Jon Stewart Endorses Neil deGrasse Tyson for President

By Lynn Freehill in Blog, Special on February 28, 2012 at 9:50 am | 5 Comments

Walt Disney? Candidate for president? Astroevangelist Neil deGrasse Tyson (The Alcalde’s, ahem, March|April cover model) was called all of that and more on Monday night.

Tyson, MA ’83, the director of New York’s Hayden Planetarium and an all-around cheerleader for science, appeared on the Daily Show With Jon Stewart to promote his new book, Space Chronicles: Facing the Final Frontier. In it, he explains how fear of the Soviets contributed to the U.S. space program’s growth in the 1950s, thereby prompting economic growth.

“All of this was focused on enabling people to make tomorrow come. That was a cultural mindset that the space program brought upon us,” Tyson told Stewart. “And we reaped the benefits of economic growth because you had people who wanted to become scientists and engineers, who are the people who enable tomorrow to exist today.”

“Can I say something? You’re Walt f—ing Disney. Listen to you! I’m going to the moon—I’m inspired!” Stewart exclaimed. Then, pointing and jabbing at Tyson, he added, “You are inspiring me!”

By the end, he threw his hands in the air and shouted “Neil deGrasse Tyson 2012!” Watch the funny clip, and look for Tyson’s face in your mailbox within days.

Tags: daily show, Hayden Planetarium, Jon Stewart, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Space Chronicles, Tyson on Daily Show