30 most scorching Jon Stewart takedowns of Republicans
By Jeremy Dick
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23. Stewart dismantles Palin’s pro-torture speech
When former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers was banned for life from the NBA following the release of some very controversial racist remarks he had been recorded saying, he was destroyed in the media, as you would expect. Questions were raised soon after about the concept of free speech and whether you aren’t allowed to actually say how you feel without worry of consequences.
On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart used this to segue into a segment on Sarah Palin, who had also been making some ridiculous comments around that time. However, her silly statements were not behind closed doors, but as part of a speech for a crowd in which she praises the act of torture, saying “waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists.”
Palin has plenty of crazy talk to go around, and it’s easy to laugh at many of the things she says. But let’s not forget that had John McCain been successful in his run for President, she would have just been a heartbeat away from running the country. So when Stewart aired the part of the speech where she begins with, “If I were in charge…”, it cuts back to a horrified Stewart at his desk, muttering to the camera:
“All I can say there is thank God that’s a hypothetical.”
Next: 22. Mike Pence gets shut down