'Daily Show' writers discuss book

Three writers for Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" spoke at the Princeton U-Store Friday to promote their new book, "America (The Book)."

Speaking to a packed audience, Chris Regan, Rob Kutner '94 and Jason Reisch discussed the political legacy left by America's founders and the experience of working as satirical commentators on current events.

Following "The Daily Show's format as a mock news show, "America (The Book)" is a mock textbook explaining America's history and government structure.

The book uses such devices as cutout dolls, fake campaign ads and suggested classroom activities to discuss subjects ranging from "Congress: Quagmire of Freedom" to "The Future of Democracy: Four Score and Seven Years From Now."

Although "The Daily Show" relies heavily on political humor, the writers denied any partisan leanings in the show's content.

"It's important to comment on what's going on, but also keep a distance from it," said Regan. "If you have an agenda or some sort of mission, you may find yourself going on your voyage and find you've left your comedy in the other bag."

That said, "the role of political comedy is to go after those in power and it's pretty clear which party is increasingly in power," said Kutner.

"We're actually going to cool down the political jokes for a while, because we're all so tired of it," he added.

The writers also denied any government backlash against their on-air jabs, although they joked "we're having our tax-exempt status reevaluated."

Reading aloud from the book's foreword, supposedly penned by Thomas Jefferson, Kutner advised a similarly objective approach to history. He exhorted the audience not to "worship at the altar of the Fathers," but rather to accept the Founders' fallibility while still admiring and building on their achievements.

"We expect our descendants to work as hard as we did on keeping what we think is a profoundly excellent form of government supple, evolving and relevant," Kutner said, still in the role of Jefferson.

Later, speaking as himself, Kutner said history is important because it allows us to "go back . . . and find valid points or ideas," and it allows people to see current events in a broader context. "The Daily Show," he said, serves a similar, if lighthearted, function.

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Reisch agreed, saying, "Rather than people getting their news from "The Daily Show," I think we help them appreciate their news in a new way."

"America (The Book)" reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list its first week of publication and has continued to top the charts since. The 228-page textbook sells at the U-Store for $24.95.