He also said that the danger posed by another Trump term doesn’t excuse Biden from scrutiny but “actually makes him more subject to scrutiny.”
To leftists and progressives fed up with Biden, particularly his commitment to Israel as it continues to bomb civilians in Gaza, the assessment was not just fair — it was obvious. But more centrist Democrats, including those most likely to have appended “Blue Wave” and “Resistance” labels to their social media accounts in the Trump years, were appalled at what they saw as a betrayal by one of their own.
Who cares? Like me, personally, I think too much is being made of the age thing for Biden (and not enough for Trump) but Jon Stewart is not some party spokesman. If he wants to go Enlightened Centrist “BOTH SIDES are too old!” for comedy he can. His job is the comedy, not the election.
Biden leaves me the fuck alone and passes good policy. He is my dream president.
He’s also just correct. Just because Trump is such a scum human doesn’t make Biden’s three star rating into a five star. It just means three stars is better than this opponent’s zero.
And it’s not like the entire show was about Biden age. Jon Stewart does have a clear preference and does find reason so skewer one side of the political spectrum more than the other but we shouldn’t expect nor even want blind allegiance
That episode was scathing and I love it.
ONE-TIME FANS WHO perhaps remember comedian Jon Stewart only taking satirical swipes at conservatives while host of The Daily Show
Not a good look for an article to start with such a hot take. Anyone who thought Stewart never took aim at Democrats couldn’t have been a fan because they must have never watched his fucking show.
I would guess they know that? Stewart will likely do what he did when Hillary was running. Spend 9 months bad mouthing Biden and then wonder why the hell he didn’t win in the end, but feel sanctimonious that it couldn’t possibly be anything he did while Texas murders a few thousands migrants at the border.
So Hillary lost because of Stewart’s criticisms and not because her own team prompted trump up under the illusion that he could never win?
thank you
Time and place, Jon…
We’re on the cusp of an actual fascist uprising in America, let’s not disparage the guy standing in the way of that, yeah?
No we’re not. We are just on the cusp of four shitty years. People are overreacting to a demented old man. There’s a long list of things the crazy fucker wants to do, and an extremely short list of things he will actually be able to do.
The media silos are feeding everyone panic pablum with a chaser of hysteria pills. We’ve had bad presidents before and everyone lived through them.
It’s really easy to call alarmism - it means nobody has to do anything about the problem and no one is to blame. We’ve got politicians quoting Mien Kampf almost verbatim, but sure, it’s just an overreaction 🙄
No it means exactly what the definition for alarmism says. You can choose to believe “it means nobody has to do anything about the problem and no one is to blame”.
And quoting Mein Kampf only means that the politician in question is either mentally disturbed or dog whistling.
Life must be nice with blinders on, buddy… 🙄
3 steps toward fascism instead of 5 isn’t standing in the way.
Ooh save us from the guy who wants to sidestep congress to back genocide, guy who sidesteps congress to back genocide!
I’d rather vote for the liberal comedian, tbh.
deleted by creator
Which “liberals?” I thought it was funny. I guess I’m not “liberal” enough? I’m voting for Biden because I’ll do anything to stop Trump, but I’m not going to pretend he shouldn’t be mocked.
I thought it was funny too, but man is it uncomfortable knowing that it could sway people away from voting for Biden and swing the scales in favor of Trump.
Denial and scolding/belittling/abusing people for having legitimate concerns will lose a lot more people than being honest and having a sense of humor.
He was just as hard if not harder on Trump in the same segment, so I don’t think it would.
The problem is of the people that watch him. The majority of them would never vote for Trump in the first place. Most of them would probably vote Biden. So being hard on Trump he’s simply preaching to the choir. Being hard on Biden. He might demoralize a few from participating. It doesn’t mean he was wrong or wrong to do it. But it is a possible concern. Though the only group to actually blame for that is the Democrats.
I mean I’m still going to vote for them. Because I like the idea of still having elections even if they are highly flawed. You don’t get that sort of thing under full blown fascism.
It won’t, it was honest and painted Trump in a worse (and deservedly awful) light. The apologists that call the sky yellow when you can see it’s fucking blue cause much more damage by eroding public trust in the democrats.
