He's probably afraid of being "Dixie Chicked" or "Bill Mahered". Maybe the focus group marketing weenies have taken over. Either that, or has anyone checked lately to see if a megacorporation has bought out Comedy Central?

I don't think he's afraid or that he lost his groove.  Lately, he's been taking his Conservative/Republican guests to the floor during his interviews:  Bill Bennet, Will Kristol, that weird transgendered-seeming Indian guy who wrote "The Party of Death," and Ken Mehlman.  All with a smile and a laugh.

Man, you guys can bitch about anything. This is by far the most moronic charge of "bias" or "not being liberal enough" that I've ever heard. Now Jon Stewert is anti-liberal? Give me a break. He is hilarious in a way thaqt Colbert is not. While Colbert satirizes the conservative pundit, Stewert often makes concise arguments with his guests on issues of policy, such as his recent interview with Bill Bennet. If you guys want ideological purity on everything you watch, suck it up. Go back to trying to beat Lieberman (which will fail) or some other doomed cause to bitch about. OR, you could focus your energy on things more important that Jon Stewert's...lol...."hackery."

I agree that Stewart's reactions sometimes don't line up with my own, but what about his interview with Bill Bennett two weeks ago.  He tore him a new one on the gay marriage.  Unlike many of his other interviews in the past he did not softball Bennett.

Stewart gets a lot of credit from me for saying things other people on TV or in print would not say for the past 5 years (with the exception of bloggers).  He made one comment that might be construed as not progressive, and he gets called a hack on par with Leno.  That is a little far.  Regardless of whether he is funny or not anymore (I think he is, and Leno isn't),  I don't think he should be held to a standard of absolute ideological purity, considering the constant critique of the foolishness of our government's policies for over five years.  If he had suddenly turned into Rush Limbaugh (a "funny" conservative commentator) call him on that, but it was one segment of one show out of hundreds.

Stewart's opening segments haven't been as good this year, but part of that is Colbert not being one of the correspondents.

On the other hand, he really gave it to William Bennett last week, much more so than any real talking head has ever been able to.  

Come on! This guy is hosting a COMEDY program on a COMEDY network. How easy do you think it is to be dead on funny all the time. I'm a big "liberal" blog reader and lean pretty far left most of the time and some of the stuff I see on this and other sites I think is plain nuts. But I digress most of the time because the overall message is basically coherent and productive. Stewart is trying to reach an audience that is basically apathetic and misinformed and humor is the tool that he uses to do it.

Give the guy a break. Lets not start eating our own now.

Wow Matt, is anyone not a Hack in your book?

Matt, and whoever posted that comment he cited, GET OVER YOURSELVES.  are you kidding me?   Hackery??????  My god, no wonder why we never win, we start criticizing the likes of jon stewart, someone who has consistently called bullshit whenever we would have.  

I like Colbert, but Jon Stewart is by far smarter, he can actually discuss policy, Colbert just impersonates someone who can't talk about policy.  

You guys have got to be kidding. How uniform in your beliefs do you need to be to be accepted as legit and not a "hack?"

I always thought that the progressive argument against GITMO wasn't so much that everyone interned there is innocent, although some of them have turned out to be, but that even terrorists and murders who hate America deserve a fair, transparent trial for the crimes they had committed or were conspiring to committ. From what I heard on NPR, not exactly a puppet of the RNC, those three were top guys in al-qaeda. I'll say it straight up: if you kill innocent people, or plan on it, and then off yourself? No big loss.

Jon Stewart has done a better job making common sense arguments for worker's rights, universal health care and gay rights that any blogger and 99% of "liberal" politicians. He makes those ideas seem rational to people who wouldn't think so otherwise. Back off and go after people who really are hurting freedom and civil liberties and our safety: republicans.

First Joe Lieberman...

then Barack Obama....

now Jon Stewart?!?!

The purpose of Jon Stewart is to entertain, and by most accounts he does a good job.  The fact that he doesn't always deliver snarky humor that you agree with doesn't mean he's "lost his edge."

