Jon Stewart goes up against Rupert Murdoch's Lapdog

With the release of his new book America (The Book) : A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction (which I have read and highly recommend), Daily Show host and Emmy award winner Jon Stewart has been appearing on many talk shows to promote the read. His travels landed him on the Bill O’Reilly show ‘The Factor’ where the always spin-a-riffic O’Reilly mocked Stewart, the show, and its viewers (which I am among).

Here is a small sample of egregious statements from O’Reilly…

O'REILLY: But it is. It's true. I mean, you've got stoned slackers watching
your dopey show every night, OK, and they can vote.
STEWART: Yeah?
O'REILLY: You can't stop them.
[additional exchange]
O'REILLY: Puppets can't vote, but these dopey kids who watch you can.

… The Daily Show IS a comedy show, but it’s funniest to members of the viewing audience who have knowledge of the American political process and follow the news. They realize that many aspects of our lives deserve the playful and sometime caustic humorous commentary the Daily Show dishes out nightly. This comment is indicative of Bill O’Reilly’s opinion of the average Daily Show viewer, who for the record is not a “stoned slacker,” but also shows his contempt for the entire demographic to whom the Daily Show plays…

STEWART: What am I, a Cheech and Chong movie? Stoned slackers?
O'REILLY: Come on, you do the research, you know the research on your
program.
STEWART: No, we don't.
O'REILLY: Eighty-seven percent are intoxicated when they watch it. You didn't
see that?
STEWART: No, I didn't realize that.
O'REILLY: Yeah, we have that there.

…please Bill show the research study that gives that statistic - just so we know how credible you are. I challenge ANYONE to produce that study, or any respectable study from which O’Reilly derived this figure --- you can’t because no one in their right mind would fund a study to answer such a research conundrum. Come to think of it… I’ve watched Bill O’Reilly after a few beers and if anything it made me more like Bill --- launching ad hominem attacks at the screen and yelling to my friends to “SHUT UP… and change the channel.” – I win…

O'REILLY: But you do have some influence. Now, how do you see that? You haveinfluence. John Kerry bypassed me and went right over to you. You're only four blocks away. He said, "O'Reilly, I don't think so. Stewart, I'm going to go talkto you."

…of course he bypassed you O’Reilly, you’re the most obnoxious mouthpiece for the Republican party currently appearing on prime time TV. Come to think of it, that’s probably why President Bush appeared on YOUR show while not on the Daily Show. Thos is what they pay candidates pay campaign advisors…

O'REILLY: Do you think that Kerry does himself any good talking to you?
Because I think most of your audience is going to vote for him anyway, aren't they?
STEWART: If I thought...
O'REILLY: The stoned slackers.

… Keep it up Bill, you Rupert Murdoch hand puppet…

O'REILLY: But even so, younger people tend to be a little bit more, you
know...
STEWART: When you say younger, are you talking 9, 10? What are you talking
here?
O'REILLY: No, I'm talking 18 to 25, you know. The people who are on your
intellectual level.
STEWART: Thank you.

…now this guy is just being a flat out dick, but I really like the fact that Jon Stewart is smarter than to try to combat this, knowing the way O’Reilly shouts down anyone who disagrees with him. If anything, I imagine Jon’s choice to respond in kind in the face of insult only further infuriated Bill. Nothing had to be said to expose Bill for the pompous ass that he is… nice work Jon!

STEWART: No, I wouldn't have put it that way. I think it would have been, why
do you have such je ne sai qua?
O'REILLY: Yeah, some French. We're boycotting France, so I couldn't answer...
STEWART: By the way, I couldn't agree with you more about the French thing.
They are such an important country, and I think really deserve a boycott.
O'REILLY: Yeah, they do.
STEWART: Because of the influence they wield in the world.
(CROSSTALK)
O'REILLY: Well, you know, I know you don't agree with...
STEWART: They have a variety of cheeses, and...

… The French, The Faggots and The Fromage --- F%&* them all… right Bill? I can’t blame you … they’re all so IN right now!

View the Entire Transcript Here

UPDATE: This story from CNN

Comments

[Tarrah]

Hey! I just bought that book for Andy's bday (shhh don't tell him)...I will probably give it a read myself. I saw the follow up show to O'Reilly's comments and they actually found out that ~75% of the Daily Show audience versus ~25% of the O'Reilly viewers have a college education. Ha, in his face!