I prefer flawed candidates that overcome their flaws so that, hopefully, we can find a less flawed candidate next time.
Yeah that’s my only concern really. I don’t want people to become apathetic and not vote. I think Stewart’s message though is probably the fairest way to prevent that though. Acknowledge that yeah, Biden is old, and he’s not as sharp as he used to be. He is by no means the ideal nor dream candidate. People are right to feel iffy about him.
But Trump means there’s really no question of who to vote for and who you should vote for. We can be honest and affirm worries about Biden while still encouraging votes for him.
If Jon’s audience somehow got swayed into voting FOR Trump over some criticisms on Biden, they were never listening in the first place.
Doesn’t really matter does it? A vote is a vote.
Wish the DNC had told themselves the same before insisting which bed we lay in for another four years.
That’s a fair and comforting point. I thought Stewart was a bit heavy on criticism, but it’s not so much that I dislike the criticism, but that I’m wary it’ll lead to apathy and people not voting.
That’s an interesting point. Jon Stewart’s job isn’t to get Biden elected. Just like Fox and MSNBC shouldn’t be their job to get their respective candidates elected. He should present things as he sees it and the people should inform themselves to select the best candidate
That’s fine, and I can respect that, but damn am I scared of another Trump administration.
yeah I enjoyed it too, a couple of different friends mentioned it being funny I don’t know anyone that was upset about it.
probably just another article about some random vocal minority complaining
The ones on Twitter that are sourced in the article. This is a non story.
People complaining on Twitter, say it ain’t so.
My guess is bot farms mostly. Russia, the DNC, the RNC, et al benefit in their own ways from posting their reactions all over social media. Sure some on the far left probably didn’t make it past the first commercial break, but with an election, everyone is coming out to play
Regardless, they are both way too old to be running again. I find it hard to believe these guys with one foot in the grave and an inability to speak coherently are our best bet.
Well said and agreed 100%.
It’s not hard to grasp really is it.
Probably saw 2 people on twitter and then they just expanded and said all liberals?
So they saw both of the remaining Twitter users, makes sense
The dude spent the pandemic insisting the lab leak theory was absolutely true because “they named the lab after Covid, it has to have come from there!” which is both wrong (the lab is named the Wuhan Institute of Virology) and stupid because even if it was named after the class of disease they study, that doesn’t prove anything.
Covid broke a lot of people’s brains, and he seems to be one of them.
Source on him talking about this throughout the pandemic? Only thing I’m aware of is him going on Colbert’s show post-lockdown.
On that occasion, to some extent, I’m pretty sure he was just joking, given that he gives his entire speech in a comedic tone and doesn’t fight Colbert back on mostly anything he replies with.
I love the man and he helped shape my political perspective but that Colbert interview didn’t seem like he was joking.
That’s fair. I don’t think he was 100% joking either, I just don’t think he was absolutely convinced of the lab leak theory.
The way I see it: either it was a) just a bit, or b) a bit that was fueled by his frustration that the lab leak theory hasn’t been outright disproven (though I think him saying it’s “more than likely” would still be irresponsible), or c) him being serious and trying to make a joke out of it, or d) none of the above.
I think c) is totally worthy of criticism. Just not as much so under a) or b).
I’m still interested in a source of that not being the only time he defended the lab leak theory.
I don’t begrudge anyone for believing that Covid-19 came from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. History shows that governments will make every effort to avoid standing up and telling their citizens a difficult truth. The lab leak theory is a fruit of rampant dishonesty in government. It’s directly the fault of the government that conspiracy theories like this exist, and it’s hypocritical for governments to bemoan those theories and the people who believe them.
deleted by creator
This is the best summary I could come up with:
At one point, Stewart showed Biden — at a press conference to address a Justice Department probe that characterized him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” — mixing up the countries of Mexico and Egypt.
Literary icon Joyce Carol Oates, famous for her unfiltered Twitter takes, was likewise unimpressed with Stewart’s performance at the Daily Show desk, calling it “surprisingly unoriginal” in its focus on the presidential candidates’ age: “‘Both sides identical: too old,’ she tweeted, asking, “this is funny or helpful — exactly how?”
