Ok a new open letter to Jon Stewart, fire your booking agent!!!!

[Melodybe]

After reading everyone's complete and utter slams of a letter that was I literally in tears when I wrote at 4 am, I've decided that the only problem I am having with the Daily Show is that I am sick of the RW guests.

Night after night of RW guests telling little stories about how great they are, how great and kind Bush is, how moral their childhood was. They aren't fooling anyone, especially Daily Show viewers but they are still poison to listen to.

It's sad when I wish that people like Bo Bice would be on more often cause I dread having to watch yet another interview with some asshole like Colin Powell.

It's a comedy show, yeah I fucking know that, and if you wanna go that route, I see nothing funny in having to listen to their bull shit for ten minutes.

I'm sorry that the Daily Show has meant so much to me over the last five years that I deserve ridicule for feeling the way that I do.

The Daily Show has been one of the only bright spots in all of entertainment for the last 5 years. Jon is my Walter Cronkite. He didn't ask for it, but that's what you get when the fake news is better than the real news.

This is a really sore subject for me, you have no idea how upsetting it is for me to criticise the Daily Show.

Tell me to lighten to fuck up, whatever, I'm still sick of a RW guest schilling for Bush every night of the week.

I'm in tears right now over this it bothers me so much.

[getmeouttahere]

1. Maybe Jon's plan is to....

exhibit them so they can show the world what fools they are?

[theboss]

2. Please forgive me...

But if you are crying over a comedy show, you may need a vacation from politics for a while.

[bicentennial_baby]

5. You said it

That was my thought as well...

we all need a break sometimes (even polisci majors like me!)

[Melodybe]

6. I'm working so hard in one of the most RW conservative states in the

whole country and it is getting to me.

To have absolutely no fucking help getting things done, people here (DU not MS) talk a lot, they complain a lot, but when it come to getting permits, or going to protests, or volunteering all I hear are crickets.

I do need fucking break but it's not like there are that many that are willing to pick up up the slack.

So maybe I get a little upset when a show I count on for telling the truth to millions hasn't really been doing a great job lately.

When the Daily Show kicks ass my job is easier, and right now my job isn't easy.

Yeah we're making progress, the tide is slowly turning but I wish everyone here could do half of the foot work I do, until then the tunnel is gonna be a lot longer.

[matcom]

10. wow. THERE is a broad brush

"...they complain a lot, but when it come to getting permits, or going to protests, or volunteering all I hear are crickets."

:eyes:

there are plenty here who do a HELL of a lot! some protest, some write, some have radio shows, some email Congress, some organize, some even run for office.

but whatever.

on edit: if writing Jon Stewart (in tears) is "activism" I'M Jon Stewart!

[getmeouttahere]

13. I know how you feel...not necessarily about...

The Daily show, but just all the garbage that comes out every day, I can get easily upset, even shed a tear. So the break from politics is probably best for you at this time.

Since you mentioned protests, may I suggest you consider organizing boycotts AND buycotts as an alternative to protest. I don't think BushCo gives a damn about our protesting, if they even notice. What they will notice, since all they understand is money & power, is if their cronies start losing millions. This is the one true form of power we have left, in my opinion. We need to use it to its fullest capacity.

[aden_nak]

3. He always fields them one question no one else will ask.

He doesn't always press for an answer until he gets one, but he does always press hard enough to make them admit, either by their nervous laughter or their utter silence, that they just got punked by the host of a comedy show. Besides, if he doesn't have the RW guests, then it's much easier to brand him as part of the "left wing media elite". So I see it as just part of the job.

[Sgt. Baker]

4. I like it

I actually love when he has RW guests on. Most are annoying to listen to yes but the fact that they are coming on the Daily Show just shows how much they are desprately trying to reach out to the audience of the show. It doesn't work of course but they can try all they want. It also funny because by having those guests on, the Daily Show gets RW viewers who could possibly be swayed by the program and become regular watchers. It also shows how open the show is to litening to the position of the other side. You have to understand the enemy to beat them.

My very republican mother-in-law watches it every night since I made her watch it one night. It has not changed her position but it has softened her up a bit.

[AllegroRondo]

7. I like it too

Jon will actually listen, and ask long and difficult questions, and NOT SHOUT DOWN his guests or turn off the mike when they say something he might not like.

[doodadem]

17. Our great attribute, and our great failing

As Democrats, is that we listen politely to the other side. We are more civilized. I see Jon Stewart upholding that tradition. And he is able to ask a few tough questions in that 10 minutes. I always find it informative, with a twist.

[MADem]

11. Sgt Baker, you have made an excellent point

And there is a counterargument as well, that has to do with gaining viewers. First, you have to GET THEM IN THE DOOR!!!! The way to grow the audience is to give people who have never watched, who REFUSE to watch because someone has told them it is BAAAAAAD, a reason to watch.

