"The Daily Show": Week of 6/2/14

[formerlyfreedom]

6/2: Robert De Niro, Actor

6/3: Ricky Gervais, Actor & Comedian

6/4: Gigi Ibrahim, Journalist and Activist

6/5: Tom Cruise, Actor

[Victor the Crab]

De Niro and Ibrahim I'm looking forward to watching. Gervais, not really. And Cruise, even more so! :P

[ABay]

I'll just be glad to have new episodes.

 

In time, this new place will seem comfy and familiar, but right now--still adjusting.

[alexvillage]

Can't stand Gervais and Tom Cruise, shouldn't this creep be forgotten? 

[Fremde Frau]

I'm excited about the De Niro interview, and Ibrahim should be interesting. Gervais is hit or miss for me, but I enjoy that Jon enjoys his company. He's sort of like Leary for me in that regard.

 

Tom Cruise, ugh. I have a (bad?) habit of letting him turn me away from movies that might otherwise be interesting.

[solotrek]

Excited for both Gigi Ibrahim and Robert DeNiro. I find Ricky Gervais annoying. He's a guy who while I love his products, made me hate him via twitter. Thank goodness Jon has a good time with him during interviews or I'd never watch it.  Tom Cruise has his issues, but I think he's the only big name actor in Hollywood who consistently does decent original scifi movies. As a scifi fan, I do have to give him that.

 

So much has happened the past week, Jon's going to play catch up for a bit.

[dubbel zout]

If De Niro's in the right mood, tonight will be fun. I find Gervais hit or miss, too; he and Jon sometimes get too insidery for me. Cruise always tries too hard, and that creeps me out. He so aggressively wants to be liked.

[trow125]

Sad news: Bassem Youssef has ended his show. 

 

"I'm not a revolutionary and I'm not a warrior. I was expressing my views once a week. The present climate in Egypt is not suitable for a political satire program," Youssef told reporters. "I'm tired of struggling and worrying about my safety and that of my family."

 

[Fremde Frau]

That's sad news indeed. He had such a tremendous audience; they heard their own voice in his.

 

I wonder if Jon will discuss it with Ibrahim later this week.

[Victor the Crab]

The terrorists have won. Fuck! >:(

[Cgr]

I agree with the comments on the line up for this week.  I usually FF through interviews when Jon has on one of his buddies and it is just too much like I am watching a conversation that I have no idea what they are talking about.  And Tom Cruise does Sci Fi because that is his religion.

[Lantern7]

The Daily Show: "We laugh and dance to keep from crying about shootings." And I think I'd pay money to see Samantha Bee bitch-slap Jenny McCarthy.

[Victor the Crab]

Nice salute to Bassem from Jon. Maybe now that he's a free agent, he can cross the pond and perform the odd TDS show.

Yeah, that's exactly what the politicians and media want you to do whenever there's a mass shooting. Ignore, dance, and move on. And let it continue again. Society weeps.

Wasn't aware Robert De Niro's father was a painter of some renown. Hard to imagine just how the father actually felt about his son becoming more successful as an actor that he was as a painter.

Stop being an embarrassment to your profession, lady!

Edited June 3, 2014 by stacey
Fixing quote problem

[The Luvly Junkie]

I really get bugged that the mass shootings occurring doesn't budge or awaken politicians from the harm they are causing. If they didn't restrict gun control there would be less shootings. If it means taking away the privileges of the 2nd Amendment, I won't mind. Lack of media coverage, simplified by the beautifully crafted moves of The Best F#@kin' News Team, makes me wish I can place myself in the journalistic world and knock some sense out of those networks.

[attica]

I find myself wondering if all the 'nothing to see here' commentariat are doing so consciously in a 'wag the dog' effort. If not, I'm curious about the way that mental reflex works. Born in fear? Defensiveness? Contempt? It's exhausting, even if it's completely predictable.

 

Not a DeNiro fan. I find him dull (not as in boring, but as in un-sharp) and I can't get enthused about his projects. JMO, and many people whose opinions I respect differ on the matter.