“Balance and humor return!” declared Elon Musk, who, since acquiring Twitter in 2022, has been stewing in the far-right misinformation and racist conspiracy theories that now run rampant on the barely moderated platform.
Throughout the episode, the host referenced the former president’s many criminal indictments, multiple civil rulings affirming that he committed sexual assault, and attempts to undermine the democratic process — while noting Biden had none of these issues as a candidate.
In his long absence from the flagship Comedy Central talk show, it’s possible that part of his audience chose to remember him more as a prime hater of President George W. Bush — especially during the Iraq War — or a true-blue counterweight to the rabid Fox News-style neoconservatism lampooned in The Colbert Report.
It’s already clear that his skewering Trump as incoherent, clownish and dangerously unsuited to the highest office in the land is not enough to placate this voting bloc, which would do well to realize that Stewart’s job has never been to favor, endorse, or champion a particular candidate: he’s there now to vent a collective frustration with a pair of unpopular politicians and rattle the system that has once again put them forward as our two best options.
The original article contains 1,004 words, the summary contains 293 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
The show was really funny. This post was a good excuse to watch the monologue again. Looking forward to next Monday’s show.
has anyone listened to jon stewart’s political takes when he wasn’t reading them off a teleprompter? remember, when colbert had his capitol rally to make a point about what (the republicans in) congress was doing, stewart joined in with his rally watering down the impact of the initial rally because he thought colbert was doing a giant bit.
jon stewart has generally had terrible political takes. it’s just that during his heyday it was the no drama obama years and there generally wasn’t anything to both sides on the democratic side so liberals didn’t hear him badly try to equivocate the two parties.
then again I’ve never watched the daily show, even the kilborne years so what do I know.
I think your memory of how that rally evolved is deeply flawed. Colbert was always in character… He announced his rally as the march to keep fear alive.
He was right on all points.
But people obviously missed the point he made about the choice is still between a old Biden or old lunatic. So it’s not some 50/50 both sides bullshit
in a way, I wonder if JS was egging the mainstream media on to highlight the difference themselves, to distinguish a key difference - one’s an imperfect solution, the other is a deranged tyrant criminal. Yeah, do the math.
Of course their upset, this is post-Trump America after all! You’re not allowed to criticize both sides equally! You HAVE TO pick a side and support them fully no matter what bullshit spews out of their mouths! It’s a law now! The whole thing falls apart if we’re not all running around screaming for blood like a bunch of lunatics!
Like how you’re getting downvotes because you’re speaking the truth.
US politics is literally “democrat bad” or “republican bad”, and both are apparently immune from criticism from anybody unless you’re criticizing the opposite team. Trump and the Republican party is unquestionably fucked up for being fascists, but that shouldn’t mean we can’t scrutinize whatever the hell the Dems are doing - and what they are not doing as well. We should hold our government accountable for what they do because we’re the goddamn people.
I say this as somebody who will vote Democrat - not because I actually want Biden, but because I don’t want Trump or a modern-day Republican as President.
Neolibs might be crying but literally everyone else is laughing
…. Most of whom will still be voting for him. Extremely accurate criticisms aside.
Right. I laughed my ass off, because it’s fucking true.
We’ve got two old as shit dudes, both with shit memories, running for president.
Sure one is the better option, but neither are great options… And imagine them in four more years
Yikes.
Right. As I keep saying, I’ll be voting for the forgetful doddering old grandpa that isn’t a treasonous rapist who says he’ll be a dictator.
Yeah, addressing it directly and with humor is exactly the way to tackle the issue. All the liberals frantically trying to gaslight about an 81 year old’s memory just look like they’re in a cult, which will actually drive voters away.
He’s old, probably too old, but Trump is not only worse in general, but demonstrably worse on that very issue. It sucks that our choice is which declining man should be the leader of the free world, but that’s the question we’re faced with.
I hope so. Another drumpf term will be a disaster
Yes, betrayal - because the US devolved so much into tribalism, that any critique of “their own”, no matter if justified or not, is a betrayal and taboo.
