Jon Stewart

Trump Indicted by the Manhattan Grand Jury Probing His Hush Money Payments to Stormy Daniels

Posted by on March 30, 2023 at 4:11 pm. 5 Comments :

FINALLY! Donald Trump has been indicted by the Manhattan Grand Jury that has been investigating his hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. This will likely be just the first of many indictments to come for a corrupt, life-long criminal who briefly occupied the White House.

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The indictment of Trump is still sealed as of this writing, so the specific charges are not yet known. But there is already some speculation among pundits that it contains a felony charge. In any case he will be put under arrest, there will be a booking and a mug shot, and a furious flurry of whining from Trump and his sycophantic cult disciples.

In the meantime, lets recall some of the recent comments from Trump and others leading up to this day…

Trump Can’t Imagine the NYPD Defending the City If His Indictment Triggers Riots By His Followers
“CAN YOU IMAGINE THE GREAT NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, CORRECTLY REFERRED TO AS ‘NEW YORK CITY’S FINEST,’ WHO, FOR THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME IN HISTORY, ENDORSED A PRESIDENT, ME, & HONORED ME AS ‘MAN OF THE YEAR,’ HAVING TO DEFEND & PROTECT THE ‘DEFUNDERS’ & ‘COP HATERS’ OF THE RADICAL LEFT THAT WANT TO PUT THEIR GREATEST CHAMPION & FRIEND IN PRISON FOR A CRIME THAT DOESN’T EXIST…ALL THE WHILE THE SOROS BACKED D.A. ALLOWS MURDERERS & OTHER VIOLENT CRIMINALS TO FREELY ROAM THE SIDEWAKS OF N.Y.?”

Fox News Hack Tucker Carlson Rants that Prosecuting Trump Would Forever End Democratic Elections
“If the Democratic Party is allowed to do this, allowed to crush the presidential front-runner, the main threat to their power, with a bogus criminal case, where does that leave us? We’re done because that precedent will live forever and voters will never again determine the outcome of a presidential election. It’s remarkable when you think about it.”

Trump Warns of ‘Death and Destruction’ if He is Indicted for Crimes that He Actually Committed
“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country? Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely (sic) hates the USA!”

Jon Stewart’s Snarky Swipe at Nutty Notion that a Trump Indictment Would Make Him a Martyr
Stewart (sarcastically): I think the law should always take into account someone’s popularity. I mean, what’s happened to our country? It’s as though you can’t even commit financial fraud anymore. You can’t inflate the value of your property when you need a loan, and then deflate it with taxes. The next thing you know they’re going to send YOU to jail instead of your lawyer, and your accountant, and your campaign manager, and everyone else around you. The idea that someone may face accountability, who’s that rich and powerful, is outrageous, and this country shouldn’t stand for it.

And let’s not forget that just the day before this indictment, Trump posted this comment expressing his “respect” for the Grand Jury…

“I HAVE GAINED SUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GRAND JURY, & PERHAPS EVEN THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. THE EVIDENCE IS SO OVERWHELMING IN MY FAVOR, & SO RIDICULOUSLY BAD FOR THE HIGHLY PARTISAN & HATEFUL DISTRICT ATTORNEY, THAT THE GRAND JURY IS SAYING, HOLD ON, WE ARE NOT A RUBBER STAMP, WHICH MOST GRAND JURIES ARE BRANDED AS BEING, WE ARE NOT GOING TO VOTE AGAINST A PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE OR AGAINST LARGE NUMBERS OF LEGAL SCHOLARS ALL SAYING THERE IS NO CASE HERE. DROP THIS SICK WITCH HUNT, NOW!”

And that was only a week after he posted a comment stating flatly that that he “WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY” and urging his cult followers to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

“NOW ILLEGAL LEAKS FROM A CORRUPT & HIGHLY POLITICAL MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OFFICE, WHICH HAS ALLOWED NEW RECORDS TO BE SET IN VIOLENT CRIME & WHOSE LEADER IS FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, INDICATE THAT, WITH NO CRIME BEING ABLE TO BE PROVEN, & BASED ON AN OLD & FULLY DEBUNKED (BY NUMEROUS OTHER PROSECUTORS!) FAIRYTALE, THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”

Trump posted his response to the indictment (and a longer and lie-riddled rant here) saying that…

“These Thugs and Radical Left Monsters have just INDICATED (sic) the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President. THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. IT IS LIKEWISE A CONTINUING ATTACK ON OUR ONCE FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. THE USA IS NOW A THIRD WORLD NATION, A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!”

