There may have been other celebrities who pushed their fans to make sure and vote in this election, but none of them were as vocal as Chelsea Handler. Her Thursday show, which was not aired until Friday, showed just how much she cared about this particular election and the Democratic candidate.
Ultimately, the show was full of tears and platitudes. The former a show of frustration at a giant leap backward and the latter meant to rub a soothing balm over the hurt.
The main guest Senator Barbara Boxer spoke of how the losers in this campaign should buckle down and prepare for the next chance. She reminded everyone that in two years time they could start to try again.
2016 will be the election year that history will show as taking a giant leap back into ignorance, racism, misogyny and homophobia. All the strides taken by society to make everyone truly equal has been shot down in flames by a reality television persona.
A caricature of a politician who knew what buttons to push on the people most dissatisfied with the country. He almost did not make it, Hillary Clinton won the “real” vote, but the Electoral College put the two harbingers of evil into the white house.
As a fan of Chelsea Handler it was sad to see her so affected by the election results. However, Boxer, the best possible choice as guest for this show, poured oil over troubled waters and gave a bolstering cry of “Two Years.”
She also reminded the audience in the studio and at home that “we” the people also wield reins of power. The John and Jane Does of this country do still have a say and it is now our job to do that. Let the orange monster and his whitebread sidekick know when they have stepped out of bounds.
It was fitting that all of Chelsea’s guests were women. The big push from the talkshow host and from many feminists in the US was for Clinton to be their figure head. The guests on this somber and tear filled episode did not mention this but the democratic party throwing Bernie Sanders under the bus to support Clinton may have cost them dearly.
Regardless of whether the system is wrong or not, the main issue may well be that the US is not ready for a female president yet. The world’s other countries, considerably older than the USA, took a long time to elect female leaders. Look at Britain.
Maggie Thatcher was the first woman prime minister in 1979. The Iron Lady held that position until 1990 when a political coup was staged by her own party to remove her from office. (And on a sidenote, if anyone has trouble understanding Brexit, take a look at the “10 key events”; linked above, they could be the blueprint for why the country voted as it did.)
As sad as Chelsea and her guests were, there may yet be a silver-lining somewhere in all this mess. It was not discussed, this was, after all, a sort feminist tete a tete to mourn a huge set back. (We all mourn with you, by the way, to have come so far and to be sucker punched by an orange muppet is indeed a bitter pill to swallow.)
Trump has lawsuits outstanding, he also refused to show his tax returns. These may be the beginnings of his fall. Although if he does “go down” that will leave his second-in-command in charge which is enough to make anyone shudder.
This episode of Chelsea may just have been the best of this season. Why? Because it gave us a glimpse of what is behind the entertainer. The talkshow host whose career is based on a certain bravado and irascibility.
A woman who is not waiting for the world to acknowledge her, she has acknowledged herself, thank you. Like an old Rodney Dangerfield punchline, she is not waiting on you.
Chelsea normally airs Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on Netflix.
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