NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm the only one that would really like to see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert run for the Presidental electons in 2008?
I see it being Pres. Stewart and Vice-Pres. Colbert.

Scary thing is, they'd do much better than the folks running the Country now...

That would be awesome. :)

I would actually watch the state of the union address.

Isn't Robin Williams in a movie about this scenario?

how many times are you guys going to start this same thread?

Isn't Robin Williams in a movie about this scenario?

To google!

I'm the only one that would really like to see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert run for the Presidental electons in 2008?
I see it being Pres. Stewart and Vice-Pres. Colbert.

Scary thing is, they'd do much better than the folks running the Country now...

Personally I would rather have Colbert running as prez and Stewart vice. But I think Stews more popular and probably the smarter politician i just like Colbert because I think he is funnier.

BUT HELL YA I AM BEHIND THAT ALL THE WAY

STEWART/COLBERT 08

the scary thing really is it would be a hell of an improvemnent.

I will not vote for someone based on them being on television.

I'd rather see Lewis Black and Bill Maher run.

Lewis Black, god I'll bet he'd be good in a debate.

I've said it before, having them in control of the country would mean we would be better off then if many of the politicians got control of the White House. Certainly end reactionary politics I'm sure. :)

I will not vote for someone based on them being on television.

If movie stars can get elected, so can tv stars. I do hope that their platform would be more than, "As Seen on TV" if they did run.

I'd vote for Ben Stein......

*ducks for cover*

Lewis Black, god I'll bet he'd be good in a debate.

I wonder how the networks will react to him talking about the "Middle East Fuck Crisis!".

Found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVQUGskruDA

Looks like brillance incarnate.

I wholeheartedly agree. Most people just laugh them off as comedians, but I think that deep down, they are patriots. And not just false, jingoistic patriots like most politicians, but true patriots. They love this country, understand its institutions, and believe in its ideals. They expose the incompetence of our government to inform people and make them more active in the political process. So, while most of the time what they say is funny, at the core of it is a democratic ideal that is admirable.

Some examples of what I mean:

Jon Stewart after 9/11 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkuqoTseUPo): one of the most moving responses to the attacks I ever saw. A lot of politicians resorted to cliche platitudes or angry xenophobic rhetoric, but this speech comes from the heart.

Colbert at the White House Press Conference (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOprXKpuVRc): Very brave, I think. He had the courage to stand before the most powerful political and media figures in the country and tell them how irresponsible they were.

Stewart on Crossfire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSDUQoM8G1k): another great example of his serious side.

There's one more moment I don't have a clip for, but it's just as good: on the final day of coverage for the Democratic primary in 2000, Stewart said this (more or less) at the end of the show:

There are a lot of media personalities telling you what to think about this election, and I'm telling you not to listen to them. [pictures of newsmen begin appearing onscreen] Not him, not her, no, no, no, definitely not, nope, not him, no, no, no... [the screen is now covered with faces; Stewart peeks through a tiny gap between them] Think for yourselves. Go vote. Goodnight everybody..."

Do you think any other pundit would devote part of their show to advocating independent thought and discouraging voter apathy? No.

Anyways, while it'll never happen, I think Stewart/Colbert would make great leaders.

snip

Thing is, no Republican would vote for them.

But they'd diffenity shrug off the voter apathy

Thing is, no Republican would vote for them.

But they'd diffenity shrug off the voter apathy

I don't know if I agree with that... I mean, compare Stewart to Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Kerry... or any other presidential candidate the Democratic Party is looking at. You really think those people have more appeal to the Republicans than Stewart/Colbert?

I don't know if I agree with that... I mean, compare Stewart to Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Kerry... or any other presidential candidate the Democratic Party is looking at. You really think those people have more appeal to the Republicans than Stewart/Colbert?

No, but I was assuming they'd run as Independants, meaning they wouldn't get the votes of the Die-Hard Republicans.

But this is COMPLETELY impossible if McCain runs. Jon wouldn't want to stop McCain being President.

