Sean Hannity Is To ‘Arby’s’ What Jon Stewart is to ‘Subway’? You Decide
Sean Hannity is no stranger to controversy. Indeed, he thrives on it, as any good TV talk show host should.
Television in America today is all about ratings, so the current interest in Hannity’s relationship with Jon Stewart can only be good news for both of them.
Hannity, 52, accused Stewart, 51, of being obsessed with his show on Fox News – an accusation which Stewart does not deny. Stewart defends his interest by claiming that Hannity’s program – and maybe, by inference, Hannity himself – is “backward,”
Stewart admits to being fascinated by the idea that “our society is still weighed down by these burdens of a seemingly more medieval time.” He was talking about things like disease and terrible food.
Referring to Hannity, Stewart said, “My God – You’re the Arby’s of news.”
Until now, there is no record of how America’s second largest quick-service sandwich chain feels about being used as a term of derogation.
Stewart’s latest battle with“The Daily Show” host Hannity, is over the story of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, and his fight with federal authorities aver what he alleges is their intrusion on his land. The rancher says he’s “ready to do what we have to do” to defend his land and cattle against the state.
Hannity, commenting on Stewart’s criticism of him, said on his show that he couldn’t take “a comedic hack and his army of writers … too seriously.”
Stewart’s response was a little over-the-top, even by his standards, as he waved his hands in the air repeating over again “OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod!”
He continued, “Sean Hannity knows my name! … I’ll be honest with you. The hack thing hurts a little. But the wound is healed by the ointment of your attention.”
Hannity said he believes in a proportionate government response to the actions of Cliven Bundy. However, even he began to question his defense of Bundy, following Bundy’s reported remarks about slavery. He made his feelings clear on his radio show on Thursday.
Hannity said he’s incredibly “pissed off” about the whole thing, “His comments are beyond repugnant to me. They are beyond despicable to me. They are beyond ignorant to me.”
On the other hand, Hannity also criticized Democrats for racially insensitive remarks made on the left that he claimed were never condemned or rebuked.
Hannity said, “Every conservative that I know does not support racism, period!” However, liberals “get a pass” for this sort of thing. Hannity concluded, that, unlike hypocrites on the left, “I find it repugnant no matter who it comes from.”
Of course, this issue will blow over in time – and then Sean Hannity and Jon Stewart will have to search for another ratings-boosting subject to spar over.
