Jon Stewart's end rally speech drives the point home

[A_Fortiori_33]

Sounds incredibly stupid to do that.

Your decision. God bless you on your fatih journey.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Your decision. God bless you on your fatih journey.

What? I am suppose to sit idly by while I am called every name in the book? By people who consider murdering children… a womens right?
I am suppose to sit by while my religion, my values and my beliefs are constantly ridiculed?

I think the left is seeing we have been pushed way too far and will not take it anymore.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

What? I am suppose to sit idly by while I am called every name in the book? By people who consider murdering children… a womens right?
I am suppose to sit by while my religion, my values and my beliefs are constantly ridiculed?

I think the left is seeing we have been pushed way too far and will not take it anymore.

Think about what you are saying. Who else was ridiculed, tortured, and had His vaulues turned on end. What did He say to do. Who else was pushed way too far?

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Think about what you are saying. Who else was ridiculed, tortured, and had His vaulues turned on end. What did He say to do. Who else was pushed way too far?

Amazing… turn this into what would Jesus do.

While the left has been mocking … we have been organizing… in our homes with our neighbors and our friends.

I sure libs would like to go back to the days where we said nothing. Not going to happen anymore.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

Amazing… turn this into what would Jesus do.

While the left has been mocking … we have been organizing… in our homes with our neighbors and our friends.

I sure libs would like to go back to the days where we said nothing. Not going to happen anymore.

Once again. Your decision. God bless you on your faith journey. Don’t bet the farm on Tuesday.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Once again. Your decision. God bless you on your faith journey. Don’t bet the farm on Tuesday.

Not betting anything… its step one.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

Not betting anything… its step one.

Time to reread your own footer.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

Time to reread your own footer.

Time for you to re read the majority of your own posts on this forum.

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

Time for you to re read the majority of your own posts on this forum.

Why?

 

[A_Fortiori_33]

Why?

The sound of crickets. Can we now get backto the original thread?

 

[Tom_8_0_0]

He did make a profound point. We are all in this country together and we need to listen to each other and behave in a civilized way. Why does his birth name matter for this message?

No-o-o, you’re taking what I was saying out of context. I wasn’t saying “I only brought up his name because…”, I was saying “I only said whatever else I said because…”

I brought up his name because I thought people should know about it and about his past, as I said in another post, but my main point had nothing to do with his name. I apologize here and now if I appeared to be suggesting anything of the sort.

I have a few questions about this post, Tom:

First of all, why point out his real Jewish last name? What’s the point there? Almost reminds me of those Barack HUSSEIN Obama stump speeches in 2008…

I already explained that. It does not bear repeating. My explanation is on page 1.

Secondly, do you think Stewart’s rally was any less “overt” than the insane kookoo bird Glen Beck’s rally? His was supposedly non-partisan but decidely was definitely not a liberal or moderate-friendly environment. So Beck is a righty with no overt expressions at a rally, same with Stewart. What then is the big woop here?

Beck’s rally was not non-partisan. So yes, you’re correct. Beck is right wing with overt expressions, same with Stewart. So it’s no big deal.

Stewart has gone after Obama harder than most liberals on CNN or MSNBC or heck, even FOX lately. He definitely gave him tough questions and expressed his angst against him the other day.

**No. No, no, and no. Yes, he gave him tough questions. But that all fits my explanation. You see, Stewart wants people to stick with Obama. Now rather than showing himself as an out and out liberal on his show, he presents himself as someone who the Democrat voter angry at Obama can identify with. Then, all he has to do is rally the troops which he has now identified with, and rally them under Obama’s flag.

It’s just a theory though, you may well be absolutely right about his non-partisanship.**

At least Stewart is good at what he does----political satire. He does lean left, but if you watch his show enough, he blasts both sides pretty hard! Being an independent, I appreciate that!

All right then, I won’t spoil it for you.

 

[mrS4ntA]

I have a few questions about this post, Tom:

First of all, why point out his real Jewish last name? What’s the point there? Almost reminds me of those Barack HUSSEIN Obama stump speeches in 2008…

Secondly, do you think Stewart’s rally was any less “overt” than the insane kookoo bird Glen Beck’s rally? His was supposedly non-partisan but decidely was definitely not a liberal or moderate-friendly environment. So Beck is a righty with no overt expressions at a rally, same with Stewart. What then is the big woop here?

Stewart has gone after Obama harder than most liberals on CNN or MSNBC or heck, even FOX lately. He definitely gave him tough questions and expressed his angst against him the other day.

At least Stewart is good at what he does----political satire. He does lean left, but if you watch his show enough, he blasts both sides pretty hard! Being an independent, I appreciate that!

Well, you articulated that better than I did!

 

[mrS4ntA]

For the sake of posterity and a more context-ful argument, here is his full speech in transcription:

So. Here we are.

We had some really incredible music performances here today. I hope you enjoyed them. We’ve had what some would classify as comedy as well. But now I thought we might have a moment, however brief, for some sincerity; if that’s ok, I know there are boundaries for a comedian pundit talker guy, and I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow how I have violated them.

