Long time BRAD BLOG readers will recall our (fairly) regular “Daily Show Moment”; a somewhat regular staple here featuring a “best moment” from a previous evening’s The Daily Show.
We admit we became somewhat disenchanted with them after the election and their lack of coverage of “Election Irregularity” issues. Just as we became somewhat disenchanted with a number of (theoretically) progressive bloggers who displayed some revealing “true colors” vis a vis their timidity in covering such issues at a time when we needed all hands on deck.
It’s clear, at the very least, that the eventual historical challenge to the Ohio Electoral Votes in Congress on Jan 6th, 2005, at least validated the concerns that a few of us bloggers were willing to discuss openly and report vigorously on after November 2nd. (And it was amusing to watch some of those other bloggers begrudgingly cover the Congressional Electoral Challenge event on Jan 6th…But we digress.)
So it was, last night, with no small amount of interest, that we noticed, in the wake of the Gannon/Guckert Scandal, The Daily, for the first time to our knowledge, had finally acknowledged that blogs actually exist! Let’s hope that was a watershed moment for the real news-breakers of late having finally cracked into the “mainstream”.
With that in mind, here’s an amusing moment or four from The Daily Show’s notable blog-o-rama from last night as their entire first segment was devoted to blog-related matters…
The first notable point was on the Gannon issue…
CNN REPORTER AT PRESS CONFERNCE (on video): Well, we found out…or…actually one of the web…the bloggers have found it…uh, we found it through the blog. Uh…Americablog.com…which is a, uh, a liberal site…we’d show you that, but the pictures on that site are actually kind of racy, so we didn’t want to go there…
STEWART: That’s CNN, reporting on why blogs are way more interesting than CNN.
On the Eason Jordan matter. Wherein rightwing bloggers created a mountain out of a molehill statement by Jordan, but as CNN seems to be afraid of molehills these days, Jordan was eventually forced to resign…
That’s The Washington Post. Their new motto: “You heard it here…twelfth!”
And then later with Stephen Colbert on blogging in general…
…And on political blogging…
COLBERT: What journalists do, Jon?…As a journalist, I think I know what I do. I’m not sitting at home in front of my computer! I’m out there busting my hump! Every day at the White House! Transcribing their press releases!…Repeating their talking points!… That’s how you earn your nickname from President Bush!
…
STEWART: As long as the blogs fact check…as long as these bloggers check their facts, why would you even object to this kind of political coverage?
COLBERT: Because it’s not political coverage, Jon! They’re reporting on the reporters!…First rule of journalism is: Don’t talk about journalism!…Or maybe that’s Fight Club…But my point is this…These guys need to learn, you don’t report on reporters! Nobody likes a snitch!…If they gotta report on something why don’t they take some of that youthful moxie of theirs and investigate this administration?!…Somebody ought to! You would not believe the things they’re getting away with!
…
STEWART: Like it or not, Stephen, these bloggers have already gained a certain legitimacy.
COLBERT: Yes, Jon. And therein lies our only hope…For with legitimacy the bloggers will gain a seat at the table. And with that comes access, status, money, power and…if we’ve learned anything about the mainstream media…that breeds complacency… … … Or…whatever… Jon?
Well done.
Now go figure out how to correctly pronounce AmericaBLOG and DailyKos, and then maybe we’ll be getting somewhere.
In either case, good to have the “Daily Show Moment” back…no matter how briefly.
(And, by the way, in other last-night-on-TV-related news, the episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Girl that we spied on last October as they were taping our next door neighbor, aired last night. We found out about the airtime only at the last minute, not in time to shout out here. So if you’re able to catch a re-run this week — it’s the episode featuring “Kristen & Peter” getting married — pay close attention and you can see both the corner of our car, and several of our windows in the background! And yes, we do need a new gardner at this apartment complex! 🙂
This was a great set – Stephen Colbert is hilarious anyhow, but even Jon couldn’t look at him without cracking up. We were on the floor.
One of the great things that The Daily Show does is point out that MSM news is just a show, a play, a movie, and the like.
I hope bloggers never succumb to that level and instead continue to treat news as the life blood of democracy.
No one owns the news except the public, it is not a commodity to be bought and sold.
Colbert: "… Just someone with a computer who gathers, collates and publishes accurate information that is then read by the general public! They have no credibility!…All they have is facts…Spare me!"
Excuse me Colbert, but isn’t news journalism the simple act of gathering, and the accurate reporting of facts? Is this another MSM credibility suicide note?
Keep doing what you are doing and you’ll keep getting what you are getting folks. The same principle applies to us. In light of that fact… expect no mercy.
Although I too am disenchanted with John’s lack of coverage with the vote fraud issue. I still can appreciate what he does. Like he mentioned on Crossfire, his show is on the same network that has puppets making crank phone calls.
Right now, I’m really interested in what Bill Maher will do on his show. Season premier tomorrow. If the vote fraud issue gets blacked out on his show, then I’ll really be dissappointed. I’m not talking about long lines or crappy ass provisional ballot rules. I’m talking about real electronic vote fraud.
If Blackwell was in on electronic vote fraud, he would have put more machines in Democratic communities so that Democratic voters could have thrown their votes away. He did his fraud the old fashioned Florida way. There’s no doubt that a few highly key people run the vote scam program.
Bill Maher, are you listening? I’ve emailed you several times. You don’t have to endorse the view either way, just start the discussion on a national level. There is no "liberal" media that will mention this, cause guess what? You are the liberal media.
