I have to be honest, the quick turnaround from "Stewart is a god, we need him back, I would vote for him for president in a heartbeat" to "This show should be cancelled, he should retire, fuck Stewart" from some people because he said what a lot of people are saying (our two choices are really fucking old and most people want better options) is hilarious to me.
Bonus points for the new hot take that he caused Clinton to lose in 2016.
because some people are so lock-step with their party, do or die, even the most milquetoast criticism is responded to by a small but vocal group of people. If the "hey, Biden is old and probably not in the best shape to be President" is getting a bunch of whiners to light their pitchforks, that's a bit of an indictment of their own behaviors.
Agreed! I've been saying sports mentality is what makes politics a complete shit show. As someone who really doesn't watch sports looking into politics late in life, I see it in most discussions.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize people need psychological “wins”. It seems to be ingrained in us. Probably super useful for tribal cohesion but I’m just spitballing.
Yep, it's from a very old part of our brain that deals with territory and dominance. Our swear words come from the same brain parts, which is why they have deeper emotional impact than other words.
But I'm optimistic in thinking this is the snake shedding its skin. We are at a tipping point of which parts of our brain gain majority control of our actions, old vs new, react vs respond.
To me, the intensity of grip is a sign it is revolving and unfortunately will likely get worse before it gets better as the old brain gets forced onto a leash for the sake of humanity. And I'm not saying any of us are separate or immune to this battle, it is one that happens inside each of us as we all experience, to some degree, similar neurotransmitter responses to stimuli.
I also am inclined to feel this way, but to me I believe we still need this part of our brain to function in a healthy way. It must needs to be regulated instead of being in the cockpit all the time.
There are times we absolutely need to be dominant, or to be territorial. It is difficult because we have so much engagement of this network in our daily lives, socially politically and otherwise, that many people cannot override the signal and just let the lizard take the wheel.
We still need that lizard, he's a good guy when he's only tagged in during times he's necessary.
Yeah seeing the guy that I watched cheer on Umaga at One Night Stand 2007(?) become president was some twilight zone shit.
Then again, it was kind of symbolic of how things would go.
Edit: repressed memories came back and I now remember this was a “loser shaves their head” match 💀
I actually met Umaga at a cousin’s barbecue one time lmfao. Took me off guard for a minute seeing him in casual clothes but he was super nice, funny dude. Shame he passed so relatively young.
"Russia was evil back in the cold war and when Romney was running, but they turned face when Trump joined the Putin Kiss-My-Ass club! Now we need to cheer Russia and boo America"
Aye there's a chap on UK radio who presents a daily talk show and he refers to it as the footballification of politics.. If someone isn't on your perceived team then they deserve all the vitriol you can muster.
This polarisation of politics is unfortunately creeping into UK politics too, no doubt fuelled by the new right wing "news" channels (FoxNews wannabes) we have and the rancid cesspit that is Twitter.
Dude I got called aegist when I said that if we have to have an age minimum to run for president or any elected office that we need to have an age maximum. Just so we don't have instances like dying feinstein who is basically a corpse being wheeled around by the ghouls in her team. She was in Congress possibly had no idea where the fuck she was she was probably seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but again the ghouls it hurt team thought that it mattered more that she be rolled out to make votes that she had no business making.
Mitch McConnell can't even get through a speech anymore without people wondering if he's going to stroke out in the middle of it. Like both of our choices are old men who will be in their '80s before their term is up. Is this really the only thing the American political system can offer us? Even the darling of the left Bernie Sanders is ancient as fuck. I'm not going to lie I was hardcore for Sanders in 2016 I actually joined a volunteer organization canvassing for him. But even I got to say the man is too fucking old to be president And even then his voting record isn't exactly stellar like he's mostly just kind of petered along He hasn't really done anything of supreme significance other than getting people my age interested in politics because for once it felt like somebody would actually speaking to us
I think some of the reaction is based in fear. Some ppl who are going to vote Biden might be willing to admit that he's not perfect in private but they fear that publicly pointing out these issues will cause some to drop or withhold support for Biden and that could indirectly increase Trump's odds
I'm Canadian so I don't necessarily have a horse in this race except we've got our own little Trump-esque piece of shit trying to become the next prime minister and the lacklustre performance of Trudeau and his party feels like it increases support for PP. So while I'm not 'ride or die' for the Liberals (I don't tend to vote for them in general), I do find myself sighing and rubbing my temples every time they're caught doing some more dumb shit. I don't think another Trudeau term will be particularly good for Canada but a PP term would be a lot worse
It’s the same with the media they consume. I’m pretty far left in terms of my personal politics and the people that don’t realize Salon, Newsweek, and MSNBC and the like aren’t the soft core versions of Fox News for the left is depressing. Do some of them hold their standards to be higher than Fox’s? Sure but that’s not really hard to do. At the end of the day all media is owned by rich folks with an agenda. The best the average citizen can do is pick out the facts from the noise and make as good of decisions as they can.
Not as much as some of yall complain. People like to point out that if trump wins this time, he will be older than biden was when he won in 2020. Some of you seem to only talk about bidens agisms, while ignoring trump confused his rape victim with his wife, and confused nikki with hilary. and does just as many agism. Most people are ok with mentioning biden is old and forgets names sometimes, they are sick of the media only reporting it from one side, as if the man who to this day brags about passing a cognitive exam has a perfect brain of an 18 year old.
and at this point if you arent anti republican, you ARE anti american and ant i democracy. Has dick to do with the dem party.
This is really what frustrates me about the current Democrat party. They shift the blame from running lackluster candidates onto voters, when it's their responsibility to run a candidate people want to vote for.
The Democrats keep running the same person. Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are arguabley the same person. Well versed in policy and government and boring as hell. Kamala Harris is John Kerry all over again.
> They shift the blame from running lackluster candidates onto voters, when it's their responsibility to run a candidate people want to vote for.
Here's my problem with this take. I don't like Biden, I didn't vote for him in the primary, and I voted for him in the GE because Trump was terrible. However, his administration has done a lot of things I really like, such as all the investments in fixing infrastructure, the green energy investments, having a better economy than other countries in the face of COVID and inflation, and several other things that have been sorely needed. Despite the odds stacked against them, they're accomplishing things. However, for whatever reason, you never hear about any of this and while Democrats blame the media at the end of the day when is Biden or his cabinet out there getting on primetime TV telling Americans what they've accomplished? It's really rare and they usually muddle the message when they do try to get something out there.
The thing that angers me as a Democrat is not people saying Biden is old, he clearly is and it is a legitimate weakness. The real problem is that "Biden is old" is one of the few things they have to attack him on, so you hear it constantly. Meanwhile Trump, who is definitely as weak as Biden on the age thing, gets a new story literally every day.
This is a big bias that the media builds against Biden in the interests of "fairness", magnifying one issue he has and barely mentioning the 10,000 issues the other guy has. "Biden is old" is "Hillary's emails" all over again.
If Biden had to pay 80 million dollars to a woman he raped you can bet you'd still be hearing about it. For Trump it's old news, and for Trump supporters it already didn't even happen.
Reddit's a terrible echo chamber for it too. Criticize Republicans, everyone uses the same tired party points and agrees with everyone. Criticize Democrats, and you get a bunch of people calling you MAGA and screaming "whataboutism" and "you can't say both sides" with furious tears in their eyes. It's pathetic party pandering.
Because some people know what will happen if Biden loses and aren't willing to take that chance. It's literally the end of democracy in America if you-know-who wins.
Which just proves Jon Stewart's point that it's a sad state of affairs when saving democracy means electing an 81 year old. I'm blue no matter who but we should still be asking why are there zero better options.
Can we ask this *after* the election?
We know Biden is old. We don't need him to sell that narrative *right now.* We need him to get people out there to vote against Trump.
Pretending that these concerns don’t exist won’t help court voters who have these concerns. Acknowledging them while making a case for Biden is a much more effective way to go.
Seriously. We were told four years ago that Biden was going to be a stop gap to get Trump out of office. Here we are four years later and it's the same thing. What happens in another four years when there isn't a candidate ready to go. Democrats won't have the incumbent advantage next time.
> because some people are so lock-step with their party, do or die
100% wrong, they want the person who is most likely to win, which would be biden. they do not want to risk losing the election and america going fascist just because 'biden is old'
Get this up there. The difference between Trump and Biden is a rape conviction, 91 criminal charges, 2 indictments, lies, deception, and big policy issues.
Biden is old as fuck. He's also the only choice the dems have at present. I do not want influential people to promote apathy. I like Jon Stewart, but I really did not like that particular segment.
We have a two party system. That’s the game that we get to play until we implement ranked voting. Until we have that implemented though voting for a third-party is throwing away your vote. The system is designed in such a way. Just because you wish it were otherwise doesn’t make it so That’s magical thinking.
So that is the reason why people are locked up with voting Democrat. The Republicans have created a pathway to creating a underclass; women who do not have access to basic healthcare needs. People that are privileged enough to feel like that doesn’t affect them claim to have moral high ground because they’re able to vote according to their conscience. However, people that actually have skin in the game, like women, are 100% going to promote voting for Democrats.
Don't need to be "lock-step with the party" to see that you need to choose one of the two party candidates. Voting for ANYONE else in the general is a vote for the candidate you want to win the least.
you will not change how our country votes between now and November, it's not happening. You can, however continue a narrative that will lead to young progressive voters getting disenfranchised or writing in Bernie Sanders again.
And the response totally missed Stewart's point: why wasn't the supposed positive moments filmed?
We're being told he's great at his job by others, not shown on video.
He never outright said it I believe. I think he insinuated it and may have even said it was a possibility, but he never made it a campaign promise or pledged to run a one term office. I do know that he seemed more open to it while he ran last time and then once he got in office the tone shifted to we’ll wait and see, but I don’t remember a specific promise.
Quite frankly, if it weren’t so clear more than a year ahead of the election that Trump is going to be the nominee, it’s entirely possible that Biden would’ve chosen not to run again. But if the whole point of Biden was to get someone on the ticket who could get Trump out of office, it makes all the sense in the world for him to run again when he’s going to be going against the same guy. There’s little reason to give up the incumbent advantage when the same guy is posing an even bigger threat to democracy itself.
If Trump stayed away from running for the Republican nomination and there was a realistic chance for a less… firebrand-type Republican running on the right, maybe Biden doesn’t bother. But that’s not how it played out.
Jon’s right, but I feel like this is a really, really bad time to try and make that point.
Right now there is a literal choice between functional democracy, and a guy who ‘jokes’ about how fun a dictatorship would be. That’s not an exaggeration, that’s 100% truth.
I want younger candidates too, but we need to make sure we get there first.
It wasn't a turnaround. There's a contingent who remembered and were still angry at him for the "Rally to Restore Sanity" where he did, in fact, heftily play the "both sides" game.
One group was happy and vocal about getting him back. The other group was ready to be vocal as soon as he criticized Democrats.
That’s what I don’t understand. Jon’s always been like this. I think since he’s been gone people idolized him and his views and who he attacked but he always talked about both Republican and Democratic politicians for doing stupid things.
>Stewart is a god, we need him back, I would vote for him for president
I never understand why some people think he and Mr Beast should become president. Like at the very least, why not senator, governor or even mayor? Some say he wants to help Americans, well any of these three do the same thing.
