Colbert is a flipping genius and no one's "Monkey".

[mikelewis]

It took me a few times of watching Stephen Colbert's performance at the Yearly Press Presidential Love-Fest before I finally understood what I was watching. The first time I watched it, I was severely un-impressed. It wasn't extremely funny. Save for a few well-aimed zingers, the performance did not appear to be comedy genius.

I watched his speech last night on the net and then caught it again today on C-Span. I managed to watch most of the program this time however as the net only had Stephen's performance (or at least, that's all I cared about seeing.) As I sat and watched our beloved Press Corp lavish praise on themselves for doing a "heckuva" job and Bush's "charming dummy" impersonation, I found myself looking forward to Stephen's performance; not because I knew he was going to make me laugh but because I knew he wasn't going to be their "Monkey".

Stephen didn't go up there to make people laugh, he went up there and showed them EXACTLY how some people see Them. He went up as a sycophantic Republican Bush boot-licker and rubbed shit right in everyone of their faces. And as I sat looking forward to his speech, I remembered Jon Stewart on Crossfire and that's pretty much when I understood the brilliance of Stephen Colbert. When Jon was on Crossfire, he took the opportunity to hold an open forum on how our shitty, shitty press is "hurting America". Jon sat down and side-swiped two terrible TV government salesmen and left them flabbergasted and stammering. Ironically, they were canceled shortly thereafter, go figure, hopefully Stephen will be as influential.

When Stephen began to speak, all these thoughts were sort of swirling around in my head and I figured out what I was about to watch. As his masterful performance unfolded, I realized he was not only raising up every sleazy, scandalous issue he could dredge up from the memory hole, he was also intentionally insulting every "important person" in the room. All of them except Helen Thomas. For her, he saved a special honor, he showed everyone in the room how tenacious and true Helen has been not only to her profession but to her country. The image of little ol' Helen Thomas chasing the Administration around all by her lonesome may have went right over the heads of those "journalists" in the room but I got it and thought is just as fitting a tribute as a room full of roses. From Jeff Gannon to Dick Cheney to Scalia to General Pace to Rumsfeld to the entire Press Corp, he showed them their own hypocrisy. Not understanding, they all sat with fake smiles and polite laughs while he skewered every one of them. But of course, he saved the most lavish disdain for Bush. As the speech dragged knives through the room, everyone of them was aimed at Bush, like daggers to the heart. As the camera would dare, from time to time, to catch a brief glimpse of our "decider" in Chief, you could see that he was most certainly not amused. In fact, he looked a bit insulted. After Bush's wonderful "see-I'm-charming-idiot" routine where he tried to show the world what a "nice" dictator he can be, Colbert burst his imaginary balloon and then kicked shit in his face.

When the lights came back on and the room sat in "shock and awe" at the humiliation they were forced to endure with fake smiles still plastered on their faces, I cheered. I thought to myself, "Holy shit." A more remarkable show of bravery and contempt I have never seen. When Jon knocked the legs out from under Crossfire, I thought it'd be a long time before I saw a show it's equal. Stephen wasn't their "Monkey" either and he showed them up by turning a mirror on many of the lies we've all had to live with. He showed them how disgusting fawning for favor or cowering in fear really is. He showed them how we see them and now they understand why we don't like them.

Few events like this have happened in these last five years. In the end, his performance was all "Sound and fury, Signifying nothing", yet watching the bravery of one who stood so close to a pack of demons and had the courage to honor an Angel seems a sight I probably won't see again for some time. I would like to thank Stephen for having the guts to pull off this stunt. He said everything I've always wanted to say to these asses and he did it in a way I never could, even if I had the guts to try. Good Job Stephen Colbert, you rat-bastard Republican media whore, and thanks for the laughs.

[kaygore]

1. So well said

You should recopy this in http://thankyoustephencolbert.org .

[KAT119]

39. Helen's [e-mail] an angel/hero for sure!!

[eleny]

2. the room sat in "shock and awe"

I especially like this reference. Well done all around! K&R

[GregD]

3. I agree - very well said Mike.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

4. K & R. Hear hear. nt.

[Erika]

5. Yep. He held the mirror up to the American public

And the souls of the GOP.

