The classic chemistry of the great infomercial hosts, like Cher and Lori Davis, is mostly a lost art now that Netflix has taken over our 2 A.M. insomnia viewing needs. There was a pitter-patter necessary for selling hairspray in the early hours of the morning, where Cher would say something like “Hairspray makes my hair too sticky,” and Davis would answer something like “Then do I ever have a hairspray for you.” Every time the conversation shifted, Cher lobbed a question over the net and Lori bandied it back so gracefully that before you knew it, you’d bought a year’s worth of hair gel from someone wearing a wig.
After watching the short YouTube video posted earlier today by the Sanders camp of mutualadmirers Cardi B and Bernie Sanders hashing out the political issues of the day, with Cardi setting up questions about police brutality, healthcare, and student loan forgiveness while Bernie expertly knocks ‘em down, I would be considering ordering a four year’s supply of Bern if it was the middle of the night and the other channels were just static. That’s how much chemistry these two have.
Cardi: I feel like there’s a serious problem right now in America. We have this bully as a president, and the only way to take him out is somebody winning.
Sanders: We’ve got to get rid of Donald Trump, obviously, because Donald Trump is an overt racist.
Cardi quickly addresses the fact that the issue goes beyond Trump and segues flawlessly into a discussion centering on police brutality against “black men and minorities,” adding “we constantly see our men getting killed every day, and it seems like nobody cares.”
Sanders’ answers are a little rote but completely adequate: education, investigation, and doing “everything we can” to ensure police departments look like the communities they serve. However, it’s undeniable that Bernie and Cardi are fantastic at explaining complicated problems, like repealing DACA and paying for universal healthcare, in a way that is accessible for all audiences and ultimately very convincing, just like any good information commercial should be.
My favorite section was the one that most reminded me of my favorite infomercials, where the two pretend to be spontaneously perplexed by a problem before having a voila moment of solution:
Cardi: What are we going to do about wages in America?
Sanders: Good.
Cardi: Like, for example, me as a New Yorker, not now, but, you know, when I was not famous, I just felt like no matter how many jobs I get, I wasn’t able to make ends meet. I wasn’t able to pay my rent, get transportation, and eat.
Sanders: That is an excellent question…Can you imagine someone today earning $9 an hour?
Cardi: It don’t make no sense.
What if Bernie Sanders told you that legislation he passed in the house recently, U.S. House, would raise that minimum wage to $15 an hour?
I would say if you throw in a four years’ supply of student loan forgiveness at no additional charge, I’m calling that toll-free number.
