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in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 13 May 2008
Moyers decries the "sound bite-obsessed media" as he discusses his new book, Moyers on Democracy, a collection of his speeches with commentary that puts them in context. He takes the same tack in discussing his own recent interview with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. He points out that Wright is angry that more than 200,000 minutes of sermons have been collapsed into 20 outrageous seconds -- when Wright was on Bill Moyers' Journal, able to put his remarks into context, he came across as a reasonable man. Moyers makes a powerful argument against snap judgments, even if he's preaching to the choir on The Daily Show.
Posted 11:54, 14 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Paula Jolin
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 7 May 2008
Stewart pitches a series of softballs questions to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who comes across as funny, charming and even progressive. Stewart points out that many Americans are concerned about McCain's connections to Bush, asking him to "denounce and repudiate" the president, but McCain dodges the question. The only other hard-hitting question, about his attempt to link Barack Obama to Hamas, is also peripheral. The bulk of the interview is an innocent back-and-forth, lacking questions about his pledges to make tax cuts permanent and immigration reform.
Posted 10:48, 8 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Paula Jolin
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 6 May 2008
Stewart's man-crush Fareed Zakaria protects his reputation with another informative interview, discussing his book The Post-American World and the overall effect of globalization. As Zakaria points out, America's stature in the world is dropping -- we no longer have the world's biggest building or the world's biggest corporation, though Zakaria jokes that "the number one fake news show in the world is right here." He argues that America is now known for its military, which leads us to believe armed forces can fix any problem. This all sounds dire, but Zakaria puts a positive spin on it, saying that we are actually far safer than we have been in the past few decades.
Posted 9:53, 7 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 5 May 2008
Sen. Harry Reid reveals a surprising past in his new book, The Good Fight, the story of his rise from extreme poverty to become one of the most powerful men in the country. He discusses the book briefly before dodging a question about the Democratic presidential nomination. He also succinctly explains why Senate Republicans seemed to accomplish more when they were the majority: The president was on their side. Not much here is new or surprising, but it's intriguing to see the soft-spoken, humble way he presents himself, so at odds with his tough-guy persona.
Posted 10:29, 6 May 2008
This abstract was written by
Paula Jolin
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 1 May 2008
Stewart puts Howard Dean on a tee -- most of all he wants to know how the Democratic candidates can win in November. The two have a spirited back-and-forth about the primaries, and they have good chemistry. Stewart is clearly cynical about the Democrats' chances of winning the election; he begins by asking, "It would take a Herculean effort to fuck this up, sir. My question is this: How will you do it?" Dean is willing to answer all of his questions, making it a cordial, interesting interview.
Posted 1:52, 2 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 30 April 2008
In writing White House Ghosts, his book about presidential speechwriters, Robert Schlesinger had a pivotal advantage -- his father wrote speeches for President Kennedy. Still, as he indirectly shows in this interview, his book required a lot of tireless research in showing how the role of a speechwriter has changed from the time of FDR to now. As Schlesinger notes, presidents now talk more than they ever did, to the point where President Clinton basically gave a speech every day. This all makes for an interesting primer for his book, even though he sadly avoids saying much about the current administration.
Posted 9:09, 1 May 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 29 April 2008
Those hoping for a blast from the past from this interview with Newt Gingrich might be disappointed; he doesn't talk about Bill Clinton. Instead, he discusses the Rev. Jeremiah Wright scandal with Stewart, and the two have a surprisingly cordial and intelligent discussion. Gingrich admits that he admires Barack Obama, but believes Wright is a problem who is now sabotaging Obama's campaign by becoming progressively more racist. Gingrich is thoughtful and convincing, and he and Stewart have good enough chemistry to wonder if Gingrich would make a good co-host.
Posted 10:47, 30 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 28 April 2008
Of all the possible subjects to discuss with President Jimmy Carter, his mother probably wasn't the first Stewart had in mind. Still, much of this interview covers that subject and Carter's new book, A Remarkable Mother. Stewart finds some comic potential in Carter's book making other sons look bad right before Mother's Day, but for the most part it's a pleasant but uninteresting subject. More intriguing are Carter's comments on his recent trip to the Middle East, where he talked with leaders of Hamas against the White House's wishes. Carter's opinions about Palestine and Israel are nothing new, but it's still nice to hear them directly from someone with some authority.
Posted 9:50, 29 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 24 April 2008
Actor Colin Firth comes on the show ostensibly to discuss his newest movie, Then She Found Me, but it barely gets mentioned. Instead, Firth spends most of the interview telling an unusual story about a German photographer who took embarrassing pictures of him in a men's bathroom. It's an amusing story, but Stewart finds it so funny that he struggles to continue the interview without breaking into laughter. Audiences probably won't find Firth's story -- or this interview -- as funny as Stewart does.
Posted 9:43, 25 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.
in The Daily Show
by
Jon Stewart, 23 April 2008
Newsweek's Howard Fineman, author of The Thirteen American Arguments, notes that the key argument of this election has been "who's a person?" Of course, he means that the election is a watershed moment for both women and African-Americans, since both see their candidates as a sign of societal legitimacy. These comments are not all that different from those Fineman regularly makes on Hardball or Countdown With Keith Olbermann, but they influence the interview to move on to more unique topics, including an interesting discussion of why the media is obsessed with the so-called "real Americans."
Posted 10:13, 24 April 2008
This abstract was written by
David Arey
and edited by Brijit.