“The Daily Show” senior correspondent and occasional host Jordan Klepper has something to say about Tim Walz’s penchant for pandering. Fittingly, most of those criticisms are tied to the vice presidential candidate’s hyper-specific Chicago references.
Michael Kosta hosted the first episode of “The Daily Show” filmed from the Democratic National Convention. During his opening monologue, Kosta praised Walz for dropping the mic “in a very Nebraska way.”
“You think JD Vance knows one damn thing about Nebraska? He’s going to be here next week. You think he’s ever had a runza?” Kamala Harris’ VP pick said during a recent campaign speech, a comment that earned laughter and applause. “That guy would call it a Hot Pocket. You know it. Every one of you in here know it.”
“Extremely regional slam! Walz got him good, I think?” Kosta said Monday night. For the record, a runza is the regional cuisine of Nebraska. It’s a bread pocket that’s traditionally filled with ground beef, onions and either cabbage or sauerkraut. “That was the most specific pandering I’ve ever heard.”
To figure out whether regional pandering is infantilizing or a fun way to connect with voters, Kosta then turned the show over to correspondent Jordan Klepper, who immediately shot down the practice … at least for a second.
“Voters are savvy, and this kind of pandering is treating then like idiots,” Klepper said. “Focus on the issues like how is Tim Walz going to sustain a bull market because everybody loves the Bulls. Go Bulls!”
As he continued, Klepper said that Walz needs to “beef” up his speeches and make them spicier. “And everyone knows the only way to do that is to throw a little jardiniere on there,” Klepper said to raucous applause.
“I don’t know what that reference was, but obviously you’re also pandering to this crowd,” Kosta shot back.
“What? No, Michael. I’m going deep on the issues, deep like this town’s delicious and far superior pizza, Ed’s,” Klepper said before referencing several more beloved pizza chains. “If you have a problem with that just call me Lou Malnati captaining the good ship Pequod because the truth is my numero Uno priority. Oh, also Giordano’s.”
Kosta then tried his hand at riling up a crowd, saying that the stakes of this election are higher than the Willis Tower. He was immediately met with boos from a city of people still loyal to the Sears Tower. That’s when Klepper went in for the hyper-regional kill.
“Nobody wants your stupid architecture references, Kosta. If I wanted a legitimate architecture tour, I’d take the L down to the West Loop, swing by Portillo’s, head to East Wacker, hop on a Wendella tour boat and gaze up at the splendor by architect Mies van der Rohe,” Klepper, who was barely audible over the applause, said. “So ease up on the pandering, Kosta. These folks can see it a mile away like the f–king Willis Tower.” Watch the full segment above.
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