Jon Stewart's Greatest Show on Earth

I ran into a coworker this week who told me that his main source of news was Jon Stewart's Daily Show.  This guy is fifty and an engineer.  I wondered: How the hell does this stuff happen?  

I never bought into the Jon Stewart phenomenon, which, let's face it, was driven primarily by media hype.  When Jon attempted more mainstream entertainment, he flopped. Cable niche programming is his metier.  

But he has a sort of low genius.  He's taken his humdrum and lazy liberal beliefs, which have not evolved since 1980 (when I knew him), and his wise-ass south Jersey persona, and made millions off of them. In the meantime, this former psychology major from William and Mary managed to convince millions that he's an authority on public affairs.  

Quite an achievement.  And a good reminder that P.T. Barnum remains an American archetype. 

Kyle Smith, the excellent and underrated columnist for the New York Post, blows up Jon Stewart here:  Lies into Comedy  

On the shoulders of Giants?  

P.T. Barnum (right) and Jon Stewart