John Bolton, William Kristol, and others explain why 'The Daily Show' is the best place to get their views heard.
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Yes, Stewart does give Conservatives a chance to air their views, and "broaden their audience."
But calm discussion does not make people like Kristol or Bolton sound any more convincing.
Ron Paul, maybe. Mike Huckabee, on some issues.
But you can dress up neo-con philosophy all you want. You can't erase eight years of acting on that philosophy or the results.
Sorry, Mr. Kristol. We're still the evidence-based. And you're still always wrong.
Isn't legitimate news all about selling something
FTA:
Says Bolton: "In general, a lot of the media, especially on the left, has lost interest in debate and analysis. It has been much more ad hominem. Stewart fundamentally wants to talk about the issues. That's what I want to do."
If you want to see "news commentators" that have no interest in debate and analysis, look at any of the ones on Fox. Conservative-leaning ones have no use for real discussion, facts, or different perspectives.
Jon Stewart has was a psychology major at William and Mary. It explains a lot and is very relevant for the show he presently hosts. Politics and politicians are easy fodder for ridicule, and the majority of us need something to counter the idiocy of Fox News.
It's funny that Stewart is the only interviewer that ever gets these guys to admit they're full of bull
I believe it's because Stewart is one of the few interviewers who does their homework and is intelligent enough to pick and exploit slips of the tongue. Like when Kristol admitted a government run healthcare system was the best, while I bet 90% of focused on that Kristol wanted to have the troops have a better level of healthcare than anyone else.
Another fine example of his workmanship is with his 2005 interview with Bernie Goldberg, where he was able to walk the fine line of completely destroying Goldberg's book that he was hawking and his positions, yet add self-deprecating humor and respect as a human being (Personally I don't think they earn it, but that's why Stewart gets the interviews and I just am writing two-bit rants here) as to not have him storm out of the studio in frustration.
If he ever decided to retire from the anchor chair, Jon Stewart could make a killing just by being an interviewer.
That'
In Bill Kristol's opinion, any publicity is good publicity.
I've always considered John Stewart to follow in the tradition of the court jester -- someone who speaks truth to power while at the same time appearing deceptively mild. The powerful see only the jester and miss the razor sharp wit that cuts them deeply without them even realizing it.
The proverbial death by a thousand cuts.
Exactly what I was thinking as I read the article SF. Of course he lets them answer, he knows they will provide the rope to hang themselves with.
Conservatives are shocked by a Liberal host. Wow a place where they are not shouted down or abused like FAUX News does to the Liberal guests they have on. They are just not used to it. Civil behavior.
Liberals are called that because they are willing to open up and engage in alternate viewpoints
Conservatives are called that because they want to conserve their own limited view of the world.
Of course its a shock to the system to these guys.
Mathews shouts down conservatives. The only reason Olbermann does not is because he never has anyone on his show that disagrees with him. same goes for madcow
Geez, I seem to recall that Pat Buchanan has made frequent
visits to Rachel's show.....has he become a a liberal?
Perhaps you should watch her broadcast before you make future comments.
And the proud conservative mind shows its true colors once again. Calling people names is SO mature and furthers the discussion SO much.
I'm a liberal and i hate watching Keith Olbermann. He's no better than O' Reilly. Same goes for Madow. The only people i get my news from are jon stewart and colbert. Atleast they don't shout down their guests. It's nice to see Huckabee and Stewart have an interesting conversation about abortion. Do you I agree with Huckabee, absolutely not. But the fact that Jon Stewart holds a legitimate conversation with him sets a great example to all the news outlets and everyone out there.
If i want to see people being shouted (for real comedy), I watch Real Time with Bill Maher. Although, the show fuels his ego, He had two repub reps. on with arianna and they had an amazing discussion. People need to take out their ear plugs and listen to each other. Oh and also educate themselves on the issues because that does no one any good!
Try watching "Special Report with Brett Bair," one of the best evening news programs on television. Watch it twice and you will be hooked. And you are right about Olbermann---at least O'Reilly has guests that disagree with him.
left if you are liberal then I am a billionare
The same does NOT go for Maddow (two Ds). She has Republicans on, and not just "Uncle Pat." Infrequently, granted, but she often reports extending invitations to people on the other side of a debate which are ignored or declined. And I have never seen her use a guest, lefty or righty, with anything less than respect and civility.
I don't get to see Maher on my basic cable. And Olbermann, bombastic though he may be, at least tells it like it is, as opposed to how he believes (based on some bygone and/or discredited notion of American tradition or power) it ought to be--and that alone makes him better than O'Reilly. Olbermann's not an interviewer; that's not what his show's about. He's a commentator and critic of the Conservative Media. His guests typically are other commentators, not newsmakers, and most of the clips he runs are from people he disagrees with--the only difference between his and Stewart's use of soundbites is that Stewart plays 'em for laughs and Olbermann scowls. I might agree if your point were that Stewart's approach (ridicule) is a more effective countermeasure than Olbermann's high dudgeon, but Countdown still performs a valuable service for bulls**t-intolerant types like me--it informs me as to what garbage the Right is spouting, without making me want to throw stuff at the screen. (KO does it for me so I don't have to.)
