Jon Stewart Takes On Fox News' 'Class Warfare' Claims (VIDEO)

On Thursday night's "Daily Show" Jon Stewart took a break from speculating about the GOP presidential race and did a lengthy segment on conservative pundits' contradictory views about the rich and the poor when it comes to deciding how to lower the deficit.

While the GOP wants to make low-level spending cuts to social, educational and other programs, President Obama and company suggest taxing the mega-rich. So it was pretty surprising this week when Warren Buffet wrote his op-ed saying he and his millionaire cohorts ought to be paying more taxes. Fox News called it "Class Warfare," with one pundit even calling Buffett a Socialist, which got a hilarious reaction from Stewart:

"You really have no f**king clue what Socialism is, do you?"

Stewart argued that closing corporate tax loopholes and raising the marginal tax rate to raise $700 billion over 10 years would be favorable, but a montage of Fox News hosts showed how they believe differently. They claim that Obama's plan is "demonizing" the rich and the "private jet class." Another argument is that it wouldn't even "make a dent" in our debt.

In the second segment, however, Stewart shows how the same pundits feel about the same taxes being implemented on the poor. It turns out they don't have the same "why bother" attitude, as another montage showed, when it comes raising their taxes or cutting their programs.

"All we have to do to raise $700 billion is cut 700,000 NPRs. It's almost too easy!" Stewart joked.

The most eye-opening part of the Stewart's bit occurs when, like the pundits he's mocking, takes out pen and paper and devises a plan he assumes Fox News would enjoy: The bottom 50% -- which controls 2.5% of our national wealth -- has $1.45 trillion. To raise $700 billion we just take half of everything they own! It's that simple.

Watch both clips below to see the full segment, including Stewart's reaction to Fox News' audacious break down of what constitutes "Poor." Surprise: if you have a refrigerator you probably don't need any financial assistance.

WATCH: Part one

WATCH: Part two

Some international users can watch here

Comments

[dunracin]

08:47 AM on 09/14/2011

Stewart is a "comedian" not a financial wizzard! I'm retired with no income, suppose he would give me some of his? Betting not!

[markburn]

05:55 PM on 09/22/2011

Actually he would - by paying more taxes.
And the fact that he is a comedian doesn't make the things he says less true.

Or do you have any actual arguments against what he said?
No?! Thought so!

[JTyroler]

01:15 AM on 09/12/2011

Fox News pundits are delusional. Let's take everything from those who have little and we can fix the economy, because taking a small amount from those who have much would destroy the economy. Why aren't these people on a psych unit?

[lulubelle1956]

07:10 PM on 08/30/2011

I wish I could say this is funny, but it isn't. Nonetheless, it is very well done. It should be shown in all the churches and religious institutions and conventions the GOP/TP allegedly attend.

[Shadhili2003]

06:42 PM on 08/28/2011

I really despise the Republicans, Tea baggers, and other evil natured people in our society. Kill the poor feed the rich they say.

[bynddrvn5]

02:18 PM on 08/23/2011

Brilliant! The lower 50% would have to give up half of everything they own to hand the billionaires a tax break? Insanity

Fox News is retarded, how many of the modern day appliances were donated?

[MaineMike]

01:38 PM on 08/23/2011

Ben Stein gives Laura Ingraham a run for her money. Every time she tries to get back to her talking points (taxing the rich will somehow ruin the economy), he states quite clearly there is no data to support her position, which is true.

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/oreilly/transcript/ben-stein-we-must-raise-taxes-rich

[Aryeh Melaris]

12:09 PM on 08/23/2011

Always going to be rich people. Always going to be poor people. Deal with it, or contribute to a political candidate that does not come from the Democratic or Republican party. Clearly, neither party has our best interest at heart, or has the ability to bolster our failing economy.

[r528]

08:14 AM on 08/25/2011

so what always rich, always poor, that is not the subject here..the subject here is where will the revenue come from by taxing the rich, because right now they pay nothing in taxes or making the poor pay more in taxes so the rich don't have to lose any money...they sure aren't spending it

[Aryeh Melaris]

11:42 AM on 08/25/2011

Poor people don't pay taxes, they spend them. Historically, it was only land owners who had the right to pay taxes, and enjoyed the privileges of political voice. Now, the angry peasant mob is storming the castle with pitchforks and torches demanding a hand out. What gives? You gotta pay to play. The only solution that makes any sense is to stop overspending. It doesn't take a rocket surgeon. Why would you want to take more money that you didn't earn to fund poverty?

[frankcaprafan]

08:40 AM on 08/30/2011

.

[fredpa]

11:34 AM on 08/23/2011

There are two "poor persons" in my family. This is how they came by their luxuries.

PP# 1: refrigerator--in the apartment, cell phone--$10/mo; flatscreen TV--$9.00 at Goodwill Store; AC--does without; dishwasher--in the apartment.

PP# 2: refrigerator--in the apartment; cell phone--$19.95/yr; TV--gave her mine when I upgraded; AC--2 for $25 at a lawn sale, able to pay $5 a week; dishwasher--broken for four years, can't afford to fix it.

