The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jon Stewart Spotlights Fox News's Anti-Poor Narrative | TDS Time Machine

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

On this day in 2015, President Obama calls out Fox News for misleading coverage of America's poor being 'sponges' and 'leeches' and Jon Stewart brings the receipts. Plus, Jordan Klepper travels to the U.K. and finds in their recent election that only the least successful candidates campaigned on the fringe platform of xenophobia and breaking from the European Union. And religious scholar, Reza Aslan, discusses the state of Islam and how the interpretation of religion relies comes down to the character of the individual.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central.

May 13, 2015. From Comedy Central's World News headquarters in New York, this is the Daily Show with John Stewart. Our old friend, Rezahawes. O'Connell to be joining us. We're going to talk about all kinds of stuff. Mostly God. You know, the Daily Show. to a good show tonight. Our old friend Reza Osloon will be joining us. We're going to the Daily Show, Mine is John Stewart. Good show tonight. Our old friend, Reza Osloon, will be joining us. We're gonna talk about all kinds of stuff, mostly God. You know, I'm watching Fox News,

which I'll continue to do now for another, I don't know, 36 shows minus today's open. And, well, we often poke fun at them for lying and sucking. They do care very deeply about certain issues, like Benghazi, or women's legs. Or that time one of their female anchors didn't wear a dress, now known as Pantsgazi. The point is, after Fox finishes caring about lots of other stuff, they eventually care very deeply about poverty. We haven't heard deeply about poverty. We haven't heard much about poverty from the Obama White House over the last four years. Virtually no emphasis on families. Why not focus on poverty?

I remember five or six years ago President Obama making this one of his main talking points. I'm going to fix the structure of the African-American family. Where did that go? And while the president has been addressing those issues, his entire presidency, good point. In fact, yesterday, President Obama sat down for a 76-minute discussion at Georgetown University, in which he explained all sorts of things about personal responsibility and the debate between government assistance and personal responsibility as being a false choice and families, etc.

A free market is perfectly compatible with also us making investment in good public schools, public universities, investments in public parks. If we do those things, the values and the character that those kids are learning, they're less likely to get pregnant as teens, and less likely to engage in drugs, and less likely to be involved in, and to be involved, and to be to be to be to be involved, and to be involved, to be involved, their, their, and their, their, and their, the, to be involved, the, the, to be the, and, and to be, and, and, and, and, to be, and, and, and, to be the, and, and, and, and, and, and, and families, and families, and families, and families, and families, to to be, to be, to be, and families, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be thee, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, theaaughe, the, the, theaughe, the, thea, theaugh, thanks, thanks, and families, and families, and families, thanks, thanks, thanks, to character that those kids are learning, they're less likely to get pregnant as teens, and less likely to engage in drugs, and less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. That is a reinforcement of the values and characters that we want. I am a black man who grew up without a father,

and I know the cost that I paid for that. And I also know that I have the capacity to break that cycle. You know who else talked with his hands? Hitler. So Fox finally got the substantive presidential discussion on poverty that they always wanted, including on stage, the counter view from the head of a conservative American Enterprise Institute. He was on stage.

I can't wait to see Fox's happiness and satisfaction. Fox News alert, Fox News, front and center. President Obama taking time out today for one of his favorite topics, Fox News. President Obama accused Fox News of propagating harmful stereotypes about poor Americans. The president accused the media, in particular Fox News, of suggesting the poor are unwilling to work. Yep, just like college students at a four-hour commencement, Fox basically pays no attention until they hear their own names.

It turns out, at one point, in this incredibly thoughtful and productive session on poverty, the president made the easily provable and decidedly true point that Fox News narrative is that poverty is not a function of economic condition, but of character. The effort to suggest that the poor are sponges, leeches, are, don't want to work, or lazy. If you watch Fox News on a regular basis, it is a constant menu they will find like folks who make me mad. I don't know where they find them, right? They're all like, I don't want to work, I just want a free Obama phone or whatever. And that becomes an entire narrative.

