John Oliver Challenges The Caucus and Primary Systems on Last Week Tonight

On Last Week Tonight, John Oliver turned his gimlet eye on the United States’ presidential primaries and caucuses, which he describes as “the electoral foreplay we’ve been engaging in since February.”

As even the most casual political watcher knows, both political parties nearly have their nominees, with the Republicans leaning towards the candidate that Oliver describes as, “Donald Trump, America’s walking talking brush fire” and the Democrats opting for “Hillary Clinton the woman who exhibits too much or too little of every human quality depending on who you ask.”

However, as the primary process has rolled on, many Americans have questions about how votes in primaries and caucuses are translated into the delegates and superdelegates who will go to the conventions and choose the party’s candidates. Oliver, a.k.a. “the British Milhouse,” does his civic duty by trying to explain the complex and arcane process so Americans can understand how a president is made. Turns out that much like sausage, you may not want to know how it’s made and it might be time to overhaul the system.