Stuart Colbert 28’! My fingers would break I’d vote so hard for that.
Could you imagine those debates?! Pure gold 😂
I’d normally say “hells no, stop electing celebrities!” but this is a person who is actually politically informed (savvy even) and at this point possibly bthenonoy person why might get the US out of this miserable shit it’s in and on to a path towards an actual representative democracy.
If anything, Jon Stewart might be the only person able to get the US to stop electing celebrities in the first place
So yeah, Jon 2028!
A lot of people here are condemning celebrity in US politics, and I get it… but at this point in time we might need someone who is already famous yet consistent and trustworthy. Stewart has shown himself to be a good person for decades. He’s also politically informed, progressive, and whip smart.
We need a candidate who wants real change for the betterment of the working class. Somehow people thought that was Trump… I guess because he said he would be, a few times? And people were hoping hard? And not looking at his track record at all? Also racism? More importantly though: people didn’t think that candidate was Harris, who got pushed through by the Democratic party and ran an uninspiring campaign. Those people didn’t vote. Those people were excited about candidates like Bernie, who’s track record on class issues is indefatigable. Those people could potentially be excited about Jon Stewart tearing shit down for the actually betterment of the poor, and might trust that he would try.
That’s my read, anyway. A Mamdani could come along and stir up some real enthusiasm, but I think it’s harder for a no-name without a proven record to win a national election. Last time that happened we ended up with Obama, and people still feel burned by his lack of progressive action.
I would say it’s still a joke even if he goes through with it
Yes please. I’ve been wanting him to run for decades and I was hoping when he left the daily show he might end up on the path. I know he doesn’t want to do it, but no one who SHOULD have the job really WANTS the job, because they know what it means to do that job properly.
I would normally say “no, absolutely not,” but he night be a little better than Gavin Newsom or Pete Buttigieg. I think Stewart’s centrist instincts are not what this country needs.
The Venn diagram overlap of personality characteristics of modern politicians and celebrities is extraordinarily large. Pure charisma drives success in modern media-driven politics. It’s sad, but I believe it’s truth now.
Charisma has always been a major driver of politics, be it Republican Roman, Great Britain during WW2, or now. The only thing that is really different, is that we have better records of what modern politicians get up to. I recommend watching Historia Civilis’s coverage on Rome, particularly the “His Year” subseries.
Turn it to our advantage ? not USian, but we all have something to lose
Americans dont really know how to judge a persons character… Look at the choices for the last few decades… They have all been horrible people, except maybe Joe Biden who was unable to function instead.
Yes, Jon seems like a good person but I dont think good people are attracted to career politics. Its for the snakes and the lizards.
But yeah, he would be a good fit if he wanted to sacrifice his happiness for that role. I think he is way too smart for that.
In many ways you NEED a snake or lizard to navigate actual politics. Actual politics is dealing and wheeling and backroom negotiations. It’s exerting will and influence and collecting power in the form of favors, voting blocs, coalitions and all manner of social complexity that shrewd, even narcissistic people absolutely exceed at.
This doesn’t mean they have to be evil but you have to have someone who naturally enjoys playing dirty or skirting the rules and is capable of self-promotion. Of course Trump is all of these things and why he’s been effective at passing policy… stupid, shitty policy, but he has enough political capital that the GOP falls over themselves to suckle at his saggy teets. He’s been setting this up for decades.
But what a lot of people who aren’t following politics don’t realize is Obama and every other president was the same. They were all self-important, hubristic and “scummy” in their own regards.
For example, I don’t like Gavin Newsom at all, but he would probably be a highly effective president when it comes to pushing and passing policy. John Stewart might go in with ideals and goals, and get immediately sidelined and made into a lame-duck by not being able to leverage votes in house and senate or being unwilling to play ball and make sacrifices to get gains later. This is what it means to be an effective president and I don’t see anyone really who has both the will and the sauce.
Can you stupid fucks stop worshiping celebrities for like FIVE MINUTES.
I don’t get how mindless our population is.
Well, we’ve already had Reagan, Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, arguably Al Franken (he was on SNL), not to mention the Cheeto Bandito. Clint Eastwood and even Jerry goddamned Springer both made it as far as mayor. There are probably tons of others I’m forgetting.
So that ship has likely sailed, I’m sorry to say. Too late; we’re already stupid.
I would argue that most of those celebrities-turned-effective-politician (Franken was not effective long-term, he bowed out for stupid reasons) each had a lot more than face recognition, they were also snakes and scum or narcissists and I just don’t see Stewart in the crowd. He hasn’t expressed desire for politics, he has been an advocate and has been a great orator and journalist in his own way, but he is a different kind of person who wants different things, this means a distinct lack of political capital.
As a non-American, this baffles me.
Permitted, systemic destruction of our education system via exploiting the idea of “fierce independence” I guess from reality itself, over the last half century or so.
this baffles me.
The “left” has absolutely failed to produce any candidate willing to fight for socialized healthcare, workers rights, anti-genocide, proper immigration, lifting up the poor, increased salaries and taxing the rich.
