Stephen Colbert On Meet The Press
By Logan Murphy Saturday Oct 20, 2007 10:59am
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Presidential candidate Stephen Colbert gave an interview to Tim Russert this morning on Meet The Press and in typical Colbert fashion, he lays out his agenda and plan to lose the race. Russert questions him, tongue in cheek, on some of the more controversial statements from his new book and talks to him about his now infamous appearance at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, his obsession with Richard Nixon, his one-time goal to be a cult leader, and asks him if he would consider asking Sen. Larry Craig to be his running mate.
Russert: "Would you consider Senator Larry Craig as your running mate?"
Colbert: "I would."
Russert: "Have you had conversations with him?"
Colbert: "Define conversation."
Russert: "Have you spoken to him?"
Colbert: "No."
Russert: "Have you met with him? Have you been in the same room together?"
Colbert: "Yes, and I -- sorry my lawyers telling me to say no more."
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i wish hw was really running, or is he?
The most interesting aspect of this interview is that Timmeh isn't funny unless you are looking ironically at his normal interview technique.
Timmeh's feigned "serious" interview with SC belongs in the Hallof Fame for Bad Acting.
GOD RESPONDS TO STEPHEN COLBERT’S CHARGE THAT HE ‘BLEW THE OCCUPATION’
That interview would have been a lot funnier if Russert had played straight man. When you
interview a COMEDIAN, that's a given. Instead, Russert wanted to show that he could be a
satirist too, and so the interview just didn't cut it as humor. And in our area they preempted the interview to cut to the latest disastrous fire in Malibu, CA, where there is a worse-case scenario:
up to 100-mph winds (!!) and single-digit humidity.
I don't like Steven Colbert's type of humor. I have tried and tried to see the humor in what he says but it just isn't there for me. I may be the only person in America who thinks this guy is not funny.
This is a lot easier than talking about Iraq, health care, deficits, Blackwater, Iran, etc, etc, etc.
aquarius2 @ 6:
Try strangers with candy, the movie or the series. Colbert is a completely different character and he's really funny.
aquarius2 @ 6:
This country is so brainwashed by the media right now I don't think it's even possible to recover.
"Presidential candidate"
People can't even tell reality from fantasy anymore.
i LOVE this guy... an incredible, amazing talent, outstanding humorist...
but, would someone explain to me HOW this will affect the voting in s.c....
won't he siphon too many votes away from serious candidates?
in particular, i admit, i worry his fans will take away votes from the left by voting for a joke ... this IS a joke, isn't it?
As usual, the mind washed simpletons miss the point. Colbert is doing this for the same reasons Stewart went on Crossfire. To display in the harshest light possible the circus they've told us we're not actually seeing
Don't be the last to wake up.
His offer to turn over his delegate (assuming he wins one) in exchange for being allowed to speak at the convention is interesting. I didn't like (or get) Colbert until his White House Correspondent's Dinner speech, at which point he became my hero. No one was willing to say (it seemed) the things that he said right to the president's face.
I'd love to see Colbert make a good run, and I'd love to see him at the [Republican] convention.
aquarius2 @ 6:
no, lost of people don't get Colbert...it's cool, it's kind of a Monty Python factor, some think it's stupid and some think it's belly ache'n funny
Wish I lived in South Carolina so I could vote for him... Okay, I take that back. The midwest is okay for me.
Still, I think this will be a great spectacle. He'll demostrate the absurdity of our modern primary process in his usual slick way. Go Stephen!
that should have been 'lots of people' not 'lost of people' I got dyslexic fingers
Colbert is never out of character. He is a brilliant satirist and comic.
Whether or not you like Colbert is just a matter of individual taste and independent thinking, it is neither being a simpleton, brainwashed or otherwise. FYI I "get" his humor, I just don't care for it, repeated cynicism just isn't all that funny to me.
aquarius2 @ 6:
Perhaps it is because he is actually doing a take off on self absorbed characters, who think that they are the center of all things, and need to turn threads like this into a discussion about their selves.