I am ashamed this is on the front page of MyDD. If you cannot see that there is a huge difference between Jay Leno and John Stewart then I don't know how to even talk to you. You are clearly living with a different worldview.

I don't think I've read anything on the front page of MyDD that was more wrong that this. I'm simply amazed that somebody could have watched Jon Stewart for this long and understood him so poorly.

Americans can't understand irony.  

I heard the joke you quote here, and I interpreted it as a very scathing critique of the GB concentration camp, and a calling into question of the very guilt your friend wished Stewart would call into question.  And I laughed so hard that my wife walked in from the other room to see what was going on.

Personally, I think Stewart is far better than Colbert.  I liked Colbert more when he was a segment on Stewart and still think he is better in 5 minutets than 30.  But he's very different, now, in the sense that he is playing a full character of the Faux pundit.

And...I think John Stewart's first question to Ken Mehlman was,  "So...why do you think Karl Rove wasn't convicted?"  

I think Stewart still has it...big time.

I don't know. I'm scared to comment after that recent post. Am I being serious enough by saying that Stewart still serves a very important function here and we ought not to dismiss him quite so quickly? After all, he is one of the few (only?) media sources that really offer a lot of real thinking instead of spin.

Are my days still numbered????

This is ridiculous post. Just because some idiot wrote an email with horrendous grammar and poor spelling criticizing John Stewart does not make our favorite pundit fair game for bashing.

i haven't really noticed it.  He's honest and doesn't hold back.  Did he kowtow to Bill Bennett?????  Come'on..........

Waste of space.

Steward is funny and not anyone's hack.

Relax.

Wrong.

Dead wrong my friend.  This coming from someone who is fairly harsh about media that has jumped the shark.  

Fonzie literally jumping the shark.

Enos leaving the Dukes.

Law & Order, the reality show thingee

Jerome leaving MyDD

Whatev!

Everyone on the Left has to be wa-a-a-a-ay FAR, FAR to the left or they're useless?

No wonder our Dem politicians don't know what to say, how to say it, and haven't won many elections!

Keep up the good work.

I am so ashamed of Matt's post. Before someone outside the blogging community uses it to smear us for being rigid extremist ideologues... can we get it removed?

I must come to the defense of Jon Stewart. Anyone who stayed up late enough last night to see him eviscerate the Chair of the Republican Party, Ken Mehlman, would feel that, while the jokes about the suicides at Gitmo were off, he is STILL one very funny guy. For God sake, he asked Mehlman how it feels to be the guy whose job it is to pour perfume on the turd field (or something like that). And the audience was with him all the way, as he knew it would be. Pitch perfect.

I can't possibly imagine anyone posting here would come up with

he doesn't seem like a good guy anymore.  He just seems like a weenie.

It's satire, folks. Has to be. I mean - come on! He's paying us the compliment of being able to tell when he's impersonating a guy talking out of his ass.

And - let me say - that is a great impersonation.

Rofl this stuff cracks me up.  Make one bad vote, and you're a GOP-Sellout.  Tell one bad joke, and you're a turncoat, GOP plant.  Give me a break.

THIS IS BULL!!

What a pathetic post.  No even the little bit insightful.  If you think Stewart's been a little off his game, that's one thing - but hackery?  He's a FAKE NEWSCASTER - and as it happens, the only one who held Bennet, Kristol, and last night Mehlman, out to dry.  Look at the buzz around the net when he calls bullshit on these guys.  Hackery?  I think not.

This is an embarassing post.  The grammar, the spelling, the claims made with no evidence.  And on  MYDD.com?  Wow, how low the mighty have fallen.

You are taking Jon Stewart far too seriously.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/06/14/pe rhaps-some-chanel-instead/

I always watch Jon Stewart because he is funny, smart and tough on the right. But to be honest, he is consistently bigoted when it comes to Arabs. The Guantanamo Bay joke is just one example. It is too bad, because liberal American Jews are among our most committed patriots right now. Understandable? Yes perhaps, but I wish this blind spot would go away.

I've lurked here for a couple years now, but I've never felt the need to comment until now...

WHAT??  Jon Stewart is a hack?  His jokes have devolved?  Have you even watched the show lately or do you just get your information from your friend's text messages?

