“Rumble In The Air Conditioned Auditorium”

It’s debate season in America, and no matter how hard you try, there is no escaping the endless bombardment of pundant-slamming, lie spewing, 24-hour-a-day news about who said what. But on Oct. 6 George Washington University gave America a break from that by hosting The Rumble In The Air Conditioned Auditorium.

Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, and Bill O’Reilly, host of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor squared off in front of a crowd of 1,500 in a debate moderated by CNN’s, E.D. Hill.

After the introductions and a quick run-through of the rules, it was on to opening statements where O’Reilly proceeded to give a history lesson that explained, in his opinion, why America is in its current economic situation.

In response, Stewart seized the opportunity to explain, what he thinks, is wrong with the Republican party, which resides on what he calls “Bullshit Mountain.”

“What is wrong with this country is not that we face problems we have not faced before,” Stewart said to a rumble of applause. “We face a deficiency in our problem solving mechanism...[and] a good portion of this country has created an alternate universe.”

It was clear that the night would follow this cadence, and neither Stewart nor O’Reilly had any intention of changing course.

The economy remained the topic through a few back-and-forth rounds, then Stewart said, “We face a debt crisis that we have never faced before. We are merely weeks from being a failed state or even worse, Greece. And the way to solve it is to kill Big Bird.” This was a jab aimed at Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.

But through the humor, both participants were able to articulate valid points about the problems we face in this country. And each of them was able to offer viable solutions to those problems, something neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney was able to accomplish just days earlier during their debate.

After the preliminary questions, Hill introduced the lightning round in which both participants were given one minute to answer a vast array of questions about foreign policy, during which O’Reilly shocked the audience, as well as Stewart, when he said, “We should not have gone to Iraq.” This caused Stewart to cough in shock and cry, “Someone better live tweet that mother.”

The second half of the rumble was much lighter and included questions about, changing the Electoral College to a popular vote, and the debators were asked, “If the United States was burning, which celebrity would you save?” O’Reilly answered, “Oprah. She’s worth about 100 billion.”

In closing, O’Reilly and Stewart praised the young people of the nation for their passion, tenacity, and integrity. And while O’Reilly left the stage with positive messages for the viewers by saying, “Everybody has a talent, find what your good at, and make money doing it,” Stewart went for humor by closing with, “Please don’t think of me as an entitlement moocher when I’m collecting my government benefits.”

The Rumble in the Air
Conditioined Auditorium
$4.95
www.therumble2012.com
Half the proceeds go to charity