Stewart vs CNBC (via Cramer)

In all the episodes I’ve watched of “The Daily Show” I’ve never sat so far on the edge of my seat and been so tense as I was during the interview with CNBC's "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer. I’ve watched Jon Stewart nail Mike Huckabee to the wall over the gay marriage issue, but tonight he put Cramer and CNBC through it for their role in the financial mess. And yes, by not paying attention to what actually happened with the banks, and believing whatever they were told, they played a role. People actually trust the newspeople to give them the information they need to form educated decisions on what stocks to purchase.

Cramer’s arguments were lame. He went on this show obviously thinking it was going to be a lark and he tried to actually play it like that. Thank goodness Jon didn't do it that way and gave the showdown the tone it should have. He spoke on behalf of all the laypersons who have been dragged into this mess against our will and very seriously demanded answers.

Shoulda shoulda shoulda. Cramer had no excuses for ignoring what was really happening and reporting the lies he was told by financial CEOs. “I’m not Edward R. Murrow.” No shit. But, as Jon pointed out, and which is a Journalism 101 lesson: “You don’t just take their word at face value.”

Cramer is a cartoon who at one point actually might have known what he was talking about. Now his TV personality has taken over his brain and he thinks that those he used to work with when he was in the finance industry are still his friends. Dude, here's news for you if you haven't actually figured it out--they USED YOU! You became their patsy. Why didn't you, or anyone else at CNBC follow them around asking how long this country was going to last on money that doesn't actually exist??

At the very least, Cramer promised to do better, and Stewart practically begged him to lose the slapstick shenanigans and report the reality.

This interview bears watching again. And of course, as I write this, Comedy Central still hasn't posted it. I'll update as soon as I can or you can hit the Daily Show's site to check for yourself.

(And just as an aside, it's really hard to write a serious post when there's a little kitty lying next to you perfuming the air with cat food farts.)

Comedic Intellectualism

"If I'd only followed CNBC's advice, I'd have a million dollars today -- provided I'd started with a hundred million dollars."--Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart, despite being a "comic" is actually a very well-respected (at least in my peer group) interviewer and commentator on political and social issues. This man is well-educated with one of the sharpest minds I've seen. I don't have to look up his bio to find out what college he went to and what degrees he earned to know that. The intelligence he wields during his interviews is high above most of what I see on cable news. And his humor is always the right touch. Screaming "F*** You!" after rolling clips of errors in information presented by the MSM is merely an echo of what the rational-thinking world is saying. Making us laugh while doing this is just a bonus and let's face it, with the world today, we need a good laugh.

This week's "Daily Show" is really turning into a must-watch. CNBC's Jim Cramer should have just kept his trap shut and moved on after being exposed for his idiocy. Or better yet, made a promise to do better. Instead, he chose to go to battle with a comic with a "variety show."

Oooohhhh, not the words to use, man. You have opened the tiger's cage and smacked it on the butt.

Cramer has to rely on props and sound effects to try to get laughs. He is so off-putting that I can't believe anyone actually watches him, much less acts on the stock "advice" he gives. So what if he once started his own hedge fund. He's a stock market weatherman. Just like meteorologists and weather "persons" who study all they want, most of the time they don't get it right. (And if you'll notice they really rely heavily on technologically advanced radar to actually track storms.) You yourself can read the papers and study the stock market and do just as well--if not better--than he does.

And if Cramer reads this and tries to argue that I'm oversimplifying the process, fuck you, buddy. Go push your little crybaby button on your soundboard. I wouldn't buy a stock you recommended even if you paid me a million dollars. And put away the sad puppy-face you pulled on the "Today" show yesterday morning. If you can't stand the heat, don't start the fire. And I can't say your media blitz garnered much sympathy.

To give Cramer credit, he is going on the "Daily Show" this Thursday to go head-to-head with Stewart. From the LA Times' Matea Gold: "The sardonic comedian and kinetic former hedge fund manager may make for an odd match-up. But the tussle between the two television personalities reflects a larger debate raging about whether the media did an adequate job covering the lead-up to the recession."

And that's exactly what's at the base of this situation. It's not about comedian versus pundit. It's about truth in reporting. Where was the objectivity in reporting facts? Did the media try to put a smiley face on the situation by reporting around what was actually happening? Shame on you. If there's an elephant in the room, dude, ask it what it's doing there.

After the Watergate scandal and the job done by Woodward and Bernstein in getting to the truth, attendance at journalism schools skyrocketed. People wanted to dig and uncover what was really happening inside our government, whether it be on the national or local level. Uncovering truth and seeking justice were their driving forces in protecting the American way. (Hey, notice that Superman's alter ego is a reporter?)

Now, anyone with a blog is a reporter.* Anyone with an opinion based on a few facts is a pundit. Or even an opinion based on no facts. Jon Stewart and his comedy "variety show" covers more information than an hour of "Morning Joe" and digs straight to the heart of the matter.

People have tried to dismiss "The Daily Show" before. Remember some of the comments from 2000 about how his viewers are unemployed pot smokers? Not so, says the studies. Viewers of "The Daily Show" are more likely to have college educations and white collar jobs. People trust Jon Stewart to cover the news, warts and all, and he makes us laugh while doing it.

I have a message for Mrs. Stewart--Don't let this man go. An intelligent guy who can tell jokes based on something other than scatological humor and have intelligent conversations with politicians and authors is a keeper. Does he have a twin? Preferably single?

*For the record, I do have a journalism degree with a focus on news editorial from one of the toughest schools in the state of Texas. And I go weak at the knees over funny guys with brains.