A lot of people here are condemning celebrity in US politics, and I get it… but at this point in time we might need someone who is already famous yet consistent and trustworthy. Stewart has shown himself to be a good person for decades. He’s also politically informed, progressive, and whip smart.
We need a candidate who wants real change for the betterment of the working class. Somehow people thought that was Trump… I guess because he said he would be, a few times? And people were hoping hard? And not looking at his track record at all? Also racism? More importantly though: people didn’t think that candidate was Harris, who got pushed through by the Democratic party and ran an uninspiring campaign. Those people didn’t vote. Those people were excited about candidates like Bernie, who’s track record on class issues is indefatigable. Those people could potentially be excited about Jon Stewart tearing shit down for the actually betterment of the poor, and might trust that he would try.
That’s my read, anyway. A Mamdani could come along and stir up some real enthusiasm, but I think it’s harder for a no-name without a proven record to win a national election. Last time that happened we ended up with Obama, and people still feel burned by his lack of progressive action.
I mean, ideally we shouldn’t be just running celebrities but after 8 months of this shit I don’t give a fuck anymore. Mentally I am here:
If it works I literally could not care less. Clearly the people want vibes so let’s just give them the fucking vibes and deal with THAT issue when things aren’t actively on fire.
Whatever else Stewart is, he’s knowledgeable, charismatic, willing to fight for a cause, and DOES genuinely seem to give a fuck about the average person. That’s a damn good start at least.
And all of THAT is even under the assumption we get something at least vaguely resembling a normal election, which at this point I think is entirely dependent on when exactly Diddler on the Roof finally strokes out on the shitter.
It’s so cute that Americans think there will be a 2028 election.
Can you stupid fucks stop worshiping celebrities for like FIVE MINUTES.
I don’t get how mindless our population is.
Why the fuck are people so obsessed with celebrities? Elect someone actually competent for the job. Idiots.
I’d normally say “hells no, stop electing celebrities!” but this is a person who is actually politically informed (savvy even) and at this point possibly bthenonoy person why might get the US out of this miserable shit it’s in and on to a path towards an actual representative democracy.
If anything, Jon Stewart might be the only person able to get the US to stop electing celebrities in the first place
So yeah, Jon 2028!
Or, hear me out: we abolish the presidency. There’s absolutely no need for so much power to be vested in one person.
Stuart Colbert 28’! My fingers would break I’d vote so hard for that.
Well, the Ukrainians elected a comedian and got a true leader.
Americans elect a non celebrity challenge (impossible)
I don’t think Stewart has any desire to run for President honestly.
If Zelensky is any indication, comedians make for excellent heads of state and ministers of war. A good leader not only has wits, but also the voice to convince people of a vision.
Comedians have a day job of making people agree with them, without needing bribes or institution to back them.
Zelensky is actively censoring Ukraninan journalists from reporting any criticism on the war. Is this what you mean by comedians being good at making people agree with them?
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/18/world/europe/ukraine-press-freedom.html
If Zelensky is any indication, comedians make for excellent heads of state and ministers of war
:-|
Hey boys, found the Putin Puppet!
Oh yeah cause any critic is a Russian spy.
Slow down on the koolaid, bud.
Just have him be White House Spokesperson. Perfect role for him.
I love Jon Stewart as much as the next guy. I think he could do a better job than Trump is doing, but that’s setting a very low bar. Surely there’s someone more qualified than comedy news host John Stewart.
I’m going to go with no. I appreciate Jo
hn Stewart, but can we please stop having TV stars run for office? Same goes for career politicians.I will raise the point that he REALLY doesn’t want the job. One thing about leaders is that the person who most wants it is often least qualified for the position. The reverse is true as well. As much as I agree about pop stars in politics, he has a record of political action and commitment. He’s not just talk.
The Beeblebrox paradox
He’s been saying he doesn’t want the job, but did you read the article? He brought up on his own the idea of a reality show host taking over the Dems; and when Mehdi Hasan (his interviewer) asked if he meant himself, Stewart didn’t deny it. Didn’t push back.
Just chuckled.
It sounds to me like he’s reconsidering, and testing the waters.
This is true, and I’m not saying I wouldn’t support him as a nominee. Depending on who else would be running during the primary, he might truly be the best pick.
I’d go for al franken. He was a very intelligent person who was a good senator. The me too movement took him down. He stood too close to a girl/ fan during a photo shoot. He then. Resigned. After all that uproar the country knowingly elects pedophiles and rapists
He definitely shouldn’t have pretended to grab that lady’s tits while she was sleeping (
I believe she was a soldier???she was a reporter) and taken a photo, but honestly in hindsight he probably should have just apologized, and put in a lot of effort to making up for doing something like that instead of resigning.He did something really dumb, but he still wasn’t a rapist or a pedophile. America has set a very low bar in his absence.
It was more than that. He pretended to grope a girl while she was asleep and also coerced her to practice making out in preparation for a skit.
