John Kerry on the Daily Show -- 24 Aug 2004

still, one of my fave memories of the show was during the 2000 campaign, when Stephen Colbert & Steve Carrell were at a McCain rally and, when it was their turn to ask a question, whipped out a Trivial Pursuit card and read one off. McCain even put effort into figuring out the answer, too.

LORD will this have some rebuttals attached to it...

Well, if I was allowed to.

their boundless hunger is bloating the american citizenry

a tax must be placed on fat and cholesterol

then the poor would eat good food and not fast food

and the blubbery plague would abate

goes GREAT with gravy.

http://www.usca.edu/nununupes/kappa%20images/mayo2.gif

Gravy served by Grady, no less!

Seriously, Kerry picks ‘Daily Show’ for interview
Senator's camp says show good way to reach young voters

By Lisa de Moraes
Updated: 4:52 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2004

When John Kerry decided it was time to do his first national TV interview since the Swift boaters for Bush launched their attack on the senator's Vietnam War record, he did not choose CBS's "60 Minutes," ABC's "Nightline" or "NBC Nightly News."

Kerry picked Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," where he will appear tonight in an extended interview.

Now I bet you feel terrible that you dismissed as fools those TV critics who, back in July, collectively crowned "The Daily Show" the year's best news and information program. I know I do.

This marks the first time "The Daily Show" has bagged an actual presidential nominee. Which is not to say that "The Daily Show" lacks political heat. In 2000, vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman showed up, and this election, every one of the 10 Democratic hopefuls except Kerry appeared on the show before the party's convention last month. John Edwards actually announced his intention to run for president on the show, and Carol Moseley Braun dropped out of the race the very next day after appearing on Jon Stewart's program.

In fact, Stewart's show has so much buzz during this election, it's annoying some of the traditional TV newsies.

[...]

Earlier, before being clawed by Kerry's reps, we spoke to "Daily Show" executive producer Ben Karlin, a charming man who did not take offense at our questions and who promised that the Comedy Central program would try especially hard to resemble an actual TV news show tonight during its Kerry encounter.

"We're going to focus exclusively on events of 30 years or more ago...and not on anything relevant to anything beyond 1964," Karlin said...

the article is actually longer than you'd suspect.

I'm looking forward to this after a particularly long day.

1 hour, 35 minutes ago

By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK - After weeks of charge and countercharge in the presidential campaign, comedian Jon Stewart tried Tuesday to get to the bottom of the debate over Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites)'s military service in Vietnam.

"I understand apparently you were never in Vietnam?" asked Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

"That's what I understand, too, but I'm trying to find out what happened," Kerry joked.

A group of Vietnam veterans has accused Kerry, in public statements and in television commercials, of exaggerating his actions during the war, where he served on a Navy swift boat and earned five medals.

As Kerry launched into one of his lengthy monologues about why President Bush (news - web sites) avoids talking about issues like the economy, jobs and the environment, the comedian interrupted.

"I'm sorry," Stewart said. "Were you or were you not in Cambodia?"

Stewart and Kerry then lean in and stare each other down over the comedian's desk before Stewart asks about some of the other things Kerry's opponents are saying about him.

"Are you the number one most liberal senator in the Senate?" he asked, joking about claims that Kerry is "more liberal than Karl Marx, apparently."

"No," Kerry answered.

"Are you or have you ever flip-flopped?" Stewart asked.

"I've flip-flopped, flap-flipped," Kerry said, poking fun at the GOP's label.

Stewart also sought answers to another hard-hitting question: "Is it true that every time I eat ketchup, your wife gets a nickel?" The candidate's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is heir to the Heinz food fortune.

"Would that it were," Kerry said.

When the conversation turned serious, Stewart asked Kerry how he would counter Bush's ability in debates to turn issues into a choice between his position and the opposition.

Kerry said the debates would be a challenge. "The president has won every debate he's ever had," Kerry said. "He beat Ann Richards. He beat Al Gore (news - web sites). So, he's a good debater."

Many presidential candidates appeared on late-night comedy shows this year. John Edwards (news - web sites), now Kerry's running mate, even announced on "The Daily Show" that he was a candidate for president — which Kerry said he watched.

