"Daily Show" Goes To ASU To Find Out Why They Snubbed Obama (VIDEO)

Just over a month ago HuffPost citizen reporter Dawn Teo wrote about ASU's refusal to give President Obama the customary honorary degree for delivering the commencement address. Weeks later, "Daily Show" correspondent Jason Jones and his team of producers traveled to Tempe, Arizona where Dawn helped them figure out why the "Harvard of date rape" had refused a degree to the most powerful man in America.

Jones found a student body more concerned with recreation than academics, but one that hated the idea of giving a man who had "accomplished so little" a degree. These people don't speak for the alumni, who were deeply embarrassed by the school's decision, but they certainly made the current student body look like a bunch of idiots.


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Comments

[LMPE]

Who'd want an honorary degree from that pseudo-college?

[onek1dr]

why should the last state 2 recognize Martin L King's birthday,even aknowledge some 1 who is not lilly white!!

[aaronaa3]

Suddenly I'm glad he isn't getting an honorary degree..

[YLS2007]

Perhaps the time has come to reduce the student acceptance rate from an inflated 92% to a more realistic 90% or even lower.

After watching this display of anti-intellectual behavior, I would like to urge Tempe, Arizona to join Texas in exploring a full and irrevocable secession from the USA. Not that most of these scholars would even know what means...

[Tyrione]

ASU: Your students aren't good at liquor management. Those interviewed seem to have lost what cognitive reasoning skills they are supposed to possess [by the fact they had the credentials to get into ASU] with drinking--not surprising--yet the guys who were sober and students getting stumped that quickly truly shows the decline of basic education in our country.

It's bad enough the drunks get brazen and arrogant about ``what has he accomplished'' [tenfold more in one hundred days than what 99.999% will do in a lifetime] but the guys were truly priceless in being sober and stupid.

[ChelseaC]

LOL.

[Sarah Slagle]

The Daily Show went to a party where people were drunk and likely to say stupid things. They chose people who look dumb and they got what they needed to make it funny. As for the library scene, they went to Matthews Hall which is for the grad student admin (I'm pretty sure) so obv no one was there... (which I agree, made it funny)
As an ASU '09 grad, I think anyone who thinks this depiction was anything close to a reality (in which students are sober) is easily fooled (and dare I say 'foolish').
Also, I think honorary degrees are ridiculous and worthless.

[Acidic]

Ha ha

[arizonastudent01]

LOL! just had to come back and have a laugh at ASU. LOL!

[NoelGreco]

"...Dawn helped them figure out why the "Harvard of date rape" had refused a degree to the most powerful man in America."

A couple questions for Alex and Matt:

1. Why would ANYONE want an honorary degree from "the Harvard of Date Rape?" and,

2. Why would ANY university bestow an honor upon a person just because that person is powerful?

[SOLERSO68]

this is about tradition and and partisan political and racial hatred in America. It is traditional for a university to bestow an honorary degree on a president if he speaks there after being invited to. In fact, no one is aware of an american college refusing such an honor to an american president until now. the fact that ASU is basically a trade school means nothing, the president consented to speak there because he is NOT an eletist. The offensive irony is that AZ state, essentially a barber school, returned the favor by behaving as elitists. Well what should we expect? its AZ after all, the state the refused to recognize MLK day.

[NoelGreco]

When an American leftist finds himself at an abject loss to summon even a shred of logic in support of his feelings he plays the race card.

You would have anyone who disagrees with Obama's views or actions say nothing for fear of being called a racist by your ilk. Those days are gone.

"...the president consented to speak there because he is NOT an eletist [sic]. "

Perhaps not, but he IS an elitist. Look it up.

[Progress08]

Hillarious that the Daily Show can make a total ass of ASU's leaders. It is ridiculously obvious that the decision was political it being McCain's home state. Whoever runs ASU should probably retire. Additionally I kind of feel bad for the students, they really came across as idiots. Those 3 kids at the beginning should get their money back from ASU because they looked like morons.

[MichelleDenise64]

I come here to get a good giggle and you all deliver every single time. Thanks, I really appreciate it.

[berrycooda]

Too much ado over nothing....

Pres. Obama isn't whining about not getting an Honorary Degree so why
is everybody else in such a snit....

When ASU decides to give him one he will probably feel better about it anyway
because he will take some pride in knowing he at least earned it by what he
accomplishes after he is the Pres. for a reasonable length of time.

[arethusa]

Obama was gracious and took the occasion to encourage the graduates to keep on working rather than resting on some preconceived laurels. But the Daily Show analysis revealed the rather questionable reasoning behind ASU's decision, especially if you consider other honorary doctorates at this institution.

[Mike169]

That aside the film clip was pretty funny.

[American50]

OH BOMba wants everyone to have a free education as he had at the tax payers expense

[weatherwaxx]

If you think education is expensive, you should try ignorance.

Oh... you did.

[igorz]

Now THAT's entertainment. Kudos.

[MichelleDenise64]

Thanks for a good giggle

[ChelseaC]

Weatherwaxx,
Thank you.

[oberon123]

Well now, I am happy to see that your education, by whatever means it was gained, has done wonders for your skills when it comes to the english language. I have no idea what your statement is even supposed to mean. I just have a feeling that you wrote it while listening to that great paragon of american values, Saint Rush Limbaugh and probably while pleasuring yourself to that giant of academia Sarah Palin. But I might be wrong/

[vet-of4renwarz]

Oh, I guess you've never attended PUBLIC school...

[KeepMeLearning]

Education is a basic human right. Go read the United Nations' International Declaration of Human Rights and get back to us.

I'm assuming, though, that you *can* read--even though your spelling and grammar leaves a lot to be desired. Obviously you skipped some of your schooling.

[arethusa]

Since he attended private schools, your claim is not credible.

[jimthefireman]

Biting political satire at it's best! I doubt some of those guys really understand the tremendous power of the web yet, or quite how long their comments are going to haunt them.
In the end, Obama's speech was simply magnificent. Kudos to him for turning up delivering it. It seems the USA has a president worthy of it's historic status, the question remains, will enough people take up the challenge he presents to them, to restore it's status and it's economic might?

[helgathewitch]

Wow! This is one poor excuse of a college! Funny at first but then when you get done laughing you realize how pathetic it really is! These kids are clueless.

[javadawg]

It is really sad, but those in HR recognize that ASU grads are just a wee- bit better than high school grads and just slightly less than community college grads. Party on ASU, that is why we have pro ball games - we need you to fill the stands with those who entertain.

[MichelleDenise64]

Exactly!!!! This just made me cringe.