Trump is very upset that he has been “INDICATED”? But he is right that “THE LIKES OF [THIS] HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.” But that’s only because no president has ever been so flagrantly criminal before. And he’s only going to get worse from here. Stay tuned for updates.

UPDATE: Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts “that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims” of his affair with adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

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Jon Stewart’s Snarky Swipe at Nutty Notion that a Trump Indictment Would Make Him a Martyr

Posted by on March 27, 2023 at 1:55 pm. 3 Comments :

As the walls close in on Donald Trump, he is descending ever further into an abyss of self-pity, victimhood, and malicious lies and insults aimed at the prosecutors who seek to hold him accountable for his multitude of crimes. His posts on his floundering Twitter ripoff, Truth Social, are drenched with the fear and desperation of a cornered rat.

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Jon Stewart, Donald Trump

Trump’s attacks on law enforcement range from outrageously false to blisteringly vicious as he attempts to convince his glassy-eyed cult followers that he is being persecuted by a cabal of satanic, George Soros-sponsored communists determined to drag him into the pits of hell – a destination he has been setting for himself for decades. And it’s clear that Trump’s anxieties are weighing on him as he converts his fear into threats.

RELATED: Trump Warns of ‘Death and Destruction’ if He is Indicted for Crimes that He Actually Committed

The prospect of Trump being indicted has driven debate among the pundit and political class, with his most devoted defenders latching unto the preposterous notion that if charges were brought against him it would boost his popularity and secure his electoral victory in 2024.

They might be right if they are only considering Trump’s position among his staunchly loyal disciples. They have already proven that nothing he does (assaulting women, stealing classified documents, consorting with Russians, dining with Nazis, inciting insurrections, etc.) could shake their blind adoration of him. However, the broader American public is already tired of, and disgusted by, his antics.

The idiotic idea that an indictment would bolster Trump was addressed in an interview of Jon Stewart by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. And Stewart was on top of his game when he laid into those who embrace the “Trump as martyr” narrative…

Zakaria: There are people who say “Yes, yes. Indict him because he has, in fact, broken the laws.” And there are other people who say “This is gonna turn him into a martyr. This is his path to redemption.”
Stewart (sarcastically): I think the law should always take into account someone’s popularity. I mean, what’s happened to our country? It’s as though you can’t even commit financial fraud anymore. You can’t inflate the value of your property when you need a loan, and then deflate it with taxes. The next thing you know they’re going to send YOU to jail instead of your lawyer, and your accountant, and your campaign manager, and everyone else around you. The idea that someone may face accountability, who’s that rich and powerful, is outrageous, and this country shouldn’t stand for it.
Zakaria: But what if it turns out to be his “get out of jail free” pass? People see him as a martyr?
Stewart: We either have the rule of law, or we have no rule of law. The rule of law does not take into account if that might make you a martyr to somebody.

Indeed! The law should never consider whether a particular defendant is popular, or how his prosecution might be seen as a matter of public opinion, and especially not politically.

That said, if Trump flunkies really want to impose a standard wherein public opinion of a defendant determines whether or not to pursue prosecution, they might regret getting what they wish for. A recent poll shows that 56% of Americans say that investigations into Trump are fair, while only 41% say they are “witch hunts.” Other polls have long shown that a majority of Americans believe that Trump is responsible for the violence that occurred on January 6th.

SEE THIS: WTF? Trump Brags that 67% of Americans Say He’s Responsible for the Violent January 6th Insurrection

In the meantime, Trump’s lackeys on Capitol Hill are smoothing the way for him to commit even more crimes with absolute impunity. The GOP chairs of the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Administration committees are presently crafting legislation that would “strip state and local prosecutors of the authority to prosecute former presidents.” Never mind that it’s a blatantly unconstitutional imposition on state’s rights, something conservatives pretend to support. Or that is intended solely to shield Trump from prosecution for his innumerable crimes. It is also a futile gesture since it would never pass in the Senate or get President Biden’s signature.

