Jon Stewart (left) with host Bassem Youssef (right) on "Al-Bernameg" July 19, 2013 in Cairo. AL-BERNAMEG
Comedians break down barriers. Jon Stewart not only broke barriers, he rebuilt them into bridges and tunnels, connecting people to each other from all different parts of the world. He has justly been praised for his effective use of satire, for developing new talent, for reaching the coveted young demographic during election time, and for generally raising the level of political humor and understanding. Each, no small accomplishment; combined, a gold medal to add to his 10 straight Emmys. (I think they should replace Stewart with a female host such as Tina Fey or someone like Sunda Croonquist or Tiffany Haddish. I'm so glad that one of Laugh Factory's comics, Larry Wilmore, got a show instead of another white guy.)
But the Jon Stewart I wish to spotlight, is the potential Jon Stewart, the one who could break a few more barriers on the world stage that interests me.
First, I would recommend that everybody watch Stewart's appearance on the Bassem Youssef show when he was in Egypt. For someone like me - born in the region - it brought a tear to my eye to see a Jew and Muslim talking and joking and tasting food - what Middle Easterners call " breaking bread together" - right there in front of a diverse audience and on live TV! Stewart was gracious, spoke on issues, tweaked some obvious flaws in everyday Cairo and mentioned his being abroad to work on a film about an Iranian journalist who was imprisoned for speaking freely to Stewart on "The Daily Show."
Could anybody other than a comedian do what he did? When walking down a crowded street, instead of extremists wanting to take him as a hostage, the crowds wanted to take his picture with them smiling. Would any dignitary or government official be treated like that? Can any official - even the President - so freely converse with an Egyptian public like that? Hardly.
It got me wondering. Could a great comedian actually become President? Someone running for such an office nowadays has to have - literally - hundreds of millions of dollars; when does the need for money end? It's not surprising that 90% of our Congress are millionaires; it's not surprising to read of the amounts spent by special interests during an election. I don't think the rest of the country is being represented all that well and I don't think there is that much laughter amongst the players in Washington. If you take a close look at them, they all look like they are constipated.
As it is, only about 50% of eligible voters vote. Have you ever watched a debate during the primary season? Deadly. The talking points have been cleared before the show. Now imagine that same scenario with Jon Stewart on the stage. Such a debate would bring a larger and younger audience to a discussion of world issues, if not to the voting booth itself.
Jon Stewart just left a job that paid him millions; he made his millions doing what he wanted to do, not relying on lobbyists or government aid and perks. He has a name recognition that doesn't need media bombardment. His entrance into the 2016 race would push all of these war- loving one per centers on edge. It would make for good television, at least as good as "The Daily Show."
So that's the potential Jon Stewart I want to see. I want him to announce his candidacy for President of the United States. Let the Democratic, Republican, Green parties and others already on the ballot support him. I'm sure he would get at least 5% Poll support and he would have to be invited to the debates. Once he is on the stage as a participant, American political life will have improved immensely.
So that's it: Jon Stewart for President.