Marco Rubio interview w/ Jon Stewart

[Hayseed]

There are fundamental differences between the Constitutional Republicans and Socialist Democrats that will only be resolved at the ballot box. Harry Reid has done nothing but block bill after bill from the House and Stewart's frowning won't change anything.

[zoogs]

The rhetoric in that first line is counterproductive IMO. But I somewhat agree with the second. This is the first time the majority's gamesmanship at the expense of the country - the bill-blocking - was brought to light for me, and I applaud Stewart for bringing on a a guy (twice!) who raised these issues. I don't think, in this first interview anyway, Stewart realized or was willing to acknowledge that (let's say accurate) reality.

 

Okay, just watched the whole interview. Holy moly. Whether you're a dem or a repub, a Stewart fan or not, if we filled all of our congressional seats with people as willing to engage in detailed debate as these two just did, we'd be in good shape. The pitched war in congress needs to end. Cooler heads need to prevail.

 

Yes! we need a few hundred of these guys, who can argue with each other respectfully, and at the end of the day care most about the good of the country.

 

Maybe Rubio is just the ambitious idealist, the new kid on the block, not yet disillusioned or stonewalled. The way Barack Obama was. Hopefully it doesn't change.

[strigori]

Bill blocking is nothing new, and both parties are equally guilty of doing it. The Senate wont bring some things to the floor, and Congress does not let stuff out of committee. I'm actually a bit surprised that anyone following politics wouldn't have known how prevalent it is.

['SkersRule]

Jon Stewart is tool and a rather dull one at that.

[Yossarian]

Jon Stewart is tool and a rather dull one at that.

 

I like the way he aggressively questions conservatives and then when one of them bites back, he reverts to the "I'm just a comedian" schtick.

[zoogs]

At no point here did he do that. Rubio challenged him very well and by the end, at least they had a mutual respect, despite their disparate viewpoints.

 

For Jon Stewart to bring on someone with such differing ideas and then invite him to challenge him in a thorough discussion, I applaud him for that. It raises the level of discourse, something badly needed.

['SkersRule]

Jon Stewart is a lot like Bill Maher...he only functions well when he's talking to people who are too stupid to question him, which is probably why the audience for these shows are dominated by liberals. Well that and 99.99999% of conservatives actually have jobs which preclude them from attending the mid-afternoon tapings of these shows.

 

Off track just a tad, but I absolutely loved Christopher Hitchens schooling Bill Maher while the brain-dead liberal audience booed and hissed because they lacked the mental werewithall to actually formulate an intelligent response.

[zoogs]

Yeah, putting down the intelligence of and speculating about the job status of those with whom you disagree, is a brilliant way to go. I can't say enough about how much good this does all of us.

 

This is Stewart at his best, in my opinion. He deserves a lot of respect for what he does. The man cares deeply about politics and this country, and is nothing if not conscientious. Rubio is the same way, and was invited as somebody who knows more than JS does on the show to challenge his viewpoints, and he did so in open dialogue for forty some minutes, which might be a record for the Daily Show.

 

Bill Maher uses acerbic and disrespectful rhetoric quite frequently and quite seriously, and doesn't belong in that comparison.

['SkersRule]

Yeah, putting down the intelligence of and speculating about the job status of those with whom you disagree, is a brilliant way to go. I can't say enough about how much good this does all of us.

 

This is Stewart at his best, in my opinion. He deserves a lot of respect for what he does. The man cares deeply about politics and this country, and is nothing if not conscientious. Rubio is the same way, and was invited as somebody who knows more than JS does on the show to challenge his viewpoints, and he did so in open dialogue for forty some minutes, which might be a record for the Daily Show.

 

Bill Maher uses acerbic and disrespectful rhetoric quite frequently and quite seriously, and doesn't belong in that comparison.

 

So maybe I am lumping Stewart and Maher together somewhat erroneously...

 

That doesn't change the overall truth behind what I said: Both Stewart and Maher play to their mostly liberal audience because any mention or fairness of "the other side" would be greeted with reflexive boos and hisses. For the record, Limbaugh isn't much better and in point of fact I pretty much hate everything Limbaugh stands for. But at least Rush has a program that is popular because people actually listen to him not because he stays on the air because of politics, i.e. Stewart or Maher.