This is the “thinking” of the Republican Party that is so infected with Trumpism that they would actually consider a law that would permit Trump to break any law that he wants. Which, from their warped perspective, makes sense because they believe that his lawlessness would make him even more popular among his Klan. And this is a party that thinks it has a future in American democracy?

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Trevor Noah is Leaving the Daily Show – And Creating a Huge Opening for Media Satire

Posted by on September 30, 2022 at 3:18 pm. 1 Comments :

Late night TV comedy is getting significantly shaken up with the news that Trevor Noah is quitting as host of “The Daily Dhow” after seven years. He made the announcement on Thursday night in an emotional statement (video below) that recalled his unexpected selection to take over from Jon Stewart, and his early days in the anchor chair.

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Trevor Noah

There was no timetable given for his departure, and no indication of who might succeed him. Noah thanked his staff and crew and audience saying that…

“I’ve loved hosting this show. It’s been one of my greatest challenges. It’s been one of my greatest joys. I’ve loved trying to figure out how to make people laugh even when the stories are particularly shitty on the worst days.”

Noah was never in an easy position as the guy who had to follow in Jon Stewart’s footsteps. He had some hits and some misses during his tenure. But he eventually put his own stamp on the show and connected with a new audience. His focus leaned more heavily on racial politics and international affairs. He said early on that he didn’t want to continue doing jokes about Fox News and other media. That was unfortunate in my view.

Jon Stewart’s Daily Show was not, as many people assumed, political satire. It was media satire. The whole premise was one of a fake news show with a fake anchor and fake correspondents, who mocked the failures and absurdities of the corporate television press. Naturally, Fox News was a frequent target given its abundance of material to ridicule. It is a feast of bias and lies and propaganda. But much of the mockery of that has receded during the Noah years. Which is too bad because there isn’t any other program on TV that is dedicated to media satire.

When Comedy Central selects its next Daily Show host, here’s hoping that they return to those roots and take on the media again. There is more reason to do so now than ever. Fox News has veered much farther into the fringy far right with their embrace of the loopy cult of Donald Trump and his QAnon-flecked following. Add to that Newsmax, the One America News Network, and an emerging crop of wingnut streaming and podcasting, and you have a severely unbalanced press pool that is screaming out for satirical spankings. Even CNN with new owners is lurching to the right.

So who are the most promising prospects to take over the Daily Show? There is actually a pretty deep a bench. It includes inspired comics like Jordan Klepper, Amber Ruffin, Samantha Bee, Roy Wood Jr., Desi Lydic, and Hasan Minhaj. However, it isn’t certain that Comedy Central will even continue the program. That would be a shame. In the meantime, we still have Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and, of course, Jon Stewart, to lighten the load.

UPDATE: Trump weighed in on Noah’s announcement with a typically asinine comment saying that “Trevor Noah was a waste of time, no talent, no anything. Jon Stewart was only slightly better, but highly overrated.” He went on to advise Comedy Central not to do political comedy. But if they do, it should be all conservative. Sure, because Dennis Miller is cracking them up in whatever comedy graveyard he’s working in.

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Fox News Hack Tucker Carlson Lamely Tries to Insult Jon Stewart, Gets Another Brutal Beat Down

Posted by on August 5, 2022 at 11:18 am. 3 Comments :

Some people just don’t know when to leave bad enough alone. And at the top of the list of those pitifully oblivious meatheads is the Fox News Senior Schmuck and Fascist Asslicker, Tucker Carlson. For someone who has been savagely steamrolled so often in the past, you might think that Carlson had learned something. You would be wrong.

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On Thursday night’s episode of Carlson’s White Nationalist Hour on Fox News, he felt compelled to malign America’s most beloved humorist, Jon Stewart. The impetus for this attack was that Stewart had the gall to speak out on behalf of American soldiers who were poisoned while serving, but for whom the country was not providing necessary healthcare. Stewart’s efforts contributed to the bipartisan passage of the PACT Act (despite eleven Republicans voting against it) that will finally deliver the care that they need.

