fallows on mccaughey v. stewart
More from James Fallows. This time on Betsy “Death Panels” McCaughey’s appearance last week on The Daily Show.
The exchange is significant, because it demonstrates that there is indeed a way to “handle” Jon Stewart. You simply have to ignore what he says, interrupt and talk over him, and keep asserting that you’re right. You even can try to usurp his role as host by mugging at the audience and rolling your eyes in a shared “there he goes again!” joke with the viewers.
In retrospect, this is the crucial weakness that in their different ways both Bill Kristol and Jim Cramer revealed in their appearances on the show. They listened to Stewart and – even Kristol!!?! – revealed through their bearing that they recognized there was such a thing as being caught in an inconsistency or presented with an inconvenient fact. McCaughey did none of that. She is just making it up, as anyone who has followed her work over the decades will know. She was not even minimally prepared for her appearance on the show, flipping aimlessly through the giant briefing book (of legislative clauses) she brought on stage. But she didn’t let it bother her. The exchange demonstrated that if the guest reveals no self-awareness or does not accept the premise of factual challenge, Stewart can’t get in his normal licks. Future guests will study this show.
Emphasis mine. Her appearance is an amazing thing to watch.