"The Daily Show": Week of 11/3/14

[trow125]

11/3: Jake Gyllenhaal (actor - promoting movie "Nightcrawler")
11/4: Reince Priebus (chairman of the Republican National Committee) - via satellite, *Live Election Night show*
11/5: John Cleese (actor & author - promoting book "So, Anyway...")
11/6: James Risen (author - promoting book "Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War")

[Victor the Crab]

John Cleese? FUCK YEAH!!!!! My favourite Python on as Jon's guest next week. In my early twenties, I once made a speech to a roomful of people while Silly Walking around the place (I'm the same height as Cleese) and brought everyone to their knees laughing their asses off with tears streaming down their faces. He should prove a welcoming tonic after Jon has on the odious and contemptible Reince Prebus from the previous night.

[Fremde Frau]

I'm SO excited for John Cleese!

 

How self-aware is Priebus, and what troll convinced him that this would be relevant to his interests?

[dubbel zout]

As long as Cleese doesn't whine about the alimony he's paying to one of his ex-wives, I'll enjoy watching him.

Reince Priebus, ugh. So depressing he's from my home state.

[attica]

Oh! Good list. Jake is always a pleasure to see.

Edited October 30, 2014 by attica

[Victor the Crab]

Republicans. They don't care, because they don't have to care. And no one will ever call them out on it. Especially the liberal (HA!) media.

[peeayebee]

There seemed to be weird editing near the end of the voter suppression segment. 

 

I didn't think the Connecticut Governor yacht segment worked. Big shrug.

 

I really enjoyed the Jake Gyllenhaal interview. His setup of the joke saying the Jon was the inspiration for his character was wonderful. I've heard great things about that movie.

[Fremde Frau]

Was Jon a little baked last night? But seriously.
 

And no one will ever call them out on it. Especially the liberal (HA!) media.

"Liberal media" has to be one of the most successful alternate realities ever invented by a political party.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I didn't think the Connecticut Governor yacht segment worked. Big shrug.

Yeah, it's a non-issue that the debate moderator should have screened out. Odalisque might be a little creepy, but it's no Redskins. But who thinks "stripper name" as their top association with Sapphire. It was too much of a stretch. 

[Fremde Frau]

I couldn't tell if Jon was joking or not when he said he didn't vote in the midterms. Amanpour's body language made it seem like a rehearsed bit rather than an actual question. (The full interview airs tomorrow, I think.) The reason he gave is that he just relocated to another state; I wonder what that means for the show. Could he be retiring even earlier than next September, if he was already planning against renewing his contract?

 

Anyway, I hope he clarifies it on the show because people are taking it seriously, but I doubt that he will.

[dubbel zout]

The boat-name segment was dumb, but those questions were sent in by a viewer, so I blame whoever chose those questions to ask the candidates. Who gives a blue-dilly fuck what people name their boats? As long as the name isn't patently offensive, which Odalisque and Sapphire aren't. Gah.

 

I couldn't tell if Jon was joking or not when he said he didn't vote in the midterms.

 

There was this note at the top of the screen: The Daily Show's Jon Stewart tells Christiane Amanpour, in jest, the midterms are a "changing point in American history." (emphasis mine)

Edited November 5, 2014 by dubbel zout

[Fremde Frau]

Yeah, I took his being unable to find the polling site as a joke. He likes to tell the truth in jest and ascribe it to silly things, so I was still wondering if he actually didn't vote for whatever reason. I'd find it pretty hard to believe that he wouldn't vote in any sort of close race, unless there was a major obstacle that he's downplaying, but maybe the race wasn't close or maybe he voted early. In any case, the pitchforks are out, as usual.

 

(Damn, it looks like there won't be a runoff. Georgia is just adamantly red.)

[Lantern7]

Anybody else thinking of the show ten years ago, the night Bush won a second term on the up-and-up? Things might be depressing now, but Jon Stewart and his team make the pain easier to take, even if a cartoon tortoise is going to be more powerful than ever.

 

The Stack for the win. RIP Jordan's nuts.

