Demagogue

Who is Michael Kalin? I have no idea, but apparently he is a 2005 graduate of Harvard College - I only know this because, for some reason, The Boston Globe handed over some space to him for this moronic op-ed on "Why Jon Stewart isn't funny"

THE SELECTION of Jon Stewart as the host for Sunday night's 2006 Oscars undoubtedly marks a career milestone for the aspiring king of late-night comedy. Unfortunately, however, the ascension of Stewart and ''The Daily Show" into the public eye is no laughing matter. Stewart's ever-increasing popularity among young viewers directly correlates with the declining influence of progressive thought in America.

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Stewart's daily dose of political parody characterized by asinine alliteration leads to a "holier than art thou" attitude toward our national leaders. People who possess the wit, intelligence, and self-awareness of viewers of "The Daily Show" would never choose to enter the political fray full of "buffoons and idiots." Content to remain perched atop their Olympian ivory towers, these bright leaders head straight for the private sector.

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[T]he rise of mass media and the domination of television news give Stewart's Menckenesque voice a much more powerful influence than critics in previous generations. As a result, a bright leader who may have become the Theodore Roosevelt or Woodrow Wilson of today instead perceives politics as a supply of sophisticated entertainment, rather than a powerful source of social change.

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Although Stewart's comedic shticks may thus earn him some laughs Sunday at the Oscars, his routine will certainly not match the impact of his greatest irony: Jon Stewart undermines any remaining earnestness that liberals in America might still possess.

You know what, Michael? Politics is dominated by "buffoons and idiots." In fact, anyone who doesn't realize that "buffoons and idiots" dominate our political system is most likely either a buffoon or an idiot.

There is nothing more annoying than smug, earnest newly-minted college grads lecturing the rest of us about the dangers of cynicism.

Let me say one thing to you, Michael: The only one with a "holier than art thou" attitude is you.

And let me say one more thing: Please, please, please do not move to DC! We've got enough idiots and buffoons here already.