One symbol of The Washington Post's wretched excess in covering the liberal "Rally for Sanity" devoted financial resources to a pre-rally poll testing whether Jon Stewart would beat Stephen Colbert in a head-to-head presidential election. They posted it early Saturday morning. Is it a surpise that the Post called Stewart's "wry rationalism" would beat what the Post called Colbert's "warped right-wing bravado"?
Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert may be tapping into the politics of fear, but in a hypothetical 2012 presidential matchup, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart outpaces his protégé Colbert by a wide margin among registered voters, 42 percent to 22 percent, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
With one in three still up for grabs (mainly undecided), both Comedy Central funnymen may have a great chance to pick up support at their dueling rallies on the National Mall. Stewart plans a "Rally to Restore Sanity," while Colbert is countering with a "March to Keep Fear Alive."
The Post played this ludicrous exercise straight, breaking down which liberal comedian would win among differing demographics:
Seniors -- who are largely unfamiliar with the two talk-show hosts -- represent a potentially deep pool of voters for both sides. They break 28 percent to 13 percent in favor of Stewart, but two in 10 hold no opinion and one in three say they support neither candidate. Adults under 30 overwhelmingly go for Stewart, 63 percent to 24 percent.
Stewart's base also includes liberal Democrats (65 percent for Stewart to 16 for Colbert), those living on the East Coast (51 to 18 percent), and those who say the country is headed in the right direction (53 to 23 percent).
It's hardly shocking that Stewart's base is Obama-loving East Coast liberal Democrats. If there's an encouraging sign in here, Colbert performed poorly among Republicans and conservatives, which means no one is really enjoying Colbert's fake conservatism (or is uninformed enough to think it's real):
As in most matters, partisanship shapes views on the subject: Stewart holds a commanding 53 percent to 19 percent lead among Democrats, and he bests Colbert 40 percent to 21 percent among independents. Colbert runs about evenly with his former boss among Republicans, despite his grilling of former president George W. Bush at the White House Correspondents' Dinner four years ago...
The four in 10 voters who support the tea party divide evenly, 32 percent for Stewart, 29 percent for Colbert. Voters who oppose the tea party break 3 to 1 for Stewart.
Colbert, who left "The Daily Show" in 2005 to host his own, eponymous show, holds a narrow 26 to 21 percent lead among conservative Republicans who voted for McCain in 2008 and who say they'll vote for a Republican candidate in their district in 2010.
