Historic Literature - How a minor comedy star may have changed our country

[Stinky The Clown]

In the same way a fine wine or my lovely wife grows better with age, so does Colbert's performance last night at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

Tuning in to this annual event has become a minor sport, if for no other reason than to know who gets out of line, who throws the gasp-inducing insult, or who is simply tasteless. There was Chevy Chase famously saying to Gerry Ford, who was next to him at the podium, in the wake of Ford's letting Nixon off the hook, "Pardon me, Mr. President." Shocked guffaws followed. In more recent performances, it is generally acknowledged that our latter day Il Dunce was really pretty tasteless with his 'hunt for WMD' skit. And although the press was agog over Laura's shtick, it is now generally acknowledged as little more than lame, on a par with the Twins' performance at the RNC Convention in 2004.

Don Imus' treatment of Bill Clinton was really over the top, and quite mean-spirited. It was, however, funny to many. Mean spirited, but funny. But it was also about nothing more than a widely known personal peccadillo.

And now we have the performance of Stephen Colbert. No peccadilloes to be found. Oh no. Colbert was intent on getting to it all. The bombs and flags and bullets and misstatements and cover-ups and tacticless tactics and all the rest was to have its moment in his sunshine.

When I tuned in to watch, I was predisposed to laugh at his performance. I was ready to suspend my disbelief, as we all do nightly as we watch him do his over the top Bill O'Reilly stick. I was predisposed to see a few in the media and in government come in for a good natured barb.

I was wrong to have been so predisposed.

What we saw last night, and what we will see in reruns and internet clips was a performance that I honestly believe was historic. It was as classic a piece of biting satire as has ever been written. It was not, as some initially saw it, an equal opportunity skewering. Oh no. It was targeted and it was sharp. The rapier that is his use of word, gesture and tone struck where intended and spared as intended. He stood less than ten feet from a President who has lived in a bubble and he burst the bubble from the inside out. He insulted the President with the truth. To his face. Repeatedly. With a smile. As he did to his enabling wife. Similarly, he stood in front of an audience whose commonality was White House and government reporting, an audience that invited him into their palace. and told them that they're failures. Ever the outsider playing the consummate insider, and never breaking character, he tipped one sacred cow after another. He was a brilliant Toto, pulling aside the curtain hiding the organ and the amplifier

None of this was perfectly clear to me last night when it was over. I knew I'd seen something rarely seen. I knew it was different. I knew it was remarkable. Now, after sleeping on it and absorbing it, I am able to at least start to appreciate its enormity.

You all know that Stephen Colbert's profile raised when he was spun off from John Stewart's Daily Show. And John Stewart blazed a bit of a trail, away from a comedy show and toward reality, when he did that famous guest shot on CNN's now-canceled Crossfire when, among so much more, he said to the hosts "You're hurting America." Colbert's performance last night was the latest event in that campaign to get the press to just do its job. With hope and luck, it may have succeeded. Of course, it is far too early to know.

But make no mistake. What we saw last night was truly historic. Preserved in bits and bytes, and viewable on any home computer, it is, for the ages, a classic example of pointed, biting, scathing satire such as we've not seen in a very long time. Shortly after watching it, and while we were both still reduced to stuttering as we tried to get our minds around what we'd just seen .... more than 'seen' .... experienced ..... it was that visceral an event ....... my wife said she wanted to have it on CD for our kids and grandkids-to-be.

That wasn't comedy last night.

It was literature.

And it was so powerful - so truly powerful - that it may be the start of change in our country. A removal of the kidd gloves with which this administration has been treated.

Thank you, Stephen Colbert. We owe ya'. Big time.

[mdmc]

1. he was very funny

:shrug:

[Danieljay]

2. Agreed! Well said! Recommended. nt

[NMDemDist2]

3. biting satire says it all. I didn't think it was funny, there was no big

belly laugh moment, it was satrical and sharp and the silence in the crowd was deafening. Chimpie's scowl said it all

i taped it last night and am looking forward to seeing it again with my dear Mr K.

his take on it will be interesting...........

[bvar22]

4. I didn't laugh much,

and agree that Colvert's performance was historic.

He was truly a Daniel in the Lion's Den.

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[acmejack]

5. C-span is offering it for sale

I have already bought my copy, I figured they deserved to make a few bucks for that one last night.

[Kittycat]

6. If nothing more, it serves as a piece of history to share with your kids.

In the 60's and 70's people took to the streets in mass. In the 80's and 90's, they sat back and got fat. In the 2000's, with media not reporting the truth anymore, a lone comedian makes the largest impact on them all. In a sattire, he highlights the truth - and leaves them all speechless.

