“The Daily Show” is back! After a two-week break, Jon Stewart and the gang were at it again, and there was a lot to talk about. For instance, the Republican party appears to be facing an identity crisis.
On Tuesday night's show, Stewart dove into the segment by pointing out that within the GOP there is a lot of soul searching. “And we’ll let you know if they find one!” he said.
There’s a new 100-page Republican National Committee report that examines the Republican party’s policies and strategies. And what’s it called? Republican officials are calling it an “autopsy.” Yes, the very same term used to refer to a post-mortem examination of how and why a person has died.
“So, we know the time of death,” said Stewart, with a November 2012 calendar on the top-left corner of the screen, with the date of Nov. 6 — Election Day — circled in red.
So what was the cause of death? Well, according to RNC Chairman Reince Priebus: “The way we’re communicating our principles isn’t resonating widely enough. It goes back to what our moms used to tell us: ‘It’s not just what you say, it’s how we say it.’”
“For instance,” Stewart said, imitating Priebus’ delivery, “the way I say it is like a drunk Muppet.” Slurring his words, Stewart went on: “Remember when you tell a gay person that their love is too unnatural for society to recognize — smile.”
A big problem for Republicans in 2012, said Stewart, was connecting to young people and minorities. So how is the GOP planning to fix that? Priebus offers a “new approach” that will, among other things, involve a “pilot program in targeted urban markets to test and refine these engagement efforts.”
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Stewart’s reply was, “Holy sh**!” He then went on to summarize the new GOP approach: After pretending minorities don’t exist proved to be a losing strategy in 2012, the Republican party has decided to go into minority areas and engage the people.
Priebus gave some specifics: the RNC will spend about $10 million this year to hire hundreds of people to go into black, Asian and Hispanic communities “talking about our party.”
“Hey,” said Stewart, “it worked for Kool cigarettes,” so it’s bound to work for “another organization that has seemed indifferent to the overall health of minorities.”
Check out the clip below, courtesy of Comedy Central: