1. it didn't make a great case for infrastructure working (they were on one angle with disasters, but ended up with one middle-aged bicyclist killed by a pothole, and some UCLA partier students enjoying a little wading pool water);
2. didn't suggest a plan of action;
3. was mostly poorly-executed gags, and a few potshots at politicians, diverting from any kind of critical thinking or action beyond impotent tweeting.
I strongly suspect that Daily Show style news-tainment has unintentionally been dumbing down what should be a very active left (while Rupert Murdoch and talk radio cynically did something analogous to what would become the right). Now people intuitively feel powerless, except to Tweet zingers at the imagined enemy.
How about: infrastructure is important because (off top of head)... disaster threats (cite some real-world examples, which exist), safety (e.g., drinking water), economic benefits from functioning infra (e.g., transportation efficiency), quality of life, social justice (cite real-world examples of poor areas, and how that marginalizes them), national sustainability (tie it into restoring can-do know-how, and manufacturing capability), with side benefit of creating worthwhile jobs that should already exist.
And don't drop the ball just complaining "oh, those politicans being politicians" and leaving it at that, when a politician says they haven't yet found money for it. Nor try to use the kind of people who'd call in to a TV news program (and get selected to be put on air) as representative of anything other than people who'd call in to a TV news program. The citizen is left with a muddle-headed idea that same-ol'-same-ol', and not informed to do anythign about it, other than make bitter jokes about the perceived adversary.
Graydon referenced West Wing, so I'll try: (context: backstage of Presidential election debate, incumbent meeting opponent GWB character): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvr1T1sFvEg
I mean thats the whole schtick of JO. This is serious in same sense as few of my friends who think that by listening book summary in 5 min they have gained serious knowledge and being effective with time management.