People who always want to start out and end with "I" this and "I" that, are unlikely to find humor in being the target of some one like Colbert.
Why is NBC wasting valuable air time as a "ha ha, news source" interviewing Colbert? Is this as serious as it gets. I admire Colbert as a comedian but he is not a serious candidate and Russert is not funny. As if we didn't have more serious subjects to cover.
Mxrk @ 13:
I'd like to see him at both conventions, turn this damn sideshow on it's head once and for all. it's just as much bullshit at the Democratic convention as the Republican convention...we maybe not exactly the same but you get my point. We need to fix our country, not just the voting system, not just the House and Senate, not just the corporations that control it all. We can only win if we change everything, the game has been rigged on all sides so that fixing one or two parts of it won't fix it all, it's kind of a self corrupting system, we need to get it back to a system that gets corrected by the people and we can only do that by ripping down all the sides and rebuilding the game. it's a dangerous process but it's far less dangerous then leaving it as is.
Ron @ 20:
Interviewing Colbert doesn't affect whether or not these stories are covered.
Russert is flat and fails to get Colbert's mojo going. I would rather have seen an interview with Colbert out of character.
aquarius2 @ 18:
Didn't mean to imply that you were a simplton, I was just saying, and even if you do understand the joke, you don't get the humor in it. that's all I was saying. My father doesn't like him, he understands all the words but he doesn't get the humor.
aquarius2 @ 6:
Actually I was able to watch it when it first started. I thought it weird and vaguely uncomfortable for the first few episodes. But the writing (especially on the WØRD segment) was so good it won me over. Now I get it, and have been a fan ever since.
Poor Colbert. I'm sure that even though that Charlene thing was just all a big misunderstanding that the press will still crucify him for it.
@21
You said it, friend.
Poor Timmeh 2000 robot must have blown a humor circuit.
Joe Marasmus @ 15:
this is what i wonder about... is a vote for stephen colbert a wasted vote?...
(i am so scared those voting machines will win if the results are a LITTLE close)
something else i'm curious about - why can't there be just ONE nationwide primary voting day? ... all this "me first" would be irrelevant...
aquarius2 @ 6:
that's funny, subby... i see what you did there... satire = funny... lol...
wasn't it great when cobert attacked working mothers and then snubbed gay marriage...
see what he did? now that was not funny!!! *wink*
I think Colbert is hysterical--he is just demonstrating how absurd our whole political process and the media has become. I'd vote for him in a heartbeat if I could.
Our entire political process has been snatched away from ordinary rank and file voters by the media and especially with the advent of cable tv--let's go back to the old days where candidates were nominated and decided on at the convention.
I would love to see all the of the money taken out of campaigns as well.
Russert has no sense of humor.
How does Russert keep from laughing?
Slaw @ 22:
I know.
As a Canadian I find it refreshing to see the lighter side of America. Colbert blows everyone's mind by being liberal and conservative at the same time. Brilliant!
aquarius2 @ 18:
Huh? You don't get it. At all.
Ron @ 30:
oh it's serious... serious as 50+ bags of potato chips a year for over thirty years and the heart palpatations you get when you reach the top of the hill... sometimes i worry about you poliblog consumers...
Colbert is a true comedy genius in his own environment, but Tim Russert has again proved himself irrelevant. And this is what passes for a political "news" show? 15 minutes of lame. Sigh.
keiran @ 32:
Uh, apparently, it's you who doesn't get it!
-Good one aquaman... "repeated cynicism"... rich... what other kind is there? keep'em coming...
Yesssssss.
2 comments:
1. Colbert's comedy is about making people think for themselves.
You have to listen to what he says and THINK about whether he is kidding or serious, because when he talks he sounds just like every other politician.
Hopefully it becomes clear that you can't take ANY politician or member of the media at their word, you have to be skeptical, and be wary of their tricks - like challenging people's patriotism or religious views to deflect from REAL issues.
2. PLEASE allow Colbert to speak at the Democratic Convention! PLEASE!
Whatever, guys. I thought the interview was hilarious. I thought it was funny to have Tim Russert give this serious interview to Colbert like an actual candidate.