"I think that's why he lost," Stewart said.

"No, he won," Kerry insisted, then jokingly offered to hold their inauguration on the show.

Kerry offered an interesting observation on life as a presidential candidate.

"You'd be amazed at the number of people who want to introduce themselves to you in the men's room," he said. "It's the most bizarre part of this entire thing."

___

Ed Gillespie's gonna be on tomorrow? That should be interesting.

Is The Daily Show the only intelligent news show on TV?

Anyway, thought it was a good interview for Kerry. I love how Stewart gets nervous energy when he interviews someone "big" (even though it means he cuts them off too much)... The "real news" stations could learn so much from the Daily Show's humility.

Bring on the RNC.

http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2004/08/24/kerry-daily.jpg

which is why i like th kerry, b/c she is the only one in the last 20 years (wives, vps, ps) that isnt being handled, isnt being told what to say and how to say it.

also why the fuck is stewart so nasty and under handed to conseratives and not to democrats, why didnt he jump down his throat on certain things (the voting for the war, the idea of liberal, the talking points) Stewart used to make people work. now--i'm not so sure

ain't the first, ain't the last (this was WAY less incompetent than David Cross's "It's Not Funny").

I'm actually cool with this, since this late in the game mobilizing the troops is WAY more important than getting the Bush supporters to convert. As far as "who will be angry and vitriolic to BOTH" I'm willing till wait till mid-November to worry about that.

the whole point of tough, devil's advocate questioning isn't to tear the guy down or discredit him, it's to provoke the strongest possible version of his story, and if you don't do that the answers are usually pretty small beer. of course we're talking about politicians here so you could ask them what they thought about pj harvey these days and they'd probably say "the most important things for our future are the issues that john and i have..." blah blah

i read this as "crunk call."

I don't think I'd go to Tavern on the Green if I were getting married there

For someone on John Kerry's side--or even for someone with a bit of empathy to spare--watching the candidate appear on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night made for a hand-wringing few minutes. Would Kerry mangle his prepared jokes? Would he come across as he had on "The Tonight Show" last November--trying to act cool but looking as if couldn't wait to ditch the leather jacket and slip into something more comfortable, like a suit and tie? The show's host might have been worried too. Stewart, despite his avowed allegiance to the Whig party, does not appear to relish the notion of another Bush presidency. Probably those least worried about the event were the only ones who mattered: young swing voters, the demographic Kerry evidently hoped to reach by going on the show.

The surprise, in the end, was that Kerry did okay. In fact, the Kerry who's reputed to be such a good "closer" has finally started to make some appearances. His performance on "The Daily Show" indicated important achievements on a number of fronts in the campaign.

For one, the sartorial choices have become more prudent. Kerry made no attempt to dress like, say, James Dean, nor did he bring his Dad-at-the-soccer-game-after-work look from the campaign trail into the television studio. He wore the kind of outfit he was probably born in: a grey suit and light-blue tie. Sure, commending Kerry for this does not suggest the highest of expectations, but, then again, he has helped to lower them.

For another, he didn't try to be funny. Back in 1988, Kerry got into trouble for repeating a joke about Vice President-elect Dan Quayle--"Somebody told me the other day that the Secret Service has orders that if George Bush is shot, they're to shoot Quayle"--which caused a little dust-up because some reporters happened to hear him say it. Kerry probably vowed at the time never to be funny again, and he's followed through with admirable consistency. Not even ardent Kerry supporters have wasted much time suggesting otherwise.

Instead Kerry last night chose to throw his head back and laugh graciously at Stewart's jokes, as if he were actually enjoying the whole experience. (He also kept a bemused look on his face that worked reasonably well.) The comedy was left, wisely, to Stewart, and Kerry simply played along as best he could. This was a great relief, since at campaign rallies Kerry has been opening with a variety of jokes (wearily chronicled by The New York Times last Sunday) that are probably best left unmentioned in this space. Kerry apparently knew better than to bring this material across the Hudson River. All of these things indicate good decision-making going on somewhere in the campaign.

