Why Jon Stewart is wrong

The Daily Show host is back, but weekly. Or should that be weakly?

Hello humans!

I know what you might be thinking. ‘Binface taking down Jon Stewart? What new heresy is this?’ Don’t worry, I’ll get to Kemi Badenoch eventually. But she can wait, and my duty is to call out political fallacy wherever I see it.

Let me start by saying I have galaxies’ worth of respect for the famed and garlanded host of the Daily Show. That said, I believe that in his latest silky-smooth monologue, Mr Stewart shat the bed.

As America’s Left (or what passes for it) squeals in agony at having failed to prevent another four years of Trump, you might think it harsh to kick a blue donkey when it’s down.

But that is precisely what the doyen of the Daily Show has just done. In his latest show, on Monday 18 November, he took aim at the Democrats. And it was their political tactics that he had in his (proverbial) cross-hairs:

…those putting up resistance to Trump don’t seem to realise who they’re dealing with.’

He exclaimed, assailing the likes of Elizabeth Warren for (merely) speaking out against Trump’s actions when the MAGAlomanic has gone either against the letter or spirit of American law, custom and morality. 

Mr Stewart has clearly concluded that the Democrats need to wake up to a new political reality. That much might be true, but in his rant he went much further:

‘I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Republicans are playing chess, and the Democrats are in the nurses’ office with their balls glued to their thigh.’

Really? To begin with, it is extremely high praise of MAGA Republicans to suggest they would even have the first clue how to set up a chess board, never mind that the horsey one moves in an L-shape. It’s also throwing shit-tonnes of shade at the caucus of US politicians who - astonishingly - still play by the book, instead of burning it.

(We’ll draw a discreet veil over what Mr Stewart’s schooldays comparison says about his own early years experience…)

What Jon is really implying, of course, is that the Democrats have been bringing knives to a gun-fight. That much is true. And of all the countries on Earth, to do that in the land of liberal firearms laws seems especially naive. 

But I would argue that Kamala, Buttigieg, AOC and Co. should keep doing EXACTLY what they are doing. Just better. I’ll tell you why in a moment. But first, here is why Jon Stewart is wrong, wrong, wrongitty wrong.