Lovely that Kristol et al don't realize how inept and intellectually weak they appear next to Stewart - a testimony to their huge egos - way to go JS - make them comfortable enough to appear on the show, foist them by their own petards as it were - !
Could you entertain the thought that their appearance next to the beloved Stewart might instead normalize crimes against humanity? I really and sincerely wonder.
I think it has to do with selling books.
For all those castigating JS:
Have you ever considered that Jon might just be taking the opportunity to look these people in the eye and call them on their BS? How often have you said, "if I could just talk to that guy, I'd give him a piece of my mind" Cudos to Jon that he is able to do this in a way that isn't like other commentators that shout over their guests.
Well... if that satisfies your sense of justice and accountability....? Then Cheney certainly should come on The Daily Show and be spanked for his part in the murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents. (MURDER)
I think more of Jon Stewart as a human being and am sad he would be so used by a decaying empire.
I'm not castigating Stewart.
I just don't depend on his 88 minutes a week as a major source of my news any more than I use Mark Twain's writings as a history of 19th century America.
America has a rich history of satirists. We need them!
Stewart is just the latest.
Edward R. Murrow he isn't, though.
How about Will Rogers...? Stewart is too amiable to be compared to Twain. Rogers is the one who said, "I never met a man I didn't like". The Dalai Lama has the same attitude. My heart is several sizes too small and i cannot fit Kristol into it.
It is very pleasing I suppose to have Right wingers like Kristol and Bolten speak highly of Stewart especially in saying things like " he lets you talk, let's you have a say and doesn't interrupt because he respects your point of view." they welcome that as a return to some reasoned debating style. Maybe just maybe they ought to hold their own right wing media types up to that standard. They would do well to mention it to the likes of OReilly, Hannity,Beck, Limbaugh and the whole host of other Right Wing media big mouths.
Do you really think publicists would let their clients be on the show to sell their books if they thought book sales were going to be negatively impacted in any major way?
I agree...perhaps they are scared of the back lash in holding the right wing to their standard....
Shows their true weakness....ironically
Again... i preface this comment by saying i watch The Daily Show four nights a week and have great personal affection for Jon Stewart.
And yet... and yet... there are uncomfortable moments when Jon Stewart reminds me of no one so much as the Joel Gray character in the movie "Cabaret". Is there really no one Jon will not schmooze with? Is there really no one Stewart will call out on a level of truth and justice besides Jim Cramer? (Who Stewart held responsible for bad advice about his own, personal, loss of fortune?) Is it all personal connection with Stewart?
It is what it is, but it really has its limits. It is this aspect of The Daily Show that i suspect history will find complicit with great crimes.
Or maybe, just maybe, he gives his audience enough credit to filter the BS for themselves.
Shocking approach, I know.
OMG - think for ourselves?! How could you even suggest such a thing!? ;-)
Get Real - this is a satirical comedy interview show - Faux news - and it deals out major portions of truth in the process - that's the nature of satire - if the neo-cons didn't show up, how would we see them stumble and squirm?
EXACTLY!! that is why someone should not watch JSDS; 'cause since you do (and you like the guy) i suspect history will find YOU complicit with great crimes.
I personally love watching the neocons squirm and soft-sell their agenda rather than hype of the lunatic fringe by telling neocons to take their guns to health care rallies because Obama is going to kill Grandma- or similar rabble-rousing. I want to see Cheney on Stewart, because Stewart and indeed the entire thinking American public, want to see SOMEONE give Cheney what he deserves at a minimum, a thorough scolding. Stewart is making a buck doing what he does, yet he maintains his principles, unlike some people who make bucks like Limbaugh, Coulter, Hannity and other violence directed at liberal preachers.
I stopped watching Stewart, he's so limp nowadays.
Probably not related to the actual story here but... They need to make the Daily Show an hour long show and, possibly, 5 days a week...
Remember when Stewart was on Crossfire and said something to the effect of, "I'm not your monkey," when Tucker challenged him to say something funny? You might as well be wearing a bowtie right now.
The Daily Show staff works their tail off putting together original material every day the show airs, and it airs new stuff more than any other show on television (except maybe SportsCenter), but those folks deserve a personal life too.
He also told Carlson if he wanted to compare Crossfire to a comedy show then be his guest.
I don't see how that comparison applies to what I said at all. I'm a part of the viewing audience who values Jon Stewart's opinion on many things and would love it if the show expanded to an hour, 5 days/wk. Does that mean I want him to by my "monkey"? Absolutely not. Nor do I always expect him to say something funny (which is the only thing he was referring to in that quote, you idi0t).
And why 4 days/wk, anyway? How about you hire more people and make it 5? It's not like the show doesn't bring in enough money...
They "work their tails off" for 5 minutes of clips, 5 minutes of not-always-that-funny correspondent bits, and then cut to the 10 minute interview (which is, surprisingly frequently, a throwaway interview promoting some movie or tv show), 4 days/wk? They couldn't squeeze out another day? Or another 10 minutes to the headlines and another 10 to the interviews (many of the important interviews are already that long, available in full online)?
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First Posted: 08- 9-09 09:15 PM | Updated: 08-10-09 01:55 AM