Salon: Jon Stewart was born to bash Obama

[Fumesucker]

A lot of you are going to *hate* this article, if you think you will I suggest you not read it..

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2010/06/22/obama_jon_stewart_satire/index.html

Throughout 2008, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart assured reporters -- and viewers -- that even though he admired Obama, if the man revealed himself as less than advertised, he'd whip out the long knives just like he did when W. ran things. We had little reason to believe him, since he'd hit his stride with a Republican in the White House.

(. . .)

Consider the June 16 edition of "The Daily Show," arguably Stewart's most pointed attack on Obama's mishandling of the BP oil spill since the disaster began -- and his most merciless attack on Obama generally since the president's inauguration. The segment represented the culmination of Stewart's two-year journey from embittered Bush-era liberal outsider to Obama bobby-soxer to betrayed and disillusioned realist. And it decisively proved that Stewart is more than a stealth muckraker or liberal mouthpiece. He's a true satirist who can take aim at anyone but reserves particular scorn for those who reawakened his sense of hope just long enough to exploit it.

(. . .)

That Obama, who sold himself as a tough-loving, reality-based alternative to Republican thuggishness and mendacity, would embrace the "War on …" mentality strikes me as the true source of Stewart's disillusionment -- that and his forest-for-the-trees penchant for proposing long-range solutions to immediate problems, the executive branch version of handing a list of licensed local doctors to a man who's bleeding to death on the street. This president sold himself as something more than just another politician, and with each passing week that performance is becoming harder to buy. As one of Stewart's comedic heroes, George Carlin, once put it, "Anything here in America we don't like about ourselves, we have to declare war on it. We don't have to do anything about it, we just have to declare war on it … It's the only metaphor we have in our public discourse for solving a problem."

(. . .)

On that same program, Stewart did a bit about healthcare reform that called Obama out for hypocrisy, showing a clip of the president insisting he wasn't interested in pushing a single-payer healthcare system, then following it with 2008 campaign clip in which Obama declared, "I happen to be a proponent of single-payer healthcare." Just as the All Star joke wasn't about Obama's inability to put America back to work by snapping his fingers, this joke wasn't about the merits or drawbacks of any particular scheme to fix healthcare. It was about honesty and leadership. It was about saying you believe one thing, then claiming to believe the opposite while pretending you never held that first position. We've always been at war with Eastasia.

<snip>

More at the link..

[Edweird]

1. Oh boy.

:popcorn:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. I dare say, that Stewart is one funny chap.

He's like a young Jay Leno.

[Fumesucker]

6. Jon Stewart was a DU god when he was punking Dubya..

Now opinions are much more divided..

It's been amusing watching the recs go up and down like a yo-yo on this OP.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. John Stewart had good reason for punking Dubya.

Now he's upset because Obama isn't telling him what he wants to hear.

Notice the different standard.

[JonLP24]

10. There isn't a good reason here?

He simply stated in that episode that Obama is doing some things different than he campaigned on.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

11. No.

Which is why a lot of the critics ended up having to pry the foot out of their mouths the next day.

[JonLP24]

18. So what is incorrect about what he said?

About the renditions, the suspension of habeas corpus in out of the country prisons, warrantless wiretapping, etc.

http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=lsdimension.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailyshow.com%2Fwatch%2Ftue-june-15-2010%2Frespect-my-authoritah&sref=http%3A%2F%2Flsdimension.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F21%2Fjon-stewart-grills-barack-obama-on-counterterrorism-civil-liberties%2F

[jgraz]

23. * cricket noise * cricket noise * cricket noise * cricket noise * cricket noise *

:eyes:

[Mithreal]

57. Lord of the Crickets is speechless I guess.

I wouldn't take you on either :)

[liberation]

71. To be fair, the evening shift tends to be rather boring

talking points tend to lose their luster with the passing hours. The morning fellas get all the fresh stuff, and is much more entertaining.


I tend to go with what I was once told: never trust a person who can't laugh at themselves. Some of the perennial talking point reps are not disappointing in that regard...

[Mithreal]

91. Damn outsourcing and stale talking points!

You're right, of course :)

:hi:

[dave29]

110. (and Obama supporters are accused of working in shifts)

sorry, did not mean to interrupt

[Mithreal]

115. Cool, is that the new way to alert? Wtf are you talking about?

Oh did you have something itching up your backside and want to share?

Just messing with ya. Come on, get in the spirit and have a laugh. There's too much suffering and life is all too often absurd. All the sour pusses here are really killing the mood.

[bjobotts]

283. Oh but look at the alternative. If Obama is growing lame imagine McCain in the same position

[bjobotts]

284. Can we just start shooting the ultra wealthy and their pets in government? Huh? HUH?

[ihavenobias]

80. +1,000,000 n/t

[Divine Discontent]

279. the crickets are so loud my ears are bleeding

[Mithreal]

65. +1

These aren't the droids...

[Radical Activist]

105. None of those are the same as they were under Bush.

Obama changed policies in each of those areas in ways that Stewart didn't mention.

Yes, Obama needs to do more and he deserves the criticism on civil liberties issues. But anyone who thinks that things haven't improved needs to do a little more research.

[TheKentuckian]

181. Anybody that tries to pretend there is a balancing point between right and wrong

Is a lying con-artist, is a useful idiot that is incapable of knowing any better, is suffering under massive denial of their own internal compass chasing unicorns and rainbows, or is completely amoral.

[Radical Activist]

184. Wow. And that has what to do with my post?

I acknowledged that Obama needs to do more. I'm just pointing out that it's inaccurate to pretend he has done nothing or is the same as Bush.

But in more general terms, I rejected that type of self-righteous black and white thinking a long time ago. Moral absolutism is only slightly more tolerable from progressives than it is from the christian right.

[TheKentuckian]

215. Your response indicates you have firm enough of a grasp on my comment

The refusal to face them other than deflection and weak pretenses says more.

[Radical Activist]

240. Oh, I see.

I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt but I guess you're just being insulting and insufferably self-righteous. Obama has already released to freedom or given trials to most of the Gitmo prisoners and banned the use of Bush-era torture practices. If you're going to lie and live in denial about those facts then you could at least stop projecting your behaviors onto others.

[Mojorabbit]

250. I just read on this board

about a child who was captured at 17 years of age that they know is innocent, his host country is willing to take him back, but the admin refuses to release him.

[TheKentuckian]

274. Bush let even more go but that does not cleanse his hands

What's going on at Bagram?

I never denied anything, nor said he is the same as Bush (I put him more in the Dole mold).

In any event, my baseline isn't Bush. You can be a 100 times better than that piece of shit and still under perform and have poor policies.

The Bush bar is a sad and pitiful measuring stick. It's akin to comparing everyone to Hitler and if they do better then they are a good person. Obviously, a juvenile comparison but the point should be made clear rather than getting into nuance.

[Radical Activist]

280. I agree but that doesn't exactly address my point.

My point, once again, is that a completely honest, accurate portrayal of Obama's actions would recognize the significant progress that has been made AND point out the failings where we need to do more. Your extremely insulting response to me after I pointed out that improvements are being made tells me that you have some ideological blockage and would prefer to live in "massive denial" about those changes and want to give a one-sided portrayal, like a "lying con-artist" (to use your words).

Is telling the whole story really so difficult?

[bjobotts]

285. One can be both supportive and critical of Obama at the same time, like Stewart.

[Radical Activist]

304. Of course, that's what I wrote in my comments.

Someone can also be critical of Obama and still admit that he does something good once in a while.

That's a problem for some people. As you see in Kentuckians post, rather than just admit that Obama has done at least one or two good things on the issue we're discussing, he went into a long, off-topic rant about what he dislikes about Obama. I don't know why its so painful for a few posters around here to give the slightest acknowledgment to anything good Obama does.

[TheKentuckian]

296. No, it largely means I don't see what you think is so super.

I got nothing to sell that I want or that I believe that anybody wants to really buy.

We have a collection of horribly broken systems that are more cancerous than beneficial to the broad society, those basic structures are hardly being addressed much less replaced before the bring down the nation on our ears while a few wealthy fucks take a tiny portion of everything generations of people every had and everything potential generations could aspire to have in a game for chits that long since lost all meaning for their standard of living.

You might be right, I don't care enough about the rather comfortable chair he got, nor give credit enough that he brought home the big package of TP, perhaps not appreciative enough of the hot pocket he microwaved because my complete attention is on the burning house that I am assured of daily will be dealt with.

I also cannot notice that he from time to time throws brandy on it, stumbles over a full gas can and knocks it over, I thought I saw him with a big ass box of fireworks too.

