Roll Call slams TheColbert Report. Bears Win.
by Scott Thill
at Huffington Post
Nov 15, 2006"File this under the heading "Slow News Day." According to the Capitol Hill pub Roll Call, Stephen Colbert is no kingmaker. In fact, he has zero influence on American politics whatsoever. OK, maybe I added that last line in to make the piece more interesting, because as is, it's not a very hard-hitting expose. In fact, it's little more than a think piece disguised as earnest media criticism. After all, the writer Mary Ann Akers took it upon herself to namedrop both Colbert and Stalin in the same sentence: "Yet, somehow, Colbert exerts a loyalty that is unmatched since the era of Stalin." Classy, Akers. Classy.
Raw Story has the piece covered for non-subscribers, because it just doesn't make sense to pay for this sort of thing. More chuckle-inducing snips, with my smartass rejoinders below:
Akers: "Of the many House Members who actually appeared on the show, only two of them won their race by less than 63 percent -- and many of them were unopposed entirely or not even running for re-election."
Me: Right. But how many Americans nationwide even knew who these people were before The Colbert Report put them on air? Let's not forget that this past midterm election was a national referendum, not a regional popularity pageant. Because of Colbert, Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) went from being an unchallenged stiff to a coke-and-whores sensation overnight. Same goes for pretty much everyone he interviewed. Why? Simple: Colbert's "Better Know a District" segment has turned local politics into a subject of energetic national interest. I'm not sure that Roll Call could say the same, and they cover this stuff for a living.
.............SNIP"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-thill/roll-call-slams-_b_34203.html