The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Season 10 Episode 85 Matt Taibbi

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart season 10 episode 85 features journalist Matt Taibbi as the guest, where he talks about his book "Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America." Taibbi explains how he sees Wall Street as a giant casino where the wealthiest Americans are playing games with the lives of the middle and lower classes.

Stewart opens the show with a segment titled "The Road to War," in which he highlights a poll that shows a majority of Americans believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the US invaded in 2003. He uses this as a launchpad to criticize the media and government for spreading false information to justify the war.

The show then transitions into an interview with Taibbi, where he explains the concept of "grifting" and how it affects the American economy. He talks about the similarities between the housing market bubble and the dot-com bubble, both of which were fueled by speculation and greed. Taibbi argues that the government and the financial industry have created a system in which they are allowed to take enormous risks with other people's money, and when those risks blow up, the taxpayers are left holding the bag.

Taibbi's book focuses on how Wall Street firms have worked to manipulate markets in their favor. These firms use complex financial instruments like derivatives to create bubbles in different markets, and then bet against those bubbles and profit when they burst. Taibbi characterizes these firms as "vampire squids" that suck the life out of the economy.

Throughout the interview, Stewart and Taibbi trade witty remarks and jokes, but the underlying message is a serious one. Taibbi is passionate about exposing the failings of the American economy and how the system is rigged in favor of the wealthy. He stresses the importance of accountability for those who caused the financial crisis and a need for fundamental changes to the financial system.

The show ends with a "Moment of Zen," a clip of a reporter showing off a new Lexus that can detect a pedestrian and brake automatically. Stewart quips that the car should also be able to recognize greedy bankers and stop before hitting them.

Overall, this episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a thought-provoking analysis of the financial industry and its impact on the American economy. Taibbi's book is a scathing critique of the status quo, and his interview with Stewart delves deep into the problems with the system and how they can be addressed. The show is humorous at times but never loses sight of its serious message.