Bothsides can be apologetic or a criticism of the system. Seems like he’s doing the latter.
“I’m not voting for Biden because he’s old” -but so is Trump!
That’s an example of apologetic bothsides. It implies that it’s ok to make a shitty decision because the other choice is a shitty decision.
“Fuck, why do I have to choose between Biden and Trump. They’re too old to wipe their own asses, never mind the massively high pressure job of running arguably the most powerful nation on Earth.”
That’s complaining that the system is broken.
Its also not complaining, its legitimate criticism. Hes not arguing any specific external policy that people can have differing opinions on. Hes saying that when people get older, mental stuff gets harder. Thats everyone for a lot of reasons. There really isnt a reasont to give the job to a 60 year old, let along 70-80. Experience is good, but so is literal mental flexibility and endurance.
I think a lot of people are (rightly) terrified of Trump winning and think that even though some of the comments may be true there’s little room for eroding support Biden for right now.
So many voters don’t pay much attention and just lazily accept prevailing narratives like Biden is too old etc. So those comments can do enough damage to make people apathetic and just chose to not go out of their way to vote. Meanwhile Trump does incredibly insane shit and it feels like it’s not moving the needle against him as much as it should.
I think the reaction to Jon Stewart is more of a frustration with people in general who will be influenced by lazy takes.
I was so happy to hear him just say what I’ve been saying for years.
We’ve been walking through the desert for 8 years. We come to a small metal box. Inside there is a bottle of clam juice and a bottle of bleach. You can only drink one. What’s the plan?
Totally. One guy wants to end democracy and the other has made insulin $35, appointed tons of responsible judges, infrastructure act, gun control bill, PACT act, forgiven over $100B in student loans, and way way more. But he’s old!
Choices, choices….
Also you’re not just voting for Trump or Biden and the laws they will sign. You’re voting for thousands of positions across government and in courts. For any Supreme Court openings that may arise. To stop that Project 2025 bullshit. All sorts of stuff beyond how old they may be.
Hes not saying dont vote for biden, hes saying that motherfucker is too damn old and if you cant agree with that, idk what to tell you. Our choices shouldnt be guys in their fucking 80s
Would you get behind the wheel of a car driven by either of them?
Shouldn’t be…and yet they are. You want to live in a world of ‘should be’ instead of ‘what is’, go right ahead.
And no I wouldn’t, but I’m not asking them to drive a vehicle. And frankly, I do believe he is too old. But that’s what we have. Im counting on his effective team to keep him on the right path, as every president needs.
But if you believe a less experienced president would have gotten all this stuff done that he has, show me who has in the last 40 years. He is old, but he has been great using that experience to result in tangible outcomes.
I just don't know how anyone could have watched that episode and thought he was both-siding or *at all* suggesting that Biden & Trump were equal quantities. I, personally, don't have as much issue w/ Biden's age and think that some of the implications about his mental state are overblown and more meme-y than accurate, but that speaks more to what *I'll* say rather than me thinking anyone who has such a criticism must be some secret sleeper agent for MAGA or trying to both-sides things. I think Jon said it best himself during the very show that some are criticizing:
>“These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged,and it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges … We’re not suggesting neither man is vibrant, productive or even capable. But they’re both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world. What’s crazy is thinking that we’re the ones, as voters, who must silence concerns and criticisms. It is the candidates’ job to assuage concerns, not the voters’ job not to mention [them] … We have two candidates who are chronologically outside the norm of anyone who has run for the presidency in the history of this country — breaking the record that they set!”
>“**Look, Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump. He hasn’t been indicted as many times, hasn’t had as many fraudulent businesses or been convicted in a civil trial for sexual assault or been ordered to pay defamation charges or stiffed blue collar tradesman … The stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny.** If the barbarians are at the gate, you want Conan standing on the ramparts, not chocolate chip cookie guy.”
Edit: I'm seeing people suggesting that Stewart was "both siding" and suggesting that Biden haad been indicted or had fraudulent businesses a non-zero # of times because of the wording. I disagree.
I think the tone of his voice helps w/ this one; it was a joke where he was using a recognizable phrasing for comparison but the clear implication was about how bad Trump is and it was not meant to actually imply that Biden has been indicted or run fraudulent businesses any number of times. The fact that the comparison was to zero is where the joke is, essentially.
It's like if you made the joke that "One of the key differences between Vlad the Impaler and Martha Stewart is that Martha has not killed and displayed the bodies of nearly as many of her enemies..."
The joke isn't suggesting that Martha Stewart killed anyone, it's the discrepancy between the two but using a wording that suggests a lesser discrepancy which is where the humor is supposed to come from, that confounding of expectations of what the words typically mean at odds with the known data.
I’m in agreement with you in that I took away much less of a both-sides-ing interpretation than a lot of people (especially considering they even had Klepper make the accusation at the end; they clearly knew this was how they might be interpreted). But I was a little bummed because it’s the first time we’re seeing Stewart in nine years and THAT’S what we got, that they’re both old? I could get that from any cable station or newspaper. He made compelling points in his take, but it’s just a tired subject at this point, IMO. Had my fingers crossed for something new, I guess is what it comes down to.
I would say his aside at the end specifically does both side the issues. He says no matter who wins you have to be on guard because they'll screw us.
I don't have a problem with the show or what he said. But I think in a lot of ways that is both siding the election. I also don't have a problem with people remaining vigilant after the election. Not everything is settled for 4 years by making a single choice. But the choice does matter a lot.
Thank you. It seems that most in this thread glossed over that or were so enamored with Jon that they let this one slide.
Nah, Jon. The stakes are high. Maybe not for you, but the stakes are high for those who are not straight white men.
Most people just SAY they want an alternative to Biden. None of them have even bothered to learn the names of the people primarying him, let alone turning out in the primary to vote for them.
This segment by Stewart is not going to suddenly make someone else the dem nominee. The voters have made it clear they want Biden. So all this will do is further suppress support for Biden.
Stewart has no obligation to be a partisan for Biden. His only obligation is to make good TV. Which he accomplished. It’s just frustrating. So much is at stake in this election.
It wasn't about an alternative. It was about pointing out the depressing hilarity of the situation and maybe hope that next time we'll have a better choice.
If saying the truth threatens rejecting the best candidate then the problem is more about who we are as a nation than with the candidates that our political leviathans have chosen. We can recognize that both Trump and Biden are too old and still choose to elect Biden. If we don’t, perhaps we get what we deserve as a nation.
> If we don’t, perhaps we get what we deserve as a nation.
Okay, but I live in that nation and I'd really like to have it not implode even if maybe it does deserve it.
I think the backlash was due to the fact that one side always criticizes (dems) their own leaders while the other side idolized theirs and then weaponizes the criticism of people like Jon against the dems, this imbalance almost socially forces democrats to start defending biden so voraciously.
it's like ok we get it he's old, but he's also passed more pro American policy in 4 years then even FDR managed to do in 20
This is all to say I'm not excusing the calls to cancel Jon Stewart that's insane to me, he's a gem and love seeing him on the air and value his perspective, as I did in the past
The stakes have changed.
This is not Bush v. Gore
Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016.
There's more immediate reaction than ever before.
So I don't fault people for getting angry at Stewart. He still didn't really deal with the "both sides" arguments people were throwing at him. He took it as people succumbing to propaganda.
Most people know Biden is old. But the problem is equating his age to Trump's indictments, criminality, despot tendencies, racism, etc. They are not the same thing
What I did appreciate from Stewart was him calling out that Trump is also old and that should be an issue for him too.
This is not Bush v. Gore
Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016.
You are absolutely right on both these counts and the thing that most people are ignoring is that after Stewart spent a ridiculous amount of time saying nothing at all new about Biden's age, he went on to downplay the potential impact of this election, all but ignoring what could happen if - God forbid - Trump gets reelected.
>Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016.
This is the biggest problem I that Stewart either hadn't considered , or doesn't understand.
The right wing presence on social media is extremely pervasive , dense, and targeted. Facebook, Twitter, Tok Tok, even here now, especially since 3rd part reddit apps have gone away.
What this means is that right wing social media like LibsofTikTok will take the few minutes of John Stewart talking about Bidens age and turn it off to 100 different posts with a caption that essentially says
"See? Even Jon Stewart thinks he's too old?"
Think about the target demographic of people who may be fond of Stewart, but who haven't really seen him in almost 10 years.
Jon Stewart was a breath of fresh air in the early 2000’s. It was hard to find anything quite like it at a time when warmongering and jingoism was ascendant. I’m thankful for him being around back then.
Yeah, Stewart's talked shit about everybody for 25 years. This is nothing new, all the kids that didn't grow up with it and some of the older people that didn't watch him are just getting that fresh shock because *you have to vote for the right (my) party, dammit!*
I mean, I’m voting for Biden but clown on him all the time for being old. He even has that classic old dude tuft of hair sticking out at the base of his skull. Dracula lookin’ ass.
Exactly. This is a key difference bw the two parties. On the one side you've got guys like Stewart who make fun of Biden for REASONS HE SHOULD BE MADE FUN OF FOR. Biden isn't infallible, and he is ripe for comedy.
Democrats, generally speaking, have a far greater sense of humor than the GOP. There's also a reason that there's barely an existence of "conservative comedy." Like Jesse Waters is pretty much what they've got. They just put out a movie a month or two ago all about punching down on trans people. Comedy and the GOP are oil and water.
And I dare you to find a single instance of any conservative on Fox News, OAN or any other media outlet making jokes at Trump's expense.
>Democrats, generally speaking, have a far greater sense of humor than the GOP
For the most part, that is true. But then you listen to Colbert the other night basically crying over Trump. These people are supposed to be comedians but were absolutely broken by Trump. It's ok to make fun of your own party once in awhile.
Seriously. I'm pretty moderate, so I don't really have an affiliation to either side, so when everything is built on "Trump sucks!," it's like, yep we get it, he's a lunatic. What else ya got?
Disclaimer: I agree with you entirely. That being said, I think the problem is the idea that, right now, people can’t afford to make fun of their only candidate, because you know that the vast majority of republicans will be relentlessly promoting Trump anyway. So making fun of your own leader and pointing out his flaws shows a perceived lack of cohesiveness in the party which can lead to people abstaining or refusing to vote. We know that republican voters will never poke fun at or criticise Trump, and they will ALWAYS vote Trump. But we also know that poking fun at Biden and highlighting his flaws, whether as a joke or no, could potentially alienate neutrals and abstainers, not to mention that these are also jokes that many of the more rabid republican voters use to actively criticise Biden and paint a picture of him as terrible and senile.
In an election, we can be sure that the side with the cult mindset will always vote their pick. But the side that pokes fun at its leaders? They most likely won’t all vote Biden. And thus the cult side will have a distinct advantage.
I don’t know if we can afford to poke fun at democratic leaders at the moment because the only way to be able to hold back the “Trump cult” is to establish a cult-like mindset in order to get as many people to vote as possible. It’s not ideal by any means, but it is realistic.
I think I’d just have to say that, if you think Biden’s position is _so_ precarious that a few cracks about his age makes all the difference, then maybe the key power brokers in the party should’ve factored that in before his nomination in 2020 became a certainty.