Electile dysfunction occurred when the Texas shrub announced he was running for the office.
I'm sure many people will also respond to this interview by saying,
"Why is MTP allowing a comedian to waste air time on a SERIOUS news show?"
This is part of the genius - his comments are probably as valid as some political hack like James Carville or Tucker Carlson who just blindly spout talking points that are meant to fool the general public.
These political talk shows are Theater and entertainment, and don't really provide any real news.
Barbara in BC @ 31:
Canadians-Schamadians. Just cause your dollar is an incy-wincy-bit better than ours now, you think that you are better than US. Take it from a red-blooded American whose mother refuses to renouce her Canadian citizenship, money isn't everything. Stuff is. We've got so much stuff, we've invented stuff just keep our stuff in. My dad is into the joy of clear plastic boxes, and it's great to see the old man in his autumn years spending all his free time organizing all his crap . You Schamadians probably don't even know what I'm talking about.
Very Colbert-ian timmm...
Theowne @ 38:
You are sick!!! Really, really sick.
Colbert was masterful. Russert was lame.
ChrisM70 @ 42:
-esque, bitch, -esque...
only a coward uses esque.
Americans use -IAN.
Commie.
touche', mon fre're...
timmm @ 33:
I on't buy or consume potatoe chips. As a matter of fact I can't even spell potatoe.
archerofloaf @ 29:
becuase Tim doesn't get it either
ChrisM70 @ 40:
Oh, I don't know... I usually learn something from McLaughlin One on One or anything Moyers does... very occasionally Charlie Rose will be awake enough to do a thorough interview. Sometimes boring (like Democracy Now), but that's the price you pay for truth.
And "as valid as"?! No way. As they say more people under 30 get their real news from the Daily Show and Colbert than any other source... ;) That's why he's on the show, despite Timmy's obvious dislike of Colbert. Colbert actually brings relevance to MTP rather than the other way around. Timmy really lost his way a few years ago; the show is a rubber stamp for authority and access.
I'll give one last try to explain: When a corrupt politician lies and deceives, killing thousands of Americans through those actions like Cheney, it is a tragedy. There is not a damn thing funny about it. Like being forced to watch a baby bleed to death. Very much not funny. We all get that.
Colbert gives us all a release from that. We can see his actions and say, "Aww, isn't it cute! It thinks it's people!" We can revel in the carefully portrayed stupidity of the mimbo's well intentioned, but so obviously flawed talking points. We can smile when Steven is confused and perplexed when he meets a "liberal" that apparently still loves America, something that simply never entered his programming.
This is very important for two reasons, to me. One is there really ARE people like the character Colbert -- well-intentioned, mis-informed idiots. You will need to accept and gently inform. Kind of like a boy raised by wolves. You need to do this because you need their support, and honestly it is the right thing to do. Hating them only breeds hate, and turns them forever against you. If laughing at Colbert allows you to approach these people without immediately ripping their throats out, I think it serves a purpose. I know it does for me.
Second, when Dick "go fuck yourself" Cheney does this, it is just sad like the baby, because he too knows better but still chooses the darker path in reality, rather than simply pointing to it as in Steven's illustrative fantasy. I can't laugh at that. Too much of Dick, and not enough Colbert and you become a shrill, humorless drone. The exact counterpart of... say, Ann Coulter. You don't want that to happen.
So go ahead and let yourself laugh at Colbert. He is the ONLY thing even remotely funny about the neocon takeover in this country right now.
Ok, I love Stephen Colbert, but really, isn't there some real news that Meet The Press should be dealing with? How about the Maricopa County Attorney scandal that developed this week with the arrest of the owner and executive editor of the Phoenix New Times over the disclosure that they had been subpoenaed by a secret grand jury over their investigative reporting of Sheriff Joe Arpaio?
Ron @ 48:
The singular spelling variants potato vs. potatoe co-existed into the 19th century. Potatoe in the 20th century came to be considered a misspelling, while the plural remains potatoes.