Health care, FUBAR unless we all just forever sink into a super underclass making less than minimum wage and then the states would go under and the Treasury would bleed out and down the tubes we go.

Financial reform two years later and too emasculated to even head off the problem we just had much less new ones or at least restoring some balance to the system to allow for capital investment to have primacy over speculation. Yes, some improvements but failing to solve the problem, reduce the scope of the problem, ratchet down the likelihood of an occurrence of a problem, or at least mitigate the impact of a problem but none of that's true.

Afghanistan? Still a worthless money pit with no appreciable upside that even optimistically could offset the investment.

Iraq still on auto-pilot with the Bush plan and on track to actually leave around never.

Jobs are flat out craps and the safety net is being scraped.

An austerity commission by Executive order to finish Reagan's work of gutting and killing the New Deal and The Great Society and the bullshit Wealthcare and Profit protection Act ties in nicely.

Finishing the job with a more secular (and corporate) lean of the rapid fundy nutjobs and global elites of killing public education for all.

Civil liberties situation perpetuated and expanded upon.

Failure to close black sites. No excuses, the law is clear people must be tried or freed. Congress is irrelevant in appropriations as the funding changed nothing but the scene of the crime.

Changes? Maybe more than a dime but hardly worth a quarter.

You say to judge against Bush but we have to measure against the necessities of reality and follow the compass of our own values.

[DonCoquixote]

290. Anyone who pretends

That anything was ever achieved without a lot of compromises is suffering under mass denial of reality. Of course we need to hold Obama under pressure, but if FDR had the level of support Obama has gotten, social security would have been crushed in the egg.

[daleanime]

137. Unfortunely...

nothing.:banghead:

[nashville_brook]

27. link? where's the foot-prying thread?? would love to see it.

[liberation]

72. Stop believing your lying eyes.... imagine it

with imagination, anything is possible!

The joke is obviously on Stewart who doesn't grasp the details and complexity of n-dimensional chess. ha!ha! What a fool, with his pea sized brain and his half wit! Oh, wait...

[Mithreal]

104. I believe! I believe!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

174. Did you forget KO walking back his statements?

[Mithreal]

191. Is this what it felt like HFPS?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

196. More like this.

[Mithreal]

201. Don't have a funny bone, do ya? It's ok, this is a safe place.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

202. I'm well known for my lack of humor.

[bvar22]

69. ?

This wasn't Jon bashing Obama.
It was Campaign Obama bashing President Obama.
I mean...the whole bit was video tapes of Obama's statements.

See for yourself:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-15-2010/respect-my-authoritah

I would have been hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

107. Gov. Bush vs. President Bush

He did the same thing during Dubya's reign, playing one speech against the other. It's a classic form of satire -- hoisting the victim by their own petard. Video just makes Jon's job easier; he's got a great writing/research staff.

[Mithreal]

118. King Kong vs. Donkey Kong

[Grinchie]

242. Too bad I crossed the line and got censored...

Sure would have been nice if the admin that deleted my message to have the courtesy to explain the reason why...

I guess the Subject Line "Campaign Obama vs President Obama" was too inflammatory...

Personally, I don't think it is, but apparently the moderators do. So it goes.

[Mithreal]

253. Yep, seemed innocuous to me as well

[Mithreal]

106. How dare you tell the truth!

I know, I felt sadness too.

[drmeow]

227. would have been hilarious if it wasn't so sad.

exactly - it's painful to watch Jon Stewart right now but the pain is because Obama's handing him the material not because of what JS is saying.

The difference between how I react to TDS stuff on Shrub vs the way I react to the stuff on Obama is with Shrub I used to think "I wish everyone in the US was watching this to finally take the blinders off their eyes." With Obama I think "I wish Obama was watching this so he would finally clue in on how he's messing up and why so many of his supporters are angry at him."

I do think it's not fair that Obama doesn't get any credit for the stuff he has done. But satire's not fair and we're always going to be looking at the here and now not what happened last year.

[Autonomy]

159. Not so simple stated

Jon's criticisms are not just "Obama is doing some things different than he campaigned on." That's a mischaracterization.

From the article:

"Consider the June 16 edition of "The Daily Show," arguably Stewart's most pointed attack on Obama's mishandling of the BP oil spill since the disaster began -- and his most merciless attack on Obama generally since the president's inauguration."

In fact, his "most pointed attack" yet had nothing to do with Obama's campaign promises.

[JonLP24]

160. That was the article's characterization

I didn't read the article because I watched the show. I know that is not his only criticism, just that in those areas of civil liberties is the area where I'm the most unhappy with Obama about. So from my POV that is the "most pointed attack". I can sympathize a lot with the mess Obama is in right now dealing with BP. Sure he could do somethings better but I cut him some slack in that area.

[Autonomy]

170. I've been watching TDS too

Jon does comment on "Campaign Obama" vs "President Obama", but my dispute was with your characterization of "simply stated". That's not all Jon is doing, and the poster to whom you were replying had a point.

I think Jon's worst moment recently had nothing to do with Obama: it was when he rebuked Democrats for saying Alvin Greene's nomination might be a Republican dirty trick. He made the assumption that people voted for Greene, and therefore it could not be a republican dirty trick. However, as we know on DU, the problem is with the electronic touchscreen, paperless voting machines, which can be hacked. Jon never even considered that possibility.

Yeah, Jon has been criticizing Dems recently, imo in an effort not to seem hyper partisan. But he's had to scrape the bottom of the barrel to do it, and his satire has fallen flat, except with those predisposed to believe what he's saying. And I think that's why your POV is other than that of the article's author. You're hearing Jon say what you want to hear him say. But the criticism of Obama's handling of the oil spill seemed to me just to be frustration that Obama cannot fix another seemingly intractable problem caused by Bush and the Republicans. It reveals the expectation that "Republicans make messes; Democrats fix Republican messes" that we as a nation seem to have. So when a republican mess is not fixed quickly, people get annoyed with the Democrats. It doesn't make sense, for sure.

[TheKentuckian]

176. What did we say about willful ignorance during the campaign?

There is no scrapping of the barrel, the barrel didn't even need to be opened as it is busting at the seams.

This stuff is just what spilled over as soon as the top busted off.

[Autonomy]

193. If the Obama barrel is bursting

then we need to change the metaphorical container (to something MUCH larger) to measure Bush and the republicans, which kinda defeats the whole purpose of the metaphor, eh?

[Mithreal]

195. The election is over. Move on.

Keep lowering the bar.

[Autonomy]

198. You're on the wrong website

this is not a "post a pic with a snarky caption in place of an actual argument" kind of website.

[Mithreal]

203. Oh no you didn't. Can I see your badge, officer?

[Autonomy]

211. Don't worry. You're not under arrest.

But you are in contempt. Pure snark doesn't go over well here. Generally a DUer uses a ratio of 90% argument and 10% snark, and you're using the inverse ratio. I think you want 4chan or another one of those kiddie forums.

[Mithreal]

217. Thank you for the "warning", officer. Anything else?

[TheKentuckian]

206. If Bush is the standard by which we are judged then our failure is nearly complete

[Mithreal]

218. +1

[Autonomy]

265. Standard by which we are judged?

Have you lost sight of the topic? We're talking about fodder for satire here. Bush was easy pickin's; Obama not so much.

[TheKentuckian]

275. it was an aside or some would say a subthread

but you're right Obama is more tears than laughter even in the context of satire.

Tears for wasted promise and dimmer hopes.

[JonLP24]

188. I'm sorry I said "simply stated"

I was trying to address that part of what he said which I believe he is spot on.

I saw the Greene episode and I disagreed with JS not with what you said, but those could be possibilities, it's that I believe it's an open primary where Republicans can vote as well. I'm not sure but that was my disagreement. I believe Stewart said even if he was a Republican plant, you (meaning Dems) voted for him. I disagreed because I think it was an open primary. Though those such as electronic balloting could be possibilities. However the executive committee of the SC Democratic Party found no efficient evidence of impropriety.

I really wish you said, (I THINK) "You're hearing Jon say what you want to hear him say."

Whether you believe me or not that isn't true. I really honestly believe that Obama vs Obama thing was his most pointed criticism. If Salon feels differently than that's OK. But the reason why I feel differently is not because I hear what I want him to say. I watch every episode not expecting anything except some of the most talked about current events from the day before.

[Autonomy]

200. I will concede that

Obama has seemingly broken several campaign promises, but will take the opportunity to restate that we do, in fact, tend to hold R's and D's to different standards, and that D's make Jon work a whole lot harder for his material than R's.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

[demwing]

169. That's likely due to the fact that BP wasn't an issue in the campaign

and Obama isn't prescient.

