'Jon Stewart, Look at Me!' ... Pathetic Tucker Carlson's Cry for Attention

Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly at 11:04 AM on March 15, 2009.

I can understand why conservative media figure Tucker Carlson harbors some ill will towards Jon Stewart. There was that October 2004 episode of "Crossfire" -- on which Stewart called Carlson a "dick" -- which helped lead CNN to cancel the show.

But Carlson's new criticism of Stewart may be more than just evidence of a grudge.

Carlson, reached Friday, described Stewart as "a partisan demagogue."

"Jim Cramer may be sweaty and pathetic -- he certainly was last night -- but he's not responsible for the current recession," Carlson told POLITICO. "His real sin was attacking Obama's economic policies. If he hadn't done that, Stewart never would have gone after him. Stewart's doing Obama's bidding. It's that simple."

First, for anyone who watches the show, this is a baseless observation. Just over the last week or two, Stewart has mocked and/or criticized Obama repeatedly, on everything from his reception towards British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to his heavy-handed media operation to his Iraq policy sounding too reminiscent of his predecessor's. "Partisans" who do the president's "bidding" don't make these kinds of criticisms.

Second, my hunch is that Carlson knows this, but is taking cheap shots in the hopes that Jon Stewart will respond on the air. Indeed, Carlson may have noticed the attention showered on Jim Cramer lately, and come to the conclusion that "feuding" with Stewart is a great way to get on the air.

It's kind of sad, really.

Tagged as: daily show, jon stewart, tucker carlson, crossfire

Steve Benen is "blogger in chief" of the popular Washington Monthly online blog, Political Animal. His background includes publishing The Carpetbagger Report, and writing for a variety of publications, including Talking Points Memo, The American Prospect, the Huffington Post, and The Guardian. He has also appeared on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show," Air America Radio's "Sam Seder Show," and XM Radio's "POTUS '08."