Saturday, October 16, 2004
Tucker the Dick
If you have not heard, or did not see, Jon Stewart went on "Crossfire" yesterday and said what most of us have been dying to say to this program, and those like it:
"...you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."
Stewart took aim at both Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala for being "partisan hacks," but it was Carlson who took great offense for being "lectured" to by this "comedian":
"Do you like lecture people like this or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"
Stewart replied that he would if they thought they were avoiding their responsibilities.
As to the partisan hack charge, Carlson thought he had Stewart by bringing up his interview with John Kerry. Here is clever Carlson:
"You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you're accusing us of partisan hackery...you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy's butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It's embarrassing."
To which Stewart replied:
"You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls. "
At the end of the show, Stewart proclaimed Carlson to be as big a "dick" on "Crossfire" as on any show. Now while this may play into left vs right, Stewart's major point is clear. Television is destroying democracy. As AlterNet concludes:
"Stewart may not have made any friends, but at least he pointed to one of the worst problems in our political discourse. No, not that Tucker Carlson is a dick, but that creeps like him are in control of it."
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"...you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably."
Stewart took aim at both Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala for being "partisan hacks," but it was Carlson who took great offense for being "lectured" to by this "comedian":
"Do you like lecture people like this or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"
Stewart replied that he would if they thought they were avoiding their responsibilities.
As to the partisan hack charge, Carlson thought he had Stewart by bringing up his interview with John Kerry. Here is clever Carlson:
"You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you're accusing us of partisan hackery...you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy's butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It's embarrassing."
To which Stewart replied:
"You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls. "
At the end of the show, Stewart proclaimed Carlson to be as big a "dick" on "Crossfire" as on any show. Now while this may play into left vs right, Stewart's major point is clear. Television is destroying democracy. As AlterNet concludes:
"Stewart may not have made any friends, but at least he pointed to one of the worst problems in our political discourse. No, not that Tucker Carlson is a dick, but that creeps like him are in control of it."