[Autonomy]

171. It's more than likely; it's part and parcel of my point

Jon is doing more than criticism the disparity between Candidate Obama and President Obama. How do we know? Because the oil spill could not have been a campaign issue.

[Mithreal]

257. Except that regulation of out of control corporations was an issue

[Autonomy]

264. It was, and there's no "except"

Obama is improving the situation; however, he did not have the authority to "undrill" the well, or even shut it down, as evidenced by the judge throwing out his moratorium. Obama could not simply de-Bush everything. It's going to take years.

[Mithreal]

266. How many NEW drilling leases in recent weeks?

Obama Administration Approves 448 New Drill Leases for Gulf of Mexico

At his long-awaited press conference on the Gulf oil disaster last month, President Obama announced a moratorium on new oil drilling and exploration for six months. "We can't do this stuff if we don't have confidence that we can prevent crises like this from happening again," he declared. But while existing rigs may be out of commission for the near future, the administration hasn't exactly put the brakes on new oil and gas drilling ventures. In recent weeks, the government has quietly approved the sale of more than 400 new leases for vast swaths of the Gulf of Mexico. And these contracts—which mark the first step in the drilling process—were subjected to the same slapdash environmental oversight that failed to prevent the BP catastrophe.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8578275

Will we have to agree to disagree?

[Autonomy]

289. There are no new drilling leases

Those leases were bought in March, and the BP spill happened in April. MMS approval is just a first step. We cannot afford to buy them back, plus interest, now, but we may have to in the future. New drilling standards are underway, and the companies will fight them, and courts will likely make the govt buy the sites back... but if we can put that off for a while, at least until the cleanup is well underway, then good.

Hey, at least you attempted to make an argument this time!

[Mithreal]

291. I'd like to see evidence for your assertion. 448 approved

"In recent weeks, the government has quietly approved the sale of more than 400 new leases for vast swaths of the Gulf of Mexico. And these contracts—which mark the first step in the drilling process—were subjected to the same slapdash environmental oversight that failed to prevent the BP catastrophe." Thu Jun. 17, 2010 2:25 AM PDT

License To Drill
http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/06/new-drilling-leases-gulf-of-mexico

It's odd that the same folks are downplaying this with wordplay.

[Autonomy]

312. You're confusing leasing sales and MMS approvals

http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/6704117449/articles/oil-gas-journal/general-interest-2/government/2010/05/obama-cancels_lease.html

There have been MMS approvals, but no new leases. In fact, the leasing sales have been canceled for the next several years. Don't confuse MMS approval with the beginning of drilling, however. It's not. It's merely one of many steps, and drilling under the same standards is NOT an inevitable conclusion.

[Mithreal]

315. Oh please, I am not confusing though my wording may suggest otherwise

Which branch of government is responsible for those approvals?

Listen, I get it, spin rules and no one is watching this thread anymore anyway. You can cut the #%&@.

[Autonomy]

316. You asked for the link and you got it

Agree to disagree time. Laterz.

[Fumesucker]

14. Yes, expecting politicians to fulfill campaign promises is remarkably unrealistic..

They all lie, it's just that some lies are much more reasonable than others.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. It's remarkably unrealistic if you're being purposefully obtuse.

And would rather have a punchline than honesty.

[Fumesucker]

17. Interesting how Stewart uses Obama's own video clips to show his lack of candor..

That must be soooo difficult..

[nashville_brook]

29. purposefully obtuse? rather have a punchline than honesty? come on! give some examples....

or, was this post meant to be purposefully obtuse?

[Jakes Progress]

79. Crickets, Crickets,

Never responds with logic. Snark, Snark, Crickets. That's how it always goes.

[Forkboy]

38. Or you could tell us what's wrong with what Stewart says in ways beyond the shallow and insipid.

You can do it, ole buddy. I'm here for you. :pals:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

46. Well, the quote about single payer is not from 2008 as the author says, but from 2003

Obama DIDN'T campaign on single payer. Jon and the salon author were wrong. It would be better to talk about how Obama opposed mandates.

[Forkboy]

47. That's a start.

:toast:

Now, let's hear Fructose defend a non-rape position for once.

[Grinchie]

82. It would be better to talk about Puppies and Skittles, but it isn't going to happen either.

I don't give a damn on what Obama DIDN't say, regardless if you do.

Maybe you can fill us in some more on what he DIDN't Campaign on.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

85. Er...what? The poster asked about inaccuracies and I provided one.

So what Obama did or didn't say is kind of the point.

[Fumesucker]

138. Actually you provided a claim, do you have a link to document that claim? n/t

[SemiCharmedQuark]

205. Well, type the quote into google and there you go. 2003.

It was pretty easy to verify. Took about 2 seconds:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/08/04/obama_2003_i_want_a_single_payer_health_care_plan.html


The author of this Salon piece probably should have taken those 2 seconds to verify his facts. Jon's show is a comedy show (and I don't remember him making the claim that Obama said it on the 2008 campaign trail either) and he isn't required to be 100% accurate. The author is supposed to be accurate though. Look how many people on this thread condemn others for "following blindly" and yet totally believed that line. Colossal fail.

[Mithreal]

214. It's ironic that in fact checking, it actually exposes the hypocrisy

in a way that one may be quite surprised.

If I wanted to be subversive, posting something that is so damning with just a teensy bit of untruth, the folks who would object the most become unwitting accomplices in exposing the original deception or hypocrisy. The comedian will be forgiven, he or she is a jester after all.

It's a recipe for cognitive dissonance imo.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

219. The Salon writer isn't a comedian. It's kinda pathetic that he got that bit wrong.

Jon always dates his clips. I doubt he made an exception for this clip.

There was no "teensy bit of untruth" here. It was a flat out lie. The claim wasn't that Obama was once for single payer and then wasn't. The claim was that he campaigned for single payer in 2008--he didn't.

[mmonk]

93. Campaign Obama was for a public option though, right?

[GOTV]

153. President Obama was for the public option ...

... claimed it was a requirement to get his signature.

There are words and there are actions. I'm no longer interested in Obama's words.

[hfojvt]

167. in other words, he fought for the public option - and lost

but you would rather have nothing passed. Howard Dean also fought for a better bill, but then supported the one Obama signed. He said "At the end of the day, I know which team I am on." DUers, though, would rather abandon the team if the plays don't get called, or executed, the way they would like.

[Mithreal]

172. -1

:spray:

Awful broad brush there, igor

[hfojvt]

234. really?

Because our quarterback guaranteed a win (for the Jets, of course) but only threw three touchdown passes in a losing effort, and now we want to attack him as a liar. The other team seems to be beating us, and most of our anger is dirested at our own team.

[Mithreal]

241. Yay, team?

[GOTV]

309. in poor words. He said it was a requirement. He would not sign otherwise. He signed ...

... rather than fight.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

225. That's what I said. They should have used a clip about the mandate issue.

But as a side note, I don't think Stewart made the claim that Obama campaigned on single payer in 2008. I think that was a leap Salon's author made.

[liberation]

73. For what it is worth, "Unrealistic" is not Latin for "Red Herring"

A matter about which you seemed to be confused given the tangentiality of your answer.

Now you know, carry on...

[Mithreal]

194. Too heady for im. Release the herrings!

He'll get it right eventually.

[LanternWaste]

162. Which is I believe, what comedians do...

"And would rather have a punchline than honesty."

Which is I believe, what comedians sometimes do... unless of course the chicken-crossing-the-road jokes are somehow biased.

[TCJ70]

45. It's not what Obama is saying now...

...it's what he said on the campaign trail. Notice that Stewart uses clips of Obama himself to back up his criticisms.

[Mithreal]

61. Well, that's totally unfair then. Get that YouTube kill switch ready.

You can't see the fingers crossed unless you were there.

[tbyg52]

262. .

:spray:

[LanternWaste]

161. Comedians should only poke fun at Republican....

Comedians should only poke fun at Republican.... :eyes:

[demwing]

168. Yes, many do notice the "different standard" - but not, perhaps, in the way you meant

But in the "Support Obama, right or wrong" sense

[Radical Activist]

108. I don't see posters attacking Stewart.

I see many posters playing the martyr acting as though Stewart is under attack.

I think the article overreaches a little. Stewart has criticized Obama from the beginning when he deserved it. I'm not buying into the storyline of some kind of grand disillusionment. Stewart understands his role as a satirist and Obama expects it from him.