 

I've been looking over Gervais's twitter feed a little. Way more cat photos than I would have guessed. Good on 'im.

[solotrek]

I think I almost rolled my eyes out of my head when Samantha Bee was interviewing the anti-vacs woman.  So much of what those people believe are based on a discredited report by a now unlicensed doctor.  I'd like them to go to India where they just eradicated polio and tell them that nonsense over there. I think of the health aid workers in Pakistan trying to help the people with their preventable viruses who have been killed by the extreme religious people there who are against "western vaccinations". I have so many words that I want to use, I'll just stop now.

 

I think it's sad that people are just accepting shootings and just saying that it'll happen and nothing can be done. Blaming everything from divorce to video games is ridiculous. I will agree that the UCSB kid is a different case in that half his victims were stabbed to death, and he injured I think 18 people by trying to run them over.  But the fact that someone as fucked up as he could get a gun, or 3 guns, is really something that needs to be discussed. I don't know how blaming a girl who may have pushed him once in 4th grade, or the roommate who moved out because he was freaked out, or even blaming girls for not putting out (by equally messed up people to be honest) - will have a positive effect for possible future incidents.  His manifesto had outlined a really gruesome massacre and him having those guns were central to it.

 

Will Bassem be a new correspondent for the show?

[dubbel zout]

The anti-vacs lady was scary and infuriating."There's no such thing as herd immunity." Oh my fucking god. Even if her kids contracted one of those diseases, she'd find something else to blame. She's as dangerous as a loaded gun in the hand of an angry person, IMO.

 

De Niro was so boring, especially for promoting what I gather was a true labor of love for him. I never expect him to be all that animated, but he didn't sell the picture atall.

[ganesh]

I don't think DeNiro is really caring about selling the picture. He made it, he's proud of it, it's out there for whomever is interested. 

 

 

But the fact that someone as fucked up as he could get a gun, or 3 guns, is really something that needs to be discussed.

Part of the problem is that the police just don't have the authority to take people's guns away if they're acting fishy. There's a new CA bill that's going to make it a little easier for police to obtain warrants to do just that. Right now, just because you're ranting on youtube, doesn't really amount to much. But with this, I think, it allows the police a little more latitude. 

 

Honestly, the 'there isn't anything we can ever do about this ever at all' assessment is flat out cowardly. This is the only issue that seems to have been framed in this all or nothing. We'll never reduce the risk of gun incidents to zero so therefore we can't ever do anything to fix it. Really? Seat belts don't reduce injuries from car accidents to zero, but we have them. If 90% of people favored a gun control law, even though it would reduce risk by only a little bit, surely a lot of those people were gun owners, so it's not like there isn't some agreement. 

 

The bottom line is, these politicians are far more concerned with keeping their jobs than actually doing something. One person with some clout, just one, needs to stand up and call out everyone's BS. 

 

That anti-vac lady is one of the most ignorant people I've ever seen. What does she mean that there are "toxins"? Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't. I did like how TDS pointed out that this idiocy isn't really associated with a political position and it's across the board. Unfortunately, I think the doctor is right: some kids are going to have to die from an *easily preventable* disease.

 

I like how this is called 'anti-science.' It's actually ignorance and stupidity. 

[DXD526]

One person with some clout, just one, needs to stand up and call out everyone's BS.

 

What we need is an "At last, have you no shame?" moment. We're certainly seeing enough shameless behavior on the part of our craven legislators.

 

Those anti-vac people are just like religious fundamentalists, true believers, facts be damned. When someone says, like that woman did, that it doesn't matter how many facts you present her with, she's not changing her mind...well, there's really no way to counter that kind of willful ignorance. Very scary that it's a belief spreading among many otherwise intelligent people. 

[alexvillage]

Are you interested in knowing how the anti-vax movement is completely ignorant, yet dangerous because at least half of Congress is equally ignorant?

The anti-vaxers, as they are known, sustain that vaccines cause autism, which has been debuted several times, including a brand new study and another older one that four out that the number of autistic children that were not vaccinated was actually bigger that the ones who had been vaccinated.

