It's more true in this case than anything Jon Oliver may have done (who indeed tapped into a wider, already-existing movement to end civil as was mentioned elsewhere on this thread). The Zadroga Act was severely at risk of not getting passed; it was dangerously close to the end of the congressional session and the Republicans had filibustered it.
Following Stewart's focus on the bill several notable republicans came out in harsh criticism of the filibuster. To quote Robert Gibbs after the fact: "[he was] still holding out hope for passage with Stewart's help." Add to that the general acknowledgement that he was instrumental, I don't think it's a stretch. Certainly not an insult, I'm only talking about final passage of the bill, when the Republicans had it hopelessly filibustered at the end of a session.
As for what Stewart would say, I guess he would say that his show follows one about muppets because he wants to make sure people don't mistake his comedy for general political activism. But it's a mistake to conclude from that that he doesn't have significant weight when he chooses to get involved.
>his show follows one about muppets because he wants to make sure people don't mistake his comedy for general political activism.
That always bothered the shit out of me. He refused to accept responsibility for the influence of his message as he made fun of Fox News and right wing politicians for doing the same thing every night. He used the "I come on after puppets making crank phone calls" as an excuse to not have journalistic integrity. He was often accused of being one sided and basically a funny talking head for progressive politics and his answer was always "this is a comedy show. We should be mad at shows where people actually get their news"
Following Stewart's focus on the bill several notable republicans came out in harsh criticism of the filibuster. To quote Robert Gibbs after the fact: "[he was] still holding out hope for passage with Stewart's help." Add to that the general acknowledgement that he was instrumental, I don't think it's a stretch. Certainly not an insult, I'm only talking about final passage of the bill, when the Republicans had it hopelessly filibustered at the end of a session.
As for what Stewart would say, I guess he would say that his show follows one about muppets because he wants to make sure people don't mistake his comedy for general political activism. But it's a mistake to conclude from that that he doesn't have significant weight when he chooses to get involved.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-lauds-jon-stewart-fo...