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Daily Show Production Team Nets Creative Freedom

gremlins writes "Jon Stewart, who recently celebrated his sixth anniversary with "The Daily Show" and was a rumored possible replacement to Dan Rathers, has signed a deal which allows his production team, Busboy Productions, to develop televison projects on their own. The deal also allows Busboy Productions to flirt with other networks when looking for a home for the projects. Comedy Central still gets the right of first refusal for any projects created."

272 comments

  1. That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    But why is it on Slashdot?

    (No, it's not even in the politics section.)

    1. Re:That's great by JonStewart · · Score: 5, Funny

      What can I say? Geeks love me. I share their love of internet porn.

    2. Re:That's great by 3terrabyte · · Score: 1
      Hahahah!

      How long have you waited for this moment... Anyway, too bad it's not rillly you, you're no Wil Wheaton.

      --

      Why are there only 19 people folding@home for slashdot?

    3. Re:That's great by game+kid · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Because after his assertive Crossfire appearance they--and I--wonder what Jon "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show" Stewart will say and do next.

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    4. Re:That's great by glenkim · · Score: 2, Informative

      get with the program, Crossfire was a shitty show.

    5. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So why isn't it in politics which I have excluded?

    6. Re:That's great by bradkittenbrink · · Score: 2, Funny

      dude, get off your ass and finish up your campaign website!!

    7. Re:That's great by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But why is it on Slashdot?

      For the same reason that Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek gets covered here... it's what geeks watch.

    8. Re:That's great by chuckgrosvenor · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Crossfire was far from informative or even somewhat useful. Two sides shouting at each other without any rhyme or reason is not debate. Politics maybe, but not debate. Crossfire was part of what's wrong with political discussion in this country. A circus freakshow. The Daily Show is a freakshow, but it doesn't pretend to be "serious news" like Crossfire did.

    9. Re:That's great by beakerMeep · · Score: 4, Insightful
      OK, put down the xbox controller and try and think for a minute about why it would be damaging to take a complex, maybe nuanced issue and debate it from two extreme, skewed viewpoints. who stands to gain or lose from such style arguments? (I am not here to peddle conspiracy therioes on you so I will let you decide that for yourself).

      The daily show isn't offensive it's irrevrant. There's a difference. and it's in this irrevrance that jon gained his following -- by exposing the ridiculous and disengenious crossfire style arguments.

      --
      meep
    10. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why in the hell was the parent modded informative ? WTF....

    11. Re:That's great by Rooktoven · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because it was. (A shitty show.)

      --

      Acquiescence leads to obliteration
    12. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      iirc, he was invited on to help boost their ratings; and many enjoyed that he did.

    13. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      becuz slashdot rulez! (not sarcastic)

    14. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope Stewart is not like Wil Wheaton. There are enough little socialist twerps like Wheaton on the planet already without adding any more.

    15. Re:That's great by nobuzz · · Score: 1

      The worst part about it is that dip Tucker Carlson is now on pbs http://www.pbs.org/tuckercarlson/

      Next time the pledge drive comes on people should call in and say they won't donate anything until they get this ass off the air.

    16. Re:That's great by ArmchairGenius · · Score: 1

      Apparently slashdot has a media - television section. Who knew?

    17. Re:That's great by generic-man · · Score: 1

      Jon Stewart is a role model to political wonks all over the internet: if you disagree with someone, walk up to them and call them names. Then walk away feeling very smug.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    18. Re:That's great by evilviper · · Score: 4, Insightful
      The Daily Show is a freakshow, but it doesn't pretend to be "serious news" like Crossfire did.

      No, The Daily Show is not a freakshow. It's really a satire of all the other freakshows, and rather insightful in that role.

      FOX news, saying the US will be attacked if Kerry is elected, is a freakshow.

      Daily Show, reporting that the planet will explode if Kerry is elected, is biting wit, not a freakshow.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
    19. Re:That's great by HangingChad · · Score: 4, Funny
      FOX news, saying the US will be attacked if Kerry is elected, is a freakshow.

      And the Secret Service giving a press pass to a gay prostitute using an assumed name would be...what?

      --
      That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    20. Re:That's great by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 1
      Daily show rule #2:

      When faced with a complex and evolving international situation, pause awkwardly and then say the foreign leader's funny-sounding name in a funny voice. Destination: funny!

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    21. Re:That's great by TWX · · Score: 2, Funny

      "And the Secret Service giving a press pass to a gay prostitute using an assumed name would be...what?"

      Your Government in action?

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    22. Re:That's great by HangingChad · · Score: 2, Funny
      Your Government in action?

      ROFL! Hot government action!

      Good one. I'll avoid the totally obvious Deep Throat references.

      --
      That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    23. Re:That's great by isny · · Score: 1

      I suppose it's better than what I thought....that is: what would the Daily Show do with the Creative Commons license? Is the GPL next?
      Then I re-read the article, and thought...but why is it on Slashdot?

    24. Re:That's great by Jetson · · Score: 1
      Crossfire was part of what's wrong with political discussion in this country.

      Maybe it's the wine I've been sipping all night, but I read that as "political dysentary". Then again, maybe alcohol *does* bring insight.

      Most of the time "Crossfile" seems to be less about politics than about publicity for the hosts.

    25. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Crossfire wasn't two sides presenting their information and carrying out a civil debate, it was just people screaming out partisan slogans given by hacks. Both sides traded jabs and small insults, and people didn't feel smarter by hearing it. Good riddance.

    26. Re:That's great by Temporal · · Score: 1

      For those who don't know: Parent is referring to an actual person who actually is a gay prostitute and actually did get a press pass to a presidential press conference. He even managed to ask Bush a question in which he called Democrats "detached from reality" or something like that.

    27. Re:That's great by halcyon1234 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Why is this posted on Slashdot? Simply: Some geeks care about more than just computers.

      In fact, some of us geeks don't even use computers.

      For example, I can whistle at 1200 baud, speak fluent TCP/IP, and have an amazing memory.

      Therefore, any spelling errors in this post are not typos. They're hiccups.

    28. Re:That's great by martin100 · · Score: 1

      whats wrong is people who do not recognize that we have more news/information options now than ever before in history, and to criticize crossfire for not being a "real" debate is like calling out a children's soccer game for not being world class. its a cable tv arguing show, not your voter's guide. there are more options than ever, find one you like and stop being pompous.

    29. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. It was actually a nice joke by the White House staff. Why not put a real prostitute among the presstitutes in the Press Corps.

    30. Re:That's great by Therlin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't care if someone is gay, or sells his body to consenting adults.

      What bothers me is that "somehow", a person using a fake identity and with no reporting experience gets access to White House press briefings to ask the President prepared soft-ball questions.

    31. Re:That's great by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      I think it's pretty clear this guy was a paid shill. But I'm also pretty sure nothing will come of this; Bush is like Teflon, nothing sticks to him. Imagine the fallout if this had happened during the Clinton administration.

    32. Re:That's great by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 1

      The daily show isn't offensive it's irrevrant.

      That would be irreverent . If you're going to bold a word, it's probably a good idea to check the spelling. For a minute there, I thought you were saying the Daily Show is irrelevant, which I don't believe for a minute. :)

    33. Re:That's great by David+Rolfe · · Score: 0, Troll

      Everyone knows:

      "It's not gay if you're the dude." :-D

      --
      Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
    34. Re:That's great by David+Rolfe · · Score: 1

      Why didn't you go on to point out that he didn't capitalize any proper nouns? He didn't even italicize the title of a creative work! Your pedant-circuits must have overloaded!

      Oh wait, you wouldn't have noticed that small breach of grammar, because you, yourself, made the same mistake in your pedantic response. :-D

      Glass houses and all that... Nothing personal.

      --
      Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
    35. Re:That's great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And do'n forget, The Daily Show is also rather funny.

  2. Replacement for Dan Rather? by rjamestaylor · · Score: 4, Funny

    A comedian as a replacement for a serious news anchor?

    Oh yeah... Dan Rather. Sorry. I must have mis-read that.

    --
    -- @rjamestaylor on Ello
  3. Freedom? by LostCluster · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't think the article says that the TDS team gets any freedom... they're just getting funding to do spin-offs.

  4. Yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Jon Stewart has a lot of experience with fake news.

    1. Re:Yeah by generic-man · · Score: 1

      It's only fitting that the cited article is from Gawker Media, a site/network that treats every facet of news like celebrity gossip. If you've never read one of their sites, imagine what Slashdot would be like if every story were written by a spoiled, ill-informed, over-opinionated techie masquerading as a journalist with good grammar and spelling.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    2. Re:Yeah by fimbulvetr · · Score: 1

      imagine what Slashdot would be like if every story were written by a spoiled, ill-informed, over-opinionated techie...
      I'm not sure if you meant to be facetious or not, but...are you new here?

      Spoiled/Over-opinionated?
      Every day there's another Ipod article.
      Almost everone here has eroctic fantasies about steve jobs' black turtle necks.
      Almost every one here rabidly defends Apple's legal department.

      And that's just Apple!

      And ill informed?
      Look at the stories that have to do with hydrogen. Every time one comes up there are 100+ comments to do with how the Hindenburg blew up.

      I could go on and on...

    3. Re:Yeah by generic-man · · Score: 1

      Yes, I'm new here. I registered my account five years ago and I've been sitting on it ever since.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    4. Re:Yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know you can't say things like that, it'll just fly over their heads like a cruise missile.

    5. Re:Yeah by bob+beta · · Score: 1

      Michael with a spell-checker??

      Spare us!!

    6. Re:Yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A tom cruise missle?

  5. Jon Stewart by Scoria · · Score: 5, Funny

    For more on this developing story, we turn to our senior Dan Rather analyst, Mr. Stephen Colbert.

    --
    Do you like German cars?
    1. Re:Jon Stewart by Surye · · Score: 5, Funny

      You mean Ted Hitler right? ;)

    2. Re:Jon Stewart by Scoria · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Considering the subject of his comment, I'd speculate that this AC is a fan of Stephen's, too.

      --
      Do you like German cars?
    3. Re:Jon Stewart by CableModemSniper · · Score: 1

      I call GODWIN! ;)

      --
      Why not fork?
    4. Re:Jon Stewart by wheany · · Score: 1

      Godwin's law doesn't apply here. Ted Hitler confessed to being Adolf Hitler's grandson. You can state facts mentioning nazis and Hitler as often as you like.

      Now if the grandparent would have said something like "You're a fucking net-nazi", Godwin would apply.

    5. Re:Jon Stewart by CableModemSniper · · Score: 1

      I'm so sorry for trying to make a joke. Please forgive me oh master of the intricacies of Godwin's Law.

      --
      Why not fork?
    6. Re:Jon Stewart by wheany · · Score: 1

      I forgive you. It's a common mistake.

    7. Re:Jon Stewart by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

      You're actually just making stuff up.

    8. Re:Jon Stewart by wheany · · Score: 1

      Nope. From that Wikipedia article: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

      Surye said that Stephen Colbert's real name is Ted Hitler. This is not a comparsion to Hitler. It is a statement of a fact.

    9. Re:Jon Stewart by bob+beta · · Score: 1

      Godwin never applies off Usenet.

      Usenet threads can and have run for months, even years. Slashdot threads by definition can only last about a week, and usually die within 24 hours.

      Somebody needs to form a squad that goes around whapping people who 'invoke Godwin' out of context with a clue by four.