[drthais]

12. where? on C-Span

can I buy a copy?
I perused their website
and can't figure this out

please point me in the right direction

[acmejack]

29. It is the in the top row, on the right.

C-span Store

[Fiendish Thingy]

51. Colbert DVD has review section, like Amazon; C'mon DUer's!

No reviews on the CSPAN store site yet- C'mon DUer's post your reviews now!
I'll be ordering mine when I get home from work Today.

[kansasblue]

7. the power of his performance is that it showed someone

standing up to the president.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Minor? Not for long.

Colbert's star is rising.

--p!

[Zorra]

9. I totally agree, Colbert spoke truth to power in front of the nation,

in one of the most effective ways possible.

Maybe more people will realize that it is time to stop pretending that everything is ok, that it is really alright to question "authority", and that it is ok to get right up in the face of these corrupt, anti-democratic thieves and liars.

[TankLV]

37. He was the little boy in the crowd who shouted "Look - the emperor has no

clothes!" while the rest of the parade goes on by.

Finally.

In public.

Out Loud.

For a half hour.

To a captive audience.

An unwilling audience.

[autorank]

10. Husb, I couldn't agree with you more. He came and left as a free man.

When I pay attention to the social customs of the political control mechanism in Washington, I'm usually repulsed and angry. I refuse to give the "in crowd" much energy so I'll snap out of this crankiness quickly and move on. The WH correspondents dinner is one of the ass kissing, dances of supplication that I find the most offensive. The "fixers" and "owners" invite a court jester into their inner sanctum, let him perform, and are assured he or she will toe the party line. The unbelievable rudeness to Clinton by Don Imus was a true reflection of the Washington insiders, make no mistake about.

This year was different. I agree with every word in your commentary. This was historic. Colbert came with a statement, a statement as a free man not a court jester, paid puppet, ass hat for the aristocracy. He tipped us all off in the William Kristol interview on his show. Launching with PNAC was extraordinary as a tactic of surprise. More significantly, it revealed that Colbert actually has depth knowledge and interests as an analyst. Who the Hell else knows what PNAC is but someone passionate about politics.

The words, the performance, the silence of the amassed Mandarins and masters, the glorious finale with Helen Thomas, and the after event coverage were amazing. In the middle of the presentation, I was afraid he was dying. Then I looked at him and realized that he was fully composed, not a drop of sweat, in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. I knew that to be the case at the end when he joined with Helen Thomas. She knew, you knew, and many of us knew; those of us who are not confined to the idiocy of the faux rulers who fail at every task and ruin whatever they touch. It was a blow for freedom, a vicarious smack down of the vile crew that spoils the planet, and one truly historic performance by a man on fire.


The Words and complete video links

[Stinky The Clown]

14. There's hope again ......

..... and its start goes back to John Stewart, on that famous Crossfire episode: "I won't be your monkey."

grasswire nails it here, in her post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2599206

Satirical social commentary, much like real news from real journalists, has been on life support since the cabal took power from We The People. Colbert gives me hope. One need only watch the after-show coverage on C-span. For all the 'supposed' silence in the room, he was clearly welcomed and hailed for what he did.

[Ian David]

15. Colbert bombed in the room, but that's not the point...

He was there to tell-off pretty much everyone in the room.

He wasn't there to "be their trained monkey" and make jokes about the dangers of grizzly bears.

He was there to hold them up for accountability, not to give them the release of laughing at themselves.

He came not to praise Bush but to bury him.

[Mr_Scarecrow]

55. I don't know why people keep saying he bombed

Or that people didn't laugh. Saw the vid at youtube today and a lot of people were laughing - throughout the whole 30 minutes. Granted it wasn't his studio audience, so there wasn't any standing O, but I think he did pretty well with the crowd who had reps from both sides of the aisle. A couple times I saw people smile and make a look like "Oh no he didn't just say that."

I do agree that it was probably historic. As I said in another thread, he is doing something the press corps wishes they could do, and they will cannibalize Bush for making them follow a bad leader, even though they could have chosen not to.

[Ian David]

56. You are correct. I'd watched it live on MS-NBC...

when I watched the C-SPAN recording on YourTube, he seemed to do much better.

But there were a few moments of dead silence.

He decides. The press secratary announces. You write it down.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

58. He didn't bomb. He told the cowards to stick it. :-) nt

[bettyellen]

19. tks for the links Autorank.... btw, were your ears burning last night?

some of us met your friend, the lurker, in nyc, so your name came up.
:hi:

[glitch]

20. I just saw the rerun and I agree. And I would like to emphasize that the

performance started with Kristol and will continue through all the fall out. The silence of the press corpse was imo, fully anticipated by Colbert, as will be all of the subsequent commentary. They are all actors in Stephen Colbert's drama, and they are performing as he expected. At least that is what I think, this is the other level of his brilliance, and this is why the silence and titters were perfect, and id anything added to his own performance. Maybe if they had laughed it would've thrown him.

