One more Colbert thread, with a different perspective I believe!

[glarius]

I just listened to the whole Stephen Colbert performance again. To me, perhaps the most remarkable feature of his performance was his courage. By that I mean, he slogged on with bravado and zeal, despite the reception of the crowd who seemed mostly (to my ear) quieted with embarrassment or stunned recognition of the truths they were hearing. He must have been aware that it was not being received well by a sizeable portion of the audience and yet he was cool, and unflappable and with his sardonic humour, he kept hitting the nail accurately on the head.....I can't believe he delivered those barbs with such composure....especially right in the face of George W. Bush. Stephen Colbert deserves a medal for bravery!...IMO

[Mira]

1. Yes - yes - yes! I was so stunned at the raw courage

It is so rare that people risk everything for the sake of doing what is right.
Without cushions, without disclaimers, without modifiers.
The man has Texas size you know whats and I am a fan for life.

We must keep supporting him. He laid it all on the line to speak for us, as well.

[mdmc]

2. wasn't it a roast?

i thought that this was expected. Colbert did great and made me laugh out loud many, many times.

[glarius]

5. I believe what Colbert did was much more than just a good natured roast.

He sliced and diced the Bush administration mercilessly. IMO

[mdmc]

7. loved it

peace

[Ian David]

12. Colbert virtually accused everyone in the room of treason

He could have put on a clown suit and a red nose, and it would still have been deadly serious.

Colbert's speech was funny in the same way as Mark Antony's speech at Ceasar's funeral was funny.


Mark Antony
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

<snip>

On March 15, 44 BC (the Ides of March), Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Senators, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus. In the turmoil that surrounded the event, Antony escaped Rome dressed as a slave, fearing that the dictator's assassination would be the start of a bloodbath among his supporters. When this did not occur, he soon returned to Rome, discussing a truce with the assassins' faction. For a while, Antony, as consul of the year, seemed to pursue peace and the end of the political tension. Following a speech by Marcus Tullius Cicero in the Senate, an amnesty was agreed for the assassins. Then came the day of Caesar's funeral. As Caesar's ever-present second in command, partner in consulship and cousin, Antony was the natural choice to make the funeral eulogy. In his speech, he sprang his accusations of murder and ensured a permanent breach with the conspirators. Showing a talent for rhetoric and dramatic interpretation, Antony snatched the toga from Caesar's body to show the crowd the scars from his wounds. That night, the Roman populace attacked the assassins' houses, forcing them to flee for their lives.

More:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Antony

[mdmc]

20. thanks for that link

great comparison. peace!

[DemoTex]

35. Two notable, fairly obvious exceptions, IanDB1 ..

Helen Thomas and David Gregory.

[Eric J in MN]

45. In practice, yes, but he wasn't asked to roast Bush.

The purpose of the event is to hand out awards to some journalists.

Fortunately, Colbert used the opportunity to roast Bush.

[spuddonna]

3. I totally agree...

He was incredibly brave. He stood a few feet from * and said all this to his face. I highly doubt * gets the truth in any form nowadays...

I was very interested to see the reaction of the audience. They were looking at one another as if to say "Can you believe what he is saying up there?", covering their mouths to suppress laughs which might cost them their jobs...

It was a beautiful thing... :)

[NanceGreggs]

4. I totally agree!

As I watched last night, I kept picturing myself in the same situation, wondering if I would have had the nerve to keep going in the face of the somewhat cold reception.

Almost anyone else in Colbert's shoes would have prepared some 'alternate' material to switch to, if the going got rough. Or would have changed their demeanour, with quips like, "But really, I'm only kiddin' here ..."

But not our Stephen. He had something to say, and he said it, undeterred. If only our elected representatives had that kind of courage and conviction!

[LaPera]

65. Your right....I wonder if Jon Stewart or Bill Maher would of proceeded

with such pressure and aghast from BushCo and most of the audience!!!

Colbert has indeed made a name for himself!!!!

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Courageous is the perfect word.

[TexasLawyer]

8. Juevos GRANDES !!!!

I sent him an e-mail last night...

Mr. Colbert, Your juevos grandes give us hope for tomorrow!

Love, The {TexasLawyer} Family
{All our names)

I attached links to lots of the DU threads going currently, and invited him to come and feel the love.

[bahrbearian]

9. "Misery Accomplished"

[TahitiNut]

25. You caught that too? I loved it. A perfect ironic paraphrase.

:thumbsup:

[bahrbearian]

28. Right in your face "Chimpy'

[JerseygirlCT]

36. Does that not scream "bumper sticker"? nt

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

10. It's Even More Than Having Just Continued Unrazzled While Staying On Point

It was the fact that he did so while looking RIGHT AT his subjects square in the eyes. That takes more balls than you could imagine.

