Wow, never thought I'd say this...

[thejoker123]

...and forgive the rant....but fuck John Stewart.

To be clear, no one has been a bigger fan of his than me, believe me. When his show ended I was more distraught that a grown man should be, knowing the enormous hole his departure was going to leave not just in my life, but in the political zeitgeist.

That being said, I don't know if he has an agenda, has found God, or what, but his recent comments have been both baffling and infuriating. (See link below for his latest TimesTalk appearance which has already been posted on this site)

I mean, if he wants to say that all people who voted for trump aren't racist, or at a minimum, weren't willing to elect a mentally incompetent, dangerous white nationalist because they hoped that just maybe it would help them personally, fine. I disagree completely, but fine.

But for Stewart to sit here and play the "both sides do it" card at this point, to pretend that there is somehow equal blame here, that both sides "have become tribal", that Trump is merely to us what Obama was to the right, and that we on the left should just simmer down and be good liberals and take the high road and make nice and the best of it is infuriatingly shortsighted and idiotic.

Again, I never thought I'd say this, but FUCK JOHN STEWART.

This is exactly the mindset that got us here. When the fuck are my fellow liberals going to learn?

This isn't about just Trump, Trump is just the culmination of decades of liberal appeasement. Of taking the high road. Of fooling ourselves over and over again that if we just present the facts in a reasonable manner, that good will triump over evil.

IT DOESN'T FUCKING WORK THAT WAY!!!

And look where its got us. Donald fucking J Trump, sitting atop the most dangerously extreme group of radical right wing nuts ever elected, who now control the entire federal government, as well as most of the state legislatures, courts, and judges.

Domestic terrorists who are openly and aggressively hostile to workers, to the social safety net, to public education, to the environment, to blacks, to minorities, to immigrants, to gays, to women for crying out loud! Yet the problem is that "we" aren't all trying to get along???? Are you fucking kidding me???

Christ!!! Did Stewart get fucking amnesia while away? Has he completely forgotten who these people are, and that worse, that they now they have an utterly unqualified, proud racist, sexist, narcissistic, fascist lunatic in the White House to rubber stamp their most nefarious agenda?

Someone needs to get a hold of Stewart, shave him, give him a bath, and force him to watch some of his own shows from the last decade or so, because this guy has fucking lost it.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/fcking-buckle-your-seat-belt-jon-stewart-sounds-the-rallying-cry-for-fighting-trumps-agenda/

[Else You Are Mad]

1. I hate to say it...

But John Stewart was playing a character on a comedy entertainment show -- like Colbert. Sure, Stewart is left leaning, but he was merely playing a character.

[brush]

31. And had good writers.

Maybe they should get the credit for how we perceived Stewart.

[Else You Are Mad]

34. Exactly. Nt

[SunSeeker]

36. Yup. like Samantha Bee. Her show now is fantastic.

Looking back now, I can totally see her influence on the Jon Stewart show.

[mountain grammy]

60. John Oliver too!

He's amazing.

[SunSeeker]

61. Yes, John Oliver is brilliant.

[kentuck]

2. That is like an attack on the Democratic Party.

To attack a strong supporter of the Democratic values as somehow unworthy to be in our Party is divisive and anti-democraticunderground, in my opinion. Not a worthy post for DU.

[thejoker123]

9. So you have never attacked a democrat?

[Dreamer Tatum]

3. Maybe he's just less zero/one thinking than you. nt

[uponit7771]

6. or.. .or maybe the false equivalency shit is irrationaly false on its face? It is...no one is going

... to give up reality for these folks.

I aint

[angrychair]

38. So Democrats are no different

That fascist white nationalist?

That wanting universal healthcare is no different than wanting to repeal the ACA and Medicare and Medicaid and turn it into a for-profit model that will leave millions without healthcare?

That wanting social security is the same as wanting to repeal it and turn it into a "401k"-like investment plan that will make Wall St billions and billions of dollars and leave many, that will need it most, pennyless in their retirement?

That wanting a good college education that does not come with a lifetime of debt is the same as for-profit colleges and high interest rates and a lifetime of student loan debt with no way to minimize it?

That wanting sound science, research, consensus and most importantly, action, to combat climate change is the same as those that want to repeal regulations regarding greenhouse gases and scar our land and pollute our air and poison our water and continue the lies of fracking and "clean" coal?


I could go on and on but let there be no mistaking that despite whatever shortcomings or misgivings about individuals, both in policy and ideals, Democrats are in no way the similar, alike or akin to Republicans.