Then Congress has this law that needs to be reauthorized, the Combating Autism Act (as if Autistics are the enemy) and what do the subcommittee and committee do? They do not invite autistic people, the ones who have been campaigning for months to be included in the conversation about their lives, and include several anti-vaxers to speak about the horror of vaccines and the tragedy of autism

That's why I get so fired up about how autism is perceived by many and exploited by the media (the NY Times has published, again, that someone posthumously diagnosed the CA shooter as autistic and Joe "Morning Joe" insists that all shooters are autistic). My many friends are already too stigmatized to keep hearing this bull crap. It has real consequences to them.

[Fremde Frau]

I hope that, in some future segment, they touch on the difference in the treatment by the media between gun violence by white people and gun violence by people of color: white violence being perceived as an aberration, violence by people of color being perceived as normal. Our society always seems to be looking for some reason that an otherwise so-called "normal" white person would be driven to commit violence, while taking violence by people of color as an inevitable cultural norm. Nobody wants to talk about systematic problems of poverty, lack of access to (and funding for) decent education, lack of funding for public services in certain communities, etc. Perhaps they have already addressed this and I missed it, being a new viewer. Does anyone know of a segment that they've done on it?

 

Anyway, I enjoyed the episode last night. The tribute to Bassem was brief but nice, and Sam's piece was terrific. It took me a couple of viewings to appreciate the bit on the shooting, since I had wanted a more in-depth look, as they sometimes do. But on second viewing, I saw what they were aiming for and felt it hit home. "Isn't that easier?" Yep, that's pretty much where our head is at, as a society.

 

I wanted to enjoy the De Niro interview more than I did, but I appreciated that De Niro was very understated and seemed to want to be respectful of his father, rather than exploitive. I confess that I felt more interested in Jon's relationship with his own father (who passed away last year, if Wikipedia is correct) than De Niro's.

 

Edit: Sarah Pope's response to her interview.

Edited June 3, 2014 by Fremde Frau

[alexvillage]

To your point, Fremde Frau

 

If the shooter were black, it would be gang violence,

If the shooter were hispanic, blame the "illegals"

If the shooter were middle eastern, he would be called a terrorist

White shooters are only the ones who are mentally ill, because white people, privileged middle class cannot commit acts of evil. Ever.

 

(saw this somewhere in the web)

[Fremde Frau]

That's it, exactly, alexvillage. I can't stand to watch pundits talk as though categorizing violence by race in that way were natural and unavoidable, or in any way the best representation of "real America."

[Victor the Crab]

No, actually Jon, there's a midterm election going on this year. And the right are determined to do whatever it takes to make the president, and by extension his party, look awful so that the Republicans can win both the House and Senate. Even if it means smearing a U.S. soldier, held in captivity for five years by the Taliban, and his parents.

 

And if the right thinks what Obama did was horrible and treasonous, then they should take a good look at what George W. Bush did during his term in office. He released a lot more prisoners from Gitmo, and went on to commit more attacks. Like Benghazi.

[The Luvly Junkie]

It just occurred to me how little Midterm Election is covered on TDS. Seems like Jon is following the rest of the media and is thinking about 2016. Not that I'm grateful that Herman Cain excited the lamb shanks out of him, but I'm worried how this year will turn out. With the Republicans springing into action and headlining in every anti-Obamacare commercial, could they claim control of both House and Senate? 

[ruby24]

well they already have the House, so no hope there, but I'm hoping the dems can hang on by a thread in the Senate. I don't even care if it's just one seat. that should be doable, right?

[Fremde Frau]

I hope Herman Cain doesn't run, although Clinton would beat him handily. Who's likely to get nominated: Cruz, Christie, or Rubio?

 

The segment on Bergdahl was nice, but Jon seemed so tired throughout it. It is admittedly soul-crushing how quickly every new event becomes a partisan talking point, especially courtesy of Fox talking heads.

[peeayebee]

The whole Bergdahl story is depressing, just from all sides.

 

I don't hate Gervais, but I tuned out the interview. There was nothing there interesting to me, and Derek looks awful. 