(I know I might as well be talking to a brick wall, but I have to vent my frustration somehow.
Keep up the investigation, Brad. Like you’ve said before, we have nobody to count on but ourselves. If and when your story breaks, not only will it bring down the Neocons. It will also make some "liberals" take a long hard look in the mirror.
To our friend, the (apparently) irony-impaired Torqued…Senor Colbert was doing satire there.
No worries, I’ve been bitten before as well. Can’t think of when…but I’m sure it’s happened 😉
Lol, coffee first, then Brad Blog.
I’m disenchanted w/Bill Maher. I caught his interview w/Larry King. His comments on why we went to war w/Iraq. 1. Because we could. (Yes, I agree.) 2. We showed the world our moxie and kicked Arab butt in retaliation for 9/11. (Misleading!) He forgot to include that to infiltrate Iran we needed a staging point. Same for Afghanistan. We move freely across the borders into Pakistan, essential for obtaining info on the underground market of uranium to Iran.
The American people, blue and red need the entire truth.
re #7. Marski: I’ve been disenchanted with Bill Maher for a long time. His grasp of history is tenuous at best. But at least he has the stones to say what he thinks. Better than nothing, I suppose.
I thought "Ted Hitler" and Jon did a great job at giving cred to bloggers. It was also way funny. I TIVO The Daily Show just for such moments. They didn’t go into great detail on Gannon, just enough to spark interest.
But, in the end, it is a comedy show and I think it’s unfair to expect Jon to do the job that "Real" reporters should be doing. The mainstream press was never going to cover sElection fraud.
But we, here in the blogospere, got the story out and anybody who doesn’t get their news exclusively from Faux, knows that the sElection was a sham. Mission Accomplished.
More on Gannon Guckie this morning. What has that guy been up to??? Check out the Guckie thread.
Horkus #4. I just finished watching Bill Maher …
He had some very funny stuff. I really loved the Bush art collection routine. Robin Williams had senator Biden in stitches …
Jeff/Jim Gannon/Guckert even made it … the picture of David by Michaelangelo was renamed to "Jeff Gannon" in that skit …
Quite an interesting format for a first show. He made clear that dissent is here to stay.
I let my cable go..tired of waiting on crumbs. Miss Jon Stuart the most. I could get him on Canadian TV where I live in Maine, just over the border from Canada. I’m in N.C. until spring. I’m interested in knowing how ratings are since the almost complete takeover of the right. I find them so boring as well as not agreeing with their agenda. Also print. I quit buying the Times after the first debate . They said essentially, there was a debate. George looked like someone on a psych unit who needed his meds. adjusted. Used to work on ’em.
I let my cable go..tired of waiting on crumbs. Miss Jon Stuart the most. I could get him on Canadian TV where I live in Maine, just over the border from Canada. I’m in N.C. until spring. I’m interested in knowing how ratings are since the almost complete takeover of the right. I find them so boring as well as not agreeing with their agenda. Also print. I quit buying the Times after the first debate . They said essentially, there was a debate. George looked like someone on a psych unit who needed his meds. adjusted. Used to work on ’em.
Dredd #11
Couldn’t get on last night. Traffic was heavy. I saw the show last night too. I like the way Maher discusses most things, but the vote fraud issue got blacked out last night. Will it appear in the future? Who knows. I don’t blame Bill Maher per se. His show is not just him. It’s the producers and owners who are also part of the Maher show. I guess electronic vote fraud issue is such a red button issue, nobody in the mainstream anywhere wants to touch it.
Clint Curtis reminds me so much of Frank Serpico. He’s got a story nobody is willing to listen to.
Horkus #14
The vote fraud case is difficult. The foundational exit poll science is not recognized as science by the public.
It is the only thing that shows, scientifically, that fraud is the reason our president is in exile and Bush is there instead.
The Curtis story, and those like it, is a wonderful icing on the cake. It adds drama that is easier for the public to relate to. Cake without icing is a harder sell.
So it is like a puzzle that is hard to put together and get the public attention on. The MSM knows that and in its quickie McNews manner, fails to do its patriotic duty.
The MSM is in bed with (embedded) the admin, to the point that gay whores can be in the white house press room for years, asking pablum propaganda questions, and they don’t even stop snoozing.
There are indications that the snooze is ending … the A L A R M clock (blogger noise) may be on … visit the Gannon thread for the latest … S H O C KA N DA W E …
You have to be very careful with election tampering accusation. It would be a huge crisis for the country, and you have to have all the proof.
This administration seems to be self destructing, which would make it all worth it, since it would probably be permanent. Then we could get these people out of power forever. They’ve been up to this for a long time.
As they undo themselves, the tampering case can be built, as well as the election reform going on in Congress now.
We can strike one lethal blow, perfectly placed, just at the right time, when they are weakened just enough.
Teresa #16
I see your point. And if things work out the way you’ve stated, I wouldn’t argue with that. I just get uncertain sometimes that an investigation is really being done. Maybe Brad *knows* something we may not.
If the mere possibility that electronic voting can be hacked was brought up on some national forum, then I’m sure most people would agree that our voting system would need to change. But it gets blacked out. Bev Harris has all the irregularity facts in the world and it falls on deaf ears. I do agree that we need the proof. That’s what make Clint’s story so engaging and frustrating.
The bad thing is that while the Bush Admin is ripping itself apart, it’s also ripping the country and the world apart. It’s a bit of a double edged sword.