    10. Re:Jon Stewart by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In my current .sig rotation:

      "That is both wrong and not Godwin's Law."

    11. Re:Jon Stewart by interiot · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ACTUALLY... Until the Blogosphere digs up solid evidence of the Cobert/Hitler link, Stephen Colbert's statement on the Daily Show can be considered invocation of Godwin's law, and therefore anyone responding to his statement (outside of intelligence-gathering or fact-checking) is probably violating Godwin's law themselves.

    12. Re:Jon Stewart by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what did he say?

    13. Re:Jon Stewart by wheany · · Score: 1

      I still have to maintain my position that unless there is a comparsion between Hitler and someone else, Godwin's law has not been violated.

      Nobody was comparing Colbert to Hitler ("He's like Hitler"/"He's a nazi"). They were just repeating what Colbert himself claimed to be.

    14. Re:Jon Stewart by CableModemSniper · · Score: 1

      I wasn't ACTUALLY invoking Godwin. That would make no sense in this context. It was a joke. Notice the little humor-indicating glyph at the end of my post? You can say it wasn't funny, you can say it was in poor taste (although in a thread about Ted Hitler I dn't see how that works) but berating me because I applied the law incorrectly when I wasn't actually applying it is kind of annoying.

      --
      Why not fork?
    15. Re:Jon Stewart by bob+beta · · Score: 1

      Yes, you weren't invoking it, and I was just engaging in a non-directed rant about it. I didn't mean to berate you.

  6. The sad thing is... by nebaz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Daily Show is often more insightful about the news than the mainstream media. You would probably be better served watching a half hour of the Daily Show than CNN/Fox News, etc.

    --
    Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
    1. Re:The sad thing is... by LostCluster · · Score: 0

      Wouldn't be the first time that something meant to be Funny gets modded +5 Insightful... happens to me all the time.

    2. Re:The sad thing is... by xgamer04 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'd say it's more "+1 Insightful" and "+1 Scary" than "+1 Funny"

      --
      When you look at the state of the world, how can you not become a radical, liberal anarchist?
    3. Re:The sad thing is... by Koiu+Lpoi · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That's true, wasn't there some survey done not too long ago, showing Daily Show watchers more in touch with reality than others?

    4. Re:The sad thing is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not too surprising when you think about it. People whatching the daily show do so to get an interesting perspective on things, you may not agree with it - but you watch it from another angle. Many people who whatch network news just take whatever is spoon fed to them. Not surprising that they end up out of touch (considering the news itself is sort of out of touch).

    5. Re:The sad thing is... by phoenix.bam! · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This isn't completely true. You have to at least know what is going on to understand The Daily Show. Fox/CNN are a prerequisite of sorts for many of The Daily Show's jokes.

    6. Re:The sad thing is... by mythosaz · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Except, the parent isn't trying to be funny. The Daily Show is, in some regards, better "news" than the crap that comes on after primetime television.

      Their news IS parody of real news, of course, but it's insightful, it's thought-provoking, and they're equal opportunity in their mocking of liberals and conservatives.

      If you saw Stewart on Crossfire, you'd know he takes politics seriously. [Read his book, America: Democracy Inaction - at $15 for a "textbook," you can't beat it.

    7. Re:The sad thing is... by randomiam · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I remember seeing that survey, or online poll or whatever a few months ago too.

      I think that people (willfully) misinterpret that result. That poll in no way implied that 'Daily Show' viewers (myself included) were more knowledgeable on current events *because* they watched DS. Although there's no way for me to know, I suspect that the opposite is what's really happening. In order to apperciate the humor in the show, the viewer has to be informed of current events. So, the group is self selecting.

    8. Re:The sad thing is... by Koiu+Lpoi · · Score: 1

      That's what I got out of it, that it was because you were smarter and more in touch (and, probably, liberal) that you did watch the daily show, not that the show itself made you smarter.

    9. Re:The sad thing is... by benna · · Score: 1

      Not really. He just thought he would make a better president than bush. He spent plenty of time mocking kerry too.

      --
      "It is not how things are in the world that is mystical, but that it exists." -Ludwig Wittgenstein
    10. Re:The sad thing is... by fimbulvetr · · Score: 1

      Might I also add the "America - The book - The audio book", the audio version of this book is read by TDS crew, and I felt is was more entertaining than the book.
      It was also more amusing, especially when Jon started out the audio book with the sentence:

      "Welcome, non-reader"

    11. Re:The sad thing is... by JizzMast3rZ3r0 · · Score: 1

      don't forget the best reality show C-Span! but seriously, the daily show wades through all the crap and finds the besy hypocrisy of the day. I see more "real" news on TDS than on CNN/FAUXNEWS.

    12. Re:The sad thing is... by Zotnix · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yes, CNN has the information. You can also take the quiz if you want to.

    13. Re:The sad thing is... by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      thats interesting seeing how he gets most of his material from CNN/Fox news and other outlets like that. He has no actual team that get live feeds from the clips he shows thay all come from other sources and they reframe the storyline to them.

      Maybe you should actually watch one of the other news chanels a little.

    14. Re:The sad thing is... by generic-man · · Score: 3, Informative

      Did you see his John Kerry interview? He was practically in love with Kerry and his bold plan of "not being George W. Bush."

      The Daily Show claims to have extended an invitation to George W. Bush. I can't imagine that Bush would have received the same treatment, though Bill O'Reilly got a grudging round of applause when he appeared on the Daily Show to eat some crow about his "stoned slackers" remark.

      Then again, I saw Al Gore's and George W. Bush's appearances on Letterman in 2000. Gore got along very well with Letterman, having been on the show before in his capacity as vice president. Bush appeared via satellite, cracked some awful surgery-related jokes (Letterman had underwent bypass surgery) and got loudly booed.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    15. Re:The sad thing is... by defile · · Score: 1

      Stupidity has bipartisan support. The Daily Show can be enjoyed by both sides.

    16. Re:The sad thing is... by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 1, Insightful
      Bush ... and got loudly booed

      He deserves worse.

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    17. Re:The sad thing is... by TWX · · Score: 3, Funny

      "Stupidity has bipartisan support. The Daily Show can be enjoyed by both sides."

      What makes you think that the Democrats are liberal? They seem pretty centrist to conservative to me most of the time, as they're frequently defending existing social/government programs against the onslaught of the reactionaries on the scary end of the Republican party...

      From left to right politically:
      radical
      liberal
      moderate/centrist
      conservative
      reactionary

      assuming no differentiation between social and economic platforms. I myself typically am liberal socially and moderate to conservative economically. I like there being new possibilities in society, but I want to protect the economic system that keeps me well fed.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    18. Re:The sad thing is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's said it himself "I watch hours of TV, so that you don't have to"

      The fact he's merely poaching the news from other networks and pointing out the more than obvious shortcomings isn't that hard to see.

    19. Re:The sad thing is... by piltdownman84 · · Score: 1

      The really scary thing is that Daily Show viewers still only averaged 3.59 out of 6. I'm not even american and the only question I would say is a bit challenging is the one asking what level of income the Bush tax cut started at. I'd bet slashdot readers would easily average 5-6.

      It should also be noted that this survey/quiz was not of News Shows, but of late night television shows. Daily Show viewers should beat Leno and Letterman. Its a news show ... well almost.

      Much more interesting is the Pipa report on misperceptions of the Iraq war by viewers of different news programs: http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Iraq/Report08_20 _04.pdf

    20. Re:The sad thing is... by sponga · · Score: 1

      I like to get really stoned and watch it. Do I count?

    21. Re:The sad thing is... by Refrag · · Score: 1

      No, no, it's not.

      When I had cable the only non-network show I would watch was The Daily Show. And I could get all of the jokes from the brief news.google.com reading I do. Even if I didn't know the details of something, they usually set the jokes up well.

      --
      I have a website. It's about Macs.
    22. Re:The sad thing is... by mr100percent · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I've been watching Jon Stewart for years. Typically, he doesn't hold a guest's "feet to the fire" as he likes to call it. He's not like O'Reilly where he tries to force them to answer. He had Kerry on, and treated him civilly, but he also warmly had on Republican chairman Ed Gillespie and a number of GOP candidates. He even had Bill O'Reilly on, and despite making fun of and criticizing him so many times, was just as civil as when he spoke to Kerry.

      Stewart is nice to all of his guests. He sometimes asks them tricky questions (I remember when he tried to nicely throw Jon Stossel's idea right back at him when it seems apparent Stossel couldn't defend his thesis), but he always asks his audience to applaud the guest, whoever it is. Even Bill O'Reilly, who once insultingly referred to the audience as "stoned slackers" gave him some applause and you couldn't tell Stewart had any contempt for him by the interview.

    23. Re:The sad thing is... by bob+beta · · Score: 1

      Gore got along very well with Letterman,

      I hope Letterman had the decency to wipe off his chin afterwards.

    24. Re:The sad thing is... by klmth · · Score: 1

      Jon Stewart is first and foremost a comedian. He laughed the whole "stoned slackers" episode away, thinking at a joke - it was Comedy Central that procured the study.

    25. Re:The sad thing is... by newend · · Score: 1
      If you d/led the ep of c-span with Jon you'd have heard him say that people don't get their news from him. The expectation of the writers is that people already know what's going on in the world when they tune in, or it wouldn't be funny.

      I'm a die hard TDS watcher, but I was actually a bit disappointed in Jon's showing on CrossFire. He has a lot of great points, but he failed to really develop anything on the show. If you watch the Kerry interview again, you'll notice that he asks about 8 questions, and Tucker took the three that were least relevant. Instead of saying "I also asked him if he was in Cambodia, but I didn't care, cause it doesn't matter", he should have said something about the more relevant questions...or perhaps just explained why it doesn't matter.

    26. Re:The sad thing is... by JizzMast3rZ3r0 · · Score: 0

      I work for one smartass

    27. Re:The sad thing is... by bill_kress · · Score: 1

      You must be new.

      Are you so used to the conservative attack politics that you can't understand a simple, good interview.

      He also plays just as nicely with ultra-conservatives and pretty much everyone on his show. He has gone after some real jerks that are too dumb to allow to live, people whose points are so silly that they aren't worth a real discussion, but otherwise he is just what broadcasting should be.

      Not only that but the audience is generally well behaved to any guests.

      I'm guessing you haven't watched any other episodes and just decided to pipe up because...hmm, can't figure out why.

  7. Other Networks Follow Please by Space_Soldier · · Score: 0, Troll

    That's cool. I wish they gave Enterprise the same freedom.

    1. Re:Other Networks Follow Please by unitron · · Score: 2, Funny
      " That's cool. I wish they gave Enterprise the same freedom."

      First thing I thought of was maybe they could develop the next Star Trek series--as a comedy. Seriously.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

    2. Re:Other Networks Follow Please by Shazow · · Score: 1

      Heh I second that. I wrote a couple of Star Trek parody plays for Highschool english, it was really fun.

      But... Sci fi comedy... That's like... Douglas Adams :D

      I could go for that.

      - shazow

    3. Re:Other Networks Follow Please by istewart · · Score: 1

      Enterprise was aiming for the "Manos: The Hands of Fate" style of comedy: it's so bad, it's hilarious.

      Well... it was, wasn't it?

    4. Re:Other Networks Follow Please by circusboy · · Score: 1

      red dwarf!