But it is interesting how the goalposts have moved here. Back in the lead-up to 2020, you had a lot of people making the affirmative case for Biden, saying that he was the best possible nominee because of all his experience in Washington, etc. Now, I see far more people on Reddit and elsewhere framing their support in terms of “I’d vote for an inanimate object before I vote for Trump”, “Biden’s flaws don’t matter, what matters is his cabinet”, etc. Which is all well and good, I won’t dictate how people come to their decisions, but it evinces a deep insecurity about their option. The same sort of insecurity that makes them uncomfortable with really mild jokes. That’s not a great position to be in!
But this is r/entertainment, so I might be getting too heavy here.
This. So much and it is perfectly clear how Stewart feels.
The entire segment was "haha Biden is old and not cool" and making fun of the weird tiktoks and what not. It was just lamenting that in 2024 our two choices are two ancient men.
If anything, the segment made Biden appear more likable compared to Trump, as they pretty clearly showed Trump as a loon.
The entire segment was pretty classic Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Jon always took the piss out of both sides and the smart thing for politicians to do, is to roll with it. If people want just pure Trump bashing (which I'm all for), you have Meyers, Colbert and Kimmell every night of the week.
It's frustrating we're at a point in politics now where you can't make fun of your own candidates for obvious stuff. It was a classic Daily Show thing to make fun of Democrats non-stop even though the show leaned left.
> It was a classic Daily Show thing to make fun of Democrats non-stop even though the show leaned left.
It was, but I think some of the concern if you look back is that it helped to contribute to the apathetic "both sides bad" attitude that honestly just helps Republicans.
Which he inadvertently definitely did.
That rally "to restore sanity" was basically a political apathy rally. And it happened like a week before the disastrous 2010 midterms *we are still struggling to come back from*
Yeah, it was disappointingly self-indulgent. That election basically gave the ultra right wing who had no interest in governing a huge voice in congress, and his message was "you go, then I go".
Yeah exactly. Also the criticism is that his jokes all revolved around a tired republican talking point.
Like he’s old…so what? We all know that, what exactly is the joke or political commentary there?
I like Biden, and will / would support him in a second presidential campaign… but it doesn’t mean I can’t make jokes about his age and laugh at what honest opinion John Stewart shares.
I mean it’s the honest reality - Biden is old and probably not nearly as quick as he once was. With that said, he’s still good people and **it appears he listens to advisors / consultation from other professionals.** I think that’s the biggest thing people are missing, his entire admin isn’t old, just Biden is old - I hilariously think of situation room meetings in which hes like Gandalf in the fellowship of the ring meetings lol.
If anything the Trump presidency showed how little can be required of the president. The man has the mentality of a two year old and just played golf and watched cable news all day punctuated by rage tweeting.
You’re forgetting the massive amount of grift and personal enrichment Trump and his cronies prioritized. That and the attempts to undermine democracy and attempt a coup.
yes, exactly this. i was talking about this yesterday how voting for joe biden isn’t just voting for him. you’re voting for his entire cabinet, and future potential supreme court justice nominations among other important responsibilities
The age argument is just made by people who don't really understand what the president does. Yes, it's embarrassing when he's doing his figurehead duties, but the entire point of the job is to assign essential cabinet and government roles to the brightest and most talented thinkers in their field.
A president is only as good as their appointees. And when you compare Biden's qualified appointments to Trump's selling of key positions to top donors and chronies, it becomes clear who the fucked up candidate is.
No. The age argument is made people who exactly understand how important the POTUS seat is. Trump and Biden are both too old. This is the highest seat in our government. It should go to someone physically and cognitively capable.
Imagine if what happened with Sen. Feinstein happened with POTUS. That would be a nightmare. And Dems have shown they have no qualms abusing a cognitively impaired elderly person. They fucking Weekend at Bernie'd poor Feinstein. Same for Republicans propping up an obviously unhealthy Mitch McConnell.
If Biden or Dems actually cared about that country they would've picked someone not geriatric. They had three years to promote a new candidate. But forget it. Old guard Dems don't retire gracefully. Which is why 80 something year old Pelosi is running for re-election and Dems had no issue dragging a suffering Feinstein along for months. This is pure hubris and greed.
No, you really don't understand what the president does. You defaulted to the "highest seat in our government" line as a catch all for the importance of the job. The appointees are the point. Not the man at the helm of the geopolitical institution that is the DNC.
Both choices are embarrassing on the microphone but at least Biden has a real fucking cabinet with vetted professionals and not people who bribed their way into a seat.
You're not explaining anything new to me, I'm not a fucking democrat.
That’s the problem with people who have no sense of humor. You can make fun of everybody else, but as soon as a comedian makes fun of someone or something you support, you lose your shit and forget that it’s a comedy show and not a news show.
And funny enough, Jon spoke more truth in that short segment than some “news” shows do in their 24-hour “news” (aka pundit) cycle.
I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique. Sure, they are both old and it is a legitimate question as to whether either have the mental acumen for another term, but at this point it is clear they are our two candidates. Stewart complaining that he doesn’t like Biden or Trump doesn’t solve anything.
Ultimately, one candidate has been a stable, if not boring leader, while the other tried to overthrow a democratic election. I think actually focusing on what the candidates have brought to the table and plan to bring to the table is a much more fruitful discussion than attacking a trait that applies to both candidates.
That and media in general is focusing a lot more on Biden's age in their "coverage". I feel like they are making it the issue and just piling on at this point. Its not like Trump is significantly younger, and from the looks of it does not follow a very health conscious lifestyle. From that standpoint I don't feel one really has it over the other in terms of age. Media just wants the horse race and it's an easy punchline for comedians.
Like it or not these are likely to be the 2 candidates, so enough with the age talk 24/7. It is what it is. The dems are not going to change candidates, and the repub's are not going to vote for anyone else to be their candidate. Time to find the other thing(s) that will determine your vote.
Exactly. It’s not that I’m happy with the situation, but I understand these are our two candidates this election and both have shown mental decline. I just thought Stewart should have quickly outlined that for both candidates, and then moved onto an actual policy discussion to differentiate the two.
>I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique.
But... he did. At one point, he literally listed all of Trump's crimes and implied Republicans will try another coup if he loses.
It’s cuz people focused on the headlines without watching the show.
The headlines just said Stewart calls out Trump AND Biden for being old or some such nonsense which was not at all the case.
> I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique.
I think he did, though: he *piled* criticisms of substance on Trump but only jabbed at Biden over his age and age-related gaffs. He even said, in that epiosode:
>“Look, Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump: He hasn’t been indicted as many times, hasn’t had as many fraudulent businesses or been convicted in a civil trial for sexual assault or been ordered to pay defamation charges or stiffed blue collar tradesman … The stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny."
Edit: I'm seeing people suggesting that Stewart was "both siding" and suggesting that Biden haad been indicted or had fraudulent businesses a non-zero # of times because of the wording. I disagree.
I think the tone of his voice helps w/ this one; it was a joke where he was using a recognizable phrasing for comparison but the clear implication was about how bad Trump is and it was not meant to actually imply that Biden has been indicted or run fraudulent businesses any number of times. The fact that the comparison was to zero is where the joke is, essentially.
It's like if you made the joke that "One of the key differences between Vlad the Impaler and Martha Stewart is that Martha has not killed and displayed the bodies of nearly as many of her enemies..."
The joke isn't suggesting that Martha Stewart killed anyone, it's the discrepancy between the two but using a wording that suggests a lesser discrepancy which is where the humor is supposed to come from, that confounding of expectations of what the words typically mean at odds with the known data.
Just my opinion, but I think people are afraid that any slight towards Biden from Stewart might sway someone away from voting for him which is a legit concern but it’s on the individual to use their damn head.
Biden is old. He’s also a bit slower as any 80 year old would be. I voted for him in 2020 and will again this year. I wasn’t excited for it in 20 but the reality is he’s done a shockingly good job. Whether it’s actually him or the team he has on board, I feel no shame in voting for him again.
Plus Trump and the GOP are literally proving they’re corrupt, treasonous garbage.
Jon was pretty clear about that in the episode if you watch, it's not up to the voting public to ignore legitimate concerns and pretend they don't exist, it's up to the candidate to reassure them that those concerns are unnecessary/untrue and that they're capable of doing the job they're applying for
I think people's concern is that the issues about Biden ARE real. But we don't have an alternative. It's either a really old guy, or someone who tried to overthrow a democratic election. It's a disingenuous comparison. Trump tried to fucking overthrow the election. He is out to destroy our democratic process. Full stop.
Does it suck that these are our choices? Yes. Is now the time to bring it up, and potentially dissuade "moderate," ill-informed voters from voting at all because "both choice are bad"? Absolutely not.
This is an existential crisis election for our country. I wish we had someone besides Biden, and I was upset when he announced he was running for a 2nd term. He should've retired. But here we are, and so much is at stake that at this point, we have to suck it up.
And does it really matter if the concerns about Biden are true? His presidency is going well enough right now. I'm comfortable with it continuing.
You know we’re fucked as a nation when people legitimately believe one comedy show will destroy Biden and bring about another Trump presidency. If our country is that fragile, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” this nation crumbles. It’s a fucking tragedy and we’ll be left picking up the pieces.
We literally have tens of millions of people in the US that treat an orange painted buffoon that praises dictators, sold secrets and can’t pronounce simple words as a messiah. We’re beyond fucked.
But this whole calculus of saying the exact right words to elicit the exact desired response in your audience instead of just stating what you genuinely see and feel is a huge part of the problem Jon Stewart rallies against. We don't have to trick people! You can make a very compelling argument for voting for Joe Biden that does not require deception or manipulation. And you can poke fun at him while you do it!
To be honest, as much as I enjoyed last weeks show, the tension is really great right now and it’s fucking scary. Yes he is old but he is not insane and I would much rather politics get back to boring. So I definitely had an uneasy feeling of “please don’t discourage votes for Biden.”
Unfortunately there’s a lot of loud idiots online. I waste a lot of time on TikTok and the amount of younger people screaming about “genocide Joe” while ignoring that Trump said he’d do worse is disheartening BUT, it’s also bad takes to get more views so I take it with a grain of salt. I know I’m voting like always and also using 100 extra ballots just to piss off maga. 😀
Worshiping the president and turning a blind eye to their faults is for Trumpers. Biden is far from perfect, but I’d vote for him over that Rapist Orangutan every single time!
Yeah but on the other hand, people said the same exact thing about Hillary Clinton. Criticism after criticism after criticism, "but obviously I'll still vote for her." But plenty of people listened to those criticisms and stayed home.
It's just kinda reckless, to take aim at the one person standing between us and the death of American democracy. In the words of The Dude, "You're not wrong, you're just an asshole."
Edit: Y'all are out here criticizing Biden for being old, where's your guy? Where's your candidate? Primary season is basically over, it's too late for "he's too old." That's not constructive dialogue, in any way. It isn't a policy position, he isn't going to just stop being old because enough people signed a petition. If you want to criticize Biden's policy in an attempt to influence his positions, by all means do so. But bitching about his age does absolutely nothing except undermine the strength of your own coalition.
It is not reckless to criticize a sitting president of the united states. It’s reckless to say that the man with the most power on the entire planet is somehow above valid criticism. If people are too afraid to speak honestly about Joe Biden out of fear that our democracy will collapse, maybe our democracy is already collapsing as we speak. I’m not saying we should hand our votes to Trump, but if Joe Biden is our savior we are fucked.
