Samantha Bee explains how the media is off to a terrible start covering 2020's female candidates

Samantha Bee slams the media for flubbing female candidates
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Full Frontal)

Samantha Bee kicked off Wednesday's Full Frontal with a nod to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shutting down President Trump's State of the Union speech until the government is re-opened. "Dude, I know it's driving you crazy that a woman turned you down, but this is the point in your life where you're actually going to have to learn that no means no," she said.

Bee spent most of her opening act on the government shutdown, its dire consequences, and the leading role of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "Senate Republicans don't give a s--t about the wall, they're only keeping the government shut because that's what the president wants — it's the same reason they changed our national bird to the chicken nugget," she joked. "Look, we know that governing involves compromise, but how can Democrats possibly compromise with the least-trustworthy man in history?" She elaborately compared giving Trump wall money to investing in the Fyre Festival.

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"The 2020 election is already in full swing, and the future is looking female," Bee said in her second act. "There are several exciting women running for president, and also Tulsi Gabbard," and "now that there are so many ladies running, maybe we can stop talking about the tone or volume of their voice, their outfits, or their marriages, and instead judge them based on their ideas and experience — I'm just joking," she said, laughing darkly. "No, it's going to be a total nightmare."

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Bee gave some examples of how the media is already focusing on the wrong things with women candidates. Meanwhile, the Democratic "men don't have to worry about this crap — I mean, Jesus, they barely need to worry about being Democrats," she said. "We are not off to a good start. When we frame women candidates like this right off the bat, it becomes impossible to actually discuss them with nuance down the line." There's NSFW language throughout. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.