Most remarkable for Kerry was his ability to speak in a more or less comprehensible manner. He had talking points ready but didn't seem determined to drone through all 79 of them, which he might have tried a few months back--again, not a milestone in human achievement, but we're talking Kerry achievement. In fact, he wove in his talking points so casually that it sometimes took Stewart, who's no fan of on-message guests, a bit longer than normal to jump in and quash them.

Naturally Stewart did stop Kerry's campaign-blather at times, as in this exchange:

KERRY: I have a better plan. I have a plan to put America back to work. I have a plan to provide healthcare to all Americans rather than see Americans lose it and pay more for it. We can go down a different road. You like--

STEWART: I was gonna say this. Can--can you get me on a network?

Remarkably, though, Kerry seemed to be stopping himself even before Stewart had to step in. It's often precisely when Kerry gets going on a roll with his talking points that he seems most likely suddenly to rip off his mask and reveal the delicate android circuitry underneath. Fortunately there weren't really any such moments last night.

Of course, the part of the show that had news-hounds most interested was the discussion of the controversy over Kerry's Vietnam service. Part of the point of going on the show had been for Kerry to confront the allegations put out by the less-than-aptly-named Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Kerry chose to let his host do most of the talking. When Stewart said, "I watch a lot of the cable news shows. So I understand that apparently you were never in Vietnam," Kerry responded gamely with, "That's what I understand, too. But I'm trying to find out what happened." Was Kerry upset, Stewart asked, by the controversy?

It--it--it's disappointing because I think most Americans would like to have a much more intelligent conversation about where the country's going. And--yeah, I think that--you know, and--and, yeah, it's a little bit disappointing. But believe it or not, I've been through worse.

Was he surprised by the allegations?

Sure I'm surprised. But surprised in a sense. But now that I begin to see the web and the network, I'm not surprised. I think--you know, it's politics. And for whatever reasons, the--I think Americans will discover it as we go forward in the next four or five weeks, George Bush doesn't wanna talk about the real issues...

And that was it. The Kerry campaign has released advertisements linking the Bush campaign to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, so Kerry is throwing his punches mainly behind the scenes. Which meant that last night Kerry could appear to be above it all--a reasonable tactic.

In the end, nothing about yesterday's appearance was particularly exciting--that is, it went well. And consider this: When the program ended, Stewart said to Kerry, "I want to thank you so much for taking time out to come to the program and to have just a normal conversation with us." Someone was thanking John Kerry for a normal conversation. A good night indeed.

Tom Frank is a reporter-researcher at TNR.

or someone on John Kerry's side--or even for someone with a bit of empathy to spare--watching the candidate appear on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last night made for a hand-wringing few minutes. Would Kerry mangle his prepared jokes? Would he come across as he had on "The Tonight Show" last November--trying to act cool but looking as if couldn't wait to ditch the leather jacket and slip into something more comfortable, like a suit and tie? The show's host might have been worried too. Stewart, despite his avowed allegiance to the Whig party, does not appear to relish the notion of another Bush presidency. Probably those least worried about the event were the only ones who mattered: young swing voters, the demographic Kerry evidently hoped to reach by going on the show.

The surprise, in the end, was that Kerry did okay. In fact, the Kerry who's reputed to be such a good "closer" has finally started to make some appearances. His performance on "The Daily Show" indicated important achievements on a number of fronts in the campaign.

For one, the sartorial choices have become more prudent. Kerry made no attempt to dress like, say, James Dean, nor did he bring his Dad-at-the-soccer-game-after-work look from the campaign trail into the television studio. He wore the kind of outfit he was probably born in: a grey suit and light-blue tie. Sure, commending Kerry for this does not suggest the highest of expectations, but, then again, he has helped to lower them.

For another, he didn't try to be funny. Back in 1988, Kerry got into trouble for repeating a joke about Vice President-elect Dan Quayle--"Somebody told me the other day that the Secret Service has orders that if George Bush is shot, they're to shoot Quayle"--which caused a little dust-up because some reporters happened to hear him say it. Kerry probably vowed at the time never to be funny again, and he's followed through with admirable consistency. Not even ardent Kerry supporters have wasted much time suggesting otherwise.