[thejoker123]

40. Thank you!

[JCinNYC]

46. Exactly...

Couldn't have said it better myself.
We are on two different planets, philosophically speaking.

And when you look at it from a tactical perspective, sure, both sides have their share of issues and big-tent type discrepancies that are bound to exist in any large set coalition. Each side has their share of knuckle-heads and cronies who will sell their souls.
And individuals on both sides can be hypocritical.

But when it comes to the big picture stuff, they used to say that both sides want the same things for our country - they just have a different view of how to go about getting them.

That's not even remotely true anymore. Except, the right uses false news, false narratives, and projection to mask their agenda.

They don't believe in climate change.
They don't believe in diversity and equal protection.
They don't believe government should be - in any way - responsible for the general welfare.
They don't believe in regulating the economy.
They don't believe in free speech, freedom of religion, and all those other pesky rights.

They don't even have a basic philosophical framework that they all align around.
(and no, don't say "smaller government" because that's been proven false)

But what they do have - is a group of voters that will VOTE - and vote every 2 Years.
And pull that lever for an (R) candidate regardless of how loathsome a character.

They want to feel with absolute certainty that they are RIGHT - even if being Right is different from one day to the next.

And They will follow whatever self-appointed Authority tells them what is Right!

I have seen it with my own eyes to my own family members. And sadly, I have no idea how we reverse course until this whole thing comes to its inevitable climax.

[Dreamer Tatum]

50. That wasn't what was said by me, or by Stewart.

That's fine - no skin off my nose if you live in a world where everyone is either perfect or evil.

[JimBeard]

59. Very good talking point and factual.

[Fast Walker 52]

4. he's never been as liberal as people think and has always engaged in stupid both siderism

it's just the right were easier targets.

So, yes, he is disappointing.

[Solomon]

26. Yep. He started pissing me off long ago with his

support of false equivalencies. For some reason, people thinks it makes them smart to make false equivalencies.

[Fla Dem]

65. He played a character on his show and pandered to his left leaning audience.

But I have seen other serious interviews with him. He comes across as a smug, arrogant know-it-all. At best he is middle of the road. It was just easier to make fun of the RW on his show to get the laughs and audience.

Even when he would on MANY occasions have Bill O'Reilly on promoting one of his stupid historical books, Stewart never held his feet to the fire.

Stewart being some left leaning progressive was all a mirage.

[demmiblue]

5. Someone has definitely lost it. n/t

[dawg]

7. I think Jon Stewart is basically a good guy, but ...

he's pretty much always been that way.

There's tremendous pressure in this society to go along with the "both sides do it" mentality. It takes a person of true conviction and intellectual strength to stand up and say that the Republican Party is, uniquely, a blight on our body politic. For whatever reason, Jon Stewart isn't willing to cross that line. And despite the fact that he made his fortune throwing comedy bombs mainly at Republicans, I don't think it has really registered with him that the current Republican Party has become something that is outside the norms of what a healthy, functioning republic can endure.

[MadamPresident]

8. It's easy for rich people to act this way.

Because ultimately, this isn't really going to affect him. This isn't going to affect his children or put a dent in his bank account. It'll probably only help him.

It's easy for the John Stewarts of the world to pretend both sides are the same, for the Susan Sarandons of the world to support a Jill Stein. Because really they have no skin in the game. Theyre not gonna be on the unemployment line, they're not gonna be searching for their next meal, ever.

So yeah, fuck him.

[Initech]

25. Yeah look at Caitlyn Jenner.

A classic example of people who vote against their best interests. As a trans woman, the GOP does not support her best interests. But as a member of the upper 1%, they support her best interests as a rich woman. So that's their hypocrisy in a nutshell.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

41. She is privileged and lives in a bubble (which is good for her)

Most of what the GOP does to Trans persons over the next 4 years probably won't directly affect her. But with somebody hostile to LGBT persons in charge of implementing national school policy, De Vos will definitely negatively affect a whole lot of Trans kids in schools across the country, a repeal of ACA pushed by Price and the Republican Congress would negatively affect the quality of life for many Trans persons whom need insurance to afford transition-related medical care (i.e. Hormones, Surgeries). This doesn't even address what the many Republican statehouses in several might enact to make lives harder. Even though it looks like Bathroom Governor McCrory got knocked out of office in North Carolina, the Legislature there remains in Republican hands and a full repeal of HB2 still seems unlikely (good place to organize for a Democratic legislature for 2018 though).

[Maru Kitteh]

32. Excellent, and sadly accurate post. Welcome to DU.

[monmouth4]

10. Maybe he was threatened to "tone it down." You never know, property in Colts Neck, NJ would be a

shame to lose, etc.

