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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAs much as I like him, Jon Stewart was just lazy tonight.
His segment about Republicans being stuck with Mitt Romney no matter what was pretty funny, but his segment about Obama signing the NDAA was quite simply lazy. It would've been one thing to criticize President Obama for signing it and issuing a signing statement because of the obvious unconstitutional provision in it. I can respect that and I agree with that to a certain extent.
But, he totally mischaracterized what President Obama said in the signing statement. He left out a key portion of Obama's statement, where he says the provision undermines the Constitution and our rights. Instead, he just stuck with the "I'm not locking any American up" segment, and ran with it, portraying Obama as simply neutral to the idea of indefinite detention for Americans.
I understand he's a comedian, but I know too many people who get their news only from him and form their opinions around him. I just feel it was unfair to the president. As a comedian, he doesn't have to be fair, I know. But his role in society is bigger than that, whether it's supposed to be or not.
I'm not upset with his criticisms ("Obama's not going to be president forever", I agree with that, this provision MUST be gone in the 2013 NDAA), but he could've more accurately portrayed the administration's stance, in my opinion.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Summer Hathaway
(2,770 posts)I wound up not watching the show to the end - and it's not the first time I've done that.
Look, I'm a staunch Obama supporter. And some of the more scathing of Stewart's pieces on the prez have left me in tears of laughter.
But if you have to mis-characterize what someone has said or done in order to get the laugh, you're being downright lazy. Stewart can do better. He's often shown that he can.
boxman15
(1,033 posts)I'm a big supporter of the president, but he's not perfect, and when he makes mistakes (or in this case a very debatable decision), I know Stewart will take him to task for it in a very funny way. And what makes his show so funny is that he tells the truth. In this case, as Politifact might say, it was only a half-truth and the segment felt half-assed.
Again, it would be no big deal if so many young people didn't get their news solely from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.
KT2000
(20,583 posts)so he may not be feeling well in addition to "first show back."
It lacked its sharp edge.