RELATED: Jon Stewart Wants to Know How Fox News Can Put a Sh**head Like Tucker Carlson on TV Every Night

So what on Earth could have triggered Tucker into such a tempestuous tantrum? Well, apparently it has something to do with his looks, particularly his height. Carlson lashed out maniacally at Stewart accusing him of…

“…looking like a guy who lives in the men’s room at your public library, eating imaginary insects out of the air. And he was there to get, for some reason, into a shouting match with the senior editor of Human Events called Jack Posobiec. […] He looks demented.”

This raises the question of how Carlson is so familiar with denizens of men’s rooms at libraries. More to the point, Carlson completely misunderstood the reason Stewart was there. It wasn’t to argue with Posobiec, a notorious racist and conspiracy theorist. It was to help the heroes that Fox News pretends to support. But Carlson was just getting started. After playing a brief, and purposely edited video clip intended to make Stewart look bad, Carlson went on to rant…

“That’s Jon Stewart? The famous Jon Stewart? He looks like a homeless mental patient. He’s shrieking and disheveled. And very short. Really short. Too short to date. Was he always that short? What happened? Where’s he been the last 7 years? If you know, let us know. We want answers.”

Yes, Tuckums. That’s the famous Jon Stewart, passionately standing up for sick veterans, which is more than you’ve ever done for anyone else. And while Stewart may be only 5’7″, if he 6’7″ he still wouldn’t date you. So take a cold shower in a library men’s room and get over it. Or go try to get a date with the “sexy” cartoon M&Ms that make you so hot.

It’s interesting that Stewart works so hard on behalf of others, but Carlson can only find fault with his height. Carlson’s hatred of short people says much more about himself than it does of Stewart. However, Stewart had a prompt and appropriate response…

“Friends. Tonite I am sad. @TuckerCarlson believes me too short to date…and yet somehow, miraculously, I remain tall enough to not know what Victor Orban’s ass tastes like! Is it goulash Tucky? Seems like it would be goulash.”

OUCH! Did Carlson really think he could beat Stewart in a battle of the burns? Stewart’s retort was both funny and topical. Hungarian dictator Orbán just spoke at the ultra-rightist CPAC conference where the conservative crowd cheered his racist and authoritarian views. Carlson is a huge fan of Orbán, having traveled to Hungary in order to do a slobberingly softball interview late last year.

RELATED: Fox News Fascinista, Tucker Carlson, Cozies Up to Hungary’s Authoritarian PM Orban

What’s more, Carlson’s infatuation with Orbán is reciprocal. Orbán recently praised Carlson saying that “programs like his should be broadcasted day and night. Or as you say 24/7.'” He better be careful or Vladimir Putin, who Carlson is also enamored of, will get jealous.

This, of course, isn’t the first battering that Carlson has had by Stewart. In 2005 Stewart appeared on CNN’s Crossfire which was co-hosted by Paul Begala and Carlson. In that encounter Stewart told Carlson that he was “not going to be your monkey,” and that he is “as big a dick on [Crossfire] as you are on any show.” A few weeks later Crossfire was canceled and Carlson was fired. It’s clear that Carlson has never gotten over it. Watch the classic exchange below.

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Lauren Boebert Tells Newsmax that They Eat Dogs In Venezuela Because They Don’t Have Guns

Posted by on August 1, 2022 at 12:14 pm. 2 Comments :

At what point do we throw up our hands in the air and concede that Republicans are are just a perverse comedy troupe trying to punk America? Because that appears to be only way to make any rational sense of some (most) of the blitheringly idiotic things they do and say.

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Lauren Boebert

It would explain so much. It would explain how every Republican can get away with voting against the gouging of gas prices. It would explain how the GOP can vote against healthcare for veterans poisoned in the line line duty. It might even explain how a former reality TV game show host, who believes that windmills cause cancer and bleach injections cure COVID, came to occupy the White House, and still has supporters after being impeached twice and trying to overthrow the government.

RELATED: Trump Projects His Own Dementia on Biden in a Nauseating Mash Up of COVID and Election Fraud

The Republican Party is really giving Saturday Night Live some serious competition. And there could be no better example of that then what Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-QAnon) said during an interview with former Trump flunky Sebastian Gorka on Newsmax Sunday night:

“If the citizenry of America is disarmed, then we are no longer citizens. We are subjects. You know, here in America we have gourmet treats for puppies. We have these amazing groomers for dogs. Well in Venezuela they eat the dogs. And it started because they don’t have firearms. They do not have a way to protect themselves, to defend themselves against a tyrannical government.

