5 times Indiana supplied material to 'The Daily Show'

This story originally published Feb. 11, 2015.

When a mild-mannered Midwestern state such as Indiana is showcased on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," it's typically not a compliment.

On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Jon Stewart announced he's leaving the fake-news program after 17 years as host. To show we can take a joke, a selection of Hoosier lowlights:

1. Mourdock's gaffe

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On the Oct. 25, 2012, episode of "The Daily Show," Stewart presented footage of U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock inadvertently crippling his political career.

During a televised debate, Evansville resident Mourdock said: "I believe that life begins at conception. The only exception I have, to have an abortion, is in that case of the life of the mother. I've struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize that life is that gift from God. And even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen."

(Mourdock would later say that he was not suggesting that God wants rape.)

Stewart told his viewers, "That brings us to the latest installment of our surprisingly recurring series, 'Republican candidate said what about rape now?' "

2. Rokita's reach

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On the Oct. 1, 2013, episode, Stewart called out Rep. Todd Rokita of Indianapolis for his claims about the threat of the Affordable Care Act in the context of a government shutdown.

"We just want to help the American people to get by and through what is one of the most insidious laws ever created by man, and that is Obamacare," Republican Rokita said in a video clip.

Stewart reasoned that Obamacare must be worse than this country's history of slavery and Jim Crow, as well as international outrages such as "the Nuremberg Laws, the Spanish Inquisition and prima nocta, the medieval law where on your wedding night the king gets to sleep with your wife."

3. Buchson's science

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On the Sept. 22, 2014 episode, Rep. Larry Bucshon of Newburgh became Stewart's target during a segment devoted to climate change.

A video clip showed Bucshon, a Republican who represents the southwestern part of Indiana, addressing John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

"It's not about affecting the global temperature and climate change," Bucshon said. "There's public comments out there that that question has been asked and answered, saying no."

Holdren replied, "You should look at the scientific literature rather than the public comments."

Stewart added, "With all due respect, Rep. Bucshon, I suggest you get the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology as opposed to the YouTube comment feed of ObummerLies1776."

Back to Bucshon, who said, "Of all the climatologists whose career depends on the climate changing to keep publishing articles, yes, I could read that. But I don't believe it."

4. Labor pains

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On the Dec. 11, 2012, episode, Stewart and correspondents Jason Jones and Aasif Mandvi tackled the topic of "right to work" legislation, which prohibits unions from mandating that nonmembers pay fees to the unions for representing them.

With Indiana and Michigan becoming the 23rd and 24th states to adopt "right to work," Stewart wondered about competitive advantages to "doing something that almost half the other states have already done."

The segment devolved into a Michigan vs. Indiana roast, with Mandvi representing Michigan and Jones for Indiana.

"Indiana is a great place to send jobs," Mandvi said. "It's got the weather of North Dakota and the racial harmony of Mississippi."

Jones offered two satiric initiatives to give Indiana a pro-business edge:

1. The Workplace Safety Act. "Any business that relocates here gets to dump whatever they want wherever they want for free," Jones said.

2. The Pension Acceleration Act. Stewart correctly guessed that this involved killing workers when they reach retirement age.

5. Stormy weather

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On the May 8, 2006, episode, Stewart introduced a bit about Terre Haute TV station WTWO-2 by mocking attributes of on-air weather forecasters.

"What do you really need? You need to be able to point to things and wear pants," he said.

In a promotional ad, WTWO touts that its weather team has more than 45 years of combined experience, "15 years more than WTHI."

Stewart then interjected, "What? You mean WTHI only has 30 years of weather experience?"

Call Star reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.