While Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate solidify their reputation for being the most ineffective Congress in U.S. history, John Oliver takes a closer look at the alarming number of wacky state legislators who actually get a lot of bills passed. It would be hilarious if it weren't so alarming.
In this week's episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver mocked the media coverage of today's midterm election for being largely focused on the ineffectual House and Senate, while overlooking state legislators who actually get a lot of bills passed on hot button topics such as abortion, climate control, and LGBT rights.
"So far this session, Congress has passed just 185 laws. State legislatures have passed more than 24,000," he said. "All those conspiracy theories about a shadow government are actually true, Only, it's not a group of billionaires meeting in a mountain lair in Zurich. It's a bunch of pasty bureaucrats meeting in a windowless committee room in Lansing, Michigan."
Oliver rounded up some of the most wacky state legislators to give voters a reason to get off their couches and take action. A personal favorite is Oklahoma lawmaker, Sally Kern, who likened homosexuals to terrorists and made publicly racist remarks about African-Americans and their work ethic.
Watch John Oliver's roundup before you head out to vote today:
