SNP
October 27th, 2004Note: This should have gone up Monday.
Anybody catch Jon Stewart on C-Span this weekend? I have to admit that I missed Ashlee Simpson’s lip-synching drama over it, albeit with very little regret. He was giving a press event, I think, for his new book. Again, he showed just how sharp and insightful he can be outside of The Daily Show. Apparently speaking to an audience filled with exclusively press heads, he spent a lot of time questioning the media, mocking the media, and somehow oddly enough I think he ended up inspiring much of them—all the while dropping f-bombs like so much party favor confetti.
It was actually like the Tucker Carlson episode times ten.
Anyway, he summed up a point about the so-called success of Fox News which he attributed to their knowledge of “who they are,” thereby validating that it’s okay to have a point of view. To Stewart, much of the mainstream press has no point of view. And to a certain extent, I agree. The trouble, of course, has always been the claim of being “fair and balanced” when clearly certain organizations aren’t, or the ridiculous claim of being “spin free” when clearly certain people are anything but. As he put it, there can be a way to make people watch the news, learn about our political system, and still be able to sleep at night.
What a lovely thought. Instead, we’re treated to political comedy that doesn’t know it’s comedy and putrid ideologues like Michael Savage.
Anyways, it may be a sign that I’m getting older when politics takes precedence over the old SNL standby on a Saturday night. That, or the unthinkable preoccupation I have that a clearly incompetent leader might just be running the country for another four years.