This is easily the worst post I've read at MyDD on several levels that have already been commented about here.  I'd go so far as to wonder if Matt isn't becoming a hack.  So sad, I certainly hope he gets his groove back soon.

He is a commedian for pity's sake.  OMG.  One joke and he is a "hack".  Please, it takes years of tireless work to become a hack!

Ahem!  A moment of silence please! We need to say grace before we sit down and eat our own.

The amount of vitriol you spew against those who agree with you 90+% is incredible. I really wonder sometimes if you are working for the other side. You just take the few times someone says something you personally thing is wrong and blow it up to be a huge issue.

Why don't you just come out and say it? And while you are at it look up hack in the dictionary. Where is the pattern of hackery? All I can see is that you bring up one instance and then express subjective invectives about Stewart's softening.

It's clear to me you don't believe in the central tenants of CTG. I see no way that your constant whining about liberal personalities not being good enough on specific instances fits into party building.

Leading with a complaint about a joke (which Matt apparently didn't get) on the Daily Show?  I guess Bush really is bouncing if we're returning to the circular firing squad method of liberal analysis.  

If you want to sound like a "weenie" just start talking about how the people at GITMO are not guilty of anything.

Now I agree 100% that the situation we have created is not good.   I agree there should be some sort of due process.  BUT I think the average American has very little sympathy for the people there.    Right or wrong, that is the fact.

I think a better talking point is that these are dangerous people down there, but even though they are dangerous we have to develop a long plan to deal with them in a just way - a way that doesn't damage the United States credibility as a supporter of human rights.

Talking about how those at GITMO are not guilty plays into the hands of those that would paint liberals as weak, or wanting to make the war on terror a police action.

...with handing out '1' ratings on this thread to those disagreeing with Matt's post?

I'd riposte with '3's to the same guys - except that, one, that would be really childish, and, two, I'm too bone idle.

Ain't democracy grand?

I think the high from Yarly Kos is having an effect on some of you. I watch the Daily Show pretty much every night, and while its not always gut splittingly funny its miles away more consistently on target than just about any other comedy show on tv, save Colbert perhaps. But so what? You try being funny 4 nights a week for months at a time. It isn't easy. That the Daily Show has been such a pinnacle of political comedy for the last few years has only served to raise the bar and increase expectations because we know how good it can be. If they seem to be in a little slump cut them some slack. Please. They are our friends. Jon Stewart is a good guy and is still funny. Get off your freakin high horses. Besides, as already mentioned, did you seem him tear Bill Bennet a new one. Or how about that tool Ramesh Ponnuru. Who the hell else is going to to call these people on their BS it on television?

"I don't know what to think about the suicides. What do you think when the people who killed themselves are people who tried to kill us."

Gitmo is a disgrace. That does not make the prisoners there innocent.

As Jon Stewart, I'm conflicted in hearing that persons who probably have taken innocent life have killed themselves.

But, do I just swallow the info from the Defense Department that claims they are all "al Qaeda" and were super-bad?  Nah, they've lied to me so much I look at everything coming from the Executive Branch as suspect. But what is beyond dispute is that terrorists exist and some of them blow things up and kill people. I don't find it hard to believe that many of the prisoners in Gitmo are just such people.

Jon Stewart is no hack and to criticize him over this is ridiculous unless it's part of some clever plan to give cover to Stewart from the left while simultaneously painting MyDD as reactionary and sympathetic to terrorists.

If the three who killed themselves had ever taken an innocent life they can rot in hell.

Of all the things I could say about this post, the most fundamental is that Matt needs to re-read Chris's post from last night about MyDD being for discussion of serious politics, and then hang his head in shame.

"obvi that steven colbert is 10 x smarter and funnier than jon stewart"?  God.  Matt, you're better than this.

This post is a complete joke.  Matt, did you even watch last night or did you just rely on a shitty email before accusing Jon Stewart of "hackery"?

Did someone forget to read the Gospel of Bowers?

"Do not consider MyDD a place for random, open discussion of the latest news and current events."

