Politics

Louis C.K.'s Story About Hillary, Bernie, and Trump on a Plane Will Help You Make Sense of This Election

June 13th 2016

If like many Americans, you've struggled to fully grasp the strangeness of the 2016 presidential race, Louis C.K. might be able to help.

bernie-sanders-hillary-clintonAP/Charlie Neibergall - apimages.com

In a new wide-ranging interview in New York Magazine, the comedian offered a simple analogy that sums up how many Americans might feel about the likely Democratic nominee, her firebrand competitor, and the Republican party's presumptive nominee.

Here's a snippet of C.K.'s answer:

It’s like if you were on a plane and you wanted to choose a pilot. You have one person, Hillary, who says, 'Here’s my license. Here’s all the thousands of flights that I’ve flown. Here’s planes I’ve flown in really difficult situations. I’ve had some good flights and some bad flights, but I’ve been flying for a very long time, and I know exactly how this plane works.' Then you’ve got Bernie, who says, 'Everyone should get a ride right to their house with this plane.' 'Well, how are you going to do that?' 'I just think we should. It’s only fair that everyone gets to use the plane equally.' And then Trump says, 'I’m going to fly so well. You’re not going to believe how good I’m going to fly this plane, and by the way, Hillary never flew a plane in her life.' 'She did, and we have pictures.' 'No, she never did it.' It’s insane. — Louis C.K.

louis-ck-donald-trumpRichard Shotwell/Invision/AP, AP/Charles Rex Arbogast - apimages.com

C.K.'s comparison between Clinton and Sanders seems to reflect a belief among voters that the former secretary of state has proposed more realistic policies.

exit pollingNBC News - nbcnews.com

Despite his characterization of Sanders' policies as unrealistic, C.K. attempted to explain his appeal to voters. 

"Sometimes I think the system is so deeply fucked up that somebody as disruptive as Bernie — maybe he doesn’t even do a good job as president but he jars something loose in our system and something exciting happens," he told interviewer David Marchese.

If C.K. was more pensive about the Democratic choice, he didn't mince words about the candidate on the other end of the ticket, calling Donald Trump "a bigot with a hole in his heart."

"A guy who shouldn’t be anywhere near the fucking thing is the Republican nominee," he said.

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