Jon Stewart, we hardly knew ye

The book The Daily Show and Philosophy features a series of papers by academic philosophers (are there any other kind?) that all more or less pose the same question—how can the host of a “fake news show” become the most trusted man in America (in a 2007 Pew Center poll he came in 4^th; in a 2008 Time on-line poll he was #1)?  Part of the answer is—have you met Brian Williams? Because Jon Stewart told the truth about the mighty and powerful, not just saying that the emperor had no clothes but also that he was fat and gullible, his announced departure from The Daily Show made the front page of the New York Times.

In his book Playing to Win, a tongue in cheek Bible for aspiring political candidates, Jeff Greenfield advised potential candidates that they need not fear lying to the media.  Why?  Because the New York Times would never begin an article, “Senator Smith lied again today when he said . . . .”  The news media would never do that because, well, that would be biased.

Jon Stewart did that.  He not only would say a politician was lying, but his crack research staff would then produce multiple clips of the politician in question saying precisely what he or she claimed he or she never said.  It was one of the greatest rapid-response teams in media history.  And it was done not for political gain, but for laughs.

On the show in which he announced he was leaving The Daily Show, Stewart produced footage of Republicans fawning over a “strong leader” like the King of Jordan, then juxtaposed a series of clips from Republicans (or their media lackeys) attacking President Obama for acting “like a king.”  Stewart has been doing The Daily Show for 16 years and yet Democratic politicians never learned to do what he did—hit back at lies hard, fast, with copious evidence and a twinkle in the eye.

What Stewart hated the most was not either political party but the vacuous news media, mindlessly repeating officially sanctioned lies as if re-telling the lies both sides told was the meaning of “unbiased.”  He made Jim Kramer admit his show was entertainment, not market analysis.  He went on the CNN show Crossfire and told the hosts they were, “hurting America;” several months later the show was cancelled. He probably would appreciate a line from the TV series Sleepy Hollow this week, when one character noted that freedom of the press is in the Constitution and time-traveler Ichabod Crane replies that the Founding Father did not anticipate the 24 hour news cycle.

The show became a juggernaut, winning ten consecutive Emmies for Best Variety Show (eventually losing to its progeny, The Colbert Report) and 20 Emmies overall.  The Daily Show supplanted Saturday Night Live in producing comedic talent, from Oscar and multiple Emmy nominee Steve Carell (I loved his performance in Dan in Real Life) to Stephen Colbert to Ed Helms to John Oliver to Aasif Mandvi (he was in Spiderman 2!) to the new host of The Nightly Show, Larry Wilmore.

Who will take over?  I pity whoever tries to step into Jon Stewart’s enormous shoes.  Jon Stewart was an essential part of this nation’s fragile tether to sanity in the George W. Bush post-9/11 era.  When Stewart took over for Craig Kilborn (who left to do bigger and better things; how’s that going, Craig?) it was not the end of an era.

I expect the show to promote from within, as when John Oliver took over while Stewart was directing Rosewater.  No one on the show now blows my socks off; I've always thought that The Daily Show suffered from SNL syndrome, meaning its best cast members left and they were replaced with good-but-not-quite-as-good replacements.  Of course no one thought The Colbert report would last ten years when it started, or that it would only end when its host agreed to take over for David Letterman. 

So, surprise me, Daily Show! I am looking forward to Indecision 2016 with trepidation and anticipation (unless it is Clinton vs. Bush, in which case I am moving to Canada).