Podcast Summary: The Ballpark Extra Innings: Erich McElroy’s Imperfect Guide to the US Presidential Debates
Podcast: LSE: Public Lectures and Events
Episode Date: March 24, 2016
Host: LSE Film and Audio Team (primarily Denise Barron)
Panel: Eric McElroy (host/comedian), Ola (comedian, LSE alum), Robin Perkins (comedian, New Hampshire native), Josie Long (comedian)
Overview
This episode brings listeners into the unique mash-up event of "Eric McElroy's Imperfect Guide to the US Presidential Debates," which is part political commentary, part stand-up comedy, and part live debate-watch. Recorded just before the 2016 Iowa caucuses, the event captures the uncertainty, humor, and incredulity swirling around the crowded, raucous Republican primary—dominated, in spirit if not in presence, by Donald Trump, who is conspicuously absent from the featured debate. The panel of British and American comedians dissects candidates, debates the system, and delivers a blend of wit and keen political insight for both UK and US audiences.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Setting the Scene: The Comedy-Debate Crossover
- Event Format: The evening was equal parts debate watch and stand-up comedy, designed to both amuse and analyze the state of the US presidential race.
- Audience Involvement: Eric McElroy starts by surveying the room for Brits and Americans, using humor to kick off a discussion on political perspectives and party affiliations.
- (00:52) Denise Barron: "That's Eric McElroy, a combination of the MC, a comedian and a very insightful political commentator."
The Trump Show: Media and Absent Presence
- Trump’s Absence: Trump boycotted the Fox News debate due to a public spat with moderator Megyn Kelly, preferring to hold a rival event.
- (05:04) Eric McElroy: "But the main debate actually this time does not include Donald Trump. There is less comedy in this show than there would have been."
- Megyn Kelly Incident: Recap of Trump’s infamous remarks about Kelly and his subsequent complaints about debate moderation.
- (06:08) Eric McElroy: “He [Trump] said, quote, 'I don't know what's wrong with her. She was clearly upset. She had, quote, blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.' He basically said she was on the rag.”
- Media Spectacle: The panel discusses how media and audiences both feed and respond to Trump’s bluster and notoriety.
- (09:09) Eric McElroy: “The problem is he is funny more times than he's anything else... It’s more, it’s just about them and their characters, about who hurts his feelings, whether he's going to run his poll numbers.”
Entertainment vs. Policy
- Debate as Performance: The Republican debate is painted as a show, compared to the “boring” policy chat of Democratic debates.
- (02:09) Eric McElroy: “The Democratic debates are boring. They talk about policy, legislation, and the future. Boring! Nobody calls each other fat.”
- National Mood: The comedians note a shift in media and public appetite for spectacle over substance, acknowledging their own complicity but highlighting the dangers.
- (09:24) Ola: “We are that group of people that wants to see the entertainment. We want to see a show. He's giving us a show.”
The Primary System: State Perspectives and Voter Dynamics
- New Hampshire’s Role: Robin Perkins discusses the unique position—and limitations—her home state holds as an early primary state, despite its lack of diversity.
- (12:21) Eric McElroy: “Iowa and New Hampshire have been first in the nation... kind of like if we were on the race to elect the new prime minister... and the first two areas... were Cornwall and the Shetlands.”
- (13:05) Robin Perkins: "For Republicans, [Trump]'s leading by lots. And it blows my mind."
- Family Politics: Amusing anecdotes on family divisions in American political homes, and the tendency to vote “for business reasons.”—which may help explain Trump’s business-appeal surge.
- (13:47) Robin Perkins: "A lot of southern New Hampshire... they're educated, but they're Republican for monetary reasons, 100%."
Running Government As a Business—Flawed Logic?
- Businessman Appeal: The group teases out the supposed allure of a businessman-president and unpacks the faults in equating corporate and governmental management styles.
- (16:46) Ola: "When we go to business, we throw away everything we believe about democracy and go straight into a dictatorship... That's why running the country as a business is terrible."
