The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Season 9 Episode 1 Ralph Nader

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart season 9 kicked off with an insightful episode featuring political activist Ralph Nader. Known for his consumer advocacy and political campaigns, Nader sat down with Stewart to discuss the upcoming presidential election and his own efforts as an independent candidate.

As always, Stewart opened the show with his signature comedic style, poking fun at the latest news and political gaffes. He even joked that he had been on hiatus for a few weeks in order to study up on the presidential candidates, but had only ended up learning more about his own shortcomings.

After the opening monologue, Stewart welcomed Nader to the stage. The conversation between the two was lively and engaging, with Nader covering a range of political issues, from healthcare to environmental policy to corporate greed.

One of the highlights of the episode was when Nader talked about his own run for president in 2000. He admitted that he had made some mistakes in his campaign, such as not reaching out to enough minority voters and not taking advantage of the internet as a fundraising tool. However, he also defended his decision to run as an independent candidate, saying that the two-party system was flawed and needed to be shaken up.

Throughout the interview, Stewart challenged Nader with some tough questions, such as whether his candidacy would ultimately benefit the Republican Party by drawing votes away from the Democratic nominee. Nader responded by saying that he believed in the power of third-party candidates to influence the political landscape, and that he was running to offer voters an alternative to the mainstream parties.

Aside from the Nader interview, the episode also included a satirical segment on the growing trend of billionaires funding their own political campaigns. Correspondent Samantha Bee joked that soon, only the extremely wealthy would be able to afford to run for office, and that the rest of us would be forced to give them our lunch money.

Finally, the episode ended with a musical number from folk singer Ani DiFranco. DiFranco sang a soulful rendition of her song "Swan Dive," which served as a fitting end to an episode filled with insightful political commentary and biting humor.

Overall, the season 9 premiere of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was a strong start to what would become another successful season. With its skilled mix of news satire and serious political discussion, the show continued to prove why it was one of the most important voices in American media.