Friday, January 29, 2010
Jon Stewart on the SOTU
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
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I loved Jon Stewart's summary of the SOTU. Maybe it was insulting or a bit of a downer for the President to focus so much on the negatives, but personally I'm glad the he used the opportunity to give a big F-U to everyone who has stood in the way of actually substantially addressing the problems we face as a nation (including both Republicans and Democrats, the media, big business, and even himself), because frankly that's how a lot of us are feeling about it all too. The issues are too serious to keep up all this partisan/media crap. Enough with tea parties and false accusations and empty rhetoric and obstructionism - we've got problems to solve. Let's get on with it.
We got spanked the other night, and we needed it.
posted by Mike Clawson at 10:07 AM | Permalink | 
3 Comments:
At 1/29/2010 10:36:00 PM, 
Mike Clawson
"At this stage, he doesn't get to lay the blame on us: he's the one that didn't show up."
How do you figure? The way I see it, he's been working his ass off this past year to get stuff done, and hit nothing but roadblock after roadblock from obstructionist Republicans, incompetent Dems, and the non-stop media carnival.
And how is what he was saying significantly different from what you just said? Hasn't Obama been saying that we have to "be the change" ourselves since the beginning? The other night he just reminded us that he can't do it on his own and never promised to.
Overall, I didn't think he said much of anything.
I thought the scariest bit was "if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else," but I'm hoping it was just poor writing rather than the creation of a litmus test for being protected by the Constitution.
I thought the most insulting bit was: "I campaigned on the promise of change – change we can believe in, the slogan went. ... But remember this – I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone."
At this stage, he doesn't get to lay the blame on us: he's the one that didn't show up. And I was reminded of the words of Howard Zinn:
"I think our first step is to organize ourselves and protest against existing order – against war, against economic and sexual exploitation, against racism, etc. But to organize ourselves in such a way that means correspond to the ends, and to organize ourselves in such a way as to create kind of human relationship that should exist in future society. That would mean to organize ourselves without centralize [sic] authority, without charismatic leader, in a way that represents in miniature the ideal of the future egalitarian society."
He's had his chance. Now's the time to be the change ourselves.