Ahead of Sunday’s new episode of the CNN series The 2000's (which is airing maybe a few years too soon), let’s take a look back at a few pathetic moments from the first episode, which focused on the decade’s movies and television.
The CNN documentary blasted Fox News and MSNBC for having corroded the news discourse and heaped a torrent of praise on far-left comedians and former Comedy Central hosts Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart.
Fox News Channel was up first at the 9:51 p.m. Eastern mark with three soundbites from current FNC host Sean Hannity and former hosts Glenn Beck and Megyn Kelly. Of course, CNN picked clips to make them sound crazy and beyond the realms of reason.
While they could have done worse in who was picked to opine on Fox, senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin wasn’t exactly a sober choice. Toobin stated that “[w]hat you saw in the media universe in the 2000s was the splintering of the audience and, in the news, it splintered largely along political lines.”
In between two more FNC soundbites painting the network as horribly biased, Toobin added that “Roger Ailes had the brilliant idea of creating a network for conservatives, thus Fox News” and pathetically asserted that, on the left, “MSNBC kind of stumbled into the idea of a liberal counterpart.” Stumbled? Try “Lean Forward.”
Toobin concluded following a bit from onetime MSNBC host Keith Olbermann by fretting like a tried and true liberal who longed for past decades with only a handful of outlets and thus result in a tighter information stream to viewers: “There was no longer a shared, factual basis for our political views. We didn't all go home and watch Walter Cronkite.”
Moving to Crossfire, the documentary heaped praise on Stewart for singlehandedly destroying the first (and more successful) incarnation of the show when wondered “why do we have to fight” to Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson.
“I think anyone who enjoyed paying attention to the news and watched The Daily Show will forever remember Jon Stewart going on Crossfire and reading those guys the riot act,” Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons opined.
The ironic part is, when thinking about what CNN panels and programming are like today, one could argue that it’s far worse than whatever Stewart bemoaned on Crossfire.
This led into more slobbery kisses for Stewart with Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead opining (who went on a bizarre, unstable rant earlier this week against Brett Kavanaugh): “Comedians and satire, when done right, will take on hypocrisy no matter where it comes from....If they've stepped in it, a trusted comic will bring that to the forefront and I think that that's what people like about The Daily Show.”
Put simply, this notion that this program or any of the others over the years provided commentary that held both sides accountable is laughable.
Bringing in Colbert to the equation, The Hollywood Reporter’s Kim Masters gushed that she “could not have lived without The Daily Show and Colbert then becomes the companion show, so compelling to watch...this hilarious pseudo-conservative dumb guy.”
Toobin was brought back in for more sterling analysis:
One of the things about being on The Colbert Report and Stephen would say it himself, was, he was playing a character....Stephen had to respond in real time to the guests as his character, not as himself, which was an incredible feat of acting as well as kind of quasi-journalism.
To end this charade, ESPN’s Chris Connelly recalled that what he’ll remember about them “is the moment that Barack Obama was named President of the United States” when, on the set of The Daily Show, Colbert broke down in tears.
“[T]hat character can't cry because that's not what that character does and Jon Stewart, he loves Colbert so much as a human being, he covers for Colbert,” Connelly added.
To see the relevant transcript from CNN’s The 2000's on July 8, click “expand.”
CNN’s The 2000's
July 8, 2018
9:51 p.m. EasternSEAN HANNITY: Day 52 of the socialism that you’ve been waiting for.
GLENN BECK: The Manchurian Candidate couldn't destroy us faster than Barack Obama.
MEGYN KELLY: Critics now claim the administration is actually pressuring certain disabled veterans to “hurry up and die.”
JEFFREY TOOBIN: What you saw in the media universe in the 2000s was the splintering of the audience and, in the news, it splintered largely along political lines.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE FOX NEWS HOST #1 [in voice-over]: You’re Fox News. Real journalism. Fair and balanced.
TOOBIN: Roger Ailes had the brilliant idea of creating a network for conservatives, thus Fox News.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE FOX NEWS HOST #2 [in voice-over]: The controversy over John Kerry and his Vietnam war medals has just gotten worse.
TOOBIN: MSNBC kind of stumbled into the idea of a liberal counterpart.