[johnaries]

6. "Helen, see what you started?"

So, what do you think future press conferences will be like? Do you think the WH Press Corps will actually do their job, or just run it through the spell-check? Or, will the WH just stop daily briefings like Cat Woman suggests?

This should be a very interesting week ....

[mikelewis]

8. That's the "Sound and Fury" part...

the truth about who they are won't change their tactics. They all sit around pretending we're talking about someone else. They can't see that for the majority of "journalists", they are Jeff Gannon by day and James Guckert by night. They don't stop whoring for money after thier shift ends, either.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

34. Fred Garvin...

Jeff Gannon by day.
James Guckert by night.
Fred Garvin by reputation.

[Tuesday_Morning]

7. Amen, MikeLewis

That's it.

[autorank]

9. He spoke the truth to these idiots for tens of millions in the USA and

billions around the world They live in a hot house of self gratification and mutual reinforcement. They have no shame but they are smart enough to know when they are begin screwed. Hence, the total
lockdown on any comment so to speak.

Too bad. Words have power. Here are some. Highly recommended OP.

The power of WORDS and IDEAS:

he's steady. You know where he stands. He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man’s beliefs never will.

or this

But, listen, let's review the rules. Here's how it works. The president makes decisions, he’s the decider. The press secretary announces those decisions, and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Put them through a spell check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you got kicking around in your head. You know the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration. You know fiction.

or this

This ships not sinking.

This administration is soaring. If anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on The Hindenburg...

or this

I've got a theory about how to handle these retired generals causing all this trouble, don't let them retire. C'mon, we've got a stop loss program; let's use it on these guys. If you're strong enough to go on one of those pundit shows, you can stand on a bank of computers and order men into battle.

or this

Now, I know there are some polls out there saying this man has a 32% approval rating. But guys like us; we don't pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in "reality." And reality has a well-known liberal bias.

or this

But the rest of you, what are you thinking, reporting on N.S.A. Wiretapping or secret prisons in Eastern Europe? Those things are secret for a very important reason, they’re super depressing.

And if that's your goal, well, misery accomplished.

or this

I have nothing but contempt for these people. I know how to handle these clowns.

[Uncle Joe]

19. Do we have a transcript of this somewhere?

I would like to read it.

[American Tragedy]

10. I just felt so proud to see somebody NOT playing the court jester

especially after watching them smugly pat themselves on the back shortly before Colbert took the podium.

I remember thinking and saying during the months leading to the invasion of Iraq that the press has crossed the point where neutrality turns into complicity. They permanently obliterated my respect for the profession of 'journalism', with very few obvious exceptions. What scum.

Anyway, I'm not surprised at all that they have refused to acknowledge the performance in the past twenty-four hours.

[fearthem]

37. Watch Keith Olbermann tonight as he's covering it!!

[FULL_METAL_HAT]

11. Yes Colbert is a Genius and a Patriot!

Quite simply I see what he did STRATEGICALLY (stratergically?) was two fold, both aimed at the press, with the politicos really a secondary thing:

1) he called out the press for letting all this happen

and

2) by saying everything he said while the politicos were RIGHT THERE, he showed the press what REAL BALLS actually are

It wasn't anti-bush, per se. Really it was all aimed at the fourth estate which really is populated by rich white lazy CRAVEN idiots chosen to be exactly that...

You can see that Jon Stewart and Colbert really considered all their options and decided the country's well being is worth going all the way as this is the best shot at stirring the press' pot, giving them a reminder of what they're supposed to be doing.

As a side benefit it has electrified the blogosphere (I consider the 'blogo-sphere' to be almost completely the so called "left" where community and commentary are welcome, and for the, ahem, "right" I reserve the term 'blogo-plane', since those folks are so two-dimensional they're like a bad made-for-tv movie's characters!) AND put all the politicos ON NOTICE while giving them a small taste of the shits they're constantly scared will finally catch up with them!

Great post Mike!