;P

There's the rub. That nagging little concept called "rule of law"

James B. Staab, "`With the Stroke of a Pen': President Bush Cannot Unilaterally Establish Military Commissions", Journal of the Institute of Justice and International Studies: Papers from the March 2003 Counter-Terrorism & Civil Liberties Conference, Central Missouri State University, 3, pp. 53-65 [as numbered]. ISSN 1-538-7909.

Referring to Ex parte Milligan,71 U.S. 2 (1866), Staab cites the stirring and unquestionably strong reaffirmation of the Constitution by Justice Davis:

There have been numerous citations of Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942) as well as Johnson v. Eisentrager, 339 U.S. 763 (1950) as cases which the present court could utilize as precedents - Staab points out, however:

Citing Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952) Staab also makes a convincing separation of powers argument, arguing that only Congress can establish military commissions.

Staab further cites the eloquent defense of Justice Davis in Milligan:

Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?

They hate us for our freedoms?

Staab closes with:

If I recall correctly, at this time, the progress of the military commissions has been suspended. Hundreds of detainees have not been through even that constitutionally flawed procedure.

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Innocent until proven guilty? I should hope so. For all our sakes.

This reminds me of Maron's bit on getting heckled by the true believers.

Jon Stewart is your savior - your beacon of reason and goodness in the political universe and now you're disappointed that he's "off his game" (at least in your pure, true mind).  

Get over yourself.  

Did you ever pause to think how pathetic it is that we have to look to Stewart and KO and Colbert to expose the hypocrisy?  Two comedians and the really good Sportscenter guy?

Where is our Misty Mountain Hop?

Clearly, based on his fans in this thread.

Look, Stewart has writers. He doesn't make up every bit on his show.

If you pay attention, you see that some of his material is pedestrian. It's not that funny. The reasoning isn't that sharp. It's not that entertaining. It's usually mixed in with better jokes and so we let it pass.

All these excuses that we want to make: That he's a comedian - so lay off, that he's funnier than 90% of everyone ever in the whole world - so lay off, these excuses don't make the lame jokes any funnier.

I attribute the weak jokes to his writers, but wherever they come from, they are there and pretending Stewart can do no wrong is really silly.

Stewart attacks Democrats constantly. Sometimes it's deserved, sometimes not, but Stewart's principle is to leave no one above criticism. So why is Stewart himself above criticism.

Indefinite detention without charge is serious shit. Some people, like Matt, don't think it's a fit topic for an easy joke. I saw the the bit as Stewart's ironic commentary on how other medias are treating the topic. But if the bit didn't work for you, then it's basically a "there were these three dead Arabs" joke.

Anyway, don't worship your entertainers.

What is the relevance of posting a friend's email (poorly written, btw) and tossing an inaccurate critique of Stewart's brand of comedy on this site, anyway?  Mr. Stoller is terribly misguided on what Stewart does on his show.  Stewart's comedy is not about being the cool liberal guy you hang out with and agree with- it's about cutting through the bullshit talking points that everyone repeats to actually engage (surprise) both sides!  His left-leaning stance is an offshoot of a reaction to the ridiculous hypocrisy on the right, moreso than a genuine super-liberal philosophy.  Independent critical thought is prized on his show about a lock-step agreement with talking points from Democrats, I'd wager.

His interviews and commentary is directed to get the actual facts and passions which underlie the news tidbits.  That is why he eviscerated Bennett, Ramesh Ponnuru (book guy), Tucker Carlson, and even took Dean to task for still lacking a coherent message.  Did you see the pamphlets that Dean had??  That is supposed to win us office?  Good god...we desperately need Stewart to friggen wake these office holders up and talk straight for once.  And that is why he was relatively light on Mehlman, because he honestly wanted to know Mehlman's opinion, and (surprise!) Mehlman gave it (on camera!).

Having a conservative opinion, right or wrong, doesn't make you evil, just as having a liberal opinion makes you good- it makes you opinionated.  Refusing to actually discuss why you have the opinion makes you a hypocrite.  Taking people to task for simply not agreeing with you just adds to the noise machine that keeps Americans ignorant.