[ruby24]

It doesn't feel as bad to me as it did in 2010, because then it really was like the public had decided the Democrats should only have 2 years to fix everything the Republicans had completely destroyed in 8, and that just felt brutally unfair. This time, I really don't know what this means- certainly not much for 2016, where if Hillary wins she can easily take the Senate back. As for how it will function for the next two years, well, I presume in the same way it does now. Gridlock. A minority seems to really want there to be nothing but gridlock, and Democrats are too disengaged to bother voting in mid-term elections at all, and continue to let them decide the makeup of Congress, thinking the presidential elections are the only ones that matter. I don't know what to do about that.

[Fremde Frau]

Everything else is too fucking depressing, so I'll just focus on three nonsense things:

 

1) I can't believe that he felt he had to apologize, in addition to just clarifying the facts. People who can't be bothered to watch the video or to read the full story instead of just the headline and then immediately rush to demonize a person and attribute all manner of moral failures onto them without considering the specific historical, political, and philosophical context of that person are idiots if not assholes. I hate this culture of picking one quote to say a person is now dead to you or is somehow revealed to be a hypocrite, especially when it's not representative of everything they've done and/or said in the past. Maybe I'm just tired of seeing people apologize for non-issues that others have readily and/or willfully misunderstood and misrepresented, so that it becomes the new narrative that is passed around by everyone as fact, instead of it being stopping in its tracks by simply stating: "I don't owe you an apology for your outrage over this story about me that you yourselves have fabricated." (See: Democrats and Obama regarding this mire of Tea Party/GOP bullshit that we seem ever more deeply immersed in.)

 

2) Rob Riggle, welcome back.

 

3) TOSS! Oh, you guys knew we'd need that. Thank you.

[ABay]

A toss! God I needed that. I also appreciate Jon saying the results won't make a difference because congress wasn't functioning anyway. At this point, it's actually a comfort that the worst they can do is the same nothing they've been doing. Any Canadians here have a guest room I can live in?

[peeayebee]

The Stack was fun and much needed. I can't believe how hard I laughed when they bounced.

[solotrek]

Reince Preibus was so full of shit. Obama needs to come to the table ready to work with others? I'm sorry, maybe I've been misunderstanding the past few years, I guess it's Obama's fault that Congress has been so deadlocked. STFU. They're just lucky Obama isn't as petty as I am.

 

Rob Riggle! It was great to see him again.  Reminded me what a good correspondent he was, even his flub at the end.

 

The Stack was fun and much needed. I can't believe how hard I laughed when they bounced.

 

The bouncing stack was so great, poor Jordan.

 

The best part? A toss!

[alexvillage]

 

Reince Preibus was so full of shit. Obama needs to come to the table ready to work with others? I'm sorry, maybe I've been misunderstanding the past few years, I guess it's Obama's fault that Congress has been so deadlocked. STFU. They're just lucky Obama isn't as petty as I am.

There is nothing in the world that will make me watch the show  but to add to this:

I made a post on TCR about how the democrats messed up by distancing themselves from the President, who by any logical measure, was very successful.

I think that some of it has to do with the next Presidential election. I also made a point that the media, the liberals in the media, have been hitting on Obama the whole year. If you want to see what I am talking about, check out today's NY Times headlines, how they blame Obama, how they diminish his position, all because the democrats don't have the gust to stand for what they should and are too wishy-washy. The Times, in particular, has been campaigning for Hillary for a long time and the words they use are enervating. Not that they would change outcomes but the words really annoy me

I don't know if I am making any sense. I am on my highest level of being pissed off because Florida, again, elected a crook. I wish a sinkhole would open underneath the Tallahassee Capitol and swallow all of them (The Governor's office is there)

[Fremde Frau]

If any scholar has ever written definitively about what is happening psychologically and/or ideologically to make generation after generation vote against their own best interests, I'd love to read it.

[dubbel zout]

Reince Preibus was so full of shit. Obama needs to come to the table ready to work with others? I'm sorry, maybe I've been misunderstanding the past few years, I guess it's Obama's fault that Congress has been so deadlocked.

 

I practically fell off my couch when he said that. WTF?!

 

I loved Jessica's burn on Hodgman: A man growing two different porn 'staches on the same lip. Hee.

