I know Glenn Beck is an easy target for ridicule, and others including Keith Olbermann and Stewart himself have done great send-ups on him before, but this extended Jon Stewart throw-down last night may be the funniest piece of satire I have ever seen:
I have to give Glen Beck credit. Yes, I will grant you that he is a nativist, race-baiting, neo-fascist, Social Darwinist, 9/11-victim-hating, not-very-good-at-figuring-out-the-meaning-of-obvious-lyrics, apparently-has-never-read-the-actual-Bible kind of guy, but I do admire his willingness to openly make the case for the far-right wing historical worldview- the worldview of the truly out there conservatives like John C. Calhoun and Robert Welch and Ayn Rand. When I see his attacks on progressivism, I kind of feel like he read my book, The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be, and felt like he identified with all the goats in my narrative and is attacking all the heroes. He seems to want to glorify all the pro-slavery, anti-democracy, anti-women's rights, Social Darwinists, pro-big business, anti-worker people I mention, and attack all the reformers, Bill-of-Rights agitators, abolitionists, suffragists, labor organizers, pro-national parks, anti-child labor, anti-big trust, pro-regulation of Wall Street I like. It is truly fascinating to see him trash people like Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, who did so much to advance progress in this country, and glorify a President like Calvin Coolidge, whose policies led us directly into the Great Depression. I haven't yet heard him do a history lesson praising John C. Calhoun for standing up for slavery as a part of the states' rights doctrine, or hear him approvingly quote Social Darwinist William Graham Sumner talking about how it's best for society if poor people are allowed to die, but I eagerly await for this to happen.
I could write another long post like this one analyzing Beck's rather stunning philosophy, but I have to admit that Jon Stewart's send-up is far more fun, so I will leave it at that.
If the healthcare summit taught us anything it's the following:
We're still a long way from healthcare, despite the campaign promises and (some) productive debate
Don't expect the media to say anything meaningful. The two favorites were likening it to "political theatre," and asking, "If this were the winter Olympic games, how would you score this?"
It never ceases to amaze me how Jon Stewart continues to be one of the most analytical, and even "bipartisan-curious," newscasters on TV. Watch here:
Stewart nails it such that I'll even transcribe it for you.
Interviewer: Do you think FOX News is biased?
Valerie Jarrett: Well of course they're biased, of course they are...
Excellent job. Right on message. But watch her retreat into her shell when asked...
Interviewer: Do you also think MSNBC is biased?
Jarrett: Well, you know what, this is, this is the thing, I don't want, actually, I don't want to just generalize all FOX is biased, or another station is biased...
Wow, that was a train wreck. Jon Stewart dissects:
Stewart: Just say of course MSNBC is biased, but they agree with us! So we're not fighting with them! And by the way, MSNBC wishes they were as good as FOX. They're the Toledo Mud Hens to the FOX's Yankees. MSNBC doesn't even realize their morning show is hosted by a conservative. Obama administration, do you even know your role in all of this?
Jarrett: What the administration has said very clearly is, we're going to speak truth to power...
Stewart: What the %!$@?! Truth to power! You're the White House! You're the power! Here's how it goes in the truth to power statement: it's your job to %!$@ up power, it's FOX's job to %!$@up truth!
One of the interesting elements of the battle with FOX- which I think the Administration is running half-assed, so far- is how people immediately get tripped up when asked about MSNBC. Some say yes, some say no, some say yes but not the same way FOX is. I've never seen anyone be able to answer that dreaded MSNBC follow-up. But this isn't rocket science.
Here's my advice to the Administration. First, sit down together and get yourselves a single set of talking points on this issue. Second, they should say the following: "Every cable news show invites on people with opinion. What makes FOX different is that every element of their show is biased opinion, from their anchors to their commentators to the stories they choose to cover. That's why they're not a news channel, they're an opinion channel that operates as an arm of the Republican Party, and that's why the White House is treating them we do any other biased opinion channel."
Earlier this week John Oliver, a correspondent for the Daily Show, interviewed me for a story on community organizing and community organizers. The piece aired last night.
I think it did a good job showing the absurdity of the claims from the Right about organizing and organizers, especially as pushed by hackmeisters like Matthew Vadum, who was also in the segment.
For the record, I would never sell used cars. Take public transit, people!
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