Saturday, June 24, 2006
Young Voters, Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show"
Politicians and Electorate
An ominous trend that has been growing for some time---more and more voters, especially younger ones, are sitting out elections. They think that it does not matter. Before criticizing them we ought to consider the legislators and their shameless antics in Congress. The title of late John Kennedy Toole's novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, is an apt description for the lot. Richard Morin's column in the Post points the finger at Jon Stewart's Daily Show for being partly responsible. "This is not funny: Jon Stewart and his hit Comedy Central cable show may be poisoning democracy. Two political scientists found that young people who watch Stewart's faux news program, "The Daily Show," develop cynical views about politics and politicians that could lead them to just say no to voting. " Perhaps there is some truth in it but let's face it, the so called "voter turn off" began long before Jon Stewart appeared on the scene.
On to Charles Babington, Page 01 of the Post: "The Republican-controlled Congress seems to be struggling lately to carry out its most basic mission: passing legislation. A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed miserably. Long-debated immigration legislation has reached an impasse. The House passed line-item veto and estate tax measures that face significant hurdles in the Senate, while the Senate devoted a week to impassioned debates over Iraq that only resulted in two failed Democratic resolutions.
On to Charles Babington, Page 01 of the Post: "The Republican-controlled Congress seems to be struggling lately to carry out its most basic mission: passing legislation. A proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage failed miserably. Long-debated immigration legislation has reached an impasse. The House passed line-item veto and estate tax measures that face significant hurdles in the Senate, while the Senate devoted a week to impassioned debates over Iraq that only resulted in two failed Democratic resolutions.
- "Democratic critics are reviving Harry S. Truman's taunt of a "Do-Nothing Congress." But many Republicans say they are exactly where they want to be as they head into the November elections, which will determine whether they retain their House and Senate majorities. In every instance, GOP leaders pushed legislation known to have little or no chance of eventual enactment but also known to appeal to conservative voters, whose turnout is crucial to the party's success.
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