| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bill Clinton Pt.1 | ||||
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Watching some old clips of The Daily Show, I stumbled upon this little gem of the first time former President Bill Clinton went on the show. The segment is dated August 9, 2004, which puts it right in the middle of the 2004 Presidential campaign between George W. Bush and John Kerry. Jon Stewart asks this interesting question: "Why is that a campaign commercial doesn't have to be as truthful as, let's say, a toothpaste commercial?" It's a good question, and Mr. Clinton offers a thorough answer saying, in essence, that the media does fact-check these ads, and is getting better at doing it. But the issue seems to be why are these ads even on the air? We have rules against companies falsely advertising goods and services on TV, on the radio, or any other media format so as not to intentionally lead the public into believing something that is demonstrably false, and this does not seem an issue with many "constitutionalists" as a violation of the First Amendment. But, why do we allow campaign ads such a luxury when, theoretically, they have the potential to be far more damaging to the country as a whole? Shouldn't someone propose a stop to this?
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