NewsBusters Goads Jon Stewart to Explain, Defend His 'Socialist' Comments
Prompted by an article on NewsBusters, Jon Stewart on Tuesday felt compelled to defend his 2000 concession that he is a "socialist." The Daily Show host recounted the stir created by Roger Ailes after the Fox News president mentioned the comic's socialism.
On May 24th, NewsBusters posted video of Stewart on CNN in 2000. In the clip, the comedian admitted, "I'm more of a socialist or an independent." On Tuesday, Stewart highlighted, "...Then came this clip unearthed by a conservative website." An onscreen graphic identified NewsBusters. Trying to explain the comments, the comic emphasized, "I don't believe in state control of industry or collectivizing farms but I do believe there's value in some policies that derive from a more socialist ethos." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Although some in the media did question Ailes, Stewart joked, "I didn't doubt the story. I mean, I know watching Fox News makes you misinformed, but running it doesn't."
He then launched into a long diatribe about Fox News and the liberal media:
JON STEWART: ...I think what Roger said to me once was, oh, 'Jon, did I ever tell you that I, Roger Ailes, plan to undermine the role of an independent president by constantly whining that any reportage that deviates from a stanch conservative narrative is biased, while at the same time filling the editorial vacuum that, that creates by building a conservative propaganda juggernaut with the guise of a news organization.'
[Thanks to MRC intern Lillian Smith for the transcript.]
A transcript of Stewart's May 29th comments can be found below:
11:02
JON STEWART: I didn't doubt the story. I mean, I know watching Fox News makes you misinformed, but running it doesn't.
11:03
JON STEWART: Why didn't Roger Ailes mention what he admitted to me before, which was and obviously it's been a lot of years so I'm paraphrasing, but I think what Roger said to me once was oh, "Jon, did I ever tell you that I, Roger Ailes, plan to undermine the role of an independent president by constantly whining that any reportage that deviates from a stanch conservative narrative is biased, while at the same time filling the editorial vacuum that, that creates by building a Conservative propaganda juggernaut with the guise of a news organization." And then he said to me, he goes, "Jon, I'm going to call the organization Fox News and it's tag line will be, you're going toll love this, a fanatically micro managed media fiefdom where my own far-right agenda and personal sense of victim hood drive every aspect of the operation and balanced." I'm paraphrasing. Something like that. Anyway that goes down, then came this clip unearthed by a conservative website.
[Onscreen: NewsBusters.org.]
LARRY KING: I think you are a Democrat, Jon.
STEWART: I think that's probably correct. I think I would say I' m more of a socialist or independent.
STEWART: Oh, my god! I look great. Wow! Wow! You know what I just realized that interview was conducted just moments, moments before Larry King drained me of my youth. Let me explain to you what I think I meant by the comment on that show seeing I have at various times described myself as a socialist, Independent, Whig, Rockefeller Republican, Teddy Roosevelt Democrat and contrarian (bleep). I don't believe in state control of industry or collectivizing farms but I do believe there's value in some policies that derive from a more socialist ethos.
MITT ROMNEY: I think that Social Security is an essential program.
STEWART: Right. Like that. Thank you courageous comrade.
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Comments
It is always difficult and
Submitted by d1carter on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 4:40pm.
It is always difficult and not funny when someone is confronted with one's own words...
Leibowitz thinks kissing up to authority is speaking truth to
Submitted by frank14 on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 6:14pm.
power, and an independent press is somehow a threat to the country. He is a danger to the country by his brainwashing the young pothead crowd that watched the Comedy Channel with his failed socialist views.
The sad thing is there are
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 11:31am.
The sad thing is there are actual human beings out there on dialysis while two perfectly good kidneys are being wasted on Jon Liebowitz. Geeze, even the man's name is a lie.
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Chris Matthews: The Joy Behar of MSNBC.
Bill Maher: The Joy Behar of HBO.
Paul Krugman: The Joy Behar of The New York Times.
I wonder...
Submitted by c5then on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 5:03pm.
If Stewart would be willing to put his socialist ethos into practice and allow CNN to take some of his ratings to fortify their numbers? They could sure use them.
How about if we use a "progressive" ratings system where the top three winners in each time segment, are stripped of 25% of their share and that is redistributed to the bottom three? That sounds fair, doesn't it?
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Hard to hide behind "I'm a comedian!"
Submitted by Free Stinker on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 5:16pm.
. . . when you're really just a humorless partisan hack.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Guy is a douche!
Submitted by BBallleaper on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 5:23pm.
Nuff said.
Jon Stewart pwned
Submitted by Nelbert on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 5:25pm.
In the words of another great thespian like Stewart: "Resist we much."
Even His Dissembling is a Lie
Submitted by freecitizen on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 5:29pm.
"I don't believe in state control of industry or collectivizing farms . . . "
If he supported Obama's policies he DOES SO believe in state controlled industry. (Perhaps he meant to say state OWNED industry.) And he may not believe in collectivizing farms but he absolutely believes in subsidizing farmers who grow 'preferred' crops.
listen here whippersnapper
Submitted by MidAmerica on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 7:09pm.
He is right about one thing his youth is fast dissappearing. He and obama will be going for the youth vote, anyone under 40 for them now.