Instead Kerry last night chose to throw his head back and laugh graciously at Stewart's jokes, as if he were actually enjoying the whole experience. (He also kept a bemused look on his face that worked reasonably well.) The comedy was left, wisely, to Stewart, and Kerry simply played along as best he could. This was a great relief, since at campaign rallies Kerry has been opening with a variety of jokes (wearily chronicled by The New York Times last Sunday) that are probably best left unmentioned in this space. Kerry apparently knew better than to bring this material across the Hudson River. All of these things indicate good decision-making going on somewhere in the campaign.

Most remarkable for Kerry was his ability to speak in a more or less comprehensible manner. He had talking points ready but didn't seem determined to drone through all 79 of them, which he might have tried a few months back--again, not a milestone in human achievement, but we're talking Kerry achievement. In fact, he wove in his talking points so casually that it sometimes took Stewart, who's no fan of on-message guests, a bit longer than normal to jump in and quash them.

Naturally Stewart did stop Kerry's campaign-blather at times, as in this exchange:

KERRY: I have a better plan. I have a plan to put America back to work. I have a plan to provide healthcare to all Americans rather than see Americans lose it and pay more for it. We can go down a different road. You like--

STEWART: I was gonna say this. Can--can you get me on a network?

Remarkably, though, Kerry seemed to be stopping himself even before Stewart had to step in. It's often precisely when Kerry gets going on a roll with his talking points that he seems most likely suddenly to rip off his mask and reveal the delicate android circuitry underneath. Fortunately there weren't really any such moments last night.

Of course, the part of the show that had news-hounds most interested was the discussion of the controversy over Kerry's Vietnam service. Part of the point of going on the show had been for Kerry to confront the allegations put out by the less-than-aptly-named Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Kerry chose to let his host do most of the talking. When Stewart said, "I watch a lot of the cable news shows. So I understand that apparently you were never in Vietnam," Kerry responded gamely with, "That's what I understand, too. But I'm trying to find out what happened." Was Kerry upset, Stewart asked, by the controversy?

It--it--it's disappointing because I think most Americans would like to have a much more intelligent conversation about where the country's going. And--yeah, I think that--you know, and--and, yeah, it's a little bit disappointing. But believe it or not, I've been through worse.

Was he surprised by the allegations?

Sure I'm surprised. But surprised in a sense. But now that I begin to see the web and the network, I'm not surprised. I think--you know, it's politics. And for whatever reasons, the--I think Americans will discover it as we go forward in the next four or five weeks, George Bush doesn't wanna talk about the real issues...

And that was it. The Kerry campaign has released advertisements linking the Bush campaign to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, so Kerry is throwing his punches mainly behind the scenes. Which meant that last night Kerry could appear to be above it all--a reasonable tactic.

In the end, nothing about yesterday's appearance was particularly exciting--that is, it went well. And consider this: When the program ended, Stewart said to Kerry, "I want to thank you so much for taking time out to come to the program and to have just a normal conversation with us." Someone was thanking John Kerry for a normal conversation. A good night indeed.

Tom Frank is a reporter-researcher at TNR.

no shit. didn't know that.

Stewart, on the other hand, good grief.

I missed the Daily Show with Kerry. Sounds like he did fine, based on what I've read here & at the Daily Kos, where a lot of people still aren't super fond of the guy. Can I just mention how much I despise the New Republic? Everything they write sounds sour and miserable, and it's just deadly. Kerry is not boring at all, but for crying out loud, even if he were.. what is more boring than reading an article that complains about something that's boring?

Does anyone else have this irrational hatred of the New Republic?

I think calling them "liberal" and leaving it at that is a simplification. They are certainly not doctrinaire liberals in the manner of The Nation, for instance (thank God). I think they tend to take more of a moderate, centrist Democrat position - think Clinton and the DLC - on domestic issues. On foreign policy they can be somewhat hawkish.

gillespie and stewart got a bit contentious last night. apparently the gop's strategy was: laugh like a weasel and the kids'll love ya!

I don't know about that. I think there's a thread of idealism that runs through their editorial positions. They actually believe that government can and should solve problems. They believe that politicians should actually propose good policies that will work, and not just what will make the best sound bites. To me, they seem a lot less cynical than the mainstream political reporting that you see on the networks or CNN, which tends to be a lot more focussed on who got the best spin.