      --
      -- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
    5. Re:Other Networks Follow Please by mink · · Score: 1

      How much for just the planet?

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  8. Don't you mean Ted Hitler? by Aexia · · Score: 5, Funny

    Columbian drug mule and panda killer?

    1. Re:Don't you mean Ted Hitler? by mythosaz · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ling Ling? Oh, I can't tell them apart.

    2. Re:Don't you mean Ted Hitler? by cpeikert · · Score: 1

      They're both delicious.

  9. political bias for a news anchor? by Prophetic_Truth · · Score: 2, Interesting

    John Stewart, while very funny, definatly wears his politics on his shoulder. Stewart speaks his mind and has openly supported one political party over the other. The CBS anchor job requires a neutral position, so that the newscast is not agenda driven like Foxnews or CNN. Dan Rather was actually good at hiding his political beliefs, I doubt Stewart could be as successful.

    --
    time is a perception of a being's consciousness
    time is your 6th sense, the wierd ones are 7+
    1. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Dan Rather? Good at hiding his beliefs? When?

    2. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      actually it's better if he's transparent about his political beliefs, that way you know that it's his opinion about things. if it was just hidden, but the stories chosen still with certain bias, you wouldn't figure it out so easily.

      and all that doesn't really matter.. it's not like the anchor could go against his employer(and the team behind the news, after all the anchor just reads them..).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Quantum+Fizz · · Score: 5, Insightful
      You mean the Daily Show line "Where more Americans get their news than any other nationality" didn't clue you in that they're just making fun of the system as a whole?

      Have you only watched the Daily Show during the last four years? Stewart has basically been cleverly mocking the hypocrisy of the country's political leaders since the show started. It's been a Republican administration for the past 4 years (and a fully-dominated Republican Senate/House for the past 2 years), so that's where most of his focus goes.

      During the Clinton years there was definitely a slew of anti-Clinton, anti-Lewinski, anti-Gore jokes, etc. But when you have a president like Bush who gives comedians enough material without even trying (along with an administration with policies just dripping with potential for satire), you cannot expect them not to pounce on it.

      For example, I remember back during the Clinton years they basically showed a bunch of clips tacked together of Clinton saying "I did not have relations with that woman ... I did have a relationship with Monica Lewinsky", etc, showing his hypocrisy. Guess what? It was funny then, and his take on the Bush administration is funny now.

      And finally, as Stewart said on Crossfire - he didn't realize that CNN takes it's queues on integrity from Comedy Central. It's COMEDY CENTRAL, a COMEDY channel, not a NEWS channel.

    4. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by jesdynf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Dan Rather was actually good at hiding his political beliefs, I doubt Stewart could be as successful.

      Just because it's viciously slanted is no reason not to trust him -- after all, you know how far to trust him. What's to worry about?

      Even someone pretending to be neutral has agendas you can't see, can't know, and can barely even guess at. Pressure from corporate owners? Pressure from sources for favorable reports to ensure future access to the source?

      Stewart's /fake/ news show is quite literally the only one I watch. I rely on newswires for everything else. I'd have no more reason to distrust Stewart as a real newsguy than I would any other -- less, actually.

      I hope to God that Samantha Bee falls down a well, though.

      --
      Yahoo! Pipes are awesome. How awesome? http://pipes.yahoo.com/jesdynf/slashdot
    5. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Give me one single example of this! I've never seen Jon Stewart favor one political party over the other...

    6. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by ScentCone · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Dan Rather was actually good at hiding his political beliefs

      Have you ever actually watched Dan Rather? Especially in the last 5 or so years, he couldn't have been more overtly partisan in both his delivery of the news, and in his editorial/production decisions. I'll leave the pre-election phony document shenanigans out of it - there's plenty of his older material to make my point.

      The difference between him and Stewart is that Stewart is much more direct about his preferences, whereas Rather plays coy about it, while, through his actions shows his (blue) colors.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    7. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    8. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Jeff+DeMaagd · · Score: 1

      I think you could have picked a better example. It seems you have forgotten the scandal surrounding Dan Rather during the 2004 election, which I thought pretty clearly showed his bias. Either that or you are laying on a sarcastic joke and no one got it, which I am leaning toward this.

    9. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by JizzMast3rZ3r0 · · Score: 0

      he would actually give some credence to the term "liberal media," as opposed to way it is now (obviously moderate/conservative).

    10. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I wonder whether you think it is possible to report news critical of the Bush administration's policies without becoming "partisan." Or do you suppose that "the facts have an agenda"?

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    11. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Mark+Imbriaco · · Score: 0, Redundant

      I wonder whether you think it is possible to report news critical of the democrats' policies without becoming "partisan." Or do you suppose that "the facts have an agenda"?

    12. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Did you ever play chess against anyone who mirrors your every move? Ultimately, it's a losing strategy, but it's pretty annoying anyway.

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    13. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      I wonder whether you think it is possible to report news critical of the Bush administration's policies without becoming "partisan." Or do you suppose that "the facts have an agenda"?

      Facts don't have an agenda, but you can sure forward an agenda by choosing to dedicate network news time only to some information (or doing so in only a certain way), or by fabricating material that you represent as if it were fact. That's editorial spin, and what you do with it generally exposes your politics. Every editor is going to include their biases in their decisions about what to do with 23 minutes of airtime every night - but the worst offenders are the ones that clearly push a political agenda while shrilly proclaiming that they would never do such a thing. I'm actually happier with people like the cursed NY Times, who actually TELL you how they're slanting the news, or Fox News, who also make no apologies for producing shows that are for their known audience.

      But guys like Rather, who portray themselves as wearing some noble mantle of journalistic neutrality even as they actively, transparently spin for a particular party - that's pretty embarassing, actually. It's even funny (for its transparency), and that's why John Stewart is easier to take - because he knows it's funny, and he plays with it. Rather's a parody of neutrality, and his bosses have always known it, and the whole fake-document flap just shown a brighter light on it.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    14. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by zbuffered · · Score: 1

      I would agree with you, but listening to her part in "America, The Book: The Audiobook" I almost have to disagree. She's really hilariously deadpan, but she doesn't seem to have the believeability that Steven Colbert did/does when he interviews famous people who had never heard of him, and that's really the part that she plays on the show. Ed Helms doesn't do much better, in my opionion.
      Any way, The Daily Show is as funny four days a week as Saturday Night Live was once a week, only back in ~1995. I love it!

      --
      Synergy is your friend
    15. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by mr100percent · · Score: 1

      Did Rather say who he was voting for? Did he go on any campaign stops to support someone?

    16. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by mr100percent · · Score: 1

      New York Times: "All the News thats fit to print"
      Fox News: "Fair and Balanced"
      CNN: "The Most Trusted Name in News"

      When did Fox News or NYTimes openly admit that they spin the news? Even O'Reilly denies that. The "No-Spin Zone," where he claims to be a registered independent, he claims that any bias towards conservatism is only an editorial decision of what he can fit in airtime.

    17. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by theLOUDroom · · Score: 1

      John Stewart, while very funny, definatly wears his politics on his shoulder. Stewart speaks his mind and has openly supported one political party over the other. The CBS anchor job requires a neutral position,

      That's silly.
      Everone has their biases, it's just about having integrity and doing you job right.

      Dan Rather was actually good at hiding his political beliefs, I doubt Stewart could be as successful.

      The point is not to hide that fact that you have political beliefs, it's to not lot them interfere with your work.

      There is a HUGE difference there. It's the difference between being a lying asshole and someone who is honest.
      It amazes me that people have such twisted views about when it's okay to have political beliefs. Who told you to think this way?

      --
      Life is too short to proofread.
    18. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by a8o · · Score: 1

      ...he also was asked on the Crossfire interview whether he believed a Kerry administration would provide him less comic material to which he asked how could it?

    19. Re:political bias for a news anchor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Scandal? Bias? You do realize that the truth behind Bush's dereliction of duty from the Texas National Guard during the Vietnam War rested on more than 3 memos. If you are concerned about bias in your news media (Fox, cough, cough), you might want to take issue with Bush's White House policy of faking news (and it's not even on a comedy channel).

  10. Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    To imply that Jon Stewart is a journalist and a replacement for Dan Rather is a gross mischaracterization and sad commentary on the state of news media.

    Jon Stewart is a comedian! The Daily Show is a comedy show! He is far from objective although he is hilarious.

    1. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by needacoolnickname · · Score: 1

      Very true.

      The news is no longer the news though. It is the news media. They decided to blur the lines and I find it rather funny that in thier race for ratings they are happy to want to hire a comedian to host the news.

    2. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by SiChemist · · Score: 1

      This is in offtopic response to your sig. You should check out the spellbound Firefox extension.

    3. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by sumdumass · · Score: 0

      I belive that was the whole point. Recently it apears that both jon stewart and dan rather are in the business of reporting "fake news".

      One freely admits it while the other hopes no-one notices.

    4. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by realityfighter · · Score: 1

      I believe the whole "Jon Stewart to replace Dan Rather" joke came from a clip on the Daily Show where they reported that CBS was looking at all sorts of replacements for Rather, including "Douchebag McJokenstein" - show image of JS here.

      I doubt CBS would ever consider Stewart for that kind of position. I'm also pretty sure he'd make fun of them for offering.

      --
      A strain of paranoid prevention can be worse than the disease, whate'er the intention.
    5. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The "Douchebag McJokenstein" came *after* the leak that he was a potential candidate. This is old news.

    6. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by needacoolnickname · · Score: 1

      Looks cool. Thanks. Having trouble downloading and installing it, but will continue to try. Thanks!

    7. Re:Jon Stewart is not a journalist! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes its almost like listening to the guy that hosted inside edition and thinking he has an opinion worth listening to.
      Spoiler: <stupid radio promo voice> Its BILL O"REILLLY </stupid radio promo voice>

  11. Daily Show Rocks! by Quantum+Fizz · · Score: 5, Insightful
    The Daily Show is one of the greatest programs currently on American television. Perhaps part of the reason for it's success is that since it's obviously a satirical show, it can press questions many of the other "so-called liberal media" outlets feel intimidated to represent. For example, the Daily Show was one of the first national 'news' programs to publically acknowledge the whole Jeff Gannon controversy in the White House that most other media outlets are surprisingly quiet about (basically the White House repeatedly gave a press clearance to a mole, under a fake name, who planted easy questions for Bush to answer, after the heightened 9/11 White House security. This guy w/ the fake name also had access to 'classified' information before it was revealed by either Bush or other staff. Meanwhile actual journalists, like Maureen Dowd were consistently refused press passes to White House briefings. This has all been unraveled in the past 2 weeks, like Watergate, with the mainstream press just starting to hesitatingly picking up on it.)

    And of course there's this brilliant tidbit where he blasts CNN's crossfire for being theater instead of actual news. The best part is when conservative crossfire host Tucker Carlson tries to ask Jon Stewart why he gave Kerry softball questions when he was on the Daily Show, Stewart responded (paraphrased from memory) "What I didn't realize, and maybe this explains alot, is that CNN takes its queues on integrity from Comedy Central. The show that leads into mine is puppets making crank phone calls."

    Jon Stewart is brilliant, and since the Daily Show has the satirical factor embedded in it, it allows him more freedom than most other media outlets. And ironically in many cases he does a better job at explaining the news. For example, Daily Show viewers tend to be more informed than viewers of many other programs.