KEITH OLBERMANN: People watch Fox News thinking there's news in it are tin-foiled hatters, conspiracy theorists, racists, loons and pinheads.
TOOBIN: There was no longer a shared, factual basis for our political views. We didn't all go home and watch Walter Cronkite.
CROSSFIRE ANNOUNCER: Crossfire. On the left, James Carville and Paul Begala. On the right, Robert Novak and Tucker Carlson. In the crossfire —
WOLF BLITZER: I remember when John Stewart went on Crossfire. It was 2004. John Kerry was the Democratic presidential nominee facing George W. Bush and I thought, you know, watching it, I said, this is going to be a funny show.
JON STEWART: Can I say something very quickly? Why do we have to fight? The two of you, can't we just say something nice about John Kerry, right now.
TUCKER CALRSON: I like John. I care about John Kerry.
STEWART: And something about President Bush.
PAUL BEGALA: He'll be unemployed soon.
JIM PARSONS: I think anyone who enjoyed paying attention to the news and watched The Daily Show will forever remember Jon Stewart going on Crossfire and reading those guys the riot act.
STEWART: You're doing theater when you should be doing debate, which would be great.
BEGALA: We do debate. It’s not true.
STEWART: It's not honest. What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery. And I'll tell you why I know it.
CARLSON: You had John Kerry on your show and you sniff his throne and you’re accusing us of hackery?
STEWART: Absolutely.
CARLSON: You have got to be kidding me. He comes out and you —
STEWART: You’re on CNN. My — the show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls. What is wrong you?
LIZZ WINSTEAD: Comedians and satire, when done right, will take on hypocrisy no matter where it comes from.
JOHN EDWARDS [in 2004 vice presidential debate]: I think the Vice President and is his wife love their daughter. I think they love her very much and you can't have anything but respect for the fact that they're willing to talk about the fact that they have a gay daughter.
STEWART: Yes, we admire your love for your gay daughter.
WINSTEAD: If they've stepped in it, a trusted comic will bring that to the forefront and I think that that's what people like about The Daily Show.
STEPHEN COLBERT: There is an upcoming election, evidently. I didn't know that.
STEWART: You're our chief political correspondent, Stephen. I mean, every two years, we elect a brand-new House of Representatives, a third of the Senate. It's called the midterm elections. It’s a —
COLBERT: I only vote when the big kahunas are up. El presidente. I can't be running around every two years voting. I got a life.
KIM MASTERS: I could not have lived without The Daily Show and Colbert then becomes the companion show, so compelling to watch.
COLBERT: C for Colbert.
MASTERS: It is also so compelling to watch this hilarious pseudo-conservative dumb guy.
COLBERT: And who are the heroes? The people who watch this show. Average, hard-working Americans. You're not the elites. You're not the country club crowd. I know for a fact that my country club would never let you in.
TOOBIN: One of the things about being on The Colbert Report and Stephen would say it himself, was, he was playing a character.
COLBERT: The book is The Nine: Inside the Secrety, Spooky World of the Supreme Court.
TOOBIN: Stephen had to respond in real time to the guests as his character, not as himself, which was an incredible feat of acting as well as kind of quasi-journalism.
TOOBIN: That's a big part of the book, is, you know, how much do the justices' political views play a role in how much they decide cases.
COLBERT: How much — I mean — why would political views go into it? These guys are supposed to be — except the activist judges — the four liberal activist judges, I could understand why their liberal bent because they're activist judges. ]
TOOBIN: Yeah.
COLBERT: But the conservative judges are not activists. They're in-activists.
TOOBIN: They’re — they’re — they’re — they — umm -- yeah, I guess you're exactly right.
CHRIS CONNELLY: What I remember is the moment that Barack Obama was named President of the United States.
STEWART: CNN projects that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States of America. It is now official. He has passed the 270 electoral votes. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
CONNELLY: When you watch the tape, you can see that Colbert begins to cry and that character can't cry because that's not what that character does and Jon Stewart, he loves Colbert so much as a human being, he covers for Colbert.
STEWART: It is now 297 for Barack Obama. 139 for John McCain.
