Jon Stewart's (potentially) final installment of Democalpyse 2014 gives you a sense of where he thinks today's elections will leave Congress: "Come on, Republicans! Just Go Ahead & Take Over Already." Fox News blames the Democrats' poor prospects on lack of a serious message — though, Stewart notes, Republicans are hardly running on "rational argument"; he summarizes their platform as: "Vote for us or get beheaded while pooping blood."
But Stewart also sees another reason behind the GOP's expected gains: A bunch of voter ID laws that happen to keep inordinate numbers of minorities, young people, and women from casting ballots. "Far be it for me to question anyone's motives," Stewart said, "but come on, a lot of these laws smell pretty voter suppression-y." Texas has one of the strictest voter ID laws, but plenty of states that may determine control of the Senate, like North Carolina and Kansas, have needless ID restrictions, too, he said. Hey, at least if Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) becomes Majority Leader, Daily Show viewers will get a lot more of Stewart's patented Cecil the Turtle impression. --Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Sudoku medium: July 5, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US borderSpeed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked callSpeed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side dealThe pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policiesSpeed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final daySpeed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts moreSpeed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custodySpeed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulingsSpeed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
