Blogs Mar 13, 2009 at 7:20 am

Comments

1
Kramer speechless? Wow!

Not bad for a "comedy show", Stewart.
2
Cramer fans are going to think their guy did fine, Stewart fans will think he rocked.
Cramer is a poor target, however.
He has been calling for reforms for months and is upfront about anything he has done.(which is why he agreed to come on the show)
Cramer is not CNBC and he is not Wall Street.
Stewart should keep digging if he really wants to do some journalism and not his usual horseass baffonery.
3
that was actually painful to watch. while i'm on stewart's side i think he oversimplifies things...it's not all cramer's fault after all. plus, who thinks jon stewart is gonna change anything?

having said that, stewart/colbert 2016!
4
It was a very thoughtful, prepared interview on the part of Stewart and Cramer for the most part was open and honest. One of the most interesting and educating pieces done on this whole financial mess.
5
i almost felt bad for cramer, but then started to feel like he was trying to duck the fight by conceding ground.

i'm glad that stewart acknowledged cramer as an unfortunate representative of cnbc. stewart's real target is the entire media/entertainment industry.
6
He over simplifies things because most people ( myself included) don't have a solid understanding of the " markets". If you watched the interview or even heard the major points Stewart wasn't putting all the blame on Cramer he was chiding him for being a lap dog for certain CEO's.
7
Jon had the Creamer baby all humble and shit. Jon is the Rush Limbaugh of the progressive side.

He's just a million times smarter, a ten thousand times more good hearted and way better looking than old fat cigar smoking hog Limbaugh will ever be.
8
People who feel bad for Cramer: It's HIS FAULT. He's the one who went and complained to every show on NBC's affiliates because Stewart showed him for a MINUTE in a larger takedown of Santelli. He's the one who decided his whole soul had been bruised by mean ol' Stewart making a point, AND he's the one who outright denied what Stewart had said after the first night of this nonsense. If he had copped to it, or not infected the View and Martha Stewart Living with his whining, then this wouldn't have happened. He made himself the whipping boy for CNBC, probably because CNBC thought he could hold his own. And he couldn't.
9
I thought this was an AMAZING interview. Right up there with Stewart letting them have it on Crossfire! :)
10
If you are counting on Stewart to actually bring about any change, you are going to be disappointed. It's too bad Comedy Central didn't finda way to show the whole thing (all 8 minutes or whatever it was) on the air -- people need to hear a more detailed analysis and discussi than what fits between commercial breaks.
11
I thought that Stewart made a similar point in the interview to the ones he made on crossfire, that the news media is failing the american public to an epic degree by trying to be entertainment and ignoring their duty to dig for the truth and accurately report it.
I loved the quote where Crammer says that he was lied to by certain CEO, and Jon asks him it he doesn't believe the he has an obligation to did a bit for the truth, not just take everything at face value.

that being said, the interview was a bit depressing because Crammer is such a very small part of the problem, and can in no way take the blame, or answer for the failures of his entire industry.
12
@11: I agree that Jon's job in these things is much easier because all he has to do is point that out. It's them flailing and denying such a simple truth that makes all of this sickening.
13
I don't think anyone expects Jon Stewart to affect any kind of change in the financial sector but it felt good to watch. I am one of those people who is losing thousands of dollars from my 410k and IRA, from my daughter's college savings account - most of us are. To have someone like Jon Stewart, who people listen to, get up in Cramer's face and stand up for people like me who don't make a ton of money but are trying to save for the future felt really good.
16
I love Jon, but the whole premise here, that Jim Cramer is somehow to blame for the crisis, is really really fucking stupid. Jim has a fucking TV show. He's giving the best FREE advice he can while trying to provide some entertainment. If someone blindly follows his lead and it doesn't work out, that sucks, but that's part of the risk of investing. Next time stop being such a cheapskate and pay for a real financial advisor (who probably wouldn't have done any better) or better yet, educate yourself and do your own homework.

What's Jon going to do next, go after Dan Savage because his advice caused some couples to break up?

Clearly, the next 8 years of Democratic rule are going to be tough ones for The Daily Show.
17
Is it just me or does this whole Stewart/Cramer feud seem to have the same authenticity as the one between Andy Kaufman & Jerry Lawler?

