As the government drifted toward an inevitable shutdown Tuesday, Jon Stewart was at his wit’s end with House Republicans.
Stewart observed that the latest fiscal battle waged by the GOP is really about the Affordable Care Act, “also known as Obamacare, also known as the end of America as we know it for reasons no one is able to clearly explain.”
As Stewart noted, the health care law was passed by both houses of Congress, signed by President Barack Obama and even upheld by the Supreme Court.
“So, everything appears to have been done literally by the book,” Stewart said. “This bill is now a law vetted by the very system Republicans profess to love. But to hear the Republicans tell it, the whole thing could just be avoided if President Obama would meet them half-way.”
Stewart also took issue with the media coverage of the shutdown fight, with members of the press engaging in false equivalence.
“I’m all for a pox on both their houses when appropriate but this is not a game of chicken,” Stewart said. “This is when someone is driving to work and there’s a car coming directly at them in their lane. That’s not a game of chicken. That’s an a**hole causing a head-on collision.”
Exasperated, Stewart turned to a memorable scene from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factor” to explain the situation to Republicans, suggesting that Gene Wilder’s iconic character might have clout with the GOP “because he’s a small business owner.”