[Mithreal]

111. When has Obama made anyone laugh?

[Radical Activist]

113. "You're likable enough"

I laughed my fucking ass off. :)

[Radical Activist]

114. Oh, I think I understand your question now.

I'm not suggesting Obama is a satirist, but rather that Obama understands the role Stewart plays as a satirist. It's an oddly worded sentence.

[Mithreal]

116. Just having a laugh at expense of the wording.

:hi:

[Radical Activist]

119. ok. cool.

It's hard to tell with text but I changed the sentence anyway.

[okieinpain]

228. i still think stewart is a du god. matter of fact I respect him more now.

[rug]

20. I daresay, that Obama is the real deal.

[Mithreal]

63. Careful, that could get ya a warning.

jk :)

[Forkboy]

37. I think Stewart is just a troll for the Right.

[Mithreal]

58. You said it!

Don't matter how you package em, Right is as right does.

[spoony]

96. I'm blocking Comedy Central!

[Incitatus]

99. LOL

Some of the funniest and most ridiculous shit posted on the Internet can be found right here on DU.

[treestar]

125. He's a troll for himself

None of the comedians have any principles other than getting a laugh for ratings and money. There is no reason to take them seriously. They aren't even all that funny - the ones who use our serious issues for their fodder are not talented enough to be funny about life in general.

[JonLP24]

145. LOL

Once again you're talking about Stewart himself rather than what he said. If you want to talk about him, ok. As far as principles, I believe one he has is an honest discussion about policy in America, no matter what said you're on, be honest about policy. As far as talent goes, the 20 awards or so TDS has won speak for themselves.

[The Hope Mobile]

179. +10000000000000000

Exactly! He's a man of principle. He calls a spade a spade. I love that about him!

[treestar]

299. Oh please. The "principle" is to get a laugh

That's what comedians do.

[mistertrickster]

158. I have to respectfully disagree. Stewart is a successful comic. I don't think Leno and

O'Brian are all that funny. But obviously a lot of people do, as they have their own TV shows and I don't.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

165. Wow.

You are sporting some deep ignorance right there.

Did you not watch Stewart through the Bush years? Are you unaware of the multitude of serious awards he received for his silly little "comedy" show? The accolades from the true journalists? Have you forgotten that Stewart was one of the FEW on TV who was challenging W, telling the truth about his obsenities against civil rights and our Constitution?

When you dismiss Jon Stewart in the way you did you only embarrass yourself and reveal yourself to be hopelessly lost to the worst kind of partisanship.

[treestar]

300. I never take comedians seriously

It is pathetic to do so.

[Mithreal]

173. -1

:spray:

[TheKentuckian]

182. Talk of principles from folks that espouse a political philosophy devoid of such things is almost a

laugh but is really a cry.

[bvar22]

236. Centrism!!!!!

...because its so EASY!
You don't have to STAND for ANYTHING,
and get to insult those who do!
:party:

Which Way to the "Mission Accomplished" Parade?

[saracat]

256. Get back to me when you have won 13 Emmys, 2 Peabody's and an Orwell Award.

and been a major force in the Writers Union. When you have done that you get to judge Stewart about his talent and priciples. I suggest you not even speak about George Carlin or Bob Hope as well. Completely different men whose priciples were beyond reproach.

[treestar]

298. Comedians are just comedians

They are trying to get a laugh.

the Stewart worship is sad. He's just trying for a laugh.

And now he's amusing the right wing. So you see, it makes no difference to him who laughs, so long as it is someone.

[saracat]

305. Actually, it does matter to him. Jon is a Democrat but identifies himself as leaning Socialist and

he is famous for his political commentary being spot on.That is how he won 2 Peabody's and the Orwell award. Those awards are for distinguished journalism. Jon feels that politcians have a responsibility to the people and he actively pursues holding them accountable. And he was a huge supporter of the Writers Union during the strike. Jon is no ordinary comedian. Neither was George Carlin. They do much more than "make people laugh".

[treestar]

306. That's crazy

Sorry, that's crazy. Comedians try to make people laugh. They do not do research and insightful commentary.

some journalists may, but today's journalists are not of high quality in that regard.

Looking up to a comedian is just sad.

And if you're going on awards, are those for entertainment? And I guess you are going to give President Obama credit for his awards? Thought not.

[saracat]

314. You really don't know what the Peabody or Orwell awards are for ,do you? They aren't for

entertainment . Jon Stewart and George Carlin do a lot more than cause people to "laugh" their purpose is to make people question and THINK. You really should look up the Peabody and Orwell awards before you jump to conclusions. I also suggest to listen to Carlin and then tell me his purpose was just to get you to laugh. Bill Maher is another whose purpose is NOT just to get you to laugh. You do realize that the major figures of the Democratic Party who have agreed to be interviewd by Stewart do not do so to be "funny"?

[Egnever]

74. WTF not Jay leno!

[Umbral]

235. He is like Jay Leno - except he's funny tas well. nt

[Dragonfli]

3. Even Comedic truth hurts sometimes, but still what is true is true

I am glad he is not hiding his head in the sand regarding campaign lies and hypocrisy.
Too many are doing that and it is a disservice to the telling of truth and also to the citizens that voted for campaign Obama - that voted for him because of his now abandoned rhetoric.

[Karmadillo]

4. Brilliant. The clip of Stewart hammering Obama for that incredibly inadequate speech is

priceless. "What the fuck was that? We're all gonna die?"

[slay]

21. Stewart just tells the truth in a humorous way

cause the mainstream news won't tell it at all.

[Lorien]

44. The court jester was always the one who could get away with telling the truth

and still keep his head.

[kenny blankenship]

5. Is Stewart on the banned sources list yet?

[Fumesucker]

7. I figure this OP ought to do the trick..

:evilgrin:

[YOY]

24. Be utterly sad if they ever go that route...

n.t.

[Bluebear]

51. Stay tuned.

[Mithreal]

59. It's under review.

[Mithreal]

112. Next time, definitely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYV-qYeWPkk

[treestar]

126. There is no reason to ban a comedian

An entertainer, not a "source."

[Mithreal]

226. Seem to have given it some thought.

I suppose if the entertainer became a "source" of news, he or she would be ban worthy.

[jgraz]

9. Not sure what else people expected Stewart to do

The guy skewers politicians and celebrities, and Obama qualifies on both counts.

It would be nice if Obama made it a bit more difficult for him...

[Tansy_Gold]

12. +1

:thumbsup:

[Uzybone]

16. I'm not sure why anyone thinks people are really hurt by Stewart

he is doing what he does, better than anyone else.

His criticism of Obama has been light IMO.

TDS is still the best show on TV, no matter who the president is.

[jgraz]

152. I think Bush was hurt by him, as was McCain.

Especially with McCain, Stewart made it almost unthinkable for a person under 25 to vote for him.

[dana_b]

210. good point

lots of people older and young that do not pay attention to the "news" will watch TDS and/or Colbert.

[chimpymustgo]

28. Stewart skewers liars and hypocrites. Obama should stop giving him so much ammo.

[Poboy]

49. Yes sir. To the point. -nt

[Mithreal]

52. +1

[Lucian]

78. + a million

[Hell Hath No Fury]

166. And there it is in a nutshell.

I have watched Jon since he first took over the show from Kilborne. He rightfully skewered Clinton when he needed it, made his name and cred during the Bush years, and I am thrilled to see him continue the vital job of exposing and holding accountable those in power. Even if that person is a President with a "D" after their name.

Bravo, Jon!

Keep up the good work.

[TheKentuckian]

185. There it is

[BrklynLiberal]

245. Bingo!!!!

[Incitatus]

102. Yes, and IIRC, that is exactly what he said during the last election.

Something like "please make my job very difficult". I guess it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

146. people dont like their beliefs challenged. cognitive dissonance is unpleasant

if you believe any politician is perfect, jon stewart will ruin this for you.

[Mithreal]

209. +1

[Skittles]

13. Stewart is simply doing what he has always done

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

[Incitatus]

101. Some people don't like the truth, nt

[YOY]

151. That's not "the truth". It's "the facts". Truth is interpretable based on philosophy.

Facts...not so much.

[treestar]

127. Making fun of politicians

an easy job for a comedian. The really talented ones go beyond that.

[frylock]

269. this is just killing you..

isn't it?

[Skittles]

293. lol.....frylock

I don't know whether to find it entertaining or just plain pathetic

[Mithreal]

295. I choose entertaining

:)

[Forkboy]

294. LOL

[treestar]

302. No.

I could not care less. Comedians are comedians.

[Skittles]

292. LOLOL

I bet you didn't think that when he was trashing repukes

[treestar]

303. Yes, I did

He'll trash anyone to get ratings and attention.

