Scott's Random Thought for the Day (Politics and Sporting Choices)



First off I'd just like to say congratulations to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for winning a couple Emmys on Sunday night. There’s probably no better comedy on TV right now.

That’s not to say that everybody understands the humor, or indeed the concept of humor in general. Check out this letter to the editor printed at ChronWatch.com entitled “Does Jon Stewart Work for Kerry Campaign?” The most important line:

"What 'great job' is he referring to?  Given that the Daily Show pans the President night after night, often with false and/or misleading statements, one can't help but wonder."

Doesn’t that sound like something a Star Trek android being educated in what it means to be human would say? “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand why variable numbers of disparate ethnic, political, or service groups would be needed to replace incandescent bulbs in lighting fixtures.”

However the use of the words “the President” and “false and/or misleading statements” in the same sentence made my ears perk up. George W. Bush, false and/or misleading statements, George W. Bush, false and/or misleading statements… That’s when I realized that the occupation of Iraq is another joke the readers of ChronWatch probably won't get -- but we might agree it isn't funny. In fact the Iraq war seems to be a bit of a verboten subject on ChronWatch, despite lots of complaining about how the media doesn't concentrate on "relevant issues."

In other Daily Show news, I noticed yesterday that the Bush campaign premiered a new commercial that shows stock footage of John Kerry windsurfing, and likens the back and forth motion of the sport to Kerry’s alleged flip-flopping. George W. Bush, of course, only engages in sports where you go in a straight line, like golf. But I hear he has trouble avoiding sand traps.

A few months ago The Daily Show made up a similar ad which showed Kerry snowboarding. The similarity is uncanny, and Bush’s advisor Karen Hughes was on the show that night as the guest, and even commented that she liked the fake ad very much. Jon Stewart played it off like she was joking. I suspect that he’ll have some choice words on the subject in an upcoming episode.

Posted: Thu - September 23, 2004 at      

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