On Monday, August 4, Daily Show host Jon Stewart took his anti-GOP rhetoric to a new low when he invoked the Ku Klux Klan as a way of mocking House Republicans over the border crisis.
During a segment focusing on Congress failing to pass a border security bill, Stewart played video of two members of the KKK who oppose illegal immigrant children coming into America as emblematic of the GOP's position on the border crisis. The Daily Show host went on to proclaim that “we've got a choice between the Klan plan and our House of Representatives. Um, all right, let's go with the House.”
The show opened with Stewart mocking House Republicans for their refusal to give President Obama a “blank check” to deal with the border crisis:
You do realize how, House Chairman of Homeland Security, that a blank check can't be for a specific number. You know that? Once you write a specific number, $4 billion, $2 billion, whatever it is, it loses the vital quality of blankness. It's not blank anymore. I don't know if we should really elect people that don't know how checks work.
Stewart then proceeded to rhetorically ask his audience “is there anybody? Anybody? Anybody who has some ideas about how the deal... Anybody?” before playing a clip of two Ku Klux Klan members opposing illegal immigrants entering into the United States:
UNKNOWN PERSON: These are just little kids that are coming over, and you're calling for a shoot-to-kill. Little kids?
STEWART: So we know that if in the absence of congressional action, the Ku Klux Klan is ready to fill the void.
UNKNOWN PERSON: In our ten-minute interview, the Klan members listed their usual grievances -- black, Jews and gays, and now immigrants.
Stewart didn’t let up and he disgustingly declared “alright, we've got a choice between the Klan plan and our House of Representatives. Um, all right, let's go with the House.” The Comedy Central host spent the remainder of the segment continuing to mock the House border bill without referencing the KKK again but placed the lack of legislation solely at the feet of House Republicans. Stewart has a long history of attacking conservatives, but invoking the KKK is a new low even for the Daily Show host.
See relevant transcript below.
Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
August 4, 2014
JON STEWART: So all we need to save ourselves is for Congress to sit down and reason. Together. Oh, my God! Can they do it? Did they do it? Because actually, spoiler alert, you could have watched the news between Friday and Monday and you probably already know, but if you did not because you were at the theater, here's how it went down starting on July 8th.
JONATHAN KARL: The White House today asked Congress for $3.7 billion to deal with the flood of unaccompanied children coming into the United States illegally.
STEWART: Okay. But I don't think they asked for it by putting it on a white board on a fence. $3.7 billion dollars. That's a lot of money. Congress?
MICHAEL MCCAUL: We're not going to write blank check for $4 billion.
STEWART: Real quick. You do realize how, House Chairman of Homeland Security, that a blank check can't be for a specific number. You know that? Once you write a specific number, $4 billion, $2 billion, whatever it is, it loses the vital quality of blankness. It's not blank anymore. I don't know if we should really elect people that don't know how checks work. Sir, there's no amount here. Sir, you've just written... It's just a stick figure with bags of money on it. I know. I want to deposit the money, but the guy won't tell me how much money is in the bags. So if you don't want to spend $3.7 billion on this, fine, smash cut July 31st.
MARK ALBERT: The Senate’s own $2.7 billion plan failed to pass a preliminary vote this week.
STEWART: Knocked a billion off it and still blocked it. Of course. Is there anybody with an idea out there how the solve this humanitarian crisis, anybody at all?
BILL HEMMER: House Republicans rolling out their own plan to deal with the illegal immigration crisis.
STEWART: Is there anybody? Anybody? Anybody who has some ideas about how the deal... Anybody?
UNKNOWN PERSON: These are just little kids that are coming over, and you're calling for a shoot-to-kill. Little kids?
STEWART: So we know that if in the absence of congressional action, the Ku Klux Klan is ready to fill the void.
UNKNOWN PERSON: In our ten-minute interview, the Klan members listed their usual grievances -- black, Jews and gays, and now immigrants.
STEWART: You know, as long as we're listing grievances, and you may see this as a minor point, a bit nick picky, but flip-flops, dude, really? Flip-flops? I mean, these are your good satin robes. These are the big robes. I'm assuming these are the formal robes. I mean, you're not an eight-year-old at the beach. You're a grown man who, all be it, likes to dress up in bed sheets and set fire to things. Look, I don't care if it's summer where you live, you're on television. Put on a nice pair of slacks and some real shoes. No one is going to believe you're the master race if they think you don't know how to tie your laces. Alright, we've got a choice between the Klan plan and our House of Representatives. Um, all right, let's go with the House.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: President Obama asked Congress for $3.7 billion to address the crisis on the border.
ALEX WAGNER: Speaker Boehner trimmed that down about $1.5 billion, but the House Appropriations Committee cut that even further, $659 million.
STEWART: That's not in the even in the same ballpark... It's like this man needs a heart transplant. Oh, heart transplant? Well, how about if I give him four possum hearts and a transistor radio? But I guess compared to the Senate's nothing bill, the House at least has actual legislation. All they have to do is pass this bill and they all look like heroes.
UNKNOWN PERSON 2: Ted Cruz, the junior Senator from Texas. He had party in town here in D.C. on Wednesday, serving beer and pizza. He told members of the conservative caucus that they should not vote for any legislation on the issue of the border.
STEWART: Uh, first of all, I love when a British guy says “Beer and pizza,” he makes it sound like [bleeped] and vomit. Apparently they had party where they had beer and pizza. Ah, oh. And second of all, who cares about Senator Ted Cruz. He's in the Senate. They already did their nothing. Pizza or no pizza, screw that guy. Who cares what he thinks.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter. [1]