Anyone watch Jon Stewart last night?

[Saturday]

He had Bremer on and instead of asking him why his book totally disagrees with what he said during his year in Iraq Stewart gave him a pass. Even Wolf gave Bremer his then and now comments. Sorry Jon, you disappointed me.

[henslee]

1. Politics aside.... Stewart just does not do it for me these days. I

just don't find myself lunging for the remote like I used to. Find myself more of a Keith-head.

[GR]

6. He Was Great At The Beginning Of Monday's Show...

He was unmerciful toward Bush's ridiculous "talking down" to his audience when he just says stuff that is obvious to everyone to fill time.

[qanda]

2. I was thoroughly disgusted with his hit piece on Dems last night

Since Jon got the Oscar gig, he's been trying to be more centrist and I guess that's necessary to have a wider audience, but most of it hasn't even been funny.

[GR]

5. It Wasn't Funny, You're Right...He Stretches For Balance...

and it falls flat....The whole "plantation" thing is a ridiculous republican tempest in a teapot. And I don't even know what he was trying to say about Pelosi? It made no sense.

[qanda]

10. Right!

I still have no clue what the point about Pelosi was. I think it was an attempt to bash her constituents for wanting to do more before the election. What is wrong with that?

[blm]

24. He reaches TOO far to attack Dems for a false sense of balance.

So, he grabs onto RW spin and stereotyping of the Dems to do it.

[Todd B]

3. It's a comedy show.

It's not supposed to be a hard hitting, confrontational, interview show like The Situation Room or Hardball. It's supposed to be light hearted and fun.

[GR]

4. No It's Not, It's Supposed To Be Our Only News Source....

given the bias of the big media. When he pulls his punches, he does his show and us a disservice.

[NYCGirl]

16. You better let them know that. Maybe they'll change the name of

COMEDY CENTRAL.

[renie408]

28. I think that is supposed to be a joke

Stewart himself says that if you get your news from The Daily Show, you are in trouble. The whole show is parodies and satire. Sometimes it is dead on satire. Like last night. I don't like him picking on Dems any more than the next person here, but if they leave the door open, they can't be surprised when somebody walks through it.

[Mass]

7. Interviews have never been Stewart's thing. He is usually to soft

with the people he has. Nothing new.

The rest is usually great, though.

[GR]

8. He's Done Some Of The Best Interviewing Ever..

when he wants to...He wanted to go easy on Bremer...Bremer is disingenuous as he proved on MTP. He doesn't want to say anything negative about Bushworld.

Stewart did a great interview with Christopher Hitchens, I believe. He simply destroyed Hitchens.

[TexasLawyer]

27. and Tex. Rep. Henry Bonilla

that was one for the books.

If Jon hits these RW guys between the eyes every time, though, then they'll refuse to come on the show. He always manages at least a subtle jab or a lingering question.

[whometense]

30. That Bonilla interview

was priceless. I'll never forget the look on Jon's face when Bonilla gave him those republican cowboy boots for his infant son.

[TexasLawyer]

32. ahhhh

good times, good times...

[applegrove]

34. Yeah - that was great. The Hitchens interview. Oreilly too. He does

get some good information out of his guests. Even though he is a soft interviewer. No way any right wing person would go on his show if he didn't give them a chance.

[liberalpragmatist]

36. He goes softer on politicians

Probably because it's harder to get them to come back on his show otherwise. It isn't a public affairs show, it's a comedy show. And I mean, do Letterman or Leno generally get really hard-hitting with their questioning?

With media-types and other pundits, however, he can be much more hard-hitting.

[zanne]

15. We made him.

He has us to thank for his skyrocketing ratings. (Liberals, I mean). We can always stop watching. I cringe when I see someone like that caving in--I'd rather remember his show the way it used to be than start making excuses for him. He knows about demographics.

[Saturday]

9. I find no comedy in Stewart passing on

confronting Bremer with his facts then and now. He lied to us then to be a part of the team. How many died because of it? Confronting a liar when it is your reputation to do so was what I wanted to see not a kissey kissey to Bremer.

[dgauss]

11. Bremer just seemed too smooth.

Maybe it's his experience in diplomacy but it seemed any time Stewart tried to formulate some criticism Bremer just deflected it into some generalization that Stewart couldn't get a hold of. So Stewart just kind of circled around, made a few points about being disappointed the Administration lied to us like we're children, and Bremer was happy to sell a few books.

I think Stewart can do great interviews but that one missed on both counts - it wasn't all that funny and politically kind of pointless. But then I wasn't expecting too much with Bremer as a guest.

[Libby2]

12. I wasn't impressed with last nights show.

I happen to think Jon is losing his edge.

[reality based]

13. His downward slide began when he dissed Senator Durbin for

comparing reports of US torture incidents to those of previous authoritarian regimes, including some fascists. Jon seemed to think that was bad. Are they waving the green stuff at Jon or is he just falling into the "balanced" fallacy?

[Village Idiot]

14. I mentioned the same thing yesterday and got FLAMED!

Since the election, TDS has just DIED - Stewart has become a eunuch. I don't consider him worth watching anymore...he has more than likely been bought and paid for - like many others.

[qanda]

17. That seems to always happen

You cannot criticize Jon Stewart around here, because he gets protected behind the "it's a comedy show" excuse. There is no other person that gets that kind of pass around here and it's pretty frustrating.

[rinsd]

23. "because he gets protected behind the "it's a comedy show" excuse"

Excuse? That's what it is. It's not a propaganda vehicle for liberal and proegressive concerns.

And if you think legitimate criticism in intimating that Jon is a sellout when he's been doing the exact same thing for years is ridiculous.

