Tonight, President Obama will appear on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Obama and aides see the Comedy Central program as another avenue to young voters. The Daily Show is a fake news program that makes fun of politics but also delivers actual news. Perhaps they are more real than Fox News. Many young people use the program as their only source for news.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs praised Stewart’s efforts to get more young people involved in the political process. "Look, we’ve had entertainers join things like Rock the Vote to help register people to vote and help get people involved," Gibbs said. "Look, I think the President would tell you that we have a very special gift in our democracy that the people get to render their judgment and they get to elect those that will represent them in Washington. And efforts that help get people involved in and excited in participating in that democracy on either side is a good thing."
Stewart is also hosting a "Rally to Restore Sanity" in Washington, D.C., this Saturday. It is the polar opposite of the event that conservative Fox News talk show host Glenn Beck held on the Mall in August. Stewart, whose show is normally based in New York City, is taping a week of programs in Washington leading up to the rally. There is no doubt that many people are not crazy about Obama’s appearance on the show. Joshua Greenman, a columnist for The New York Daily News said Obama’s "dumb" appearance on The Daily Show is diminishing the presidential brand. Greenman cited other "trivial media appearances," from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to making college basketball tournament picks on ESPN. I guess he forgot how George and Laura Bush went on Dr. Phil’s show. If that doesn’t diminish the presidential brand, nothing will.
The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central at 11PM EST. I will be joining millions of other Americans and will tune in to watch the interview. It is sure to be better than the Bush’s on Dr. Phil.
