Ep 4. March 5, 2017

John Oliver returns with his weekly news show, Last Week Tonight, and takes a deep dive into the world of filibusters. In Season 4, Episode 4, which premiered on March 5, 2017, Oliver seeks to explain what filibustering means and how it affects American politics.

The episode opens with a clip of Senator Rand Paul performing a 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor. While the act of filibustering has been around for centuries, it has recently become more frequent due to partisan divisions in Congress. Oliver pokes fun at the way lawmakers filibuster, citing examples of senators reading from the phone book or using other meaningless tactics to waste time and delay legislative action.

To better understand the issue, Oliver takes viewers on a history lesson through the origins of the filibuster. The tactic, as it happens, started as a mistake by then-Vice President Aaron Burr, who accidentally created a loophole in the Senate rules.

Oliver then delves into the current state of filibusters, explaining that the threat of a filibuster can halt legislation altogether, even if the majority of Senators support it. The practice has been used frequently by both parties in recent years, as the minority party seeks to slow down the legislative process.

The host then brings up examples of politicians using the filibuster in nontraditional ways. He highlights Senator Ted Cruz’s 2013 attempt to filibuster the Affordable Care Act, which lasted 21 hours, by reading Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” on the Senate floor. Oliver notes that the filibuster did not actually prevent the ACA from being enacted, but rather just served as a moment of political theater.

The episode spends a significant amount of time highlighting the negative impacts of filibustering. Oliver shows how the filibuster has been used in the past to block civil rights and anti-lynching legislation. Furthermore, he explains how the use of the filibuster has hampered Congress’s ability to take action on issues that the majority of Americans support.

Oliver even goes so far as to ask for a change in the rules to limit the practice. He argues that all bills should be required to have a straightforward up-or-down vote, unless a supermajority of 60 Senators agrees to a filibuster.

The middle of the episode shifts gears to cover the issue of cybersecurity. The host takes a light-hearted approach to a serious issue, sharing clips of politicians demonstrating a lack of understanding of basic computer terminology. He also provides a brief explanation on how cyberattacks work, highlighting some of the major cyber breaches that have occurred in recent years.

Oliver rounds out the episode with a segment on a lesser-known issue: the practice of gerrymandering. He explains the origin of the term, which comes from a political cartoon in the 1800s. Oliver breaks down how gerrymandering works, showing how politicians can “pack” or “crack” districts to their own advantage.

The host provides examples of how gerrymandering has led to incumbent politicians winning elections year after year, despite increasingly unpopular policies. He explains that while both parties engage in the practice, it currently benefits Republicans more than Democrats.

The episode ends with Oliver calling for a more democratic approach to redistricting. He insists that nonpartisan commissions should handle redistricting in order to create fair voting maps.

Overall, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Season 4, Episode 4 dives into several related issues surrounding American politics. By exploring filibustering, cybersecurity, and gerrymandering, Oliver provides helpful explanations of complex topics in a way that is both informative and entertaining.