[lit-ideas] Re: lit-ideas JonStewart and Healthcare Issue

From: eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:37:40 -0400

Hi,

Here is an interesting article about how Conservatives actually feel about Jon
Stewart.

In fact, (I don't have that link handy but it is close by if anyone wants it he
is now the 'most trusted newsperson in America'),

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/08/why_conservative_pundits_love.html

Why Neoconservative Pundits Love Jon Stewart

Here's an excerpt:

"Back in April, when the debate over torture was roaring, Jon Stewart invited
Cliff May,

a national-security hawk and former spokesman for the Republican Party, to come
on The Daily Show

and defend waterboarding. May was hesitant. He thought Stewart would paint him
as a crazy extremist.

The audience would jeer. It would be a disaster. "I was apprehensive about
going on, even though

I've been on TV for a dozen years," says May. "A lot of my friends told me:
'Don't do it. Y

ou're meat going into the sausage factory.'"

But May had a change of heart after soliciting advice from his friend Bill
Kristol, editor of the

Weekly Standard. "Kristol told me: 'You'll be pleasantly surprised. He doesn't
take cheap shots.

Jon is smart. You'll do just fine.'" Kristol proved to be right. Stewart's
interview of May — a

crackling, lengthy debate about where to draw the line between freedom and
security — produced one

of the most clarifying discussions about torture on television. "Literally,
this is the best conversation

I've had on this subject anywhere," May told Stewart.

"There is genuine intellectual curiosit
y," May told New York. "He's a staunch liberal, but he's a thoughtful liberal,

and I respect that." May isn't the only conservative gushing about Stewart.

While the movement professes a disdain for the "liberal media elite," it has
made an exception for

the true-blue 46-year-old comedian. "He always gives you a chance to answer,
which some people don't do,"

says John Bolton, President Bush's ambassador to the United Nations and a Fox
News contributor,

who went on the show last month..."

Here's what I've been doing lately:

Here is the Examiner story. Quite an event! (Library Staff did count--there
were about 450+ people there)

http://www.examiner.net/health/x1558733714/Raucuous-crowd-fills-library-for-health-care-meeting

Raucous crowd fills library for health care meeting - Independence, MO - The
Examiner

Source: www.examiner.net

A blog by one of the area's conservative--she had some fun photos...

http://nicedeb.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/claire-mccaskill-town-hall-blue-springs-mo/

I will clarify--it was not one of the Senator's people who conducted the
prayer, as she mentions. --It was one of the crowd. I ended up

having her step aside. It was hard in the beginning to know if we (ie library)
were to run this as though it was one

of our programs or to have it be what it normally is and just have people come
talk to the Senator's people
at the table. (Which is what

they wanted to do) IF we ever do this again, I'll take charge of it more
quickly (like from the beginning) and treat it more like

other events which have a question/answer period.

Still, it was not as bad as some gatherings have been. Her staff was awesome.
Didn't quite

make up for the rudeness of her DC staff when we toured the Capitol (they were
dreadful and mean--compared to our other Senator's staff. NOT

a good example of 'Democratic friendliness' and the group contained those who
were on the fence with her and even the Democratic philosphy...but

that is another story. They were from the St. Louis side, maybe...We called
them the "Wash U boys' since they made sure to have us know that they went

to school there and they were too 'busy' doing important things to do the
normal greetings that we got from other senate/house offices...) But,

the staff from the KC office was great and really took the concerns
seriously--it was interesting to be on the side of peacekeeper, though, and not

able to share my points of view...

The crowd was very upset that the large Kansas City Star was not there to cover
it and neither were there any television or radio stations.

Fortunately, the local paper was there. Still, the Senator will be in our area
the end of August, but I suspect NOT in my library's service

area--she'll stay where it will be more sedate, I'm sure...

Reporting in from the Heartland,

Mar
lena in Missouri

[lit-ideas] Re: lit-ideas JonStewart and Healthcare Issue

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