Indeed. American citizenry is defined by each individual’s personal arsenal. And American democracy is admired around the world because it provides “gourmet treats for puppies,” just like it says in the Constitution. Never mind that Boebert is imagining a scenario wherein all Americans are disarmed., something no Democrat has ever suggested. Although, perhaps we shouldn’t dwell on Boebert’s affinity for “amazing groomers.”

The key point that this GOP member of Congress was intent on making was that America’s lax gun policies have kept the nation from consuming it’s canine friends. Having the freedom to own all manner of weaponry, even military assault rifles, is what separates us from the heathens in Venezuela.

Boebert doesn’t mince her words. She flatly states that the reason Venezuelans eat dogs is because “they don’t have firearms.” That’s true. After all, if the dogs had firearms they would mow us down in the street if we tried to approach them with steak knives and BBQ sauce.

It’s difficult to grasp how Boebert got from gun regulation to doggie dinners. But that’s because we don’t have the kind of twisted sense of humor that she does. It’s because we don’t ignore facts, such as that much of the Venezuelan population is so poor that often dogs are the only source of food available.

Boebert’s stab at comedy comes at time when actual comedians are taking more serious positions on matter of critical importance to the nation. Jon Stewart has been lobbying Congress to pass the veteran’s healthcare legislation that the Republicans have been voting against. And Stephan Colbert sent Triumph, the insult comic dog, a rubber puppet, to Capitol Hill to confront members about the January 6th insurrection that was incited by Donald Trump.

RELATED: Stephen Colbert Hysterically Mocks Tucker Carlson’s ‘Comedy’ on the Arrest of His Staff in D.C.

Triumph is lucky that the hungry Democrats in the House of Representatives didn’t tie him to a spit with an apple in his mouth. Although, it is important to note that Triumph managed to escape with his life even though he and his human handlers were all unarmed. And with no help from Boebert, either.

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Jon Stewart Nails It: The Supreme Court is Now the Fox News of Justice

Posted by on July 2, 2022 at 12:10 pm. 2 Comments :

The just ended Supreme Court session produced a number of historically disastrous decisions that are utterly disconnected from constitutional law. They ruled against a woman’s right to reproductive choice. They curbed the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate deadly carbon emissions. They weakened states’ rights to limit access to guns. They allowed religion to be forced on public school students.

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Fox News, Supreme Court, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Barrett

These decisions are an assault on the principles of a free society. They will undoubtedly result in greater harm to millions of Americans, including many who will die due the Court’s radical biases and strict obedience to their extremist ideological dogma.

The rulings also have something in common with each other. They are all identical to the uber-rightist political positions articulated daily on Fox News. Both the decisions, and the faulty “reasoning” used to support them, are straight out of the mouths of Fox’s Ultra-MAGA hosts and guests.

That partisan conformity was recognized by America’s most prominent living humorist, Jon Stewart. “The Supreme Court is now ‘the Fox News of justice,'” Stewart recently observed. He further noted that the rulings emanating from the hard-right faction of this Court have no consistency, saying that “States can’t regulate guns, but they can regulate uteruses.” He continued…

“‘It is a cynical pursuit in the same way that Fox News would come out with ‘we’re fair and balanced’ under the patina of what would be a high-status pursuit to the betterment of society, journalism. They are a cynical political arm.”

Indeed. The conservative justices are no better than the hacks on Fox News who shape their commentaries to fit their prejudices. They are flagrantly constructing a legal foundation that reflects their staunchly right-wing conclusions, rather than the Constitution. Stewart also addressed the Senate confirmation process, saying that…

“When you look at the ridiculous kabuki theater now of justice confirmation, where they can just go out there and just fucking lie, like if this were about debate, then they would’ve understood what perjury meant.”

Stewart is referring to justices Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett, who all told the Senate that they would respect judicial precedent and the settled law of cases such as Roe vs Wade. They lied. And now they are on the Court where their opinions are implementing the Fox News agenda. Some examples of the intertwining wingnut justices with Fox include…

The problem with Stewart’s otherwise appropriate observation is that the Donald Trump-appointed justices might regard the connection to Fox News as a compliment. They are not ashamed of their affiliation with the crackpot contingent in the media. To the contrary, they are proud of it. And because of their inherent power to interpret constitutional laws that affect every American, they are even more dangerous to the welfare of the nation than Fox News. Which is really saying something.