I'm guessing the socialist policies he believes in
Submitted by Radical1979 on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 7:15pm.
won't affect his wealth in the slightest.
Hey Jon,
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 7:32pm.
So your for SS, why dont you explain why your for Obama's socialist policies?
William and Mary's
Submitted by spallatial on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 8:13pm.
most famous nitwit.
I need to fix something
Submitted by Jnoble on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 8:34pm.
"... did I ever tell you that I, Jon Stewart, plan to undermine the role of an independent host of a formally light-hearted news satire program by constantly whining that any reportage that deviates from a stanch liberal narrative is biased, while at the same time filling the editorial vacuum that, that creates by building a liberal propaganda juggernaut under the guise of an overrated insufferably smug comedy show.'
There we go.
HAHAHA!!! Love it... again,
Submitted by Liberallies on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 10:49pm.
HAHAHA!!!
Love it... again, NBs Jon, too ashamed of being Jewish, Stewart defenders can't say anything. LOL
Yes, we have always known that Jon is a radical Left wingers, a self-admitted socialist.
The saddest part is that there are so many people who take his "news" seriously. Well of course, until they say, "well, but he is only a comedian, why do you take him seriously?"
I had a friend tell me that Jon Stewart is merely a funny comedian, then he turns around and emails me links of Jon Stewart attacking Republicans, Foxnews, etc. as real news. I asked him, "well, which one is it, is he a comedian who is not to be taken seriously. Or is he a real news man" My friend was unable to reply since like all Liberals, they want it both ways.
Only buffoons think Jon Stewart is funny and poorly informed individuals believe he is a newsman to be taken seriously.
Good Grief.
Submitted by BosTarus on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 2:14pm.
Everyone here needs to get over the fact that he changed his name. It doesn't have anything to do with his being "ashamed of being Jewish". If so, he does a bad job of hiding his heritage-you can't watch 5 minutes of the show without him making a reference to his own Jewish-ness.
It's unlikely that you've heard of Alphonso D'Abruzzo, Jay Scott Greenspan, Jennifer Anastassakis, Frederick Austerlitz, Walter Willison, or Marion Michael Morrison. But it's considerably more likely that you've heard of Alan Alda, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Anniston, Fred Astaire, Bruce Willis, or Jon freakin' Wayne. Actors change their names. It doesn't mean they're hiding anything or are ashamed of their heritage. It usually just means that they think "John Wayne in The Searchers" has a better ring than Marion Michael Morrison in The Searchers".
Pointing out that Stewart's last name is "Liebowitz" does nothing for your argument.
By the way, it is a bit
Submitted by Liberallies on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 10:54pm.
By the way, it is a bit amusing that Jon, too ashamed of being Jewish, Stewart said that President Obama is an independent President. HAHAHAHAHA!!!
now, that is funny. Stewart's ignorance and his audience's willingness to believe and hang on to his words is what is funny...well actually sad and pathetic.
Obama, one of the most polarizing Presidents in modern American history, called by an ignorant socialist buffoon an independent President.
November 2012 can't come soon enough!
Jon's Sctick...
Submitted by bigdaddy on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 12:53am.
...is not so slick now that he's been exposed for the liberal, partisan, hack that he is. He was smug, now he's just a slug. Ed Schultz with better hair.
My fellow NB readers, Jon
Submitted by shannon76 on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 9:20am.
My fellow NB readers, Jon Liebowitz just did us a HUGE favor. He's finally defined how to refer to Progressives/Marxists/Socialists/Democrats.
Before if you referred to them as above, they'd simply say, 'that's ridiculous! I don't want to take over the auto industry.' Or 'do you even know what a socialist is?' And then it'd descend into a more detailed conversation about socialism. They'd make the argument they weren't LITERAL socialists, thus blunting the impact of trying to identify their ideaological bias. I had to reduce to calling them 'neo-socialists' or the less all-encompassing 'statists' (which liberals don't even understand).
Now we can call them what Stewart said: they have a "socialist ethos".
If someone asks Romney if he thinks Obama is a socialist, he can comfortably and safely refer to Stewart, "Well I think the President is not unlike Jon Stewart, for example. They both have a socialist ethos."
Use this against your liberal friends: "you have a socialist ethos".
Stewart
Submitted by Michael Laborde on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 9:23am.
Undercover socialist disguised as a comedian.
Jon Stewart....
Submitted by adamsmith on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:58am.
should have been on the cover of Michael Savage's book, "Liberalism is a Mental Disorder". He's the poster boy. Watch him without the sound. Comedic? He's certifiable. Larry the Cable Guy is a way better comedian. He doesn't need a staff of writers or a teleprompter, showing true talent. This shill is a Leninist in need of a Straight Jacket. I've never found him funny, he's too angry at everything to be funny. A true malcontent needing to blame a scapegoat. Kind of like Hitler Jonny, right? I'm sure Jon is all for cranking the ovens back up for Israeli Jews, seeing most are Conservative........
Jon Stewart, the socialist character.
Submitted by CobraMan on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 11:40am.
Jon Stewart: "I'm not a socialist! I just like the socialist ethos!"
Jon, that makes you a socialist!
By the way, Jon, there's a BIG difference between being a socialist and being a centrist, both of which you claim to be. That's like claiming to be an atheist Christian. It doesn't make any sense!
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