Once they watch their little GOP guest-hero, and stick around for the GOD segment or one of the goofy reportage situations, plus the anchor commentary...well, they're HOOKED. Funny is funny!

This is all about "audience growing" and does not signal a change in their agenda, which is hoisting the bullshit flag on anyone, regardless of party, who screws with the people. The only reason people think the show has a Democratic slant is because the Democrats aren't as hypocritical as the GOP, and they aren't the ones doing the stupid shit....let's hope once we get power back, that we don't forget and get greedy like the GOP has...

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. Good Point!

Thank you and Welcome!! :hi:

What you've noticed is precisely what they are doing. It's an attempt to perform the dog and pony show to their critics. Part of the marketing plan in action. Pure and simple.

It was kind of funny how when Jon said Powell was the guest...complete silence. He had been talking about it all week and saying he was excited. He started of the show saying they were going to do things a little differently (which also made me wonder if there were some negotiations involved). Silence, seriousness.

The media is so completely saturated with conservative views from a little to the right all the way to sitting on the edge of the line and pushing it further out. Sometimes, I think we put a lot on the shoulders of those who are an oasis for us. By doing so, we may very well run the risk of shooing them away.

[stanwyck]

19. Did you see poor Newt

trying so desperately to soak up enough of Jon's natural wit and charm so he wouldn't appear quite so venal and piggish?
Didn't work, of course. The contrast made poor Newt all the more boorish.
Jon has people I've never heard of come on and just dazzle me with their insight. And then there are the goofy conservatives who want so much to be edgy and incisive. And instead they come off desperate and more nerdish than ever.
Hey, rightwingers, this isn't Sean's suckup show. Jon is smart and knowledgable. You're expecting the usual softballs. And he zings you. And the audience howls with laughter.
There's no substitute for brains and background.
And it shows when these fools go on Jon's show.
Keep them coming.

[LostInAmerica]

21. Watch Jon's body language

Yeah, I thought he went a bit too softball on the war criminal Powell last night (and what is Powell if not a war criminal?), but when Colon was explaining away the litany of lies he presented before the UN, Jon's facial expression and posture were screaming, "Bullshit!" I had been quite disappointed with Jon's performance up to that point, but when I saw how Jon was looking at Colon, I said to my wife, "Jon ain't buyin' any of this." I thought it was obvious. And by letting Colon (yes, the misspelling is intentional) yammer on uninterrupted, I think Jon let Colon expose himself as the duplicitous scumbag we all know he is. So, I think Jon gets a pass on this one.

And don't forget how Jon humiliated the junta on global warming right before Colon came out. Jon's on our team, folks. If he occasionally bashes the Dems, well, fine. The spineless, tell-Dean-to-shut-up Dems don't deserve some bashing?

Finally, having said all this, I would really like to see some smart, liberal guests on next week. We've earned out turn. Get Dean on there. Michael Moore's always a great guest. Get Molly on, or Katrina. You get the idea.

[Bridget Burke]

8. Dry your tears & write a REAL letter to the show.

Printing it out before sending it will give it greater weight than e-mailing it.

[In Truth We Trust]

9. write the show and let them know how you feel. it will help you and

hopefully won't fall on deaf ears. Hang tough and don't rely on others to advocate truth.

[chelsea0011]

12. I agree with you. Either it's a comedy show or it isn't. But I'm for

getting rid of all the guests or substituting fake guests from both sides of the issues. In just never understand a show of satire with 10 minutes of live guests. It's why I hated "Arliss". They would rip selfish egocentric sports figures and have real sports figures on to poke fun at each other. It never worked. Egos were at play and the writing suffered for the spot star treatment.

[ArkDem]

14. So you are saying the show is fake but accurate?

:wow:

[bicentennial_baby]

15. Yeah, I was wondering about that

:shrug:

[peacetalksforall]

16. There is a benefit. People who would not watch the Daily Show might

turn in to watch a Gillespie or Powell or any of their other ceepy spokespeople. They might pick up and get the sting of truth from the earlier parts of the show.

I just wish he wasn't so nice to them. He treats all the guests evenly and it is hard to take. Sometimes, he gets some jabs in.

It is very hard to watch someone treating them like humans, because they're not. People who participate in a takeover killing, stealing, and lying operation do not deserve the niceties.

[stanwyck]

20. The Daily Show keeps is relevancy by

having rightwing guests. And it serves liberals by having these guests who quickly show themselves for what they are: whores for corporate America who have very little empathy for the American people and very little knowledge. Their over-eagerness to ingratiate themselves with Jon Stewart and his audience is a little sickening to watch. O'Reilly was dreadful...telling "pot" jokes and acting all fratboy snarky.
You have to love the way The Daily Show turns folks who act all pious and "family values" when they're talking to their audiences or writing in their columns into totally whores for the laughs and the acceptance when they're on TDS. They perform like barking seals.