Pathetic to take this comedian seriously, as pathetic as taking Beck seriously.

[frylock]

307. as pathetic as taking you seriously..

you clearly don't know fuckall.

[Forkboy]

311. You seem to be taking this more seriously than anyone else.

You can't avoid commenting on it wherever and whenever you get the chance. For someone who doesn't care about him you sure seem to care about him.

[malaise]

19. I love both Obama and Jon Stewart

Obama made promised and if he doesn't keep them, Jon Stewart is correct to call him on it.
Most rational DUers speak truth to their partners even when it's painful - Obama isn't more special than hubby and we both call out one another when necessary.

[Mithreal]

55. Not everyone has a healthy relationship with his or her partner

[Grinchie]

83. Man are you right on that account.. Many here are happy to defend the indefensible.

It's a pretty common trend though.

[Mithreal]

92. Too many seem happy to do it, for sure

[TheKentuckian]

183. Especially when the "partner" is a Harlequin Romance novel fantasy fixation

[Mithreal]

199. .

[liberation]

75. +1

Praise when praise is earned, criticism when it is due...

[malaise]

140. That simple n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

22. If it wasn't true, it wouldn't be funny.

And that is why it bothers some so much. They can not make it unfunny, or untrue.

[Hannah Bell]

43. and that's why most right wing comedians aren't generally good political comics --

they can't dish it out to their own guys, they have to lie -- & they can't dish it out to the left on truthful grounds (cause the main reason left-pols fail is by going right), so they really have nothing to say about politics but made-up stuff.

[Mithreal]

56. And there are those who have no sense of humor

I like to call em conservatives, but I guess even a few of those can say something funny from time to time.

Maybe some don't get that pain and humor can co-exist? You know, are a natural part of the human condition or something like that. idk

[Bluenorthwest]

62. The conservatives, politically or otherwise

have the comic handicap of loving high status. Worse, they are defined by high status and decorum. Decorum, in comedy, exists to be destroyed. Margaret DuMont meets Groucho Marx. With many more conservative personality types, the clutching to status and personal dignity above all is what makes them a punchline rather than a line puncher.

[Mithreal]

66. Indeed

:)

[liberation]

76. That is my position too...

... if you don't like it, I have others ;-)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

148. Yes, years ago, after The Life of Brian came out, I saw an interview with Graham Chapman

The interviewer asked him whether the movie was a satire about Jesus, and he said, no, it wasn't, because you can't make fun of a good person who has integrity without sounding mean and petty. He said that to be funny, you had to poke fun at people who were pompous, hypocritical, etc. so the Monty Python group was ridiculing the ways that people reacted to or used religion.

[dana_b]

213. smart

Jesus, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, MLK - you just don't see too many comedians tackling them these days. ;)

[Mithreal]

229. +1

[CBR]

25. Jon Stewart is funny, insightful and makes good points

about politicians, the news and the ridiculous intersection of the two. I love his show.

[nashville_brook]

26. saw this earlier -- good article.

[treestar]

30. He'll bash anyone. He is a comedian.

They try to get laughs however they can.

[Fumesucker]

34. If Obama was being completely straightforward it would make it much more difficult for Stewart..

It is the ironic juxtaposition of old words, new words and deeds that make TDS so amusing.

And Stewart is more than a mere comedian, recall during the Dubya years that he was one of the very few media outlets that wasn't cowed into whimpering submission.

[treestar]

124. Even in the heights of the Chimpadministration, now one was

"cowed into whimpering submission." That's a right wing meme, the "courage" thing.

Anyone could make fun of the chimperor.

[Fumesucker]

141. What? The wingnuts complained bitterly every time anyone questioned Dubya in the slightest.

And DU was volcanically enraged at the cowardice of the media as a whole during Dubya's reign.

Anyone *could* make fun of Dubya but damn few media outlets questioned him in the slightest way for most of the time from 2001 to 2008.

[myrna minx]

156. Tell that to the Dixie Chicks. n/t

[walldude]

177. Really? I bet Bill Mahr would have something to say about that...

And Reggie Rivers in Colorado...

[LanternWaste]

163. Unlke Dan Akroyd

"If Obama was being completely straightforward it would make it much more difficult for Stewart..."


Unlike Dan Akroyd who never made fun of Pres. Carter.

[flvegan]

31. Didn't Obama say himself that he wanted to be held accountable?

Words to that meaning? I find Stewart to be absolutely hilarious, and I never miss his show.

[dmr]

103. Yes, he did, and sometimes it takes someone like Stewart to shake things up

Due to Stewart's popularity, and how much the politicians, pundits, political appointees, etc like to be guests on his show, I'm betting this has already gotten back to the White House and hopefully to Obama.

I'd give my eye teeth for Howard Dean to be appointed as Obama's Chief of Staff.
:hi:

[treestar]

128. If he said that, it was probably serious

comedians do not "hold anyone accountable." They just go for a laugh.

[bvar22]

157. Guess you missed Jon Stewart's appearance on Crossfire.

He destroyed the show.
It wasn't funny.
It was heroic.

[walldude]

178. But John's just a useless comedian...

Just because he took down one of the longest running political talking head shows in a scathing 10 minutes... :rofl: :rofl:

[Mithreal]

230. +1

[glitch]

32. One of the few reasons I miss cable, and enjoy posts like this. Thanks! K & R nt

[Lorien]

40. I haven't had cable in 15 years. Just watch the Daily Show online:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

[glitch]

54. I do need better broadband, that's a fact. :) nt

[Grinchie]

84. Hey, didnt Obama promise that as a big jobs program?

The Broadband modernization Act or some such nonsense?

It's been a while, and I'm still sharing DSL with a neighbor....

Our Local Land Line Carrier is still in bankruptcy, and they won't even install a new card into the DSL rack to add more ports..

6 Months!

It's all fucking lip service. The infrastructure is getting worse, and they still beat the drums of war for Iran, North Korea, and keep fighting two unwinnable wars on printed funny money.

Meanwhile, I watch as whole neighborhoods are loaded with empty house, rotting in the elements, uncared for and being vandalized, while the ones that do make it to market are priced at bubble prices and sit there unlooked at by any buyers unless it's magnificent.

The money thrown at reinflating the buble have failed. The money thrown at the banks has been used to withhold REO propertis from the market, but the money is gone. We are going to see a second wave this fall that will make the first phase of this depression look like the end of the 90's, when everything was built on free money, IPO's, and the Dot Com Craze.

Part two is starting kids....

I wouldn't doubt is we have serious outages of the Internets in the next 12 months.

[glitch]

149. Empty houses while homeless and food services are decimated as their requirements surge.

Mission accomplished - thank your local NeoCon/NeoLib/NeoFeudalist

[Mithreal]

233. +1

:applause:

[Baclava]

33. IBTL

(the new dynamic and all)

[Luminous Animal]

35. Why? Which rule was broken?

[Mithreal]

48. Only all of them

jk

[Luminous Animal]

53. Hahaha!

[Mithreal]

60. .

:hi:

[Fumesucker]

50. I'm pretty sure that was snark.. n/t

[tbyg52]

261. ROFLMAO!

In a sad sort of way - you, too,speak the truth.

[Swamp Rat]

36. GEAUX JON STEWART!!!

KICK ASS!!! :kick:

[Beacool]

39. Wow, I got to start watching Stewart regularly.

Stewart's remarks suggested (accurately, I think) that what the nation really wanted and needed was a frank assessment of the oil spill: how bad it was, how bad it was going to get, whether BP or the government could do anything about it in the short term, and if so, how long it might take. The lead "action" in Obama's report to the country was the creation of a blue-ribbon panel to study the problem and recommend long-term policies on drilling and environmental safety.

"Yeah, slow down, Patton," Stewart said. "I thought you said we were at war. It's battle, it's assault. You formed a commission?" He added, "At least he didn't leave himself vulnerable with a premature, self-aggrandizing photo op." Then the show flashed a photo illustration of Obama standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier under a "Commission Accomplished" banner.

The image's surface message was harsh enough: Obama's incompetent handling of the oil spill is a misstep that's different from, but ultimately equal in magnitude to, any of Bush's most grievous blunders.

But the subtext of the bit was even more devastating: A president who ran on a message of change, hope and frankness is looking more and more like just another goddamn politician faking the appearance of mastery.

:o

[Grinchie]

88. I personally do not think Obama has been incompetent

Considering that he has sold out to the Corporations almost every chance he got. He's DLC, that's what they do.

