In case you missed Jon Stewart on Larry King the other night, Crooks & Liars has video and a partial transcript (but you really need to see or hear it, because a lot of the way Jon Stewart talks is lost in the literal written tranlsation.) Larry King made several feeble attempts to create controversy, and Jon Stewart kicked him square in the nuts each time. Witness this exchange:
KING: You don’t want Medicare to fail?
STEWART: Are you insane?
KING: No.
STEWART: You’re literally asking me if I would prefer
— yes, Larry, what I’m saying to you as a comedian I want old people
to suffer, old and poor people to suffer. That is — that is — what we
want is — what seems absurd to me is the length that Washington just
seems out of touch with the desires of Americans to be spoken to as
though they are adults.
Nice try, Larry; too bad Jon didn’t go for it. Maybe you can team up with Nancy Grace for a two hour Aruba Special to get back on familiar, more comfortable ground.
That question was just one of several "gotcha" attempts which failed
spectacularly when Jon refused to take the bait, and instead turned the
ludicrous question back on Larry King, who of course had no response other than this painful frozen half-smile that was equal parts fear and lothing. When Larry King wasn’t completely controlling the tone and content of the show, you could feel how uncomfortable he was. Jon Stewart was so funny, and so quick-witted, and so smart and so insightful, if Larry King wasn’t trying so hard to create controversy where there was none, you’d almost feel bad that he wasn’t able to keep up.
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On a serious note, I think this is an accurate portrayal of how a lot of people think liberals think. Because Bush, (or for fellow Canadians, Harper), is in charge, we obviously want the contry to fail. Whenever we point out mistakes that were made, we are gloating and cheering on failure for political gain.
It’s a load of crap and the people who keep spreading this lie, (Karl Rove, etc.) and helping to kill the country.
I TiVoed this the other night and watched it the next day and Jon Stewart was dead on! He’s a comedic genius! And the way he kept Larry in line was priceless. 🙂
I love Jon Stewart and really enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks!
I’ve absolutely hated the way Larry King has tried to manipulate some of his guests into giving him absurd sound bites, so it’s great to hear that the brilliant Jon Stewart bitch-slapped him back into line. Thanks for the plug; I’ll be sure to check it out when I get a chance!
Jon Stewart is high on my (laminated) “list”… and he’s the only reason why I’ll tune into the Academy Awards this weekend.
~ EmRB
Im from Ireland so im really only half familiar with larry king and jon stewart.
Not exactly sure if Larry King was actually expecting stewart to actually answer those questions the way he wanted him to. King seemed completely outwitted by stewart, nice to see that some people know what they are talking about.
Stewart for Prez.
Larry King is a dinosaur. If you really listen to him, you can tell the lights are on but nobody’s home anymore. It’s time to say “good night,” Larry.
Thanks for posting about the show, Wil. I missed it but will definitely catch the repeat on Saturday. As a longtime Jon Stewart fan (since the old Jon Stewart show days) it’s nice seeing him b*tch slapping Larry King instead of the supermodels he used to b*tch slap back in the old days.
YOu can get lots of good footage like this regularly at One Good Move – http://www.onegoodmove.org/1gm/
Oh, man, this just makes me love Jon Stewart even more. The man has no fear of bitch-slapping people like this. His showing on “Crossfire” (where he did something very similar) a couple of years back made him my hero.
I don’t think we need to assume (as a friend often points out to me when I rant) malice when simple incompetance will explain it (Larry King).
(and I often mistake 78 year old men for birds!)
Thanks, this was awesome 🙂
Banzai’s got a point. Was King trying to corner Stewart, or is he just clueless. Good question.
Watching Jon take on Larry is like watching a Thin Man movie: quick wit, freshly sharpened.
Nice! Thanks for pointing this out. =)
I found it on YouTube as well.