The Daily Stewart This Week
Jon Stewart was wrong. Actually, that doesn't do it justice -- Jon Stewart was arrogantly, petulantly and even ignorantly (a word I didn't think I'd ever use in regards to Jon Stewart) wrong. By the way, that doesn't even remotely discredit him. He's usually -- no, almost always -- brilliant and important and courageous in speaking out and even taking action. And all people can be wrong about things. I am, all the time. We all aren't wrong on national television, of course, and with a long harangue that is problematic for undermining good efforts he otherwise supports. But I don't expect perfection. I only hope that screw-ups are the exception and don't become the rule, as I don't expect them to be with Jon Stewart, whose track record is seriously impressive. In fact, for all I know, I even hold out the tiniest hope that he might even change his views from last night, or at least at some point rephrase them. But man, last night was he ever wrong.
By the way, not expecting perfection is one of the many differences between liberals and conservatives. Conservatives not only expect perfection, that demand it -- as in Ronald Reagan's famous "11th Commandment": Though shalt not criticize another Republican. And in today's MAGOP, if you don't agree with everything Trump says and does, you're generally called a Republican in Name Only, and risk getting a primary challenger and hounded out of the party. With liberals, if you don't ever criticize another liberal, you risk being questioned if you're actually liberal...
Okay, back to The Daily Show, if you didn't see Jon Stewart's Monday hosting of the show, his Main Story was about Democrats' efforts confronting Trump, and here's the video. That said, I almost didn't post it today since -- as good and smart and funny as most (or much) of it was) -- so much was so off-base that I wasn't sure I wanted to promote it. But in the end, the overall point was good, the humor was generally wonderful, and I have the opportunity to explain what I think was so wrong about much (or most) of it. I'm sure he would disagree with me. And he would be wrong about that.
And so I am posting it below. Before getting there, though --
I was very bothered by several of his points, but I'll only mention two. The first is that he didn't seem to grasp that the problem with Trump firing 18 Inspector Generals was not simply because he fired them or because he didn't give 30-days notice like the law require - the problem was because the law also requires that he give substance reasons for firing an Inspector General. The law states that no president can just fire an Inspector General (who provides independent oversight) merely because he wants to. Without a substantive reason, an Inspector General must keep his or her job. Requiring a meaningful reason, by law, is no small thing, in fact it's significant and the whole point of the law -- and Stewart went on ridiculing those whining that "Oh, no, he didn't give 30-days notice…" (And he knows that it wasn't simply about 30-days notice, because he played a video of a senator saying that a substantive reason was required!)
But the second was even worse. In fact, you can see it in The Daily Show's own print, since they themselves titled his video, "Jon Stewart On Whether Dems' 'Trump Is a Fascist' Accusations Are Warranted".
Quick heads-up: Yes, they are warranted. Jon Stewart just doesn't think so - for utterly invalid reasons.
Stewart went on a very long, holier-than-thou rant against Democrats for calling Trump fascist when, he kept repeating, Trump was elected legally and everything he does is permitted in the Constitution, and therefore he is not fascist but part of Democracy, so it's our fault not stopping him. And all I could think was - Jon Stewart is almost always great, but, man, how utterly idiotic and ignorant.
First, no, it's not "our" fault, "our" fault, "our" fault (he kept repeating, too) because almost half the country didn't vote for him and are pushing back against him. So, don't blame everyone for electing Trump and enabling his actions. Second, much of what Trump does is not in the Constitution or even legal. Only last week, a court blocked Trump's Executive Order to get rid of birthright citizenship which is in the Constitution. Stewart couldn't have missed that, it was in all the papers…
And third, just because we're a democracy and Trump was elected legally doesn't even remotely mean a person can't have fascist policies. Certain actions are "fascist" by definition - the same as certain actions, by definition, are socialist. And certain actions are democratic. This is not a hard concept. (I wrote about what "fascism" is here.) Moreover, in our Constitution, it is actually not illegal to be a fascist. So, the fact that something is legal does not remotely preclude it being fascist. And the more fascist policies one puts forth, the more weight they take on until it breaks democracy, and all you have left is fascism. That, too, seems a pretty basic, easy to grasp concept. Further, it's a horrible misunderstanding of history. I never make comparisons of Trump to Hitler - Trump is not Hitler -- but one can't undercut Stewart's "theory" without pointing out examples of where he is totally wrong. And leading the pack is that Adolf Hitler was elected legally, and pushed fascist/Nazi policies - some of which were legal, but some which weren't, but were accepted by a compliant Reichstag, and then more that were, but against the German Constitution, and eventually their democratic system broke and they were left with Hitler, fascism and Nazis.
I should add that before posting this, I decided to check the User Comments on YouTube to see any reaction, something I don't often do. And the second one posted, from "WHAProb" said --
Not to knock Jon, but "it has been done within the confines of our legal system, therefore it's not fascist" is a terrible and ahistorical argument. Famously, the Nazis operated within the confines of the German constitution, even as they issued decree after decree to target political enemies and minorities. It was a core source for their popular legitimacy with the less radical elements of Germany. It was all "legal." The camps were "legal." The Holocaust was "legal.So the conflation with "legal" with "non-fascist" is misleading and dangerous. Right now, trump is planning to build camps to deport millions of families without due process. That is fascist. Classically fascist. And I'm tired of entertaining the idea that it's not just because its "legal."
Bingo.
So, as much as I like Jon Stewart, and as smart and on-point and funny and important a voice as his is - he was very wrong here.
Many of Trump's policies are fascist. Trump is a fascist. And the MAGOP is enabling fascism. And it's critical that, among many actions, Democrats (and everyone who does not support fascist policies) relentlessly point that out -- rather than only address what Democrats stand for, which Stewart seemed to suggest was the way to go instead. Hey, it worked so well in the 2024 election... Why he doesn't think Democrats can do both is another matter entirely.
Much of his Main Story is very good, and funny. But this above is why, unfortunately (though fortunately a rare occurrence) too much of it is wrong.
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