Now in the past, the DLC was pilloriied and hated.. They still are in my opinion, but as of yesterday, it's against the rules to repeat what was said about the DLC and the horse they road in on.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that Obama "insisted" that he be taken off the DLC website during the primaries, he has proven time and again to be a card carrying member of the DLC and all the other corrupt, military industrial supplicants that reside there.

In this respect, Obama is a perfect PR guy for the DLC.. Likable, inteligent, and on DLC message. Unfortunately, most democrats have an extreme dislike for the DLC, and he doesn't appear to be aware of it.

The sad thing is that the DLC just charge ahead do whatever the hell they want, then when the shit hits the fan, panic and take drastic action, and we are seeing this now. They are in Panic mode and it's palpable. They are no more in control that Sally Timeclock or Joe Lunchbox, and they know it.

It's all a sham.

For those that call out this sellout and hijacking of the Democratic "Label" to be demonized by articles such as this is just another step towrds Facism. When Jon Stewart is squelched it's time to break out the dry powder.

[Mithreal]

117. You must admit, he is transformative

[Grinchie]

244. I fail to see the transformation you speak of.

What worries me is that if I bring up all of the promises that Obama has broken, and all of the cronies he reinstalled from the Clinton administration, I will be Censored as the admins try to rewrite history. Normally rewriting history takes place decades later as important events are removed from the national psyche, but now there seems to be a trend of immediately flushing inconvenient activities down the memory hole.

It's not just censorship, but actual editing of original posts here on DU, which indicates the the administration of this board has been compromised and is out of control.

It very disturbing to me to see this board transformed into a subsidiary of the We Say So Corporation, complete with Editing and censorship.

Moderators - You are not providing any value to Democratic Underground, as this behavior is being documented. While you can impose any arbitrary rule you wish in order to please your masters, the "Little People" like us won't tolerate it for long. You really think that I wouldn't notice your deletion of DLC from DLCUnderground.com? Transforming it to Underground.com? Incredible...

Is that the change that is coming to the site? Good luck with that.

Personally, this is the pattern developed by Corporations to take the 5th, and basically refuse to acknowledge problems within.

You should be ashamed, but hey, if you have to placate the master that butters your bread, then so be it.

[tbyg52]

263. What you mention has been going on a long time, actually.

I guess Skinner's missive really got people's attention.

http://tinyurl.com/possibly-of-interest

[Beacool]

143. I get your point, but the slow response to the Gulf oil spill is not about the DLC.

If the circumstances had been the same and Bush had been president instead of Obama, we would have nailed him to the wall. I think that at first the administration didn't realize the severity of the spill, but once they became aware of it, why didn't they accept all the help they could get? 28 nations offered us aid, plus private corporations and other oil companies. The Jones Act could have been waived, as it was in the aftermath of Katrina. I think that when we have the worst environmental disaster in our history we should accept all help. Obama may deeply care about the spill, but the public perception was that he was just going through the motions. Then it takes him 57 days to address the nation to basically say not much of anything? Someone compared his speech to having a man bleeding on the ground and passing him a list of available doctors that he may want to use in the future, while not taking care of his immediate injuries.

;(

[Mithreal]

175. He received daily briefings. What do you want?

I suspect he waited with fingers crossed, hoping BP cut off the flow for him.

Then when it was stopped, he would have something positive to report.

He is a Free Marketeer. He's one of them from his own words.

In bed with the corporations or holding hands it's all about kumbaya.

It's the mindset.

[Grinchie]

249. It certainly is perplexing and worrisome

My biggest problem with this administration is that it's full of Chickenhawks that still beat the drums of war. We are fighting two terribly bloody wars for Oil and Resources, and while the conservative may think it's OK to wage war and install puppet regimes, I don't.

Secondly, the U.S. Military has had enormous resources flushed down the hole for half a century, yet all it does is wage war. We don't see the amazing vehicles that the Navy undoubtedly posseses being deployed to monitor the spill. Oh no, BP is much better equipped they tell us..

Hogwash.

The inability of the EPA to shut down the dispersal of Toxic Dispersants.

As you wrote, this is a catrasphe beyond imagination, and the people that don't have the technical education to do the math, or wrap their head around the scope of the problem are being lied to, by BP and by a Government that seems AOK to let the Corporations ineptly handle this mess, which smells like political desperation, because the Too Big Too Fail Corporation have the sword of Damocles raised high over the Governments neck.

Politically, I can smell the political fear in the water, and we are seeing panic hitting the corridors of Washington. Even here on DU, there appears to be a palpable fear of admitting the obvious, so I wonder what the motivation is to transform into a Cheerleaders only section.

It is neither Democratic or Fair to the American Public. Maybe the word Democratic needs a new name, because it's use is being hijacked as a brand for more Corporatocracy, which is just another form of Facism that has money as the Fuehrer/Father Figure, that can do no wrong, no matter how deranged, abusive, alcoholic or greedy he is.

They have taken the will to walk out on strike from the people, and now hold the power to hold the country hostage by sending out a memo to stop supplying food, transport, energy, contracting or inflating the money supply at will. There are laws on the books that allow them to take land via eminent domain so a developer can build a shopping mall.

Americans do not have a clue how easy this is, but they deny that it could ever occur, simply because they believe that Corporations wouldn't do it. The fact is, they can, and have done it.

[Juche]

41. The June 16th, Louis CK episode was great.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

42. Jon Stewart was never an Obama "bobby sockser"

I love TDS and I watch it every day and have for years and the narrative this author is trying to paint isn't there. Stewart has always been wary of politicians (with good reason) and that hasn't changed.

[Jennicut]

64. Jon Stewart is brilliantly funny. I like the President but Stewart points out

hypocrisy when needed. I don't always agree with him but he is funny as hell. And very intelligent too.

[pleah]

67. Go, Jon, Go!

:evilgrin:

[Martin Eden]

68. I disagree with the title of this thread.

Jon Stewart was born to bash ANY prominent person whose words and deeds are ripe with opportunity for exposing ridiculousness.

[bvar22]

70. This wasn't Jon bashing Obama.

It was Obama bashing Obama.

Jon Stewart wasn't born to bash Obama.
He was born to expose the hypocrisy of our Ruling Class, and the low level to which our "elected representatives" have sunk to Package & Market themselves.

[mistertrickster]

164. +1, Well said! Exactly right. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

246. I wish I could rec your post!!!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Mithreal]

255. Obama's his own worst critic.

[JDPriestly]

77. Let's hope that Obama is watching Jon Stewart because

Jon Stewart wins hearts and minds and represents those of us who are the liberal activists in the party. We go out and talk to voters. No Democratic president can go far without us.

Personally, I think Obama deserves more credit than he is being given for his response to the BP leak. I don't think we have seen the final chapter yet. I also don't think there is a lot that he can do about the situation until BP has finished its attempts to drill relief holes.

[Grinchie]

89. Amen to that, but I doubt it.

His handlers probably wouldn't allow anything but reruns of more friendly shows.

[Grinchie]

90. Amen to that, but I doubt it.

His handlers probably wouldn't allow anything but reruns of more friendly shows.

[treestar]

129. rofl!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Yes, Obama should put this comedian into the Cabinet! The Secretary of Punditry and Entertainment.

Yes, they can win elections without you - you are just one section. Why do you think you should boss everyone else around?

[TheKentuckian]

187. I dunno, should the amoral, useful idiots, and betrayers of their fellow citizens boss everybody

around?

[Name removed]

86. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[spoony]

98. Look down a few pixels.

:D

[Mithreal]

100. Oh man.

:hi:

[Mithreal]

258. Came too close to the truth, look up a few pixels

:hi:

[ProSense]

87. These are lame, maybe funny in Stewart's routine, but lame

That Obama, who sold himself as a tough-loving, reality-based alternative to Republican thuggishness and mendacity, would embrace the "War on …" mentality strikes me as the true source of Stewart's disillusionment -- that and his forest-for-the-trees penchant for proposing long-range solutions to immediate problems, the executive branch version of handing a list of licensed local doctors to a man who's bleeding to death on the street. This president sold himself as something more than just another politician, and with each passing week that performance is becoming harder to buy. As one of Stewart's comedic heroes, George Carlin, once put it, "Anything here in America we don't like about ourselves, we have to declare war on it. We don't have to do anything about it, we just have to declare war on it … It's the only metaphor we have in our public discourse for solving a problem."

(. . .)

On that same program, Stewart did a bit about healthcare reform that called Obama out for hypocrisy, showing a clip of the president insisting he wasn't interested in pushing a single-payer healthcare system, then following it with 2008 campaign clip in which Obama declared, "I happen to be a proponent of single-payer healthcare." Just as the All Star joke wasn't about Obama's inability to put America back to work by snapping his fingers, this joke wasn't about the merits or drawbacks of any particular scheme to fix healthcare. It was about honesty and leadership. It was about saying you believe one thing, then claiming to believe the opposite while pretending you never held that first position. We've always been at war with Eastasia.