Edited June 4, 2014 by peeayebee

[possibilities]

Who's likely to get nominated: Cruz, Christie, or Rubio?

I think Christie is a no-go, due to the bridge (and ever increasing corruption) scandal. Cruz would galvanize the left about twice as much as McCain/Palin did. So if those are the choices, I say they'll nominate Rubio. But I personally would not be surprised if they got JEB Bush to run.

 

Jon's desire to see Herman Cain run, to me, just says he's burned out and looking for the fish in a barrel jokes.

 

RE: vaccine controversy, I really think pro-vaccine forces will be more effective at making an argument if they actually really look into what vaccine deniers are saying, instead of what pro-vaccine people say about anti-vaccine people. The people I know who are anti-vaccine do not talk about autism at all, and do not rely on Wakefield. There are lots of studies from all around the world, lots of statistical arguments, and lots of different points of view about why various people don't vaccinate. None of those people are going to be convinced to abandon their point of view by people who just look at them and tell them they're nuts. You have to read the same literature they read, and look at the same studies, and come up with a fact-based counter-argument, rather than just splutter in outrage and disgust. It takes a lot of effort to resist mandatory vaccinations; I don't know anyone who's done it on an unstudied whim. TDS edited out the specifics of the interviewee's argument. It's not a vague notion about toxic stuff in there; they will list you specifically what ingredients. It's not a vague lack of concern about herd immunity; they will tell you exactly why this seems like a false argument to them. These people are not just knee-jerk anti-science types like climate change deniers or religious fundamentalists who oppose marriage because God says it's icky. There are probably some who are just operating on a vague suspicion, but the ones who I know are heavily researched and armed with data. If you can show them something concrete (not just a belief that doctors can be trusted or a general statement about scientific consensus, but an actual supported argument that addresses their specific concerns and refutes the data they are using), they are capable of a rational conversation. It's not a faith-based belief system... at least not among the people I know. There may be those kinds of people, but there are random followers in any population. You need to address the concerns of the ones who are actually thinking and asking questions and making arguments, if you want to change the tide. "You people make me crazy" is not going to do it. And since 'those people" are increasing in number, anyone concerned about it really needs to take them seriously and not just laugh at them and hope they go away. The "Healthy Home Economist" who was interviewed actually points folks to her sources (nvic.org, R. Blaylock, Neil Miller, et al), so it's not hard to find out what those are.

[Fremde Frau]

 

I think Christie is a no-go, due to the bridge (and ever increasing corruption) scandal. Cruz would galvanize the left about twice as much as McCain/Palin did. So if those are the choices, I say they'll nominate Rubio. But I personally would not be surprised if they got JEB Bush to run.

 

It's amazing to me that Christie still gets so much love from the right. That whole "real man" thing fits right into their "traditional America" fantasy, I guess. Like they all secretly concede that Mayberry wasn't reality but totally could have been if only Andy Griffith hadn't been such a pushover, so Christie's their chance to get the Sheriff of America just right.

 

I'd completely forgotten about Jeb Bush. Damn. How do I not love that? Let me count the ways...

[trow125]

Jon's desire to see Herman Cain run, to me, just says he's burned out and looking for the fish in a barrel jokes.

 

 

I'm not sure I agree with that. Remember, Herman Cain appeared on TDS numerous times -- hell, John Oliver did a whole series with him. Part of the reason Jon may want him back is because he was so game to participate in their show. I suspect that Jon is 100% sure that Cain could never actually be elected president, but the idea of having a hilarious albeit "legitimate" GOP candidate willing to appear on his show over & over again is downright irresistible.

 

Edited to add: just got this press release from CC: 

NEW YORK, June 4, 2014 - Michael Che will make his first appearance tonight at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT reporting on current election news as the newest correspondent on Comedy Central's Emmy® and Peabody® Award-winning "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."

 

Edited June 4, 2014 by trow125

[Fremde Frau]

Trow, your post reminds me of something Jon said in the 2004 Crossfire interview: that he enjoyed Al Sharpton's way of speaking and that people who know they can't win are often allowed to speak the most freely. Maybe he would also enjoy that aspect of it, simply because he loves when people (inadvertently or not) speak outside of the usual, election cycle talking points.