Russert, MTP et. al. having previously Jumped the Shark, now Reveal to the Faithful what they have Known for all Too Long.
Cheers.
russert is so lame
Wow. Look at that old pic of Colbert. Elvis Costello "Mighty Like A Rose" period..
Russert was dull, awkwardly combative, and gave the worst interview I've ever seen on TV. Poor Colbert had no energy to work comedy into! Russert entirely missed his messages criticizing the elitist political climate and accompanying appeasing media.
Phoenix Justice @ 51:
Now, that would make some good court TV. What I would not give to see some newscasts from Phoenix? Got any links for us?
Wow, that was painfully not funny to watch.
Colbert: “Define conversation.”
with craig, tapping on a men's room floor would be one form of conversation.
Next week Paris Hilton will be on to show her pictures from her trip to Africa
lol, Russert looked confused. ridiculously confused.
Colbert's move is genius. the American voting process is a damn mess, because we're a nation of 300 million, who are only "allowed" to vote for two rich old white men every four years. any other alternative vote is "throwing the vote away."
he's not going to "disrupt" the DNC caucus in South Carolina. he's going to set a precedent. in the past, some really great candidates have bowed out too early because they "lost" some caucus in Iowa or New Hampshire. these people "lost" because all the delegates stood around and waved signs that said "Edwards" and "Clark" and "Kucinich"... but at the end of the day the delegates needed to appear unified, so after a week of waving signs they chicken out and all got in line behind "Kerry".
and after 2 or 3 measly caucuses, some really great candidates, some guys far superior to both Bush *and* Kerry had to bow out.
our elections suck. so many people refuse to vote because at the end of the day, you're forced to choose between two candidates who never truly owned the "majority" of their party's backing.
Colbert's going to help un-do that. some smartass in South Carolina, just one, is going to lob a vote for Colbert, set a precedent, and hopefully spark a revolution. its about time we started having more than two candidates on a ballot with the occasional third-party "throwaway" vote.
*****
Colbert got a brilliant dig at Timmeh.
"I did, at the time, want to be a cult leader. I find that being a TV pundit is, is much more powerful, and you have to be less reliable."
Liam @ 19:
I agree with the "I" this and "I" that response. He says, "I may be the only person in America who thinks this guy is not funny."
I think that would be a very good bet. I think at least, maybe one more person in this world, may fund him not funny. LOL
timmm @ 35:
Colbert at his worst. This was the exact opposite of the WH correspondents dinner, where Colbert states out absurdly ambitious ground. He actually talks about not winning, that's totally out of character. Russert was pathetic.
Colbert is gunning for the dumbass conservatives out there to support him, people.
A f@#$ing genious in his own right.
That was hilarious! Colbert is very quick with the witty rejoinders.
aquarius2 @ 6:
You aren't alone.
Cheney finds Colbert lacking in sophistication.
Predicted Comedy Central in "last throes"
timmm @ 57:
Here are as many as I can find:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1019newtimes1019....
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-10-18/news/breathtaking-abuse-of-the...
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1020newtimes1020....
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1020wilenchik-ON....
I hope these help. There are video links that I can't copy (don't have the skills - lol).
marie @ 17:
That's his genius... he's a living parody of a conservative and he does it ON PURPOSE.
Timmmm said I wouldn't understand being American because:
"We’ve got so much stuff, we’ve invented stuff just keep our stuff in."
Hey, we've got stuff in Canada too! Lots of it.
Good job Timmy.
This interview will really raise the credibility for Russert.
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 25:
Actually I was able to watch it when it first started. I thought it weird and vaguely uncomfortable for the first few episodes. But the writing (especially on the WØRD segment) was so good it won me over. Now I get it, and have been a fan ever since.