[0007]

27. ...and there was no tongue in cheek, Colbert was absolutely

serious. I believe everyone in the audience got the message.

It was pure moxie.

[hlthe2b]

48. Agree... repeatedly looking Shrub in the eye (and Pickles too)

as he delivered one zinger after another..... The man is fearless, absolutely fearless.

[Cleita]

11. I think a lot of them didn't get it. Those who did were stunned

and shamed into silence. Did you see how cool George and Laura were to him when he went over to shake hands with them? It seems Laura got it and whispered to George what was going on.

[glarius]

15. Yes...and I saw the look of cruelty that comes into George's eyes

When he is stymied...

[NJCher]

13. the mark of a true professional

He knew his audience was larger than the people at the dinner. He knew he was talking to the WORLD.

I thought about this, too--how he carried on fearlessly, above the reaction in the room but with complete belief in himself and his ability to carry off this corusucating performance.




Cher

[spooky3]

14. He skewered the audience (journalists) nearly as much as he did *

I think they hated hearing about their own weaknesses. That's not a winning strategy for someone who wants a lot of laughs from the audience. I'm sure Colbert and his writers are smart enough to know this in advance. He made the choice of saying something brilliant and important (and a lot of it was funny to us non-targets), and possibly, winning a bigger TV fan base, over getting a warm live response.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

16. K & R. I had the same take on it...

...addressing THAT crowd, with Chimpy sitting 10 feet away---that took real courage.
And he drew the line between being too tough and too soft perfectly. I liked Colbert
before I saw this, now I love the guy.

[leftchick]

17. I agree and

check out this review! It is right on! :)

http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/04/30/stephen-colbert-at-the-white-house

<snip>

He also presented an audition tape for the position of Press Secretary. I was really surprised/happy to see Helen Thomas putting on a great show in a special appearance and I laughed numerous times (some favorite parts: "NOOOOOOO! NOOOO!"; key-fumbling; Karl & Stephen). It looked like something pulled right out of The Colbert Report. This was a lot more light-hearted than the preceding speech, so I expected the audience to be hooting with laughter once it ended. How wrong I was. Helen Thomas was in tears, but everyone else was just clapping politely. No cheers, no standing ovation. Poor Stephen... I wanted to crawl into the TV and give him a hug.

But y'know what? Stephen Colbert -- not character-Colbert, but the real guy -- has BALLS. Seriously. That took massive brass steel ADAMANTIUM balls to do. Part of me wished that he didn't stay in character to save himself the pain, but another part of me is really glad he did that. He took his truthiness to the belly of the beast and he should be commended for that.

To Mr. Colbert: I, and the rest of the Colbert Nation, love you.

[Bullwinkle925]

18. Absolutely.

It was 'the shot heard 'round the world' to my ears!! Bravo Mr. Colbert!!!!!


:applause:

[Spazito]

19. I was gasping while watching it this morning, gasping at his audacity

at some points and gasping for air because I was laughing so hard at other points. It was the most amazing thing I have seen in a very long time! He surely does deserve accolades for what he did, imo.

[readmoreoften]

21. Historians will discuss this speech someday.

Mark my words.

[NightOwwl]

22. And what's more...

he looked Bush right in the eye as he proceeded to nail him to the wall.

[glarius]

23. That is what I LOVED!

:applause:

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

24. It was IMHO his FINEST HOUR!! n/t

[malaise]

29. It sure was

It was an in your face 'whether you want to hear this or not, it has to be said. All of you except Helen Thomas are responsible for this misery'.
It will go down as one of the best satirical presentations of all time. Colbert rocks.

Sp.

[glarius]

34. I'm glad you mentioned how he excempted Helen Thomas!

That was deservedly perfect!....She's another lion heart, god bless her.

[Mr_Spock]

26. Yep - though there were several good laughs from the audience!

Don't think those people weren't laughing. Maybe covering their mouths & trying to look cool, but they were giggling and there were quite a few loud laughter points too. Let's not get too far out of perspective here...

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

31. Joe Wilson was laughing. n/t

[NightOwwl]

32. Yep...the second tiime I watched...

I heard a few woo-hoos from the back of the room. Some people were enjoying him immensely.

[Mr_Spock]

37. Yep, just 'cause CSPAN showed a few uptight RW Fox elitists...

doesn't mean that there weren't an awful lot of people with giddy stomachs who were laughing inside & out depending if you were listening or watching. I could hear the audience really into it on the replay.