- Services as Public Good: The impracticality of running essential services (education, healthcare) "like a business" is discussed.
- (17:44) Josie Long: "You can't run education like a business because people suffer and it doesn't work. The whole notions of competition and efficiency don't work with healthcare..."
Nuance in Political Values
- Conservative Principles vs. Their Execution: The panel agrees Republican values like efficiency or self-sufficiency aren’t inherently bad, but are often poorly applied or contradicted in practice.
- (19:08) Ola: "If you write off everything a Republican says... you're missing the trick... There are situations in which government waste does ruin things."
- (20:18) Josie Long: "It's a values thing, isn't it? ...You can totally agree on something very basic and then the split of where they then take that..."
Candidates and Their Spectacle
- Ted Cruz: Characterized as deeply conservative and less palatable than Trump in some ways, with awkward family moments described for comedic effect.
- (32:08) Eric McElroy: “Cruz did…he filmed about six hours of himself hanging out with his family and just posted it on YouTube for anyone to use, but it's completely unedited. And it's got some of the most awkward moments…”
- (32:32) Eric McElroy [on Cruz and others]: “No one likes Ted Cruz, including his children.”
- Jeb Bush: McElroy and others refer to him as the most sensible, if uninspiring, candidate remaining.
- Rand Paul: Ola reveals a “weird affinity” for Paul’s libertarian streak, though notes his shift toward hawkish military rhetoric.
The Trump Parody Theory
- Is Trump a Democratic Mole? A running joke among the panel speculates that Trump could be an undercover Democrat, subverting the Republican race from within.
- (24:47) Josie Long: "I'm convinced that Trump is a Democrat mole."
- (25:36) Eric McElroy: “...the Republican Party should accept the fact that they push themselves into this position by making themselves so anti-Obama... and they brought themselves Trump.”
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On Bernie Sanders:
- (02:31) Denise Barron: "Yeah, I'm a Bernie supporter."
- (02:44) Eric McElroy: "Bernie Sanders is kind of like if Jeremy Corbyn had a New York accent that was going around that was going to lose an election."
- On Trump’s Comedic Timing:
- (08:59) Ola: “As a comedian, the comedian in me respects that that was pretty funny…”
- On Republican Values:
- (19:08) Ola: “If you write off everything a Republican says before they say it... you're missing the trick. And it's a sure fire way to become exactly what you hate.”
- On Family Divisions:
- (14:26) Robin Perkins: “Every year there's a family fight on Christmas Day. It ruins Christmas. This year you're dating a black Nigerian man. Take the family fight.”
- On Cruz's Persona:
- (32:32) Eric McElroy: “…No one likes Ted Cruz, including his children.”
- On Electoral System:
- (12:21) Eric McElroy: Compares Iowa and New Hampshire to “Cornwall and the Shetlands” in the UK—underscoring the states’ lack of diversity.
Notable Timestamps
- 00:52–03:00: Event introduction, panel and format explained.
- 04:52–08:13: Why Trump skipped the debate; recounting the Megyn Kelly incident and Fox News spat.
- 09:09–11:00: Panel critiques Trump as entertainer; discussion on media and public complicity.
- 12:21–16:29: Primary state quirks, dynamics in New Hampshire, tales of family disputes over party loyalty.
- 16:40–20:18: Debate over “government as business” and privatization of public services.
- 22:01–25:36: Focus on Ted Cruz, Trump’s political history, speculation on sabotage theory.
- 32:07–33:28: Unintentional comedy in political advertising—Cruz’s awkward YouTube family videos.
- 33:29–34:18: Final “who would you choose?” go-round on uninspiring Republican candidates.
Conclusion
The episode balances sharp political analysis and biting stand-up comedy, using humor as a scalpel to reveal both the absurdity and real stakes at play in the 2016 election’s spectacle. The comedians cut through American and British attitudes toward politics, lampooning the entertainment factor while also offering earnest reflections on democracy's challenges—especially in an election where a candidate like Trump can dominate, even in absence.