They know more than Shrub does.

Found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVQUGskruDA

Looks like brillance incarnate.

Funny i just saw the commercial on TV for the first time after going to that site a bit creepy.

I'm the only one that would really like to see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert run for the Presidental electons in 2008?
I see it being Pres. Stewart and Vice-Pres. Colbert.

Scary thing is, they'd do much better than the folks running the Country now...

Who would they satirize then, though?

They sure can't do any worse, They have my vote. Colbert/Stewart all the way. But if John McCain ran against them I would vote for them. I wouldn't want to give up Daily Show, and the Report. Only real news show there is.

I managed to find a copy of the Daily Show post-9/11 speech and... it's great. You can tell it was mostly unscripted. Nobody can hear this and say that Stewart, Colbert, et al, don't love this country, or that they only do their shows for the money.

Good evening, and welcome to the Daily Show. We are back. This is our first show since the tragedy in New York City, and I’m, there’s no other way really to start the show then to ask you at home the question that we asked the audience here tonight and that we’ve asked everybody that we know here in New York since September 11th, and that is, "Are you okay?" And we pray that you are, and that your family is.

I'm sorry to do this to you. To, to, to… it's another entertainment show beginning with an overwrought speech of, of a shaken host -- and television is nothing if not redundant. So, I apologize for that. It’s something that, unfortunately, we do for ourselves so that we can… drain whatever abscess is in our hearts, and move on… to the business of making you laugh, which we haven’t been able to do very effectively lately.

Everyone’s checked in already. I know we’re late. I’m sure we’re, we’re getting in just under the wire before the cast of Survivor offers their insight [laughter] into what to do in these situations.

They said to get back to work. And, uh… there were no jobs available for a man in the fetal position under his desk crying… [laughter] which I gladly would have taken. [laughter] So I come back here, and, uh… tonight’s show is not obviously a regular show. We looked through the vault, we found some clips that we thought might make you smile, which is really what’s necessary, I think, right about now.

A lot of folks have asked me, "What are you going to do when you get back? What, what are you going to say? I mean, jeez, what a terrible thing to have to do." And you know, I don’t see it as a burden, at all. I… I see it as a privilege. I just, I see it as a privilege and everyone here does… see it that way.

The show in general, we feel like, is a privilege. It’s just, even, even the idea that we can sit in the back of the country and, and make wisecracks… which is really what we do. We sit in the back and we, we throw spitballs -- but never forgetting the fact that it is a luxury in this country that allows us to do that. That is, that is, a country that allows for open satire… and I know that sounds basic, and it sounds as though it goes without saying. But that’s really what this whole situation is about. It’s the difference between closed and open. It’s the difference between free and… and… and… and… burdened. And we don’t take that for granted here, by any stretch of the imagination, and our show has changed. I don’t doubt that. What it’s become, I don’t know. "Subliminible" is not a punch line anymore. [laughter] One day it will become that again, and, and, Lord willing it will become that again, because it means that we have ridden out the storm.

But, the main reason that I wanted to speak tonight is, is not to tell you what this show is going to be, not to tell you about all the incredibly brave people that are here in New York and in Washington and, and around the country, but, but… we’ve had an unenduring pain here, and… an unendurable pain and… I just, I wanted to tell you why I grieve -- but why I don’t despair. [choking back tears] I’m sorry… luckily we can edit this. . . [laughter] [beats lightly on desk, collects himself].

One of my first memories is of Martin Luther King being shot. I was five… and if you wonder if this feeling will pass… [choked up]… When I was five and he was shot, here’s what I remember about it: I was in school in Trenton and they shut the lights off and we got to sit under our desks, and we thought that was really cool, and they gave us cottage cheese, which was a cold lunch because there was rioting, and we, but we didn’t know that. We just thought, "My God! We get to sit under our desks and eat cottage cheese!" [laughter] And, and, that’s what I remember about it. And that was a tremendous test of this country's fabric and… and this country’s had many tests before that and after that, and…

The reason I don’t despair is because… this attack happened. It's not a dream. But the aftermath of it, the recovery, is a dream realized. [choked up] And that is Martin Luther King's dream.

