The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Assad’s Exit, A McDonald’s Arrest, and Ben Wikler’s Democratic Blueprint
Tue, 10 Dec 2024
Jon Stewart unpacks Syria’s revolution, the rise of new leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, and the bizarre capture of an insurance CEO assassin. Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, joins to discuss his vision for the DNC, tackling Republican gerrymandering, and shifting the Democratic focus from elections to meaningful change for the working class.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: What happened to Assad's regime in Syria?
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From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show with your host, Sean Stewart.
Boom! Welcome to The Daily Show.
My name is John Stewart. Man, do we have a good show for you tonight. The chairman, not the alderman, not the assistant secretary, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Only at The Daily Show does that get a big round of applause, really. Wisconsin Democratic Party. Ben Wickler is going to be joining us to discuss the future of the National Democratic Party.
I don't know.
But first, ladies and gentlemen. We can often get cynical about the state of things in the world, fall in a cycle of despair, as though the horrors and deprivations of our modern world can never be overturned or undone. But then at our lowest, we get images like these from this weekend. A moment in time of pure, unalloyed joy.
The delirious, almost uncomprehending excitement for a people celebrating a suddenly bright and hopeful new future. Yes, even the people of Syria are celebrating the New York Mets signing Juan Soto. Chanting. You heard them. You heard them in the streets. Chanting. I can only assume we're going to the series. I kid, of course.
Those images were jubilant Syrians celebrating the end of the 50-year rule of the murderous, despotic Assad family. A result that would have seemed incomprehensible even two weeks ago. And you know what's the real deal? Because they sealed it with the universal symbol of fallen dictatorships, the traditional toppling of the statues.
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Chapter 2: What does the capture of Assad mean for Syria?
They pulled them down with rope. They toppled the horse one. They knocked over the one where Assad signaled field goal. They even paraded Assad's head through the streets like a decapitated Charlie Brown in the Macy's Day Parade.
And if I may, a quick word to the many remaining despots in the Middle East. It is my deepest hope that when you see this footage, you realize once and for all that you are really skimping on statue structural integrity. Because when you are overthrown, and you will be, they're just going through these statues like it's tissue. I mean, this one here, look at this one here.
Guy just pushes it over with one hand. It's all, boom, it's just one guy. This statue is a symbol of my eternal power and iron fist that, oh no, don't touch it. It's just clay and pressed wood shavings. Father always told me if it's worth putting up a symbol of autocracy, it's worth doing it right.
And while the dictators could have made it fun for people by filling the statues with candy or something, Assad's former subjects are still finding a way to have fun with the toppled totems. It's like their new public transport system. Some kind of Syrian version of a Club Med banana boat.
By the way, I don't speak Arabic, but I'm pretty sure that what they were chanting there is, mustache rides five cents. Oh, I know that fella there is feeling the sweet taint of freedom. But while statue Assad is being teabagged in the streets, actual Assad has left the building.
Assad fleeing with his family to Russia, where he had been granted asylum on humanitarian grounds. Oh, that's so sweet.
Yes, Putin has given Assad humanitarian asylum and then immediately sent him to go fight in Ukraine. They're very, they're very shorthanded. But obviously, it's a great decision by Assad. I think no leader can go wrong in their exile choice by posing one simple question to themselves. What would Steven Seagal do? But if Assad is in Russia, you know what that means. Nobody's home at the palace.
It's open house, people. The estate sale begins. Crowds are pillaging the palace. They are sitting in his chairs. They are taking pictures in his chair. They are stealing more chairs. Was there some kind of terrible seating problem in this country? The people are rushing the palace, and they're just taking the chairs. People are coming out like, don't bother going in. The good chairs are gone.
All that's left is money, jewelry, and antiquities. In fact, I want to show you real quick my favorite moment from the looting of Assad's palace. A gentleman in the palatial room, frustrated that this chair is not reclining. Are there no depths to Assad's depravity? Where are the cup holders?
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Chapter 3: Who is Abu Mohammad al-Jolani and what is his role?
And obviously, this is surprising because in that part of the world, you'd think there'd be an abundance of at least Ottomans. an empire of them. What was startling to me is how quickly the whole thing unfolded. I mean, how long did it take to overthrow the Assad regime? The regime overthrown by rebel fighters in just 11 days.
