A Jon Stewart Tribute Post
 |
 |
 |
I am a HUGE fan of Jon Stewart, the host of The Daily Show. I think he’s filled a void and given a voice to a viewpoint and a political position that was rarely seen in the media before, but sorely needed. He’s made a point to attack the idea that there are only two sides to any political debate, either the “radical right” or the “loony left”. I see him as an advocate for the moderates—the thoughtful, informed and active moderates; those that can see both the good and the bad (and the ridiculous) in both parties; those that want good people with good ideas to lead the country, not just “their side”.
I certainly don’t agree with everything he says, and that’s okay. I think one of his biggest contributions has been to show how to disagree without being disagreeable, how to have completely different fundamental beliefs from someone else but still show them respect and have a genuine interest in understanding how they came to have those beliefs. It also doesn’t hurt that he, and the rest of the show, can be really, really funny.
Here are a few clips to some great Jon Stewart moments (in the interests of space, I’m just doing links instead of embedding the video). Let me know what you think, and if you don’t think they’re great… I, uh… *thinking to myself: what would Jon Stewart do?*… I guess I can respect your different viewpoint.
Jon Stewart discusses the Duke lacrosse story. I can’t resist this one, it’s got Duke and “the law” in it. Also, keep in mind that Nancy Grace is a lawyer and former prosecutor.
Jon Stewart looks at law school rankings. Another one I couldn’t resist. This is a clip from just the other day that looks at Regent Law School and the mystery of why so many of its graduates work in the current administration.
Jon Stewart on Crossfire. This appearance by Jon Stewart on CNN’s “debate” show caused a real stir when it happened and became a large factor in CNN’s decision to cancel the show. You can also click here for other clips of the appearance and one of Jon Stewart talking about it on his show the next day.
Jon Stewart interviewed by Charlie Rose. A short clip of Jon talking with Duke Law alum, Charlie Rose, about the process he and his staff go through in putting together their show.
Jon Stewart’s bit at the Emmys. Jon was a presenter at the Emmy Awards shortly after the whole Hurricane Katrina mess and he put together a clip that was “censored” by CBS. The video quality isn’t great but it’s the only version I could find of it.
Jon Stewart interviewed by Bill O’Reilly. Jon defends his show against The Big Kahuna. I actually think they both did pretty well in this interview. An interesting footnote here is that in the interview, Bill O’Reilly refers to Daily Show viewers as “stoned slackers”. In the interim between this interview and when Bill O’Reilly appeared on The Daily Show as a guest a few weeks later, Comedy Central commissioned a survey and found out that the average Daily Show viewer had more formal education than an O’Reilly Factor viewer.
Jon Stewart’s monologue right after 9/11. This is from the first Daily Show episode after the 9/11 attacks. A deeply moving speech. This is Jon Stewart at his finest and is probably one of the things he’ll be most remembered for.
My favorite is the bit on law school rankings. Especially “Jiffy Law” because during his application process I used to tell Rob that I would support his going to law school even if it were “Jim’s Plumbing & Law.” Luckily he got a better offer.
I too love him!!! Okay maybe you don’t love him, but you know what I am talking about. I love when he had John McCain on the otherday, it was just so civil, it should be a blueprint for all politics. I laughed so hard when he had GWB former chief of staff on , and he was spinning everything, and Jon was amazed at how well he did. (sorry I can’t remember his name). I watch him on comedy here the following morning, I too don’t agree with everything, but since we have had Cable including Cnn, MSNBC, FOX NEws, it is interesting to see how everything is pretty biased based on which network you watch, and Jon Stewart seems to be able to but through most of it, and dish it the way it is. And serioiusly the Nancy Grace Duke bit was the best!! Thanks for posting it, it needs to be viewed more than once!!!
Sorry, I never watch him. I can feel the dissapointment from you. First the Simpsons quotes and now this. Can this rift between us ever be repaired?
Those were great clips. I don’t have cable at my house, so I never get to see The Daily Show. I fill that void with Glenn Beck. He is hilarious. I can’t listen to hosts like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity any longer. Glenn Beck is more about right and wrong rather than right and left. I like that.
We actually don’t have cable either. I watch it all online at their site. They’re pretty good about posting just about the entire show by the following morning. It’s now part of my daily routine to bring my lunch to work (peanut butter and jelly almost every day, oh yeah!) and watch clips from the show while I eat my lunch at my desk.
Jon Stewart is probably my favorite comedian right now. His book “America” is HYSTERICAL. His facial expressions, impersonations of Bush, constant inside jokes, and funny little animations, like his Giant Head of So and So on their New Set are just funny to me. I, too, watch them online, but I watch em’ at school (nice to know what the Utah Educational System’s funds are being used for, eh?).
Holly, did I ever tell you the story about Craig listening to Sean Hannity…..he’s no longer allowed to. The End.
Mark and I also enjoy watching Jon Stewart, but we are also fans of The Colbert Report. Good stuff.
I’m with Heidi on this one. Personally, I like Jakers…