Presumably Stewart saw the 9/11 health-benefits bill as a test. He could either keep standing on the sidelines, tossing empty beer cans. Or he could suit up. He chose to suit up. The question now is whether he'll pretend it was a clown suit all along.
Stewart has always struck me as incredibly intelligent and the only person to really point out the hypocrisies of politicians across the political spectrum. He also has a potential comedian to politician switch mapped out for him as Senator Al Franken pulled it off in 2008. However, Stewart is blocked by two sitting Democratic senators in New York - Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. This is where I should point out that Jon Stewart grew up in the great state of New Jersey, which happens to be represented by the oldest United States Senator. Frank Lautenberg's term is up in 2014, when he'll be 90 years old. As much as I would love to see Rush Holt step up and run for the seat should Lautenberg retire, Jon Stewart would entertain me as a Senator.
4 comments:
I enjoy Senator Al Franken. I did not like the idea of candidate Al Franken. I think that Stewart would find being a senator so restricting that he would hate it. And we'd lose him as a comedian, where perhaps he has an even greater impact than he could in the Senate. (Sad, I know.)
It's for the better...I want Rush Holt to take that seat. He IS a rocket scientist.
I think it's better for Jon Stewart to stay where he is at this point as well. His program, I believe, is heavily watched in this country, and it's one of the few places, ironically enough, were people can get real information.
One thing the conservatives are very good at is the dissembling of information. Examples Fox News, various think tanks, and the increasing accumulations of multimple news and media genres under the control of one or a handful of companies or corporations. News is often suppressed or distorted, and can't be countered. Even in terms of access, it's very difficult to easily find a progressive/liberal site on the radio that doesn't fade out or is very statically. Often one has to stream to get any real information at all.
And, today the FCC votes on net neutrality. They are voting on whether or not to permit higher speeds and easier access at a price. At this point, one does not have to pay (after buying a computer and paying for a server) to surf and find information. Of course, if net neutrality is not maintained, that will curtail what information we can get as well.
Bill Maher for President
Post a Comment