With speaker after speaker extolling the virtues of “small town values” at the recent Republican National Convention, Jon Stewart and his crew at the Daily Show investigated what exactly the term small town values means to the Republican delegates:
I don’t wish to be unduly critical of the Republicans. But man… they just make it so easy, it’s almost unfair, like shooting fish in a barrel. Like those well monied corporate interests and their well paid lobbyists are all hanging out at the porch in front of the barber shop in Bedford Falls, shootin’ the breeze, talking about Little League, planning the Church barbecue and getting ready for the Lion’s Club meeting. It’s a vision of American life circa 1950 that would warm even Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s cold, cold heart – no Wallmart, no drugs, no Jews, smiley happy Negroes and definitely no homosexuals. Like in those cesspools known as big cities. Small town values my ass.
In this must see video clip, Stewart’s research team intercut video clips of John McCain’s acceptance speech with statements by George W. Bush, where they both say pretty much the exact same thing. This of course undercuts McCain’s assertion that if elected he would promote “change.” The notion of change of course has also been a central pillar of the Obama campaign as well. I remain skeptical of both candidates – I doubt they will ever really be able to effect significant change and to whatever extent either candidate does, it’ll probably suck. This is for me by far the most anxiety inspiring election I have ever witnessed. I’ve seen otherwise intelligent people on both sides of the ticket turn into mindless, partisan drones. In that respect, nothing has changed except for everyone’s adamant insistence that this time, this time, things are gonna be different! Really.
Tom Morrissey
9/7/2008
And small-town Israel, we may safely assume, is blessedly free of Arabs– unless they’re the smiley, happy, falafel-selling variety.
ck
9/7/2008
My neighbors are Arabs. And they don’t sell falafels.
Ephraim
9/7/2008
I’m sure they could find a bunch of inarticulate, brain-dead delegates at the Dem convention, too.
But you’re right. They sure make it easy.
Rabbi Yonah
9/7/2008
The Daily was at the Dem convention too.
There are many funny clips. This is maybe the funniest. It’s about Hilary
david
9/7/2008
The daily show used to be funny. I mean, very funny. And they did a great job mocking news shos in general and pointing out all these failures of the Bush administration.
But I noticed that Jon Steward is pushing is own agenda just too hard to be funny any more. No, he is not balanced like he used to be. He is bitter and vengeful and playing too often on cheap stereotypes.
Here is one of the better Interviews.
With Bush leaving the White house, I expect that the Daily Show’s audience rating will also drop significantly. It wouldn’t work any more without major changes because it is all constructed around the inaptitude of the current administration.
HumanityCritic
9/7/2008
Jon came through again, great video.
אליעזר
9/7/2008
Unfortunately, the Republicans who have fooled the small town values people in America into believing that the party of the rich and powerful gives a hoot about them, are once again going to win this election — possibly even without stealing it this time.
Steve
9/8/2008
DS Correspondent: “So all the other churches…?”
Fat, Bearded Southerner: “Oh no, the Jewish Church too.”
Haaaaa! Jewish Church…idiot.
(And no I don’t think he meant The Jewish Judaism Church (and yes Google had to tell me that such a thing exists.))
Tracy
9/8/2008
Hi there! Please visit our site: bigcityvalues....
It’s in answer to “Small Town Values” BS.
Thanks and that clip is hilarious!