Allow me to translate...

Jon Steward said something I didn't like, therefore he's now a hack. Stephen Colbert says things I like so he's better than Stewart.

Silliness at it's finest. Of course the fact that this is based on a second hand paraphrased account makes it all the more silly.

It's funny that on the same day MyDD has this piece criticizing Jon Stewart for briefly mentioning a RNC talking points in one of its news analysis bits, Crooks and Liars features a longer segment on the same show where JS takes Ken Mehlman to task.

Never take comedy seriously.

Stewart was hilarious, I was actually there last night when they recorded this episode.  Colbert is just a different style of the same sort of humor.  You should like both, and after seeing how he delt with the GOP chair, I think you can call him a liberal without the quotes.

Matt,
take this with a grain of salt.  There was a diary on dailykos in which the diarist was ripping MYDD, so they all piled on and are coming over here to let you have it.  The reason I like MYDD better than kos is because it's more civil.  Until now.  

This is a silly thing to fight about. Humor is personal.  And let's face it, in the run up to the 2004 election, all the Dailyshow had to do was show clips of the Republicans talking points and it brought down the house.  The game is getting more complicated and sometimes it misses.  We don't need Stewart to be a partisan, we need him to tell the truth with humor, and I think he's doing that.  

The difference between Jay Leno and Jon Stewart?

My gag reflex goes into overtime with Jay Leno; therefore, I avoid him like the plague.  However, I watch (and record) TDS regularly.

Yes, that was a slightly off joke by Stewart, but his interview of Ken Mehlman was right-on - and Ken even admitted, ON TAPE: "this show is harder than the others".  Cuz, it is and Jon Stewart is the reason why.

Tell that to Russert (who's on tonight), and the other talking heads.  

Just the wildest of guesses:

Some time during the pow-wow in Vegas, Stoller made a little wager (what else do you do in Vegas?) that he could write a FP piece so all-fire dumb that it got a commenter to describe him using a specified epithet (no suggestions from me!) within a given number of comments.

Whereas - as might be expected - the denizens of MyDD have reacted with puzzled self-restraint and a refusal to descend into flame-war.

Thus, Matt loses his bet, but can puff his chest out with pride for the fine citizens we've proved to be.

Can Matt now just cop to the gag (true or not) and let us all move on?

oh please. way to complain about absolutely nothing. all comedians make tasteless jokes every once in a while.

Jon is still kicking ass and when it comes to their guest interviews, it's no contest. It's a lot easier to satirize and say ridiculous things like Colbert does during his interviews, but he doesn't let the guest ever get a word in. Yeah, I know that's the whole point. It's just not funny and it's very annoying to watch. It's comedy, but it's not very informative. Though his better know a district series is top notch. I'll give him that.

But I'm begining to like Stephen Colbert more and more.  One very specific case in which I think Stewart was horrible was when he covered the Harry Reid Boxing 'ticket' imbroglio. Although ultimately he minimized the seriousness of the 'impropriety' as compared to republican scandals, he nonetheless bought the Conventional Wisdom that there was something wrong.  

Completely ignored the fact that Reid COULDNT pay for the 'tickets', that he voted sponsored the bill against the Nev Athletic Commission and eventually voted for it, and that in other occasion in which tickets were given as opposed to credentials, he did pay for his own tickets.  I was yelling at Jon Stewart on TV that day, a very rare thing indeed.

He hates terrorists, and he errs on the side of guilt when talking about terrorists.  This goes back to him breaking down on 9-11.  He doesn't appreciate those who kill innocents.  I agree he maybe shouldn't automatically assume the Gitmo suicides were guilty, but that's always been his strain of thinking.  There isn't any change here.

The most action that this site comes up with is over whether or not Jon Stewart is still funny? Christ, are we actually still doing politics?

Stuff likes this makes me glad I don't have cable anymore.

I like Jon Stewart and TiVo both he & Colbert. They are a useful counterweight to Leno and the like. Often they get it right. Sometimes a softball or just MIA.

But it is increasingly hard to take them seriously as part of any progressive movement... So far as I can recall, no Blacks, no Hispanics, no Asians, and one woman as "correspodents."