[solotrek]

It takes a lot of effort to resist mandatory vaccinations; I don't know anyone who's done it on an unstudied whim.

 

The problem is that the studying people are doing are still on anti-vac sites which say the same wrong things over and over again.

If you can show them something concrete (not just a belief that doctors can be trusted or a general statement about scientific consensus, but an actual supported argument that addresses their specific concerns and refutes the data they are using), they are capable of a rational conversation.

 

I've definitely encountered patients who do list specific talking points that I've seen repeatedly on the internet. From misinformation about how vaccines are supposed to work in general to what is in the vaccine.  Truth be told, regardless of how much explaining the attending does or has us do - it's quite hard to change the minds of these people. Most of them have little to no biological background except the websites they frequent. No matter how rational they may think they sound, even when we try to give the medical or scientific reasoning, they immediately shut down to what we are saying. So in a way, it's similar to climate change deniers simply because most people who are denying climate change haven't studied it and presume to know more than people who are researching it.  It's ignorant and it's dangerous.

[cattykit]

Honestly, the whole Bergdahl discussion reminds me of the entire plotline of Homeland.

 

I didn't realize Jon was 52.  I thought he was still in his 40s. 

 

I don't get Netflix, but there was absolutely nothing in that clip that would make me want to watch Derek.

[ganesh]

And if the right thinks what Obama did was horrible and treasonous...

McCain was asked on Sunday (Face the Nation?) about this, and completely brushed it off as a nonissue. His main point was that if the released prisoners will get back into the fight and whether being holed up in Qatar for a year will be effective. That's fairly legit, though he was being pissy overall. 

 

You have to read the same literature they read, and look at the same studies, and come up with a fact-based counter-argument, rather than just splutter in outrage and disgust.

Scientists and doctors aren't going to do that because they unanimously agree that vaccinations are essential to public health and anyone who doesn't agree is wrong. Which they are. So they're going to go about their work.

 

It's the same reason in principle of having a 'debate' of evolution v creationism. Creationism isn't a legit scientific theory that explains our natural world. There's nothing to debate, and going one on one with vaccination v anti-vaccination is a false equivalency. 

 

This is more of the realm of legit journalism to tackle and debunk. It would actually make a good documentary. 

 

The problem is that the studying people are doing are still on anti-vac sites which say the same wrong things over and over again.

Not to get too meta, but this is a derivative of this inexplicable anti-science era that were a stuck in. People just don't know how science works. 

 

I'm surprised that the midterms aren't being covered, since the control of the Senate is a real story. Also, Jon's fave turtle in Kentucky is going against a pretty crazy lady. 

[ABay]

Every time I see Ricky Gervais I get fixated on his weird vampire teeth. His incisors are so long and seem too far forward. The first time he hosted the Golden Globes, I thought they were part of a joke. About an hour into it I realized they were just his teeth. (Yes, I know. I'm not proud it took that long. Don't even ask how many years it took me get the "Oil can what?" joke in Wizard of Oz.)

[WhatDoYouKnow]

 

I didn't realize Jon was 52.  I thought he was still in his 40s.

He's actually 51, though he'll be 52 in November. Ricky Gervais, per wikipedia, is 52, though he'll be 53 at the end of this month.

 

Stephen Colbert just turned 50 last month.

 

I think both Jon and Stephen look good (both in general and "for their age"), but Jon's been going gray forever. (And now balding.) But I think the gray suits him.

[mariah23]

Polls in KY say McConnell and Grimes are in a dead heat. I CANNOT wait until the race is covered by TDS!

[Fremde Frau]

The gray really does suit him. I like him better "filled out," too; he looked pretty skinny in the clips from 1999, almost like he was wearing someone else's suits.