[tryingtobehuman]

02:11 AM on 08/23/2011

The "Productive Class" just produced us a big recession, and now they point the finger at the "raccoons" and other "animals" with refrigerators so the independents who are still clinging to jobs have somebody else to blame but them: divide and hold on for dear life. The "Productive Class" can't produce more jobs, they say, because there are too many regulations, always some excuse to scare ordinary folk into thinking they have a point. Truly scary stuff. Third world disparity is us. They will use "socialist" for Warren Buffett because it still reminds the baby boomers of "communist" and nobody in the US knows the difference: Europe is not "socialist" it's only places with heavy taxes to most folk.

[tryingtobehuman]

01:12 AM on 08/23/2011

The "Productive Class" will lead America back from the abyss, but first we have to sell the appliances the "raccoons" and other "animals" are still using, that will also save electricity and give us something to sell.

[dansup]

11:22 PM on 08/22/2011

one of the best pieces he's done in a long time...

remember his interview with Rachel Maddow? I think he would revise some of his comments regarding Fox News if he were allowed a "do over".

[Nick Buccalo]

07:29 PM on 08/22/2011

when you strip those who would spend money if they had it, of all extra money, it hurts everyone. Greed is easy to spot and for some reason Fox seems to really go out of their way to protect those who have too much, perhaps they are only trying to protect their own wealth. I've never understood their vp on this matter.

[Wendy Hall]

06:55 PM on 08/22/2011

JUST A THOUGHT FROM A "WORKING POOR"....I WILL GLADLY GIVE UP HALF OF EVERYTHING I OWN (INCLUDING THE HOUSE I OWN BUT HAS LOST VALUE BC OF WALLSTREET IDIOTS) IF THE RICH ARE FORCED TO GIVE UP HALF OF EVERYTHING THEY OWN~HALF THEIR MULTIPLE HOMES, HAVE THEIR WADROBES(THIS INCLUDES MS. PARIS HILTON), HALF THEIR PETS, HALF THEIR CARS, ETC. THEY LIKE TO CLAIM THAT THEY WORK "HARD" FOR WHAT THEY HAVE, HOWEVER MOST STARTED WITH AN INHERITANCE AND I CAN BET THEY COULD NOT PULL THE 16 HOUR SHIFT I PULL AS A WAITRESS EVERY SUNDAY FOR THE LITTLE I WILL MAKE SINCE THE ECONOMY TANKED.

[conservativewhitemale]

11:02 PM on 08/22/2011

Goodness..I'll bet it's service with a SMILE..

[Jen Hendrey]

10:59 AM on 08/24/2011

Yes, it's probably "service with a smile." If not, she'd be fired--without a golden parachute, 401-k, rich relatives, or even $500 socked away for the rent. I bet it's "service with a smile" because restaurants that open for 16-hours don't cater to the wealthy. The people she serves are probably just slightly better off than she is, and they value each other as human beings.

She's right: The majority of rich people haven't pulled a 16-hour shift on their feet; couldn't if they tried. The self-made minority respect her. They'd never condescend to her like you did, for her small, forgivable all-caps lapse amid her daily grind.

I bet her tears, worries, and aching body are pretty well hidden until she gets home late at night, where nobody but God's awake to witness her fatigue. And God also sees you and yours, who call this woman and her peers--who remain and always have been a backbone of America--the "moocher class," as conservatives say. The moocher class. The moochers: 150-million Americans (yes, 1/2 of us), whose cumulative wealth is only 2.5% of America's entire wealth.

Lack of compassion, understanding, and respect like yours used to make me furious and disgusted. In the end, though, it's only heartbreaking. These days I am just filled with sadness and exhaustion to see that the cruelties of nature, which have always existed, are now outdone by the daily, human cruelties of my compatriots.

[runintherain]

04:26 PM on 08/22/2011

I wish HuffPo would put this as the lead story and keep it there for weeks. I know Jon Stewart is a comedian, but this is the most insightful thing I have ever seen in regards to the class warfare going on in this country.

The most telling to me was the Coffee Maker. We are so sorry that we require caffeine to keep going throughout our long, work-filled days. Not all of us can afford Starbucks and Smoothies.

Make no mistake, this is a war. And every person he put on that segment is the enemy of humanity.

[Sukami]

08:03 AM on 08/23/2011

What's truly amazing is the number of working class people who buy into the lie that the unemployed and underemployed are just moochers looking for a free ride. If all the unemployed and underemployed decided to ban together you'd have 70 million people (or more) stopping all business in this country from taking place. The top one percent should really consider what they stand to lose if they allow this persecution of the working class to continue.

[rusty apache]

09:11 PM on 09/02/2011

Warren Buffet gets it. Others are beginning to.

[EAPrince]

03:54 PM on 08/22/2011

That segment of The Daily Show was excellent. As usual, Stewart did a magnificent job of showing the ridiculousness being spouted by supposedly intelligent people. A refrigerator is considered a luxury item now? A microwave? A coffeemaker? Those haven't been considered lavish in a generation! Surprised they didn't bring up the 'luxury' of indoor plumbing as well.

It's easy to attack those who have very little. It's easy to make them everyone's scapegoats. Not accurate, but certainly easy.

Erik
http://eaprince.blogspot.com