Jon Stewart Is Just Plain Wrong

I love Jon Stewart.

Over the years on The Daily Show and other projects, his wit and humor have sustained me through some dark times -- when certain people's stubborn adherence to the Right-Wing Media Machine has come close to driving me into deep depression. I'm so very grateful to him, and remain a devoted fan.

But on Monday night, he really stepped in it.

Stewart has returned to The Daily Show as an occasional, usually-once-per-week host. And having him return to his old venue, in this trying time where we are actually on the brink of throwing democracy away permanently, is a breath of fresh air to a drowning man. Still, brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong, and Stewart demonstrated that spectacularly.

How? By actually defending Tony Hinchcliffe!

In his opening monologue, he said of Hinchcliffe's MSG performance, "Now obviously in retrospect, having a roast comedian come to a political rally a week before election day and roasting a key voting demographic, probably not the best decision by the campaign politically. But to be fair, the guy’s really just doing what he does."

Yeah. What he does is throw an entire race under the bus.

Understatement much, Jon?

Stewart then proceeded to play some clips of Hinchcliffe roasting other people, like Tom Brady. And those jokes, unsurprisingly, are every bit as tasteless and over-the-line as the ones he gave in New York on Sunday.

"There’s something wrong with me," Stewart admitted. "I find that guy very funny. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you."

Well, I know what to tell you, Mr. Stewart. Stop making excuses for the moron that just handed us the salvation of democracy on a silver platter! What, are you trying to get us all killed?! You idiot!

Now, after I've calmed down a bit and my blood pressure's returned to normal, I do get it, somewhat. Comedians like to defend other comedians, even and especially if they just self-destructed on stage. It's a kind of brotherhood among all those who have bombed at least a few times in their career.

And maybe, just maybe, in certain situations, Hinchcliffe's routine might actually have been objectively funny. Like at a White House Correspondents' Dinner, or maybe an awards show. Or at a "Roast of Puerto Rican Culture" event (as if any such thing could ever exist).

But to ruthlessly roast the next-largest voting block after white people, en masse, during what was ostensibly a campaign rally, in a critically close election? Come on!

There's no excuse for that, no matter what Jon Stewart says. And I think deep down he knows that, which is why he admitted, "There's something wrong with me."

And Stewart rightly points out that Trump's comments at the MSG rally were far worse. But that has never moved people before. Why should it now? You see, Hinchcliffe is NOT Trump, and that's what makes this scandal stick to him. It's not that Trump laughed at the jokes and refused to apologize for them afterward, but that everyone there laughed too (except, I'm sure, the stunned Latino voters) and refused to apologize. Even Hinchcliffe himself doubled down.

It was a huge, undeniably racist shit-show that should give all Latino voters pause. Then shock, anger, realization, fear, and finally, a whole bevy of changed votes against Trump.

Stewart wasn't wrong about one thing: there is something wrong with him. If his first instinct is to find excuses for this, the epitome of the inexcusable political gaff, then maybe he's lost touch and needs to retire from the Daily Show again.

Sorry, Jon. I love ya, but ya done fucked up.

Eric

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