Jon Stewart Blasts the GOP For Being ‘The Party of Symbolism,’ Failing to Help First Responders: ‘It’s Paper Patriotism’
Jon Stewart and activist John Feal, who was injured during the September 11 attacks, were on Peacock’s The Mehdi Hasan Show Tuesday night to discuss their ongoing fight to ensure veterans and 9/11 first responders are granted the benefits they deserve.
The two are currently in discussion with Congress to secure health benefits for veterans who have been exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan — and are certainly fed up with how the Republican Party is treating the issue.
“I’ve been at this for 16 years. I’ve had over 1,800 meetings, over 300 trips to D.C., I know every square inch of Capitol Hill. I know when they’re going to the bathroom, when they’re gonna have lunch,” Feal told Mehdi Hasan. “I get in their heads and make their lives miserable. We’re talking about men and women who did extraordinary things to keep us safe 24/7.”
Feal also complained about the shallow “thank yous” to our veterans and troops, noting that they actually have very little support from the U.S. government.
“Thank you, to me, just doesn’t cut it anymore,” Feal added. “We overuse it without getting involved. But to really say thank you is to get involved and to get off our butts. Because we’re getting lazy and people are suffering and we need everybody now, more than ever, for this piece of legislation to step forward and help us.”
Hasan later addressed the fact that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) voted against the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund bill due to its cost.
“I think one of the issues that occurs with the Republican Party, unfortunately, is nothing is real until it happens to them,” Stewart answered. “It’s an inability to empathize or to understand that other people may be suffering issues that you don’t suffer.”
“Certainly, Mike Lee was one of the more difficult senators John and I had to deal with down there—along with Mitch McConnell, and, quite frankly, much of the Republican leadership,” Stewart added.
Hasan then questioned how the Republican Party has become the military party and party for first responders if they’re the ones working against benefits for veterans.
“They’re the party of symbolism. It’s paper patriotism. It’s the party that, if Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, they’ll never watch another football game again,” the comedian added. “They stand for the anthem, but when it comes down — everybody supports the troops until the troops need support, and then they disappear. And it’s too much money. We can no longer always have money for war and then not have enough money for the warfighter.”
Watch above, via YouTube.
