Rachel is sitting down with Jon right now

[CatWoman]

interesting....

[malaise]

1. I'm listening keenly

They are ideological but not partisan - WTF?????

[CatWoman]

3. That made my head snap, too

:wtf:

[Parker CA]

5. That was an interesting preview. I'm not sure how someone could believe that. I'm interested to

see how he explains that.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

65. Who is this person? I think I just got it.

Colbert is a conservative impostor and Stewart is a liberal impostor.

[butterfly77]

74. Jon and Howie kurtz...

think they are the voice of reason. What I am hearing is let them keep on kicking your asses and both are the same. Dems should shut up.

He seems to be comparing most people who are against the right or vote Democratic to Iron planet or whatever that organization is with the nuts who jump from side to side screaming nonsense no matter who is in the whitehouse..

Maybe the President is listening to this garbage from him and others like him so he really believes that most of us think like this...

[shireen]

81. yeah, someone needs to translate that for me.

I don't get it.

[Botany]

2. Jon does not "get it"

end of story

The anger on my end is that George W Bush never legitimately won the either election, he lied to start a war,
and the most of the media has covered his ass.

Criminals and a corrupt system that covers up what they have done is not the same as Ed Schultz being angry
about the turning public education into a business.

[tishaLA]

4. So....W being a war criminal may be "technically true"...

but we shouldn't say it because it shuts down discourse? Which other facts do we need to leave off the table?

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

6. you're a weatherman, I'm a climate scientist

:rofl:

[Tatiana]

7. WTF! Faux is not partisan?

Ummmm yeah they are when their parent company donates to Republicans.

[DURHAM D]

8. I'm thinking Jon lives/works in some sort of bubble.

[Johonny]

He's a multimillionaire

yeah to him it's not the end of the world if the GOP wins over and over with the same failed economic plans. He has a highly rated show that brings in millions to him. If his kid gets sick he can give him the best care in the world, if the country goes to 20 % unemployed... well high unemployment great for the entertainment industry. He's a liberal, but a liberal that can afford to wait it out. If you're sick and need medicare, need your Social security check to live, need your job to maintain your mortgage etc then the prospect of 2 more years of Bush economics sounds a lot more desperate.

[eleny]

9. There doesn't appear to be a straight line in his thinking

I guess I'm used to smart people laying out a premise and going about supporting it. I'm spoiled by that.

In this interview, Stewart doesn't look like he knows how. Maybe his ideas will be clear in the end. For now, it's meandering.

I'm hanging in till the end, though.

[malaise]

11. He's correct re ratings

It was all about ratings.

[eleny]

23. The media is always about ratings and revenue

So if that's his message, he could have been on in one short segment. No need for this protracted interview that was given gravitas all week long.

Surely he has more of a message to warrant all this attention.

[coti]

13. Yeah, I don't know where he's going with this. nt

[highplainsdem]

10. He's coming across as cranky, defensive, and not very logical.

[Tatiana]

17. He's really not making sense to me.

He's saying it's not about left-right, but television networks should be about corruption-non corruption.

I'm sorry, when there is an entity that wants to eliminate or destroy social security on one side and another entity dedicated to saving it, I don't call that degrees of corruption.

[Flubadubya]

33. Exactly... and Jon is still trying to push this notion of "equivalence"...

I wish she could make a succinct, direct argument that would shut that down.

I believe Jon wanted to be on Rachel's show because he was offended by accusations of his making false equivalancies between the left and the right. Well, the fact of the matter is that is exactly what he did and he needs to be "schooled" on this... i.e. corrected!

[EmeraldCityGrl]

67. Yeah, but he likes to use really big words.

I so impressed with his cranky, defensive, not very logical vocabulary.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

12. you can see the disappointment growing on her face

[malaise]

15. Other than his comment about Fox being ideological

and not partisan he is making sense to me.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

29. he did finish that last segment strong, let's see what's next...

:popcorn:

[malaise]

58. Well I disagree with him re Bush and war crimes

Waterboarding is breaking the law.
That said I agree with Rachel and he concedes that he's shading the grey areas.
I understand where he is coming, from but I am not in that place and if he believes liberals can be passive and 'nice' while ReTHUGS and their hacks can lie and invent stuff, he is truly naive.


He's not a political animal...he's a comedian.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

72. It seems his beef is that he doesn't like the media to lead the witness

or something like that.