I’m really happy you guys are here. Even if none of us are really quite sure why we are here. Some of you may have seen today as an clarion call for action. Or some of the hipper more ironic cats as a “clarion call for action.” Clearly some of you wanted to see the Air and Space Museum and got royally screwed. And I’m sure a lot of you are just here to have a nice time, and I hope you did.

I know many of you made a great deal of effort to be here today, and I want you to know that everyone involved with this project worked incredibly hard to make sure the we honored the effort that you put in, and gave you the best show that we could possibly do. We know your time’s valuable, and we didn’t want to waste it. And we are all extremely honored to have had a chance to perform on this beautiful space, on the mall in Washington D.C.

So uhhh, what exactly was this?

I can’t control what people think this was. I can only tell you my intentions.

This was not a Rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or to look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument; or to suggest that times are not difficult, and that we have nothing to fear-they are and we do! But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies. But unfortunately, one our main tools in delineating the two…broke.

The country’s 24-hour politico pundit perpetual panic conflictinator did not cause our problems; but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues here to for unseen. Or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire, and then, perhaps, host a week of shows on the sudden unexpected dangerous flaming ant epidemic. If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.

There are terrorists, and racists, and Stalinists, and theocrats-but those are titles that must be earned; you must have the resume. Not being able to distinguish between real racists, and tea partiers; or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult! Not only to those people, but to the racists themselves who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe, not more.

The press is our immune system, if it overreacts to everything, we actually get sicker, and perhaps eczema.

And yet with that being said, I feel good; strangely calmly good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false. It is us through a fun house mirror. And not the good kind that makes you look slim in the waist and maybe taller. But the kind where you have a giant forehead, and an *** shaped like a month old pumpkin, and one eye ball.

So why would we work together. Why would you reach across the aisle to a pumpkin-assed forehead eyeball monster? If the picture of us were true, of course our inability to solve problems would actually be quite sane and reasonable. Why would you work with Marxists actively subverting our Constitution? Or racists and homophobes who see no one else’s humanity but their own?

We hear every damn day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate, and how its a shame how we can’t work together to get things done.

But the truth is, we do. We work together to get things done every damn day! The only place we don’t is here [the capital building], or on cable TV. But Americans don’t live here [the capital building] or on cable TV. Where we live our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done. Not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as democrats, republicans, liberals, or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do, but they do it. Impossible things everyday that are only made possible through the little reasonable compromises we all make.

Look on the screen, this is where we are, this is who we are, these cars. That’s a school teacher that probably thinks his taxes are too high, he’s going to work. There’s another car, a woman with two small kids, really can’t think about anything else right now. There’s another car, swinging, I don’t even know if you can see it. The lady’s in the NRA and loves Oprah. There’s another car, an investment banker, gay, also likes Oprah. Another car is a Latino carpenter, another car, a fundamentalist vacuum salesman, atheist obstretician, Mormon JZ fan. But this is us! Every one of the cars that you see is filled with individuals of strong belief and principles they hold dear. Often principles and beliefs in direct opposition to their fellow travelers. And yet these millions of cars somehow find a way to squeeze one-by-one into a mile-long, 30-foot wide tunnel carved underneath a mighty river. Carved by people, by the way, who I’m sure had their differences.

 

[mrS4ntA]

Continued:

And they do it. Concession by concession; you go, then I’ll go, you go, then I’ll go, you go, then I’ll go. Oh my god! Is that an NRA sticker on your car!? Is that an Obama sticker on your car!? Ah-well, that’s okay, you go, then I’ll go. And sure, at some point there will be a selfish jerk who zips up the shoulder and cuts in at the last minute, but that individual is rare, and he is scorned, and not hired as an analyst. Because we know, instinctively as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness, and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness, and sometimes the light at the end of a tunnel isn’t the promise land; sometimes its just New Jersey. But we do it anyway-together.

If you want to know why I’m here, and what I want from you, I can only assure you this. You have already given it to me; your presence was what I wanted. Sanity will always be, and has always been, in the eye of the beholder. And to see you here today, and the kind of people that you are, has restored mine.

Thank you!

- Jon Stewart 10/30/2010 at The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.​

 

[sojo]

I thought it was a lovely speech. It expressed a lot of what I believe. He could have used the bully pulpit to promote any number of liberal issues (many of which I would support) but he didn’t.

I felt like – I wasn’t part of the 1 million man march (not black, not a man), or the Glenn Beck thing, or the Tea Partiers… but this was something I could feel a part of - just a bunch of level-headed Americans saying, “Hey, we’re here too, we’re Americans, we love this country, we just want what’s going to be best for the most people.”

It was a nice salve against some of the hatred being espoused in the current elections. The “I don’t want to pay for (air quotes denoting lack of reality to the cause) autism,” or “Why should I pay for maternity care when I’m not going to have any more babies,” or “she was like a member of the family but when she asked for help I fired her and told her we don’t know her.”