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Jon Stewart Wants to Know How Fox News Can Put a Sh**head Like Tucker Carlson on TV Every Night

Posted by on March 5, 2022 at 11:38 am. 1 Comments :

Times are getting harder for the depraved purveyors of propaganda at Fox News. For months they have been literally rooting for the U.S. economy to take a dive. And the escalating catastrophe in Ukraine is exposing the fervent anti-American and brazenly pro-Putin attitudes of Fox’s most pompous pundits.

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Fox News, Tucker Carlson, Bullshit Factory

Unfortunately for Fox News, the economy hasn’t cooperated with their doomsday dreams. President Biden continues to preside over the strongest economic recovery in decades. And even diehard disinformation disseminators like Tucker Carlson have had to chill their Russian cheering as Putin’s war crimes become ever more evident. And with the worst of the COVID crisis appearing to wane, the pandemic deniers at Fox are running out of apocalypse stories to shove down the throats of their viewers.

That, however, hasn’t deterred Fox from ramping up their efforts to sow discord, fear, and heinous lies intended to rile up the ranks of the deplorables. It’s just made their efforts more preposterous. Among those who have noticed this descent into the depths of depravity is comedian Jon Stewart. In an episode of the “Sway” podcast for the New York Times, Stewart posed some serious questions for Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch. And it’s especially fitting that a comedian like Stewart is expressing himself at a time when a former comedian in Ukraine – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – is demonstrating uncommon courage.

Jon Stewart began by pointedly asking why Murdoch was “trying to destroy the fabric of this country.” Then, noting the brick wall obstructionism of the Republican Party, Stewart observed that “for years it’s been pretty clear that they would much rather do a deal with Putin than Pelosi.” But Stewart was just getting started. He went on to question Murdoch’s motivation for foisting noxious provocateurs like Tucker Carlson on the public:

“I don’t know if it’s ideological or he just thinks, this is where the money is. But how somebody can in good conscience put a shithead like that on television every night to say those types of things? That’s where the responsibility lies in my mind.”

Stewart’s questions actually answer themselves with “all of the above.” For Murdoch it is very definitely ideological. He has been an ultra-right extremist for the whole of his adult life. And he has pushed his views on the most naïve in the TV flock via his media empire on at least three continents. Simultaneously, he has packaged his rancid conservatism to an undiscerning audience whose ignorance he both creates and exploits financially.

Finally, Murdoch, it is clear, has no conscience. So promoting a despicable cretin like Carlson doesn’t bother him a bit. Even though Carlson, as Stewart points out, is an admitted liar. Here he is admitting it…

“I lie if I’m really cornered or something. I lie. I really try not to. I try never to lie on TV. I just don’t — I don’t like lying. I certainly do it, you know, out of weakness or whatever.”

Carlson “tries” not to lie on TV? He obviously isn’t trying very hard, because he does every night. Repeatedly. In fact, Carlson so notorious for his dishonesty that Fox News used it as a defense against defamation. They actually argued in court – successfully – that “given Mr. Carlson’s reputation, any reasonable viewer ‘arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism’ about the statements he makes.”

In other words, Carlson is a known liar whose commentaries can be dismissed out of hand as the ravings of an unhinged “shithead,” as Stewart so poignantly put it. And yet, Carlson’s viewers still cling to his every lie. so what does that make them?

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Jon Stewart Laments that There is Too Much Focus on Donald Trump

Posted by on October 17, 2021 at 12:40 pm. 14 Comments :

It has been six years since Jon Stewart left his post at the Daily Show, disappointing millions of Americans who got humor, insight, and solace from his take on the media and its impact on society. He left a vacuum that still hasn’t been filled by his successors in the comedy world during times when political satire was needed more than ever.

Donald Trump, Jon Stewart

Now Stewart has returned to television with a show on AppleTV+ that looks to be a bit more serious. And to promote his new venture, he is making the rounds on the PR circuit, including an appearance on Sunday’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on CNN.

