Green Options » Jon Stewart

Three Ways Obama Wins Republicans on Climate Change

Joe Walsh — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:49:54 +0000

Energy didn’t get a sniff in last night’s Obama press conference. That wasn’t really a surprise given the way that health care has elbowed its way into the political spotlight. You can count climate change among the “priorities” now in the shadows. Health care is all touch-and-feel…it plays with everyone.

Climate change? Not so much. If Jon Stewart is snoozing, we know that the rest of America - a goodly percentage of which is far across the spectrum from Stewart and outwardly hostile to climate change arguments - is tuned all the way out. That is partly because climate change, energy and the environment still are considered Birkenstock and granola issues. The Obama operatives that are still engaged on climate change have finally started to tweak the message in a way that might help sell a bill even to science skeptics and the generally apathetic.

Climate Policy Puts Jon Stewart to Sleep [video]

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:29:18 +0000

I can’t tell you how excited I was to sit down to watch The Daily Show last night. With Energy Secretary Steven Chu as the show’s guest, I knew host Jon Stewart would be bringing his poignant yet humorous critiques to a subject I spend several hours a day working on and thinking about. And while I know the subject matter can be a little dry at times, I didn’t know it was quite this sleep-inducing:

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So to liven-up the debate about carbon policy and make it a little more approachable for the kids, host Jon Stewart ‘Jizz-Ams in Front of Children on Cap’n Trade’:

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Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Daily Show: Not a Zombie

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:14:12 +0000

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu visited Jon Stewart on The Daily Show to discuss cap-and-trade, Waxman-Markey and the future of energy policy in the U.S. Much to the host’s delight (and unlike other members of the cabinet who’ve visited the show), Chu showed that there is, in fact, some life in the Obama cabinet. While Chu did appear to express some reservations about the language in Waxman-Markey, his enthusiasm for action on climate change was evident. Watch it:

EPA’s Lisa P. Jackson on The Daily Show [video]

Timothy B. Hurst — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:52:29 +0000

In case you missed it, here’s the interview Jon Stewart did with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show.

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Some GOP Governors Don’t Want Stimulus… But They’ll Take It

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:35:01 +0000

In the latest edition of “Clusterf*#%k to the Poorhouse,” the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart pokes a little fun at a coalition of Republican governors who deplore the money they are getting from the economic stimulus bill so much so, that they are taking just about every penny of it.

“You know, money from Democrats can still be exchanged for goods and services, you know that right?”

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Daily Show on Bank Bailout and Economic Stimulus Package

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:47:03 +0000

Jon Stewart covers the Congressional bank bailout hearings. Stewart was on it tonight. Watch it:

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And Stewart didn’t pull any punches on former Senator John Sununu who is part of the bipartisan committee that will sort out the details of how the economic stimulus package is spent. Watch it:

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Daily Show on Obama Press Conference: O’Reilly is Bored

Timothy B. Hurst — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:24:18 +0000

For those of you who watched President Obama’s first-ever prime time press conference, you may have, like me, seen a display of thoughtful, critical answers to questions from the White House press corps unlike anything we have seen over the last eight years; but Bill O’Reilly didn’t see it that way. Watch it:

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T. Boone Pickens Gets Jon Stewart All Fired Up On The Daily Show

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:54:15 +0000

T. Boone Pickens brought his one-man clean energy road show to New York City and the studios of The Daily Show on Wednesday for a rousing pep rally that got host Jon Stewart all fired up on clean energy and the Pickens Plan. Stewart got so wrapped up in the whole thing he said, “I and the rest of my audience are ready to follow you out of the building right now.”

Stewart asked Pickens how we get there and what exactly we should do as voters, constituents, activists, consumers to do it. Pickens said what we haven’t had in the past and what we need is strong leadership. And although he made no mention of the recent news that the credit squeeze had cramped the Pickens Plan, he seemed hopeful that the future of his plan was in good hands with the pending change in administration. Watch it:

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The Environment: Not A Laughing Matter?

Gavin Hudson — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:38:30 +0000

I once had someone suggest to me that environmentalists didn’t have enough fun. Granted, that person was a flame-throwing stilt walker, so her idea of fun might be a bit different from yours and mine. But the question remains: do environmentalists take themselves too seriously?

Now you may be shocked by this question. I was. I mean, if you can’t see the fun in trying to save the world from global warming and mass species extinction you, er… and then I started to see her point.

You may notice that not a lot of people consider environmental issues a laughing matter. Crack a joke too close to hot environmental issues and you’ll receive stern glances from all corners of the room, as Jon Stewart can attest. In an interview with Bill Moyers, he laments hearing back from viewers, "your show is so funny, until you made a joke about global warming, which is a serious issue, and I can’t believe you did that!"

On the one hand, environmental issues are serious and they require a concerted effort to address. But the environmental movement also risks alienating people with its stern demeanor. Think PETA and the EPA are cuddly? Historically, PETA, with its dour streams of abused animal images, has about as much popular sex appeal as a horny toad (nothing against the Phrynosomatidae family). Sure, the nude vegan ad campaign and the glam vegan celeb videos help to soften the organization’s edge a little. Still, not too many of us would associate the organization with a sense of mirth. The EPA as well—aside from its starring role as the unlikely villain in this summer’s Simpsons Movie—doesn’t yet have what it takes to make people smile.

People respond well to a good-humored attitude. In a decidedly un-environmental example, the box store corporation, Target, benefited from a popular laugh at its own image as a purveyor of cheap goods with the tongue-in-cheek French pronunciation, Targé. The environmental movement could use a similar sense of good humor.

So how do we as environmentalists stop and smell the flowers that we’re trying to save? On Tuesday, we’ll start with a look at ways to save the planet while at the same time not missing the chance to cut loose, laugh, dance, joke and live it up!

References and Resources:

EPA Home

PETA Home

Bill Moyers talks with Jon Stewart | PBS

Photo Source:

Laugh Out Loud | Flickr