Cramer is a Democrat. His show is in serious crisis because of the stock market crash so what does he do? He has all his 'friends' (NBC, MSNBC, Martha Stewart, Colbert & Jon Stewart) give him face time on their shows to promote the 'new format' his show is going to take.
18
I think Cramer should be commended for taking his licks. I don't like him, I think he's a slimey slimeball (based on the reels Jon aired and Cramer's ridiculous assertion that he's some kind of advocate for the people)--but he presented a good opportunity to talk frankly about the differences between MSNBC's product and MSNBC's advertising.

Cramer knows he's a tool and takes it for granted or doesn't care that his veiwers do not. Even if Cramer did revamp his show, removed the heeeeee-larious antics, refrained from screaming "SELL SELL SELL" etc.--he would still not be allowed to call out the bad guys and I don't think he would choose to based on what he said in those clips.
19
Whoa, stop the presses. One fake journalist/entertainer taking another fake journalist/entertainer to task for not being journalistic enough? What's the point again? Cramer should have attacked Stewart as to why he didn't do more to stop the Iraq War - as Comedy Central/Stewart had about as much influence on that debacle as CNBC/Cramer did on the financial meltdown. What I saw was too self-absorbed do-nothings involved in an elaborate session of mutual masterbation. All sound and fury signifying nothing. Entertaining? Yes. Meaningful? Not so much.
20
"Stewart should keep digging if he really wants to do some journalism and not his usual horseass baffonery."

Um, Jon Stewart never claimed to be a journalist, and readily admits his job is to do "horse ass buffoonery".

CNBC sells itself as the go to financial network, and Cramer as an expert, and they give us horse ass buffoonery.
21
@19

I like that you wrote "mutual masterbation."

And I totally disagree with you. Comedy Central has done a lot to get people who normally wouldn't give a crap to, you know, give a crap. They made it cool to be anti-war and which is where the powers of mass media lay.
22
"Jon Stewart never claimed to be a journalist"

Jon uses this dodge all the time, and I've never found it very convincing.

He levels serious accusations against a person, and then denies that he's accountable for the truth of those accusations because he typically does comedy. That's cowardly, and it's bullshit.
23
22,Stewart is on a satire show on a network called "Comedy Central". If people take him seriously, then that's on them.
24
Stewart has higher expectations for his viewers than anyone else on television - and we love him for it.
25
Uh, who's Jim Cramer?
26
I wannna fuck Levislade in his narrow ass.
27
Hey Rambo/@14.

Way to stay on topic...
and way to ruin your point by being an attention whoring jackass.
28
@22 I'm not so sure it's a dodge. It’s a statement of fact in regards to the Daily Show's format. Jon Stewart was anything but cowardly last night and continually defends his statements without dodging. I think really what's being conveyed by him continually throwing out this line is the sorry state of the American media, when a show which was intended originally as satire is now relied upon to ask questions which make those in power uncomfortable.
Additionally, I think it's hilarious that you would accuse Jon Stewart of dodging when those who the Daily Show is critical of brush that criticism off as coming from a non-serious comedy program. Now that’s a dodge.
Finally, what's happening all over online news sources today is unfortunate because Jon Stewart was really calling the entire financial industry to task for playing with other's money, openly ignoring the rules and working to keep the industry dirty. Instead of that message being reported, all you see is Cramer being used as a scapegoat as if he's the only thing wrong with the financial sector.
29
it's either these videos or the ones below...but they're asking me to log into comedy central.
30
@22, you retard, the true purpose of a jester is not to entertain the king's court, but to criticize/satirize the king himself.
31
Jon Stewart never claimed to be a journalist, yet the show he fronts manages to do better investigative reporting than CNBC. That's what's so sad here.
32
@26 - I'm flattered, but that doesn't really help me with who the hell Jim Cramer is.
33
@ 22

That's a disclaimer for him and his team that has always been there. And it's a truthful disclaimer. They're satirical and have never claimed to be anything else. What gives them force is how everyone else reacts to it. Just because he's not a bonafide journalist doesn't mean he can't raise legitimate issues on the shortcomings of the news channels whose REAL jobs are to bring meaningful news to the masses. After all, it IS what they claim to be doing. They're not Comedy Central.