    1. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Surye · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And it's the only show I regularly watch on tv. I think you summed it up nicely.

      (by the way, I do get "real" news, mostly in the form of reading newspapers. However, daily show provides true insight where one many not expect from Comedy Central).

    2. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Kissass. AND a spammer too.

    3. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by generic-man · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      No, thanks. The Daily Show is fake news, much like the blogs you cite: it's satire with talking heads occasionally brought in to bring the place legitimacy.

      You, and Jon on Crossfire, never explained why Jon lobs softball questions at folks like John Kerry and Michael Moore while firing off ad hominem attacks on Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson.

      But I really love how Jon deflects any criticism of his show by saying "hey, we're on Comedy Central -- we're all idiots here!" Kind of reminds me about how some bloggers want to be treated like journalists, but they're not journalists because all journalists are biased and evil.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    4. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My favorite version of their disclaimers (paraphrasing): "Surveys show that more than half of our viewers get 'most' or 'all' of their news coverage from this show, and on behalf of the entire crew here I'd just like to say ... STOP THAT! This is NOT a serious news show!"

    5. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Skreems · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Damn, dude... you totally missed the point.

      First, whenever someone claims that he takes it easier on democratic candidates, they give examples of A) the worst things he's said to republican types and B) random introductory things like "how are you doing?" that he's asked democrats. They're purposely choosing examples to make it seem more skewed than it really is.

      Second, neither Jon nor any of us have to explain any perceived or real slant. Because guess what: it's a COMEDY SHOW!!! They have NO responsibility to be balanced whatsoever! IF they're being unbalanced, it's because they're playing to their audience -- more of the people that watch their show lean to the left than to the right, I would guess. The fact that people try to compare the Daily Show with actual news in the first place is ludicrous... the fact that during those comparisons people keep bringing up the fact that the Daily Show seems biased is beyond critical stupidity.

      Nobody has ever suggested that the Daily Show should be treated like "real news" as you claim in your analogy to Bloggers. They have no desire to run "real news", they just want to do comedy and satire. None of us want the Daily Show to take the place of a real news source, and most of us are saddened and disgusted that they can compare in any way. It just shows how badly defective our "real news" sources actually are.

      --
      Slashdot needs a "-1, Wrong" moderation option.
      The Urban Hippie
    6. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by generic-man · · Score: 1

      See, then you go and claim that all "real news" sources are horrible.

      Here's an exercise. This is a Fox News story. Please find the bias in the news content. According to you, all our "real news" sources are "badly defective" and incapable of reporting anything properly. Please point out and correct the errors in this Fox News report, paying particular note to the pro-corporate and anti-liberal bias they are purported to project.

      --
      For more information, click here.
    7. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by s.fontinalis · · Score: 1

      There isn't bias because they cobbed that story together from AP & Reuters wire service pieces. Oh, I mean "Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report"

    8. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by demachina · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I love the Daily show but.... I unfortunately I understand why I love it, and all the rest of the Blue state'ers probably do too. Its the only American news show, or even fake news show, that people who aren't right wing wackos can watch since Bush assumed his throne, since 9/11 and especially since Bush got reelected. The Daily Show's popularity is almost directly corellated to the rise of Fox News and George W. We all fled to it to escape reality. Some people maybe fled to CNN or ABC but they all turned in to pale echos of Fox News, shameless flag waving after 9/11, their insane rush to war in Iraq, so we had to flee them too so we all landed on the Daily Show. When I tune in CNN I can barely tell it from Fox lately, except maybe Fox has more hard news.

      So we were all happily watching Jon Stewart, havin' a good laugh, and figuring the nightmare would be over in November. America would come to its senses and put a pathetic excuse for a Democrat in the White House, lesser of two evils ya know. He would suck but nothing could be as bad as George W.

      Two problems developed:

      - While were off escaping from reality, the Christian fundamentalists, the neocons, the hawks, Karl Rove and the rest played a deadly serious game to stay in power at all costs, they played hard ball and they won, while we were all off pretending Jon could just poke fun at them, everyone would see he was right and there was no way they could win. BUSHES REELECTION IS ALL JON'S FAULT....WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH.

      - Somehow the Democratic party nominated the absolute most pathetic candidate they could find, if you went looking for the absolute most pathetic candidate to nominate for President you couldn't have found anybody worse.

      So at this point we are trapped, we have only three options:

      A. Stop watching television or at least the news
      B. Watch the Daily show and have a half hour respite from the insanity that has siezed hold of America. Unfortunately its just escapism, pretending that if Jon makes a joke out of something horrible the White House did today that its must not be so bad, well unfortunately it still is.
      C. Watch the network news and just lose it, and start yelling at the TV,

      "How can you people be so stupid"
      "How did you all fall for that"
      "He is lieing, can't you tell he is lieing, he is really obviously lieing, how did you fall for that"
      "When did CNN U.S. get bought out by Fox News?

      That's pretty much all I did during the run up to the Iraq war. It was driving the family nuts everytime the news came on and I started yelling they are lieing about the WMD's and about the ties to Al Qaida, the RPV's spraying American cities with Anthrax and Saring, and about the "mushroom cloud", just so they can sucker Congress, the networks and the American people in to backing a war no one in their right mind would have backed otherwise.

      Its what I do lately when I see John Negroponte getting appointed head of this new monster of a national intelligence agency and all these politicians drooling as they praise him as a great diplomat and statesman, and all these 9/11 families and 9/11 commission, god bless them, naively giving the right wing the cover they needed to create this monster that makes the KGB look puny, the right wing all the while acting reluctant about it as they salivate about going back to the good old day of the '50's and '60's when the CIA was an out of control rogue agency toppling elected government after elected government.

      This is John "Death Squads are Us" Negroponte who was ambassador to Honduras during the Contra part of Iran Contra and the reign of terror of the CIA trained Battalion 3-16 whose specialty was torture and summary executions.

      He has numerous times, under oath said he was unaware of any human rights abuses in Honduras while he was there though death squads tortured hundreds, if not thousands of people, he was briefed on it, he knew about, he

      --
      @de_machina
    9. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're completely right. One story with no obvious bias immediately forces us all to conclude fox news is always unbiased in everything they do.

      Badly defective doesn't mean always wrong. A broken clock is still right twice a day.

      All news sources are biased, you just have to understand what their bias is, so you can filter it out. In the case of most commercial enterprises it's corporate bias, where the news is shaped to be profitable. They will report stories that attract viewers, they will not report stories that scare off advertisers (or viewers). If you want to know what stories they aren't reporting, just google around for what the companies that advertise on the network are doing. Nobody reports what coca-cola does, because coca-cola advertises everywhere and would cost them a lot of money to go against. In the same vein, they thrive by political conflict, since that brings in viewers who feel they need to get informed enough to be able to pick sides. So they tend to push whichever side is weakened so you get endless political strife. This can be easily observed by looking at what I call fake balance, where you give both sides of a debate equal time, when one side is mostly right, and one side is mostly wrong. Just keeping the debate going artificially is bias in itself. It's not ideological, but it's still biased.

      Though imho fox news is an exception, since they do have actual ideological bias coming from the absolute top of the company (the infamous murdoch content memo's). Which is why they seem so different from the other media sources. Their bias is a different flavor, and they're not afraid to pick sides on an issue.

    10. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Scudsucker · · Score: 1
      Somehow the Democratic party nominated the absolute most pathetic candidate they could find, if you went looking for the absolute most pathetic candidate to nominate for President you couldn't have found anybody worse.

      It's not so much that they pick weak candidates, but that they run incredibly weak, hamstrung, castrated campaigns. Why the fuck didn't we see ads after the VP debate showing pictures of John Edwards next to Dick "the first time I saw you was when you stepped onto the stage tonight" Cheney? Why didn't we see ads with clips of Bush talking about Iraqi WMD's, demanding to know where said WMD's were? Why didn't we see ads with clips of Bush saying "if you pay taxes, you get a tax cut" and then demand to know why there has been no cut in the payroll tax. Or show Bush in 2000 taking credit for Texas being the first state to allow patients to sue their HMO's, when he actually VETOED that bill as govenor and then let it pass without his signature.

      Bush has a carefully constructed "everyman" image...why didn't the Democrats run a commercial like this, substituting real figures for my made up ones in brackets:
      • Point out that Bush really isn't from Texas.
      • Show clips from a few right wingers bitching about "liberal elites".
      • Tell viewers that the average worth of the homes that Bush lived in while growing up was {$5,000,000}
      • Number of near minimum wage jobs Bush has had: {zero}
      • When has Dubbya had to worry about succeeding, or his future? Never. So just how much does Bush really have in common with the average American?

      Why else did Kerry lose? I ranted about this subject before, so here's a copy and paste:

      Why he lost...to be bruttaly honest, because Kerry ran an incompetent campaign. Yes, Rove did a marvelous job at turning out even more voters from the religious right, which I didn't think was possible. But those should have been the ONLY votes Bush should have been able to count on. The Democratic party could have put a garden rake in the race against Bush, run a decent campaign, and they should have won.

      More specifically, on what Kerry did wrong: first, he had no platform whatsoever. Just a bunch of talking points. He could have been as nuanced as he wanted on as many subjects as he wanted, but for gawds sakes he should have come up with a damn platform! 5 simple, easy to explain issues he would work on as soon as he got into office, and 5 reasons why not to vote for Bush. Say 1) increase minimum wage by x amount 2) increase troop pay and benefits 3) $150 billion for infrastructure (creates jobs and gets rid of pot holes 4) increase REAL domestic security, not just hassle guys named Mohammed at airports 5) redo the Bush tax package, and make a cut on payroll taxes this time.

      Second, while he was busy having no platform, he stuck his best weapon in rural Ohio and left him there: John Edwards. Even the most hard core Republican has to admit that list of Bush screwups is miles long. Lets see, who's good at taking facts, not rhetoric, and putting them together in an airtight case? Goddamn John Edwards. It was his profession for a lot longer than he was a Senator. He made millions doing it. Edwards should not have been making stump speeches in rural Ohio, he should have been a highly visible fixture on TV, laying out a case on why Bush is the Worst President Ever, in such an airtight fashion that not even Rush Limbaugh could argue with it.

      Lastly, and unforgivably, he let the Republicans define him. Oh, charges of flip-flopping, THAT's never happened in politics before. And WTF did I learn from Salon, rather than Kerry, that Kerry is actually the 11th most liberal Senator? And the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth guys have been dogging him since the freaking 70's. That Kerry would sit on his ass for months and not respond to them blows my mind. Why the hell do Democrats need to keep relearing the lessons of 1988? Not dignifying their opponents attacks with a responce worked SO WELL for Presi

    11. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by demachina · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "It's not so much that they pick weak candidates, but that they run incredibly weak, hamstrung, castrated campaigns"

      Nope. The cause of a weak campaign is a weak candidate. If he is so gutless he can't run a good campaign it is 100% his fault, he is the chief executive of the campaign.

      Its kind of obvious Dean would have had guts to run a serious campaign, he probably would have been destroyed by Rove and the media, and would have lost too but at least it wouldn't have been as pathetic as Kerry. There was a delightfully complex set of forces that set out to destroy Dean just before Iowa and they were successful. I'm sure it included some Democratic fat cats, party bosses and insiders who were ticked at Dean for circumventing them, it included the media who for whatever reason decided to destroy him. It included Dean himself who stuck his foot in his mouth. I wouldn't be surprised if it included Karl Rove, he probably in fact did fear Dean because he had a backbone and an organization which no other Dem candidates did.

