Jon Stewart Mocks Obama "Bitter" Controversy

Last night on "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart mocked the controversy around Barack Obama's comments about "bitter" people in small town America (first published on the Huffington Post). Stewart mocked both the quality of the audio recording, comparing it to a "Peanuts" cartoon, and the controversy surrounding the comment — "So wow, out of context, almost inaudible, artfully phrased, sound bite from Barack Obama: they're gonna get that boy, they're gonna get him good!" (Full audio of the San Francisco appearance can be heard here.)

Watch as Stewart mocks the media for their endless rehashing of the comments and also ridicules Hillary Clinton for jumping on the anti-elitist bandwagon as soon as Obama's "bitter" comments were made public ("Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug! Is she running for President or pledging?"):

Comments

[Cedman]

We are getting the same top notch journalism in the campaign as we did in the runnup to the Iraq invasion.

[kellygrrrl]

I get the distinct impression that the good people of PA and Indiana and Oregon are fully aware of the need for the most intellectual and sane candidate.

I think we've all learned our lesson.

[Weathermaker]

Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath. There's a reason republicans use the same language and the same tactics every election cycle.

[Montanamotor]

Kellygrrrl: Perhaps, it's getting time to reverse the cycle and emigrate back to Old Europe, the home of so many brave Americans' ancestors - or, back to Mother Africa, for that matter. I am sure, the home countries of your ancestors will gladly receive the new, willing and capable to work and give their best to their new land, with open arms:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

This is no joke.

[philipwitak]

Not if the manipulative mainstream media has anything to say about. and they do - plenty.

Last time, they promoted 'the guy you would most like to attend a backyard bbq with.' this time, they're wondering 'who is the best bowler?' and 'who attended a church and may have overheard something they don't happen to approve of?'

The msm are not to be trusted. they set the agenda. they filter the information. and they ignore many of the most important issues in favor of infotainment, all the time. the disservice they provide to the people of this country in inexcusable.

[Bacchus11]

I find it sad how anti-intellectual America has become. All you have to do is look at how teachers are treated in this country. For some reason being an intelligent person is bad? I find it annoying to see people like the girl above described people in San Francisco (though I think that is a bit of a generalization *cough*) I hate the hypocrisy but Obama isn't that, obviously, if you know anything about his past. I live in east Tennessee where people fall for the same bs every year, morals, religion and gun rights. Obama hit it right on the mark, people just hate facing the truth. Then Hillary went the Bush route when reacting to his remarks...­ug. I'm sick of people like Bush and Hillary trying to be one of the "masses". Why do people want that? These people are going to be the President of the United States, not a member of the local school board.

[NicoleAnonymous]

You should move here - it's even worse than you imagine. We have "liberals" protesting the war in Iraq by holding a "demonstration" in front of Nancy Pelosi's house but they bring along some Chablis and cheese and crackers because as everyone knows, war protests have to be "fun!" and the women in Code Pink stand in the middle of the street with their tops off because apparently bare breasts will help people remember all the people who have died in Iraq.

But this is really trivial so I don't think people are going to decide not to vote for Obama based on what he said at a political fundraiser.

[Weathermaker]

Wow, is this what keeps you up at night? Code Pink and naked breasts? Wow!

[PrairieDog]

I'm in my early 60s & came up with the street theater of the Yippies. While I applaud Code Pink's activism, do they really think they will change minds by. say, shouting comments (however true) at a congressional hearing in pink feather boas? People will look at them & think "who are these nuts?". It's bad enough that Ralph Nader, an intelligent thoughtful person with some very cogent criticisms of the status quo, gets lambasted as being from another planet, even though he has never worn a pink feather boa...to my knowledge.

[jood42]

Watch out for low-flying stereotypes!

[kellygrrrl]

agree! Gawd Forbid we elect an Intellectual to hold the highest office.

we're so much better off with a chimp in control.

since when is a mixed-race kid born in the 60s to a single teen mom an Elitist?

[MossyOak]

A chimp in control? That was very funny, but highly unfair to all the chimps in the world.

[shinybear]

>I find it sad how anti-intellectual America has become.

Why you'd think our schools have been underfunded since the 1980's- wait a minute....

[byrok67]

just for that, i'm going to start watching jon again. for awhile, his inviting evil on his program bugged me off for a few months. damn right i'm bias against Bush's Bunch.