[lonestarnot]

11. He's a rich rich. Who cares what he says. Free speech thingy. Better exercise while still can.

[LanternWaste]

12. I too tell people with different opinions to "fuck off."

I too tell people with different opinions to "fuck off." In doing so, I can better justify my denial to look more closely at those things, and maintain my bias as long as needed. Righteous, man.

[thejoker123]

13. Well by all means...

...continue to playcate those who continue to feed the ridiculous and cancerous "both sides" narrative. Continue to not call them out. Play nice to make yourself feel morally superior.

Republicans appreciate it.

[Orsino]

14. I don't read it as a both-sides-do-it.

He is speaking heresy, I'm sure, when he suggests that our side hasn't fielded perfect presidents, but his warning not to accept cruel bullshit just because it has a (D) after it is important, and more timely than ever now.

[nini]

16. I agree.

While some of this irked me - overall it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

[Orsino]

17. Whoever called it painful truth is probably right.

It should irk us, and irk us enough that we actually start demanding better of our party and its reps.

[thejoker123]

18. Comparing, let's say, believing in banning all Muslims...

from America, or ripping apart immigrant families, or punishing women for having an abortion, or that gays have no rights....to someone who uses an Apple phone, is a desperate and insulting false equivalency.

I appreciate and agree that we should all be aware of the slave labor used to make the products we buy. But at the same time, liberals are the only ones who vocally and passionately oppose those practices.

[Orsino]

20. Conflating Democratic with liberal is part of the problem...

...and the heart of Stewart's message. If we are afraid to unclog our own toilets, we may not really be all that fired up for cleaning others. He asks us to remember what's right, and not to confuse it with what's merely team sports.

[thejoker123]

22. I think that the entire premise of your point

requires the assumption that there are two credible sides. There aren't. A fascist has just been elected president, and now is the head of a government entirely controlled by a dangerous cabal of anti-democratic right wing extremists.

Blaming liberals and/or democrats for not being pure enough, or imperfect, or becoming hive-minded in their OPPOSITION to such a potentially dangerous tyranny, is just insane in my opinion.

That's exactly the kind of elitist self wringing that allows these fascist strong men to gain power and continue to grow it.

[Orsino]

24. "Blaming" for what?

Stewart is talking about far more than the electoral loss.

Money in politics, for instance. Whether or not both sides are equally to blame, we cannot credibly claim to oppose Trump's kleptocrat nominations on principle unless we are also insisting that Dems not engage in similar corruption. That means undoing Citizen's United, certainly, but it also demands a commitment to banning private money from political campaigns, or severely limiting it.

Blaming one side or the other is unproductive. Stewart is calling for us to take responsibility and demand that those who rule in our name do the same.

[thejoker123]

33. Huh? Stewart's comments were entirely

about the election, about the campaigning, and how to deal with the results.

And the summary of his opinion is all Trump voters aren't bad (why some were firefighters on 9-11 even!), and Trump himself isn't all bad, and that liberals need to look in the mirror because you know, we buy Apple products and Obama wasn't perfect either.

I mean puh-lease! I just gave it a second read and it was even more infuriating the 2nd time.

Look, I have zero problem holding politicians on the left accountable. Lord knows I wanted Bernie. Democrat aren't perfect, and yes, neither was Obama. But to suggest that it's LIBERALS and democrats who need to do some "soul searching" when discussing the election of Donald Trump and what that means? I mean give me a break.

[Orsino]

42. Liberals and Democrats need to do some soul-searching, period.

If only to avoid more electoral defeats at the hand of idiot and corrupt media.

We have to get serious about educating everyone, and not just Democrats. We have to point out corruption and demand its end, and not just when Tepublicans engage in it...because every Dem who's caught seems to count ten times more than any Republican.

If this isn't possible, the Republic is already lost, and as the old joke goes, we're just dickering over price.

[thejoker123]

43. On this I can not agree more.

[Maru Kitteh]

47. When Trump takes healthcare away from millions, when all of CMS is privatized, you remember

that "blaming" fascist, violently misogynistic, white-supremacist, Randian Republican assholes and their Twittering tin general is "unproductive" and according to you, Dems are just as bad because you know, buzzwords and they're not perfect and all.