You see, our side can do no wrong and is perfect. It’s their side that’s wrong, always. We’re the good guys, and they’re the bad guys - how could Jon betray the only side that’s good, noble and completely faultless? That clearly means he’s with them and not with us, because nuance is a foreign loan word that we don’t need, and everything is black and white!
Fucking sad and depressing - glad I get to look at it from the outside, but still…
He basically helped create the current atmosphere during his tenure on the daily show. It’s poetic justice I suppose.
Yes, betrayal - because the US devolved so much into tribalism, that any critique of “their own”, no matter if justified or not, is a betrayal and taboo.
Just look on here whenever I post an article critiquing Biden. I get called every name in the book. Russian bot, China bot, Trumper etc
Depends on the article and what it’s advocating for. Anything advocating for not voting or voting third party (unfortunately equal to not voting in the American electoral system) will get shit from me… Biden is the worst option available to us except Trump. Trump is a fucking existential crisis.
“If you don’t vote for Biden that’s a vote for Trump!”
“If you don’t vote for Trump that’s a vote for Biden!”
Ah, so you understand - good.
The logic is flawed
I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. The logic isn’t flawed the system we’re working within is flawed and unjust. Voting for one of the two leading candidates is the only logical option within this system.
If you want to change the system then fuck yea - I’m with you brother… but I honestly don’t know how to accomplish that other than primarying in candidates that support RCV or proportional representation… once we get to the general election you vote for whichever of the two choices is less awful. If you don’t then bad shit happens - if Trump hadn’t been elected we’d still have Roe v. Wade and that difference is fucking important in an intimate way to a lot of people’s lives.
Biden fucking sucks and I hope he’ll be our next president.
I go back to this video and still nothing has changed. It’s even worse now…
Yeah that’s how the 2 party system works. Until a third party is strong enough (hint: they need downticket seats) to overtake another party, voting third party is worthless.
To be faaaaaiiiirrr, you do kinda only post that stuff. Mix it up a bit like me and they’ll stop calling you a Russian bot and start calling you just plain crazy
I am only disappointed because his big comeback was sold to us as a man against MAGATARDS.
It’s fucked. Life’s fucked. I’m fucked. You’re fucked. Everything’s fucked. It’s fucked to the point it can’t be unfucked. It’s completely, and thoroughly fucked.
It’s better than 1942
Until it isn’t.
I’m not American but I can see why the left going after Biden now is not a good idea. It’s just gonna lead to a Trump win. I hate Biden, the guy has blood on his hands from his constant support of the drug war. But you should have thought of that before. Either back him now, and get a better candidate going. Or go after Biden now and lose to Trump. And then you’ll get nothing done.
Biden should never have been the Democrats pick, Clinton either, but it’s too late for all that now.
what happened to “it’s ok if bernie doesn’t win you just gotta vote for biden and push him left when he’s in office” because this is not that.
No no no. You see, Union Buster Biden actually is the progressive champion and you’re a Russian bot for saying otherwise
Tbf apparently he kept working with them after that and got them what they wanted.
Still supporting baby killers though
They lied to us. They we’re never going to let us even try to push.
The Inflation Reduction Act did turn out to be the most leftist climate policy in history, and it was so potent that it forced European countries to adopt similar policies too. That’s probably the best example of Biden being pushed left.
Leftist means a fundamental restructuring of ownership over the economy and means of production. ‘Not destroying the planet’ is not a leftist position, it’s simply a position common among leftists because we dont want our kids to die. Shows how far the overton window has been pushed right when things like fixing bridges that are decades out of spec and trying to not kill the planet is considered leftist.
That definition of leftist is outdated, frankly. In the modern day there’s a whole lot more associated with it.
I would posit actually that the original definition is solely economic because at the time political thinkers and economists were solely men, and not interested in minorities and women’s rights.
To a republican leftism is anything they don’t like. That doesn’t make it true simply because half the country says it. That word has meaning, the overton window is being pushed to convince you it does not.
Let’s extrapolate, lets say not killing the planet is a leftist position, what’s the democrat position then? Only kill a little of the planet?