Tapper did an extended interview (video below) of Stewart that touched on many subjects and provided him with a platform to express his ideas about contemporary media and politics. There was much to admire in his commentary. But there was a brief moment where Stewart may have drifted slightly off the mark:

“I think the media does a terrible job at de-escalation. And de-escalation is the antidote to all this nonsense. And I don’t mean civility, and I don’t mean non-partisanship. I mean focusing on things that are more urgent and elemental in people’s lives and really hammering away at those things.”

Stewart is making a good point about the need to “hammer away” at the issues that really impact people’s lives. There is a bizarre tendency at some media outlets – particularly Fox News – to feature pseudo-culture jamming trivialities like gay Legos, or Chick-fil-A Sauce Shortages, or the infamous Dandelion-Gate.

However, to say that “media does a terrible job at de-escalation” is to suggest that the media regards its job as de-escalating and is failing at it. To the contrary, right-wing media actually considers it their mission to escalate controversy, and they are really quite good at it. They are profoundly successful at stirring up hostility and division which, in turn, acts as a magnet that compels viewers to be viscerally afraid and to stay perpetually tuned in so that they can satiate the addiction that the media itself created. A bigger misstep by Stewart, though, was his assertion that…

“I think we make a mistake focusing this all on Donald Trump […] He has just been an effective vessel.”

If Trump is a “vessel,” then he is a super-tanker loaded to the brim with a toxic cargo that he’s intent on polluting the entire planet with. While it would be a great relief to never again have to be assaulted by Trump’s visage or voice, as long as he is being dredged up by his cult followers and the wingnut press, we need to be vigilant and cognizant of the massive harm that he is capable of inflicting.

While Stewart’s point that Trump is not the originator of the noxious ideas he espouses is correct, he is far and away the most prominent dispenser of them. No one else in Republican politics commands the blind loyalty and propensity for violence that Trump does. And if anyone has the potential to lead an anti-democratic revolt, manned by armed, dangerous, fanatical zealots, it’s Trump.

Consequently, Trump must remain squarely in our focus. That doesn’t mean having the media donate unlimited hours of uninterrupted coverage for his hate-filled cult rallies, like they did in 2016. It doesn’t mean offering his tainted and ignorant perspective of every issue. And it doesn’t mean focusing solely on Trump. What it means is exposing his lies, nefarious intentions, and unsavory relationships, at every opportunity.

Along with an aggressive progressive agenda that benefits all Americans, there must be a focus on stopping Trump and Trumpism. His rancid rhetoric must be neutralized and his authoritarian aspirations quashed. Failure to do so will allow his neo-fascism to spread and fatally infect the nation. Jon Stewart is one of the best voices to achieve a positive end. Let’s hope he stays in that fight.

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How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Seth Meyers: Fox News Is Basically The Closest Thing We Have To State TV

Posted by on April 7, 2017 at 8:18 pm. 1 Comments :

The political satire scene took a couple of body blows when Jon Stewart left The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert gave up his Colbert Report. The slack was taken up ably by John Oliver, Samantha Bee, and a resurgent Saturday Night Live. But a leading light in this arena has been Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Seth Meyers Fox News

This week Meyers delivered one of the best take downs of Fox News since Jon Stewart left the stage. In this segment Meyers begins by noting that the sexual harassment allegations against Bill O’Reilly offer an example of Fox News’ “symbiotic relationship” with Donald Trump. And, yes, Meyers makes the connection.

However, the segment goes into much greater detail on how Fox News is a network in service of propaganda. Meyers spells it out in plain language saying that “They [Fox] give him [Trump] glowing, unquestioning coverage, and in return he gives them unparalleled access.” That’s it in a nutshell. But Meyers isn’t through. He manages to put together a variety of samples of Fox’s sycophantic sucking up to Trump. “Fox News,” he said, “is basically the closest thing we have to state TV” And furthermore:

“This is the network that the President relies on for information? A network with an archaic culture of sexual harassment, fear, and intimidation, that also serves – with a few exceptions – as a propaganda arm.”

Meyers points out how Trump has been promoting Fox News programs on his Twitter feed. “Instead of a bible,” Meyers says, “Trump should have been sworn in on a TV Guide.” And Fox News happily reciprocates by promoting Trump’s promotions of Fox. The clip with Fox and Friends co-host Steve Doocy is worth the price of admission by itself.