Really? Yeah, really. Yeah, really. Yeah, really. Yeah, really. Really? Really? Really? Really?

Really? Yes! What's with your tone of disgust and disappointment? Are you anchoring a newsdesk? Or did you just come home to find your dog at eating your cat's entire litter box? Roscoe. Really? Really?

It sounds to me like the president has a remarkably firm grasp on your business model there, Fox. So why are you outraged? In my opinion, the president is spinning his own policy failures. As the middle class shrinks and the poor are trapped in this system, so to speak, the president blames us the honest messengers. The honest messengers. Martha? Really?

What? What? What? Did you even watch the fucking program? What are you talking about, Barney? We've looked at the food stamp program. Not at the recipients. We haven't characterized the recipients. We've looked at the program.

We're not saying that the recipients of food stamps are bad people or that they're lazy. That is such a rich buffet of bull. I can't. That is a three-course prefix. I'm sorry, prick fest. For starters, let's demonstrate Fox's contempt for those in poverty in our first course of this meal,

and a moose duche, if you will. America's poor are actually living the good luck. Just call him pennies from government heaven. The United States of Entitlement. A nation of takers. Entitlement Society. Scary. We have nothing against the poor. It's just that their ravitous greed burst through America's chest like the monster

an alien. But I'm sorry, you were saying you don't characterize the poor's chest like the monster an alien! But I'm sorry you were saying you don't characterize the poor's bad people or lazy. Well your entree is ready just as you asked for it. Medium unfair. We have conditioned people to look to the government to be their answer for every problem they have and take zero responsibility. The Moucher class. Subsidized Freelowders. Give me these goodies. Give me a cell phone. Pay my rent.

Bailouts from cradle to grade. Nation of moochers. Freeloters in America. Entitlement mentality. Sitting on the couch eating bon bonbons. People who sleep till noon sucking off, you know, the nipple of their own coverage on poverty? The main defender of your network's attitude towards those in poverty is the main offender.

He does segments that would make Ebenezer Scrooge go, hey, take it easy, these are people we're talking about. So for dessert tonight, we serve you baked a last hole. The handout nation rolls on. We hand out $79 billion every January to these so-called poor people. You're not being mean to poor people today. I am.

to poor people. Frankly, I am. Many poor families have homes with cable TVs, cell phones, computers, you name it much, much more. 99% have have have have have have have have th p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p then then then thoes thoes thoes thoes thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes. thoes, thoes. thoes, thoes, thoes, th. We. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea, th. Wea, th. Wea, th. We thi. Wea, thi. Wea, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. theeeea. theea. theea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. th much, much more. 99% of them have a refrigerator. 81% have a microwave. You're going to give us the emotional side of the story? People need $15 per hour to live on. They're starving without it.

Okay, I got that. The image we have of poor people as starving and living in squalor-aular, really is not accurate. Many of them have things. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha, tha, tha, thii, thi, thi, thi, thi, the thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, they, thi, thi, thi, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you they. You they. You, you they. You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. You. You. You. You. You thi, you, you, you, you, you thi. You. You. You. You thi. You thi. You thi. You, you thi. You thi. You thi. You thi. You're thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, to to thin. You're to to to to to to to thin. You're to thi. You're thi. You of them have things. What they lack is the richness of spirit. Anyway, you boy, what day is it today? Is it Christmas Day? Oh, go up and buy all the goosees. Keep them out of those lazy, poor hands. And if you see a boy on crutches, push him down, he's not crippled at heart. He lacks a richness of legsness. Are these glaring, are they, I don't even... Are these, honestly, are these glaring contradictions a product of lack of self-awareness or cynicism or stupidity or evil? I don't know anymore and I'm starting to lack a richness of...

A-Sk. and I'm starting to lack a richness of F. What I don't understand is another journalist on another network leaping to defend something so clearly indefensible. What about this specific clip about Fox News calling poor people leeches, sponches and lazy. Have you ever heard that on Fox News?

