Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart welcomed former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler to The Daily Show on Monday to promote his book that was nominally about how the left can save democracy. However, during their conversation, Stewart would confess that the DSA radicals trying to take over the Democratic Party are crazy but also admitted he did not care. Additionally, when Wikler said Democrats need to be willing to consider expanding the Supreme Court, Stewart agreed, adding, “Go big or go home.”
When someone is running for a high-level political office, it is natural to focus on what they believe. However, for Stewart, that seemed to be a distraction:
And now, we’re in that same bullshit place now where all these new ideas—suddenly the Democrats— ‘These democratic socialists: they’re crazy.’ And you’re like, well, generally, their crazy ideas aren’t where the energy is. The energy isn't around, like, ‘We shouldn't have prisons or borders.’ The energy is around a belief that their economic populism, and when you call it socialism, I think it is a misnomer, like in the same way that if you call Social Security socialism, that's kind of a misnomer. It is about strengthening a safety net for a country that has suffered too long overvaluing capital and money and undervaluing labor and work! That’s all this [bleep] is. That's it. So, I don't get the whole hullabaloo.
Wikler agreed, “I think one of the reasons why you see some candidates catching fire right now is that they speak directly to what a total meltdown crisis we are in as a country.”
The DSA nuts are just proof of “a big tent.” Wikler explained, “What people are experiencing in their day-to-day lives, and then they tell people you can do something about this, and I invite candidates, and there are candidates who identify as centrists running in some states, there are democratic socialists in other states. It is a big tent.”
Stewart concurred, “It takes everybody. It takes all kinds.”
Wikler rolled on, “The most exciting parts of the tent come out wherever you are in the geography, are the parts where people say, 'This is not working and we need to change it. We don't need to go back to something that wasn't so great before. We need to go forward to something. Here is what we are going to do. XYZ things’ and they lay it out. Again, this is the plan: when you get in power, you need to be willing to change how the system work.”
Eventually getting to the Supreme Court, Wikler added, “The U.S. Supreme Court's going to keep striking this stuff down until we reform, meaning either expand or put term limits on the U.S. Supreme Court. We got to do that too.”
Stewart was a big fan, “Going big. Go big or go home.”
From expanding the Court because you don’t like its rulings or downplaying what DSA candidates, for Stewart and Wikler saving the country might mean having to destroy it.
Here is a transcript for the July 20 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
7/20/2026
11:45 PM ET
JON STEWART: And now, we’re in that same bullshit place now where all these new ideas—suddenly the Democrats— “These democratic socialists: they’re crazy.” And you’re like, well, generally, their crazy ideas aren’t where the energy is. The energy isn't around, like, “We shouldn't have prisons or borders.” The energy is around a belief that their economic populism, and when you call it socialism, I think it is a misnomer, like in the same way that if you call Social Security socialism, that's kind of a misnomer. It is about strengthening a safety net for a country that has suffered too long overvaluing capital and money and undervaluing labor and work! That’s all this [bleep] is.
BEN WIKLER: A million percent!
STEWART: That's it. So, I don't get the whole hullabaloo.
WIKLER: I think one of the reasons why you see some candidates catching fire right now—
STEWART: Yes.
WIKLER: —is that they speak directly to what a total meltdown crisis we are in as a country.
STEWART: Yes.
WIKLER: What people are experiencing in their day-to-day lives, and then they tell people come you do something about this, and I invite candidates, and there are candidates who identify as centrists running in some states, there are democratic socialists in other states,
STEWART: It takes everybody. It takes all kinds.
WIKLER: It is a big tent and I would say that right now, the most exciting parts of the tent come out wherever you are in the geography, are the parts where people say, “This is not working and we need to change it. We don't need to go back to something that wasn't so great before. We need to go forward to something—
STEWART: And there’s a specificity to it and a courage to it.
WIKLER: Here is what we are going to do. XYZ things” and they lay it out. Again, this is the plan: when you get in power, you need to be willing to change how the system works—
STEWART: That’s right.
WIKLER: — so you can actually change the policy, deliver for people, and sustain it. If the U.S. Supreme Court, to take one example, if the U.S. Supreme Court keeps striking down everything a Democrat does, anything that is intended to protect democracy from the power of big money—
STEWART: Or workers. Or anti-corruption laws.
WIKLER: Or striking down workers. Anti-corruption laws. Wisconsin created the first workplace protection agency. Forerunners. I love Wisconsin., but this is my point. I know, I know
STEWART: Jersey is no piece of shit, by the way.
WIKLER: It's great. Every state, I mean—Wisconsin—
STEWART: Fair enough.
WIKLER: The U.S. Supreme Court's going to keep striking this stuff down until we reform, meaning either expand or put term limits on the U.S. Supreme Court. We got to do that too.
STEWART: Going big. Go big or go home.