The whole piece is a brilliant combination of humor and perceptive media analysis. This clip can be saved and replayed for both its entertainment value and its uncompromising honesty and insight.

Jon Stewart (As Trump) Declares: ‘The New Official Language Of The United States Is Bullsh*t’

Posted by on February 1, 2017 at 10:12 am. 2 Comments :

America is going through a difficult period with uncommonly serious challenges unfolding daily. Donald Trump’s first two weeks in office have already produced unprecedented opposition with millions of citizens taking to the streets to protest his regressive agenda. Consequently, the nation has never needed the uplifting effect of biting satire more. And no one is better at it than Jon Stewart.

Jon Stewart

Perhaps sensing the hunger from a troubled nation, Stewart made a rare public appearance with his old pal Stephen Colbert. Tuesday night’s surprise visit to The Late Show (video below) was a welcome respite from the political and personal animosity emanating from Trump’s White House. Stewart strolled onto the stage wearing a ridiculously long red tie and a stuffed animal on his head. That set the scene for a segment wherein he introduced some executive orders that Trump hadn’t yet announced.

Leading off was a unique proposal for completing the wall that Trump promised top build on the Mexican border. Stewart/Trump proclaimed that he would just make China send us theirs. Of course, Mexico would bear the cost because it would be sent C.O.D. while America pretends they’re not at home.

The next executive order would demand something that seems to have already been achieved by the Trump administration. Stewart/Trump decreed that:

“I, Donald J. Lincoln Kennedy Trump III do pronounce America now finally has an official language. The new official language of the United States is bullshit. I, Donald J. Trump, have instructed my staff to speak only in bullshit. And by the way, none of that, ‘Sure, I’ll speak bullshit at work, but at home I’m using facts and real information.’ No. Bullshit all the time. Immersion – it’s the only way to be fluent.”

Judging by the comments coming from Sean Spicer, Kellyanne Conway, and other Trump mouthpieces, he’s already implemented that order. The advent of “alternative facts” makes that abundantly clear. Likewise, the ludicrous and unsupported talk of voter fraud and bogus estimates of inaugural crowd stats affirm Trump’s fluency in BS..

Add to that Trump’s belligerent behavior toward the press that he despises, his bigoted and heartless ban of refugees, and the ongoing drama surrounding his swamp-dwelling cabinet nominees, and you have the making of a toxic presidency. It’s no wonder that he has entered the office with the lowest approval ratings on record. And as Stewart observed in the segment’s poignant finale, Trump is exhausting:

“I, Donald J. Trump, do declare by executive order that I, Donald J. Trump, am exhausting. It has been 11 days, Stephen. Eleven fucking days. Eleven! The presidency is supposed to age the president, not the public. And the reason that I, Donald J. Trump am exhausting is that every instinct and fiber of my pathological self-regard calls me to abuse of power.

“I Donald J. Trump, want – no, deserve – not just your respect but your adoration. Parades with the tanks and the synchronized dancing. And why can’t they train 10,000 doves to spell out ‘Trump’ in the clouds? How hard can it be? They’re already flying.

“I, Donald J. Trump, am exhausting because it is going to take relentless stamina, vigilance, and every institutional check and balance this great country can muster to keep me, Donald J. Trump, from going full Palpatine, with the lightning coming out of the fingertips and the ‘fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate.’ We have never faced this before. Purposeful, vindictive chaos.

“But perhaps therein lies the saving grace of I, Donald J. Trump’s presidency. No one action will be adequate. All action will be necessary. And if we do not allow Donald Trump to exhaust our fight and somehow come through this presidency calamity-less, and constitutionally partially intact, then I, Donald J. Trump, will have demonstrated the greatness of America, just not the way I thought I was gonna.”

As he often does, Stewart’s faux-news persona presented a picture of current events that surpasses the efforts of the “real” media. He expressed the sentiment of a majority of the nation and their well-warranted anxiety of Trump. But most most importantly, he opened the door to let in a ray of hope. His commitment to “relentless stamina [and] vigilance,” noting that “All action will be necessary,” is just the inspiration Americans need right now. And we could also use more of Jon Stewart providing his unique insight and humor.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.