[font size = 6]JUST BECAUSE DEMOCRATS ARE NOT PERFECT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE LIKE REPUBLICANS; AND THEY SURE AS SHIT ARE NOTHING LIKE THE INCOMING WHITE SUPREMACIST IN CHIEF. [/font]

Enough with these shit-for-brains false equivalencies coming from Stewart and all over this board. It is the height of intellectual dishonesty to claim the party that wants women to have funerals for late periods is exactly like the party that wants to ensure women security of the rights to their bodies and equal pay, to pretend the party that wants to starve public education while handing money to religious institutions is the same as the party working to make college debt-free, that the party of voter suppression is just like the party of social justice, that the orange nightmare who made misogyny cool again deserves the same respect as the candidate who spent more than four decades fighting tooth and nail for women's and children's rights and healthcare for all.

I realize it makes some people feel smart, or relieves their guilty conscience but it's just such obvious BULLSHIT. And it will be called as such.

[blue cat]

63. Thank you

[ProfessorPlum]

15. Stewart's messaging has often failed in the clutch

I remember the national rally on the mall with Colbert, and Stewart's interview with Rachel Maddow, both times he took this sad "can't we all get along' attitude.

while getting along is a fine thing, it is important for us as a nation to agree that treating people kindly and with care is "good" and that failing to do so is shitty. And that there are forces in the country that are reliably, consistently shitty.

That might make the people trying to do good a little smug, but smug != shitty.

[thejoker123]

19. Agreed. It's not "righteous" to

tolerate hate, apathy and intolerance.

[JaneQPublic]

21. Yes! The Rally to Restore Sanity was a disappointing missed opportunity

At his closing speech at the rally, he made a sweet little analogy about how ordinary people take turns merging into traffic before entering a tunnel -- and why can't it be that way in politics? Lovely thought, but all those people there should have been mobilized to actually accomplish something worthwhile.

Those rally remarks and his recent ones were follow-ups to his argument years ago against CNN's "Crossfire" program and how its divisive politics was "hurting America."

The problem is that Stewart's argument is based on a false equivalency -- that the Dems and GOPers are equally bad, they just disagree. But the Dems aren't "palling around" with Kluxers and Nazis and Russians and WikiLeaks. We aren't the ones behaving like "textbook examples" of racists and misogynists and anti-Semites and fascists. We're not the ones threatening to pull the funds on health care, public education, Medicare, Social Security, and VA health programs.

Only one party is doing all that. And for too long Dems have been the ones taking the high road, such as when our elected officials rejected calls to impeach GWBush, even though he was guilty of far worse than BClinton, just because we didn't want to go tit for tat or stoop to their level.

Enough of that hogwash! Now is the time to fight back to save our country from fascists, not make nice with them. So Jon, I love you, but STFU!

[Separation]

48. Good grief

At his closing speech at the rally, he made a sweet little analogy about how ordinary people take turns merging into traffic before entering a tunnel -- and why can't it be that way in politics?

Has he actually ever seen traffic trying to merge. There are always assholes screwing it up for everyone else.

[JaneQPublic]

49. Ha! Good point.

And smart money says most of them are Rethugs.

[progressoid]

23. Unrec.

jeez

[50 Shades Of Blue]

27. He's a lofty individual who likes to portray himself as being above it all.

I have enjoyed and appreciated John Stewart many times -- but that doesn't mean I don't totally get your point, because I do.

[Initech]

28. I'm sick of this "we all must get along" message.

I'll believe it when I see Trump supporters acting nice, but so far that has not been the case. Trump supporters are demonizing us and committing hate crimes in his name. No way in fucking hell am I going to support the hate and white supremacism that has come out of 1/2 of America since the election. No way in fucking hell. I do not support this message at all.

[thejoker123]

37. Yeah I mean there's no tolerating

Hate or ignorance. Sorry.

[Roland99]

29. To me, he hit the nail squarely on the head!!

Do you buy gas for your car? Then you tacitly support the oil companies.

Do you have an iPhone or iPod? Then you tacitly support whatever manufacturing conditions exist for Apple products.

That's the point he's making about *some* Trump supporters.

[thejoker123]

39. It's an insulting and desperate false equivalence.

We need to drive a car to get to work and feed our families and live. Liberals have been screaming about alternative energy for decades but the right has blocked it.

And as for IPhones, well they are a necessity now, and they're all made overseas. Again, something liberals have been screaming about for decades to change.

Tell me again how this compares to calling Mexicans rapists, wanting to ban all Muslims, rip immigrant families apart, control women's reproductive rights, ban gay marriage, turn minority neighborhoods into police states???

[oberliner]

30. He's a comedian

He has made his living by telling jokes.