{B^> FMH

[madmark]

41. agreed, this was a bullseye strike on the press. that's what the

whole colbert character is all about. when you have a shit press you get things like rampant fiscal irresponsibility and wars based on false pretenses and colbert could not have put out it out there any clearer.

[newsguyatl]

12. great post

agree very much with what you say

[Old and In the Way]

13. It was "ha-ha" funny, in the least. It was honest.

He dropped a big smelly turd in the Washington media kool-aid bowl. I smiled a couple of times during his performance, but I was more amazed that he was so brazen about his points (so many of them, too). I was 1/2 expecting to see security come out and drag him off. This wasn't about comedy, it was about truth telling.

Sadly, you have to be a comedian to tell the truth, otherwise you get no media oxygen.

[MeDeMax]

14. great post, download his cbs-60 min interview here

http://www.thepoliticalpitbull.com/videos/colbert60min....

http://www.thepoliticalpitbull.com/2006/04/60_minutes_p...

[mikelewis]

15. Call me a nut...

but doesn't it seem rather convenient that 60 minutes would run a special describing "Why Colbert's funny and that he's a super great guy" the day after his Roast of the pResident and his lap dogs? I'm beginning to think this may be a well planned out "Hit". Naaahhh, sorry, I left my tin foil hat on the space ship. Nevermind my ravings.

Thanks for posting that. I missed it and was hoping someone would post snippets. Watching the whole interview was a very cool bonus. Thanks very much for posting that.

[redacted]

29. I think CBS and Comedy Central are both owned by Viacomm.

no?

[SoCalDem]

16. He "Jon Stewarted" them.. It must be done live and there are damned few

opportunities. Jon Stewart dropped the big bomb on live tv with Crosssssssfire when they had obviously invited him to be the comedian and give everyone a few yuks.

The media is SO horrible, that intelligent people are LIVID at their antics, and every time they are given a chance on live tv, you will see them reaching down deep and letting it all pour out

Most venues are either so tightly controlled or are taped, so the few live shows are the only hope we have. They may censor the replays, but for that shining moment when iit's live...the "truthiness" escapes..

It's almost a guerrilla operation. People must probably pretend to offer one thing, and then when the cameras are rolling, they go to the real material. You could tell there was some uneasiness at first, and a few titters, but it turned into full blown panic as he went on.

It wouldn't surprise me if he had handed them a totally different outline of his "comments"..

loved it.

[Greyskye]

17. Well spoke! K&R!

I've only watched the Colbert segment and the Bush/Bush "I'm a stupid pResident" skit; so thanks for your thoughts on the rest of the program and its relevance.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

18. Bingo! You got it....

In the metaphysical world, there is the theory that when a person dies, they go to the place with the white light and experience a "life review" -- a reliving of every event in their life.

That is what Colbert gave them last night -- a life review -- a greatest hits, if you will, of every obscene thing they have done the past five years.

And it was a thing of beauty.

[Protagoras]

20. K/R

best analysis of what happened that I've read here.

[Chimichurri]

21. As Colbert said on 60 minutes

"...blind acceptance of authority, is not easy for me."
Indeed, Sir. Indeed!


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/27/60minutes/mai...

[ShortnFiery]

40. Thanks, that's an interesting interview ...

CBS did A OK on that one .

[Lisa]

22. excellent points, mikelewis ...

Something I just realized, thanks to you ... Steve Bridges, that Bush impersonator who appeared earlier, does not come cheap. Normally he charges thousands of dollars per show, when he does corporate gigs (a lot more than Bush's daily salary!) He probably did this as a favor to George W., since he's a born-again Republican who supported him in 2004 and even got to have a private meeting with him ... and not just because Bush being in office is good for his business. Bridges bills himself as a "clean comedian" who plays up the folksy side of the character and makes Bush look like a mostly-decent dimwit.

So Bush and his staff pulled out all the stops to come up with a cutesy comedy routine that would go over better than that horrifying "looking for WMDs" video (even they must have realized that the nasty side of Bush is quite evident when he's left to his own devices). And then Colbert comes along and takes everything to its logical conclusion, showing people what really does happen when this bunch is put in charge.

