u2r2h blog: Television hurts, STOP STOP STOP

Jon Stewart on Crossfire: "Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America."

On October 15, Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with
Jon Stewart appeared on CNN's Crossfire.

JON STEWART: ... And I made a special effort to come on the show
today, because I have privately, amongst my friends and also in
occasional newspapers and television shows, mentioned this show as being
bad.

[LAUGHTER]

PAUL BEGALA: We have noticed.

STEWART: And I wanted to -- I felt that that wasn't fair and I
should come here and tell you that I don't -- it's not so much that it's
bad, as it's hurting America.

[LAUGHTER]

TUCKER CARLSON: But in its defense...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: So I wanted to come here today and say...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: Here's just what I wanted to tell you guys.

CARLSON: Yes.

STEWART: Stop.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: Stop, stop, stop, stop hurting America.

BEGALA: OK. Now

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: And come work for us, because we, as the people...

CARLSON: How do you pay?

STEWART: The people -- not well.

[LAUGHTER]

BEGALA: Better than CNN, I'm sure.

STEWART: But you can sleep at night.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you're
helping the politicians and the corporations. And we're left out there
to mow our lawns.

BEGALA: By beating up on them? You just said we're too rough on them
when they make mistakes.

STEWART: No, no, no, you're not too rough on them. You're part of
their strategies. You are partisan, what do you call it, hacks.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: Wait, Jon, let me tell you something valuable that I think
we do that I'd like to see you...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: Something valuable?

CARLSON: Yes.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: I would like to hear it.

CARLSON: And I'll tell you.

When politicians come on...

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: It's nice to get them to try and answer the question. And
in order to do that, we try and ask them pointed questions. I want to
contrast our questions with some questions you asked John Kerry
recently.

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: ... up on the screen.

STEWART: If you want to compare your show to a comedy show, you're
more than welcome to.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: No, no, no, here's the point.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: If that's your goal.

CARLSON: It's not.

STEWART: I wouldn't aim for us. I'd aim for "Seinfeld." That's a
very good show.

CARLSON: Kerry won't come on this show. He will come on your show.

STEWART: Right.

CARLSON: Let me suggest why he wants to come on your show.

STEWART: Well, we have civilized discourse.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: Well, here's an example of the civilized discourse.

Here are three of the questions you asked John Kerry.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: You have a chance to interview the Democratic nominee. You
asked him questions such as -- quote -- "How are you holding up? Is it
hard not to take the attacks personally?"

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: "Have you ever flip-flopped?" et cetera, et cetera.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: Didn't you feel like -- you got the chance to interview the
guy. Why not ask him a real question, instead of just suck up to him?

STEWART: Yes. "How are you holding up?" is a real suck-up. And I
actually giving him a hot stone massage as we were doing it.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: It sounded that way. It did.

STEWART: You know, it's interesting to hear you talk about my
responsibility.

CARLSON: I felt the sparks between you.

STEWART: I didn't realize that -- and maybe this explains quite a
bit.

CARLSON: No, the opportunity to...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: ... is that the news organizations look to Comedy Central
for their cues on integrity.

[LAUGHTER]

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: So what I would suggest is, when you talk about you're
holding politicians' feet to fire, I think that's disingenuous. I think
you're...

CARLSON: "How are you holding up?" I mean, come on.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: No, no, no. But my role isn't, I don't think...

CARLSON: But you can ask him a real question, don't you think,
instead of saying...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: I don't think I have to. By the way, I also asked him,
"Were you in Cambodia?" But I didn't really care.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: Because I don't care, because I think it's stupid.

CARLSON: I can tell.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: But my point is this. If your idea of confronting me is
that I don't ask hard-hitting enough news questions, we're in bad shape,
fellows. [LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: We're here to love you, not confront you.

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: We're here to be nice.

STEWART: No, no, no, but what I'm saying is this. I'm not. I'm here
to confront you, because we need help from the media and they're hurting
us. And it's -- the idea is...

[APPLAUSE]

[CROSSTALK]

BEGALA: Let me get this straight. If the indictment is -- if the
indictment is -- and I have seen you say this -- that...

STEWART: Yes.

BEGALA: And that CROSSFIRE reduces everything, as I said in the
intro, to left, right, black, white.

STEWART: Yes.

BEGALA: Well, it's because, see, we're a debate show.

STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great.

BEGALA: It's like saying The Weather Channel reduces everything to a
storm front.

STEWART: I would love to see a debate show.

BEGALA: We're 30 minutes in a 24-hour day where we have each side
on, as best we can get them, and have them fight it out.

STEWART: No, no, no, no, that would be great. To do a debate would
be great. But that's like saying pro wrestling is a show about athletic
competition.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: Jon, Jon, Jon, I'm sorry. I think you're a good comedian. I
think your lectures are boring.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: Let me ask you a question on the news.