[strigori]

Yeah, putting down the intelligence of and speculating about the job status of those with whom you disagree, is a brilliant way to go. I can't say enough about how much good this does all of us.

 

This is Stewart at his best, in my opinion. He deserves a lot of respect for what he does. The man cares deeply about politics and this country, and is nothing if not conscientious. Rubio is the same way, and was invited as somebody who knows more than JS does on the show to challenge his viewpoints, and he did so in open dialogue for forty some minutes, which might be a record for the Daily Show.

 

Bill Maher uses acerbic and disrespectful rhetoric quite frequently and quite seriously, and doesn't belong in that comparison.

 

So maybe I am lumping Stewart and Maher together somewhat erroneously...

 

That doesn't change the overall truth behind what I said: Both Stewart and Maher play to their mostly liberal audience because any mention or fairness of "the other side" would be greeted with reflexive boos and hisses. For the record, Limbaugh isn't much better and in point of fact I pretty much hate everything Limbaugh stands for. But at least Rush has a program that is popular because people actually listen to him not because he stays on the air because of politics, i.e. Stewart or Maher.

Are you seriously suggesting that no one actually watches Stewart or Maher and they are just keeping their shows to satisfy some 'liberal agenda?'

 

You obviously have not watched the shows. Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems.

 

And calling liberals 'stupid' and unemployed because you disagree with ideas is making you a 'case in point' for what the left criticizes of the right.

['SkersRule]

Are you seriously suggesting that no one actually watches Stewart or Maher and they are just keeping their shows to satisfy some 'liberal agenda?'

 

You obviously have not watched the shows. Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems.

 

And calling liberals 'stupid' and unemployed because you disagree with ideas is making you a 'case in point' for what the left criticizes of the right.

 

Well considering that Bill Maher has been cancelled twice, once on ABC and again on (god what's the other network that axed his worthless arse?) only to resurface on HBO a "network" that has an audience that pays to view programming but has zero say in what said network shows...yes I'd say that Maher survives because of the liberal agenda. Because he clearly can't have a show supported by advertisers because the ratings aren't there.

 

Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems? When? And one time out of a hundred isn't significant enough to warrant "balance."

 

Finally, the whole unemployed liberal attending mid afternoon tapings was more of a joke than anything. Although it does raise the question of why is it that television audiences are predominately left-leaning?

[Husker_x]

Are you seriously suggesting that no one actually watches Stewart or Maher and they are just keeping their shows to satisfy some 'liberal agenda?'

 

You obviously have not watched the shows. Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems.

 

And calling liberals 'stupid' and unemployed because you disagree with ideas is making you a 'case in point' for what the left criticizes of the right.

 

Well considering that Bill Maher has been cancelled twice, once on ABC and again on (god what's the other network that axed his worthless arse?) only to resurface on HBO a "network" that has an audience that pays to view programming but has zero say in what said network shows...yes I'd say that Maher survives because of the liberal agenda. Because he clearly can't have a show supported by advertisers because the ratings aren't there.

 

Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems? When? And one time out of a hundred isn't significant enough to warrant "balance."

 

Finally, the whole unemployed liberal attending mid afternoon tapings was more of a joke than anything. Although it does raise the question of why is it that television audiences are predominately left-leaning?

 

Bill Maher labels himself a progressive, not a democrat. He's taken Obama to task a number of times on a number of issues--the drug war, Iraq, Afghanistan, and pivoting away from single-payer healthcare, to name a few. Check out youtube.

 

Where did you get your stat that people who attend tapings are left-leaning? Suppose it's true--I don't doubt it. Could it have something to do with the fact that most tapings happen in California or New York, both of which are pretty liberal states, and both of which are surrounded by other pretty liberal states? This means those with the most frequent, easy access to tapings would probably tend to be liberal. Also they appeal to a younger demographic. Young people tend to be liberal.