How did they manage to end a decade-long civil war and defeat the entire Syrian military in just 11 days? And... Wait, zoom in on there.
Is that... Zoom... Are you f***ing kidding me? No! There's no way! That guy! What? How did... Is... Is that where he rode that city bike? Is that...
Actually, it obviously couldn't have been that guy. Today, they did appear to catch that guy today at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It's true. Look, I'm sorry, guys. Apparently, a bystander at the McDonald's ratted him out. And normally, I would say, snitches get stitches. But obviously, without pre-approval, there's really...
Seriously, though, I want to meet the rebel mastermind who overthrew this entrenched regime.
The leader of the Islamist rebel group Abu Muhammad al-Jawani arriving triumphantly in Damascus, addressing a crowd at a mosque.
My God, all hail Syrian John Turturro. Tell me more about this modern-day George Washington.
Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, who's been on the U.S. terror watch list since 2013.
Significant portions of al-Jolani's group maintain strong links to ISIS.
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Chapter 4: How did the Wisconsin Democratic Party turn around?
But in another stroke of weirdness, Trump was apparently traveling with his predecessor's wife, attending the opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral with Jill Biden. It was a rare moment of conciliation, one that would have given this country hope had it not immediately been undermined by the returning president releasing an actual cologne ad belittling and sexualizing said moment.
The caption there saying a fragrance your enemies can't resist. The men's cologne and women's perfume are both selling for one hundred ninety nine dollars. You.
You won. You won. You don't have to push merch anymore. I find it hard to believe I'm saying this, but it's beneath you. I mean, for God's sakes, you don't see Jolani out there pushing product.
I conquered Syria, and now you can conquer dry hair follicles with my new line of beard oil.
When we return, Ben Wickler will be joining us. Don't go away. Welcome back to The Daily Show. My guest tonight...
He is currently the head of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, running to be chair of the Democratic National Committee. Please welcome to the program Ben Wickler. Sir! All right. All right. All right. Thank you. Thank you for coming in.
From Wisconsin, the Democrats, and I'm getting it, you know, we take a little questions and things from the audience early on, and the biggest question that we get is, no follow-up, and then the tears. Sometimes vomiting. It appears the Democratic Party is slightly broken. You run the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which was broken before you took it over. There was a supermajority in Wisconsin.
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin was diabolically making changes to withstand power. Scott Walker was the governor. How did you turn that situation around?
So Republicans took over Wisconsin in 2010 and immediately smashed unions, suppressed voting rights, gerrymandered the living daylights out of legislative maps to make sure they'd never lose power, even if voters tried to throw them out. And for years, it looked as though Wisconsin was going to fall off the cliff, be a state where Republicans controlled everything, whether voters liked it or not.
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Chapter 5: What is Ben Wikler's vision for the DNC?
We're where we are because Republicans have paid attention to these down-ballot races that the rest of the country doesn't even notice that have enormous consequences later. Right now, Wisconsin has a state Supreme Court race in April, Susan Crawford versus Brad Schimel.
Most Americans have never heard of them.
But my point is, there are Susan Crawfords and Brad Schimels all over the country. Don't say that. Here's my point. The National Party, there is an infrastructure piece, which is to have a strategy in every state to prevent that state from being rigged and thrown out of whack. And that's part of what we need to do at the Democratic National Committee. That's why I'm running for DNC chair now.
Chapter 6: How does gerrymandering impact elections in Wisconsin?
And you're running to be the national DNC chair. Yes, I am. You are outside of the establishment. Look, one of the things that's been difficult for the Democrats over these past years is they have been a real status quo establishment party. They suppressed, I think, Bernie's role in the 2016 election. You know, they've put their thumb on the scales pretty clearly. You're an outsider.
Are they going to put their thumbs on the scale against you? I think Democrats across the country, members of the Democratic National Committee, there's a real sense of unity that we need to change and adapt and win elections. And the question is how we do that. And to me, it is these two things. One of them is,
organizing, building the kind of infrastructure and apparatus, supporting state parties across the country to have the kind of strength that has made such a difference in Wisconsin.
And the second piece is that we need to show people, working folks across the country, and this is across race and ethnicity, this is rural areas, small towns, city suburbs, that we are fighting for them and that we mean it, that we know this is not a game.