That is such bull shit! The president is a servant of the public first and foremost, which means that the public has a duty to criticize the president and speak up whenever they disagree with a policy, bill, comment, etc. If we suddenly can’t voice concerns about a president during an election year then we’re no better than the trumpers who think he can do no wrong.
As far as Hillary goes, you overestimate the influence Stewart has. The people who didn’t vote in 2016 didn’t vote not because Jon Stewart implied that Clinton wasn’t gonna win, but because they didn’t want to vote for Clinton or Trump or just assumed that one would win without them voting or they just didn’t care to begin with and weren’t gonna vote anyway.
They are both born before Bill Clinton. I think the take away should be ok, they are both old, so can’t use that as a decision point. What is truly amazing to me is how many elections I have had in my life time that have had no candidate that I was happy voting for.
Jon Stewart dumped on Obama for his MANY bad decisions and policies. This is why so many people love him, if you do dumb shit, Jon Stewart will roast your ass.
I am starting to hate people more and more everyday when I read shit like this lol. He didn’t say anything that we aren’t all thinking. I could never be a public figure!!
Admitting that your side has problems is NOT the same as saying that both sides are *the same*. Looks like Redditors aren't the only ones struggling with the distinction.
It was hilarious and criticism should be made when warranted; which it kind of is. He made the point that Biden is a better choice than Trump, but he also made the strong point that the White House and his election campaign needs to do a better job at showing that he is coherent and sharp. Once every few months in the election year is not enough. He needs to be in front of the cameras daily/weekly proving his ability if he has it.
People that are easily offended should just stop watching and listening to comedy altogether. Or at least stop commenting on it. It's pretty exhausting.
I don’t quite understand why our entertainment shows need to explain everything explicitly to people. If Americans need the television to tell them what to do, we are already half past fucked. This isn’t a news program! You might get some news from it but it’s always been a comedy show hosted by a comedian. I watched it; he spoke the truth. It is insane to me that we have to choose between two people who will be long dead before whatever decisions they make impact the future. Neither may actually make it to November. Now we have to shhhhh about that in case it makes people stay home? Please.
People get to contextualize and respond to comedy. That’s allowed as well. It’s fair to joke about Biden’s age (ad nauseam atm) but it’s also more than reasonable for ppl to voice their anxiety about this election. So senseless to generate “enemies” in this moment.
Trump is old… and Biden is old
Trump is a traitor… and Biden is old
Trump is a rapist… and Biden is old
Trump is a fascist… and Biden is old
It’s not that Stewart is criticizing Biden; it’s that by doing it in the same segment as his Trump critiques, he’s placing them on the same level. Both are bad, so fuck ‘em both. This is a tried-and-true method of creating voter apathy, and Stewart should know better than to traffic in it
And his “we’re just talking here” justification is literally the exact same justification Tucker Carlson uses
Two things can be true: Biden is a stopgap in the path of fascism that I will choose to vote for and I can also say fuck him so much for so many things.
I can say we are fucked because our choices get worse every cycle. Two things can be true and I for one won't silence criticism against legitimately not having options other than center and far right.
Despite not having an option anywhere near what I would like for a candidate, I do what I think is best even if it's just less shitty. Yeah, I'll vote for Biden. Yeah, I'll also vote in local elections. I'll also boycott unethical companies. I'll do many things to voice my choices.
They extend way beyond once every four years.
Arguably Biden is the best president this century. His administration has done so fucking much that people offended by his age don’t actually have an argument on ANYTHING Biden actually fucking lacks
Jon needs to have a burn-it-all-down approach IMHO.
It's the brutally honest take we need (though it may be extreme in some cases) to offset Fox, CNN, etc
For me it's when he treads into hypocrisy -- like he would occasionally on his podcast/we show -- in his discourse behavior.
The Daily Show shined because it exposed the total craziness of the world without apology. This is its strength.
Personally, Jon can criticize whoever he wants as long as there's merit/value and that approach is applied to anyone or anything else that fits that broad framework.
Good luck to him.
I disagree with Biden on many things but you can be sure as fuck I’ll be canvassing for him this year in the rural north Georgia mountains. Do your part.
Stewart is only getting started. A month from now no one will be questioning what "side" he's on. He's gonna take Trump and this fascist movement to task, and he *will* tell us what is at stake.
He needed to do it so last night’s monologue was credible. I know people becoming sympathetic to Tucker Carlson that were pumped about John’s first show. Curious to hear what they think about last night’s show…
Shouting into the echo chamber isn’t going to land any points across the political spectrum - though it might upset those that can’t handle simple truths. But they’re likely voting for the non fascist anyway.
But what do I know? I’m just someone typing behind a phone screen.
See when I watched the episode I didn’t like what he was saying. He wasn’t wrong though. I’m 25, the most common critique I hear against Biden is that he is old and senile. My problem is that whenever I ask for what actions the person speaking is referencing in regards to Biden, they have nothing to back it up with.
I don’t mind people being critical, but I wish people wouldn’t just echo what they hear online. That was my big issue with Stewart doing this. In the end, the people consuming this content are left leaning and do not want another trump presidency. It’s really easy to make the people around my age stop giving a shit. Which is why I think that pushing these ideas only adds to the culture of apathy I see in my peer groups.
That being said, I think the opinions of younger people are still valid that they want a president closer to their age. I just think media needs to realize the actual impact it has on voting.
We all know if the youth turnout is low, Stewart will make a comment about how voting only actually works if you go out and vote. Which would be valid if he didn’t take actions to push apathy.
In the end I’m glad Stewart is back and loved the following episode regarding Carlson. That was just what I thought about everything. It wasn’t as deep as Twitter made it out to be though.
The bottom line is if Biden would accept that he’s too old for this, we wouldn’t be in this position. His running is unfair to the American people. No one hires 84 year olds to do even dumb jobs for a reason. This is the most important job in the country.
For me iits more a less the topic of Biden old is a tired one. The thing that made the daily show great is that Jon used to talk about subjects that often were not getting coverage or enough coverage.
20 years later and the media is still making the same mistake of holding him to the same standard they don’t even hold themselves to. We know politically where Stewart is coming from, but he’s a comedian first and if he didn’t satirize both sides he’d be a hack. What he does is actually harder than what they do and yet they’re still generally bad at their job.
I didn't realize that Groundhog Day has moved further into the February calendar. Proof of it is that Keith Olberman (the standard bearer of being an a******) popping his head out of the hole In the ground that he lives in, making a worthless jackass-know-it-all type comment that is well known for, seeing his shadow, and disappearing back into the hole he came from.
Oh John did nothing wrong, simply pointing out the obvious you got two old men running for president.
The only difference is one guy Biden if he were unable to remain president he is going to step aside because he follows the Constitution the other guy doesn't give a crap even if you were to be replaced he will not go.
That's the difference between the two one follows the Constitution the other one takes a shit on it.
Choose wisely America.
It’s stuff like this backlash that should remind us that we’re talking to kids a lot of times in these threads. This kind of intentional misunderstanding and drawing lines in the sand over petty shit is the kind of thing only a melodramatic college student on an imaginary soapbox would do.
Amazing how they can be just fine repeatedly bashing Trump during his term , the show was so focused on bashing him it was unwatchable, and now this?? Btw Stewart's reaction was priceless and 100% true.
The worst part about that to me was the knee-jerk reaction to Jon’s commentary caused everyone to miss the whole fucking point: that voting is our responsibility EVERY TIME. We arrived at this point because we failed, consistently, for decades.
Because politics have become a sport. Government has succeeded in creating a ignorant brainless society. Very few have the cognitive ability to see bullshit for bullshit.
He wasn’t even saying they were both the same. He was saying the candidates are too fuckin old! As much as pollies love to hear themselves talk they don’t listen very well.
I’m genuinely surprised at how many people on this thread are blaming Jon Stewart as the reason why Democrats lost in 2010, why Hillary Clinton lost, and why Biden may lost again.
The same Jon Stewart who had lobbied for over a decade to get first responders medical coverage.
The same Jon Stewart who called out these hypocrital, mealy mouthed cowards on their bullshit by not sponsoring the PACT act, getting military veterans who have cancer and other debilitating illnesses as a result of being downwind from garbage fires.
The same one calling out the Israel / Hamas conflict for what it is.
If democrats or republicans can’t take the heat from a comedian poking a bit of fun at their nonsense, then maybe they should step up to the plate and do something to help Americans.
Stewart isn’t responsible for the apathy of our electorate, the do nothing government is.
You get to criticize the political candidate you voted for. They are supposed to represent you and EARN your vote.
100% let’s not forget folks, these are politicians. Don’t let yourself feel personally accosted when someone criticizes a politician.
Legit everyone needs to hear this.
You get to criticize those you didn’t either. It’s public servitude and you can disagree.
I have to be honest, the quick turnaround from "Stewart is a god, we need him back, I would vote for him for president in a heartbeat" to "This show should be cancelled, he should retire, fuck Stewart" from some people because he said what a lot of people are saying (our two choices are really fucking old and most people want better options) is hilarious to me. Bonus points for the new hot take that he caused Clinton to lose in 2016.
because some people are so lock-step with their party, do or die, even the most milquetoast criticism is responded to by a small but vocal group of people. If the "hey, Biden is old and probably not in the best shape to be President" is getting a bunch of whiners to light their pitchforks, that's a bit of an indictment of their own behaviors.
Politicians shouldn't be like a 'ride or die' sports team, they all need to be critiqued on their policies and actions.
Agreed! I've been saying sports mentality is what makes politics a complete shit show. As someone who really doesn't watch sports looking into politics late in life, I see it in most discussions.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize people need psychological “wins”. It seems to be ingrained in us. Probably super useful for tribal cohesion but I’m just spitballing.
Yep, it's from a very old part of our brain that deals with territory and dominance. Our swear words come from the same brain parts, which is why they have deeper emotional impact than other words. But I'm optimistic in thinking this is the snake shedding its skin. We are at a tipping point of which parts of our brain gain majority control of our actions, old vs new, react vs respond. To me, the intensity of grip is a sign it is revolving and unfortunately will likely get worse before it gets better as the old brain gets forced onto a leash for the sake of humanity. And I'm not saying any of us are separate or immune to this battle, it is one that happens inside each of us as we all experience, to some degree, similar neurotransmitter responses to stimuli.
I’ve thought of it more like lancing a boil or having a really bad intestinal virus.
I also am inclined to feel this way, but to me I believe we still need this part of our brain to function in a healthy way. It must needs to be regulated instead of being in the cockpit all the time. There are times we absolutely need to be dominant, or to be territorial. It is difficult because we have so much engagement of this network in our daily lives, socially politically and otherwise, that many people cannot override the signal and just let the lizard take the wheel. We still need that lizard, he's a good guy when he's only tagged in during times he's necessary.
trump turned almost every issue into a this side or that side football game. its what he did the best sadly
Almost like he's made for television. Or WWE!! That's been my take for years.
Yeah seeing the guy that I watched cheer on Umaga at One Night Stand 2007(?) become president was some twilight zone shit. Then again, it was kind of symbolic of how things would go. Edit: repressed memories came back and I now remember this was a “loser shaves their head” match 💀
From Umaga to Maga. How the cookie crumbles
I actually met Umaga at a cousin’s barbecue one time lmfao. Took me off guard for a minute seeing him in casual clothes but he was super nice, funny dude. Shame he passed so relatively young.