"That Obama, who sold himself as a tough-loving, reality-based alternative to Republican..." and he isn't an alternative to Republicans? Really?

"On that same program, Stewart did a bit about healthcare reform that called Obama out for hypocrisy, showing a clip of the president insisting he wasn't interested in pushing a single-payer healthcare system"

Same tired argument that permeated the health care debate. The President didn't say anything about pursuing single payer, and no one anticipated that he would do so or expected him to do so.

"Obama's mishandling of the BP oil spill since"

Yeah, that's what the critics say, but I call it baseless. The Gulf coast's drill, baby drill crowd was fanning the flames of that criticism, and still is.

Now we have judge ruling the moratorium unjustified and Jindal cheering.

[saracat]

120. Actually Jon didn't mean them as "funny". You may be unaware but

In addition to 13 Emmy's Jon has also won two Peabody awards! And the George Orwell Award. The facts referenced in that video segment were chilling and could be decribed as "black comedy" but they certainly were not "lame".


Stewart and the rest of the members of The Daily Show have received two Peabody Awards for Indecision 2000 & Indecision 2004 covering the 2000 Presidential Election and the 2004 Presidential Election.

In the December 2003 New Years edition of Newsweek magazine, Stewart was named the "Who's Next?" person for the coming year of 2004, with the magazine predicting he would emerge as an absolute sensation in that year (the magazine said they were right at the end of that year).

Entertainment Weekly named Stewart as its "Entertainer of the Year" for 2004.

In 2004, Jon Stewart gave the Class Day address at Princeton University.<74>

Asteroid 116939 Jonstewart, discovered April 15, 2004, is named in his honor.

Stewart was also named one of the 2005 Time 100, an annual list of 100 of the most influential people of the year by Time Magazine.<75>

In addition, Stewart and The Daily Show received the 2005 NCTE George Orwell Award for Distinguished Contribution to Honesty and Clarity in Public Language.

Stewart was presented an Honorary All-America award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2006.<76>

April 21, 2009. President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made Jon a chief.<77>

[BrklynLiberal]

247. thumbsup

[Mithreal]

267. second that

[laughingliberal]

270. 2 thumbs up! nt

[NewJeffCT]

276. The problem is

Obama himself said he was a proponent of single-payer during the campaign - the clip Stewart played. Then, Obama didn't even give single-payer advocates a seat at the table. And, when single-payer advocates tried to get a seat, they got arrested. How often has Obama said that he would listen to every idea out there, even Republican ones? Yet, one idea he was a proponent of, he didn't even let them in the room to listen to them.

[JackInGreen]

95. The Jesters

prerogative is to poke truth with a stick and bleed it for laughs, be they bitter sweet or silly, and Jon manages both with such aplomb that you can't help but smile, even when his digs cut deep into our own flesh. If we weren't nude, he wouldn't say so, I trust in his integrity that much (for a man that makes dick jokes and tells what he calls fake news). Keep banging on ALL OF THEM, Mr.Stewart, Fuck'em if they can't take a joke.

[Mithreal]

97. +1

[JHB]

134. +1

One meets the most interesting people under the bus.

[davidwparker]

109. I think Jon just calls it as he sees it. Same as KO.

I agree with them both.

[Dover]

121. Leno takes jabs at Obama too. I don't think anyone can afford NOT to see through BOTH eyes.

A good comedian holds up a mirror for us so we can see ourselves more honestly. That's why they can be so powerful and heroic.

If you're someone who supports a candidate or party, right or wrong, then it seems the only criteria is 'winning' and maintaining power, issues and truth be damned.
On the other hand, issues are not black and white, and who knows what we might be saying about Stewart were he to be in Obama's position of having to make huge complex decisions in the generally hostile, corrupt environment of Washington politics. Talk about quagmires!

I have real problems with many of the decisions Obama is making though I'm always aware of the limitations of my own perspective relative to having all the information. Not an excuse for inaction, just more truth, realism and hopefully balance. We have to hold politician's feet to the fire and participate in creating the reality we'd like to live in, however we choose to do that. Personally I don't think it's a top/down solution, but rather one that eminates from within and in the grassroots, so I don't overly focus on what politicians do and say and get myself all in knots about it.

[Name removed]

122. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AtomicKitten]

123. It's comedy, people. nt

[sufrommich]

130. Much ado about nothing. This whole thread is filled

with posters pretending Jon Stewart has been thrown under the bus by DU. Except he hasn't at all. Pretend drama is pretend.

[Mithreal]

232. -1 You're right, JS is a comedian so exempt, I've heard that above.

[ejpoeta]

131. i think it's stewart's job to hold obama's feet to the fire. and the fact that he did it to bush

and showed bush's idiocy AND is showing obama's foibles is proof that he is not just some partisan.... he is doing what he should be doing. no one is supposed to say anything bad about obama... and i hesitate to because he gets enough of it from everywhere else, but in the case of stewart, he's not just going after him for the sake of going after him....

[elana i am]

132. i think the writer overstates stewart's

position on obama as if there's been a sudden change in the level of "severity" of the "bashing." mocking, satirizing and bashing of politicians is what stewart does, so that was a weird article.

[DeSwiss]

133. That was an excellent article....

...and appraisal of my own feelings.

K&R

[deutsey]

135. "We had little reason to believe him"?

I had every reason to believe Stewart would skewer whomever is in power. That's what satirists do.

I don't expect or want him to be Obama's court jester.

[humbled_opinion]

136. The truth is if Obama had campaigned

like he has performed. We would have a Hillary Clinton Presidency and this would all be moot. I think that is the main point in all the satire. The real dillema for Democrats is that the Right has painted centrist/right Obama as a radical leftist which means that the definition of centrist will move extemely far to the right.

Unless of course - Employment picks up substantially, the oil leak is plugged and cleaned up, the debt is dealt with, and the troops are removed from Iraq and Afghanistan. I won't be holding my breath.

[n2doc]

139. +1 n/t

[bvar22]

237. Who would have voted for...

...someone who campaigned on:
*Mandates
*No Public Option
*Cadillac Tax
:shrug:

[humbled_opinion]

282. I am talking about the Primary btw....

Hillary Clinton would/should be the President...Obama said he would do all the things that Hillary would do but he didn't and she would have.

Bottom line: It was too soon for Obama and only ignorant sycophants would challenge that assessment.

[bvar22]

286. I'm talking about the Primaries too.

Hillary was FOR Mandates.
Obama was AGAINST mandates.
That, and Hillary's public ties to the DLC, is WHY Obama got my support over Hillary.
Turns out, Hillary vs Obama.....not much difference.
Hillary was just a little more honest about who she was during the campaign.

[DonCoquixote]

288. sycophants

Perhaps if he had waited, he would have been too compromised by the DLC (aka Clinton's court) to even be effective at all.

And making the point that Hillary would have done "all the things that Hillary would do" is not going to convince those of us that did not want her to win that she would have made a better president.

[humbled_opinion]

297. Personally,...

I don't think he has been effective, at all. He wants to do alot of good things but he has gotten very little actually accomplished. He is an aboslute genius at verbal communication, for the life of me, I don't understand why he is having such a hard time sticking to a Progressive agenda. The public option could have been his signature initiative, it practically sells itself. This oil crisis could have been the catalyst to get this country off of oil once and for all. The wars should have been ended. He has given up vast amounts of political capital and he has lost. The right is redefining centrist by claiming that Obama is a far left radical, that meme is going to stick with the Independents. The result will be damage to Progressive and liberal causes.

What I am saying about Hillary is we knew what we were going to get. The Independents loved her and she would have been seen as being in charge and a very good leader not just a mere manager like Obama is being portrayed as. Bill would have given her much clout in these crisis' and right could never have hung the amatuer, inexperienced, albatross around her neck.

[DonCoquixote]

308. progressive

The problem is, he listens way too much to the people who say "the independents elected you, not the progressives", also, since the progressives have shot themselves in the foot a few times, he may think that if he does get too proggy, thje independents may blot.

As far as albatrosses, they had several to hang on her, including a cigar-smoking husband who still has shown he will derail progressives (as the recent primaries show). It is not a question of if Bill would hurt things, but how much.

[humbled_opinion]

310. Cigars oh yeah...

LOL I had not even considered that, but the political climate as it is would have been hard on her for sure, escpecially in light of these new revelations about former VP Al Gore.... The right would have had a field day no doubt.