You mean the right wing radio host who alleged that he made out with her? The propagandist who is in bed with the fascist party?
Sure, the joke in that photo was in poor taste, which is why I’m shocked that the Groping Old Pedophiles didn’t absolutely love it. Right on brand for them.
The license to grope girls of any age only belongs to white dickheads, apparently.
My understanding is that she didn’t think he should resign, tho.
I think it must be possible for anyone to be “rehabilitated” through restorative service and at least the outward appearance of inner change. If you make it impossible to “come back”, that just encourages bad actors to band together AND get worse.
I’m not convinced that Al Franken has done enough, but I really haven’t paid attention / researched anything around him or the events since he resigned.
This is my take as well.
If someone’s misdeeds mark them for life then they will have no choice but to wear the mantle of those misdeeds.
I agree, but clearly lack of executive competence isn’t a blocker for much of the electorate. Jon Stewart does seem genuine informed and engaged on current political topics, so he’d certainly be better than someone that’s “simply” well-known and well-liked.
I think TV stars could be valuable resources to a campaign, but I don’t think they should generally be the candidate. I’d actually prefer a “career politician” that has a career they celebrate.
On the other hand, someone who doesn’t have the background and has a good head on their shoulders is just the right kind of person to be a figurehead instead of a driver. The idea SHOULD be that they surround themselves with a competent cabinet and advisors to offload the requirement for deep personal expertise. For someone who isn’t an expert, that should make them more inclined to ask for help. Of course… current tv personality excluded.
The the office holder is where the power resides and where the decision is made – they aren’t a figurehead after the swearing-in, no matter what their role was in the campaign.
But, sure, depending on their background how “good” their head is, they certainly don’t have to previously have been a chief executive to make a good president.
I’m mostly unaware of Jon Stewart’s roles other than being on-camera / eye-candy, except for possibly some non-scripted interview questions (with him on either side). But, from the entertainment world, I think a directing experience probably does exist in the same “space” as chief executive.
He spent a long time as producer and director on The Daily Show as well as it’s host, and it looks like he’s got some other producer/directory credits as well.
If Jon Stewart was the nominee, I’d vote for him. I’d honestly prefer him to someone like Buttigieg bc he seems more genuine, but I wish America would just give a scientist or an economist (or really anybody that can make educated decisions about the policies being created) a shot before we turn to another TV star. I know it’s never going to happen in my lifetime, but that would be my preference.
Interesting. I think Buttigieg is one of the most genuine people in politics. Do you recall the moment you first noticed him lacking the quality?
Probably around 2020
https://time.com/6255811/elizabeth-warren-buttigieg-monopoly-antitrust/
To be fair my problem with him is the same problem I have with most politicians. I would vote for him if it came down to him vs Vance no question, but just seems like at the end of the day his loyalty is with his donors before anyone else.
This definitely didn’t help change my mind on how genuine he seems https://www.commondreams.org/news/just-tell-us-what-you-believe-buttigieg-torched-over-non-answer-on-israel-palestine
Please accept a giant thank you for the clear and helpful answer. To me he seems genuinely centrist and in support of “the status quo but slightly better”. I can certainly see how accepting donations from big finance while talking about regulating finance can feel disingenuous. Trying to support Israel as a strategic ally while also denouncing genocide is an impossible line to walk and hate watching him try but he does seem to be genuine in his sad attempt.
I like AOC, Bernie Sanders, Kat Abughazaleh, and Zohran Mamdani more than Buttigieg but I love how he speaks and I still feel like I could happily support him.
When I say career politician, I mean the not so great aspect of politicians. Jon Stewart actually seems like a genuinely caring and empathetic person, and I would prefer someone like that to someone who is willing to compromise their values for a check.
I would vote for him if he was the nominee, it’s just not ideal to keep having TV stars at the helm of a country. He probably would make some really well informed and bad ass cabinet picks. I’m kinda picturing him as the anti-Reagan.
If we eliminate career politicians with term limits you can expect to see more celebrities, billionaires, CEOs etc running.
If you want normal people to run and you don’t want career politicians, elections need to be publicly funded and your job needs to be guaranteed when your term is done similar to maternity leave and military service. Otherwise who is going to throw their career away and go to Washington besides celebrities and people who are already rich?
I mean I feel like Walz is a pretty good example of someone who had a career and then became involved in politics.
I don’t think you necessarily need to throw your career away, and I’m not sure we really need term limits for house and Senate seats (although 6 years between reelection is a bit ridiculous).
There are definitely some career politicians who have proven that they earned and deserve their seat, it would just be nice to see a bit more variety in the track most people take to politics.
We should really get off this train of pushing only career politicians into high office. Seems like the liberals hold this high bar so we end up with old farts that don’t know how to use the bully pulpit. I don’t care at all that they have no experience in office, I care if they are smart enough to listen to their staff that does.
“Jon”.
We’ve already decided our political system is basically satire so why not have fun with it?
