Jon Stewart for president? I know the criticisms to this idea already:
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We don’t need another TV personality with no political experience in the White House.
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We don’t need a political virgin running their first campaign for the highest office in the land; get some experience at lower offices first
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Someone with as long a history in the entertainment world as Stewart has too many potential skeletons (drugs, women, controversial statements, etc.).
But, read this article from Politico. It lays out a case for a Stewart candidacy pretty well. Some highlights (plus some of my own thought interspersed):
To get the “seriousness” question out of the way right off the top: Stewart’s definition of being an entertainer has him wrestling with the kind of big, serious topics that actual politicians specialize in avoiding. He spends his time recording an AppleTV show and podcast interview show on policy issues such as abortion, climate change, gun control, misinformation, modern monetary theory and other wonky-current topics, with the occasional Judd Apatow and Mark Cuban appearance thrown in for gloss.
So he’s clearly engaged enough for the job. But the bigger reason is that he’s a better fit than most politicians for what modern politics has become.
For better or for worse, Trump’s appeal does come from his being unlike other politicians. He’s not calculating, not gauging the political winds before uttering a word, not poll-testing everything from wardrobe to opinions on abortion. Now, I get it, Trump may not poll test, but he does pander to his people; he says what they’re thinking, assholes that many of them are. But he’s used his own personal vileness (and willingness to speak it out loud without hesitation) to tap into their deepest, darkest thoughts and fears.
Likewise, Stewart, as a comedian goes after topics that are facing our country without the fear of a politician. Comedians are often like modern-day prophets: holding a mirror up to society, magnifying the filth of a people, unafraid to challenge the craven assholes in power. That potentially gives him the ability to stir up the same passion MAGAts feel with Trump, but with the non-MAGAts.
Stewart is not just one of our most wildly popular comedians: His years hosting the Comedy Central’s Daily Show made him one of the effective communicators in public life. He’s living a fairly low-key existence, and using his multiplatform showbiz skills to advocate for issues he cares about.
Trump turned an entertainment career into a political one not by growing into the moment, but by dragging politics further into the zone of entertainment. Since then, if anything, he’s been one-upped by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a professional comedian and television star who played a president on TV, and, in face of the brutal Russian onslaught, has parlayed that deftly into a real-life role as one of the world’s most admired and effective leaders. Increasingly, being TV-savvy isn’t just a bonus for a world leader. It’s a core requirement.
If Stewart ran for president, could he reach a wide swath of Americans? Stewart is known as a liberal, but his biggest cause has been deeply patriotic, and very nonpartisan: He has been the most profoundly effective and powerful engine behind efforts to provide support to the 9/11 first responders and victims. That effort has grown into a fight to provide benefits and supports for U.S. veterans who suffer from exposure to the toxic effects of burn pits while deployed overseas. He’s famous for trying to help firefighters, police and veterans, a generally right-leaning bunch. That’s one hell of a base to run on.
He’s also a truly gifted public speaker who can break down our most complicated political debates into commonsense arguments for effective policy. Watch his 2019 congressional testimony on behalf of 9/11 responders. The 5000-plus comments on the YouTube link to his appearance are near unanimously positive. One commentator said: “Every single word measured. Every single sentence short, and to the point. Every point made hit with devastating accuracy. Every sentiment genuinely felt. No bull, no waffle, no attempt at even handedness. Integrity. Passion, articulation. One of the single greatest speeches I have ever heard.”
There have been shifts in presidential politics over the decades in our country. Candidates changed, campaigning changed. It changed when women won the right to vote. It changed when television came into play. And it’s changed in recent years-- soundbite communication rules people’s attention, 24-hour news cycles dominate our lives.
I’ve thought the biggest problem of Biden’s presidency is that he doesn’t communicate effectively. His polls are sinking because he’s not coming out with any fire and fury on issues many people see tearing our nation apart: Jan. 6, record inflation, gas prices, abortion, gun violence, extremism, another nasty disease looming.
He may have been exactly what we needed to beat Trump, the perfect antidote to the poison that infected the WH for four years (for which I’ll always love him), but he’s utterly failed in this new world of soundbites and 24-hour news cycles. His presidency has become Richard Nixon’s nationally-televised lip sweat. Longing for the days that weren’t ruled by soundbites, social media and 24-hour news won’t make them come back. Democrats need someone smart and intellectually curious and moral who can lean into this style of campaigning and governing.
But perhaps the most important reason for the Democrats to consider Stewart is who he’d be running against.
Let’s take a look at which Republicans might run in 2024. Trump may run; Stewart has far more TV experience and is plainly much smarter, with more agility before crowds. Trump’ go-to show of strength has been his ability to pull thousands for his political rallies because they are viewed as entertainment by his supporters. A Stewart rally would be a road show of the most hilarious and civic-minded entertainers known today. And on a debate stage? Stewart would never let Trump get away with his vague policy-thin repetitious platitudes and harangues.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis and former VIce President Mike Pence seem like they are running. Stewart would just wood-chip right through those two stiff-as-a-board speakers.
There’s a very good chance that the most popular, and most dangerous Republican candidate would be Tucker Carlson. Carlson helms the most widely watched primetime show and news reports over the years continue to raise his candidacy as a real possibility.
I think I spent a good chunk of Trump’s presidency looking at old-world demographics when it came to designing my fantasy candidate to beat Trump: gender, race, home state, type of government experience, progressive vs moderate, etc. But really, we need to look beyond those old ways of doing things and see that effective communication and meme-ability is just as important, if not more so nowadays.
Biden didn’t need to be a great communicator in the 2020 race. He was just the reassuring old white guy with almost a half-century of federal government experience and the support of African-American voters. And, thanks to COVID restrictions, that’s all he needed to be. 2024 will likely require a shit-ton more time on the road, giving speeches, thinking on one’s feet, and genuinely connecting with the electorate. A whip smart comedian with a passion for America might not be such a bad choice.