While a large majority of Americans celebrated the death of ISIS leader, Abu al-Baghdadi, certain members of the press were doing everything in their power to diminish the win for the country and the President. Included among those was Trevor Noah on Monday’s Daily Show with guest and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’ Rourke.
The interview was nothing more than a puff piece for the left’s former golden boy, O’Rourke:
Everyone knew the name Beto O'Rourke because you blew up in the race against Ted Cruz. You know, you had people rallying for you even from outside of the state. I mean you had Beyoncé give you an endorsement. That's Beyoncé. I mean, you won the race there, I don't know why you're still in politics. I would just wear a t-shirt that Beyoncé chose me.
Of course, the average citizen of the country cares about Beyonce’s political opinions as much as they care about O’Rourke himself. Which is to say not a whole lot.
The most striking moment of the night came when Noah asked about the raid that killed al-Baghdadi:
Today is a particularly interesting day because Donald Trump has come out he's given the speech about the leader of ISIS. Being killed. And, because of the way he presented it, you know what, a conversation has now sparked from that, people are now saying, oh, he wants to take credit or he says Obama shouldn't take credit previously and whose credit, credit, credit. You tweeted out a congratulatory note honoring the troops involved in this. Do you think a Commander-in-Chief should be taking credit for the achievements of the military and do you think that's their place or should they just be in the place of taking the blame and then moving on?
Noah was correct about one thing, President Trump certainly does take the blame by the media at all times, and not just in terms of military matters.
O’Rourke’s attack on President Trump for the military success rather than congratulatory kudos would be surprising if it wasn’t coming from O’Rourke himself (click "expand"):
I think it would make sense for the President to congratulate those service members and the canine, or dog, as he refers to it. But also, you know someone made the case and it's very compelling to me, that this raid was successful in spite of or despite the President, not because of him. To turn his back on those Kurdish fighters whose intelligence and help located Al Baghdadi in the first place and made sure that we were successful, his precipitous withdrawal, it created a void that Turkey and Russia, Iran and I.S.I.S. and Assad have all come in to. It is really a miracle that we were able to do this but it is really owing to our allies, our friends, our partners on the ground and those brave service members who put their lives on the line to ensure there was justice for this country.
If the slaughter of a brutal terrorist is not grounds for appreciation, then any hope of media fairness is completely shattered.
Transcript below:
Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
10/28/19
11:17 p.m. EasternTREVOR NOAH: Before we start, I have to acknowledge that you have developed quite a reputation for having a potty mouth on the trail. People have said Beto tells it like it is and he curses so, every time you curse, I'm just warning you, Beto, I'm ready. But let's talk about the road for a little bit. You have been on the campaign trail and, although you ran for Senate, this is a different race. Are you holding up and is it everything you thought it would be?
BETO O' ROURKE: America is a lot bigger than Texas. So a lot more counties, a lot more ground to cover, a lot more people to meet. But the basics of an election, or a campaign or Democracy are the same. You're there to meet people, to introduce yourself, and if you're doing it right, you're listening to them as well and you're reflecting back their stories, their experiences and hopefully bringing new people into the experience.
TREVOR NOAH: Everyone knew the name Beto O'Rourke because you blew up in the race against Ted Cruz. You know, you had people rallying for you even from outside of the state. I mean you had Beyoncé give you an endorsement. That's Beyoncé. I mean, you won the race there, I don't know why you're still in politics. I would just wear a t-shirt that Beyoncé chose me. But the presidential race seems to be different. It seems to be in and around like preconceived notions of leadership or what people think they know about you. Are you- are you where you hoped to be in the presidential race?
O'ROURKE: Look, I would love to be doing a lot better, that's for sure, but I've got to tell you, I'm so grateful for the extraordinary supporters and volunteers, some of whom I see here right now that traveled all the way to New York to be here. I wish that enthusiasm and dedication was reflected in the polls. To answer your question, I don't think the polling reflects the passion and the commitment and the resolve of our supporters, from all over the country. I really feel it.
NOAH: Right.
O'ROURKE: But we're also in this extraordinary field of candidacy. Numbers somewhere around 20.
NOAH: Right. 18 people. What is it? 18 people running. So it makes sense that it's going to be diluted. When you are running for President, though, you are in an interesting position because you are running against all these Democrats, but you are also running against the person who is currently in office. Today is a particularly interesting day because Donald Trump has come out he's given the speech about the leader of I.S.I.S. Being killed. And, because of the way he presented it, you know what, a conversation has now sparked from that, people are now saying, oh, he wants to take credit or he says Obama shouldn't take credit previously and whose credit, credit, credit. You tweeted out a congratulatory note honoring the troops involved in this. Do you think a Commander-in-Chief should be taking credit for the achievements of the military and do you think that's their place or should they just be in the place of taking the blame and then moving on?
O'ROURKE: I think it would make sense for the President to congratulate those service members and the canine, or dog, as he refers to it. But also, you know someone made the case and it's very compelling to me, that this raid was successful in spite of or despite the President, not because of him. To turn his back on those Kurdish fighters whose intelligence and help located Al Baghdadi in the first place and made sure that we were successful, his precipitous withdrawal, it created a void that Turkey and Russia, Iran and I.S.I.S. and Assad have all come in to. It is really a miracle that we were able to do this but it is really owing to our allies, our friends, our partners on the ground and those brave service members who put their lives on the line to ensure there was justice for this country.
NOAH: Let's move on to a list of solutions you drafted and proposed today with regards to prison reform. This is truly one of the biggest issues facing America today, to have, you know, the population of a small country imprisoned is something that has been a black mark on America's record for too long, excuse the pun. You have a large prison population in the country where it seems like, the prison population is not going to dwindle anytime soon. What do you think needs to change beyond the obvious and how do you begin changing that?
O'ROURKE: You've got to stop this flow that really begins in school, and it doesn't begin in high school, the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline that we all hear about it. It starts in kindergarten when the child is five years old. In Texas that child is five times as likely to be disciplined or suspended or expelled if he or she is a child of color. That kid is absolutely defenseless against the system into which she was born. So, making sure that we don't just need equality in terms of funding for our schools but equity in our schools, the teachers should look like the students in front of them, we're going to have much better outcomes if we do that. Ending the profit incentive for the incarceration epidemic that we have right now. 2.3 million behind bars more than any other country on the planet, disproportionately comprised of people of color. And there are for profit prison companies who have a vested interest in that continuing to be the case. So, end for profit businesses and cash bail in America...