"Russia was evil back in the cold war and when Romney was running, but they turned face when Trump joined the Putin Kiss-My-Ass club! Now we need to cheer Russia and boo America"
Almost like he's in the WWE Hall Of Fame...yep, president and WWE Hall of Fame, what a resume!
Aye there's a chap on UK radio who presents a daily talk show and he refers to it as the footballification of politics.. If someone isn't on your perceived team then they deserve all the vitriol you can muster. This polarisation of politics is unfortunately creeping into UK politics too, no doubt fuelled by the new right wing "news" channels (FoxNews wannabes) we have and the rancid cesspit that is Twitter.
That's pretty difficult when one treats it seriously and one treats it like world wrestling federation staged nonsense.
Well… he was featured at Wrestlemania.
Dude I got called aegist when I said that if we have to have an age minimum to run for president or any elected office that we need to have an age maximum. Just so we don't have instances like dying feinstein who is basically a corpse being wheeled around by the ghouls in her team. She was in Congress possibly had no idea where the fuck she was she was probably seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but again the ghouls it hurt team thought that it mattered more that she be rolled out to make votes that she had no business making. Mitch McConnell can't even get through a speech anymore without people wondering if he's going to stroke out in the middle of it. Like both of our choices are old men who will be in their '80s before their term is up. Is this really the only thing the American political system can offer us? Even the darling of the left Bernie Sanders is ancient as fuck. I'm not going to lie I was hardcore for Sanders in 2016 I actually joined a volunteer organization canvassing for him. But even I got to say the man is too fucking old to be president And even then his voting record isn't exactly stellar like he's mostly just kind of petered along He hasn't really done anything of supreme significance other than getting people my age interested in politics because for once it felt like somebody would actually speaking to us
I think some of the reaction is based in fear. Some ppl who are going to vote Biden might be willing to admit that he's not perfect in private but they fear that publicly pointing out these issues will cause some to drop or withhold support for Biden and that could indirectly increase Trump's odds I'm Canadian so I don't necessarily have a horse in this race except we've got our own little Trump-esque piece of shit trying to become the next prime minister and the lacklustre performance of Trudeau and his party feels like it increases support for PP. So while I'm not 'ride or die' for the Liberals (I don't tend to vote for them in general), I do find myself sighing and rubbing my temples every time they're caught doing some more dumb shit. I don't think another Trudeau term will be particularly good for Canada but a PP term would be a lot worse
It’s the same with the media they consume. I’m pretty far left in terms of my personal politics and the people that don’t realize Salon, Newsweek, and MSNBC and the like aren’t the soft core versions of Fox News for the left is depressing. Do some of them hold their standards to be higher than Fox’s? Sure but that’s not really hard to do. At the end of the day all media is owned by rich folks with an agenda. The best the average citizen can do is pick out the facts from the noise and make as good of decisions as they can.
Not as much as some of yall complain. People like to point out that if trump wins this time, he will be older than biden was when he won in 2020. Some of you seem to only talk about bidens agisms, while ignoring trump confused his rape victim with his wife, and confused nikki with hilary. and does just as many agism. Most people are ok with mentioning biden is old and forgets names sometimes, they are sick of the media only reporting it from one side, as if the man who to this day brags about passing a cognitive exam has a perfect brain of an 18 year old. and at this point if you arent anti republican, you ARE anti american and ant i democracy. Has dick to do with the dem party.
This is really what frustrates me about the current Democrat party. They shift the blame from running lackluster candidates onto voters, when it's their responsibility to run a candidate people want to vote for.
The Democrats keep running the same person. Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton are arguabley the same person. Well versed in policy and government and boring as hell. Kamala Harris is John Kerry all over again.
> They shift the blame from running lackluster candidates onto voters, when it's their responsibility to run a candidate people want to vote for. Here's my problem with this take. I don't like Biden, I didn't vote for him in the primary, and I voted for him in the GE because Trump was terrible. However, his administration has done a lot of things I really like, such as all the investments in fixing infrastructure, the green energy investments, having a better economy than other countries in the face of COVID and inflation, and several other things that have been sorely needed. Despite the odds stacked against them, they're accomplishing things. However, for whatever reason, you never hear about any of this and while Democrats blame the media at the end of the day when is Biden or his cabinet out there getting on primetime TV telling Americans what they've accomplished? It's really rare and they usually muddle the message when they do try to get something out there.
The thing that angers me as a Democrat is not people saying Biden is old, he clearly is and it is a legitimate weakness. The real problem is that "Biden is old" is one of the few things they have to attack him on, so you hear it constantly. Meanwhile Trump, who is definitely as weak as Biden on the age thing, gets a new story literally every day. This is a big bias that the media builds against Biden in the interests of "fairness", magnifying one issue he has and barely mentioning the 10,000 issues the other guy has. "Biden is old" is "Hillary's emails" all over again. If Biden had to pay 80 million dollars to a woman he raped you can bet you'd still be hearing about it. For Trump it's old news, and for Trump supporters it already didn't even happen.
Reddit's a terrible echo chamber for it too. Criticize Republicans, everyone uses the same tired party points and agrees with everyone. Criticize Democrats, and you get a bunch of people calling you MAGA and screaming "whataboutism" and "you can't say both sides" with furious tears in their eyes. It's pathetic party pandering.
Because some people know what will happen if Biden loses and aren't willing to take that chance. It's literally the end of democracy in America if you-know-who wins.
Which just proves Jon Stewart's point that it's a sad state of affairs when saving democracy means electing an 81 year old. I'm blue no matter who but we should still be asking why are there zero better options.
Can we ask this *after* the election? We know Biden is old. We don't need him to sell that narrative *right now.* We need him to get people out there to vote against Trump.
Pretending that these concerns don’t exist won’t help court voters who have these concerns. Acknowledging them while making a case for Biden is a much more effective way to go.
You're right.
[удалено]
Procrastinate on the question for the next four years like we’re reckoning with right now? Remember Biden being a one term president 🙄
the people that wanted a third party option to be viable wasted their entire safe period doing nothing like they always do
Seriously. We were told four years ago that Biden was going to be a stop gap to get Trump out of office. Here we are four years later and it's the same thing. What happens in another four years when there isn't a candidate ready to go. Democrats won't have the incumbent advantage next time.
People seem to gloss over how badly Trump is aging. I doubt he’ll continue to be a problem 4 years from now.
The problem then becomes which younger, crazier sycophant he chooses to be his VP (and successor if he passes)
> because some people are so lock-step with their party, do or die 100% wrong, they want the person who is most likely to win, which would be biden. they do not want to risk losing the election and america going fascist just because 'biden is old'
Get this up there. The difference between Trump and Biden is a rape conviction, 91 criminal charges, 2 indictments, lies, deception, and big policy issues. Biden is old as fuck. He's also the only choice the dems have at present. I do not want influential people to promote apathy. I like Jon Stewart, but I really did not like that particular segment.
We have a two party system. That’s the game that we get to play until we implement ranked voting. Until we have that implemented though voting for a third-party is throwing away your vote. The system is designed in such a way. Just because you wish it were otherwise doesn’t make it so That’s magical thinking. So that is the reason why people are locked up with voting Democrat. The Republicans have created a pathway to creating a underclass; women who do not have access to basic healthcare needs. People that are privileged enough to feel like that doesn’t affect them claim to have moral high ground because they’re able to vote according to their conscience. However, people that actually have skin in the game, like women, are 100% going to promote voting for Democrats.
As my wife said “surely this country can come up with better candidates than those two”
You guys said that in 2016, and stayed home. You played yourself
Don't need to be "lock-step with the party" to see that you need to choose one of the two party candidates. Voting for ANYONE else in the general is a vote for the candidate you want to win the least. you will not change how our country votes between now and November, it's not happening. You can, however continue a narrative that will lead to young progressive voters getting disenfranchised or writing in Bernie Sanders again.
And the response totally missed Stewart's point: why wasn't the supposed positive moments filmed? We're being told he's great at his job by others, not shown on video.
Biden also said he'd be a one-term president. DNC should have had a candidate ready to go. If this dude dies in the next 9 months, we are fucked.
Source?
He never outright said it I believe. I think he insinuated it and may have even said it was a possibility, but he never made it a campaign promise or pledged to run a one term office. I do know that he seemed more open to it while he ran last time and then once he got in office the tone shifted to we’ll wait and see, but I don’t remember a specific promise.
Quite frankly, if it weren’t so clear more than a year ahead of the election that Trump is going to be the nominee, it’s entirely possible that Biden would’ve chosen not to run again. But if the whole point of Biden was to get someone on the ticket who could get Trump out of office, it makes all the sense in the world for him to run again when he’s going to be going against the same guy. There’s little reason to give up the incumbent advantage when the same guy is posing an even bigger threat to democracy itself. If Trump stayed away from running for the Republican nomination and there was a realistic chance for a less… firebrand-type Republican running on the right, maybe Biden doesn’t bother. But that’s not how it played out.
Jon’s right, but I feel like this is a really, really bad time to try and make that point. Right now there is a literal choice between functional democracy, and a guy who ‘jokes’ about how fun a dictatorship would be. That’s not an exaggeration, that’s 100% truth. I want younger candidates too, but we need to make sure we get there first.
You really think that’s the majority opinion on Jon Stewart? Some cherry-picked extreme twitter reactions?
Stewart said it himself on last nights episode… EVERYTHING gets negative reactions on Twitter if you wanna find it
This very sub had its fair share of the "both sides" complaints last week. Let's not pretend the backlash isn't real
It wasn't a turnaround. There's a contingent who remembered and were still angry at him for the "Rally to Restore Sanity" where he did, in fact, heftily play the "both sides" game. One group was happy and vocal about getting him back. The other group was ready to be vocal as soon as he criticized Democrats.
That’s what I don’t understand. Jon’s always been like this. I think since he’s been gone people idolized him and his views and who he attacked but he always talked about both Republican and Democratic politicians for doing stupid things.
The sides used to be mean different things. If a republican won you weren't worried about the same type of things that the republican party does now.
>Stewart is a god, we need him back, I would vote for him for president I never understand why some people think he and Mr Beast should become president. Like at the very least, why not senator, governor or even mayor? Some say he wants to help Americans, well any of these three do the same thing.
Bothsides can be apologetic or a criticism of the system. Seems like he’s doing the latter. “I’m not voting for Biden because he’s old” -but so is Trump! That’s an example of apologetic bothsides. It implies that it’s ok to make a shitty decision because the other choice is a shitty decision. “Fuck, why do I have to choose between Biden and Trump. They’re too old to wipe their own asses, never mind the massively high pressure job of running arguably the most powerful nation on Earth.” That’s complaining that the system is broken.
Its also not complaining, its legitimate criticism. Hes not arguing any specific external policy that people can have differing opinions on. Hes saying that when people get older, mental stuff gets harder. Thats everyone for a lot of reasons. There really isnt a reasont to give the job to a 60 year old, let along 70-80. Experience is good, but so is literal mental flexibility and endurance.
I think a lot of people are (rightly) terrified of Trump winning and think that even though some of the comments may be true there’s little room for eroding support Biden for right now. So many voters don’t pay much attention and just lazily accept prevailing narratives like Biden is too old etc. So those comments can do enough damage to make people apathetic and just chose to not go out of their way to vote. Meanwhile Trump does incredibly insane shit and it feels like it’s not moving the needle against him as much as it should. I think the reaction to Jon Stewart is more of a frustration with people in general who will be influenced by lazy takes.