It is as if they really think it is okay to only appeal to college frat boys.

I like Jon Stewart and TiVo both he & Colbert. They are a useful counterweight to Leno and the like. Often they get it right. Sometimes a softball or just MIA.

But it is increasingly hard to take them seriously as part of any progressive movement... So far as I can recall, no Blacks, no Hispanics, no Asians, and one woman as "correspodents."

It is as if they really think it is okay to only appeal to college frat boys.

I totally agree with Matt:
Yes. It's comedy

Yes. Stewart rips the wingnuts, but his points are on target.

Yes. Stewart is a hack and not funny when he ridicules someone dishonestly.

Yes. Stewart ripped Francine Busby by playing only part of what she said her on how immigrants at her rally could help in the election. Stewart did exactly what the wingnuts did; don't know if Stewart relies on wingnuts for "facts" or if he is a hack.

Stewart is a hack when his jabbing is dishonest. Why he does it is the question.

Semantics aside, this is some dumb shit. Am I reading one of the nation's top progressive blogs, or have i been browser-hijacked to somebody's Myspace page?

i thought gen xer were about having a sense of irony. i guess there is an exception to every rule.

Jesus, have any of you people ever been writers or done improv comedy? He's been on the air for years and he had a bad skit, it happens, and yeah it was REALLY bad and off taste, but they have to churn out material every single day and well sometimes the bucket obviously runs dry.

I just read the last line of Mr. Stoller's post. Weenie is a very serious (and yet always funny) insult in my book (written in a garbled Spanglish-Sanskrit-Afrikanse that only I can read). Still, I visit this site the least of the bigs linked to on LO, and less hits are on the way from me in the future.

Probably too late in the comments for anyone to read this but: I was just listening to the Ed Schultz show and getting pissed off at the ratio of Ed to advertiser, and realized he is really doing a mediocre job of representing the progressive movement. He was being unclear and all over the place: while supposedly discussing minimum wage he got side-tracked about the lost $9B in Iraq.

Seriously, he doesn't have to agree with you 100%, and he does take some "hawkish" views on things like capital punishment, or killing terrorists (He was happy to see Musaui put away, happy Zarqawi was killed, etc).

That particular bit wasn't very funny I thought, and yeah it did bug me, but if you can't deal with the fact he disagrees with you, well, go crawl in a hole somewhere.

That said, Colbert is definitely smarter then Stewart (and probably more liberal as well)

Speaking of hackery:

Thy name is Ed Schultz. He's a good liberal cheerleader, but that's it. He's way too establishment and the guy is obviously doing it for a paycheck.

This Stewart thread needs to be removed. This is ridiculous.

The guy isn't talking to you (us) political junkies. He's talking to apathetic "mainstream" non-newspaper reading Americans.

There's NO ONE around right now that's a better interviewer of right wing BS and has the huge audience he has. He's been calling them on their BS consistently its not enough for some people.

The Bill Bennett's are full of it. There's no way he can get to all of it in 5-10 minutes. He has them by the balls because they want a crack selling their books to his hip audience. NO ONE else is taking it to their faces like he is. Tweety? Russert? LOL. Colbert is hilarious but his format doesn't allow for it like TDS.

Its only a half hour show people!

How many times can we have the "perfection is the enemy of the good argument" on this side of the aisle. We'll never get it.

quote:

Man, you guys can bitch about anything. This is by far the most moronic charge of "bias" or "not being liberal enough" that I've ever heard. Now Jon Stewert is anti-liberal? Give me a break.

I agree with Stoller.  I love, Stewart but sometimes he can be so cynical that he looses moral authority. Also, I think he's intimidated by many rightwingers because some of his arguments aren't well thought out.

This edit from Wikipedia is interesting:
Show co-creator and ex-producer Lizz Winstead said of interviews with controversial figures:

   Jon's tremendous. I feel, though, when you are interviewing a Richard Perle or a Kissinger, if you give them a pass, then you become what you are satirizing. You have a war criminal sitting on your couch -- to just let him be a war criminal sitting on your couch means you are having to respect some kind of boundary.

