McCain on the Daily Show

[thehefner]

Did anyone else catch John McCain on Tuesday night's THE DAILY SHOW? Where just seconds before McCain's appearance, Jon Stewart was wondering if McCain's "Straight-Talk Express had made a stop-over in Bullshit Junction."

I wish I could find a video or transcript of that interview to post here. Because did anyone else catch the part where Jon Stewart, who like many of us has deeply admired McCain, asks him if he's now basically pandering to the base, and McCain actually said, with regretful sigh, "Yeah." Holy crap. For all McCain's selling out, how many other politicians are you gonna find who are gonna be honest enough about the fact that they're selling out?!

Of course, as deeply regrettable and disappointing as McCain's selling out and pandering is, if he's gonna be running for President, does he really have any choice? Does he not have to make peace with the religious right and all the other crazier factions of the right if he is to carry the Republican party? I know this subject has already been discussed by people who better know what the hell they're talking about than I.

It was an excellent interview though, strangely reminding me of everything I liked about McCain while still being rather concerned about where he's going. As Jon Stewart himself basically put it, "I hope you know what you're doing, Senator."

I think Zombie Captain America is somehow appropriate here.

Comments

[heykidzcomix.livejournal.com]

Conceivably, McCain could replace the evangelical Christian base with all the Democrats who like him despite party lines, but since the last figure I saw put the conservative Christian population at about 30% of the country, it seems like a stupid strategy. Ah well, guy's not a friend to liberals anyway.

El Colbert Reporto has been getting some BATSHIT CRAZY guests on lately. Today he had the perfect storm of manliness. :D

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but he's also been a liberal republican to a middle-of-the-road republican, which hasn't always made him a friend to the Republicans either. As it stands, I think he's much more of a friend to liberals than, say, Bill Frist. Sell-out or no.

I frickin' loved tonight's FORMIDIBLE OPPONENT. My god, the man is getting better and better with each show. A friend of mine just a portrait of him. I cannot wait until she gets to give it to him. You just know he'll put it on.

[fishymcb.livejournal.com]

That is a glorious portrait...it exudes truthiness from its very core.

And yes, that McCain interview is one of the best things I've seen since David Letterman told Bill O'Reilly that he was sure that 60% of what he said was total crap. I love that the ballsiest political reporters we have in this country are comedians. Sure, it doesn't say much for the media at large, but it reaffirms my faith in comedy as a noble pursuit.

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XZ3LhPCKAoU

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

That wasn't there at one o'clock this morning! Much appreciated.

[2sick2pray.livejournal.com]

I have to say, watching that the other night was very unpleasant for me... i was with Senator McCain throughout most of this; my faith in him was strong enough to make allowances. but to see him up there calculatingly evading certain questions and grinning like an idiot the whole time - that was really upsetting. To me he almost seemed drugged or brainwashed or something. There was just a very different quality to the way he handled himselfin that interview vs. the way he's handled himself on the Daily Show in the past. I don't quite know what to think. I can't quite decide how I think McCain is most useful. On the one hand, as a Senator with no presidential aspirations I'm sure he'd keep giving us the kind of straight talk that inspires faith in the existence of a less-than-corrupt politician in America, which is important, especially to my generation, because we tend to be so apathetic and pessimistically avoidant about politics. On the other hand, if he temporarily sheds the straigttalk for awhile and wins the presidency by so doing, he could be an incredible force for good in this country. But that's such a fucking slippery slope - how are we to know the pandering will stop once he becomes president if he does win? Even if we have faith that he'll want to stop it, how do we know if it'll even be possible after he surrounds himself with the kind of ruthless people he'll need to in order to get elected in the first place? I'm concerned. I still have faith in him, but it's getting shakier and shakier.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

You pretty well summed up my feeling on the matter quite perfectly.

[interdisciple.livejournal.com]

ditto on that action.