Could Oliver Do What Jeb Bush Couldn't?

He said it better, he said it funnier, and he said it without interruptions from the Donald himself. This was no one-liner from a GOP debate. John Oliver's Drumpf segment on Last Week Tonight was late night gold, and it was a brutally honest assessment and takedown of the "bull shit artist" formerly known as Donald Trump. Oliver's totally right. America cannot keep being seduced by "the magic of his name." Unfortunately, Oliver can't out-Jeb the candidates and defeat Trump.

Truly — I want to reiterate this —John Oliver's takedown of Trump (ya, I know, Drumpf) was epic and hilarious. And, I'm gonna let you finish (laughing) ... But, it doesn't matter — at least not during the primary. Republican voters weren't watching, and — even if they were — it seems as though any criticism aimed at Donald no matter who delivers it falls on deaf ears. Even 22 minutes of critiques are likely to make little difference among the GOP electorate that can't seem to get enough.

Calling Trump "America's back mole," Oliver pointed out the seriousness of the situation — the possibility of Trump sitting in the White House. "It may have seemed harmless a year ago, but now that it’s gotten frighteningly bigger, it’s gotten hard to ignore it." Well, that's what the GOP establishment is realizing too. As The New York Times outlined over the weekend, the party has woken up to this scary possibility.

What can they do about it? Very little from the sound of it. The primary calendar and rules for delegate allocation, made to clear the path for a frontrunner, have all but sealed Trump's path to the nomination as of Super Tuesday. Members of Congress are already taking sides in the future GOP-implosion fight over whether to get behind Trump or stand for old school GOP values of good governance (or more respectable if good seems a stretch to you).

So can one cable news show change this? I really — really — hate to say it, but no. John Oliver's show is seen by about four million people through legitimate means like cable, satellite, DVR, and HBO Go. Even adding the six million people who have seen the Dumpf segment on YouTube, that's a small portion of Americans. And I'm guessing they're not the ones who are supporting Trump. According to exit poll findings, I'm guessing the people supporting Trump are not HBO viewers or John Oliver followers on YouTube.

That doesn't mean this won't help Trump lose the general election. The Clinton camp is already looking at ways to take him on. Assuming she does win the nomination, a Dumpf hat could be a big hit with millennials who have thus far been "feeling the Bern" and aren't quite "with her." Clinton has had trouble motivating young voters, but Oliver — as well as other comedians — could help stimulate the anti-Trump vote, which by default would go to the Democrats.

Hold on to your memorabilia. You might be on this "Make Donald Dumpf Again" campaign for seven more months.