Stewart has been bipartisanly slinging shit at every politician doing stupid shit for years. He’s politically educated absolutely amazing at speaking.
Our political system is on rails, we are only capable of fielding corporate shills, and only in two flavors: the ones that want to kill the poor and immigrants, and the ones that just want them to almost but not quite starve.
It is quite impossible to third-party someone organically; it may not even be possible to third party someone with money and connections.
Either way, you won’t have to worry about it, they’ll dismantle enough of the vote (already underway) that it doesn’t matter what people do, we’re going to stay on these rails until a true uprising happens. And we’ll probably live to see armed atlas bots patrolling the streets mowing down ‘dissidents’. It’s only a matter of time.
Just an interesting observation I’ve had about the comments here: everyone against this is misspelling his name
Nothing scares the right more than Jon Stewart. He made Tucker Carlson quit his job and stop wearing bow ties, lol.
Sure, why not. We’re in uncharted waters anyway.
Why not Naomi Murakawa?
Because when you say, “Naomi Murakawa”, I say “who?” I’m very plugged into US politics and I have literally never heard that name before. They do not have the name recognition to win. Not trying to be a jerk here, in case my tone is misinterpreted.
I fall into thinking that our candidates need to be pre-famous, too. I’m not sure how true that is, though, as people can make a name for themselves as they campaign. I think it’s more important that they have some kind of a publicly available track record, like books, public positions, articles, or local government records. We’re all really burned by politicians talking out of the sides of their mouths and then doing shit when they get to Washington, or worse, completely selling us out. I also believe that those who have no faith in government need someone they know they can trust. I really thought Bernie had all the creds needed to succeed.
It’s emotionally hard to be in the place we’re in now as a country and to say, “I have no idea who could run for president,” but I do think that’s true and probably fine and normal. Simultaneously, I don’t trust the DNC to pull out a diamond. Actually, I know that they will do the opposite of that, and so I have a strong impulse to enthuse for an available candidate that runs contrary to the DNC’s typical pick. But most Washington insiders are pieces of shit, while political comedians are proven, smart, and engaged… but give me somebody else to get excited about and I’m ready, guys. I’ll do my part to get them elected.
My comment was more of a commentary on electing based on merit than celebrity
I’m watching her decade-old interview on liberal involvement in the US prison system. Thank you!
I don’t think Stewart has any desire to run for President honestly.
No sane capable person would. That’s why all the people that make it there are there for the power or the money.
“The major problem, one of the major problems, for there are several, with governing people is that of who you get to do it. Or, rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well known and much lamented fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made president should on no account be allowed to do the job.”
If we must have leaders, then, the corollary to Adams’ Law must follow: presidents should be drafted.
Nor should he. He’s also too smart to want to trade his retirement years for becoming by default one of the most hated people in the world. This is more celebrity cult worship but from the other side.
Can we please start trying to elect qualified people instead of popular faces.
There is no such thing as a qualified US presidential candidate. There’s no job, or training, or comparable experience that can ready a person for that role. Anyone who honestly thinks they are the most capable person in the world to assume control of the largest military and the largest economy that has ever existed should immediately be disqualified from the role. You’d have to be a madman to think that. But that’s all we ever get.
There’s no indication that a senator, governor, or vice president makes a better president than someone with no political experience (of which there have been 6). In fact, coming through that system seems to teach people to make peace with corruption, bribery, complacence, and protecting the status quo at it’s worst.
As much as I hate Donald Trump’s policy, and flagrant disregard for the law, it would be hard to argue that his experience as a narcissistic game show host hasn’t proven more effective at the day to day politics of implementing his policy than almost any other president of the last 40 years. It’s hard to keep up with how fast he’s getting disastrous shit (that we voted for) done.
And he’s only in office today because 50 years of “qualified” stuffed shirts have wrung all the money, opportunity, and hope out of the middle class. Then the “qualified” people told America to vote for a clearly senile “qualified” candidate.
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”
The Dunning-Kruger effect is probably at least partially responsible for most of the world’s ills.
And our stupid brains are wired to see confidence as capability. I guess there’s an evolutionary advantage to organizing even if you pick the wrong leader.
He’s always expressed an active disinterest… but in the interview the article’s talking about, he brought up the possibility of “the right reality host” taking over the Democratic party on his own. Then didn’t deny it or push back when the interviewer asked if he meant himself.
That’s the most positive I’ve heard him be about the possibility.
Colbert. I’m pretty sure he meant Colbert.
Just because he doesn’t want to be president doesn’t mean he shouldn’t run. Every election cycle has at least one candidate who just wants to stir the water.
That’s what would make him good at the job
Yeah. The real problem with power is that the people best suited to wield it don’t seek it out.
Running for president should automatically disqualify you…
The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
So finaly, you will get Stewart instead of King
*enthousiastically chews on a cherry tomato*
What’s a joke is thinking you are going to get there when you haven’t even seen what’s going to happen during the midterms, or that there is still over a year to get to even that.
A joke for clowns!!Honk honk
