Seth Meyers: United States should take in more Syrian refugees

With a segment called “A Closer Look,” Seth Meyers is turning “Late Night” into an important voice in the political conversation.

In the past week, Meyers has weighed in on such hot-button issues as the campaign against Planned Parenthood and Republican opposition to gun control. On Wednesday, he used his platform to urge the United States to do more to help Syrian refugees.

He began by criticizing Republican candidates who repeatedly insist that “it’s America’s job to lead” and yet have been content to let Europe handle the mounting refugee crisis on their own.

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Some have even made flippant remarks about the hundreds of thousands fleeing the Syrian civil war, Meyers noted, like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who suggested they might just want to come to the U.S. “because we’ve got cable TV.”

Then there’s Donald Trump who seems strangely obsessed with the gender makeup of the refugees, repeatedly noting all the “strong” males and the relative lack of women. “Trump is working this issue like the bouncer at a club works the door,” Meyers joked.

The host also made light of failed efforts by the Obama administration to train and send supplies to Syrian rebels.

Acknowledging that “the war in Syria is a complex problem with no easy answers,” Meyers concluded that the “one clear-cut thing” the United States could be doing to help is taking in more refugees.

“We can’t keep saying we’re the best country in the world and be surprised people want to come here,” he said. “They’re just fleeing a war-torn region hoping for a better life somewhere and that life is in America, a country with cable TV and a pool!”

Follow @MeredithBlake on Twitter.