Jon Stewart Mocks Media For Peddling Insane Obama Rumors

On Monday night's "Daily Show," Jon Stewart mocked the media's willingness to peddle insane rumors about Barack Obama — and their tendency to blame the rumor-mongering on internet sites. Calling it "Baracknophobia," Stewart showed clips of anchor and pundits from all three cable networks repeating baseless rumors (Muslim, plagiarist, sexist, etc.) about Barack Obama (and his wife Michelle).

The highlight of the clip comes about 2:25 in, when Stewart says, "Oh, this is interesting. SomeguyI'veneverheardof.com is reporting presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama has lady parts. Obviously scurrilous and unfounded, we'll examine it tonight in our special, 'Barack Obama's Vagina: The October Surprise In His Pants.'"

Watch:

Comments

[MYQUEEN7]

This is funny and sad at the same time. Funny because it is. Sad because it is a true reflection of current times. This political cycle will be fast and furious and it will be up to us to seek the truth for ourselves. It's just that simple. Can we do it?

YES WE CAN!!!

[doug108]

Thank goodness for The Daily Show. Of course, my mother-in-law thinks FOX News is the only channel with real experts on it, and she doesn't watch The Daily Show. So, we're all screwed.

[andrew2009]

Not if you show her this clip.

[slinkymom]

My father-in-law is a great man but is an avid Fox fan. I work constantly at showing him the lies they spew. It's been an uphill battle and I don't feel I've made a dent. My mother, on the other hand, was a staunch republican but we've managed to educate her on the real truth and she is now planning on voting for Obama. There is hope for some, not for others.

[FearlessSpeech]

Real Americans need to organize against Sean Hannity and Fox News. This guy slanders Barack and Michelle every single day. It should not be tolerated!

[ErinOK]

If enough people would stop watching his show and boycotting the products that advertise on Fox, both Fox and Hannity would both sink.

[andrew2009]

Erin:

I've been saying that all along to my friends. I don't watch the show - when their viewership drops, and people boycott the advertisers by not purchasing the products, then people will wake up. Sadly, it has to hit their pockets in the same way that the Bus Boycott in the south during the civil rights movement hit the pocketbooks of the bus companies.

[Nolewoman]

The sponsers are the answer. Money. If we, all of us liberals, progressives or just plain responsible people, would bombard their sponsers with letters and e-mail telling them we will not be buying their products until they withdraw their sponsership from Fox, maybe something could be done. I do believe there are more of us than them.

[Daly]

I can stop watching but the sponsors are another thing; they sell things that are for the geriatric crowd.

[ebethgay]

Eventually McCarthy sank himself, Hannity will too. What comes around goes around.

[PaulLoeb]

There was a major study correlating people who consuemd different media and how much they knew key unarguable facts in the news. Daily Show viewers ranked almost at the top, a shade behind newspaper readers and about equal to PBS viewers. Fox viewers of course were at the bottom.

[IndependentMynd]

Maybe this is it...

http://people-press.org/report/319/public-knowledge-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-information-revolutions

[booksnmore4you]

It is an astounding commentary on our media when a comedian nails the truth more than the media itself.

[Deni]

I saw a survey somewhere (and I wish I could give the citation but I just don't remember) that people that watch Stewart & Colbert were better informed than people that only get their news from Fox News. A sad commentary on Faux News.

[doug108]

Of course, you have to actually know the facts and the real news to get the jokes on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

[klandish]

Satire in corrupt times has always been the savior.

[BetterDays]

Stewart highlights such idiocy and hypocrisy better than anyone. Absolutely silly and hilarious while packing a powerful message. Brilliant!

[mredder4]

It would mean more if he spent more time looking at how the media spins rumors about all candidates instead of just his man-crush, Barack Obama.

[Lerk4]

Get over your Baracknophobia dude

[hjfraser2002]

Man-crush hmmm

Is that the way we describe it when a candidate has the charisma to draw a huge number of people to him.

Maybe, its just that he represents what most people have been looking for in a candidate for a long time

I think man-crush is more descriptive of the blind followers of our dear leader the Shrub. That is the only way i can reason why some people still cling to his idiotic leadership.

[Scurvybro]

Yeah, tell it like it is, mredder4! I can't wait until Stewart dispels the rumors about how McCain is a straight-talking maverick.

When he does, let's meet back here and celebrate, OK?

[Daly]

Don't hate, appreciate! You know deep down if you had it going on like BHO you too would not care if your name was Hussein. Be honest:

Big ears or liver spots?
Harvard law review or bottom of the barrel crash test dummy.
Blaze your own trail or follow bush' trail to infamy
pack in 20k or pay folks to come see you
inspire with speech and vision or flip/flop head scratch and lines from 20 y.o movie

It's summer; got your flip flops?

[klandish]

Flip flops give you cancer.

[TERRYKEITH4]

What rumors are being spread about McCain or even Hillary Clinton? HRC spreads her own rumors like that rumor she tried to feed us about the sniper fire in Bosnia.

[kellygrrrl]

what is so infuriating is the new ReThug line I keep hearing and reading everywhere:

"Oh, relax! It's just a joke."

people are seriously defending racism and lies as a "joke"

[slg]

Every time some right wingnut gets called on their ignorance they use the same line. It's their way of insulting you again.

[ahornick]

The only problem is the 25% of the country who still think Bush is doing a good job are the same that don't understand satire and think this skit is real!

[TERRYKEITH4]

Lol! Sad but true.

[4wehttam]

Thank you Jon Stewart! Keep fighting the good fight against lies, smears and bigotry.

[MozKrew211]

Finally! The Daily Show has been sucking for a while. Last night was the best show they've done in some time. It was good, though.

[dr4Will]

most of Stewart's stuff is the same opinionated crap--who is he to say others are wrong--these media whores like John think it is all about them--you may fool your listeners but you can't fool intelligent people--they just don't want to believe one show host,they seek truth in many places!

[TERRYKEITH4]

But you, my friend are not. You watch Fox because they say ignorant stuff you like to hear.

[AristophanesJones]

Republican strategists are like the Scarecrow from Batman and their president is like the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.

[mindlessmissy]

Hannity Is an IDIOT .... Oh that has already been Stated by Multiple people .. Well He is still a Moron

[XME]

I saw this last night and thought it was great. The smears they're coming up with are all over the board and beyond ridiculous. What better way to deal with them than to mock them. After all, the people who make up that crap are no less ridiculous that Stewart portrayed them. They are stupid and shallow and the best way to fight that kind of crap is to turn it into a complete joke...whi­ch these people most definitely are.