Jon Stewart - Most Trusted Man in America? - Page 3

Sirusblk · 08-26-2008, 05:14 AM

I enjoy The Daily Show, it's much more political than the Colbert Report which lately has been nothing but stupid news that's not remotely political. I blame that Peabody award! >

The truth is, The Daily Show gets a lot of flak for being left winged. But people fail to realize The Daily Show always mocks the current government. When Clinton was in charge, The Daily Show mocked him.

Yes John Stewart is left winged and barely edges out of being diagnosed with dwarfism, but he's admitted that on several occasions.

John Stewart cuts the crap, and excuse the phrase, "tells it like it is". He's rightfully earned the title Most Trusted Man in America. If he was press secretary we wouldn't be getting all this BS.

What I find most humorous is he's attacking the media more than half the time. That is his show's supporting backbone. Yes he's called the president a twat, but if you haven't you are wrong! >

**jepzilla** · 08-26-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santa

Or he'll have the Truman effect 50 years from now like some pundits say.

I better clean up the milk that just came out of my nose.

American media is very myopic and very little reporting of foreign policy outside of Iraq is done. Honestly, had Bush not invaded Iraq he would probably be regarded as one of the best foreign policy presidents since Truman. He's done a lot of very good work in eastern Europe, Africa and India, and the situation in North Korea seems at least partially resolved. Supporting Kosovar independence was a bold, but good move, as was the Uzbek refugee airlift that got the US kicked out of Uzbekistan. And he's overseen a transformation of the geopolitical system like Truman did. But Iraq is kinda an elephant in the room, and he's always seemed to be luffing when it comes to Pakistan and half of South America. Western Europe doesn't like him, but France has hated America since Suez, so that's nothing new.

I like the comparison to Nixon since Nixon also was also a good foreign policy President, in my opinion. The opening of China was a complete political coup in the cold war, and his policy of Vietnamization and withdrawl from the Vietnam war was working until it was sabotaged by Congress. But Nixon won't be remembered for that, he'll always be the disgraced president.

I think Bush will be judged somewhat less harshly by history than he is today. The same wave of support that lifted him seven years ago has turned against him, and it's just as irrational now as it was then; not that popular opinion is fundamentally wrong, but there is a matter of degrees. I would hope that cooler heads will prevail when it comes time to write history, but that has yet to happen with Reagan (regardless which party you tend to side with), so that may be wishful thinking on my part. If Iraq improves enough then maybe he'll be seen as a Truman figure. But I doubt that's possible. I'll stick with Nixon for the time being.

Anyway, I think I've dragged this thread far enough off topic.

**Zoopy** · 08-26-2008, 06:40 PM

Royal Canadian Air Farce > The Daily Show

**jepzilla** · 08-26-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoopy

Royal Canadian Air Farce > The Daily Show

Pff, that one jumped the shark ten years ago.

Sharingan · 08-27-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jepzilla

The show has always had a left slant. And I don't watch it much recently, because I don't think it's very funny anymore. Maybe it's been funny while you've been watching it, but I started watching it back in 2001. The same old 'Bush is a moron, har har!' joke stops being funny after 7 years, no matter how true it is. And it's not that Bush has stopped being an idiot, or he's stopped being entertaining, it's that somehow almost every story on TDS has to link into a 'Bush is an idiot' punchline.

I've also seen him mock several other things like the media (the whole thing with the best f-ing news team and a little profile thing on each so-called journalist), the presidential candidates, the Russians actions in Georgia, and Bush's INACTION over Georgia. He keeps it current, and points out Bush's stupidity because he continually does stupid things.

"Back of the hand in the small of the back...probably his best decision during his presidency" - perhaps paraphrased.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jepzilla

The Olympics. Did Stewart talk about scandals and controversy around China and the IOC?

Erm...yes...

Quote:

Originally Posted by jepzilla

What does this have to do with O'Reilly? Saying that Stewart is funnier than O'Reilly is faint praise. But since you bring up O'Reilly, you should find a clip of Stewart's (in)famous appearance on Crossfire. O'Reilly's foaming at the mouth is the kind of divisive partisanship Stewart was brilliantly skewering. Four years ago The Daily Show was a different beast from O'Reilly, Crossfire and the other political punditry. But now it's basically the same, just more tongue in cheek and self-effacing.

Not that Stewart is funnier, that wasn't my point in the slightest. I'm saying he admits the nature of the show to have the slant it does. He doesn't bullshit about being informative or anything like that, he just says it how it is.

Indeed, I've seen some old clips of Stewart at his supposed best and seen Stewart Vs. O'Reilly.

Sirusblk · 08-30-2008, 06:18 PM

Anyone see him slam the democratic convention? I don't remember any right wing pot shots but I can remember a dozen or more left wing pot shots.

**Santa** · 08-30-2008, 06:30 PM

Most (not all) of the potshots he makes against the left wing are merely funny but dont have any substance. Just weird shit people say, or taking things out of context. I find those the funniest.

When he makes fun of the right wing he usually points out substantive things they say that actually have bearing on real politics. While it may sometimes be funny, its usually more or less the same joke everytime.

I dont really put myself in either camp, but I wish TDS hit both sides in the same manner because theres definitely just as many stupid liberals as there are stupid conservatives. However, if Obama wins and we see the TDS make more substantive potshots at liberals, ill gain a lot of respect for him because it shows he targets the people in power more.

Sirusblk · 08-30-2008, 06:38 PM

Well Jon Stewart has said on record before that he does just take pot shots at whose ever in charge more. Let's face it, the Republicans had the Oval office and all of Congress. Now it's a little more even in congress at least. And yah the majority of the jokes are making fun of Bush.

Now more than anything Jon Stewart makes fun of the media, CNN, etc. Aren't they the liberal media? :P

Seriously if I see another clip of Wolf Blitzer in the situation room speculating on what we can't even see I'm gonna shoot myself in the head.

**Beatnik** · 08-30-2008, 11:14 PM

Yeah he did give it to Bill Clinton pretty good every night back when he was still president.

But you have to admit, the absurdity of the Bush administration was gold for satirists. That's going to be hard to beat by whoever ends up winning.

**ANGELofDEATH** · 09-01-2008, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beatnik

But you have to admit, the absurdity of the Bush administration was gold for satirists. That's going to be hard to beat by whoever ends up winning.

True.. They never thought they would have a better target than Reagan at one time. Then Clinton raised the bar with the "cigar event". But everyone, has had a laugh(at least a chuckle) and a shake of the head at Dubya's great speeches over the last 7 years. His speeches will live forever in the form of youtube's funniest videos.
Do you think we can elect someone to best Dubya in the future? Skeletor from Arizona? or the black guy from Harvard? Either way, the comedians are going to have a lot of material.