No, I have not. Well, I have not. Well, I guess it's time for our favorite game show. Did you even try to research this? All right, the rules are simple. First, Joe Scarborough cites three words. He says he's never heard Fox News called poor people. And then we see how wrong he's never heard Fox News call poor people. And then we see how wrong he is. Today's words are lazy sponges and leeches. R-eac's. Ready, set go.

These programs do make people lazy. They get food stamps. It makes it easy for them to sponge off their girlfriends and spouses. So the more of the leeches that he can get to vote for him. And that's our game. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show. It's going to be coming out every Thursday.

So exciting, you'll be saying to yourself, TGID, thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election, economics, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday?

I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. This week, Jordan Clepper, he gave us part one of his complete coverage of the UK elections. In tonight's part two, he now completes his complete coverage. Completely. Jordan. Last week in the UK, the Conservative Party had a huge victory. I assume by using the same wedge issues American conservative candidates used so expertly. I do believe life begins at conception.

Government run health care, this is what I do to that law. I think marriage is between between the the the the the the the the the th is between th is between th is between th is between th is between the is between the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thia the. the. to to to to toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I the. I'm the. I'm t. I'm te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. te-run health care, this is what I do to that law. I think marriage is between a man and a woman. How am I going to win? And I said guns. Obviously, these same issues would resonate in Britain. How important is the gun issue for you? I don't know what that is. You don't have any guns here? No, does that upset you? Yeah, I mean, how do you shoot legislation you don't like? We voted down. Is socialized medicine getting thrown down your throats? No, we've

already got it. Well, how big an issue is abortion? The main parties are all thinking the same thing on that? What about gay marriage? That's also not a debate. we' the, it's all fine. that's also not a debate. thiii. that's th. th. th. th. that. that. that. that. that. that's that. that. that. that's that. that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that. that's thate. thate. thate. thathea' th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that's a that. that. that. that. that. that. thi. thi. thi. thi. toe. toe. toea. toea. toea. toeea. toeea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. tho. tha. th fuck guys talk about? We talk about the economy. We talk about something called the deficits. Boring! Maybe political consultant Steve Morgan can tell us why they're ignoring these key issues. Well, I mean, we would argue that we deal with the real issues here, and those are not those. Is there any party out there that's talking about the fun wildcard stuff, like climate climate deniers or anti-iiiiiiiiithat. We've got anti-immigration from the UK Party. UKIP? What is that? UK Independence Party.

And they're a very dangerous party because there's xenophobic. They appeal to the worst elements of British society. Okay, that's a party I understand. That sounds like good old American campaigning. But was UKp candidate Kim Rose able to walk the fine line between exploiting people's fears and bald-faced hatred? They will throw the racism card at us. You know, we're not racist. We want to stop the mass migration of people coming into this country. They're coming over in vast numbers and now you've got communities taken up parts of the town which is all full of Polish people. See, he's not racist. He just doesn't like Polish people. I'm not a racist, well I'm trying to prove, in actual fact. You know, this isn't about race, this is about space. All we want is our country bank.

If you're not repeatedly defending the fact that you're being called racist over and over again, you're doing something wrong. Absolutely, absolutely. I am not. Not racist. I'm not racist. I can't think of any reasons why people were confused about his policies. I've got in trouble with a Hitler comment, so I quote it from a book of mine camp. The Nazi reference, good idea. Although we don't usually actually quote Hitler. Sounds like he was ready for American-style politics. He just needed a couple pointers from a pro. They've taken away our army.

Give the worst case scenario. The worst case scenario is this great, great country will cease to exist. Nice. Do you know about the UKIP policies? Hit her with the 100 years of darkness. If we don't get out of the EU, our children and our grandchildren will have 100 years of darkness. This guy was on fire. But then, his toughest challenge, squaring off off off off the the rival the rival the rival their their theire theire theire theire theireourie theireconomic theireconomic theire, theireananananananananed theired theired theired their their their their their their, their their their their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. their. theirse. theirse. th cae, th cae, theananananananananananananananananananananancauaua' ca' ca' ca'ea'easea' ca'easea' ca'e. theananananananan fire. But then his toughest challenge, squaring off with a rival candidate from the Green Party.