Water boarding is wrong and technically may be a war crime (but don't bring "evil" into this discussion)

[gkhouston]

45. That's because she's uncompromising about taking the facts wherever the logical

implications lead and Jon seems to be shying away from conclusions he either doesn't want to make or doesn't want to state.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

52. that's a very good description of what I'm seeing

:thumbsup:

[MadMaddie]

14. I like Jon but I think that he is way off base on this.

Wha?

[Gin]

24. I disagree with him...and think he has gotten way too much validation

he is a comedian..his rally which I attended was something I felt I could agree with since the theme was sanity...his words didn't change my opinion and he had a chance to voice his..

nothing more...nothing less (IMO)

[Botany]

27. he is way out of his depth speaking tonight

Fox = MSNBC is not a true statement

The magic of the middle does not cover the very real damage done by
the current republicans* to America and the world



* Dwight D Eisenhower started the interstate highway program .... newly elected republican
governors want to kill high speed rail

[Gregorian]

31. He wants civil discourse. But I don't think conservatives can do that.

I think he wants the news to sound like Walter Cronkite. And I wish that as well. But it's so divisive and partisan now.

He makes a good point. Let's not sensationalize everything in an attempt to undermine our opponent. It's noble. Unfortunately between news being big money, and conservatives being rabid, and no more Fairness Doctrine, I doubt the discourse will ever be civil.

[MadMaddie]

35. You are right. In order to have civil discourse there have to

be sides that are willing to come to the table and analyze the issues. The Dems have proposed a lot of the thing Repugs proposed during the Clinton years and now the Repugs won't support their own platforms. What the hell do you do with that?

[Gregorian]

66. This is the kind of thing that does trickle down trom the top.

It's why I wanted Obama. A kind and intelligent man. The stuff Jon is talking about was given birth to by things like impeachment of Clinton. I'd even go as far as to say that the KKK was not a liberal institution. The division is real. To be honest, the one thing I don't like about Obama is actually the one thing that this nation needs. His humility, where I want fire. His tone is one I thought would defuse this divisive behavior in the nation. I don't know. I honestly don't have a thing to add. I'm simply shocked at the social warfare going on in America. Jon's intentions are good. Maybe our differences aren't as big as we think. And maybe we are being coached by the media to believe our differences are big.

[MadMaddie]

88. I attended a Portfolio Managent Office conference in Fl

last week. One of the speakers had a very interesting way of looking at the world.

James R. Lucas
His premise basically went like this, "Why is "Either/Or" thinking so dangereous in a "Both" world.

The more he talked about it the more it was apparant he was on to something.

http://jamesrlucas.com/books/fatal-illusion/

Book
Broaden the Vision & Narrow the Focus: Managing in a World of Paradox

I agree that we have more in common with each other than our differences.

[Johonny]

39. nor do they seem to want it

I think Obama has gone out of his way to try civil discourse and the Republicans have gone out of their way to avoid it, so I don't see where the false equivalency or the idea now finally Republicans will embrace civil discourse comes from.

[gkhouston]

53. I don't think they're interested in *trying* to do that. They don't perceive an

up side. Whether they could if they wished to, we may never know.

[butterfly77]

16. I don't agree with a damn thing he is saying..

sounds like he is doing his best to speak up for Fox and is trying to portray us as the bad guys., He says bush isn't a war criminal in so many words..

[coti]

22. I'm not sure he knew what he was trying to say.

He seemed all over the place.

I think he should just say that, while there is no equivalency (moral or otherwise) between the left's media and the right's media, he does not agree with the tactics that are often used in those media.

[coti]

18. I liked Rachel's distinction between having a point of view and being a partisan.

There's definitely a difference between the two. I think the first is just fine, maybe even a good thing, whereas the second leads to dishonesty.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

19. FOX isn't partisan because they like Lieberman... or something.

Whatevs.

[CommonSensePLZ]

20. I'm annoyed

There's no sarcasm, he's sitting a dark room, quite candid so there can be no confusion that he's SERIOUS about everything he's saying, and while he's entitled to his opinion I don't like what I'm hearing.

He's sitting there trying to talk in a diplomatic, intellectual tone of voice but then talking about how something makes him feel is more important than their goals or their motives or their methods. He lost me at "Fox news isn't partisan." He's still making false comparisons and totally dismissing things because anger, fear or passion is evident in their demeanor.

Bush committed war crimes, therefore he is a war criminal (granted, he'll probably never be tried for his crimes in this lifetime) and it's fair to say that he is. A person bringing guns to a town hall rally going on about "death panels" does NOT have as much or as little merit just because both people are angry; One can at least mention actual facts of things that happened while the other only has a theory.

