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

[pogoman11]

Did you guys see this new GOP button? It's hard to be racist and lame at the same time, but republicans have found a way:

http://www.thepoliticaljerk.com/2008/06/racist-insight-from-texas-gop.html

[StillIRise]

This makes one wonder why the Republicans can't figure out why they're seen as racist! This campaign will expose them for who they really are!

[Daly]

at the mo' it is Blacks; but all people will be targets if we let them continue.

Casting all latino as illegal = GOP
speaking up = unamerican
unirversal healthCare = socialist
talking out your problems with other countries = Ronald Reagan
China drilling offshore in Cuba = failed policy of not talking
Child getting angry at logic/parent and not speakng = Bush/McCain

[rockbull2]

Not only is he mocking the media, but also the people who believe this garabge

mike tomaso
tomasoreport.com

[Nonamnesiac]

Once again, just brilliant -- right on the money. Stewart is great.

[Wanjiru]

...I haven't seen Sean Hannity in eons...

...wish I hadn't clicked on this...

.

[MB141]

jon stewart shows once again why we're all doomed! the media is out to destroy us....

[GuyRC]

i agree, it's painful and it won't go away

[vassyuta]

the problem with MSM today is that now internet somehow serves as justification for reporting rumors - well, it's going viral online, so let's talk about it. if they wanted to make it a story they could research the origins and track the story and narrow down possible sources of the post and who is behind, so as to prick the whole 'viral bubble' of smears and not genuflect in front of the mystic powers of the interweb, which has apparently changed everything. msm just love the opportunity to jump at a cheap and easy sensation, for which you don't need to do any investigative reporting and yet appear that you're above it all at the very moment of repeating it for the 100th time that day. for instance, how come no one reported on who posted the rev.wright videos or how the person who'd taped the bittergate had the voice recorder and why they recorded it - i mean of course the source is protected and anonymous but there are lots of things to discuss here without breaching anonymity and protected privacy of sources and posters.

[YankeeCanuck]

I'm glad I got to see Hannity for the first time here.
He's pathetic. But what's worse, he's like a Tucker Carlson with half a brain-- the devious half.
That there are some folks who believe this stuff makes me despair of democracy.

[conned]

To call Hannity devious is to give him too much credit. I think he believes what he says. I used to think he was a shameless liar and willing propagandist, but the more I see who these pundits really are and where they came from, it occurs to me that they were selected for their positions exactly because of their stupidity, their blind loyalty, willingness to say and do anything for a buck and their dillusional belief in ends-justi­fies-the-m­eans ideology. They lack any depth, and are void of logic. They sacrifice morality and character for power and wealth. Really they are just very stupid, vein, pompous, intellectually, morally and spiritually shallow individuals who sold their souls for fame and fortune. Their loyalty is to the party and the agenda-unbridaled capitalism, and power projection. Maybe they've been brainwashed? I do wonder sometimes.

[booksnmore4you]

That is some chewin' out but it is wholly deserved.

[Venicedread]

You are absolutely correct!
They are becoming more and more like the media personalities in that movie V For Vendetta.
I was watching that on cable the other night and I was thinking to myself , oh my god Fox News.
LOL

[VSamuels]

Good points!

The other problem is that they are free to express opinion as fact and it is rarely if ever corrected; rather the MSM seems to merely ignore these folks, who sadly influence millions of listeners with their garbage each day. And, I also agree that those like Hannity are pathological in that they truly have convinced themselves that they are correct in their views; but more troubling and importantly is that their mission is to awaken the masses of folks who voted for George Bush and get them to come out to the polls for McCain.

And, when they are more critical of Obama's potential for political disaster than they are of the presidency of Bush, one realizes that they are merely the extension of the 'rich' who are the ones least offended by Bush's policies which have been so punitive to millions of American people.

[preatorius]

I can't believe this guy has a show. He is beyond corny!

[lornejl]

Do it Live ! ***** ***** do it live *** God damn it ! You ***** **** do it live !

[DemMD]

I wouldn't call Hannity corny, I would call him an idiot.

[xhibi]

Truth telling is corny I know. More McBush lies please about Iran preparing a mushroom cloud for us. Sounds so thrilling. I can't believe it's not butter. Vote for McW or the Sun won't rise in the morning of Nov 5th.

[DemMD]

i cant believe its not butter, haha

[poropo]

thanks jon all am praying is for fox news and hannity to be remove off air fox news are fools.

[hjfraser2002]

Corny?

I guess everybody has a different sense of humor.