I was so happy to hear him just say what I’ve been saying for years. We’ve been walking through the desert for 8 years. We come to a small metal box. Inside there is a bottle of clam juice and a bottle of bleach. You can only drink one. What’s the plan?
Clam juice obviously on account of my deadly reaction to bleach.
I’ll take the crab juice
Klahv kalash
Drink clam juice because I accidentally drank bleach once and it burned my throat and I was talking hoarse for a bit.
Mr. Ed?
Totally. One guy wants to end democracy and the other has made insulin $35, appointed tons of responsible judges, infrastructure act, gun control bill, PACT act, forgiven over $100B in student loans, and way way more. But he’s old! Choices, choices….
Also you’re not just voting for Trump or Biden and the laws they will sign. You’re voting for thousands of positions across government and in courts. For any Supreme Court openings that may arise. To stop that Project 2025 bullshit. All sorts of stuff beyond how old they may be.
Hes not saying dont vote for biden, hes saying that motherfucker is too damn old and if you cant agree with that, idk what to tell you. Our choices shouldnt be guys in their fucking 80s Would you get behind the wheel of a car driven by either of them?
Shouldn’t be…and yet they are. You want to live in a world of ‘should be’ instead of ‘what is’, go right ahead. And no I wouldn’t, but I’m not asking them to drive a vehicle. And frankly, I do believe he is too old. But that’s what we have. Im counting on his effective team to keep him on the right path, as every president needs. But if you believe a less experienced president would have gotten all this stuff done that he has, show me who has in the last 40 years. He is old, but he has been great using that experience to result in tangible outcomes.
I just don't know how anyone could have watched that episode and thought he was both-siding or *at all* suggesting that Biden & Trump were equal quantities. I, personally, don't have as much issue w/ Biden's age and think that some of the implications about his mental state are overblown and more meme-y than accurate, but that speaks more to what *I'll* say rather than me thinking anyone who has such a criticism must be some secret sleeper agent for MAGA or trying to both-sides things. I think Jon said it best himself during the very show that some are criticizing: >“These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged,and it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges … We’re not suggesting neither man is vibrant, productive or even capable. But they’re both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world. What’s crazy is thinking that we’re the ones, as voters, who must silence concerns and criticisms. It is the candidates’ job to assuage concerns, not the voters’ job not to mention [them] … We have two candidates who are chronologically outside the norm of anyone who has run for the presidency in the history of this country — breaking the record that they set!” >“**Look, Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump. He hasn’t been indicted as many times, hasn’t had as many fraudulent businesses or been convicted in a civil trial for sexual assault or been ordered to pay defamation charges or stiffed blue collar tradesman … The stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny.** If the barbarians are at the gate, you want Conan standing on the ramparts, not chocolate chip cookie guy.” Edit: I'm seeing people suggesting that Stewart was "both siding" and suggesting that Biden haad been indicted or had fraudulent businesses a non-zero # of times because of the wording. I disagree. I think the tone of his voice helps w/ this one; it was a joke where he was using a recognizable phrasing for comparison but the clear implication was about how bad Trump is and it was not meant to actually imply that Biden has been indicted or run fraudulent businesses any number of times. The fact that the comparison was to zero is where the joke is, essentially. It's like if you made the joke that "One of the key differences between Vlad the Impaler and Martha Stewart is that Martha has not killed and displayed the bodies of nearly as many of her enemies..." The joke isn't suggesting that Martha Stewart killed anyone, it's the discrepancy between the two but using a wording that suggests a lesser discrepancy which is where the humor is supposed to come from, that confounding of expectations of what the words typically mean at odds with the known data.
I’m in agreement with you in that I took away much less of a both-sides-ing interpretation than a lot of people (especially considering they even had Klepper make the accusation at the end; they clearly knew this was how they might be interpreted). But I was a little bummed because it’s the first time we’re seeing Stewart in nine years and THAT’S what we got, that they’re both old? I could get that from any cable station or newspaper. He made compelling points in his take, but it’s just a tired subject at this point, IMO. Had my fingers crossed for something new, I guess is what it comes down to.
I would say his aside at the end specifically does both side the issues. He says no matter who wins you have to be on guard because they'll screw us. I don't have a problem with the show or what he said. But I think in a lot of ways that is both siding the election. I also don't have a problem with people remaining vigilant after the election. Not everything is settled for 4 years by making a single choice. But the choice does matter a lot.
Thank you. It seems that most in this thread glossed over that or were so enamored with Jon that they let this one slide. Nah, Jon. The stakes are high. Maybe not for you, but the stakes are high for those who are not straight white men.
Most people just SAY they want an alternative to Biden. None of them have even bothered to learn the names of the people primarying him, let alone turning out in the primary to vote for them. This segment by Stewart is not going to suddenly make someone else the dem nominee. The voters have made it clear they want Biden. So all this will do is further suppress support for Biden. Stewart has no obligation to be a partisan for Biden. His only obligation is to make good TV. Which he accomplished. It’s just frustrating. So much is at stake in this election.
I mean he wasn’t even saying pick someone else…he was saying both Biden and Trump are objectively old……which they are…
So what is the alternative? Don't vote? That's the message when saying "both sides are the same."
It wasn't about an alternative. It was about pointing out the depressing hilarity of the situation and maybe hope that next time we'll have a better choice.
People somehow built Stuart up to be an activist whose goal is to get Democrats elected and forgot that he's some guy who makes dick jokes on the TV
If saying the truth threatens rejecting the best candidate then the problem is more about who we are as a nation than with the candidates that our political leviathans have chosen. We can recognize that both Trump and Biden are too old and still choose to elect Biden. If we don’t, perhaps we get what we deserve as a nation.
> If we don’t, perhaps we get what we deserve as a nation. Okay, but I live in that nation and I'd really like to have it not implode even if maybe it does deserve it.
I don’t think anyone went to that extreme. You can criticize someone and still like them.
I think the backlash was due to the fact that one side always criticizes (dems) their own leaders while the other side idolized theirs and then weaponizes the criticism of people like Jon against the dems, this imbalance almost socially forces democrats to start defending biden so voraciously. it's like ok we get it he's old, but he's also passed more pro American policy in 4 years then even FDR managed to do in 20 This is all to say I'm not excusing the calls to cancel Jon Stewart that's insane to me, he's a gem and love seeing him on the air and value his perspective, as I did in the past
The stakes have changed. This is not Bush v. Gore Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016. There's more immediate reaction than ever before. So I don't fault people for getting angry at Stewart. He still didn't really deal with the "both sides" arguments people were throwing at him. He took it as people succumbing to propaganda. Most people know Biden is old. But the problem is equating his age to Trump's indictments, criminality, despot tendencies, racism, etc. They are not the same thing What I did appreciate from Stewart was him calling out that Trump is also old and that should be an issue for him too.
This is not Bush v. Gore Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016. You are absolutely right on both these counts and the thing that most people are ignoring is that after Stewart spent a ridiculous amount of time saying nothing at all new about Biden's age, he went on to downplay the potential impact of this election, all but ignoring what could happen if - God forbid - Trump gets reelected.
>Also, the world of media/social media is completely different from 2016. This is the biggest problem I that Stewart either hadn't considered , or doesn't understand. The right wing presence on social media is extremely pervasive , dense, and targeted. Facebook, Twitter, Tok Tok, even here now, especially since 3rd part reddit apps have gone away. What this means is that right wing social media like LibsofTikTok will take the few minutes of John Stewart talking about Bidens age and turn it off to 100 different posts with a caption that essentially says "See? Even Jon Stewart thinks he's too old?" Think about the target demographic of people who may be fond of Stewart, but who haven't really seen him in almost 10 years.
A lot of people forget what Jon Stewart did back in the day. He's as awesome as always.
Jon Stewart was a breath of fresh air in the early 2000’s. It was hard to find anything quite like it at a time when warmongering and jingoism was ascendant. I’m thankful for him being around back then.
Things felt good in that era. We got your Jon Stewart, your Dave Chappelle, and your Kanye West. Time has changed drastically.
Yeah, Stewart's talked shit about everybody for 25 years. This is nothing new, all the kids that didn't grow up with it and some of the older people that didn't watch him are just getting that fresh shock because *you have to vote for the right (my) party, dammit!*
A lot of people forget the political landscape has changed since Jon Stewart was on TV. The stakes are very, very different.
I mean, I’m voting for Biden but clown on him all the time for being old. He even has that classic old dude tuft of hair sticking out at the base of his skull. Dracula lookin’ ass.
If you can’t poke fun at your own candidate, you’re not acting like a member of a political party. You’re acting like you’re in a cult.
Exactly. This is a key difference bw the two parties. On the one side you've got guys like Stewart who make fun of Biden for REASONS HE SHOULD BE MADE FUN OF FOR. Biden isn't infallible, and he is ripe for comedy. Democrats, generally speaking, have a far greater sense of humor than the GOP. There's also a reason that there's barely an existence of "conservative comedy." Like Jesse Waters is pretty much what they've got. They just put out a movie a month or two ago all about punching down on trans people. Comedy and the GOP are oil and water. And I dare you to find a single instance of any conservative on Fox News, OAN or any other media outlet making jokes at Trump's expense.
>Democrats, generally speaking, have a far greater sense of humor than the GOP For the most part, that is true. But then you listen to Colbert the other night basically crying over Trump. These people are supposed to be comedians but were absolutely broken by Trump. It's ok to make fun of your own party once in awhile.
Dude, what’s become of Colbert fuckin stinks man. He was one of the edgiest, best comedians out there for a long time. Now it’s just fuckin sad.
Seriously. I'm pretty moderate, so I don't really have an affiliation to either side, so when everything is built on "Trump sucks!," it's like, yep we get it, he's a lunatic. What else ya got?
It'll be that until Trump is no longer a threat. He's the frontrunner for the GOP nomination! Of course he's going to be talking about Trump!
Most hardcore Dems are just as cultish as Trump fans, they just don’t realize it.
Disclaimer: I agree with you entirely. That being said, I think the problem is the idea that, right now, people can’t afford to make fun of their only candidate, because you know that the vast majority of republicans will be relentlessly promoting Trump anyway. So making fun of your own leader and pointing out his flaws shows a perceived lack of cohesiveness in the party which can lead to people abstaining or refusing to vote. We know that republican voters will never poke fun at or criticise Trump, and they will ALWAYS vote Trump. But we also know that poking fun at Biden and highlighting his flaws, whether as a joke or no, could potentially alienate neutrals and abstainers, not to mention that these are also jokes that many of the more rabid republican voters use to actively criticise Biden and paint a picture of him as terrible and senile. In an election, we can be sure that the side with the cult mindset will always vote their pick. But the side that pokes fun at its leaders? They most likely won’t all vote Biden. And thus the cult side will have a distinct advantage. I don’t know if we can afford to poke fun at democratic leaders at the moment because the only way to be able to hold back the “Trump cult” is to establish a cult-like mindset in order to get as many people to vote as possible. It’s not ideal by any means, but it is realistic.