      "1) increase minimum wage by x amount"

      That will get you the votes of progressives who are stuck voting for the Dems anyway or throwing away their votes on Nader, and people who actually work for a minimum wage, students, illegal aliens, high school dropouts, ex-cons, etc. and believe it or not almost none of them vote. You will be sure to lose the vote of anyone who employs people who work for minimum wage, i.e. restaurants, bars etc. It is a noble goal but you wont win an election on it. Its something a liberal would do after winning an election if he could get the votes in Congress.

      "2) increase troop pay and benefits"

      Don't think that is a viable issue for a Democrat to run on. Only people that care are those in the miliary and their families. The enlisted men either vote Democratic already or are probably hawks and firmly Republican, officer corp is very Republican. I doubt its going to swing any votes and is going to cost you an arm an a leg. Jacking up veteran's benefits might win you some votes at a high price, but you might still lose them because Dems are painted as soft on the military. I imagine if you won and actually made sure soldiers actually had armor on their humvees and trucks they might vote to reelect you overwhelmingly. Just promising it in a campaign would go in one ear and out the other. Republicans have been promising it for years and still not delivered.

      "3) $150 billion for infrastructure (creates jobs and gets rid of pot holes "

      Well I'll give you that spending it on infrastructure is better than wasting it in Iraq but your not going to win a lot of votes with it. First off its socialism and the money is mostly going to disappear in to the pockets of corrupt construction companies, unionized labor, and mafia controlled concrete companies. Look at it this way, $150 billion would pay for about ten iterations of Boston's "Big Dig". When all the money was gone you would be skewered for all the fraud, waste and abuse just like the "Big Dig" was.

      "4) increase REAL domestic security, not just hassle guys named Mohammed at airports"

      Easy to say, nearly impossible to do. Terrorists and insurgents always have the advantage because they can pick the soft spots. Unless you turn the U.S. in to a totalitarian police state its unlikely you are going to ever actually increase security. Israel is a tiny place with a oppressive security presence and they still can't stop attacks, especially suicide attacks. Maybe you could win some votes but you are just going to waste the money in a different direction than the Republicans.

      "5) redo the Bush tax package, and make a cut on payroll taxes this time."

      Well that one would be popular until Medicare, Social Security and unemployment run out of money. I'd agree it is criminal to be raking in surpluses from payroll taxes while Congress and the President redirect them in to defraying the deficits from tax cuts for the rich. In theory the su

      --
      @de_machina
    12. Re:Daily Show Rocks! by Skreems · · Score: 1

      Oh my god. You really don't get it, do you? Saying that a news outlet is biased doesn't mean that EVERY story they publish is biased. They may even have stories that lean the other way from their usual bias. The point is that ON AVERAGE they are not a balanced source of news.

      If you really expect to defeat the idea of Fox News as a biased media source with one article that talks only about a single FDA report... you're even more stupid than you look.

      --
      Slashdot needs a "-1, Wrong" moderation option.
      The Urban Hippie
  12. News for Nerds? by Fletch · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ok, I like Jon Stewart. I think the Daily Show is funny. But, why is this on slashdot?

    I mean, ok, there's been a television category here for a while, but the most recent stories were about holographic TV, TV downloading, PVRs and IPTV. There's plenty of "news for nerds" angles to those stories. Did I miss it here?

    1. Re:News for Nerds? by glenkim · · Score: 1

      short (obvious) answer: apparently nerds like the Daily Show.

    2. Re:News for Nerds? by /dev/trash · · Score: 2, Insightful

      he's anti-Bush. That goes over real well here.

    3. Re:News for Nerds? by hastings14 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      To be a nerd requires the ability to think critically. An sense of humor about the nature of the universe doesn't hurt, either.

      One of the primary sources (possibly the primary source) of critical thinking and humor on TV today is the Daily Show.

      Karma-wise, we're all on the same wavelength....

    4. Re:News for Nerds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      One of the primary sources (possibly the primary source) of critical thinking and humor on TV today is the Daily Show.

      No, their solitary mission is humor. If it's not funny, they don't show it. BFD if they happen to show some wit (a distinctly un-nerdy trait).

      Critical thinking is what you do in the classroom, where clowns disrupt and degrade the education that others are paying thousands for.

    5. Re:News for Nerds? by smidget2k4 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      he's not nessessarily anti-bush, before the bush administraition he poked plenty of fun at the clinton administration. it's mostly whoever is in power gets made fun of (thought Gore and Kerry each had their fair share too). And have you watched the show recently at all? I would say the Bush jokes and the democrats are pussies jokes almsot even out (or are at least getting a lot closer). And besides, when you have an administration as absurd as the Bushie admin, how can you NOT make fun of it? Its just so easy...

    6. Re:News for Nerds? by hastings14 · · Score: 1
      On the contrary, I think they do it the other way around. They take whatever the news of the day is and use humor to point out flaws, general inconsistency, and at times ridiculousness. Its not that they don't show it if its not funny, but that they take what's shown, and make it funny.

      Wit is an un-nerdy trait? Most of the time when I'm with regular folk, I have to tone down my humor. Nerd humor may be distinctive, but you can't say they don't have wit. Or, eh, maybe you can... I can't.

      We obviously had very different classroom experiences. I can't say I got a lot out of it most days, but glad you got your money's worth...

  13. Jon Stewart rocks... by GillBates0 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    First and foremost, I should link to the last story Slashdot ran about Jon, slamming the media's coverage of the election on CNN's Crossfire.

    That out of the way, I would like to encourage people to watch The Daily Show even though it comes on at 11pm EST (it also reruns at 7pm EST the following evening). Even those of you who reject it outright as Left Wing BS.

    Pause for a moment and try to listen to what the man has to say in as unbiased a way as possible...thinking of him as a standup comedian might help in this regard.

    Over time, you'll realize, that he indeed makes a lot of sense. Atleast when compared to the lameass corporate-owned media which the populace considers as mainstream (and factual) news. In his own, sarcastic and comedic way, he puts forth "politically incorrect" news items, which the popular media outlets are unwilling to touch, or willing to slant to suit their ends.

    Give it a try. Thank you.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
    1. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You realize he has a team of writers behind him giving him things to say, right?

    2. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by mythosaz · · Score: 5, Informative
      That team of writers INCLUDES him.

      If you like the show, read his book. America: Democracy Inaction is only $15, for god's sake, and anything that includes footnotes like:

      "For purposes of this chapter, "people" still refers to white land owners."

      ...and comments like:

      "Until 1920, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was known to women as 'Stay Home and Bake Day'"

      ...can't be all wrong.

    3. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Over time, you'll realize, that he indeed makes a lot of sense. Atleast when compared to the lameass corporate-owned media "

      Wait, so how is the Daily Show not part of the lameass corporate-owned media? It's corporate owned. You just contradicted your own arguement.

      Standard left-wing logic.

    4. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by otis+wildflower · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think it works best when he's got a writing crew to keep him 'honest' when it comes to covering all sides of an issue. He's not quite so 'fair and balanced' solo. That is to say, he doesn't let his personal sympathies get in the way of a good joke.

      I form opinions issue by issue, rather than subsuming my opinion to one particular groupthink tribal mass or another. Finding the absurdity in any situation where it appears appeals greatly to me, and good satire works when it's honest, telling the truth with humor. For the most part TDS is honest and smart satire, whether it's targeting Bush (I mean, I don't love or hate the man, but it's objectively honest that he can barely string two words together in public speaking.. ) or anyone else.

      Besides, he'll have rightists on as guests often enough, and he's pretty fair. He won't usually go for the easy jabs, as a recent interview with Mike Mills demonstrated.. His interviews tend to be more thought-provoking, given that he'll engage his guests in some serious questioning, and I'd call it 2/3rds BookNotes with only 10% of the dryness.

      I consider TDS mandatory viewing, and I only wish there were more of it.

      I don't think Stewart would be a smart replacement for a network anchor like Rather though, I think he needs a guest to discuss things with, I think he'd do better as a George Stephanopoulous replacement.

    5. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Kafka_Canada · · Score: 0

      Sound like a good read for an elementary school student.

      --
      Fuck it
    6. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but MTV networks is the king of lameass corporate-owned media.

    7. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      Yeah, after that "no child left behind" act Bush put on, the school children could use some real educational material. They'll need all the help they can get to grow up to be educated, honest, voting citizens.

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    8. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by mythosaz · · Score: 1

      ...actually, you're more right than you think. It's written like a 10th grade civics textbook.

    9. Re:Jon Stewart rocks... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spot on. Except for one thing:

      > but it's objectively honest that he can barely string two words together in public speaking..

      Acually, he does real well when he's talking about killing people (there may be others, this is the one I've noticed).

  14. Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by zymano · · Score: 1

    You need to calm down.

    Politics is making you nuts.

  15. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by JonStewart · · Score: 1

    My father had an old saying at the dinner table and it goes a little something like this, "You rationalise the small acts of unprincipled behaviour in terms of self-interest, and the next thing you're Henry Kissinger." He was such a drunk.

  16. Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is not. Science fiction and fantasy are particularly geek oriented. A comedy news series is not. I'm sure geeks watch Survivor, too. Does that mean it should be covered on Slashdot?

    1. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

      What's the prime age of The Daily Show's viewers? The sex? Ok, did you do "Ven Diagrams" in elementary school? It's called "overlap." you do the math.

    2. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And look at the prime age of wrestling viewers, and the sex. Same groups. Perhaps Slashdot should start covering WWE?

    3. Re:Please by unitron · · Score: 1
      " And look at the prime age of wrestling viewers, and the sex. Same groups. Perhaps Slashdot should start covering WWE?"

      The Daily Show appeals to Slashdotters more than does professional wrestling because they prefer believable fiction.

      --

      I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

    4. Re:Please by Robstafarian · · Score: 1
      "And look at the prime age of wrestling viewers, and the sex. Same groups. Perhaps Slashdot should start covering WWE?"
      You forgot to account for the average IQ of wrestling viewers, a geek that dumb probably thinks G4 is the best thing that ever happened to TechTV.
    5. Re:Please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > I'm sure geeks watch Survivor,

      Name 3.

  17. News for Nerds by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Last year an interesting story ran amok in the media about how _Daily Show_ watchers were beter informed than Fox News watchers. Geeks are better informed. The _Daily Show_, as a parody of news shows and the news, is for news geeks. We're such geeks that we can't even notice this basic fact without asking one another for clarification. Welcome to the club.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  18. More Nerdier every day! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll
    This is sooooooo non-mainstream!

    Talk about nerdie loners... thank goodness we have Slashdot as an alternative to popular culture.

    (-5 Sarcasm)

  19. Re:He cried like a Little Sissy Punk-Ass Bitch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You wanna fuck him, don't you.

  20. Uh huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Like, has anyone else noticed that when The Daily Show's correspondents report "from the field," it looks like in-studio video effects? Yeah. Bad in-studio video effects.

    This guy's a little slow

  21. Re:That's cool... by srini91 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Perish the thought.
    I've heard enough of :
    • "Google is good, Microsoft is bad"
    • "We're hypocrites."
    • "Wifi is going to change or change the world."
    • "New Linux desktop released."
    • "Global warming: fact or fiction?"