You have to think that an administration that continues to give so much material to comedians after all this time to be of some note. I have never seen so much in my lifetime.

It used to be something here or there, this administration is one big joke day after day.

the one thing that makes it so ridiculous is the "I don't care what they say'" attitude.

[RAYINNJ]

The attacks on Obama remind me of school yard arguments where a child runs out of verbal ammunitiion and resorts to name-calling. Still feeling humiliated by losing the argument, the child goes back to class to 'whisper' little untruths in the hope of humiliated his opponent. Yes, our news media are showing just how immature they are. They cannot fathom the expertise and professionalism demonstrated by Tim Russert and others of his vein. Instead, they reveal their own petty little fears and biases on national media, hoping to stir up a certain segment of the American people, and subtly playing on the internal subconcious (and conscious) fears of many others. It's long been said that "an educated black man is a white man's worst fear". If this is true, such a perception is certainly given credence by their behavior. It is clear that this election is different than any other - but does the coverage have to be too? Funny thing how "fear" brings out the worst in some people!

[booksnmore4you]

Hear hear!!!

[hjfraser2002]

Yes, definatly a school yard argument. Especially when the neocon trolls come a calling.

[LiberalBuzz]

Yeah they might want to change the headline from Insane Obame to insane rumors. Sounds kind of wierd the way it is now.

BUT Jon did a great job of showing just how hypocritical the media is. Instead of ignoring the rumors, they propagate them ad infinitum.

[RoSull]

As long as people keep tuning in, it will not change. As long as people do not demand that they stop their insane reporting methods (I won't even call it news), it will not change. The sad thing is that there are MILLIONS of people that respond to this type of smear reporting.

Thank goodness for Jon Stewart injecting some levity.

[inthecolour]

Obama has a vagina?

That just made him MORE awesome in my book.

[biglover]

ROFLMAO

[scouserinlondon]

But is it instead of or as well as ?Now THAT would be awesome.

[Janel]

Jon Stewart is terrific. I only hope that this sketch is watched by some of the morons who consider FOX news, especially, the truth.

What makes FOX even more ridiculous is listening to them laud Tim Russert for his fair and objective reporting. Why don't they take a lesson from that man and stop making fools of themselves!

[booksnmore4you]

Oh, the lauding did not last. He's now "a liberal".

[ann1]

Everyday I pray that Fox and Sean Hannity will be taken off the air. I won't stop until Fox and Sean Hannity are taken off the air.

[ReelBusy]

You go girl!

[HBeachbum]

Don't hold your breath.

[DemMD]

This country is still chock-full of hateful bigots. As long as he has that audience, I'm guessing he'll have a job. Sad but true

[ssb752]

Out here in the Heartland, I know otherwise intelligent people who don't just drink Fox Kool-aid, they bathe in it. So sad, always afraid that things could actually be worse with a Dem.

[TheOneironaut]

Once we realize that the news shows are no different than fast food restaurants you will understand that Hannity will probably not go off of the air! These news shows are owned by the same company and they are positioned to cater to certain groups of people! Radical Reps has Fox News with Hannity ... and Radical Democrats have MSNBC with Olberman and Independents and "unbiased people" have CNN with Lou Dobbs! See how it all works! Something for everyone and the ONE main company gets the spoils! Money my friends is the root of all evil...

[vshdst]

Lou Dobbs unbiased!

I don't believe so. He is highly critical of Obama and he made a huge issue out of him not wearing a flag pin all of the time. He gave McCain and Clinon a pass on wearing the pin.
How ridiculous.

Dobbs is far from being unbiased.

[ann1]

Correction sweetheart­........Ti­m 6:10, The "LOVE" of money is the root of all evil.

[suigeneris]

And the media is STILL reporting that misquote of Michelle Obama, totally changing the meaning towards the point of sensationalism, by leaving out the word "really" before "proud".

[booksnmore4you]

"Thou shalt not bear false witness."

Gosh, if only....

[Bobzmcishl]

On MSNBC today, a commentator was interviewing someone from the "Financial Times" about Barack Obama's tax proposals, and she said "thousands of people are concerned about his proposals" without elaborating on just who these thousands of people are - do they represent a sampling of all of America or the RNC for example. This is just one snippet of what is occurring every day in the MSM. And Stewart hit the nail on the head about the MSM media to report on every dumb story circulating on the internet when they know it is a bunch of garbage. Fox News is by far the worst but all the others are culpable too. Thank God for Jon Stewart who has a brilliant way of humorously exposing so much of the ridiculousness in our society.