 

I can't quite figure out what's qualitatively different, but in the Fox interviews from 2011 with Bill O'Reilly and Chris Wallace, Jon looks quite the silver fox and less like the genial UILH (uncle I'd like to hug) that he does on the show. I want to attribute it to his lean, mean, killing mood while in the belly of the beast, but he wasn't being particularly combative, either.

 

Stephen looks very good. I've been watching old clips from their websites, and he seems to have hardly aged at all.

 

[/terribly shallow post]

[solotrek]

The gray really does suit him. I like him better "filled out," too; he looked pretty skinny in the clips from 1999, almost like he was wearing someone else's suits.

 

He was wearing someone else's suits. At the time, they couldn't really afford much of a wardrobe. So for the first little bit, Jon was wearing suits fitted for Craig Kilborn who is 6'5".

[Fremde Frau]

Wow, that explains it. Thank you, maculae.

[alexvillage]

Edited because too much rambling

 

About Rubio: if he is the Republican choice, the only thing that would make the Democrats lose would be complete ineptitude. Rubio is a total ignorant, cannot speak, has not position on anything. I would love see him run just to see the other Republican candidates rip him apart. I do think Jeb Bush is the "best" choice. He is loved in Florida (yes, Florida is bizarre this way). Electoral collage votes

Edited June 5, 2014 by alexvillage

[stillshimpy]

I finally just gave up on the Ricky Gervais interview when he seemed to be cracking up hysterically over the downloaded-consciousness question Jon posed and talking about...what was actually the Plot of the original Matrix, when you get right down to it.  I know Jon and Ricky really have a great time together, and that's often fun to see , but this was one time when Ricky just got oddly giddy and it became more like watching the one high guy at a party, than anything else.  

 

You know, I have to admit on the anti-vaccine contingent I just want to pummel them about the head and face with the Ghost of Jonas Salk in order to disorient them, while I run swiftly the fuck away.  I don't think there is any true way to reason with people who are working from information that faulty, plus the word of Jenny McCarthy (which...What the...what?) and then some kind of bastardization of science that only validates what they want it to.  Personalized Medical Science! Agree with them.  Tell them Fudge is a health food.  Hand washing causes hair loss! By all means, never cut your fingernails and hair, you're right, doing anything else will cripple your natural immune system!  Bonus, it will also make it easier to spot your "Let's Cuddle the Middle Ages and See if We Catch Anything" mentality as your haystack-of-hair-self shambles around.  

 

It might give the rest of us a sporting chance to flee their willfully ignorant, to the point of endangering others presence.  

 

In other words this mindset frustrates me far past the point I can be polite, so I'm glad I actually don't know anyone that is busily endangering the wellness of their society to suit their own deeply troubled approach to parenting.  Thanks a lot, Patient X in the making.  Yikes.  

 

Also, one thing that I had heard about the shooting in California that isn't related to guns ...and I'm a huge gun control proponent, so I wish I had heard something positive...Instead I'm just trying to find something vaguely positive after that evidence that we have just given the hell up...was on the Diane Rehms Show regarding better regulations on involuntary mental health evaluations and possibly commitment.  I came bearing a link.  In case anyone is interested.  

 

It was the one positive discussion I've heard in the wake of that shooting, which really reflects how desperate and sad a situation it truly is, that I just honestly applied positive (and thoroughly mean it) towards expanding the parameters of what constitutes threat of imminent harm to others.  

Edited June 5, 2014 by stillshimpy

[Fremde Frau]

Herman Cain responds. I'm not familiar with Canada Free Press and honestly can't tell if this is a parody or the real thing, but it looks real.

 

But political pundits always need something new to hyperventilate over, so for some reason it became a news story of note over the next several days. And yesterday it caught the attention of someone I like a lot – Jon Stewart. Since Jon understood my statement to mean that I would run if God told me to (after all, I would do anything if God told me to), Jon decided to ask the Almighty right there on his show to give me just such a directive.

 

Someone suggested to me this morning that surely I would not want to acknowledge or talk about this video. Are you kidding? This is hilarious! Shucky Ducky! I’m glad I provide Jon Stewart with so much mirth and levity. Lord knows we can all use it. And if some of you believe it’s at my own expense, why should that bother me? I’m having a great time hosting this radio show, publishing material on HermanCain.com and speaking to folks across the nation on a regular basis. If people laughing at me are causing me a problem, well, that’s news to me.

