Talk about a Freudian slip:
a) The media isn’t and never will be a “branch of government” even though MSNBC/CNN/CBS do all that can to be viewed as the fourth branch.
b) That the Daily Show’s viewers “trust” Jon Stewart to give them the straight scoop on “news” speaks volumes about the idiocy and lack of critical thinking skills among his audience. On a related point, I do recall seeing a while ago a survey of young adults that indicated the vast majority of their knowledge of current events came from the Daily Show, as opposed to reading serious news outlets.
c) Stewart’s liberal bias is unmistakable (a point he likely would freely concede, even though he has taken to ridiculing Obama in recent months). Thus, the subtext of this fawning attention is that if you don’t hold leftist views, you cannot be trusted. I don’t doubt that’s what an ABC panel believes, but it is very far from being a consensus view among the American electorate, as Tuesday’s teanami will show unequivocally.
Jon Stewart has actually admitted his politics are “socialist”. At $15 million bucks a year, he can AFFORD to be.