Via Boing Boing:
I’m a little late on this one, especially since I took my unplanned blog vacation.
If you haven’t seen the footage of Jon Stewart intellectually pounding conservative pundit Bill Bennett, you are missing out. Bennett appeared on the Daily Show to discuss his opposition to gay marriage as part of the current hoopla in Congress. Stewart works his magic and makes the pundit really look like a fool. Crooks and Liars has posted video footage of the smackdown, which has also been mirrored on You Tube as well as residing at Comedy Central.
The best bit:
Bennett Look, it’s a debate about whether you think marriage is between a man and a women. Stewart:I disagree, I think it’s a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish.
It is frustrating that Congress is wasting time on this issue once again, although the reasons behind it are most lucidly spelled out by Greg on his blog. All the same, if the conservatives insist on fighting this ridiculous battle, it’s fun to watch people like Stewart smack them back into place.
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Posted on Friday, June 9, 2006 @ 10:09 CDT
This gay marriage issue is nothing more than cynical election year pandering; Republicans attempting to energize a segment of their base that will likely not turn out to the polls if things don’t, uh, ‘improve.’
Regarding Jon Stewart and Bennett: I subscribe to the Daily Show via iTunes (yeah, they’re evil, but what a sweet service!), and am typically a fan of Stewart and the show. This interview, however, was conducted poorly. I suspect that those with left leaning sentiments will agree that Bennett was ‘bitch slapped.’ Those on the right, however, will probably see 6 mins of Bennett being interrupted and cut off before he could articulate his point. I love seeing ass-holes like Bennett being put in their place, but I don’t think that Stewart was in top form. Yeah, Stewart’s base (demo, whatever) will love this ‘interview,’ but it sure seemed like Stewart needed/wanted someone to rail against rather than to conduct a productive interview. …and if that’s the case, what’s the difference between Stewart and O’Rielly?
Posted on Friday, June 9, 2006 @ 10:47 CDT
That’s a very good point, DHP. I have to admit to being a little frustrated myself with Stewart interrupting so much. I would have preferred it if he had let Bennett dig a deeper hole for himself. That being said, I am a left-leaning individual so I just flat out enjoyed it.
The other problem was the crowd’s cheers which made it somewhat uncomfortable to watch for the same reasons. While I echo their sentiment it made the segment a non-interview.
Though certainly amusing, hopefully this sort of talk radio domination doesn’t become part of Stewart’s regular shtick, even if it is amusing, for his own sake. Though it is just a “fake news” show, Stewart has become a powerful figure in media, and thus has a certain degree of responsibility even from his relatively roguish role as a satirist. I’d hate to see him become marginalized as a left wing pundit.