Whatever barriers we put up, are gone, even if it's just momentary. And, we’re judging people by, not the color of their skin, but the content of their character, and… [chuckles]

You know, all this talk about "these guys are criminal masterminds. They’ve, they’ve gotten together and they’ve, their extraordinary guile and their wit and their skill…” It's… it’s… it’s a lie. Any fool can blow something up. Any fool can destroy. But to see these guys, these firefighters, these policemen, and, and people from all over the country, literally, with buckets… rebuilding… that… that is… that’s extraordinary. And, and that's why we’ve already won… they can't… it's, it’s light. It's, it’s democracy. It’s, it’s… we’ve already won. They can't… shut that down.
They live in chaos. And chaos, it, it can't sustain itself -- it never could. It's too easy and it's too unsatisfying.

The view… from my apartment… [choking up] was the World Trade Center. [long pause] And now it's gone. And they attacked it. This symbol, of… of American ingenuity and strength, and, and labor and imagination and commerce and it is gone. But you know what the view is now? The Statue of Liberty. The view from the south of Manhattan is now the Statue of Liberty.

You can’t beat that.

So, we’re, we’re gonna take a break, and I’m gonna, stop slobbering on myself and the desk, and… we’re gonna get back to this. And it’s gonna be fun and funny and it’s gonna be the same as it was, and I thank you. We’ll be right back.

I'm the only one that would really like to see Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert run for the Presidental electons in 2008?
I see it being Pres. Stewart and Vice-Pres. Colbert.

Scary thing is, they'd do much better than the folks running the Country now...No, I want to see "Man of the Year" too! :)

I managed to find a copy of the Daily Show post-9/11 speech and... it's great. You can tell it was mostly unscripted. Nobody can hear this and say that Stewart, Colbert, et al, don't love this country, or that they only do their shows for the money.

Agreed.

It's the entire reason why I think Stewart and Colbert should run in 2012 rather than 2008, so I would be old enough to vote for them.

Stewart on Crossfire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSDUQoM8G1k): .

I had never seen this before but I have to say he was a bloody genuis on this show.

But this is COMPLETELY impossible if McCain runs. Jon wouldn't want to stop McCain being President.

You think so? Why would Stewart support McCain? Isn't McCain anti gay marriage/ abortion/ environment/ etc? If I'm wrong, do tell me.

I'd rather have Colbert for president. He seems to support almost all of the same things I do. Stewart doesn't, but nonetheless, I respect his opinions and think he's still greatly funny. Being a liberal Jew (that statement was a bit redundant, wasn't it?), I think it would be cool to see a Jewish president (It might help to end a lot of intolerance and anti-minority treatment in this country.), but I think he might be anti-Israel, and, while I frequently don't support their government, Israel was created as a safe-haven and- with rising hate crimes all around the world (especially Europe) still needs to exist. Still, I would definitely vote for them over anyone else who seems to be planning to run. And you're right, they would be the first administration in which the State-of-the-Union adresses would actually be funny.

I will not vote for someone based on them being on television.

*cough*REAGAN*cough*

Who would they satirize then, though?

Themselves.

Each other...


Or maybe they'd quit until their term(s) expired...:eek:

After watching the clip of Jon Stewart after 9/11 I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
Stewart/Colbert would probably make some of the finest leaders this country has had in a long, long time.

I'd rather see Lewis Black and Bill Maher run.

Bill Maher and Penn Gillette running as the right-wing candidates vs. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert on the left.

John Stewart

John Stewart? You don't even know the names of your liberal propagandizing comrades?

After watching the clip of Jon Stewart after 9/11 I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
Stewart/Colbert would probably make some of the finest leaders this country has had in a long, long time.