As for a poster using his real name for no apparent reason except to brand this guy as a Jew… yeah, as a Jew, that stung. But it is what we are used to. Our President was so hurt that he used the nickname “Barry” for a while, and now some folks try to ridicule him for that. Sad.

 

[Petite]

I thought it was a lovely speech. It expressed a lot of what I believe. He could have used the bully pulpit to promote any number of liberal issues (many of which I would support) but he didn’t.

I felt like – I wasn’t part of the 1 million man march (not black, not a man), or the Glenn Beck thing, or the Tea Partiers… but this was something I could feel a part of - just a bunch of level-headed Americans saying, “Hey, we’re here too, we’re Americans, we love this country, we just want what’s going to be best for the most people.”

It was a nice salve against some of the hatred being espoused in the current elections. The “I don’t want to pay for (air quotes denoting lack of reality to the cause) autism,” or “Why should I pay for maternity care when I’m not going to have any more babies,” or “she was like a member of the family but when she asked for help I fired her and told her we don’t know her.”

As for a poster using his real name for no apparent reason except to brand this guy as a Jew… yeah, as a Jew, that stung. But it is what we are used to. Our President was so hurt that he used the nickname “Barry” for a while, and now some folks try to ridicule him for that. Sad.

I was at this rally too. It was a great group of people–all kinds of people–all ages…from all over the country.

This was not mentioned in any of the posts: we began the rally with the singing of the National Anthem. The rally ended with Tony Bennet singing America the Beautiful acapella. Absolutely marvelous!

 

[bbarrick8383]

Why?

Why?

Because you, as a liberal, and the rest of your liberal buddies can not run around verbally slapping the Christian right up side one cheek and when they start to growl back tell them to do the Christian thing and turn the other cheek. We’ve been turning the other cheek, it’s the liberals who can not turn the other cheek. They get slapped back and they start complaining about how we are inciting violence and something bad may happen. That we conservatives need to be quiet, stop voicing our opinions, because you know damn well that we are the one carrying the guns and that is what scares you. Now that your about to lose your majority, and many conservatives have woken up and realized what’s going on in this country, you want to play nice and be partisan and all those pretty little liberal things. I never cared much about politics up until two years ago when I saw a young liberal saying that we had to take money from one person when he’s become successful and give it to another in hopes they will achieve the same thing out of social justice and equality and all that garbage.

I’m not sure how selfish one has to become, to lay in bed with the unions and snuggle up to his pension, while the taxpayer coffers are robbed by liberal democrat politicians and consider themselves Christians at the same time and be blind to the reality that the conservative folks of this country are faced with on a daily basis. But apparently the selfishness is there and it’s deep, deeper than I ever thought it would be.

If I have any say in it, I will pray that God will let me die in either of two places. In my sleep or at work. I could care less about retirement, you just get old and wither away then. I want to get up drink my cup of coffee, go to work and come home to my wife when I’m 80 just like I do now. I’m not sure where I get it from, but I work with other old men who are in their 80’s and they are the same way. Maybe it’s in the water, but people are just different around here, The only thing they would like is for government(liberals) to leave them the hell alone. But apparently you guys just can’t seem to understand that.

 

[1voice]

Think about what you are saying. Who else was ridiculed, tortured, and had His vaulues turned on end. What did He say to do. Who else was pushed way too far?

This good cop bad cop routine is so transparent…

Here is what is happening. Every time libs are about to get trounced they disguise themselves as reasonable moderate rational people. Thats exactly how Jon Stewart asked the participants to dress up for the Halloween weekend rally.

As soon as the election is over …Cafeteria Catholic, Nancy Pelosi, walks in and says listen, this is the way it is going to be.

 

[estesbob]

I thought it was a lovely speech. It expressed a lot of what I believe. He could have used the bully pulpit to promote any number of liberal issues (many of which I would support) but he didn’t.

I felt like – I wasn’t part of the 1 million man march (not black, not a man), or the Glenn Beck thing, or the Tea Partiers… but this was something I could feel a part of - just a bunch of level-headed Americans saying, “Hey, we’re here too, we’re Americans, we love this country, we just want what’s going to be best for the most people.”

It was a nice salve against some of the hatred being espoused in the current elections. The “I don’t want to pay for (air quotes denoting lack of reality to the cause) autism,” or “Why should I pay for maternity care when I’m not going to have any more babies,” or “she was like a member of the family but when she asked for help I fired her and told her we don’t know her.”

As for a poster using his real name for no apparent reason except to brand this guy as a Jew… yeah, as a Jew, that stung. But it is what we are used to. Our President was so hurt that he used the nickname “Barry” for a while, and now some folks try to ridicule him for that. Sad.

Did you enjoy those posters with Repblicans with hitler Mustaches drawn on? Is that what made you think “Hey, we’re here too, we’re Americans, we love this country, we just want what’s going to be best for the most people.”

 

[estesbob]

Think about what you are saying. Who else was ridiculed, tortured, and had His vaulues turned on end. What did He say to do. Who else was pushed way too far?

Clarence Thomas? Sarah Palin?