The first few shows I thought were terrible, and still, some nights it's not happening. To be fair, it is the hardest type of comedy to pull off. When it works well, it's a beautiful thing. This MTP segment wasn't great because Timmy couldn't play straight man very well. You need either someone who is totally oblivious to what Steven is doing or someone like Stewart or Al Frankin who can play a "Bob and Ray" type routine.
timmm @ 41:
Hey, bub, we've got stuff too. Lots of stuff, even after all the taxes we have to pay for commie socialized medicine, welfare, subsidies for bad Canadian television and federal-provincial transfer payments. The difference is that a lot of our stuff is old winter tire chains and hockey equipment. The rest of it is old camping gear from Canadian Tire that smells like mosquito repellent and stale beer. Still, it's pretty good stuff.
Now that your dollar is toilet paper, we'll be buying a lot more of our stuff in the USA. So there, eh?
Okay Aquarius (or do you prefer Awhk Where Reee Aaaahs), just how old are you anyway?
ok... so no one else is worried... i won't either... out loud...
...
but i have to agree with some - it was the worst colbert" i've seen...
and i think it's because of the reason pointed out here:
Cismontane @ 5:
i had a feeling stephen was disappointed that timmy was not in HIS usual character... when he brought out the bert doll, i knew it was lost... russert should have been russert, then colbert would have been better...
but his "worst", for me, is still a very high bar... he did get in some good jabs ...
stephen colbert is just awesome... and very easy on the eyes...
aquarius2 @ 6:
I take it you haven't been exposed to many self absorbed people before, it has to be a blessing really...
I've known one to many Colberts (the acting one) in my life and he has them down pat.
"I'm comfortable in other people's skin"
Painful whoever "People who needed T's", well that was just fucking funny.
See? I meant to say however.
Colbert's run appears to be coming to an end. I have said this before, but this 'skit' works in attack mode against conservatives - by design. When it does that, he is edgy and hilarious. As a stand up character it doesnt work as well. I wish him luck and would enjoy this character if he can make it work. (Once he started sparring with Russert, he became funny)
Colbert's even good when Larry King and Pumpkinhead interview him
anon @ 79:
"Last throes?"
I don't think so.
New York Times Best Seller List
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
Top 5 at a Glance
1. I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU), by Stephen Colbert et al
2. CLAPTON, by Eric Clapton
3. MY GRANDFATHER’S SON, by Clarence Thomas
4. THE AGE OF TURBULENCE, by Alan Greenspan
5. CELEBRITY DETOX, by Rosie O’Donnell
Woulda been cool to see last week's MTP with Bill Cosby get this much coverage.
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=beb0716e-760f-...
This must be the worst interview Russert has ever conducted.
For shits sake Tim you are interviewing a COMEDIAN!!!!
Pretty good. Colbert always sharp even in this difficult environment.
Since Colbert is running in South Carolina, he had better re-connect with his "black friend".
I hope that he goes beyond South Carolina and develops a real campaign, like Pat Paulson's.
homer www.altara.blogspot.com
I am glad Stephen is running. I know that Colbert, as a candidate, may not always tell us the truth, but unlike the other GOP candidates, he will make it as if he is telling us the truth.
We need that.
Sorry, that was supposed to be
I am glad Stephen is running. I know that Colbert, as a candidate, may not always tell us the truth, but unlike the other GOP candidates, he will make it SOUND as if he is telling us the truth.
We need that.
It seems obvious to me that Colbert's showing in South Carolina will accomplish two things:
1) any candidate with less votes will drop out of the race, and
2) Sparing filing fees elsewhere, he'll then campaign as a 'favorite son' of SC, but it won't be a real campaign unless he sees a state where he can embarrass others out of the race.
CD @ 84:
exactly! Two words for you Mr. Russert: Straight Man. What a rooky mistake.
rookie?
This is Bull, they give this comedian an interview yet won't give one to Ron Paul. Its all a joke isn't it
Marty @ 67:
So just because someone doesn't think Colbert is funny they are somehow akin to Cheney? I guess people cling to their comedians just as hard as their political ideology.
maybe aquarius can help fight against the neocons while everyone else is busy laughing at them.
Colbert is funny, but I don't watch the show anymore. The current state of the union is no longer a joke to me.