While it came across more like a conversation between two reluctant friends than an epic battle between good and evil, Jon Stewart appeared on The O’Reilly Factor last night.
The Fox News host tried to engaged The Daily Show anchor by referring to his audience as “stoned slackers who love Obama,” but Stewart didn’t take the bait. He merely responded with a chuckle and carefully laid out President Obama’s first-year strengths and weaknesses.
It was a nuanced, fair explanation, the kind Fox News viewers must have been utterly confounded by. Watch an exchange between the hosts below:
It’s clear Stewart appeared on the wrong show, as he admitted O’Reilly was the “sanest” voice at the network, although he added: “That’s like being the thinnest kid at fat camp.”
Put the Comedy Central star against Glenn Beck, however, and we’d imagine the sparks would fly. Stewart made multiple references to Beck’s – how shall we put it? – unique style of BSing viewers with whatever sob story would garner the most ratings.
The biggest laugh of the interview? When O’Reilly claimed Beck did not have a right-wing agenda.
Because these two almost got along too well – Stewart saved his most damning critique for Fox News, saying it sells “the clearest narrative” and works fans into a tizzy via a passion-based, “cyclonic” barrage of information that spins reasonable arguments into outrageous claims – we need to ratchet up the intensity between each’s supporters.
Whose team are you on?
Check out a second clip below.
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