[ganesh]

I think the democrats lost more than the republicans won. I followed much of the campaigning and I didn't see much of a pro active strategy. 

 

I really don't understand what "turn this economy around means." The economy is always going to not be growing fast enough, but it's growing and can continue to get better. It's not like there's going to suddenly be 10+% growth in January. 

 

Everyone is saying that they don't like Obama, but no one says why either. 

[iMonrey]

 

Reince Preibus was so full of shit. Obama needs to come to the table ready to work with others?

 

It astounds me that any Republican pundit, politician or operative has the colossal balls to say something like that when the Senate leader of their party publicly stated their goal was to insure Obama was a one-term president. How do you then turn around and say "He needs to work with us?" Balls.

[marceline]

 

I think the democrats lost more than the republicans won. I followed much of the campaigning and I didn't see much of a pro active strategy.

 

Jon said it a long time ago and it's truer now than ever...

 

The Democrats are pussies.

 

There is nothing in the world that will make me watch the show 

 

Surprisingly I feel the same way. Over the last couple of years I've fallen out of love with TDS and Jon. I still like them both a lot but somewhere along the line they stopped being the first thing I think of when I see something stupid happening in politics. It used to be that when I missed a show I went back and watched but now I don't. 

Edited November 5, 2014 by marceline

[possibilities]

This is where Bill Clinton could serve as a model. He would never allow the opposition to control the terms of the debate, he was always talking about his achievements, and spinning everything his way. Even when he did happen to be wrong, he was not going to let go of his control over the message. I saw him campaigning for other Dems this season (on newsclips) and he had that same relentless positive tone he always uses, and it works. Why is it that other Dems don't seem to be able to adopt this? I remember after some speech Bill C gave, while in office, even Bob Dole-- his principal opponent at the time--  came out and said "I have to admire that the man is a genius communicator."

 

I'd like to see Jon do a comparison of how different factions spin the same situation. Republicans, Obama, other current Dems, Bill Clinton. It's clear there is a way to do this job successfully. Why is it that the current crop of Dems is so timid???? It's like they themselves believe the Republican spin machine and can't remember their own record?

 

Anyone hoping to escape to my home state of Massachusetts, you'd be welcome, but right now I am pretty discouraged. Even here, we just elected a Republican liar to be our governor, and defeated three excellent ballot measures, including a freaking Bottle Bill (to improve recycling) because the beverage industry outspent the environmental organizations 20 to 1. TDS was right: MONEY WINS.

 

I will admit we elected three women to statewide office (attorney general, treasurer, and auditor) and our AG is an ass-kicking, blunt-speaking, out-lesbian who will probably go to D.C. in a cabinet position before too long. So, we aren't 100% stupid here. Just mostly.

[attica]

Obama needs to come to the table ready to work with others?

 

See, you just need your Secret Decoder Ring. "He must work with others" is CLEARLY code for "He must do our bidding."

[ChelseaNH]

When Reince Priebus says that Obama has to come to the table, he means as their waiter.

[ruby24]

When Reince Priebus says that Obama has to come to the table, he means as their waiter.

HA! So true, chelsea! thanks for giving me the first laugh I've had in 24 hours.

 

But honestly, I actually think Hillary will win for sure in 2016, and if only because the GOP will put up an idiot as usual, there actually are a passionate base of Hillary supporters (remember how long it took Obama to win the primary?) and because the Democratic coalition will actually show up! Look at that electorate last night- turnout was under 38% (horrible) and 37% of that group was made up white people over the age of 60 years old! Our people just don't vote in mid-terms.

 

And that worries me, because they did in 2008 and 2012, and I think they will again for Hillary in 2016- but how much does this matter if they constantly cede the Congress to Republicans by not voting in off-election years? We can never get anything passed if Hillary's saddled with a Republican House, even if she takes the Senate back with her. This dooms us to perpetual gridlock, even if a Democrat wins the White House every time.