[SHRED]

35. Stewart is part of the elite

It's a shame he's acting that way also.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

44. K&R nt

[Politicub]

45. I thought fuck John Stewart following his big rally in DC

It was a mess and ended up being useless. A lot of people I know spent good money to go to DC for the rally, and were served a comedy central fest complete with a Mythbusters group hop.

It was a chance to do something good. Something productive. But instead was a waste.

Stewart is an entertainer. Yes, he's done some good. But overall, I think he's more of a distraction than part of a solution.

[HughBeaumont]

51. The Kid Rock performance sealed it for me.

Modern Day Ted Nuge isn't exactly the poster boy for appeal to moderation here.

[HughBeaumont]

52. "Half a kitten isn't half as cute, it's a bloody mess".

Sometimes, wrong is just simply WRONG and people need to start coming correct with that.

I'm not going to have common ground with anuses who think my relatives and dozens of my friends don't deserve human rights because a twisted interpretation of a mythology book says they shouldn't.

I'm not going to have common ground with people who think our kids should learn "myth presented as fact" alongside of factual science.

I'm not going to have common ground with people who believe bullshit fairy tales like giving wealthy people more money results in them being benevolent despite 35 years (or decades, or centuries, depending on who you ask) of it happening has proven the exact OPPOSITE.

And straight up plain and simple . . . to suggest I find common ground with someone who thought "President Donald Trump" was a great idea in the FIRST fucking place is suggesting I'm a dumbass who must accept such a notion as serious. I will never normalize this embarrassment. This is a fucking insult, America should be grossly ashamed and it makes me sick that more aren't.

[ProfessorPlum]

54. exactly right

I'm really sick of my friends saying we shouldn't call out Trump voters as dumbasses. "You can't just throw away/ignore half of the voters".

they've proven that their judgement is beyond saving.

[thejoker123]

56. Amen.

[Maru Kitteh]

67. Well said Hugh!

[JHan]

53. Even in his heydey he would occasionally talk silliness. Lesson here is...

We shouldn't seek guidance from comedians about politics.

Sounds snobbish as hell, but court jesters are court jesters.

Which also sounds snobbish.

*puts on snob cap*

[tandem5]

55. I think a parallel can be drawn between Stewart, Chappelle, Trevor Noah, and other comedians.

They want to offer the quintessential word, post election on the anger and frustration we all feel but it seems so hollow to me because during the election those same comedians implied or confirmed that there is something inherently flawed about Hillary Clinton. The problem doesn't lie in having and voicing that opinion, it instead centers around not using tact, as an influential public figure, to put your personal opinions in perspective for your audience which I hope would be the following: You have two choices. One is in the political realm and the other is a catastrophic threat to democracy. Whatever criticism I have for the one in the political realm I cannot, in good conscience, leave any ambiguity in expressing that there is no choice and that the catastrophic option must be stopped at all cost.

[thejoker123]

57. Well said. Seems simple enough doesn't it?

[betsuni]

58. I've never liked his false equivalency: can't be funny if it's not true.

The audience didn't laugh at those jokes but that didn't seem to bother Jon. Guess it's really important to him. I'm sick of it, though, so will spend my time with my imaginary best friends Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee and Bill Maher and other smart funny people.

[thejoker123]

62. Agreed. But our group is dwindling.

[LWolf]

64. I don't think he's wrong.

It's a pretty well-entrenched pattern here at DU: when public figures say something bad about Republicans, they are heroes. If they have the temerity to point out Democrats' flaws, they are goats. Tarnishing the heroes' halos is simply not allowed, unless it's a primary.

The real world simply isn't like that. The Democratic Party would be healthier and more successful if party members acknowledged reality.

Jon Stewart is neither my hero nor my goat. He is a public talking head that I mostly enjoy listening to.

And, btw, the irony in your OP is quite strong, since you've offered evidence to prove his point. Your rant is nothing if not tribal.

But for Stewart to sit here and play the "both sides do it" card at this point, to pretend that there is somehow equal blame here, that both sides "have become tribal", that Trump is merely to us what Obama was to the right, and that we on the left should just simmer down and be good liberals and take the high road and make nice and the best of it is infuriatingly shortsighted and idiotic.

[thejoker123]

66. lol, you need evidence?

Evidence that comparing the party of Obama to the party of Trump is comically absurd?

[LWolf]

68. Nope.

I don't think JS tried to compare the parties overall. Just on corruption.

One thing that DU has taught me in the last 14 years that I didn't honestly understand before:

Partisans are hypocritical regardless of which party practice their hypocrisy in service of. And tptb take advantage of that.