[bighair]

At least the daily show gets it and sees this "gaffe" for what it is..

I am so fed up with people and organizations that call themselves journalists while all they really do is gather all the press releases they have received that day and repeat them, regardless of truth or logic. Journalism in this country if F'n pathetic. Does anyone get off their asss and investigate a story anymore? Does anyone stand up and refuse to repeat the talking points they received that day and call it "the news". I really wish some of these "journalists" would call out politicians on their crap and tell them they are full of it when they try to feed the airwaves with BS. I know that the beast needs to be fed and the media needs to keep things hyped up but this story is so overplayed.

Why isn't the MSM talking about the looming legal proceedings HRC is facing in CA? Why isn't there more of a focus on the F'n war and the people who are fighting it? I know that the war coverage doesn't do as well in the ratings and the CEO upstairs wants the stock to go up so they get their big fat bonus...sc­rew the real news, just make sure the ratings are there!

A few years ago GW played the media like a bunch of clowns and it seems to me the same is happening again, this time by HRC.

[NicoleAnonymous]

I know it's not the same as it used to be but look at it this way - at least we have freedom of speech here and at least we can buy any newspaper or magazine that we want or we can search for stories online or even read newsites online from other countries. We're not in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan where we wouldn't even be able read about the candidates or what they said at a politicial fundraiser or see their tax returns.

The information is there but Americans have to look for it and not always blame the press and media for not knowing enough about the issues.

[bugsbonzai]

If it's just a matter of degrees, then I guess we shouldn't complain, so long as we have more freedom of speech than the average Pakistani. Whatever that is. I for one do not find that a very compelling argument whatsoever. How much more speech than Pakistan is acceptable to you? Just a "little bit" better? What level of suppression is okay with you? How much censorship (outright or self-imposed) is alright with you? It's relativists like yourself that justify the soulless hackery of our media and explain away the rape of our Constitution.

[c1ee]

That's quite low expectation from a country that proclaims to be the greatest country in the world. BBC and PBS is the model to follow. More public broadcasting please.

[butterfly218]

I so agree with you. The news we are "paying for" is not getting to us. We buy their products. We might have to borrow some pages from Paul Revere and the hippies of the sixtes. Don't like what you are getting, throw the "TEA" in the water. Don't buy the products that sponser their TV and radio shows. Jusy don't do it. Your dollars keep them floating the s--t that passes for news.
What they should be showing is how John McCain admitted that he was a liar on national TV. When John McCain returned from Iraq last year he was on Meet The Press and Tim Russert called him a liar. John McCain ,caught in a lie, clearer than Hillary, Drove the strait talk express right into liars hall of fame. He said " OK you got me. " laughting at being caught in the lie about being safe there in Iraq, and went on to say " I lie, thats who I am, I stretch the truth" Why isn't this being played every day all day long. B218

[shinybear]

The people who do the kind of reporting you are talking about are quickly fired.

The "media" is the mouthpiece for a few corporations.

After the way they got us into Iraq, failed to investigate the 2000 and 2004 election frauds, failed to investigate the causes of 9/11 and have given George Bush and Co. a free ride for eight years, there is no reason any of us need take them seriously again in our lifetimes.

People on both sides of the aisle no longer fall for their pre-fab "shocked outrages" and daily self-serving manipulations.

We have the internet now and the TV "news" generation is dying.

[grrrfren]

It seems to me Stewart is just trying to the divert everyone from the fact that most of the time he shills for Hillary. So, in this case, he apparently threw Obama a bone to try obscure his allegiance to the hardest-drinking candidate in the race. Sorry, we're not fooled. Stewart and SNL and now Colbert are no longer viewed at our house. For one thing, there's much better stuff on HBO etc without having to endure stupid commercials. For another thing, in our house, we actually know how to read.

[BeastOfYuccaFlats]

WOW, do you realize how Elitest you sound?

[IndianMoon]

It is obviously bias..... Doesn’t mean it isn't funny

[igmond50]

What on HBO is funnier than Stewart... John Adams?

[rich3324]

John Adams was an elitest.

[NicoleAnonymous]

If you have Showtime I heard The Tudors is really good. There isn't much on HBO that seems that good to me right now. They had this horrible show where these people talk about their relationships and sex problems but none of the characters were people you would want to spend time with. It was horrible. Some people like Entourage but I saw it a few times and wasn't impressed. I've never seen CYE but I've heard that is really funny but Larry David is very moody - he only does the show when he feels like it so sometimes it's not even on.

