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In reply to the discussion: Jon Stewart Reacts to 'Daily Show' Backlash: "I Have Sinned Against You" [View all]betsuni
(25,788 posts)to come out of retirement. Some fantasized that he would succeed where the Fourth Estate had failed, by compelling the electorate to recognize Trump for what he was.
"This was certainly wishful thinking. But it also betrayed a basic misunderstanding of the role Stewart had played in our larger cultural saga. Throughout his tenure at 'The Daily Show,' Stewart hammered one basic note: that our political and media establishments were feeble and corrupt. Trump hit the same note at every one of his rallies. It was the most convincing aspect of his appeal. If Stewart's mission was to decant the anguish and rage of the left into laughs, Trump fanned those same emotions into raw political power. Both, in a sense, benefited by a loss of faith."
Steve Almond