The New York Magazine wonders how Jon Stewart and the Daily Show will stay relevant during the Obama administration.
No question that much of the appeal of the show is the outrage and sarcasm towards the Bush administration's absurdities. But the greatest strength of the show, I think, is not political sarcasm, but making fun of the press' political coverage. And in that regard there will be plenty of material.
Fox News and other right-wing outlets will no doubt display a lot of fake outrage. I expect we will see a lot of comparisons about what they said under Bush ("how dare you criticize the president in a time of war!") and what they will say now. The Daily show mastered the art of funnily pointing out hypocrisy, double standards and silliness in the media.
And silly the media will be. You can bet that they will be made fun of any time they talk about Obama too adoringly or too negatively. Particularly when we see the pieces comparing the way they talk about the new president with the portrayal of George W. Bush.
If history is any guide, Stewart won't let his sympathy of the president-elect's policies be in the way of a good joke when he sees one. By the time of the election John McCain was the most frequent guest in the Daily Show (and the host was clearly fond of him) but that did prevent McCain from being poked fun at. Stewart is a professional comedian to whom comedy comes before politics, as he made clear in his 2006 Rolling Stone interview.
But most importantly, don't underestimate Barack Obama's ability to provide his fair share of ready-made jokes. He is a politician after all.
