White House Is Hoping Jon Stewart Can Help Them Out With The 9/11 Responders Bill

So, per Politico, here is a thing that is happening in our lives:

Robert Gibbs, President Obama's press secretary, told reporters on Tuesday that he hopes ["Daily Show"host Jon Stewart] can persuade enough Republican senators to vote for a 9/11 health bill so it can head to the president's desk.

"If there's the ability for that to sort of break through in our political environment, there's a good chance that he can help do that," Gibbs said in his briefing. "I think he has put the awareness around this legislation. He's put that awareness into what you guys cover each day, and I think that's good. I hope he can convince two Republicans to support taking care of those that took care of so many on that awful day in our history."

Look: I understand that Jon Stewart occupies a unique and influential platform in the media universe, from which he can project a certain amount of moral authority. And on the matter of the Zadroga bill, Stewart has been at his activist best, shaming the media into covering a story that would have otherwise gotten lost in the transom of the lame duck session. Should the bill pass, he'll get a lot of credit for bringing attention to the issue, and if he stays true to form, he'll shrug off that credit with laudable humility.

But here's the thing: there is this place called the White House Briefing Room. President Obama can walk into that room, and say whatever he wants about this issue. Reporters will record his remarks, and they will point cameras at him, and they will put him on the teevee. He can do this whenever he wants, as often as he wants. So if it's a big deal to the White House, they should get on it. According to this thing called "Twitter," the Daily Show is in reruns until 2011.

[Hat Tip: Soup]

RELATED:
Gibbs seeks help from Stewart [Politico]

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Comments

[Deb Leticia Gordils]

11:04 PM on 01/02/2011

What a joke...we pay these people with taxpayer money and their strategy amounts to this.....God help us....How about if they just would try to explain to the people of this country exactly what they need. If the request is fair and just then there is no reason to seek comedians help in a very serious endeavor....

[snapshot1940]

09:43 PM on 12/31/2010

" So if it's a big deal to the White House, they should get on it" It was, he did, it passed! Next!

[filiusj]

06:07 PM on 12/22/2010

It's sad that a comedy station had to reveal this to the public. Where was the media? That is their job. The corporate owners didn't want us to know all these details. I hope the lesson about our media was noted by those who trust their favorite news program.

[peacefullittlebunny]

05:47 PM on 12/22/2010

The reason liberals love the government redistributing money is that it allows them to skip the part of charity that involves peeling the starfish off their wallets and forking over their own money. This, as we know from study after study, they cannot bear to do. (Unless they are guaranteed press conferences where they can brag about their generosity.)

Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks' study of charitable giving in America found that conservatives give 30 percent more to charity than liberals do, despite the fact that liberals have higher incomes than conservatives.

In his book "Who Really Cares?" Brooks compared the charitable donations of religious conservatives, secular liberals, secular conservatives and "religious" liberals.

His surprising conclusion was ... Al Franken gave the most of all!

Ha ha! Just kidding. Religious conservatives, the largest group at about 20 percent of the population, gave the most to charity -- $2,367 per year, compared with $1,347 for the country at large.

[anothervoice2]

06:40 PM on 12/22/2010

And yet the welfare red states still rely on handouts from donor  blue states!!
 
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22685.html
 
The donor blue states have been giving and giving - only to have red states elect politicians that move our country back a 100 years. Cons' version of Patriotism!
 

[Mr Fly]

11:11 AM on 12/23/2010

I'll be interested to see where that $2,367 is going and what percentage is going to non-religious causes. I do not consider giving to the church to further their religious agenda a "charitable contribution".

[Paul Easter]

05:40 PM on 12/22/2010

Well Jason, what you fail to realize is that what really got the Republicans backpedaling and behind this bill was after Shepard Smith took cue from Jon Stewart and got Fox News (I'm no fan) behind the cause and applied pressure to Republicans. The day Obama can do that, then yeah, I'll buy into this "well Obama could have a press conference anytime he wants and change the Republicans' stance" nonsense.

What was it David Frum said? "Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us, and now we are discovering we work for Fox"

[Beka13]

04:10 PM on 12/22/2010

President Obama is not the Messiah...He cannot wave a magic wand and make what we want out of thin air....WE need to do it and that is what he always said....Democrats sold him out in the 2010 elections by not showing up. Now we will have to be more diligent to make sure the TB/GOP doesnt continue on their 3rd world-a-fying our country.