An angry lie isn't the same as angry truth. Someone speaking lies in a nice tone of voice is more wrong than someone speaking the truth in that same tone.

:thumbsdown:

[Johonny]

25. maybe he'll be funny tomorrow cause tonight he's Tucker Carlson

[jannyk]

21. He's losing me - I can't follow his thread - Weather? Fonts? nt

[Parker CA]

26. I think the main problem with this interview is that Maddow, as she always tends to be, is far

smarter than her guest.

Stewart also seems to have quite an absolute belief that his opinions are factual and that they shouldn't be challenged.

This is very interesting, but I was hoping for a real battle of the minds and intellectual sparring, and what I'm seeing is a brilliant reporter becoming frustrated with interviewing a comedian.

[likesmountains 52]

34. You said it for me..just what I was thinking

[tishaLA]

56. She's smarter; he seems to believe he is

and she's giving him too much leeway with his dumb arguments.

[Parker CA]

62. I'm not sure it's leeway as much as quickly having to adapt the format of the interview, dropping

many of her questions and probing, in an attempt to keep this remotely interesting.

He's just all over the place.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

80. Rachel didn't run intellectual circles around Jon; Jon controlled the entire interview

He was a reluctant interview. She wanted more than he was willing to give. It frustrated the hell out of her.

Complete waste of time.

[Writer]

28. There are elements of political science and media studies working in this interview...

that would better explain where both Rachel and Jon are coming from.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

30. For someone who makes so much fun of CNN he's reminding me of them. nt

[xloadiex]

32. I think he's intimidated

by the level of Rachel's intelligence. He's trying to converse and sound equally intelligent but he's not quite there. He's a smart guy. It just doesn't seem like he's expressing his thoughts very well.

[Parker CA]

36. He's getting absolutely owned. She's even changing her delivery to attempt to pull him back in on a

more substance-based level. He simply can't match her intellect.

[glitch]

71. Maybe he's just smart enough to hire smart writers.

Smart, perhaps not brilliant. Oh well.

[JonLP24]

37. Is there a way I can watch it?

I don't have a cable and would love to see this interview. I'm searching all over the internet for this or a replay of this.

[Parker CA]

40. I'd imagine it will be in the political videos in the next couple hours. nt

[JonLP24]

50. Thanks to you and Catwoman

Though the link is offline. I'll keep an eye on political videos.

[CatWoman]

41. ....

http://www.tvpc.com/Channel.php?ChannelID=2453

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

49. I'm watching a live feed on the web. I don't have cable. But the whole thing

is going to be on her blog tomorrow.

[tomm2thumbs]

54. also

http://www.justin.tv/obamashorse#/w/544343488/5

[Tx4obama]

64. Here's a live stream link below

http://www.justin.tv/rockinroosters12#/w/545378096

[Parker CA]

38. This is pretty bad. Stewart just isn't even remotely keeping pace with Maddow.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

42. Now Jon is working to convince himself that Bush was not evil

Why?

Fucking WHY?

Is anyone evil? If so, then why not Bush? Seems a fine fucking candidate for the label.

WTF-ever.

[xloadiex]

57. Maybe he's afraid

He'll get black balled and he won't get any rethugs on as guests for his show?

[demmiblue]

43. Hundreds of thousands dead, millions displaced, innumerable people who have lost basic services,

countless cases of malnutrition and illness (not to mention specific war-related maladies), disintegration of women's rights, torture, etc. I don't get it?! Bush IS a war criminal. It is not a partisan point of view. It is fact.

I am not getting his reasoning.

:wtf:

[Parker CA]

48. I think Stewart is unaware that history happens every day. People may look back on Bush with as

harsh a view as others Stewart considers true war criminals, but he is only willing to use historical examples to define evil when the truth is that Bush was and is a proven war criminal who will be judged much the same when Stewart's child is a father.

[senseandsensibility]

44. Why is he against people being angry about waterboarding?

Makes no sense.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

46. Are we seriously debating whether this motherfucker lied or not? nt

[Poboy]

47. Funny man is not so funny when the critical eye is cast upon his BS.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

51. He made a very salient point re: FDR

Is FDR evil because he supported the Japanese internment?

[malaise]

63. Absolutely - If you try to listen to him objectively

you understand where he is coming from, even if you disagree with him re Bush and waterboarding. I find it refreshing to see him being serious.