    Yet, I still keep reading...
    It's nice to have monkey-controlled robots and Jon Stewart to break the cycle?
  22. The Study... by Caseyscrib · · Score: 2, Informative

    The actual study can be found here. There was also a slashdot discussion here.

  23. Well... about time... by Zotnix · · Score: 1

    We all know that Jon Stewart is all about bringing back integrity to the news. Just look at The Daily Show, now that's a show based on good, sound, family values!

  24. Who the fuck... by uhlume · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is Dan Rathers?

    --
    SIERRA TANGO FOXTROT UNIFORM
    1. Re:Who the fuck... by trick-knee · · Score: 2, Funny
    2. Re:Who the fuck... by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      Try Dan Rather without the s. You'l get the idea

    3. Re:Who the fuck... by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 1
      Who the fuck is Dan Rathers?

      Duh! He's the guy John Stuart was rumored to be replacing.

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    4. Re:Who the fuck... by Platinum+Dragon · · Score: 1

      Some guy I heard about on the internets.

      --

      Someday, you're going to die. Get over it.
  25. Re:That's great, congratulations on being an idiot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Wow, missed the point award goes to....

    Jon's whole point was "we don't pretend to be news"
    Obviously too subtle for you. At least he's funny.

    Show me a Crossfire fan and I'll show you a psycho.
    You people need to get laid while you still can.

  26. Jon Stewart=court jester by edremy · · Score: 2, Insightful
    There's a long history of using satire to speak unpleasant truths to people who won't otherwise listen. Read up on your Shakespeare (Lear, for example) and you'll see numerous fools who are the only people who can get away with it.

    Jon is our court jester. It's truly sad that you'll see more incisive commentary on TDS than on the major news networks. I've given up on all TV news except TDS- there's no point left to the major news programs anymore.

    The most telling comment I ever saw on TDS was a short clip of a british journalist grilling Tony Blair about something. Stewart's comment was something like "Where can we get some guys like this?" Lord knows the american media has just given up.

    --
    "Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
  27. Remember? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remember when that tall blonde asshole was the host of the daily show? I mean, back then people thought it was a really good show. And when he quit and Jon Stewart was the new guy everyone was like "who the fuck is Jon Stewart? Oh, no, the show is going to die."

    Guess what bitches?

    1. Re:Remember? by jay-be-em · · Score: 2

      I had already been a fan of Jon Stewart for some time before he took over the chair at The Daily Show; but I must admit, it took him and the writing staff a year or so to become consistently funny. The show was often painfully bad for the first season.

      --
      "Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness." --Eric Blair
    2. Re:Remember? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just who is this Jon Stewart anyway?

      Is he someone with the creditability of a bloger, or is he just some left wing nut job?

    3. Re:Remember? by stevenvi · · Score: 1

      I still think that Craig Kilborn was by far funnier than Jon Stewart. Then he moved to CBS for a late night show that totally sucked... And Jon Stewart was terrible the first couple years, though these days I do tend to flip to it every so often.

      Guess what bitches?

      What? I'm clearly missing your point...

  28. Mod up! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I just noticed that :)

  29. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by tim256 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For a second there, I thought you were really Jon Stewart like on the Daily Show. But, Jon Stewart is American and they spell rationalize with a z and behavior without the u.

  30. Re:That's great, congratulations on being an idiot by blue+trane · · Score: 0

    What?

  31. And the Obvious Question is... by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 4, Funny

    where is a reliable source of Daily Show torrents?

    --
    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
    1. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by Neko-kun · · Score: 1

      http://www.tvtorrents.ws/ is fairly good source. Maybe not an everyday thing but it does a job.

    2. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by nobuzz · · Score: 1

      http://tracker.shuntv.net/
      needs a login but people are great seeders

    3. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by alphakappa · · Score: 2, Informative

      For regular Daily Show torrents that can be downloaded straight without going through a login, use btefnet. Shows can usually be found the same night itself and are of a good video quality.

      --
      "When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
    4. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find the best place to be at http://tracker.zaerc.com/

      The guy that uploads there encodes the files so that they are under 50 MB. It's nice because I can download them before they even air on the west coast.

    5. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by mocheeze · · Score: 1

      I use them too. The swarm on those files has really increased since lokitorrent shut down.

    6. Re:And the Obvious Question is... by Altima(BoB) · · Score: 1

      I like to use http://mininova.org for Daily Show torrents.

      --
      Yup...
  32. Re:He cried like a Little Sissy Punk-Ass Bitch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think he already has, and thats the problem

  33. Re:That's great, congratulations on being an idiot by JebusIsLord · · Score: 0

    yeah, what the fuck?

    --
    Jeremy
  34. Strange Indeed by BigDumbSpaceApe · · Score: 1
    There is something really strange about the CNN study : There are 6 questions, which if you picked totally randomly you would get yourself 2.75 points. (5 of the questions have 2 choices, .5 points for each for 2.5 points - one question has 4 choices for an additional .25 points for an average 2.75 points out of a possible 6.0)

    However, the average score for someone that is not a late night viewer is actually lower than random guessing, at 2.62. I'm gonna have to check the actual study to see why this happened. Maybe this is just a strange statistical thing or the sample size is too small, but im betting that it is another case of great misinformation from the Bush Administration. This wouldn't be the first time that such an effect was shown. I'd really like to see a break down of how people fared on each question by political party and other factors.

    --
    WWJD? JWRTFM.
    1. Re:Strange Indeed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is strange... especially considering how easy the questions are. I very rarely turn on my TV and I read news on-line rather sporadically, and I still answered all 6 questions correctly. And I'd think people taking the quiz on cnn.com, of all places, should be relatively well-informed!

      Two of the questions I could see being a little difficult for those not paying too much attention (the one asking who is a former prosecutor, and the one asking above which income level Kerry would roll back the tax cuts for), but the rest, IIRC, were very basic Republican/Democrat differences that don't really require knowledge specifically about Kerry or Bush. So even those who are relatively uninformed about Bush & Kerry should still be able to get 4 out of 6... but even the Daily Show viewers averaged below that.

      How can we vote--and really consider this a democracy--if people don't even know what they're voting for? It's rather frightening.

  35. Daily Show by Solidsnot · · Score: 1

    I like TDS and I think John Stewart is hilarious, however there is something slightly disturbing about the fact that so many people get their news from a comedy show. I saw the tidbit he did on Crossfire and although I do agree that his show is comedy, for him to play it off as if he doesn't have an impact on how people think about politics was an artful dodge on his part.
    I do agree that his show is brilliant even with his admitted left wing bias, at least he's honest.

    1. Re:Daily Show by TWX · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "...although I do agree that his show is comedy, for him to play it off as if he doesn't have an impact on how people think about politics was an artful dodge on his part."

      He's never claimed to be anything but comedy. He delivers deadpan frequently, but he directly makes fun of news. The reason why there is irony here is that he, a self-proclaimed (and acknowledged) comedian goes on a supposedly serious news show, blasts them for their practices, and when they try to attack him for journalistic integrity they are left with nothing specifically because he isn't a journalist, but they have confused him for one. They can't make any logical retort at that point because his comedy is more accurate news than their journalism is.

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    2. Re:Daily Show by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I too like Jon Stewart and TDS, however what you find distrubing has a simple explaination, IMO. I would assert that the reason TDS viewers are so well-informed is because the show self-selects its viewers for this trait. Not that absolutely all viewers are well-informed, but in order to get the full humor of most jokes you need to know some stuff that TDS doesn't give you. Thus, if you don't know this other stuff then you won't think TDS is very funny and won't watch it. This is self-selection and means that TDS doesn't cause its viewers to be informed but requires that they be well-informed.

      Thus people are not *getting* "news" *from* TDS and instead are allowing TDS to twist the knowledge they got from other sources, while remaining mostly cognizant of reality.

  36. Rather not. by Capt_Troy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'd rather not see Stewart dishing out real news. He's perfect where he is. I doubt CBS would allow him to do the satire that comedy central does, and that's the strength of the Daily Show.

    1. Re:Rather not. by pipingguy · · Score: 1


      The much-maligned Fox network is also responsible for seeding and supporting shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy and making them mainstream. I doubt that "the big 3" would ever have risked offending the general populace with such insightful and thoughtful social and political commentary (some might call this "subversion of values").

  37. Dumb question. 3 reasons. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Jon Stewart is about as far left as anyone.
    The typical /. crowd makes the Swedes and the French look conservative.
    Of all the TV networks, CBS is the PERFECT place for a liberal to be a news anchor.

    Seriously though... how many /.ers have to pay taxes, raise a family, pay a mortgage, and pay off student loans? It's easy to be a liberal and complain about conservatives when you still live at home, don't have any income, and don't have to pay bills. Most liberals in college turn into conservatives before age 40. I wonder why that is?

  38. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by miu · · Score: 1
    Some of us Americans grew up reading old books or books with an intentionally archaic flavor. If I don't watch then I still sometimes throw in the extra 'u' or change a 'z' to an 's'. For some reason that habit drove a certain type of teacher nuts in grade school.

    So it may be modern British English, but it is also archaic American English and using it does not necessarily mean you are British.

    --

    [Set Cain on fire and steal his lute.]
  39. Re:Jon Stewart & CBS by aventius · · Score: 0

    Bitch please... Fox News is ultra conservative (which is fine to be) but the problem is that they try to convince the audience that they are "fair and balanced" when they are anything but. Fox News is the epitomy of agenda driven corporate media theater masquerading as legitimate journalism... well them and Crossfire.

    --
    [insert lame joke here]
  40. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by greypilgrim · · Score: 1

    Could be Canadian for example. We still use the "u" that the Americans have cut out of a lot of words.

  41. It's still corperate owned by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    Comedy Central is owned by Viacom who is CBS, UPN, Spike, MTV, BET, VH1, CMT, Nickelodean, Showtime, Sundance, and Paramount Pictures that I am aware of (I'm sure there are more). Fortunately, at this point, Viacom recongnises that the freedom to be different and offensive is what gets the ratings on Comedy Central and they allow and encourage it.

    But don't think for a minute that it's not big corporate owned media.

    That does not, however, mean that their content is not excellent and well worth watching. Chapelle's Show is also top notch, and most of the rest of their shows are at least pretty good or better.

  42. Re:Jon Stewart & CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dear AC,

    Please dig your head out of your ass.

    Regards,
    AC

    P.S. http://mediamatters.org/

  43. Re:Jon Stewart & CBS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every man and woman is their own center of the universe. I don't know what you expect, or why ANYONE has more of a right to call themselves moderate while claiming everyone else is so radical for having "extreme" views.

  44. No kidding by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I mean that one comes as a huge "duh". On his interview on C-span Stewart joked about that how you get a green screen and one shot of Baghdad and wham, you have a reporter in the Middle East. I even recall an episode where two reporters that were supposed to be in different parts of the world started areuging and eventually went after each other, back and forth between the two boxes that were supposed to be the different camera angles, it was hilarious.

    However, I'll give the guy some credit. The Daily Show does news so well (or perhaps it's just that normal news is done so poorly) that some peopel do take them more seriously than they should. They start to think the funny is just a hook, and it's a new program.