[gschear]

02:50 PM on 12/22/2010

Looks like they reached a deal without further help from Jon.
DADT
Extended unemployment benefits
New START ratified.
911 Responders bill.

A lot of glum trolls out there today.

[AGooglyMinotaur]

03:50 PM on 12/22/2010

Jon basically single-handedly passed the First Responders bill. The mainstream media hadn't covered in it four months, then he did a half hour show on it. He brought on Fox commentator Mike Huckabee as his guest, and just the next day Shep Smith went on a tirade about it on Fox. Within a week, the filibuster had ended and it had the support to pass.

Jon Stewart lit the flame that passed the bill, and God bless him.

[Beka13]

04:11 PM on 12/22/2010

Amen. I loved when he totally railroaded the Huckster.....What was his Christmas book about? LOL

[Arashi]

01:00 PM on 12/22/2010

Hey Bob! Isn't what Stewart is doing supposed to be YOUR job? Nu mbnut.

[shoegirl]

02:14 PM on 12/22/2010

Well, tell that to fox propaganda

[theerrantsoul]

12:58 PM on 12/22/2010

Any conservatives who have a problem with this should tune into Sarah Palin's reality show.

[FreeProgressLiberal]

12:34 PM on 12/22/2010

It is pathetic on so many levels...

The White House and an ineffective Administration turn to the media to get things done and influence the mind of the nations citizens...

Why does this smell of China?

[theerrantsoul]

12:53 PM on 12/22/2010

Given how much flak the administration has received for the lack of clarity in their "message", I sure don't think it's inappropriate for them to make a stronger effort to get that message out through the media.
 
Moreover, I don't think Obama's opponents have a leg to stand on when it comes to using (or, in my opinion, abusing) the media to manipulate the perceptions of voters.  Were you paying attention to all the blatantly false fear-mongering crap ads put out by shadowy conservative groups like American Crossroads before the last election?  Ever watched a Fox News show?

[p c r]

12:58 PM on 12/22/2010

The fact that the Republican Congress is so ill-educated on the issue that a comedian/political pundit has to be called in to eplain things on a base level within their comprehension is the jole here. The Republicans, who scream 9/11 whenever a camera is pointed their way, are refusing to pass a bill that has been through committee (last June), will help first responders with their health care AND is fully funded.
Stewart has succinctly summed up the issue on his show, talked to actual first responders (which McCain has refused to do) and hopefully will be able to use small enough words to explain to the Republicans why the bill must be passed if we are to continue holding our heads up as Americans.
China dictates policy, not allowing people to see both sides of an issue--sort of like Faux News.

[LebronJeremy]

11:41 AM on 12/22/2010

They should just do what the GOP would do: call them terrorist sympathizers and un-American. It's hard, though, when you don't have a true propaganda arm, like the GOP does.

[seanj]

11:30 AM on 12/22/2010

Obama goes on the comedy channel to push policy? Wow.

[LebronJeremy]

11:36 AM on 12/22/2010

? Did you read this?

[2bad]

12:36 PM on 12/22/2010

I'd put John Stewart up against most anyone from Fox to debate politics any time! Besides, the GOP has pushed policy on a comedy channel for over 10 years and that one isn't a 1/4 as intelligent as Comedy Central!

[Beka13]

04:13 PM on 12/22/2010

He is the man that killed Crossfire and ended Tucker Carlson's bow tie wearing......

[Gray Mouser]

10:44 AM on 12/22/2010

Using a key spokesman for the broader culture is not a bad thing. Yes, the Briefing Room can be a pulpit as well, but it is clearly biased and divided in the type of coverage and the quantity of coverage.

Stewart reaches across that divide and provides a third party sanity check.

[Plymouth Pilgrim]

10:22 AM on 12/22/2010

Just get it done by any means.

[Lost Nation]

09:41 AM on 12/22/2010

Obama is also set to meet with Kyle, Stan, and Cartman for advise on the 2012 campaign.

It's good to see the president working on his level.

[Toa Reap]

09:48 AM on 12/22/2010

fail

[Kansas1]

09:54 AM on 12/22/2010

Jon Stewart happens to be right 99.9% of the time. He may be a comedian doing so-called "Fake News" but he and his team are more accurate and call out the hypocrits better than any media outlet in the U.S. [which is why they pick on Faux News so much]. - All of congress would be wise to listen to him.