And that, to me, is the central thing, that we know Trump next year is going to try to pass a multi-trillion-dollar tax cut for the richest people in the world. And he'll do that by trying to cut health care. They're talking about cutting the Veterans Administration and veterans' benefits. That's stuff that the vast majority of Americans do not want.
And Democrats need to get caught trying to fight back against that and to create a country that works for working people. Right. If... But, see, that...
I think the difficulty is and it's the kind of rhetoric that I very much appreciate. I don't know that I felt like they've governed with that urgency that you're that you're speaking with, you know, and that's the part. How connected are the Democrats even here in the audience? You know, a lot of people talk about, well, geez, do you think there were structural issues? Is that why we lost?
It was pretty clear this was a whooping on narrative. that I let me let me personally disagree.
Yes, please. So this this election, this is the first election of my lifetime where we lost the majority of the voters who are making less than $50,000 a year. Right. And those voters have a lot going on in their lives. A lot of them are the people least likely to be watching political news, hearing really either side's message.
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Chapter 7: What changes are needed in the Democratic messaging?
Yeah. And I think a lot of people did not hear our message. Yes. And some people who heard it didn't believe it. And that is... Those are the two things. Let me ask you a question. Go to where voters are and show it and say it like we mean it.
You were saying people making less than $50,000 don't really connect with the news so they don't hear our message. But what they do feel is your governance. Yes. That's my point. Yeah. And I agree with that. I think part of it is Democrats are defending a status quo that people feel is not delivering on the discomfort they have in their real lives.
I think that during Trump's first administration, sometimes we'd say, this is not normal. And it wasn't normal. But it's also the case that what's normal is not necessarily okay. Boom. It is not okay. Boom. That people can't get an inhaler for their kid.
Amen. And we have to show that this pisses us off. Oh, my God, I'm getting excited. Yes. You actually have to make the change. Thank you. You actually have to fight and make change in people's lives. That is the point of this work.
All right. The only measure of work in politics, it's not actually winning elections. It's whether you deliver change in people's lives.
Yeah.
That is what winning looks like. That is the point of this work.
Actually, I was thinking, do you think we just didn't spend enough time with the Cheneys?
Is that the issue?
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Chapter 8: How can Democrats connect with working-class voters?
I was in Wisconsin. We had a visit from Liz Cheney. We did a little bit better in the suburbs around Milwaukee than we did in previous elections. And also, this is a country that is majority working class. Most people in the United States do not have a college degree. They work for a living. They don't live off returns on their investments.
And if we're not winning working class voters, again, across race and ethnicity, if we're not winning with those voters, we're going to lose. And we are the party that actually believes everyone should be able to join a union and fight for better working conditions and wages.
We're the party that thinks that no one should have to go to bed hungry because their parents didn't have enough money to put in a down payment for them. People shouldn't have to choose between rent and groceries. This is stuff that Democrats believe to their core. And we need to communicate it through our actions and our words and where it is that we show up. Yeah. So that we're listening. Yes.
And then we're speaking in language that actually resonates for people. That is the work of the Democratic Party.
It's like wrestling a bear. You're a giant man with a golden tongue. What do you think, ultimately, because I completely agree, one of the fundamental problems that the Democrats have had is they co-signed to this sort of what they call the neoliberalism, economic supply side, deregulation, NAFTA, all these other things, and they never clawed it back.
And what we keep hearing is, well, we just need to raise taxes on billionaires. But if you haven't convinced your voters that... The money that is raised will be spent wisely and with value. None of it's going to matter.
Look, the Democrats have a harder road to hoe because they're the party that believes government needs to be there and play a vital role in balancing out corporate interests and helping people's lives. It's not nihilistic like the other, which is like blow the whole thing up and reduce it to the size you could drown in a bathtub.
So is that a message of competence that people can wrap their heads around in the Democratic Party? You have to prove it out to be able to earn trust. Have they done that in Wisconsin? They've done that in Wisconsin.
Governor Evers ran on fix the damn roads, and then he fixed the damn roads. So in Wisconsin, can I tell you something? The Wisconsin people, if I may, I mean no disrespect, they sure like the spicy talk.
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