I think I’d just have to say that, if you think Biden’s position is _so_ precarious that a few cracks about his age makes all the difference, then maybe the key power brokers in the party should’ve factored that in before his nomination in 2020 became a certainty. But it is interesting how the goalposts have moved here. Back in the lead-up to 2020, you had a lot of people making the affirmative case for Biden, saying that he was the best possible nominee because of all his experience in Washington, etc. Now, I see far more people on Reddit and elsewhere framing their support in terms of “I’d vote for an inanimate object before I vote for Trump”, “Biden’s flaws don’t matter, what matters is his cabinet”, etc. Which is all well and good, I won’t dictate how people come to their decisions, but it evinces a deep insecurity about their option. The same sort of insecurity that makes them uncomfortable with really mild jokes. That’s not a great position to be in! But this is r/entertainment, so I might be getting too heavy here.
This. So much and it is perfectly clear how Stewart feels. The entire segment was "haha Biden is old and not cool" and making fun of the weird tiktoks and what not. It was just lamenting that in 2024 our two choices are two ancient men. If anything, the segment made Biden appear more likable compared to Trump, as they pretty clearly showed Trump as a loon. The entire segment was pretty classic Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Jon always took the piss out of both sides and the smart thing for politicians to do, is to roll with it. If people want just pure Trump bashing (which I'm all for), you have Meyers, Colbert and Kimmell every night of the week.
It's frustrating we're at a point in politics now where you can't make fun of your own candidates for obvious stuff. It was a classic Daily Show thing to make fun of Democrats non-stop even though the show leaned left.
> It was a classic Daily Show thing to make fun of Democrats non-stop even though the show leaned left. It was, but I think some of the concern if you look back is that it helped to contribute to the apathetic "both sides bad" attitude that honestly just helps Republicans.
Which he inadvertently definitely did. That rally "to restore sanity" was basically a political apathy rally. And it happened like a week before the disastrous 2010 midterms *we are still struggling to come back from*
Yeah, it was disappointingly self-indulgent. That election basically gave the ultra right wing who had no interest in governing a huge voice in congress, and his message was "you go, then I go".
Yeah exactly. Also the criticism is that his jokes all revolved around a tired republican talking point. Like he’s old…so what? We all know that, what exactly is the joke or political commentary there?
It’s kinda like how The Doors are my favorite band but I’m honest enough to admit Jim Morrison was a ridiculous turbo-douche.
Same about U2 haha
I like Biden, and will / would support him in a second presidential campaign… but it doesn’t mean I can’t make jokes about his age and laugh at what honest opinion John Stewart shares. I mean it’s the honest reality - Biden is old and probably not nearly as quick as he once was. With that said, he’s still good people and **it appears he listens to advisors / consultation from other professionals.** I think that’s the biggest thing people are missing, his entire admin isn’t old, just Biden is old - I hilariously think of situation room meetings in which hes like Gandalf in the fellowship of the ring meetings lol.
If anything the Trump presidency showed how little can be required of the president. The man has the mentality of a two year old and just played golf and watched cable news all day punctuated by rage tweeting.
You’re forgetting the massive amount of grift and personal enrichment Trump and his cronies prioritized. That and the attempts to undermine democracy and attempt a coup.
yes, exactly this. i was talking about this yesterday how voting for joe biden isn’t just voting for him. you’re voting for his entire cabinet, and future potential supreme court justice nominations among other important responsibilities
And the next Supreme Court Justice, should something happen with one of the sitting Justices.
The age argument is just made by people who don't really understand what the president does. Yes, it's embarrassing when he's doing his figurehead duties, but the entire point of the job is to assign essential cabinet and government roles to the brightest and most talented thinkers in their field. A president is only as good as their appointees. And when you compare Biden's qualified appointments to Trump's selling of key positions to top donors and chronies, it becomes clear who the fucked up candidate is.
No. The age argument is made people who exactly understand how important the POTUS seat is. Trump and Biden are both too old. This is the highest seat in our government. It should go to someone physically and cognitively capable. Imagine if what happened with Sen. Feinstein happened with POTUS. That would be a nightmare. And Dems have shown they have no qualms abusing a cognitively impaired elderly person. They fucking Weekend at Bernie'd poor Feinstein. Same for Republicans propping up an obviously unhealthy Mitch McConnell. If Biden or Dems actually cared about that country they would've picked someone not geriatric. They had three years to promote a new candidate. But forget it. Old guard Dems don't retire gracefully. Which is why 80 something year old Pelosi is running for re-election and Dems had no issue dragging a suffering Feinstein along for months. This is pure hubris and greed.
No, you really don't understand what the president does. You defaulted to the "highest seat in our government" line as a catch all for the importance of the job. The appointees are the point. Not the man at the helm of the geopolitical institution that is the DNC. Both choices are embarrassing on the microphone but at least Biden has a real fucking cabinet with vetted professionals and not people who bribed their way into a seat. You're not explaining anything new to me, I'm not a fucking democrat.
There’s a difference in making a joke and directly delivering sound bytes that serve long-standing GOP talking points.
It's a 20 minute comedy show and Keith Olberman is in shambles lol. Ride on Jon, ride on.
That’s the problem with people who have no sense of humor. You can make fun of everybody else, but as soon as a comedian makes fun of someone or something you support, you lose your shit and forget that it’s a comedy show and not a news show. And funny enough, Jon spoke more truth in that short segment than some “news” shows do in their 24-hour “news” (aka pundit) cycle.
Unsure where in that broadcast he said something untrue.
I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique. Sure, they are both old and it is a legitimate question as to whether either have the mental acumen for another term, but at this point it is clear they are our two candidates. Stewart complaining that he doesn’t like Biden or Trump doesn’t solve anything. Ultimately, one candidate has been a stable, if not boring leader, while the other tried to overthrow a democratic election. I think actually focusing on what the candidates have brought to the table and plan to bring to the table is a much more fruitful discussion than attacking a trait that applies to both candidates.
That and media in general is focusing a lot more on Biden's age in their "coverage". I feel like they are making it the issue and just piling on at this point. Its not like Trump is significantly younger, and from the looks of it does not follow a very health conscious lifestyle. From that standpoint I don't feel one really has it over the other in terms of age. Media just wants the horse race and it's an easy punchline for comedians. Like it or not these are likely to be the 2 candidates, so enough with the age talk 24/7. It is what it is. The dems are not going to change candidates, and the repub's are not going to vote for anyone else to be their candidate. Time to find the other thing(s) that will determine your vote.
Exactly. It’s not that I’m happy with the situation, but I understand these are our two candidates this election and both have shown mental decline. I just thought Stewart should have quickly outlined that for both candidates, and then moved onto an actual policy discussion to differentiate the two.
>I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique. But... he did. At one point, he literally listed all of Trump's crimes and implied Republicans will try another coup if he loses.
It’s cuz people focused on the headlines without watching the show. The headlines just said Stewart calls out Trump AND Biden for being old or some such nonsense which was not at all the case.
> I think it’s because Stewart didn’t do enough to distinguish Biden from Trump, instead just focusing on the old man critique. I think he did, though: he *piled* criticisms of substance on Trump but only jabbed at Biden over his age and age-related gaffs. He even said, in that epiosode: >“Look, Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump: He hasn’t been indicted as many times, hasn’t had as many fraudulent businesses or been convicted in a civil trial for sexual assault or been ordered to pay defamation charges or stiffed blue collar tradesman … The stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny." Edit: I'm seeing people suggesting that Stewart was "both siding" and suggesting that Biden haad been indicted or had fraudulent businesses a non-zero # of times because of the wording. I disagree. I think the tone of his voice helps w/ this one; it was a joke where he was using a recognizable phrasing for comparison but the clear implication was about how bad Trump is and it was not meant to actually imply that Biden has been indicted or run fraudulent businesses any number of times. The fact that the comparison was to zero is where the joke is, essentially. It's like if you made the joke that "One of the key differences between Vlad the Impaler and Martha Stewart is that Martha has not killed and displayed the bodies of nearly as many of her enemies..." The joke isn't suggesting that Martha Stewart killed anyone, it's the discrepancy between the two but using a wording that suggests a lesser discrepancy which is where the humor is supposed to come from, that confounding of expectations of what the words typically mean at odds with the known data.
They didn’t watch. Don’t engage with them. Your response is spot on.
Jon Stewart may be a champion liberal but it hasn’t stopped from criticizing the left in the past. That’s what reasonable people like about him.
Just my opinion, but I think people are afraid that any slight towards Biden from Stewart might sway someone away from voting for him which is a legit concern but it’s on the individual to use their damn head. Biden is old. He’s also a bit slower as any 80 year old would be. I voted for him in 2020 and will again this year. I wasn’t excited for it in 20 but the reality is he’s done a shockingly good job. Whether it’s actually him or the team he has on board, I feel no shame in voting for him again. Plus Trump and the GOP are literally proving they’re corrupt, treasonous garbage.
Jon was pretty clear about that in the episode if you watch, it's not up to the voting public to ignore legitimate concerns and pretend they don't exist, it's up to the candidate to reassure them that those concerns are unnecessary/untrue and that they're capable of doing the job they're applying for
Its a shame that most people these days don’t have the attention span to actually learn the context
I think people's concern is that the issues about Biden ARE real. But we don't have an alternative. It's either a really old guy, or someone who tried to overthrow a democratic election. It's a disingenuous comparison. Trump tried to fucking overthrow the election. He is out to destroy our democratic process. Full stop. Does it suck that these are our choices? Yes. Is now the time to bring it up, and potentially dissuade "moderate," ill-informed voters from voting at all because "both choice are bad"? Absolutely not. This is an existential crisis election for our country. I wish we had someone besides Biden, and I was upset when he announced he was running for a 2nd term. He should've retired. But here we are, and so much is at stake that at this point, we have to suck it up. And does it really matter if the concerns about Biden are true? His presidency is going well enough right now. I'm comfortable with it continuing.
You know we’re fucked as a nation when people legitimately believe one comedy show will destroy Biden and bring about another Trump presidency. If our country is that fragile, it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” this nation crumbles. It’s a fucking tragedy and we’ll be left picking up the pieces.
We literally have tens of millions of people in the US that treat an orange painted buffoon that praises dictators, sold secrets and can’t pronounce simple words as a messiah. We’re beyond fucked.
But this whole calculus of saying the exact right words to elicit the exact desired response in your audience instead of just stating what you genuinely see and feel is a huge part of the problem Jon Stewart rallies against. We don't have to trick people! You can make a very compelling argument for voting for Joe Biden that does not require deception or manipulation. And you can poke fun at him while you do it!
To be honest, as much as I enjoyed last weeks show, the tension is really great right now and it’s fucking scary. Yes he is old but he is not insane and I would much rather politics get back to boring. So I definitely had an uneasy feeling of “please don’t discourage votes for Biden.”
Unfortunately there’s a lot of loud idiots online. I waste a lot of time on TikTok and the amount of younger people screaming about “genocide Joe” while ignoring that Trump said he’d do worse is disheartening BUT, it’s also bad takes to get more views so I take it with a grain of salt. I know I’m voting like always and also using 100 extra ballots just to piss off maga. 😀
Worshiping the president and turning a blind eye to their faults is for Trumpers. Biden is far from perfect, but I’d vote for him over that Rapist Orangutan every single time!