But if you want a read a good book then get "Born Standing Up" by Steve Martin - I just finished it. The funniest part is when Dan Ackroyd gets shoved out of a moving car in the middle of NYC and then Steve Martin asks him if he wants to go shopping for clothes.

[Ramirez]

John Adams on HBO is an excellent mini-series and it's currently playing. Is "Big Love" gonna return? Enjoyed that one.

Showtime? Dexter rocked. We watched a little of The Tudors but really didn't get into it.

[justmeinAz]

Or, could it just be that John Stewart is doing his job as a comedian, and isn't part of anyone's crusade?

[SamBrown]

That was one of the funnier Daily Show bits I have seen.
He made great (and funny) points about Hillary trying to be "just regular blue collar folks"(read NON-elitist) while drinking a shot of CROWN ROYAL and the whole ridiculous use of "ELITIST" as such a terrible thing to be in the first place.
Our present Good Ol' Boy in Chief who graduated from the best prep-schools and the Ivy league did his best to become non-elite and look where he has gotten us.
Incidentally, I think the funniest part of the whole clip was Clinton's reaction to the "When is the last time you fired a gun?" question.
That's not RELEVANT!?

[adeak]

Ok, it's weird how you completely forget how Obama did the exact same beer-drink­ing-I'm-ju­st-like-yo­u act just a couple weeks ago while dragging along the camera crews...

[mawrm]

Beer drinking is one thing. Doing shots under peer pressure as a presidential candidate is a whole 'nuther matter.

[Wingit]

Isn't time to remember Hillary's vodka shot contest with John McCain on their official congressional trip to Russia? I never found out who won.

[c1ee]

Your analogy will only hold if Obama was to go to a women's meeting and start doing women things, like talk about fashion or something. Hillary was so fake trying to be one of the boys.

[Karenina44]

No wonder so many of us rather watch Stewart/Colbert (and might I add Olbermann) than the mainstream drival.

[vincealy]

The best comments on this come from Comedy central not the talking heads on MSNBC or CNN.

[toni1920]

bwahahahahahahaha

Thats what she gets


Oh yeah, Obama is gaining ground. Go to CNN and look on the ticker.

Hillary, this was a blessing in disguise

[LoloZ]

Thank you Jon Stewart for pointing out something to all of us in middle America-- we DO want someone better and smarter than us to be President, i.e. elite. I know i couldn't do the job.

[BigBen]

Interesting when Jon calls Obama a boy. No uproar from the fans.

[Kansas Evans]

I heard Jon mock the Congressman who called Obama a boy. I don't recall Jon himself calling Obama a boy.

[Ouroboros]

He was speaking from the perspective of people who are not him. We're already known to be angry with those people.

[fedupnburnin]

Everything Obama said was right. And its not limited to just rural folks.

[toni1920]

Right, if u look at the article from the person who was there in which the article in on here, it says he saod the same thing about Inner city folks too

He is saying that people EVERYWHERE are tired of the government and quite honestly, i am.

And i do cling to my religion to help me. Thats the one thing that is constant and they cant take away

[TommyHollis]

Religion is the opiate of the masses.
Regurgitated thought. ill expressed.

[rikkirighteous]

But what if it's true.....?

If 100 people give 100 different answers to a question, does that mean they are all wrong? Or is more reasoned analysis appropriate?

[bluevillage]

Comedy is the opiate of the bitter.

[NicoleAnonymous]

"comedy should only be performed by people who are actually funny - everyone else needs to find another job."

Plato

[tdeiker]

Hillary Clinton in "Storm Over Tuzla" (video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgfWVfmilOM

Brought to you by Crown Royal. Always delightful - especially with a beer chaser.

Crown Royal - where the elite meet to greet the man on the street.

[NicoleAnonymous]

Did you hear about her dancing with some women in an aerobics class in PA? I've heard about it but I can't find it.

[DownwithFearMongers]

Anybody that doesnt vote for a candidate that is the best and smartest person for the job deserves presidents like Bush.

[Ouroboros]

I know. Thank God Obama seems to be winning.

[estevancarlos]

And apparently deserves presidents like Hillary.

"Hillary! Not quite elite, just mediocre."