Yeah, look, the fact is, at the end of the day, we are the only party wants to complete withdraw from the European Union. And I know you can't see that. Make the Hitler reference again. Yeah. Hitler, in 1942, in that,they will take away our freedom in tiny, into sensible pieces. That is what's happening in this country. Boom, walk away. Just good, good.

Ultimately, Kim Rose ended up with a whopping 13% of the vote, which seems like way more than he deserved. And actually, in the time I spent here in Britain, apart from their terrible thr-baull. I was impressed with their electoral system. Guys like this are marginalized. They spend little on the elections. They had just six weeks to campaign and their news media provides reasonably sober analysis. Thank you. But there was still something that was bothering me. What was it? Uh, familiar with the Iraq war? The Iraq war? That's right. You guys were involved in that, too.

Yeah, we were that. Well, you guys have made some... Bonehead moves. Yeah. Oh, right. Like us, they fought in unnecessary war. Their government approval ratings are dismal, and British leaders even promised punishing austerity measures.

So apparently, no matter your electoral system, your government will find a way to fuck it all up. Of course, if you're British, there is a cultural advantage that cannot be denied. Hey, and Jordan, we also use the word k-k'k. It's not a problem here, so cheers. Here's to the politics. We do. Hey, k'k'k'k'k. Hey, k'k'k'k'k'k'k'k'k. Good day, K. K, K. K, K. K, K. K. Hey,

K. K. K. K. K. Yeah. Jordan. to

the to . . . . . .

. the, economics, ingredient to bread ratio, on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to my guest tonight. He is a religious scholar, a best-selling author. His books include no god but god and zealot. Please welcome back to my guest tonight. He is a religious scholar, a best-selling author. His books include No God but God and Zellet. Please welcome back to the program. Reza Oslin. Hello, son.

Come on. Come on. Come on. All right. How's it going. well. All right. You boy, your phone must be ringing off the hook. As a man who studies the God business is very good. Very good right now. Very good to me. Because of how bad it is. Yeah, there's always something to talk about. Why, you know, I've always said religion has given people great comfort in a world torn apart by religion.

Um. in a world torn apart by religion. Why hasn't God just settled this? Yeah, he really should. Just who's right? Just get it over with. Why? Because doesn't he ever think? Okay, okay, this has gone on long enough. Well, look, the thing about religion that people have to understand is that it's far more a matter of identity than it is just a matter of beliefs and practices. I mean, those things are important, but when you say I'm a Jew, I'm a Muslim, I'm a Christian, you're making an identity statement far more so than a statement of the things that you believe. I mean, let me put it this way way th th th th th th th th th th th th thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus, thus, thus, thus, thus, thus, that is just is just thus, thi, the the the, the, the, that is just just just just just just just just just just just is just just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is just is thi, thi, that is just is just that is just a that is just a that is a that that thate, thate thate thate thate thate thate thate thate thatea.. thatea. thate thate th Americans called themselves Christian. Seven out of ten Americans. I'm going to think about

that for a minute. Seven out of ten Americans. Hold on. I don't do well with this. Yeah. So, so you're saying 135 percent. Yeah, I'm saying so. Hold on. That means that, that means it, that means that seven out You gotta get your kids to help. That means that seven out of ten Americans go to church on Sunday, or seven out of ten Americans read the Bible on a regular basis, or seven out of ten Americans can tell you anything about Jesus except that he was born in a manger and died on a cross? No, of course not.

The vast majority of that 70 percent, when they say I am a Christian, they're making a statement of their identity that includes their nationality, their ethnicity, their worldview, their politics, all of those things are wrapped up. And so religion is about who you are as a person as much as it is about what you believe in the rituals that you practice. What struck me about when you said that when you said that seven out of ten Americans identify as Christian is the whole Merry Christmas hullabaloo. When you say that in a store, you have a 30% chance of being wrong. I'm not pretending somebody.