Thank you! So few people realize this. The vast majority of people think that they would serve no more effectively than Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. Even that new Robin Williams movie turns the idea of a comedian-turned-president into a farce. But in the case of Stewart/Colbert, once you get past all the humor there's a real nobility and sincerity that would be very refreshing in our government. And such qualities, such a respect and understanding of our democratic ideals, are much more important to a great leader than mere political experience or connections.

John Stewart? You don't even know the names of your liberal propagandizing comrades?

Maybe you should get a clue what you're talking about...

Well, without Bush, and far right wingers, they would lose thier "comedic scapegoats" and thus, be unfunny.

After watching the clip of Jon Stewart after 9/11 I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
Stewart/Colbert would probably make some of the finest leaders this country has had in a long, long time.

Thank you! So few people realize this. The vast majority of people think that they would serve no more effectively than Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. Even that new Robin Williams movie turns the idea of a comedian-turned-president into a farce. But in the case of Stewart/Colbert, once you get past all the humor there's a real nobility and sincerity that would be very refreshing in our government. And such qualities, such a respect and understanding of our democratic ideals, are much more important to a great leader than mere political experience or connections.

John Stewart? You don't even know the names of your liberal propagandizing comrades?

Maybe you should get a clue what you're talking about...
I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Having a real leader, one with intelligence and one who was not born and raised to be a politician, with true depth of soul and a grasp of what America truly stands for, not empty platitudes about freedom but a true grasp of what freedom is, would be like a breath of fresh air!

Don't mind "Real"America he has been believing the propaganda of the Bush regime for so long he actually believes it is the truth.
So when someone like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert come along and tell the truth, and do it in a funny and entertaining way, he can only believe that it must be propaganda.
George Orwell predicted his types reactions to propaganda and truth perfectly!

I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Having a real leader, one with intelligence and one who was not born and raised to be a politician, with true depth of soul and a grasp of what America truly stands for, not empty platitudes about freedom but a true grasp of what freedom is, would be like a breath of fresh air!

Don't mind "Real"America he has been believing the propaganda of the Bush regime for so long he actually believes it is the truth.
So when someone like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert come along and tell the truth, and do it in a funny and entertaining way, he can only believe that it must be propaganda.
George Orwell predicted his types reactions to propaganda and truth perfectly!


Divine truth too one, is mindless propoganda too another.

Is not the critisism and slander of the left anti-bush propoganda?

Divine truth too one, is mindless propoganda too another.

Is not the critisism and slander of the left anti-bush propoganda?
You're saying the Daily Show is nothing but slander and propaganda? Please. It does have biting satire and some low-brow humor, but when these tools are used to express genuine, factual criticisms, expose true hypocrisy, and advocate greater honesty and accountability in government, it can in no way be construed as anything as negative as slander or propaganda.

As for the target of this humor... what do you expect? The Republicans control government, the Daily Show mocks government, ergo the Daily Show mocks the Republicans. Not to mention the fact that Bush, his cronies, and their terrible, terrible decisions make easy targets for satire. As Stewart himself said on Crossfire:

CARLSON: But, if Kerry gets elected, is it going to -- you have said you're voting for him. You obviously support him. It's clear. Will it be harder for you to mock his administration if he becomes president?

STEWART: No. Why would it be harder?

CARLSON: Because you support...

(CROSSTALK)

STEWART: The only way it would be harder is if his administration is less absurd than this one. So, in that case, if it's less absurd, then, yes, I think it would be harder.

But, I mean, it would be hard to top this group, quite frankly.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

STEWART: In terms of absurdity and their world matching up to the one that -- you know, it was interesting. President Bush was saying, John Kerry's rhetoric doesn't match his record.

But I've heard President Bush describe his record. His record doesn't match his record.

(LAUGHTER)

So there you go. You can't say someone's biased or spreading propaganda when what they're saying has merit and substance.

The only reason I would ever vote for either of them, is the fact that neither of them would ever want the job.

That alone automatically makes them better candidates than anyone who does want it.