    No, actually, it's a talkshow, just like Letterman or Leno. Starts with the monologue, goes to the feature, then the guest, then out. It's just a little shorter than the big ones. The news program is just their angle on it, their fun format. All talk shows do a topical show, it's what people want. The Daily Show jsut pretends to be a news show while they do it. That they actually do a good job covering current events is just evidence of the quality.

    So I can give people a little credit for confusing the format with the aim, but it's still pretty stupid.

    1. Re:No kidding by evilviper · · Score: 1
      They start to think the funny is just a hook, and it's a new[s] program.

      No, actually, it's a talkshow, just like Letterman or Leno.

      Well, to be fair, it is more of a legitimate news program than the early morning "News" shows like "The Early Show" "Good Day Live", etc.
      --
      Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  45. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by Darthmalt · · Score: 1

    well seing as how archaic American English was British English...

    My problem comes from spending to much time on sites with regular international posters. Some words like color/colour are easy for me to keep straight. But I constantly get confused by defence / defense. Thank goodness for spell checker.

  46. Interview by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The one Slashdot interview I'd LOVE to see would be a John Stewart one.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
  47. Rathers???? by Deitiker · · Score: 1

    Is this really just a excuse to make up silly names like "Dan Rathers"?

  48. Fabulous, darling! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Positively fabulous.

  49. Daily show is on CNN in Asia by johnnywheeze · · Score: 5, Informative

    vis-a-vis Jon Stewart not being a serious journalist. The Daily Show has an International Edition that actually plays on CNN on weekends (if you live in asia). Which at last look was accepted as a serious news channel.

    Political satire has always been just as, or indeed more effective in changing opinion on policies and governments than the regular news media.

    Dismiss this man at your peril.

    1. Re:Daily show is on CNN in Asia by imadork · · Score: 1
      vis-a-vis Jon Stewart not being a serious journalist. The Daily Show has an International Edition that actually plays on CNN on weekends (if you live in asia). Which at last look was accepted as a serious news channel.
      Political satire has always been just as, or indeed more effective in changing opinion on policies and governments than the regular news media.

      I think what you're really saying is that Americans are bad at spotting satire, and we need the guy to be on a Funny Channel to realize he's not a Serious Journalist... while the rest of the world doesn't just assume that a guy with a suit on a News Channel is automatically correct....

    2. Re:Daily show is on CNN in Asia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just watched it on CNN Europe too. Its Daily Show Global edition here.

      Funny is, the guests. 90% of them are unknown to Europe.

  50. Modappeal by Scareduck · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yes, I know, we're not supposed to gripe about moderation, but I think the parent poster is fairly close to right. TDS wants to have it both ways: to be treated seriously by its audience, and at the same time to be left alone as "ha-ha-only serious" satire. Can't have it both ways, kids.

    --

    Dog is my co-pilot.

    1. Re:Modappeal by creysoft · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I concede in advance that I don't have an extensive knowledge of this topic, but I'll throw my two cents in here anyway. Rest assured, paramedics are standing by with the jaws of life to unjam my foot from my mouth.

      I believe the entire point is that TDS *doesn't* want to be treated seriously by its audience. As an earlier post pointed out, they even said as much in on of their disclaimers. You can say what you want about ulterior motives, but the fact of the matter is they are a comedy show, view themselves as a comedy show, and have never done or said anything to contradict that position.

      People get confused when they see Jon attacking the "real" media, because they don't realize that Jon isn't speaking to them as a journalist. He's speaking to them as a concerned citizen. Something along the lines of, "Look, I run a comedy show, and people still think it's better than your real news. That shouldn't be happening." I think it's time for an illustration.

      Let's say for a moment that a popular TV doctor from "E.R." breaks his leg, and goes to the real emergency room, where he is mistreated by the staff, neglected by the doctors, overcharged for the services, and denied appropriate medical treatment. As a celebrity, he has access to the public and decides to hold a conference, blasting the facility for its poor performance.

      The hospital issues a press release, pointing out numerous instances in the show "E.R." where his character failed in his duties, or where much worse events transpired. They end by saying that if the show can't get it right, he has no right to complain about the real thing.

      Can you see the absurdity of this? The only reasonable response is, "I didn't know hospitals took their cues on ethics from cable television." Meanwhile people like myself, who have little or no regard for "E.R." rail away at detractors by echoing the same arguments used in the press release.

      The point is that The Daily Show is not a news show. Jon isn't speaking as a journalist, attacking his colleagues. He's speaking as a concerned citizen, attacking the people charged with providing him accurate, unbiased information, and failing to do their job. His capacity as a news anchor for TDS serves only to grant him access to the public. To accuse Jon Stewart of hypocrisy in failing his own journalistic responsibilities is every bit as absurd as charging a TV actor with failing in his duties as a medical professional.

      --
      Formerly GNU/Anonymous Coward. This message has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
  51. Re:Great if u like to be brainwashed by brettlbecker · · Score: 2

    Um, dude, you do know it's a comedy show right? As far as I understand it, it doesn't matter what kind of bias a comedy show has. He doesn't care about presenting an objective viewpoint. And he doesn't have to.

    Think your argument and your problem through again, except this time replace all instances of "The Daily Show" with "The Man Show" and see how it comes out.

    ...sigh...

    B

    PS - as an aside, I'd say that The Daily Show was just about as biased towards the Left during the election as FOX News was towards the Right. Of course, FOX News *does* present itself as an objective, credible source of information. Which was a hefty portion of Stewart's point when he was on Crossfire on CNN.

    --
    "We must still have chaos within in order to be able to give birth to a dancing star." --Friedrich Nietzsche
  52. Re:That's cool... by spiritraveller · · Score: 1

    I just thought it was a bit off topic...

    but I myself have been modded -1 off-topic...

    Oh the irony!

  53. Re:Great if u like to be brainwashed by yarichg** · · Score: 1

    I 've been watching the show since Kilborn hosted ..so yea, I know it's labeled a "comedy show". I think it's more of a political commentary masquerading as a comedy show... PS- I don't consider it an argument or a problem..merely an opinion...and BTW,did "The Man Show" ever have political guests, authors, or anyone else offering political opinion??

  54. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by B3ryllium · · Score: 1

    Yeah, those crazy Americans and their language compression algorithms. You know, the ones sponsored by the University of Alabama. :)

    I still tend to use the "z" instead of the "s", though ... "realize" vs. "realise" ... zzzzzzz. Zed me, baby. :)

  55. Re:Great if u like to be brainwashed by siliconjunkie · · Score: 1

    Jon Stewart is *far* from partisan. If he singles out anyone for a heavier bashing it's extremists on *both* sides of the aisle, be they wildly conservative Repubs or mind-numbingly liberal Dems. This is not "partisan". this is making fun of the bullshit that exists on both sides of the party line.

  56. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by JonStewart · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, my father was Welsh. But you didn't hear that from me.

  57. Google's cache of slashdotted page by boingyzain · · Score: 1

    Here's the google link of the "replacement to Dan Rather" link that we so beautifully slashdotted.

  58. Lose the actor interviews by Sloppy · · Score: 2, Insightful
    There's one thing the Daily Show should do, to turn it from a good show into a great one: get rid of the interviews with entertainers, who are just trying to promote their new movie or something like that.

    It just doesn't fit, and I almost always fast-forward through it (and when I don't fast forward through it, I always regret it, because it turns out to be incredibly boring, even if it's Eric Idle). It's never funny or entertaining. Lose it, and the show will improve. Interview authors and politicians instead.

    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
    1. Re:Lose the actor interviews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I suspect the interviews exist mostly as filler. The creativity of The Daily Show's writers would be quickly exhausted if they had to fill the entire half-hour time-slot with comedy sketches, with four new episodes every single week. Without the interviews, it would probably have to be "The Weekly Show" instead.

      As for who gets interviewed--again, I'm guessing they would have trouble getting four politically-interesting celebrity guests per week. And people promoting a new movie/book/whatever are probably more willing to be interviewed on the show than political figures. Hence, you get boring celebrity interviews that are just promotions of the latest movie that you don't care about.

    2. Re:Lose the actor interviews by mink · · Score: 1

      Considering you nick, the interview with Alan Cumming was quite a riot, especially when he introduced his line of personal care products.
      Maybe it was just a particularly good 2 weeks but I also found the one with the gentleman who wrote a book after going out on a fishing schooner funny/informative/sobering.

      --
      Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  59. Dumb Answers by skids · · Score: 1

    If you think John Stewart is "far left" you've never been out of Arkansas.

    What is considered "centrist" in this country is by and large considered right wing in the rest of the world.

    WRT CBS, it was a joke. A JOKE!

    But you're right about one thing. As a long-term slashdotter, although I do pay taxes, I don't have to raise a family, pay a mortgage and pay off student loans. Because I'm not like all the suburbian assholes who turn Republican because it allows them to drop out of participating in society, and become a cleaner shaven version of the "welfare people" they so love to despise. I didn't try to live my entire life on the back-end of a credit card payment. And I won't be having a wife or kids until I (or we) can damn well pay for their needs. At that point, I will gladly take my fair share of all that school tax money I've been paying to subsidize their inability to effectively coordinate the use of a savings account and a pack of condoms.

    And I'm "liberal" at least by your definition. And I will be well past age 40. And of that, I am proud.

    1. Re:Dumb Answers by bob+beta · · Score: 1

      That might be true for some evaluations of the term 'rest of the world.'

      However, 'the whole world' is not defined as several socialistic european states. Hell, there are even parts of the EU that aren't infested with that bug.

  60. Re:Great if u like to be brainwashed by mr100percent · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The biggest political partison on the air? Not Bill O'Reilly? Not Michael Savage? Not Ann Coulter? Jon Stewart is not a journalist, right?

    95% of his guests were Kerry shills? Ed Gillespie? Fareed Zakaria? John Leguizamo? Samuel L. Jackson? Kevin Spacey? Jude Law? Desmond Tutu? Bill O'Reilly? Jerry Seinfeld?

  61. Re:Dumb question. 3 reasons. by Dasch · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Have you *ever* been outside the US?! Only in America can a liberal be on the left wing...

  62. Will they kill it now? by bob+beta · · Score: 1

    Daily Show Production Team Nets Creative Freedom

    Now that they have it caught in a net, will they kill it, or are they planning on sticking in a cage somewhere?

    Needless to say, they're slaves to their ideology, and won't just set it loose again.

  63. Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

    Jon admits to a bias and refuses to correct it - see for example his interview on Crossfire where he agreed he eats Kerry's shit (his phrasing).

    [Video online at http://askmen.com/video/current/ - search for "Jon" when the video display opens]

    But he wants to still correct all sorts of faults he detects in the mainstream media.

    When his hypocracy was pointed out, he said, in effect... "But I'm just a joker".

    So taking his advice about media bias is taking the advice of an arrogant joker. People would rather take advice from someone fair.

    This is the problem Mike Moore had too. Sincerity and honesty triumph over arrogance, not matter how sophisticated it is.

    1. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeay!!!! Attack the messenger!!! Congratulations, you're no different than anyone else. Here's a clue: EVERYONE has a bias.

    2. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THE DAILY SHOW ISN"T NEWS!!!! THE DAILY SHOW ISN"T NEWS!!!! It just happens to be more informative than news. Actually an earlier post made a good point about the daily show being the modern day court jester, using comedy, satire and humor to tell the king the uncomfortable truths that no one else will tell. Now if you want to say the court jester shouldn't have bias.... well ... uhmmmm .... feel free?