[qanda]

42. So why doesn't that same excuse work for Leno

Or any other comedian? I never said that his show should be a propaganda vehicle for Liberal and Progressive concerns. In fact, I enjoy seeing "funny" stuff about both sides. However, what Jon seems to be doing lately is just making up jokes about Democrats to balance out his show and most of what he is coming up with isn't even funny.

[Catchawave]

18. The Donkey Show segment was funny!

I thought the Bremer interview was informative, and Jon's "we can't handle the truth" comment started a pretty interesting discussion.

[underpants]

19. I agree I must rewatch it because I thoght Stewart was good

Okay not screaming red faced feces throwing normal talk show stuff but isn't that what Stewart criticised "Crossfire" about?

I thought he was very good.

Stewart can't get Republicans to come on his show if it is just going to be a screamfest plus what does that really achieve? Nothing. What we need are calm rational discussions of issues not just talking points and when push comes to shove screaming at each other as if that makes your point any more valid or fact based.

Screaming is how the Republicans got there media control-it is more entertaining than a poorly lit PBS discussion on actual alternatives in __________ (insert issue of your choice) and not simply turning everything into an anger driven blamefest between howling TV monkeys.

[ComerPerro]

20. Sometimes Jon Stewart is too polite to neoCons and their enablers

Granted, he's not a journalist, so he isn't bound to ask tough questions if he doesn't want to.

But we have come to rely on him as one, and think of him as one, because sometimes his program is the only one actually asking the tough questions.

It seems that we are more likely to be frustrated at him giving a guest a pass than any "legitimate", "mainstream" journalist.

I know I always hated watching whenever he had republican freaks on, because he never really skewers them like he could or should. He is way too respectful sometimes.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

21. I was annoyed over his setting up the Democrats first intense comments

in some time for mockery.

He could at least wait till we have SOME power, then it might seem funny.

As for Bremer, well I think Jon is usually quite congenial in his interviews. But then he often picks one point to make very succinctly.

I still chuckle over the O'Lielly interview when Jon leaned forward and motioned O'Lielly to do likewise and said in a hushed tone, "You know the WMD's?" And then "They never found them."

And went on to talk about O'Lielly's boycott on France, and how France is like Peppermint Patty, not the major problem, which would be Lucy in the Peanuts world.

The interview didn't bug me too much, especially since Bremer was well nailed on other shows.

[rinsd]

22. Jon Stewart is a God until he dares say something we don't agree with...

Jon has been in this club for a long time like other luminaries Barack Obama and John Kerry.

Al Gore expects to join this group soon.

I don't know what's sadder that people expect a comedy show to be hard hitting or that people freak out when it doesn't meet that expectation.

[Libby2]

26. So kill me, because I didn't think it was funny.

You know, comedy.

[liberalpragmatist]

38. If you didnt' find it funny, that's one thing

Accusing him of "selling out" or "joining the dark side" is quite another.

I have a feeling that if there's a Democratic President in '09, an awful lot of DU'ers are going to be acting towards Jon Stewart like Freepers do today. I'm not accusing you, I'm just making a more general point about the Daily Show fans on this board.

[renie408]

29. Yep

The show is satire and parodies. It is funny as hell when they are poking fun at the other side. But when our side leaves a door open and they poke fun of us, we don't like it.

[Catchawave]

37. The Colbert Report is even better....

Because Steven is a "dead-on" O'Reilly parody :)

Not many DUers get him either :shrug:

Sidebar: H.Clinton/Nagin/Pelosi deserved to be highlighted in The Donkey Report, as in, "what where they thinking" :)

[Ignacio Upton]

25. He's been trying to put "balance" in his show

I've noticed more hits on Dems recently. Honestly, I don't even think they're that funny, and not because I'm a Democrat, but because the jokes appear as if they were written without enthusiasm. OTHO Colbert has been funny as ever, probably because his whole routine is to parody Right-Wing gasbags.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

31. Yup, he was soft. Very seldom does he get hard edged in interviews,

although he did with Christopher Hitchens who came through the door swinging.

I did notice that he kind of sidled up to Bremer, as if they were pals, and in the end, Bremer was more or less agreeing with Jon's points. I thought it was a clever approach.

[Catamount]

39. And he kind of redeemed himself last night by pointing out ....

"I'd like to do an interview sometime where we can talk about REAL ISSUES, rather than the talking points designed by the powers that be."
Or something to that effect.
But generally I agree - he's been dissapointing to say the least.

[applegrove]

33. He always tries to be polite. At the end he couldn't help himself.

He took a few swipes.

[Arkana]

35. Let me explain something.

Jon Stewart is NOT a news anchor.


HE




IS




A




COMEDIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He has said repeatedly that the show is SATIRE. It is supposed to be FUNNY. I don't like him picking on the Democrats any more than the rest of us, but I have to realize that it is COMEDY for the sake of COMEDY. If it will make people laugh, Stewart will go for it. It is not news. It is comedy.


Everyone understand now?

[jenmito]

40. Yes. I said the same thing-he's being easy on him...

I was looking forward to the interview. Too bad. :(

[Ex Lion Tamer]

41. An observation:

If we expect political observers (which Stewart is, albeit as a satirist) to always hold a point of view we agree with, we're no better than Freepers. The media SHOULD ALWAYS have a semi-adversarial relationship with the government. It's the media's complete failure to challenge Bush that is in large part responsible for the mess we're in.

And I would want the media to challenge any Democratic administration (over legitimate issues, not oral sex). The issue that is actually bigger than Democrats vs Republicans is the corrosive effect of power if not kept in check by an informed populace.