You're not the only one who wants Jon Stewart to moderate a presidential debate

A Change.org petition to have former Daily Show host Jon Stewart moderate one of three general election presidential debates is picking up steam — and fast. As of this writing, it has racked up more than 153,000 signatures on the way to a goal of 200,000, nearly doubling its count since yesterday afternoon and adding 1,000 signatures in the last 20 minutes alone.

The petition authors make the case that Stewart is "more than qualified to tackle the moderating job" thanks to his years of experience interviewing heads of state, members of Congress, and other dignitaries. Stewart's award-winning election coverage and high degree of trust among young people are also cited.

"I know this petition can make a difference," the description concludes, because "in 2012, three concerned high school students started a petition on Change.org asking the Commission on Presidential Debates to select a female moderator for a presidential debate. It garnered over 180,000 signatures, and won!" And after all, if we have a reality show character as a candidate, we might as well have a fake news anchor as a debate host.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up