Jon Stewart's Danger To Democracy

And why it matters.

🤦‍♀️ After a nine-year hiatus from the Daily Show, Jon Stewart marks his return by HELPING my uncle with his both-sides bullshit about President Biden’s age. I have a lot to say. Read on.👇

Are you kidding me?

A lot has changed in the nine years since Jon Stewart was host of the Daily Show. One thing that hasn’t – Jon Stewart.

Stewart brought back his 2015 “Indecision” tradition – the both-sides-are-problematic “joke.” Considering this is 2024, the decision is clear, and the stakes are existential: the result is an injustice to his audience, and to the truth.

What Left Me Angry

After some flat jokes about AARP cards and movie discounts, Stewart entered the Twilight Zone of bothsidesism:

“We’re not suggesting neither man is vibrant, productive, or even capable… But they are both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world.”

In what universe is Donald vibrant, productive or capable?? And this statement wasn’t even tongue-in-cheek. Stewart was making a straight-up comparison.

There are no excuses here. Stewart knows who Donald is.

Donald isn’t vibrant. He is compulsive and unhinged.

Donald isn’t productive. He is inept.

Donald isn’t capable. He is a disaster.

Let me be clear: it’s not the comedy that’s the problem—especially since it’s not clear Stewart was even trying to be funny. I don’t even care that he brought up President Biden’s age... The fact of the matter is, Biden is old. It’s absurd to pretend otherwise, so, let’s just own it. It’s that Stewart is pretending, for what possible reason I can’t fathom given his stated politics, that Donald can be favorably compared to President Biden by any metric. This is a serious question: What possible purpose does that serve, especially since it is completely wrong?

So, yeah, Donald and Biden are Both chronologically about the same age. Only Biden’s record shows that he can turn the stereotypes on their head:

The Choice

For an 81-year-old, President Biden’s accomplishments are astounding: record economic recovery; historic climate and infrastructure investment — massive achievements in an era of vanishing bi-partisanship. There is much more to do after the disastrous four years of the Trump administration and decades of Republican governance, but unlike his elderly, fascist, and cognitively impaired counterpart in the Republican Party, President Biden is an elder statesman with experience to get things done that can give American democracy a fighting chance.

The alternative?

A cruel, unfit, rapist who, in addition to being a criminal defendant under four indictments, sides with our enemies at every opportunity.

There is no comparison.

Every single time someone in the corporate media, or a comedian with the reach and influence of somebody like Jon Stewart, wants to highlight “both sides” at the cost of the truth, it’s up to you and me to get out the word.

Because here’s the wave Stewart seems hell-bent on bringing back:

Documented Damage of Stewart’s “Both-Sides” Shrugging

Not only is Stewart’s “both sides are the same” rhetoric not funny, it’s a potential disaster for democracy. Stewart helped wipe out the motivation generated by Obama’s 2008 message of Hope and Change, motivation that led to record turnout in 2008.

The damage done by his “The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear,” a DC rally/joke which inspired an entire generation to shrug off politics and ignore the dangers of the right-wing, cannot be overstated. It was, in no small part, responsible, for helping Donald come to power.

It made a mockery of nuance, encouraged people to believe that all politicians are the same, that there was no daylight between Democrats and Republicans or Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. In fact, it helped some people feel comfortable with their assessment that Clinton was worse. The result?

Voter turnout dropped in 2012 presidential election. Turnout for the 2016 election was abysmal—a 20-year-low.

Now Stewart is bringing back the same bullshit that got him rich in the 2000s, and helped get Donald elected in 2016.

I know Donald — and we can never let them normalize him as a normal candidate. He isn’t. None of this is normal.

The Real Age Problem

Clearly, the problem lies with Stewart, Comedy Central, and the corporate media for refusing to adapt their out-of-date “both sides” inanity and instead responsibly and objectively cover our current political reality. Journalism means being neutral as to the facts and biased towards democracy.

Pretending that both sides are the same, as if that is somehow fair, completely ignores the central truth of our times—the Democratic Party is the pro-democracy party; the Republican Party is the party of fascism. The Democrat’s standard-bearer, Joe Biden, has accomplished more than almost any president in modern history; the leader of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, is a racist, misogynistic insurrectionist who has openly stated his authoritarian intentions.

It’s hard to believe that journalists and other influential people who should know better need to have this pointed out to them.

The corporate media will NOT help save us from Donald. In fact, they seem determined to help get him into office again. After Special Counsel Robert Hur’s specious attack on Biden and the media’s amplification of it, Republicans were understandably galvanized. So we need to double, and triple our efforts to fight because the deck is stacked against us.

THANKS to all of you for being part of this growing community; and to those who have upgraded to become full supporters, which helps me reach more voters with the truth on my upcoming tour. 👇

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– Mary