Performance art doesn't end at the door. Stephen Colbert is the most brilliant producer-actor (comedian of course, but producer-actor first) alive today.

That's my opinion.

[Stinky The Clown]

31. I honestly think we will be looking back at that moment

and seeing it for what it was .... the tipping point for the media and the nation. There is no reason to think that all of the media are in bed with the RW. To be sure, some are - by choice. But others are simply in a place where they have to go along to get along. Bravery, for them, could lead to poverty. Or worse. But last night may well be the nadir and the zenith for the Three Monkey Media.




We're already seeing chinks in the armor of the vaunted RW machine. Even some of the odious yakkers are taking their smacks at Ceaser Disgustus. All of life and all of politics is cyclical. And the cycles are faster now. You suggest this summer and fall may see a change.

I agree with that.

[glitch]

36. An epic performance, the audience was part of his act (unintentionally)

which is why their reaction fed his performance, not otherwise.

He parodied them, then held a mirror up to them and they parodied themselves in it. They joined his act by being themselves.

He played them.

This lot relies solely on perception (mainly because their substance is corrupt and cannot be allowed to be seen), they cannot stand to be laughed at, and Stephen Colbert just pointed out what laughing stalks they are to the whole world, even to those who didn't see it. As some one else said, this will go viral on the net and everyone who is paying attention will know about it.

It was a tipping point.

[EVDebs]

46. They laughed along with * at the WMD jokes. Now their stunned silence

is showing that the joke was also on them !

"" The audience at Wednesday's 60th annual dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association obviously thought the quips hilarious - there were laughs all round - but the next morning, in the cold light of day, things looked far less amusing.""

March 26, 2004
Bush's Iraq WMDs joke backfires
President Bush in Oval Office
The president could be seen bending over to peer at the floor of the Oval Office
US President George W Bush has sparked a political row by making a joke about the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3570845.stm

They held their laughter during Colbert's performance because they knew they were part of Bush's modus operandi, the corporate elite journalism group who are actually merely 'stenographers', as Colbert so adeptly pointed out to all in attendance. He took the little dogs by the nose and rubbed their noses in the doo doo.

[American Tragedy]

41. Poverty? Please. These people are in no danger of starving.

In an absolute worst case scenario, they may be forced to seek a journalist job outside the White House press room, of which there are plenty such positions.

That's a small price to pay for integrity, for knowing you're openly on the righteous side of history. I have no fucking sympathy for the lot of them.

[Tuesday_Morning]

11. It takes a while to fully digest, doesn't it?

I've been thinking this morning about his comedic timing.

Not rapid-fire, machine-gun style ala George Carlin. Not friendly, folksy, down-to-earth.

Instead, we were treated to these long, uncomfortable pauses. Lots of time to squirm. Even the film clip at the end was like that. Interesting technique.

[Ian David]

13. Oh, and let's see if Mark Anthony wants to speak at Ceasar's funeral...

It was that kind of historic event.

Colbert came not to Ridicule Bush, but to hold his complicit media cohorts accountable.

[ms liberty]

16. I just finished watching the rerun on CSPAN...

my 2nd viewing of it. I can't agree more with what you've said. He was masterful, speaking truth to power with a sardonic, cynical insouciance that I have never before seen anyone show to this crowd. Absolutely no fear - he took them on, chewed them up and spit them out like so much cheap gum. God, he was so AWESOME!!!
There's no way I could pick a best moment out of this - the entire piece was a best moment.

And then he went back to his seat, bent down next to Helen Thomas and kissed her on the cheek. He said something, she answered and patted his shoulder. I like to think he may have said "how was it" and she answered, "wonderful", but of course I don't really know.

Thank you Stephen Colbert.

[ginnyinWI]

17. Like it or not, at least "'the King" now knows he has a jester.

In Shakespeare's writing, so often the only one who could tell the truth to the King, and live, was his jester.

If * knew what was good for him, he'd start watching Colbert's show regularly.

[long_green]

27. nah, he has people to do that for him

nm

[bleever]

18. I have the same feeling about the historic import of that speech.

It was very much like the child pointing out, in front of everyone, that the emperor is naked.

Jaw-dropping.

Thanks for describing this so well.

[Olney Blue]

21. I fully agree with your assessment of what happened last night.

It was not a comedy routine. It was a methodical dissection of every weakness and travesty in this administration, performed
by a masterful surgeon.

[WHAT]

22. Satire, as a cutting tool...

in the hands of this artist was used to carve away the extraneous and bring into bold relief intention, direction, meaning, and consequence. The truth normally hidden in the muddled presentation of corporate media was sharply outlined and discernible. The discomfort must have been palpable.

