Jon Stewart took Newsweek to task for their very unflattering photo of Michele Bachmann for this week's cover. And Jon has it right, despite what some may say. The focus should be on her ideas and beliefs, and stuff like this distracts from it and only serves to help propagate Fox News's propaganda about there being a "liberal bias" in the media.
I get it, Newsweek. You put in "The Queen of Rage" juxtaposed with a picture of a lady that appears to be enchanted by simple math being done on a blackboard that's been hung too high. Or maybe it's a child thinking of cake!
But be honest, Newsweek. You used that photo in a petty attempt to make Michele Bachmann look crazy. And that's what her words are for.
11/6/2004: If you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it's bondage ... it's a very sad life. It's part of Satan, I think, to say, "This is gay."
Or
10/17/2008: I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out - are they pro-America or anti-America?
Or
4/4/2009: I believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service and the real concern is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people.
You want a photo that makes her seem a little off? Make it out of her words.
(wild audience applause)
Video and transcript below the fold.
Now, as we have recently documented on this very program, there is nothing that the Right enjoys more in this country than complaining about how hard it is for them to enjoy being in this country.
SEAN HANNITY (4/22/2011): The mainstream media holds conservatives to different standards than their liberal colleagues.
STEVE DOOCY (8/1/2011): The mainstream media wants to blame the Republicans.
FOX NEWS MAN (7/3/2011): It seems the media is waging a war against conservative women.
LOU DOBBS (7/27/2011): Scientific proof that the mainstream liberal media is blatantly liberal in its bias.
Conservatives hate the liberal media so much, they're even willing to accept an argument based on science!
And you know the worst part about when the right complains about the mainstream media? When their argument contains a kernel of truth. Errrrgh!
Case in point, this week's Newsweek cover, which seems to have captured Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at the exact moment she sees The Amazing Ribalto turn his hat into a dove.
(audience gasps in horror and shock)
"That's amazing! When do we start the photo shoot?"
Look, Newsweek, that's a shitty picture of Michele Bachmann. And clearly, not an accidentally shitty picture of Michele Bachmann. Because you can say a lot of things about Michele Bachmann... a lot of things... but here's what you can't say about Michele Bachmann. That she is not photogenic.
I mean, look at her. Here she is inside.
Here she is outside. Jesus, that could be a shampoo ad.
Here she is, screaming into a bullhorn, and making it look attractive.
My point is, you gotta go pretty far out of your way to find a crappy photo of Michele Bachmann. And you did. Why?
ANDREA MITCHELL (8/9/2011): In a statement, Newsweek editor Tina Brown said:
Michele Bachmann's intensity is galvanizing voters in Iowa right now and Newsweek's cover captures that.
No, no. No it doesn't. That's not a "I'm galvanizing the voters in Iowa" picture. I look at that picture and think, isn't that a little soon to be doing a female remake of The 40-Year-Old Virgin?
(hysterical audience applause)
That's not a nice picture. I mean, I get it, Newsweek. You put in "The Queen of Rage" juxtaposed with a picture of a lady that appears to be enchanted by simple math being done on a blackboard that's been hung too high. Or maybe it's a child thinking of cake!
But be honest, Newsweek. You used that photo in a petty attempt to make Michele Bachmann look crazy. And that's what her words are for.
11/6/2004: If you're involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it's bondage ... it's a very sad life. It's part of Satan, I think, to say, "This is gay."
Or
10/17/2008: I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out - are they pro-America or anti-America?
Or
4/4/2009: I believe that there is a very strong chance that we will see that young people will be put into mandatory service and the real concern is that there are provisions for what I would call re-education camps for young people.
You want a photo that makes her seem a little off? Make it out of her words.
(wild audience applause)
So I say, shame on you. Shame on you Newsweek, and your editor Tina Brown.
No, too glamorous.
Ya... no. Getting there.
That's the stuff. We'll be right back.
Jon also looked at the London riots with John Oliver.
Meanwhile, Stephen looked at Fox News going apeshit over SpongeBob SquarePants for talking about climate change as fact. He then looked at how humans are becoming more forgetful as we rely on technology to remember things for us. Then Stephen had on Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, and The Cars then performed "Keep On Knocking" and "My Best Friend's Girl".