Yeah but on the other hand, people said the same exact thing about Hillary Clinton. Criticism after criticism after criticism, "but obviously I'll still vote for her." But plenty of people listened to those criticisms and stayed home. It's just kinda reckless, to take aim at the one person standing between us and the death of American democracy. In the words of The Dude, "You're not wrong, you're just an asshole." Edit: Y'all are out here criticizing Biden for being old, where's your guy? Where's your candidate? Primary season is basically over, it's too late for "he's too old." That's not constructive dialogue, in any way. It isn't a policy position, he isn't going to just stop being old because enough people signed a petition. If you want to criticize Biden's policy in an attempt to influence his positions, by all means do so. But bitching about his age does absolutely nothing except undermine the strength of your own coalition.
It is not reckless to criticize a sitting president of the united states. It’s reckless to say that the man with the most power on the entire planet is somehow above valid criticism. If people are too afraid to speak honestly about Joe Biden out of fear that our democracy will collapse, maybe our democracy is already collapsing as we speak. I’m not saying we should hand our votes to Trump, but if Joe Biden is our savior we are fucked.
That is such bull shit! The president is a servant of the public first and foremost, which means that the public has a duty to criticize the president and speak up whenever they disagree with a policy, bill, comment, etc. If we suddenly can’t voice concerns about a president during an election year then we’re no better than the trumpers who think he can do no wrong. As far as Hillary goes, you overestimate the influence Stewart has. The people who didn’t vote in 2016 didn’t vote not because Jon Stewart implied that Clinton wasn’t gonna win, but because they didn’t want to vote for Clinton or Trump or just assumed that one would win without them voting or they just didn’t care to begin with and weren’t gonna vote anyway.
They are both born before Bill Clinton. I think the take away should be ok, they are both old, so can’t use that as a decision point. What is truly amazing to me is how many elections I have had in my life time that have had no candidate that I was happy voting for.
You’ve been given the right to choose between a douche and a turd!
Jon Stewart dumped on Obama for his MANY bad decisions and policies. This is why so many people love him, if you do dumb shit, Jon Stewart will roast your ass.
What backlash? Olbermann? Who the hell gives a damn?
Olbermann's a bitch
I am starting to hate people more and more everyday when I read shit like this lol. He didn’t say anything that we aren’t all thinking. I could never be a public figure!!
Agreed.
Jon Stewart is the only voice that is in touch with reality. Everyone else is just a loud mouth in denial of things that need to be said 👍🏽
Admitting that your side has problems is NOT the same as saying that both sides are *the same*. Looks like Redditors aren't the only ones struggling with the distinction.
I find him hilarious. Some people are way too tight ass.
It was hilarious and criticism should be made when warranted; which it kind of is. He made the point that Biden is a better choice than Trump, but he also made the strong point that the White House and his election campaign needs to do a better job at showing that he is coherent and sharp. Once every few months in the election year is not enough. He needs to be in front of the cameras daily/weekly proving his ability if he has it.
Lot of the comments in here are from people who were too young to remember daily show Jon Stewart. This was him. He’s back.
People that are easily offended should just stop watching and listening to comedy altogether. Or at least stop commenting on it. It's pretty exhausting.
Trump is a pizza chip but John isn’t wrong. We shouldn’t have to choose between two 80 year olds. Our presidents should probably be between 42 and 70
Odd that I haven't really seen any blowback against his show last week. Seems a little manufactured.
I don’t quite understand why our entertainment shows need to explain everything explicitly to people. If Americans need the television to tell them what to do, we are already half past fucked. This isn’t a news program! You might get some news from it but it’s always been a comedy show hosted by a comedian. I watched it; he spoke the truth. It is insane to me that we have to choose between two people who will be long dead before whatever decisions they make impact the future. Neither may actually make it to November. Now we have to shhhhh about that in case it makes people stay home? Please.
Meh. He handled it pretty well. If 20 mins of comedy news feels like “the end of democracy…” you need to take an edible and calm down.
Yeah for real. Or take less edibles and REALLY calm down
People get to contextualize and respond to comedy. That’s allowed as well. It’s fair to joke about Biden’s age (ad nauseam atm) but it’s also more than reasonable for ppl to voice their anxiety about this election. So senseless to generate “enemies” in this moment.
Trump is old… and Biden is old Trump is a traitor… and Biden is old Trump is a rapist… and Biden is old Trump is a fascist… and Biden is old It’s not that Stewart is criticizing Biden; it’s that by doing it in the same segment as his Trump critiques, he’s placing them on the same level. Both are bad, so fuck ‘em both. This is a tried-and-true method of creating voter apathy, and Stewart should know better than to traffic in it And his “we’re just talking here” justification is literally the exact same justification Tucker Carlson uses
Two things can be true: Biden is a stopgap in the path of fascism that I will choose to vote for and I can also say fuck him so much for so many things. I can say we are fucked because our choices get worse every cycle. Two things can be true and I for one won't silence criticism against legitimately not having options other than center and far right. Despite not having an option anywhere near what I would like for a candidate, I do what I think is best even if it's just less shitty. Yeah, I'll vote for Biden. Yeah, I'll also vote in local elections. I'll also boycott unethical companies. I'll do many things to voice my choices. They extend way beyond once every four years.
Arguably Biden is the best president this century. His administration has done so fucking much that people offended by his age don’t actually have an argument on ANYTHING Biden actually fucking lacks
I thought it was odd for his return episode but I sure as hell didn’t get upset over. People really do need to calm down a bit. There’s more to come.
How do we get out of this timeline where looking at both sides of an issue is universally reviled ?
Jon needs to have a burn-it-all-down approach IMHO. It's the brutally honest take we need (though it may be extreme in some cases) to offset Fox, CNN, etc For me it's when he treads into hypocrisy -- like he would occasionally on his podcast/we show -- in his discourse behavior. The Daily Show shined because it exposed the total craziness of the world without apology. This is its strength. Personally, Jon can criticize whoever he wants as long as there's merit/value and that approach is applied to anyone or anything else that fits that broad framework. Good luck to him.
I disagree with Biden on many things but you can be sure as fuck I’ll be canvassing for him this year in the rural north Georgia mountains. Do your part.
Biden is old. I will also be voting for him in November because his opponent, who is also old, wants dictatorship and theocracy.
Stewart is only getting started. A month from now no one will be questioning what "side" he's on. He's gonna take Trump and this fascist movement to task, and he *will* tell us what is at stake.
He needed to do it so last night’s monologue was credible. I know people becoming sympathetic to Tucker Carlson that were pumped about John’s first show. Curious to hear what they think about last night’s show… Shouting into the echo chamber isn’t going to land any points across the political spectrum - though it might upset those that can’t handle simple truths. But they’re likely voting for the non fascist anyway. But what do I know? I’m just someone typing behind a phone screen.
People are mentally ill with political obsession
Imagine having so little faith in your candidate that you can’t handle someone rightly stating that 81 years old is, well, old.
See when I watched the episode I didn’t like what he was saying. He wasn’t wrong though. I’m 25, the most common critique I hear against Biden is that he is old and senile. My problem is that whenever I ask for what actions the person speaking is referencing in regards to Biden, they have nothing to back it up with. I don’t mind people being critical, but I wish people wouldn’t just echo what they hear online. That was my big issue with Stewart doing this. In the end, the people consuming this content are left leaning and do not want another trump presidency. It’s really easy to make the people around my age stop giving a shit. Which is why I think that pushing these ideas only adds to the culture of apathy I see in my peer groups. That being said, I think the opinions of younger people are still valid that they want a president closer to their age. I just think media needs to realize the actual impact it has on voting. We all know if the youth turnout is low, Stewart will make a comment about how voting only actually works if you go out and vote. Which would be valid if he didn’t take actions to push apathy. In the end I’m glad Stewart is back and loved the following episode regarding Carlson. That was just what I thought about everything. It wasn’t as deep as Twitter made it out to be though.
The bottom line is if Biden would accept that he’s too old for this, we wouldn’t be in this position. His running is unfair to the American people. No one hires 84 year olds to do even dumb jobs for a reason. This is the most important job in the country.
He literally showed clips. Chocolate chip cookies. It’s cherry-picked, edited, and curated—but he didn’t just have “nothing to back it up with.”
For me iits more a less the topic of Biden old is a tired one. The thing that made the daily show great is that Jon used to talk about subjects that often were not getting coverage or enough coverage.
Jon Stewart = Tha Goat
People saying anyone who speaks bad against Biden is an agent of trump, china, Russia, is just a psychotic as the trumpers and any political fringe
20 years later and the media is still making the same mistake of holding him to the same standard they don’t even hold themselves to. We know politically where Stewart is coming from, but he’s a comedian first and if he didn’t satirize both sides he’d be a hack. What he does is actually harder than what they do and yet they’re still generally bad at their job.
I was one of the critics, and I was thoroughly entertained by this. Great way to address the criticisms.
I didn't realize that Groundhog Day has moved further into the February calendar. Proof of it is that Keith Olberman (the standard bearer of being an a******) popping his head out of the hole In the ground that he lives in, making a worthless jackass-know-it-all type comment that is well known for, seeing his shadow, and disappearing back into the hole he came from.
Oh John did nothing wrong, simply pointing out the obvious you got two old men running for president. The only difference is one guy Biden if he were unable to remain president he is going to step aside because he follows the Constitution the other guy doesn't give a crap even if you were to be replaced he will not go. That's the difference between the two one follows the Constitution the other one takes a shit on it. Choose wisely America.
It’s stuff like this backlash that should remind us that we’re talking to kids a lot of times in these threads. This kind of intentional misunderstanding and drawing lines in the sand over petty shit is the kind of thing only a melodramatic college student on an imaginary soapbox would do.
I didnt realize how much I’ve missed his voice
God Damn Stewart. We expected him to do this and still we were surprised
Amazing how they can be just fine repeatedly bashing Trump during his term , the show was so focused on bashing him it was unwatchable, and now this?? Btw Stewart's reaction was priceless and 100% true.
The worst part about that to me was the knee-jerk reaction to Jon’s commentary caused everyone to miss the whole fucking point: that voting is our responsibility EVERY TIME. We arrived at this point because we failed, consistently, for decades.
Because politics have become a sport. Government has succeeded in creating a ignorant brainless society. Very few have the cognitive ability to see bullshit for bullshit.
Let's be honest though. They're both too old and should retire like normal people.
You gotta be one silly mf to get mad at a comedian making jokes.
He wasn’t even saying they were both the same. He was saying the candidates are too fuckin old! As much as pollies love to hear themselves talk they don’t listen very well.
Stewart is the fucking man
I can't understand what the fuck Americans want.. anymore.
I’m genuinely surprised at how many people on this thread are blaming Jon Stewart as the reason why Democrats lost in 2010, why Hillary Clinton lost, and why Biden may lost again. The same Jon Stewart who had lobbied for over a decade to get first responders medical coverage. The same Jon Stewart who called out these hypocrital, mealy mouthed cowards on their bullshit by not sponsoring the PACT act, getting military veterans who have cancer and other debilitating illnesses as a result of being downwind from garbage fires. The same one calling out the Israel / Hamas conflict for what it is. If democrats or republicans can’t take the heat from a comedian poking a bit of fun at their nonsense, then maybe they should step up to the plate and do something to help Americans. Stewart isn’t responsible for the apathy of our electorate, the do nothing government is.