 

But back to Jon Stewart: I can understand why he wants me to run for president. Jon has been very interested in the idea of me as president for a very long time. How interested? Interested enough to make me president.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Fremde Frau

[trow125]

The Herman Cain op-ed was apparently syndicated from his own web site, so I guess it's real. The "shucky ducky" had me convinced it was a parody, but... I guess not!

[peeayebee]

stillshimpy, thanks for the link to the Diane Rehms Show. I used to listen to it all the time when I lived in Northern Virginia.

[Hanahope]

Is anyone else having problems watching this show on the Comedy Central website?  I get audio, but no video.  Been watching on Hulu instead.

 

Funny-sad episode last night (this morning for me).  Loved Ollie North giving his "opinion" on military hostage negotiations, the elections in Egypt and Syria, Republican politicians acknowledging their lack of science knowledge before spouting out non-scientific "facts".  Simply amazing.

 

I swear, I'm terrified of another Republican president, especially with the House gerrymandered in their favor and the Senate at risk.  Enough damage has been done to our country by them already in the last 30 years and considering how they've gone even further right than before, they could totally turn this country into a gun-toting theocracy controlled by corporations.

[Fremde Frau]

I enjoyed Michael Che's introduction, as much for Aasif's welcome appearance as for Michael's wonderfully dry "reporting."

 

Hanahope, I feel the same despair. Down here in Georgia, it already feels as though we are living in a gun-toting theocracy controlled by corporations. Incredible that the very same party crying "Freedom!" and going on about shady left-wing conspiracies to silence opposition are the ones determinedly shutting down equal rights, opposition, and democratic principles.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Fremde Frau

[possibilities]

I do like that Cain has a sense of humor and is not threatened by being joked about. But I can't tell if it's because he's too dim to get the jokes, or if he's just so secure that he doesn't care. Either way: scarily goofy for a president. I don't even mind some goofiness. But with Cain, it's like there's nothing else besides goofiness.

 

Actually, it suddenly strikes me as funny that we had a Cain and a McCain at the same time, and that didn't become fodder in some way.

 

Cain only scares me less than some of the other candidates because I think he has less chance of being elected.

 

Alexvillage-- it makes sense to me that the people you know are more focused on the autism issue than the people I know, since you know more people with autism than I do, and probably therefore are subjected to more random idiots burdening you with their ideas about the subject.

 

ganesh-- I agree it's more a task for journalists than doctors. And no, it's not easy.

 

I loved the Egyptian activist interview last night. When Jon has real, grassroots, no-fucking-around type guests on, and interviews them for real instead of inviting A-listers who just want to flog their blockbuster and shoot the shit with Jonny Stew, the interviews can be the best part of the show.

 

ETA: Hanahope- the CC website has always been totally fubar. I can never make it work. Hulu is a much better alternative.

Edited June 5, 2014 by possibilities

[ganesh]

I don't expect elected officials to be scientific experts, but any reasonable person should be able to see through the "I'm not a scientist, but I don't think climate change is a thing," garbage. I do expect elected officials to know generally how science works though. If you're on the House science committee and you don't understand what the scientific method is, you're a disgrace. 

 

So you're not a scientist. Why not ask a scientist? Why not hold hearings on the keystone pipeline and invite actual experts to testify what it will do to the environment? Because you know the answer and you know when it becomes part of the congressional record, "because jobs," will be a weak pathetic excuse and americans will actually expect you to do something about it and you are paralyzed with your own self-preservation to actually govern the country in the best interest of the populace. 

 

There used to be an Office of Technology, and they'd prepare reports for congressmen on things like this because they aren't experts, and they could use the reports to be up to speed on things like climate change. That got killed in the 90s. But that's no excuse. This scientifically ignorant phase we are in is appalling. The fact is no one else around the world is really going to do anything about climate change unless the USA is taking the lead, whether unilaterally or what.