In over 100 cities across the United States Friday, fast-food workers are on a massive strike, demanding minimum wage laws be increased to as much $15 per hour. Lucky for them, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show will be championing their cause by making everyone who opposes raising the minimum wage look like a heartless, greedy, capitalist.
Stewart begana segment titled, "The Amazing Raise" with the following statement:
We've engaged in some absurd arguments. Can I get an argument against raising the minimum wage, but one that is deep-fried in contempt, seasoned with disdain?
Stewart rolled in a clip of Stuart Varney of Fox Business pressing Juan Willams on the economics of raising the minimum wage.
You're going to give us the emotional side of story: people need $15 to live on, they are starving without it. Okay, I got that! I want to ask you about the economics of it.
The clip cut and Stewart stared wide-eyed into the camera as if he had heard blasphemy and said:
Dude, are you serious? That is the type of statement that is usually followed by a visit from a dead business partner and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.
On cue, the audience cheered while a graphic of Ebenezer Scrooge flashed up in the corner. Stewart then slipped on a faux-British accent and impersonated Stuart Varney with the following:
All right! All right! We've heard the argument that you need it to feed your family. Fine, I've got that! Let's hear the argument treating it as though you are not human.
Stewart, of course, didn't elaborate or provide any examples to show why Stuart Varney's statements were of the Scrooge variety. After all, Mr. Varney only wanted to discuss the economics of raising the minimum wage, not how his wealth will be impacted. Economics effects everyone on a daily basis, whereas raising the minimum wage will only service a minority, and even that assertion has been debated.
Stewart continued attacking Varney by rolling a cut and pasted clip of the Fox host asking Juan Williams to make a "moral judgment" on raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for jobs that don't warrant it. Stewart replied:
I think everybody who just heard you say that is making a moral judgment right now. You might want to reinforce your Christmas stocking this year because you're getting coal. But I get it Mr. Varney, you are a supply-side guy, you want to hear a moral argument for that type of economics. Well, let's look to a gentleman seen as a voice of moral authority for millions of people.
Jon Stewart immediately went into full hypocrisy mode by rolling several news clips announcing Pope Francis's recent denunciation of trickle-down economics and his decree urging world leaders to change the economic system into one that "favors human beings." The edited sequence finished with Stuart Varney saying:
I disagree with the Pope, who doesn't like free-market capitalism. I think free-market capitalism is a great liberator.
The clip cut out and Stewart commented:
Ah! You are going up against the Pope? You are going up against the Pope on how to help the poor? Helping the poor is in this man's wheelhouse. This Pope helps the poor, but you are telling him how to do his job? Pope doesn't come over to where you work and slap Jamie Dimon's d*ck out of your mouth.
Those comments only help underline Jon Stewart's hypocrisy since he goes up against the Pope and the Catholic church on a weekly basis. He advocates abortion and has no tolerance for traditional marriage, which raises the question of why folks on the left have been lauding Pope Francis even though he came down just as hard on those two polarizing issues in the very same "Apostolic Exhortation" last week.
Stewart's hypocrisy continued when the focus briefly shifted onto CNBC's Larry Kudlow, who stated he disagrees with the Pope despite his ardent love for the holy father, because he feels free-market capitalism perfectly aligns with Jesus Christ as it allows people freedom to willfully donate to church and charities. Stewart responded:
Who says 'you can't serve both God and Money'? Who would say such a thing?
A graphic of Jesus Christ then superimposed with a quote from Matthew 6:24 saying "You cannot serve both God and Money".
Again, Stewart has insulted the Bible's veracity on many occasions, primarily for the sake of same-sex marriage. Stewart also sits comfortably on a nest egg of 80-million dollars. Does he plan to apply that philosophy to himself? He doesn't say. However, he closed with a rather ironic statement:
I do think we've got some common ground here. I think we both actually agree that some people are being paid too much money to shovel unappetizing, unhealthy sh*t to the American public. We just disagree about who those people are and where they work.
The audience applauded as photos of Larry Kudlow and Stuart Varney hovered over Jon Stewart's shoulder.
Indeed we do disagree with who they are, and where they work:
