Jon Stewart Pokes Fun At Rand Paul's Campaign

In case you missed it, which would be surprising all things considered, Rand Paul has formally announced his 2016 presidential campaign. Paul teased the announcement this past Sunday via a video entitled "A Different Kind of Republican Leader," and then he also updated his website's "About" section on the sly to let the country know his intentions. Finally, Paul set up a star-studded rally as the piece de resistance in Louisville, Kentucky. It was, well, lengthy. So, of course, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart lampooned Rand Paul's drawn out message. Stewart had basically made a cameo appearance in the aforementioned teaser video because Paul's video featured quite a bit of Daily Show footage, but Stewart truly helped make Paul's campaign announcement even better afterward, via a hilarious Daily Show segment.

It all started with former Oklahoma Rep. J.C Watts' vocal, comically misspoken support of Paul. Kicking off the rally, Watts said, "This is the start of a cause: the cause to elect Rand Paul as the next United States of America." With that slight typo in speech, Stewart gave Paul a whole lot of credit for wanting to literally embody the country he's looking to preside over, calling the move simply "unconventional."

A lengthy montage of guests ensued during the video, which was shown at Paul's Kentucky rally, and the guests ranged from a University of Kentucky student to local politician Ralph Alvarado. The Daily Show thankfully compressed the footage of guests, which was followed by the phenomenal singing of the national anthem by insanely under-the-radar Kentucky celebrity Marlana VanHoose, an 18-year-old powerhouse of a musician who Stewart simply can't help but praise. This is when things pick up, just after Stewart praises VanHoose's pipes. He comes up with a genius idea for Paul just in case the Senator doesn't get the Republican nomination:

That girl was amazing. I've gotta say, if this president thing doesn't work out, Rand Paul has a future producing the Oscars. I mean, talk about putting on a show. On top of all those special guests, this guy came armed with four – yes, four – separate video packages. There was one on internet privacy, there was one on urban poverty; 30 minutes into the show, I had said more at this event than the guy who was there to announce his candidacy for president.

The funny thing is, Stewart didn't even attend the event itself and yet, as part of one of the four video packages Paul screened at the rally, footage from The Daily Show somehow found itself scattered throughout Paul's big announcement bash. Stewart comments that he's done more speaking at the rally then Paul at that point. After yet another video package on Paul's courtship with his wife, Kelley, in which she says she thought Paul was 18 years old when they met and not his actual age of 26 (which Stewart dubs their "Harry Met Sally" moment), Paul finally decides to show up at his own rally.

On The Daily Show segment about the announcement, footage rolls of Paul taking the stage, and before he can even finish his lengthy proclamation that he'll be taking the country back with "a message of liberty, justice, and personal responsibility," the footage stops and cuts back to the set of The Daily Show, where Stewart has the last word. He cuts the footage of the rally and says that they're simply out of time.

Images: Comedy Central (2)