I like venality. Without venality there wouldn't be any good jokes...and we wouldn't get them. There is a forgiveness to venality, a kindness in accepting our own foibles through accepting those of others. We make mistakes but we have good intentions. Satire is for when someone isn't making a mistake.

This was no joke.

We all got it.

Thanks!

[AtomicKitten]

23. Balls of Steel!!!!

[NYCGirl]

24. Go see his movie —

www.strangerswithcandymovie.com

[drm604]

25. The emperor is naked.

Mr. Colbert stood right in the midst of the king and his court and unashamedly announced that the emperor is indeed naked. Hopefully the press will now do the same.

[kineneb]

26. just listened to the MP3

Oh, my goodness! And the silences from the audience were telling...he got everyone.

[Booster]

28. You can't, just can't, forget Mort Sahl.

[trof]

30. Well said. A couple of questions for all:

I've never seen him out of character. I'm hoping I'll get a look at the man on 60 minutes tonight.
Is he a one-trick pony?
Haven't seen his movie.
Went to the website, but can't tell much about it.
What kind of character does he play?

I will say that even if this is his only schtick, it may be enough make his mark in the history books.
As I have said elsewhere, the man has the kind courage seldom seen of late, and much needed.
Thanks for your excellent analysis.

[glitch]

38. He played a murdering forger on Law & Order Criminal Intent.

That's when I first noticed him and started to pay attention. He was really good, and it was a straight role, no comedy.

[Stinky The Clown]

39. He was on 60 Minutes tonight. Out of character. Did you see it?

He's a fully rounded person with what appears to be a strong personal compass and a life that is unique to him, but not unusual .... although not usual, either. The youngest of 11 kids, he lost his Dad and two siblings when he was 10. They died in an Easter Airlines plane crash.

After watching 60 Minutes, I like him even more .... as just a guy .... yanno?

[trof]

45. I did. I like him.

[Kurovski]

32. Agreed. Historic.

Mark Twain-level. This was also my impression.

[kentuck]

33. He's Neil Young without the music...

:)

[BrklynLiberal]

34. Very well said. Thanks.

:thumbsup:

[politrix]

35. Great Post

"What we saw last night, and what we will see in reruns and internet clips was a performance that I honestly believe was historic. It was as classic a piece of biting satire as has ever been written. It was not, as some initially saw it, an equal opportunity skewering. Oh no. It was targeted and it was sharp. The rapier that is his use of word, gesture and tone struck where intended and spared as intended. He stood less than ten feet from a President who has lived in a bubble and he burst the bubble from the inside out. He insulted the President with the truth. To his face. Repeatedly. With a smile. As he did to his enabling wife. Similarly, he stood in front of an audience whose commonality was White House and government reporting, an audience that invited him into their palace. and told them that they're failures. Ever the outsider playing the consummate insider, and never breaking character, he tipped one sacred cow after another. He was a brilliant Toto, pulling aside the curtain hiding the organ and the amplifier..."


I couldn't say it better.

[tomp]

40. agreed. nt

[Neil Lisst]

42. I could not agree more!

It was almost brutal, an appropriate term, since Bush had that "et tu, Brut" look on his face when he realized Colbert was exposing Bush for the fraud he is.

[DesEtoiles]

43. Dear Mr. President, You've Come a long way from whiskey & cocaine

[DesEtoiles]

44. Laura knows all and she lets its happen-she's just as guilty

[zann725]

47. Agreed.One of the best parts was pretending Shrub agreed to be on S's show

this coming Tuesday.

[central scrutinizer]

48. Somewhere, Swift and Twain are pumping their fists

saying, Yes, political satire lives and is in good hands.

[Jack Rabbit]

49. Yesterday, I compared it to Beaumarchais' Figaro plays

Napoleon said that the Figaro plays were the real start of the French Revolution. The plays showed the aristocracy as bumbling, immoral, lecherous and vindictive, while common people were their superiors in every way.

By the way, Why did we invade Iraq?

If the only defense the Bush Bubbahs have is to call Colbert "disrespectful", as I suppose Bill Bennett will somewhere today, then they really have no defense.

[paparush]

50. Mr. and Mrs. 6-Pack will never know...cause it aint on FOX.

[aintitfunny]

52. Very Well Said

and you are right. I was ready to laugh, but found myself stunned by the man speaking truthiness to power. He was quite fearless.

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

53. Please

Stephen - stay off of small planes!

[DUBYASCREWEDUS]

54. Please

Stephen - stay off of small planes!

[opihimoimoi]

57. Thank YOU for a wonderful analysis...you are correct...it was Historic

[durrrty libby]

59. No doubt about it….Colbert is brilliant

It is telling that there are so many threads about him.

I couldn’t be happier that he is so appreciated.