STEWART: Now, this is theater. It's obvious. How old are you?

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: Thirty-five.

STEWART: And you wear a bow tie.

[LAUGHTER]

[APPLAUSE]

CARLSON: Yes, I do. I do.

STEWART: So this is...

CARLSON: I know. I know. I know. You're a...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: So this is theater.

CARLSON: Now, let me just...

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: Now, come on.

STEWART: Now, listen, I'm not suggesting that you're not a smart
guy, because those are not easy to tie.

CARLSON: They're difficult.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: But the thing is that this -- you're doing theater, when
you should be doing debate, which would be great.

BEGALA: We do, do...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: It's not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is
partisan hackery. And I will tell you why I know it.

CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne
and you're accusing us of partisan hackery?

STEWART: Absolutely.

CARLSON: You've got to be kidding me. He comes on and you...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: You're on CNN. The show that leads into me is puppets
making crank phone calls.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: What is wrong with you?

[APPLAUSE] CARLSON: Well, I'm just saying, there's no reason for you
-- when you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy's butt
boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It's embarrassing.

STEWART: I was absolutely his butt boy. I was so far -- you would
not believe what he ate two weeks ago.

[LAUGHTER]

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a
responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one.

The thing that I want to say is, when you have people on for just
knee-jerk, reactionary talk...

CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be
funny.

STEWART: No. No. I'm not going to be your monkey.

[LAUGHTER]

BEGALA: Go ahead. Go ahead.

STEWART: I watch your show every day. And it kills me.

CARLSON: I can tell you love it.

STEWART: It's so -- oh, it's so painful to watch.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: You know, because we need what you do. This is such a great
opportunity you have here to actually get politicians off of their
marketing and strategy.

CARLSON: Is this really Jon Stewart? What is this, anyway?

STEWART: Yes, it's someone who watches your show and cannot take it
anymore.

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: I just can't.

CARLSON: What's it like to have dinner with you? It must be
excruciating. Do you like lecture people like this or do you come over
to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right
thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their
responsibilities?

STEWART: If I think they are.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: I wouldn't want to eat with you, man. That's horrible.

STEWART: I know. And you won't. But the thing I want to get to...

BEGALA: We did promise naked pictures of the Supreme Court justices.

CARLSON: Yes, we did. Let's get to those.

[CROSSTALK]

BEGALA: They're in this book, which is a very funny book.

STEWART: Why can't we just talk -- please, I beg of you guys,
please.

CARLSON: I think you watch too much CROSSFIRE.

We're going to take a quick break.

STEWART: No, no, no, please.

CARLSON: No, no, hold on. We've got commercials.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: Please. Please stop.

CARLSON: Next, Jon Stewart in the "Rapid Fire."

STEWART: Please stop.

[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

STEWART: So I don't worry about it in that respect.

But let me ask you guys, again, a question, because we talked a
little bit about, you're actually doing honest debate and all that. But,
after the debates, where do you guys head to right afterwards?

CARLSON: The men's room.

STEWART: Right after that?

BEGALA: Home.

STEWART: Spin alley.

BEGALA: Home.

STEWART: No, spin alley.

BEGALA: What are you talking about? You mean at these debates?

STEWART: Yes. You go to spin alley, the place called spin alley.
Now, don't you think that, for people watching at home, that's kind of a
drag, that you're literally walking to a place called deception lane?

[LAUGHTER]

STEWART: Like, it's spin alley. It's -- don't you see, that's the
issue I'm trying to talk to you guys...

BEGALA: No, I actually believe -- I have a lot of friends who work
for President Bush. I went to college with some of them.

CARLSON: Neither of us was ever in the spin room, actually.

[BELL RINGING]

BEGALA: No, I did -- I went to do the Larry King show.

They actually believe what they're saying. They want to persuade
you. That's what they're trying to do by spinning. But I don't doubt for
a minute these people who work for President Bush, who I disagree with
on everything, they believe that stuff, Jon. This is not a lie or a
deception at all. They believe in him, just like I believe in my guy.

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: I think they believe President Bush would do a better job.

And I believe the Kerry guys believe President Kerry would do a
better job. But what I believe is, they're not making honest arguments.
So what they're doing is, in their mind, the ends justify the means.

[CROSSTALK]

BEGALA: I don't think so at all.

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion.

[CROSSTALK]

CARLSON: OK, up next, Jon Stewart goes one on one with his fans...

[CROSSTALK]

STEWART: You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick
on your show as you are on any show.

[LAUGHTER]

CARLSON: Now, you're getting into it. I like that.

STEWART: Yes.

CARLSON: OK. We'll be right back.