[Johonny]

73. No he's evil because he tried to help the poor, the sick

the out of work, the Russians, The Chinese, etc. Doesn't Jon watch fox? He should know why FDR is evil. Duh.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

76. See, that's a deflection

Fuck FOX. There's a legit question there and you're using useful idiots to deflect it.

[Johonny]

86. no

I pointed out why people generally don't consider FDR an evil person even if he happen to make rather poor choices during his presidency. Liberals for instance have no problem pointing out things liberal presidents do that they feel are wrong. Some liberals like Ted Rall bury FDR and his wartime choices. Funny enough I did it by making fun of Fox and their non-partisanship at the same time. A two for one blowing holes in Jon's poor arguments. Anyways J Stew's funny on his own show tonight.

People that see Bush as evil don't see him as evil because of one choice he made as president. They seem has evil because of his body of work as a whole. And more to the point the why that he did it. He didn't torture people to save Americans lives, he apparently didn't it because they weren't getting the info they need to justify their political positions. Almost as if they started a war based on lies that they knew were lies. You could go on. If someone is evil or not is of course opinion. The Bush tortured people and it IS a war crime is a fact. Bill Maher is right and Jon is wrong.

[malaise]

75. Awwwwwwwwwwww he said I like you to Rachel

I found the interview fascinating and I disagree with him on several points but understand where he is coming from.

[Cetacea]

55. I hope that he doesn't eventually join the likes of Dennis Miller

Reagan started off as a liberal.

[LaPera]

59. Does Jon understand what the word PONTIFICATING means? - How about self-important/obsessed?

Perhaps the word I'm looking for is - BORING!!

I'm asking this and I truly like Jon Stewart, so one must clearly understand how embarrassing he was pretending he's above it all with his, he's in the middle rhetoric & bullshit!

Rachel Maddow as always was entertaining, clever, sharp, gracious, polite, truthful & right to the point!! Maddow is light years ahead of Stewart.

[Parker CA]

60. This is clearly another TKO by Maddow on an unsuspecting guest. People don't survive her well.

[jillan]

61. Has Jon Stewart moved to the right? Is this the same guy that had the choir singing "Fuck You Fox"?

Now he is defending fox.

Who is Jon Stewart? I'm confused.

[The Gunslinger]

83. Soon to be Dennis Miller

I never really liked him, I always thought he would be the next turncoat.

[steve2470]

68. isn't he sick physically ? nt

[eleny]

69. It would be nice if he could choke out 4 seconds worth of props to Mort Sahl

Mentioning the Smothers Brothers was fine but it illustrates just how shallow Jon is compared to oh, Keith Olbermann who always goes back to people like Bob & Ray to illustrate his own history. Probably because KO has more depth in his fingernails.

[dchill]

87. "4 seconds worth of props to Mort Sahl"

:rofl:
Exactly.

[highplainsdem]

70. He strikes me as someone who's gone too far out on a rhetorical limb, hears it cracking beneath him,

hears people yelling at him that it's cracking beneath him, but still keeps trying to convince himself and others that his line of reasoning isn't cracked.

[eleny]

77. That analogy is spot on

I think that when he went home to bed he had bad dreams about this interview.

[fadedrose]

78. Ah, c'mon

You know when he gets an Emmy almost every year that at least 25 writers go up and accept the award with him....maybe more, they take up the whole stage.

Where were they tonight when he really needed them??

Don't pick on Jon. Somebody shoulda warned him about "our" Rachel..

She has a 4-people staff for an hour show based strictly on fact told humorously, and he has a l/2 show with a barnful writers, and many of their skits are't really that funny.

[glitch]

85. Ouch.

But true.

[gkhouston]

79. LOL. He reminded me of my first semester at college. Lots of deep and pseudo-deep

discussions.

[Poboy]

82. good analogy. -nt

[highplainsdem]

84. Jon seems to think the polarization in the media is due primarily to 24/7 cable news,

which is wrong. He seems completely unaware of how much of that polarization had originally been between traditional news organizations trying to maintain both objectivity and their reputation for being objective, and right-wing media and organizations attacking the mainstream media as "too liberal" for decades in what Krugman called "movement conservatism." ("Yes, Virginia, there is a vast right-wing conspiracy." - Krugman)

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/introducing-this-blog/

It was a very deliberate "war of ideas" launched by wealthy conservatives like Richard Mellon Scaife:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifemain050299.htm