"You come away from Stewart and especially [Stephen] Colbert, and say, “Oh, they’re all a**holes”

Q: If the press were so influential, wouldn’t Paul Tsongas have been elected president in 1992?

A: The press is very different today. It’s a major contributing factor to pro-right-wing, anti-government feeling. Because even the liberal press is anti-government. Ever watched Jon Stewart say anything good about government?

Q: He’s part of the problem?

A: Him and others. The effect is to tell people it doesn’t make any difference who they vote for. I differentiate Bill Maher from Jon Stewart. Maher’s very funny, but also has good and bad guys on the show. You say, “Oh, I agree more with this side than that side.” You come away from Stewart and especially [Stephen] Colbert, and say, “Oh, they’re all assholes.”

Q: Is your media critique that different than it would’ve been a generation ago?

A: The most active people in society live in parallel media universes, which only reinforce what they believe. That’s one reason we don’t get compromise. Because when people who represent one faction try to compromise, they’re told by supporters, “Why are you doing this?” If the response is, “We didn’t have the votes,” you hear, “Of course you have the votes. Everybody I know is for it.”