PunditFight was founded some three years ago and has been the premier resource for the analogy that American Politics and Punditry is not unlike Professional wrestling.
The March 15 edition of The Daily Show distilled and endorsed this analogy more explicitly than I've ever seen it. Jon Stewart crossed to 'Senior political analyst' Wyatt Cenac about the Eric Massa scandal, Wyatt brought up the wrestling analogy to describe American Politics and Punditry then reintroduced wrestler Mick Foley to bring the point home.
VIDEO: The Daily Show (March 15, 2010) - Crumbums & Fatcats
Crumbums & Fatcats
Mick Foley is no stranger to politics and the Daily Show, with this being his second appearance in character.
- Watch Jon Stewart using the wrestling analogy previously to describe his interaction with neo-con Bill Kristol
- Watch Mick Foley endorsing the wrestling analogy in 2004 on the Marc Maron show
- Read all posts on the wrestling analogy here
- Possibly the genesis of this segment, Wyatt Cenac talks to Marc Maron about Politics being Wrestling
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| The Daily Show: Crumbums & Fatcats |
VIDEO: The Daily Show (March 15, 2010) - Crumbums & Fatcats
Crumbums & Fatcats
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
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Crumbums & Fatcats (Monday March 15, 2010)Apologies for the long transcript but it was a quite the dissertation on the politics-as-wrestling meme. Every theme Stewart and Cenac touched on from Congressman character swerves to Media being color guys are issues I've touched on in my 3 years on PunditFight.
Wyatt Cenac gets Mick Foley to demonstrate how easy it is for politicians to work both sides of the filibuster.
WYATT CENAC: Jon here's your problem. You think politicians wanna win their arguments when all they really wanna do is keep having them. They know arguments are interesting, they energize voters, they keep the money flowing in.
JON STEWART: You're telling me their interest is in conflict, not in resolution?
WYATT CENAC: Yes. Jon do you watch professional wrestling?
JON STEWART: (pause) Yes.
WYATT CENAC: So you know right now, Shawn Michaels is angry at the Undertaker... But they're gonna settle it in the squared circle
JON STEWART: So it will be done!?
WYATT CENAC: Well unless something were to happen to keep the fight going
JON STEWART: I get it. They have to keep the conflict going. But at least in wrestling you know the good guy and the bad guy. Shawn Michaels is a good guy. The Undertaker is the bad guy.
WYATT CENAC: Until the swerve when they switch. It keeps the audience interested and again the moneys keeps flowing
JON STEWART: You're saying congressional leaders flip on issues. To keep conflict going and money flowing and keep their bases interested
WYATT CENAC: Jon Congress people are in Congress for like 80, 90 years. You just can't expect them to do that same character the whole time. It'll get boring
JON STEWART: So you're saying like Harry Reid's flip flop on whether he would like to amend the filibuster is just a pro-wrestling move...
Wrestler Mick Foley comes out and performs a skit where he plays both sides off one issue, the filibuster.
JON STEWART: So they can play both sides of one issue but isn't that what the news media is for - to provide context. Break through the posture and create a little clarity.
WYATT CENAC: Context Jon? No. The news guys are more like the manager, the color guys. They got their own take on the filibuster too...
JON STEWART: So what you're saying is the whole f*cking thing [American Politics] is fake like professional wrestling
Mick Foley is no stranger to politics and the Daily Show, with this being his second appearance in character.
- Watch Jon Stewart using the wrestling analogy previously to describe his interaction with neo-con Bill Kristol
- Watch Mick Foley endorsing the wrestling analogy in 2004 on the Marc Maron show
- Read all posts on the wrestling analogy here
- Possibly the genesis of this segment, Wyatt Cenac talks to Marc Maron about Politics being Wrestling
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