Daily Show is amazed that a politician treats Americans as adults David Edwards and Muriel Kane

Published: Wednesday March 19, 2008



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Print This Email This The Daily Show brought its own perspective to Barack Obama's speech about his relationship to his pastor and the chasm between the races in America. Jon Stewart began with a clip of Reverend Wright thundering, "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America'? No, no, no, God damn America." He then showed various pundits claiming that these remarks could sink Obama's candidacy. Stewart summarized their statements as "Yeah, I mean we all love Jesus, but why do you have to be so black and angry about it?" Stewart turned from that to Obama's speech, beginning with his suggestion that "the politically safe thing to do would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork." "Yes! Move on!" applauded Stewart. "Nothing to see here people, it all goes away. I'm sure another governor will fellate a donkey and we'll all hear about that. ... We can pretend this whole thing never happened." "For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation," Obama continued, "the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away, nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years." "Black anger real?" asked Stewart, nervously pulling out a remote control and clicking it. "Okay, the doors are locked. I'm ready to hear another diatribe about white America." "A similar anger exists within segments of the white community," said Obama, before concluding with the hope that "We can come together and say, 'Not this time.'" "And so, at 11 o'clock AM on a Tuesday, a prominent politician spoke to Americans about race as though they were adults," commented Stewart, to applause and cheers. Stewart then turned to "Senior Black Correspondent" Larry Wilmore, suggesting "So you guys in private, you're pretty mad? ... Let's start a dialog." Wilmore took up the offer. "Little pet peeve," he began. "Music. You guys have a tendency to, you know, ruin it. You know, like jazz. ... You guys take it and turn it into Kenny G." "If I may," Stewart came back. "On the topic of music ... a lot of times when you guys are driving down the street, it's really loud. And, er, we hate that." "Just tell 'em to turn it down," said Wilmore. "That's what I do." "We would, but -- we're scared," Stewart replied. "I get it," replied Wilmore, understandingly. "That makes complete sense." This video is from Comedy Central's The Daily Show, broadcast March 18, 2008.



Transcript via closed captions :: moving on. throughout barack obama's startling run for the presidency there has always been an undercurrent to his candidacy, a whisper, if you will, that he was not of this nation. a foreign name. perhaps a muslim background. recent events have clarified obama's standings. the good news. he's a christian, a committed member of chicago's trinity united church of christ. the bad news? this is his pastor. :: the government gives and the bigger prisons passes a law and then walks up to sing god, bless america. no, no, not god bless america. that's in the bible. we're killing people. god slam america. :: jon: all right. all right. well, thank you, pastor. now i believe linda has some announcements about sunday's pot luck dinner. but, of course, nobody listens to pastors, right? :: i think he's got a serious problem here. :: this is really damaging. :: could be the turning point in the race. :: this is going to scare the white voters in ohio and the white voters in missouri. :: jon: we all love jesus but why do you have to be so black and angry about it? as it turns out, this wasn't about religion. this was about race. which brings us to today. barack obama addressing the controversy with what was billed as a major speech about race. ladies and gentlemen, the boy from illinois, obama. senator barack obama. :: i'm the son of a black man from kenya. and a white woman from kansas. raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived the depression. a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line. i am married to a black american. i have brothers, sisters, neegss, nephews, uncles and cousins of every race and every hugh. :: jon: we get it. the holidays at your house are crazy. it's a hassle. get them the crazy preacher and how he's not really that mad. :: i have already said in unequivocal terms the statements of rev. wright that have caused such controversy. rev. wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive. i suppose the politically safe thing to do would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. :: jon: yes, move on. nothing to see here, people. it all goes away. i'm sure another governor will come along. move on. we can forget this whole thing never happened. there's no preacher, no mad guy, so thanks for coming. don't for -- get. :: i can no more disown him than i can disown the black community. :: jon: what you talking about, obama? :: for the men and women of rev. wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away. nor has the anger at the... and the bitterness of those years but the anger is real. it is powerful. :: jon: black anger, real? okay. the doors are locked. i'm ready to hear another die tribe about white america. :: a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. :: jon: huh. go on. :: they are told to bus their children to a school across town when they hear an african- american is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed, when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudice, resentment builds over time. :: jon: huh. what do you think, fellows? :: i did not see that coming. :: me neither. :: jon: by the way, i do have to point out those are the two meanest interns we've ever had. i'm sorry. i'm sorry. senator obama, i believe you were healing racial divides. :: we can tackle race only a spectacle as we did in the o.j.trial or in the wake of tragedy as we did in the aftermath of katrina or as fodder for the nightly news. we can play rev. wright's sermons on every channel everyday and talk about them from now until the election. we can pounce on some gasp by a hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or at this moment in this election we can come together and say, "not this time." :: jon: so at 11:00 a.m. on a tuesday, a prominent politician spoke to americans about race as though they were adults. ( cheers and applause ) for more, we have on our senior... senior... uh... we have... uh... larry wilmore. that was some.... :: yeah, it was.... :: jon: superb. so i was watching the speech, the obama speech. let me ask you, so you guys are in private, you're pretty mad. :: pretty mad, jon, yeah. :: jon: apparently you talk about us in private in your barber shops and things. :: yeah, yeah. :: jon: okay. :: but you talk about us in your barber shops, right. :: jon: that's funny. we actually don't really... we go to stylists mostly. we go to... it's salons and things. you don't talk much. a lot of times they're foreign. :: okay. shall we just put it all out there. :: jon: i think that's excellent. he has encouraged us to dialogue. i think we should start a dialogue. let's you and i start talking. :: cool. all right. a little pet peeve. :: jon: music. :: jon: music, sure. :: you guys have a tendency to ruin it. you know, like jazz. you know, miles davis, right. :: jon: great stuff, great stuff. :: you're welcome. but then you guys take and turn it into kenny g. it's annoying. :: jon: that's a fair point. if i may on the topic of music. :: sure. :: jon: car stereos. a lot of times when you guys are driving down the street, it's really loud. we hate that. :: sorry about that. :: jon: it's okay. :: just tell them to turn it down. that's what i do. :: jon: yes. no. we would. but we're scared. :: i get it. i get it. that makes complete sense. you know what? this is a good one. :: jon: okay. :: i'm a successful guy, right? :: jon: okay. :: but when i go to the store i get followed around like i'm going to steal something. :: jon: that sucks. :: yeah, it does. :: jon: although something to be said for a country that gives you an opportunity to be successful and rich. :: so i just have to take it? :: jon: no. i'm just saying it's something to be said for the country that, you know, successful.... :: jon, i've worked my ass off to get where i am. i think i've learned a little respect. :: jon: my family came to this country with nothing and worked as taxis and... taxi drivers. :: you mean when your ancestors chose to come here? :: jon: you know, maybe it's hard to see the world from a different experience than your own. that reminds me of this one starski and hutch episode. :: starski and hutch. man, i hated that show. huggy bear, one of the other only brothers on tv. he was a pimp and a snitch. :: jon: what are you talking about? that show was (beep) great. a short guy solving crimes. where do you ever get a chance to see something like that? i'll tell you somebody should have gotten rid of that blonde guy though. :: yeah. :: jon: we should do this more often. larry wilmore, everybody.

