Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE RACE FOR the White House took centre stage at the Emmy Awards last night, with plenty of jabs at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who was compared to Adolf Hitler, and a shout-out to Hillary Clinton.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won her fifth consecutive statuette for her role as president in HBO’s “Veep,” set the tone for the evening by jokingly apologising for “the current political climate”.
“I think that ‘Veep’ has torn down the wall between comedy and politics,” she said as she accepted her award.
Our show started out as a political satire, but now it seems like a documentary.
“So, I certainly do promise to rebuild that wall and make Mexico pay for it.”
Host Jimmy Kimmel also pulled no punches, at one point referring to Trump’s wife Melania as ‘Malaria’.
“If it wasn’t for television, would Donald Trump be running for president?” Kimmel said.
No. He would be at home quietly rubbing up against his wife Malaria while she pretends to be asleep.
Kimmel later fake-blamed uber-producer Mark Burnett – who brought Trump’s The Apprentice to the small screen – for the billionaire’s political rise.
“Thanks to Mark, we don’t have to watch reality shows anymore, because we’re living in one,” the late night host quipped.
Inheritor to Hitler
But perhaps the strongest denunciation of Trump came from Transparent creator Jill Soloway, who likened the bombastic tycoon to Hitler.
“He is a complete dangerous monster and any time I can call out Trump for being an inheritor to Hitler, I will,” Soloway told reporters backstage after accepting her award.
She went on to blast Trump for “Otherising people with a capital O.” She added:
He calls women pigs if they don’t look like beauty pageant contestants, he blames Muslims and Mexicans for our problems, he makes fun of disabled people.
Veep producer David Mandel also blasted Trump, saying that if he dared use similar rhetoric as that of the divisive candidate on the HBO comedy, he would be fired.
“I find the level of discourse in this campaign to be horrific,” he said.
It’s been a crazy year of politics.
Emmy-winning comedian and writer Aziz Ansari took a more humorous line, saying he wanted everyone to know that “after careful consideration, I decided I am going with Trump, which is why I am saying we should get rid of all Hispanic and Muslim actors”.
Jeb!
The politically charged show also featured a surprise cameo from ex-presidential hopeful Jeb Bush, who appeared as a limo driver in a pre-taped sketch segment, asking Kimmel what it’s like to be nominated.
Bush’s brief appearance came at the end of a skit parodying several Emmy-nominated shows including Modern Family, Veep and The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story.
Bush appeared in the vignette as a limo driver hailed by Kimmel as he frantically sought a ride to the annual television awards show in downtown Los Angeles.
“I’m in between jobs right now,” says Bush, sporting a cap.
You know you can make $12 an hour driving for Uber?
He then asks Kimmel what it’s like to be nominated, a self-effacing nod to his failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination, which was eventually won by Trump.
Comedian John Oliver, who won an Emmy for outstanding variety series for Last Week Tonight, said humor in the current political climate as was badly needed. He said:
Sometimes it can be a soothing balm on an open sore.
On the other end of the political spectrum, Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon – who plays Clinton on the show – won the Emmy for best supporting actress in a comedy, and thanked the Democrat in her acceptance speech.
Clinton tweeted back: “Congratulations on your Emmy, Kate! Big fan of yours, too” — with a photo of McKinnon portraying her.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The next general election will be tough too Joan…
They are not helping people get back to work.the only reason the number signing on is lower is because of emigration.i had to leave the country to find work leaving my wife and kids behind.thats one of the hardest things I have ever done or will do.those idiots in the dail sacrifice nothing.we the people take all the hits.
Too true.
“She said the level of social welfare abuse “is relatively low” but that in a budget of €20 billion, even 3 per cent of people abusing it amounts to millions of euro.”
Last week World Bank figures on remittances showed tha Nigerians in Ireland sent back 490 million euros to Nigeria – that’s 26,000 euros for each Nigerian man, woman and child in the State.
However, children are ineligible to work, so the figure is close to 40,000 euros.
But wait, Nigerians also have the highest rate of unemployment in the country than any other group – 45% (Lithuanians are second at 25%) – so the actual figure is more than 55,000 euros sent to Nigeria each year.
Most Nigerians are working in unskilled, low-paid jobs.
Monies sent from Ireland by foreign migrants are three times higher than the amount of money being sent home to Ireland by the Irish abroad.
World Bank statistics show that Irish people living in other countries sent more than $750 million (€560 million) back home in 2011, but foreign workers here sent remittances of $2.4 billion (€1.8 billion) home in the same year.
Wake up, Joan.
Quickly.
I think we’d all have a different outlook to these budgets if those writing them up took a significant pay cut and led by example. I’m talking knocking 80k a year off their wage slips.
Poor Joan, she hasn’t got a clue who is even writing the budget coz it sure isn’t noonan. Wonder if the furer over in Germany is telling her to give all these “exclusive” interviews with the journal?
Why oh why are you giving her airtime. Her village is missing her…..
Labour must finally be looking at the polls. Local elections coming up so they send out Joan the Moan to spew out her usual drivel.
Hell, if you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick, or as we’ve witnessed over the past couple of days, if Joan starts commenting on everything, then maybe we’ll actually believe some of this tripe.
At the last General Election I was foolish enough to believe your ‘bile’ & actually gave Joan my first preference vote, a mistake I can gladly say will never happen again. As soon as Labour got into bed with their counterparts in Government, they turned their backs on the very people who voted them in.
In saying that you have done one good thing whilst in power & I thank you for it.
Thank you Joan for showing me the error of my ways. Roll on 2016!!!
What a lot of hot air
Things won’t be tough in her house. An overpaid ministerial salary will make sure of that.
Tough experience Joan? Possibly you should try living as those who your decisions effect for a couple of months. Tough experience my arse. Silly minister.
The rich and wealthy won’t feel the pain, you can count on that!
“Hard decisions and trying to be fair’. .. Roll on the next elections .
.
Ah Aoife my morning was going so well until about 2min ago when I read the headline and then saw the sour frown on Burton.
Let them know how you’s all feel when the next election comes around
Clueless woman.
She is my third favourite Burton.
whats she moaning about sure the lads over in the european comission look after that for them now every body knows that , all you have to do joan is pretend that you have read it when they send it to you and your miserable party … lets be serious she’s not going to feck up her chances of jumping on the Mep gravy train to brussells by disagreeing with next years round of taxing the poor.. VOTE SF
Labour no answers, no solutions, a spent force thats passed it best before date.
Exactly! Hopefully they’ll go the same way the Greens did last time round
Bullshit they have…
She and her colleagues don’t know what tough means – muppets, all of them!
Not a tough experience for you, Joan, insulated as you are from a falling income (or no income) and constantly mounting taxes, levies and “charges”. The tough experience is for the generality of the population and you needn’t try and fool us into thinking you are agonizing over any of the “tough decisions”. How dare you? Your Government have had, admittedly little room for manoevre, but have consistently made the choices which would punish and disadvantage the ordinary working population – and the ‘vulnerable’ about whom you were so vocal in the general election campaign. If you think people are going to overlook that, you have another think coming.
All benefits should be slashed by 50%
Unless you have worked to pay into it
Personally if your long term unemployed 5 yrs or more you should be on side road cleaning in parks working cleaning beach
You should not get benefit for nothing
must be local elections coming up Joan THE MOAN, sure you dont have to worry about money, but dont forget the people dont forget the punishment labour imposed on its voters LIARS
some neck
have your say