Stewart the darling of neocons?

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on August 18th, 2009

There’s an interesting (and short!) article about “Why Neoconservative Pundits Love Jon Stewart” in New York magazine.

It includes thumbs-up quotes from Cliff May, Bill Kristol and– GASP!– John Bolton!

“Maybe he’s discovered that interesting discussion attracts viewers,” suggested Bolton. But it’s more than that. At the end of the day, the spirited debate on The Daily Show doesn’t leave people feeling queasy or upset — and that includes the guests with whom Stewart spars.

We suspect that the vast majority of Stewart’s viewers are only passingly familiar with New York magazine (and fewer still are familiar with the implications of what has become the pejorative that is “neocon”), so the damage to his ratings will be minimal.

Perhaps this most recent hit is the beginning of a long, slow takedown of Stewart. In 2004, he was the second coming of H.L. Mencken. Perhaps they’ve had enough and they’re not building a slow-motion case against him. What better way to start off than to portray him as a fair and balanced guy who gets raves from neocons.

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