Samantha Bee typically dedicates the majority of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee to unloading on the Trump administration, breaking down new policies while simultaneously (and comically) pointing out each and every flaw. However, in a segment of her latest episode, Bee turns her finger towards a new group: Democrats.
She has a bone to pick with Democrats over the low, low percentage of voter turnout. While the #resistance is bringing awareness to the issues, it’s important that it moves beyond protests and marches. The only way to change the things we don’t like is to vote. Something, Bee said, Democrats aren’t all that good at.
“Democrats suck at voting, especially when it counts the most,” she cried. She uses statistics to back her claim: in Los Angeles, half to three-quarters of a million people marched in the Women’s March, yet only 12% (an all time low!) turned out to vote in the mayoral re-election. What good is marching if you’re not going to do the only thing that can truly make a difference?
The United States has never been very good at voting. According to the BBC, participation in U.S. presidential elections has hovered between 48-57% for the past 35 years. Among other democracies, the U.S. ranked 31 of 34 for the percentage of the voting-age population that turns out, according to the Pew Research Center. To put this into perspective, France’s turnout is nearly always in the 80% range.
So Bee has a point. The only way to move forward with the #resistance and stop Donald Trump is to vote. She brings this point home with a few choice words: “It’s not enough just to yell your opinions–that’s MY job! You need to vote!”
Top photo: screenshot from YouTube
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