Dr. Peter Morici: Stewart vs. Cramer
Mar 16th, 2009 | By Finfacts Ireland Business & Finance Portal | Category: News worldwide
The Live Feed says until Jon Stewart targeted CNBC's tribe of glib business news personalities, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" didn't seem to know quite what to do with itself in the Barack Obama era. The show's attempts to mock the president's first 100 days seemed half-hearted. Going after the Great Democratic Hope right out of the gate didn't much appeal to "The Daily Show" audience. And with our nation's economy imploding, attacking Obama felt like mocking a doctor working in a battlefield trauma ward. Then Stewart had his magnificent eight-minute-plus rant against CNBC last week. You could feel his anger. The segment was hilarious. More than that, it was cathartic. Viewers loved it. Comedy Central's online division had its best week ever, with the anti-CNBC clip getting 1.3 million views. CNBC's "Mad Money" showman Jim Cramer took the bait and returned fire, and the story went supernova -- Stewart vs. Cramer! Suddenly, "The Daily Show" had its new George W. Bush, with each new volley becoming an online sensation as Stewart devastatingly skewered the news network for its every boneheaded Wall Street forecast.