[ramapo]

23. What struck me....

I watched the whole CSPAN rebroadcast. I was appalled at the self-congratulatory, smug tone exhibited by the speakers and the videos as well as the ass kissing demeanor towards the little Emperor.

Colbert had so many great lines and there was nothing sacred or untouchable to him. It gave it to Bush and his minion as well as the press corp. The bit with Helen Thomas was hilarious and a wonderful tribute to this one woman who is one of the few (the only) member of the White House Press Corp with any guts.

Colbert should get a medal for bravery by going into the lions den and slaying the lion.

[katty]

24. Indeed! Stephen was pure Shock & AweSome

[graywarrior]

25. Incredible piece of writing loaded with truth.

Thanks for posting. Hit the nail right on the head.

[helderheid]

26. beautiful.

[Epiphany4z]

27. it would have been funny

if it had been any other administration. I mean come on how many times have you read a head line these days and thought it was from the Onion? The republicans are that far off there train tracks.

[Lisa]

28. and Stephen Colbert didn't need MONTHS to work on his speech ...

... unlike some people we could name. (Pathetic to think that Bush probably worked harder on that "comedy bit" than on his day job.)


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/01/washington/01letter.h...
"With his approval ratings in the mid-30's and a White House beset by troubles, there is some evidence that Mr. Bush worked harder on his performance this year than in the past. At the very least, he started focusing on his stand-up as long ago as January, when he asked Dan Bartlett, the White House counselor, to contact Mr. Bridges and Landon Parvin, a longtime speechwriter."

[Bossy Monkey]

30. Headline News showed W with impersonator, mentioned Colbert

Surprised? Not really.

[Little Star]

31. This posting is beautiful. Thank you.

I wish you would consider sending a copy of it to every so called media person you can think of. This posting is pure truthiness.

[ComerPerro]

32. Once again, God bless The Daily Show

Good comparison, this is a lot like when Jon Stewart tore Crossfire to pieces.


Everyone at The Daily Show seems to be absolutely fearless.

[mondo joe]

33. Based on some of what he pulls out of the air on his show I have

thought for a while now that he's a genius. His command of history and data, to say nothing of his wit, is really remarkable.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

35. He showed them how we see them.

Wow, great line. That is exactly what happened. He threw the tarp off the picture of Dorian Gray, and the horror was laid out for all to see.

[Orrex]

36. Self delete -- dupe from another thread

[norml]

38. It's supposed to be a roast, not a tribute, and Colbert is the Master Chef

No Roses for Stalin has he.

[FighttheFuture]

42. Jon got Crossfire Canceled, maybe Stephen can do the same for Bu$hitCo!

It's a hope!!

Truth to power has a way of withering shitty little sociopaths like Bush and his crew. Keep on speaking Stepehen!!

[FighttheFuture]

43. Even newly spawned Tony Snow was skewered... "SnowJob"....

his Secret Service label!!

Colbert is BRILLIANT!!!

[madame defarge]

44. Brilliant piece...

Thank you. Yours is the best analysis I've found today.

[dogday]

45. I watched it a second time.

I find it interesting when the camera pans around the room for laughter.. Talk about Shock-N-Awe, I think he threw down for sure.....

[DirtyDawg]

46. Can't Wait for Colbert Tonight...

...Dollars to donuts he won't be contrite. Several have made the comparison to Stewart's blasting of Crossfire - I was lucky enough to have watched that one live and thought I was gonna shit my pants with delight. I suppose, given the Colbert persona of a right wing nut job stepping all over his foreskin, he couldn't have thrown in a few references to geedubya, or the press corps in attendance, being 'dicks' and 'hurting the country'...but regardless it was wonderful and I now vow to watch The Colbert Report with the same anticipation I do TDS.

By the way, I don't recall anybody being so pissed when Don Imus did his 'off color' and 'inappropriate' jab at Bill and Hillary those years back at one of these.

[PegDAC]

47. Stephen Colbert

revealed "the man behind the curtain" that no one is supposed to pay attention to.