So I agree with you, two different candidates that bring two different set of political albatrosses (?) LOL...

[DonCoquixote]

313. Yes

To say nothing of the person I voted for in the Primary, Edwards. However, in Hillary's case, this albatross walks and talks.

Honestly, if Hillary had actually told Bill to step off, she might have been the VP at least, but Bill showed very clearly he would think of Hillary's first term as his third.

[highplainsdem]

142. K&R

[Name removed]

144. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LynneSin]

147. Stewart is just doing his job. If he didn't bash Obama his show would be irrelevant

I never thought of him being a liberal suck-up, if he was I would be disappointed.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

150. obama is also not the only liberal he does this too. he does it pretty consistenly to all

politicians

[Major Hogwash]

189. Just like he should do whenever they think they can lie to us and then act like they didn't.

I get so sick of that "when did I say that jazz" from the Democrats these days.
Don't they realize their words have been transcribed on some news agency or article somewhere.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

190. yup. there is something troublesome about blind partisanship. i agree with the democratic platform

more than the republican platform, however, i cannot pretend that dem politicians are demigods, because they are not.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

207. Yep. John Kerry is "boring", Al Gore is a "know it all" and a "hypocrite"

Making fun of politicians is as easy as it gets. (they make it easy)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

212. was he factually incorrect when he said these things? i wish people would really get upset

with the politicians, rather than those who point out what these politicians are really upto.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

224. Well,I do think he exaggerates sometimes for comedic effect.

For example, looping Kerry's least interesting speech parts so they are all lumped together or carrying on with the notion that Al Gore invented the internet. I think what TDS is best at is making people think "Hey, is that true?" and then look it up for themselves.

[laughingliberal]

272. That's a mouthful. nt

[mistertrickster]

154. The realist in me knew that Obama could not fufill every wish and dream that voters projected on to

him.

BUT the astonishing renunciation of so many campaign vows is just heartbreaking.

1. I will sign no health care reform bill without a public option.

2. Establishing the Free Choice Act (allowing workers to unionize more easily) will be one of my first acts in office.

3. DADT must go! (Uhh . . . but first we have to "study" it for a couple of years . . . )

4. Every bill will get a five day hearing with public comment on CSPAN. We will be the most transparent presidency ever.

5. I will allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices the same as the VA does. I will allow re-importation of drugs from Canada.

6. End no bid contracts.

7. End the revolving door for gov't officials becoming lobbyists.

8. Repeal Bush tax cuts for the rich. This may still happen in 2011, two years after the President took office, heigh ho.

9. I will close Gitmo and give prisoners a trial.

10. I will stop "Warrantless Wiretaps." I will revoke the "PATRIOT Act."

On edit: But no way would I imply that Obama is "just as bad as Bush" or some such nonsense. He is a night-and-day improvement over Bush or any other RepubliCON president they would elect. It's just that Obama is satisfied to be Clinton instead of FDR . . .

[Jefferson23]

155. K&R and 5 Stars for Stewart. n/t

[walldude]

180. Jon Stewart uses Obama's own words to nail him...

I don't see the point in pissing on Jon, he's pointing out the obvious. Yet there are some who think he's picking on poor Obama.

[earth mom]

186. Some people can't handle the truth. Go John!!!! You Rock!!!!

:yourock:

[newtothegame]

192. John Stewart is a joke. The guy does nothing brave.

Code Pink, who speaks truth to hostile power and goes to jail on a regular basis, is ostracized.

But John Stewart, who tells jokes to an adoring, fawning audience (who laughs hysterically when he even looks at the camera), is considered a God.

ed for sp

[crim son]

208. Maybe you are overlooking the fact

that some people, perhaps most people, respond better when bad news is served with sugar rather than with bile. I know Stewart singlehandedly changed my parents' view of GWB and his Reign. Dead serious.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

216. lol. Ok.

Jon Stewart would probably agree with you because he considers himself nothing more than a comedian. I don't though.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

221. thats true. he says that often too.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

223. He'd probably say "I'm a joke? AWESOME!"

[NorthCarolina]

197. K&R. Excellent article. eom

[crim son]

204. Stewart's observations would be less compelling

if he limited them to attacks on conservatives, the same way that those who cannot acknowledge the good of the Obama presidency set themselves up to be distrusted; the one-sidedness looks too much like blindness.

I find it disturbing that Obama's tendency to look at the long term effects of policy is derided in the article. First, acting only or even primarily for short-term benefit is only occasionally advisable and often leads to problems down the road. Second, even the President's long-range plans have been characterized by certain people as his shoving down the throats of the people too much change, too quickly. How did Democrats respond to the Patriot Act, and how are people almost universally responding to the Big Bailout? No matter how Obama proceeds, he is going to piss off just about half of the people looking to him for a solution.

[rainlillie]

220. I knew when I voted for Obama he wasn't a liberal..

Therefore, I'm not surprised or disappointed in the way things are going. I do think that sometimes people who are known democrats foolishly go out of their way to take a hard stand, so they won't be called "cheerleaders." Jon is slipping a little IMO, last week he talked about the election of Greene and falsely claimed that Democrats got this guy elected, he failed to mention it was an open primary in SC. Things are far from perfect, but they're a hell of a lot better since Bush has left office. The complaining about Obama is getting a little old and tired. Vote for a republican next time around and see how happy you'll be. Keep complaining and with a little luck the teabaggers will be running the country.

[Dappleganger]

222. LOVE the man, he says what most of us are thinking!

I will always listen to him unless he turns into a mindless cheerleader.

[zenprole]

231. DU departing from reality?

First, the new rules designed to squelch dissent and now this "Hey, Jon Stewart mustn't speak the truth" thread. Not only is Stewart on point, he's using kid gloves. Without descending to the ridiculous, as baggers and birthers do, Obama is still the biggest, ripest, easiest target for political ridicule in decades.

Against the pained denials of those still in his thrall, ask yourselves: how many re-civilizing acts could Obama have accomplished merely by executive order? By refusing to tackle the too-obvious lies of the candidate and administration, Obama's defenders make themselves less legitimate than their object of worship...and an even richer target for satire.

A better idea is to join in with Stewart and apply some of that fabled progressive "pressure," sold during the campaign to offset accepting an imperfect candidate. Failure to do so will render Obama supporters the biggest sham since their swimming-in-Wall-Street-cash candidate took office.

[rcrush]

273. This place has never been in touch with reality.

[DissedByBush]

238. Stuart was just born to bash

The wingers thought he'd go light on Obama because he likes him.

Stuart has proven his an equal-opportunity critic.

[mdmc]

239. TDS is one of the best...

:toast:

[BrklynLiberal]

243. Jon Stewart's brilliance is all the more shown by his ability and willingness to call out

hypocrisy WHEREVER and WHENEVER he sees it.
It makes him more credible to both sides.

I admire his honesty, his tenacity, his sense of humor, and even his willingness to show that he has been disappointed...just like so many of the rest of us.

He calls 'em like he sees 'em. I think he is awesome!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And it decisively proved that Stewart is more than a stealth muckraker or liberal mouthpiece. He's a true satirist who can take aim at anyone but reserves particular scorn for those who reawakened his sense of hope just long enough to exploit it.

[impik]

248. In two years both JS and so many around here will get the president they deserve

[Mithreal]

252. ?

[Forkboy]

268. Passive aggressive fail.

[frylock]

278. nope..

save yer guilt trip. look in the mirror.

[Bluebear]

287. Jon Stewart just wants President Palin!!!1 he doesn't deserve this President!

:cry:

[treestar]

301. Stewart has to want an R President

They are so much easier to make fun of!

[DebbieCDC]

251. K&R for Jon - he speaks the truth

The cheerleaders can't handle the truth.

[and-justice-for-all]

254. What a load of horse shit....nt

[tbyg52]

259. >>reawakened his sense of hope just long enough to exploit it.

Bingo.

[Bluebear]

260. Jon never really loved him!

:cry:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

271. lol

[The_Casual_Observer]

277. But it's a lot more humorous WATCHING Stewart deliver one of those jabs

and then stare into the camera with that quizzical look. It brings down the house every time, on queue. Reading the jabs loses something.

[Prophet 451]

281. It's not his job to bash Obama

Stewart is a satirist. His job is to make you laugh. He's under no obligation to be neutral or partisan either way. His one and only obligation is to be funny. If he can make a serious point in the process, so much the better. It is, after all, part of the jester's job to point out that the emperor has no clothes and Stewart's won a lot of awards doing just that but that's not his primary calling. His calling is comedy, he can be as partisan or as scathing as he likes.