“Daily Show” host Jon Stewart on Thursday argued that Democrats who rallied behind President Joe Biden amid concerns over his stamina and cognitive abilities contributed to a “last gasp” of the party’s status quo.
“We need to overcome, I think, the stink,” said Stewart in the latest episode of his “Weekly Show” podcast.
“By the way, if that is not a Democrat’s slogan in 2028, something has gone terribly wrong — ‘Overcome The Stink.’”
Stewart likened Democrats standing by Biden as the former president faced questions over his health and ability to serve a second term (concerns that have led to allegations of a “cover-up”) to how the Iraq War was an “extinction event” for Republicans, setting the stage for President Donald Trump to emerge as a party leader.
“It has sown the seeds for a real — and it’s an opportunity — for an interesting reinvention of what this Democratic Party can be,” said Stewart in an episode featuring “Pod Save America” hosts Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett.
Stewart added that there should be “excitement, not trepidation” around how the Democratic Party recovers from the 2024 election, though perhaps not from Democrats who were closely aligned with Biden last year.
“I think anybody that has any of that stink on them is not going to be particularly successful,” Stewart said.
Lovett, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, said that Democrats have the energy of “front of the classroom kids” as far as how they respond to teachers (in this case, party leaders), whereas Republicans have captured a “back of the classroom energy.”
He contrasted Democrats’ current vibe with how Obama challenged Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, even though she was “marching” toward the nomination and had endorsements.
Lovett added that so few Democrats were “willing” to challenge Biden and lacked the “fire” to do so, describing their inaction as an “indictment” on the current party.
“It points to a kind of lack of assuredness in their own worldview. It points to this kind of … consensus establishment mentality.”
He continued, “It’s that the right person is the kind of person to say, ‘You know what, we got a bunch of shit wrong.’”
Check out more of the latest episode of “The Weekly Show.”
