leaders to grapple effectively with complex, long-term challenges, we’re rewarding them to do the opposite. Often, there seems to be a great deal more upside to placing a simple bet for a quick win than for staying the course through difficult times to create sustainable gains that are more widely shared. Whether the wrong goals led to the wrong incentives or the reverse is hard to say.
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* CULTURE * That Edward Snowden statue isn’t the only one that has folks busted up. The artist behind a “frightening” statue of entertainer Lucille Ball on display in her hometown of Coleron, NY, says he will “fix it for free.”
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* MEDIA * Frank Rich writes at New York magazine on A Dumb Job – How is it possible the inane institution of the anchorman has endured for more than 60 years?
The network anchor’s roots are not in journalism but in the native cultural tradition apotheosized by L. Frank Baum. Like the Wizard of Oz (as executive-produced by Professor Marvel), anchors have often been fronts for those pulling the strings behind the curtain: governments and sponsors, not to mention those who actually do the work of reporting the news. With their larger-than-life heads looming into our living rooms, the anchors have been brilliant at selling the conceit that a resonant voice, an avuncular temperament, a glitzy, thronelike set, and the illusion of omniscience could augment the audience’s brains, hearts, and “courage” (at one point, a Dan Rather sign-off) as it tries to navigate a treacherous world. Just don’t look behind the curtain.
“Accidental” – yeah right – we all know the BBC only hires 14-year-olds these days.
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* SPORTS * Duke won the NCAA championship game, defeating Wisconsin 68-63. Here’s what the two schools’ top players could make in the NBA next season.
Monday was formally “Opening Day” in Major League Baseball – as the game looks for ways to address the issue of losing younger fans to other sports – but the season officially started on Sunday night when the Chicago Cubs hosted the St Louis Cardinals in what is effectively still a construction site.
The Cubs’ disjointed and lackluster on-field performance (they went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in a 3-0 loss, for the love of God) was reflected in the frustration of hundreds upon hundreds of people waiting in line to urinate.
Ya gotta relieve…
The Overnight Note 