    3. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by creysoft · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Jon admits to a bias and refuses to correct it... but he wants to still correct all sorts of faults he detects in the mainstream media.

      This was exactly my point. Let me rephrase. Do you have a bias? Are you a liberal, conservative, libertarian? Librarian? Unless you're absolutely apolitical, you have some sort of affinity for a particular political party. Now, to use your argument:

      "You have an admitted bias, and you refuse to correct it. But you still assume to attack Jon Stewart for having an admitted bias. When your hypocrisy was pointed out, you say, in effect, 'I'm not a journalist!' To which I say, 'EXACTLY!'"

      Jon Stewart isn't a journalist. He plays one on TV. Your second argument, "So taking his advice about media bias is taking the advice of an arrogant joker." seems to indicate that you don't believe comedians can complain about how crappy the news has gotten. If that's what you really believe, well... I'm afraid we're probably never going to come to an agreement. :-)

      --
      Formerly GNU/Anonymous Coward. This message has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
    4. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > This was exactly my point. Let me rephrase. Do you have a bias?
      I hope not. :)

      > Are you a liberal, conservative, libertarian? Librarian?
      These aren't biases. You've listed political ideologies, and one occupation. Actually, I subscribe to parts of all these ideologies; most compensate for goods points missing in others. In fact most political parties realize this and will freely borrow ideas from ideologies they supposedly oppose. :-)

      (Why they don't do so openly, I don't know - it's counterproductive... ).

      > "You have an admitted bias, and you refuse to correct it.
      > But you still assume to attack Jon Stewart for having an admitted bias.
      > When your hypocrisy was pointed out, you say, in effect, 'I'm not a
      > journalist!' To which I say, 'EXACTLY!'"

      To which I say: What "admitted bias" did I admit to?

      This idea of everyone being inextricably bound to biases -- it's just a recent faddish meme that serves no purpose but to confuse.

      A bias is *not* like my ethnic heritage... it isn't something to be accepted and celebrated as an integral part of oneself.

      Rather, by definition, a *bias* tends to obscure truth and cloud one's judgement. It is something to be *fought* against.

      > Jon Stewart isn't a journalist. He plays one on TV.
      There's nothing hard and fast about him not being a journalist. In Jon Stewart's case, he mixes entertainment with news and current affairs, and presents with his own bias.

      > Your second argument, "So taking his advice about media bias
      > is taking the advice of an arrogant joker." seems to indicate that
      > you don't believe comedians can complain about how crappy the news has gotten.

      Sure they can! BUT if they can't ditch their own bias when they are complaining, WHY should we believe them? Wouldn't *their* *biases* cloud their viewpoint and tend to invalidate their complaint?

      Now if Jon complianed about some *specific* incident, that should be examined irrespective of his bias. But he didn't give anything concrete that could stand by itself -- rather he kept saying unsubstantiated mumbo-jumbo about "conspiracy", etc. i.e. When challenged for evidence, he's hiding behind his humor.

      If you act like a joker *when, at the same time* complaining about bias, you will be treated as one by other unbiased people. I suppose you caught the subsequent election. As I was saying, honestly and sincerity trump wit. :-)

    5. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > Here's a clue: EVERYONE has a bias.

      That may well be, but do you know mine?

      See my response above.

    6. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your bias does not matter.

    7. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I suggest, when you get to college, a Logic 101 course.

    8. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > I suggest, when you get to college, a Logic 101 course.

      A course you flunked? Read again what I wrote above.

    9. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > Your bias does not matter.

      Then what you say also doesn't matter. Goodbye.

    10. Re:Jon's all give, no take. by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

      > if you want to say the court jester shouldn't have bias....

      Jon is his own person - he can think what he wants. But who in his right mind will pay attention to unsubstantiated complaints made by an admittedly biased whinger, who then hides behind his funny face persona when a counterpoint is put forward?

      Is there something special about droll humor that turns losing arguments around? I think not.

  64. Re:Dan Rather didn't report fake news by bob+beta · · Score: 1

    Yeah. It was 'real news' that he, unfortunately, had zero, zippo, absolutely no solid evidence of, except for forged evidence.

    Whiff away at those fumes, dude. But there's nothing there.

  65. He loves the USA by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

    When Bush won his second term.
    No Shit look it up.
    He was in NYC going to some media party where everyone was having a good time(including his staff writers) despite the results coming in.Like most Lefty Partisan Hacks Stewie had been pounding his pud in celebatory anticipation of the Kerry Victory the rigged MSM exit polls had predicted.Like Michael More Lil Jonny was already to take credit for bringing down "Bush Chimpler".
    Well he walks in and sees FL for Bush and Ohio leaning and he walked out sulking and back home to cry.
    If he is so Hip and Au Courant and "better" than real journalists why the fuck couldn't he have a good time and say Ce La Vie?
    Cuse he is a whining little prettyboy who takes himself too seriously.


    About half the people who love this country and care about what happens to it cried that day (the other half celebrated). A lot of people, regardless of their job felt very strongly about this election...

    Why do you assume it has to do with his career? He knows he will have much more material this way...

    --
    "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
  66. Jon Stewart is not an ass. by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

    He treats his guests nicely.

    He regularly has Bill Safire on, and he is always treated nicely, you mentioned Bill O'Reilly...

    Why do you think Bush would have been treated differently? Does Bush's Letterman apearance somehow convince you that a daily show appearance would have been similar?

    --
    "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
  67. Re:crested four years ago by dkh · · Score: 1

    wow. flamebait becuase I don't belive the show is what it once was - my evil ways have been exposed...

  68. Re:Dan Rather didn't report fake news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > But there's nothing there.

    Bah! Fits perfectly with the pattern. Watch the Zapuder (sp) film, then read a transcript of what Rather said about it when it was still classified. Your right, nothing to see here, move along.....

  69. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 1

    That would explain a great deal, such as why Stewart is so un-American.

    Regards,
    Tucker Carlson

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
  70. Of course nothing will come of it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm sure no law was broken. And with the GOP in control, it's a dead certainty that they'll ignore it. Actually, Gannon/Guckert will probably end up getting a Medal of Honor, or whatever they call it.

    Meanwhile, it'll absorb everyone's attention and the GOP will pass lots of bad legislation without any oversight or media scrutiny.

    1. Re:Of course nothing will come of it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem I see is he could have been a terrorist with explosives in his shoes/on his body.

      I mean, they just let him using a pseudonym and no id? What the Fuck!

  71. conservatives and age... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    First signs of senility? Detachment from reality? Anger at your lost youth and need to disassociate yourself from its evils?

  72. Makes me recall a quotation I once read by mindaktiviti · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke."

    - Will Rogers (I think, took it off a 'net source)

    This quotation seems to hit the mark since all of our comedians actually end up making a lot more sense than our politicians and media.

    Bring on the comedian overlords.

  73. ASCII Art Farts on Slashdot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  74. Re:Dumb question. 3 reasons. by Ptraci · · Score: 1

    I am past 40, have already raised my son on my own, pay taxes and a mortgage, never had the time to incur student loans, and I love Jon Stewart. I also cried when Bush won and I'm not any more sanguine about the situation now. Maybe I'm not a typical slashdotter because I'm older than most, but I don't see that your post really says anything. I would classify myself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal. This means not letting the government go deep into debt because you want to give breaks to your rich buddies and be a war leader, and keeping the government out of my private life as long as I'm not hurting anyone else.

  75. no. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the daily show is not a primary news source, its a terrific comentary/watch dog on the real jounalism, but never confuse the two.

  76. nitpick much? by Scudsucker · · Score: 1

    I appreciate the sentiment of your post but I don't really think you outlined anything resembling a viable campaign strategy.

    What, you think that was supposed to be a dissertation for a Ph.D in political science? I threw out a list of five off-the-cuff hypotheticals and they should be treated as such, not over-analyzed by someone badly in need of a bag of prunes. :)

    Don't think that is a viable issue for a Democrat to run on. Only people that care are those in the miliary and their families.

    Attack the enemies strengths, Karl Rove has been doing that with great success for years. Republicans have been claiming that they are the best when it comes to national security, and we've got to stop letting them get away with it. If Republicans are so hyped up on the military and "support our troops" rehtoric, then why did soldiers not have enough armor in Iraq and what are wounded veterans doing paying for their own meals in military hospitals? You don't have to change everyone's minds; just swing enough voters to make a difference or create enough doubts in the minds of Republican voters that they stay home on election day. I would certainaly think that the "fib factor" smear campaign on Gore in 2000 certainaly caused enough doubt in the minds of at least 1% of the voters, and in these days an extra 1% might be all you need.

    Well I'll give you that spending it on infrastructure is better than wasting it in Iraq but your not going to win a lot of votes with it. First off its socialism

    No it's not. Not going to win any votes? It would create thousands of jobs.

    money is mostly going to disappear in to the pockets of corrupt construction companies, unionized labor, and mafia controlled concrete companies.

    And your basis for this statement is...? This could be done like any standard project - seek bids, select the best offer, then sign a contract that provides for an incentive to finish ahead of schedule and under budget, and penalties if they are late and do a shoddy job.

    When all the money was gone you would be skewered for all the fraud, waste and abuse just like the "Big Dig" was.

    Yes, everyone likes to knock the Big Dig. What they don't like to do is mention how the project kept being expanded again and again.

    Easy to say, nearly impossible to do. Terrorists and insurgents always have the advantage because they can pick the soft spots.

    Impossible? Only if you're trying to make security foolproof, which no one is saying. You go after the easiest ways for terrorists to kill people and go to work on it; Playboy had a nice article on this very subject a year or two ago. One example: securing chlorine tanker trucks at water treatment plants. The gas is lethal at up to 20 miles away and clings to the ground, dispersing slowly. Terrorists could wait for a windy day in NYC, and blow up a truck on the windward side of Manhattan.

    Part of the problem is it is nearly impossible to form a viable platform on the center-left. Anything you do to please the left is going to alienate the center and vice versa. The Republicans dont have that problem. As long as they are pro guns, pro life, pro religion and anti gay they have a huge and solid block of people who vote solely on those issues and care about nothing else. They then just have to whittle away some additional votes from the center and they can do that easily with scare tactics on things like national security.

    Well said. Democrats have a reliable base of support with minorities, feminists and unions, but relying on them to battle the God-gun nut jihad just doens't cut the mustard. The Democratic party needs to get out of it's rut, find new issues to talk about and start chipping away at those Republican voting blocks, like asking where in all this "marriage protection" rehtoric are proposals to reduce divorce, and point out that Bush said he would sign a renewed assualt weapons ban.

  77. Re:Dumb question. 3 reasons. by mink · · Score: 1

    "Seriously though... how many /.ers have to pay taxes, raise a family, pay a mortgage, and pay off student loans?"

    My wife and I (whoa are in our 30s), and somehow we still think it's wrong to behave like so called "conservatives".

    --
    Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
  78. Re:Hey John. Crossfire appearance was strange. by kmhebert · · Score: 1

    It's just like the war in Iraq: we don't need U!

    --
    Regular Meta Moderators are not more likely to get mod points.
  79. Moderation comments by David+Rolfe · · Score: 1

    Whoever modded the parent as a Troll obviously doesn't watch The Daily Show. :-D It was a direct quote from Feb. 16th's episode. Sheesh.

    --
    Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.