Jon, Stephen, You're Off Track Lately

Recently Jon Stewart had right-wing fundamentalist Mike Huckabee on his show--for the third time! They had their usual cutesie conversation which seems designed to show liberals that Huckabee is not such a bad guy, by allowing him to banter humorously with Stewart, appearing reasonable while never actually giving any ground on any of his core right-wing beliefs. Jon, c'mon, leave the puffball questioning to Larry King, okay?
Soon after, Stephen Colbert had on Andy Schlafly, son of staunch anti-feminist right-winger Phyllis Schlafly, where they discussed Schlafly's idiotic and totalitarian project "conservapedia," which among other "1984-type" efforts is "re-translating" the Bible to make it even more conservative. Had Colbert taken Schlafly apart for altering "God's Word," perhaps it would have been worthwhile. Alas, that night Colbert left his usual rapier wit in his other suit...
Hey, guys, I love you both--but to quote a famous and wise comedian, "I watch your show every day. And it kills me." At least lately. You just seem off track recently. Let Rahm appease the right-wingers, your job is to mock them when they pander to their fundamentalist or corporate backers.
And if you're hurting for intelligent, smart guests, who have actually written something more useful to American democracy than Huckabee's latest book of Christmas stories or Schlafly's bad translations of the Bible, why not invite on your show my friend David Swanson, author of Daybreak, a great book on the crumbling of our Constitutional rights? His small-press, internet-driven book sales actually topped Glenn Beck's dreck on the nonfiction list! (Isn't that alone worthy of recognition?)
Or consider another friend of mine, Kevin Alexander Gray, a long-time African-American grassroots activist and writer who can talk intelligently about two books of his that should matter in our current politics, Waiting for Lightning to Strike or The Decline of Black Politics.
Or invite on some more grassroots folks who aren't my friends.
My point is, if you're not ready to rest on your laurels just yet, then don't forget the historic court jester roles you had been playing in American politics. Keep speaking truth to power. And don't forget to keep inviting on your shows some of those less-powerful voices to help you do so.
We still need you.

 

Comments

[eklousia]

12:14 AM on 12/16/2009

I agree with what pdxsean said and would only add that it ISNT their job to hold rightwinge­rs to account. Their job is to be funny first and foremost. How they most often do that is by exposing the hypocracy of political and public figures and the ineffectiv­eness of the media. However we may disagree with Huckabee, as far as we can tell, he pretty much is who he says he is. At that point, the value of a good and respectful discussion between people of vastly differing viewpoints is a really good thing to show and I think fits with Jon Stewart's common complaint with the media about "debate" being reduced to a shouting match. (Crossfire­) You don't have to destroy every opponant to still have a sucessful exchange of ideas.

[pdxsean]

11:58 AM on 12/15/2009

I thought Colbert did a fine job with Schlafly. Stephen did a great job wrapping Andy up in contradict­ions trying to explain why Colbert was edited out of the Bible, and hilariousl­y made the point that this guy is just a blow-hard who has no more right to the truth than any of us, and that the new Bible project is clearly being edited by those with an agenda.

Could he have gone harder on Schlafly? Sure, but when Colbert can insult and marginaliz­e a guest without them realizing it, I'd say it's a job well done.

[MalleusMaleficarum]

11:26 AM on 12/15/2009

A plea to Stewart and Colbert - "We still need you." - is the most pathetic argument - although absolutely true statement that I have seen in the media as wasteland desert of American culture. That the left relies so heavily on Stewart, Colbert and virtually nobody else in the MSM is a travesty of Orwellian proportion­s. Amy Goodman has surpassed all and sundry as the most relevant broadcast journalist of her generation - but with little hope of finding her broadcasts on the pipsqueak conglomera­tion of stations that carry her - her's is just another voice blowing in the wind. Stewart and Colbert are self-absor­bed clowns - not heroes.

[EF3]

09:17 PM on 12/15/2009

Calling Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert self-absor­bed clowns is way out of line. Be grateful they've at least making an impact lampooning the willfully stupid and evil.

[sedum]

11:24 AM on 12/15/2009

Jon? Stephan? I remember those names from an era long past.

[JohnFromCensornati]

11:15 AM on 12/15/2009

"But you know, if anybody wants to believe they're the descendant­s of a primate, they're welcome to do it"
- Huckabilly