 

As it is now, thanks to gerrymandering, Dems don't even have a shot at winning back the House until 2022! Can you believe that? Which means that a Republican will able to enact his agenda if he were to win the White House (god forbid), because he'll have all three branches, but the most a Democrat can hope for is to be the president, but face only opposition and gridlock for his/her terms in office, having no chance to enact an agenda of their own. Despite being elected to do so. That's pretty dismaying.

Edited November 5, 2014 by ruby24

[ganesh]

I don't think Clinton is a slam dunk. But I don't think much is going to get done in Congress because all the potential candidates from both parties will be positioning themselves and she should be able to run on that. 

 

If there isn't any comprehensive immigration reform, republicans can forget about the growing non white demo. If Congress passes a shitload of decent bills, which I think is unlikely, they'll have something to run on. Hey, we wanted to do all these things but Obama just vetoed everything. If you elect a republican president, we can get stuff done. 

 

I think they're going to do silly stuff like try to repeal the ACA or junk like that. So, then you can say, hey, they had their chance, and all they wanted to do was take your healthcare away and put more money in the pockets of multimillionaires. Congress is really on the hook. If growth slows down or unemployment goes up, they're going to get the blame.

 

The bottom line is that the democrats need to actually campaign and not "count" on any one just voting for them. Clinton is in the pole position because she's not in congress and not affiliated with the administration. 

[Fremde Frau]

I'm worried that Clinton just has so much baggage. People who love her really love her, but can she sway independents? The one solace is that, if she gets in, I doubt that she will tolerate Republican BS. Whether or not other Democrats and the media will follow her example is another matter entirely, of course. So much corruption and manipulation would be rooted out of this system if only the media did their job and exposed it rigorously and unapologetically. It's no wonder they've made Jon age fifty years in fifteen.

[dubbel zout]

Clinton is in the pole position because she's not in congress and not affiliated with the administration.

 

The Republicans will make sure to mention Obama if she decides to run in 2016. "Benghazi" will probably be the first thing anyone says about her as a candidate.

 

I can't believe more than $3 BILLION was spent on this election cycle. It's beyond appalling that that kind of money can be inserted into politics.

Edited November 5, 2014 by dubbel zout

[ganesh]

Oh yeah, she certainly has challenges. But I'm trying to say that she's got distance from what's going on now against, say, if a senator was running against her. If they can figure out a way to defuse Benghazi, that is a big hurdle. 

[ruby24]

I don't think anyone cares about Benghazi enough to vote on it. Most people probably don't even remember what that is now.

 

And frankly, I think they should worry less about swaying "independents" than in churning out their base. The base strategy worked wonders for Obama in 2008 and in 2012- remember how shocked Republicans were at all the minority voters that came out in the swing states, voting strongholds they didn't even know existed? And frankly, most independents are people who lean to one or the other party anyway, but just don't want to publicly admit it (they've taken surveys about that).

 

What Hillary really needs is Obama's campaign team. She should hire all of them.

[Fremde Frau]

I'm not sure it matters now if this or that story is discredited because it won't come from one of their* trusted sources (Fox, talk radio, Drudge, etc.). And they're never going to let it go; they'll just keep right on poking the amygdalae of their base. The rest of the media's complete failure in exposing this has turned political dialogue into an echo chamber.

 

*And by "their," I unfortunately mean independents, as well, because research indicates that many trust Fox.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Fremde Frau

[alexvillage]

 

When Reince Priebus says that Obama has to come to the table, he means as their waiter.

Or maybe he actually means as their "house boy"

[Victor the Crab]

The Democrats deserve all the blame they get for acting like spineless cowards who won't defend their achievements against the shitnami of lies the right blew their way. But there should also be as much blame given to the Democrats' target voting groups that failed to go out and vote. Especially the 30 and under group, the Millenials. Only 12% of them bothered to get up off their asses to go out and vote.

[alexvillage]

Something is very wrong when people get elected with only 1/3 of the voters voting. This should trigger a botched election call, and let's try again. This is not a mandate.

(I read something about only 1/3 of eligible people voting, I don't know if this is accurate)

[ruby24]

It's true. I liked what Obama said today in his press conference about hearing the voters, but also hearing the 2/3 of people who chose not to participate. Good- he knows the people that voted last night are not the same ones who elected him.

