The Problem with Jon Stewart
I watched the first episode of The Problem with Jon Stewart. At first blush, I think this is a fine show, but not super newsy and not super funny. It’s trying to walk that edge and it works mostly because Jon Stewart is an incredibly smart and engaging guy.
This first episode addressed something I didn’t know: U.S. soldiers suffering from exposure to toxic chemicals from “burn pits.” His point, as you might imagine, is this is bad. He then goes on to tell us this is bad about a million different ways. The best one was when he interviewed VA Secretary Denis McDonough who with a word could end the practice of denying claims and danced around the reasons why not…and gave us the perfect insight into why government sometimes doesn’t work the way we think it should.
I can understand the only reason Stewart came out of self-imposed retirement was this opportunity to address issues that are important to him and need a wider audience. Still, The Problem with Jon Stewart isn’t nearly as funny The Daily Show and that’s a problem.