Winstead later said at least making a joke about "2 million dead Cambodians" was better than saying nothing at all.

Think about how enthusiastic Stewart was with McCain over the anti-torture amdendment or how he sympathized with fish who get hooks in their mouths. These fluctuations probably have alot to do with the writers.

OK--this does it.  I have been reading this site and DailyKos regularly for over two years, and have never posted a comment.  After last night's rant from Chris and now this, I have to say something.

What you guys do is great and important, and you deserve a lot of success.  However, what makes these sites so important is the community aspect.  You cannot keep attacking the people who are building this community, whether or not you are the front page poster.  Even if their comments frustrate you, you can't stoop to their level, you have to set the example!  I'm sorry that's more about last night's rant than this post.  But as for this post, the same amount of arrogance is just seeping through the writing!  Your frustration is directed in all of the wrong places.  (And if what they write about Matt threatening to suspend people is true, that is very disturbing to me.)  

And PS. Jon Stewart is HILARIOUS and NO ONE hits the mark every single time.  That said, if Jon Stewart made one person think about the human rights violations being committed at GTMO with that joke, then he has exceeded all job expectations.  He is a true hero... he changes people's minds in a way most of us never will be able to.  (And I don't even watch him that often--too busy for Comedy Central)    

So now I've said my peace, and I'll try to keep up this posting thing for a while now that I have an account.      

Jon Stewart is not part of the netroots you asses.  Stop your damn whining over nothing.  He ripped Mehlman a new asshole last night.  Same as he did to Bennet last week.  Who else would have done that?  Bunch of freakin' crybabies here.  

Wow. I'm amazed that this post even led to this much "discussion!"

Just watched the episode in question and I must say Matt, your friend needs to sober up before he or she sends emails like that.

"I didn't get it verbatim..." Well, s/he didn't get it at all. Out of context, deliberately missing the point and poorly written. Your friend isn't Ann Coulter, is it?

MyDD usually has some insightful stuff here.

This is not one of them. I would rank it up there with Kos' anonymous letter on dKos back in 2004 about Donna Brazile.

Awful. I'm really disappointed. Stewart is not a hack, a milquetoast, or whatever the hell else you call him.

Bottom line: Stewart can't do what he does w/o being scrupulously honest.

Irony, satire: honesty's the juice that runs the engine.

If Stewart bleeds over into any kind of ridicule for the victim, he loses.

If Stewart rips anyone by distorting what really happened, he loses.

There is enough honest shit out there to write Daily Show material forever -- no need to distort.

No need to appeal to hatred of groups in general.

Hatred, like irony and satire, should be very targeted.

I'm done.

I completely cut off TalkLeft because of the mysogonistic tone with which they approached the Duke rape case.

Now I'm done here. I've grown increasingly irritated with Matt's ability to see the world in black and white (only a Sith or George Bush does that). This was the final straw. Jon Stewart has routinely been the voice of reason in this crazy media world. The entire time he's been 100% honest about his feelings. Colbert is hysterical, but it's a routine. He uses skill to deliver it, but I feel anyone could do it if they understood satire.

So, MyDD gets removed from my Bookmarks and I will not come back. I know it doesn't affect anyone, but it should be a message. As we become more and more like the far right, and dismiss anyone who isn't an exact duplicate of ourselves, we become as much of a problem.

I'm not signing off because of the Jon criticism, that would be silly. It's just the general tone this blog has had lately.

I wouldn't do that. This place definitely has it's merits. Most of the contributors, particularly Bowers is thought & enlightening & even Matt is on half the time.

Come on Matt.  We look to you for leadership. Take a look at the comments.  We need Jon Stewart a hell of a lot more than we need the morons on MSNBC, CNN etc.  All right all you Progressives.  Lock and Load.  Now line up in a circle!  Jeez lets stay focused!

I don't know how to respond to this.  As someone said above, Jon Stewart is a comedian doing a satirical take on network news.

It was a joke.  Why people are looking to Stewart to be some great liberal saviour of the American News-scape is beyond me.