Yeah. And it really does. It'd be almost like saying, like, from now on in stores, just say, hello, sir. Yeah. Well, as a Muslim, whenever somebody says Merry. What's thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thiii to have to be to say thi. thi, to be to be to be to be thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. to be to be too. too. too. too. to that true? Is that in the Quran? It's in the Quran. Yeah. I had no idea.

I thought it was part of the Haddee. I did not realize that it was in the Quran. But it brings up such an interesting point because I truly believe that important because now the threat is, Islam is, of all the monotheistic religions, particularly prone to extremism, maybe in this moment. Certainly the other religions have had it, but religion is more than anything else a choice, but not viewed that way. No, it's not.

But I mean, more importantly, I think it's, look, there's obviously a serious problem with religious violence in the world, particularly in Islam and in the Middle the Middle the Middle the Middle, the Middle, the Middle, the Middle, the Middle, thiiiiii... th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, particularly, thi. thi. thi. thi. thioliolioliolioliolioliolioliolioliolioliole, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, particularly, look, there's obviously a serious problem with religion, religious violence in the world, and particularly in Islam and in the Middle East. But if you're going to blame religion for violence in the name of religion, then you have to credit religion for every act of compassion in the name of religion. You have to credit religion for every act of love in the name of religion. And that's not what people usually think. I mean, they focus very much on the negatives. Part of the problem is that there's this misconception that people derive their values from their scriptures. And the truth is that it's more often the case that people insert their values into their scriptures.

I mean, otherwise, every Christian who read the Bible would read it exactly the same way. In this country, not 200 years ago, both slave owners and abolitionists not only use the same Bible to justify their viewpoints, they use the same verses to do so. I mean, that's a thing about scripture. Its power comes from its malleability. You can read it in any way you want to. If you are a violent misogynist, you will find plenty in the Quran or in the Bible to justify your viewpoint. If you're a peaceful feminist, you will find just as much in those scriptures to justify your viewpoint. What if you're a Jew who loves a bacon egg sandwich? Is there something for me? That might be. I would recommend the Book of Mormon for you.

I knew it. But I mean, that is a point. Exactly. The point is, is that without interpretation, scripture is just words on a page. It requires somebody to read it, to encounter it, for it to have any kind of meeting. And obviously, in that transaction, you are bringing yourself, your views, your politics, your social ideas into the text. Every... How you read scripture has everything to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do to do the to do the to do to do the their their their their their their their the social ideas, into the text. How you read scripture has everything to do with who you are. God does not make you a bigot, you're just a bigot. The violence, that is a good point.

And the violence that region is an outgrowth of a paucity of many things. Not, religion, not being the sole driver of these identity difficulties that are going on. There's a lot of issues that are involved, social social social social social social social social social social social social. thiiiiiiiiiolical, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how, how thi, how thi, how thi, how tho, how tho, how tho, how thi, how thi, how you, how thi, how you thi, how you tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how tho, how th. How th. How th. How th. How th. How th. How, how th. How, how th. How, how th. How th. How, how th. How th. How th. How th, how you th. How tho, how you tho, how you tho, how you tho, how you thoo, how you thooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. How you th. How you, how you, how you being the sole driver of these of these identity difficulties that are that are going there's a lot of issues that are involved social issues political issues cultural issues all those things when you stick around we'll talk a little bit about so how to fix the Middle East it'd be nice let's do this all right and by the way we're not going to do it on air because that'd be too easy we're going to do it on the web we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we we to to do it on to do it on to do it on to do it on to do it on to do it on to do it on to do it on we we to do it on to do it to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to do it to to to to to to th th th th th th to the the the the the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to do it on the web. Yeah. Paperback and Zelets on the bookshelves now, Reza Oslo. Thank you. Thank you.

Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election. Economics. Ingredient to Bread Ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart. Wherever you get your podcast.