[Grommet]

I live in a mostly poor black urban neighborhood and I was voter 196 for my district - at 7:30 pm. Just abysmal turnout. I'm in upstate N.Y. where democrats always win but it's still disappointing. I'm thinking of complaining about how our polling place changes every time, getting increasingly inconvenient. I don't think that happens in "better" neighborhoods.

Anyway, the stack was fun.

[shok]

ReiNCe PReiBuS was so full of shit.

 

Just take out the vowels.

 

But honestly, I actually think Hillary will win for sure in 2016, and if only because the GOP will put up an idiot as usual, there actually are a passionate base of Hillary supporters and because the Democratic coalition will actually show up!

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Which Democratic coalition are you talking about? The Clinton coalition of Wall Street big wigs and the triangulation pack? That won't win the election for her. She won't have the Obama coalition that won twice. Hillary and Bill have already pissed off most of them as is obvious from the showing of the candidates that the Clintons stumped heavily for like Grimes who lost badly.

 

The Democrats deserve all the blame they get for acting like spineless cowards who won't defend their achievements against the shitnami of lies the right blew their way. But there should also be as much blame given to the Democrats' target voting groups that failed to go out and vote. Especially the 30 and under group, the Millenials. Only 12% of them bothered to get up off their asses to go out and vote.

 

C'mon now Victor. Don't blame the victims who had all the dark money and a hugely biased media and a scary right wing Supreme Court against them. For sure the Democrats have to improve their messaging machine but they were up against some huge obstacles. It's pretty tough to fight RWNJs who will brazenly lie to your face while they're shaking your hand. Just as a for instance, look at the race between Udall and Gardner where Gardner was sponsoring a personhood bill in the state senate and yet had the gall to proclaim 'who me? I've never supported personhood'. When Udall pointed out over and over again that Gardner was lying, the media claimed Udall was a one-note candidate. How do you fight something like that?

[Victor the Crab]

John Cleese was awesome as usual. He really enjoyed talking to Jon and doing a bit of comedy for him and the audience. And I love the fact that Jon seemed a huge Python fan. It made up for the lousy shitburger given by the Republicans.

[Jediknight]

Whenever Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper's contracts come up, please people behind The Daily Show, give them what they want.  Both are worth every penny they're being paid, and then some.

[Fremde Frau]

If the Democrats had any sense, they would run Jordan's bit as a post-election PSA to the general public. Of course, if they had any sense, they would have been campaigning in such a way as to make that bit irrelevant.

 

I so love John Cleese. Who wouldn't want to watch a silent theater of the Pythons dining?

[peeayebee]

Yes, Jordan's segment was great. Well done. Same for Jessica.

 

I was a little worried about Cleese. Sometimes he is kind of a grumpy old man, but he showed just a teeny bit which was not at all annoying. Good, fun interview. I also liked that he was enjoying Jon's humor, too.

 

Loved the MOZ.

[Sharpie66]

Getting John Cleese to crack up like that has to be a highlight of Jon's comedic career. He is definitely going to GIF that and keep it on his hard drive the rest of his life.

[Fremde Frau]

I thought it was cute how he said [ǰɪf] earlier in the program but got a bit self-conscious in front of Cleese.

[marceline]

It's true. I liked what Obama said today in his press conference about hearing the voters, but also hearing the 2/3 of people who chose not to participate. 

I hated that. I hated that he treated people who don't vote like they were actually sending a message. They weren't. Not voting isn't a principled stand. It's laziness, apathy and an inability to think critically or long-term.

[attica]

I had a moment of feels when Cleese said "..I'd rather play with my cats!" I pictured the giant fuzzy Maine Coons and their giant fuzzy purrs, and...then things went blurry.

[marceline]

If Cleese is ever in the market for another American wife, I'm so there. Provided of course that my two mongrel cats can come with me. That's a dealbreaker.

[ganesh]

I don't think Obama was giving legitimacy to people who weren't voting. I think he mentioned it to point out that republicans better not throwing "mandate" around. 

 

I'd like to hear from the DNC chair as to what in the hell their strategy was. The candidates were probably better off not doing anything. Save the money and use it for 2016.