Like what #24 said, he has higher expectations for his viewers and does not insult their intelligence and their understanding of satire. Stewart doesn't expect things to change soley because they call people/organizations on their bullshit behavior. But he's become an influencing factor in whatever does happen (again, example Crossfire).

And for people defending CNBC/CNN/FOX in general... Instead of watching 24 hour news channels as your only source of information, how about picking up a fucking newspaper or two, or reading feeds from other news sources OUTSIDE of the US?
34
@22-I've usually seen him use that "dodge" when someone who actually IS a reporter has said "oh yeah? well you're news show isn't any better!" and he's had to point out that he does not, in fact, have a news show. That isn't quite the same thing as slandering someone and then trying to pass it off as just a joke, which is what you're implying.

Stewart's job is not investigative reporting. It's to make fun of people, particularly people in the media industry, and particularly when they aren't doing their own jobs well.
35
20
So is the whole 'calling out CNBC' thing a comedy routine? Because people losing their savings is sooo funny.
36
35, Please show me where Stewart made fun of the people who are losing their savings. Now on CNBC, they called people with financial problems, "losers".
37
there's no doubt that the cramer segment was not comedy. stewart cannot claim that is was. but i don't think that's his point. his point is: i started out doing political/media satire, but my integrity requires me to do the work the 'real' journalists and pundits are failing to do.

i think stewart would be quite content to go back to satire.
38
Hey Dan, thanks for circumnavigating the commercials. It's the little things that make me happy.
39
@33 "Just because he's not a bonafide journalist doesn't mean he can't raise legitimate issues"

I couldn't agree more. Jon often serves up serious and insightful commentary. Sometimes it's dressed up as satire, sometimes (like with Cramer) he plays it straight and clearly takes himself seriously. And he is and deserves to be taken seriously.

That's why the "I'm held to a different standard because my network has 'Comedy' in its name" cop out seems disingenuous to me.
40
Cramer is done. his show is going to be cancelled. He can't recover from that.
42
Maybe he should being Tim Geithner on this show as well and give him the same treatment. He was in charge of looking over all of these banks. The NY Fed has the direct responsibility of keeping investment banks in check.
44
42 FTW
45
@39

i think Stewart is completely accountable for what he says when he's being completely serious (ie, Cramer and Crossfire). And in those situations, he's totally prepared to defend his views in a debate.

The moment when he used that "I'm not a journalist" thing on Crossfire, it was because he was responding to criticism of what standards the Daily Show itself is held up to and what he and his staff does on the show.

Basically: Yeah, you're right. I'm not a journalist. But I never said I was. My show is a *fake* news show. But you know what? I never said it was a real news show and you're attacking it like I'm acting like I said it is when it's so blatantly not.

The people he calls out just get so flustered the get slammed. I don't think the defense is a cop-out because I see it as a response sane to a false knee-jerk claim to begin with.
46
Ok, now I've totally got a crush on one of the commenters here. All I'll say is that she's a smart one.
47
Dan, how does one nominate someone for a Presidential Medal of Freedom?
48
Levislade, Jim Cramer has a show on CNBC. I don't know much about him other than what's been on the Daily Show for the past week or so, because I don't watch CNBC. I know that when Stewart did the first CNBC segment that was really about Santelli, they showed a brief clip of Cramer giving bad advice, and he was the most vocal complaining about Stewart attacking him.
49
"Every joke is a tiny revolution." - George Orwell
50
@ 46 ...Moi???
-----
Wow, I completely decided to abandon sentence structure in the last few lines of my previous post... but hopefully people get the jist.
51
dwight moody, you took the words out of my mouth.

The Daily Show is not a "fake" news show, nor is Jon Stewart a "fake" reporter. The things he talks about are very much real, and that's the scary part.

52
In my honest opinion, no CEO is worth millions in salary and stock options. They should be given a substantial salary, say in the hundreds of thousands, but the rest of those "millions" should go back to the "in the trenches" employees, employee benefits, company coffers and shareholders.
53
Is it weird that seeing Jon Stewart get all righteously angry and passionate kind of turned me on?

Please wait...

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