Last night on Fox News (12/22/10), Karl Rove and Bill O’Reilly attempted to defend GOP opposition tothe James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, whichwould providehealth care for 9/11 Ground Zero workers.
In his final broadcast of the year (12/16/10), Comedy Central‘s Jon Stewart devoted the entire show to lambasting the Republican opposition.Stewart’s attention to the issue seems to have pushed other media outlets to pay attention to this issue. (With any luck, we’ll remember this the next time there’s a “debate” aboutpeople watchinga comedy show instead of “real” news.)
Rove and O’Reilly’sdefense of GOP intransigence is hardly worth recounting. What was notable was theirsuggestion that Jon Stewart suspiciously developed an interest in this story just last week:
ROVE: But look, where was Mr. Stewart earlier this year–
O’REILLY: He didn’t know about it.
ROVE: –when they weren’t doing voodoo diddly squat to move this through? Where was the president of the United States?
O’REILLY: Look, look, look–you know the answers to these questions. You know the answer to these questions. They’re demagoguing the issue now.
ROVE: Absolutely.
O’REILLY: Because they’ve squeezed it into a corner where they want to pass it tomorrow.
This is, unsurprisingly, false. Stewart did a report on the health bill in August (8/4/10), when he blasted Congressional Republicans and Democrats for the failure to pass the bill–leading him to declare about the political process, “I give up.” You can watch it here. And send it to Bill O’Reilly while you’re at it (oreilly@foxnews.com).
And where were Karl Rove and Bill O’Reilly on this subject earlier this year? Were THEY pushing it? I don’t know the answer, but somehow I doubt it.
One good thing with having BOTH Rove & O’Reilly in the room, you don’t have to worry about determining what’s true. It’s undoubtedly a sanctioned event on the ‘Liars Club’ circuit, with both trying to outdo the other in their hyperbole of hatred for all things sane.
I saw the episode where Stewart interviewed the 9/11 Ground Zero workers/victims and it was (as most programs like this are) VERY striking. It’s also SO effective when Stewart uses previously recorded footage of public figures (98% Republicans) directly contradicting their current stances in speeches/voting in the recent past. This is something I’ve always thought was an especially good idea — and it doesn’t have to be politically biased towards either party — but I’ve rarely seen the MSM use it in the last 2 or 3 decades.
The thing that struck me though was how Stewart can (correctly) repeatedly criticize the Republicans and their inane antics/posturing, but yet at his big DC gathering and elsewhere he portrays the main problem with US politics as being ‘too many extreme views on the right AND the left’, thus backing away from a full criticism of the right and effectively blurring the problem.
Stewart is alive and kicking in the highest form of political satire.And He does best when he attacks both left, and right like SNL at its most cutting.He points out how ludicrous the “serious”aspects of politics truly are when seen in the light of day.He is comedic relief to the Republicans mentioned.Im never sure though where the left wants him to go with his act.To me he fills a niche, and does a great job.If he goes all serious on us…..I have a feeling he just wont carry the weight.He could always run for something in Minnesota.They seem to like comedy