 

Compared to Fox News and talk radio, Jon Stewart and Bill Maher are bastions of intellectualism. They actually consult sources with academic expertise and feature them regularly on their shows. Compare this with Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, perhaps the single most watched show on the cable news market. Every single week he features a ridiculous "Body Language" segment with woo-merchant Tanya Reiman, who might as well break out an astrology chart and begin reading tea leaves, resident genius Bernie Goldberg who unfailingly squawks about the up-to-the-minute bias of the so-called 'liberal media' (which is downright hysterical, considering this is Fox we're talking about), and elevates our national discourse with the insane ravings of Glenn Beck or the incoherent comedic stylings of Dennis Miller.

 

You want to know why people watch Bill Maher or Jon Stewart? As a person who watches them both on occasion, I'll tell you. It's because it's like taking a tylenol that relieves the blistering headache I receive after enduring the likes of O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Levin, Savage, and Hannity.

[Yossarian]

Are you seriously suggesting that no one actually watches Stewart or Maher and they are just keeping their shows to satisfy some 'liberal agenda?'

 

You obviously have not watched the shows. Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems.

 

And calling liberals 'stupid' and unemployed because you disagree with ideas is making you a 'case in point' for what the left criticizes of the right.

 

Well considering that Bill Maher has been cancelled twice, once on ABC and again on (god what's the other network that axed his worthless arse?) only to resurface on HBO a "network" that has an audience that pays to view programming but has zero say in what said network shows...yes I'd say that Maher survives because of the liberal agenda. Because he clearly can't have a show supported by advertisers because the ratings aren't there.

 

Both Stewart and Maher go after Dems? When? And one time out of a hundred isn't significant enough to warrant "balance."

 

Finally, the whole unemployed liberal attending mid afternoon tapings was more of a joke than anything. Although it does raise the question of why is it that television audiences are predominately left-leaning?

 

Bill Maher labels himself a progressive, not a democrat. He's taken Obama to task a number of times on a number of issues--the drug war, Iraq, Afghanistan, and pivoting away from single-payer healthcare, to name a few. Check out youtube.

 

Where did you get your stat that people who attend tapings are left-leaning? Suppose it's true--I don't doubt it. Could it have something to do with the fact that most tapings happen in California or New York, both of which are pretty liberal states, and both of which are surrounded by other pretty liberal states? This means those with the most frequent, easy access to tapings would probably tend to be liberal. Also they appeal to a younger demographic. Young people tend to be liberal.

 

Compared to Fox News and talk radio, Jon Stewart and Bill Maher are bastions of intellectualism. They actually consult sources with academic expertise and feature them regularly on their shows. Compare this with Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, perhaps the single most watched show on the cable news market. Every single week he features a ridiculous "Body Language" segment with woo-merchant Tanya Reiman, who might as well break out an astrology chart and begin reading tea leaves, resident genius Bernie Goldberg who unfailingly squawks about the up-to-the-minute bias of the so-called 'liberal media' (which is downright hysterical, considering this is Fox we're talking about), and elevates our national discourse with the insane ravings of Glenn Beck or the incoherent comedic stylings of Dennis Miller.

 

You want to know why people watch Bill Maher or Jon Stewart? As a person who watches them both on occasion, I'll tell you. It's because it's like taking a tylenol that relieves the blistering headache I receive after enduring the likes of O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Levin, Savage, and Hannity.

 

Hmmm. You know an awful lot about Fox News.

[Hayseed]

Jon Stewart is tool and a rather dull one at that.

 

I like the way he aggressively questions conservatives and then when one of them bites back, he reverts to the "I'm just a comedian" schtick.

 

And he's lying about that....except for the scary frowning faces he's not funny.

[strigori]

Jon Stewart is tool and a rather dull one at that.

 

I like the way he aggressively questions conservatives and then when one of them bites back, he reverts to the "I'm just a comedian" schtick.

 

And he's lying about that....except for the scary frowning faces he's not funny.

He's not really lying. Most often when he uses that theme, its with actual law and policy makers. Stewart can't make laws or policy, just try to drive a conversation.