[jean]

47. Colbert's comment about speaking into the table numbers loudly and

someone from the NSA staff would bring a cocktail reminded the audience their tables might very well be bugged. Funny, but true.

[fooj]

30. Actions have consequences.

It's time that the media whores are held responsible for their treasonous behavior. Bravo.:applause:

[ContraBass Black]

33. I disagree.

I think it was beautiful. I think it was art. I almost knocked my desk over rising to my feet as I howled at it. Yes, it was unabashedly bold.

However, Colbert is a comedian. All of those challenged can pretend it was all a joke. That's why they weren't fleeing for their safe houses, or rushing to apprehend and hang him. That's why he could stand up there and bring the verbal hammer down on them.

I compare him to the character of the Fool from Shakespeare's King Lear. He shouts to the high heavens the truth that everyone sees but is too terrified to even whisper themselves. Any other man would be run through with a sword on the spot for what he says, but he can do it because he's the court jester. He's the bravest of the bunch by far, but he's not walking on the edge of death.

I say, give him a medal for wit and delivery, but only a tip of the hat for courage.

[kansasblue]

38. not the funniest thing I've seen....but yes 'courage'

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[glarius]

39. Exactly.......

The overwhelming response I had was that he was unbelievably brave to say these things IN BUSH'S FACE and without flinching or even breaking a sweat!

[sasha031]

40. I've been away from the pc

I just caught it, I loved it...

those clowns were mortified, did you hear the light applause, wonder how soon he'll be welcome back.

Colbert is a genius:applause: :woohoo: :applause:

[Cha]

41. And I can't believe

they didn't check his "skit" before he played to a national audience! :rofl:

[ClusterFreak]

42. Colbert is generally not my cup of tea, comedy-wise....

...since his stock in trade is irony, irony, and more irony. Mix it up a little, I say. But that's just personal preference. However, when it comes to his message, the guy is right on the money. And he was last night too. Gutsy performance, and right in Chimpy's face. He got right up in his grill, and it was a beautiful thing to see.

[Vidar]

43. Agreed.

[Duer 157099]

44. Nope, not a different perspective.

I'm going to start another Colbert thread, too :-)

Only I really *do* have a different perspective (maybe). But I'll start one anyway.

[LuckyLib]

46. While there were folks laughing, that spoken truth was hitting

home. "Alot of truth is said in jest." Colbert nailed it.

[cassiepriam]

49. Yes, he knew he was not being funny, which in itself is not a good

career move for a comedian. And then he spoke truth to power, the evil Bush cabal. That puts his very life at risk, not just his career.

And at certain points, Colbert looked like he was debating whether to include certain material or not..... looks like he went for broke.

Kudos and thanks to this brave man.

[Poll_Blind]

50. Stephen has balls the size of Jupiter. Each! n/t

PB

[Clarkie1]

58. Why do you say that?

Seriously, he did a great act, and did it well right in Bush's face.

Does that take balls or simply comic genius. I mean, really?

[Poll_Blind]

61. Comically, his act wasn't the funniest I've seen. In fact, most of his...

...opening bits were straight from his first few episodes of the Colbert Report. However comedy isn't always about the strength of the joke it's about the timing, delivery and context.

It took balls and comic genius. In this case, the flavor of genius was more Kaufman-esque than anything. I've never enjoyed a comic dying so much on stage- his act wasn't the problem, though. He was taking a scythe to both the audience and the intended victim and for that he will rank very highly on the list of comedians who have elevated the artform to something slightly less funny but a hell of alot more meaningful.

I also think a bit of Lenny Bruce came out that night as well.

PB

[glarius]

51. CNN has had several pieces today on "George Bush & twin" pointing out the

humour and even in one case the anchor woman said "the president showed he had great comedic timing."....The disgusting thing is NOT ONCE DID THEY MENTION STEPHEN COLBERT!

[renate]

52. Comedians, even more than other performers, feed off the audience...

...so Stephen's ability to keep on going in an unfriendly room was especially awesome. (I wish I could think of a better word... but I know that if I'd been there I really would have been in awe of his talent and guts.)

As far as the reaction from the press goes--from what I've read about what's happened to the media in the past six years, it's mainly the news executives who've made the decision to let Bush off the hook rather than the reporters. (Nobody gets a Pulitzer Prize for merely transcribing a spokesman's daily briefings.) So the real journalists in that room were probably cheering wildly inside.

[Faryn Balyncd]

53. Your analysis is right on target

[KAT119]

54. Colbert-so deeply brave- exposed the * gov't can of VIPERS to the planet!!

I Am In Love!!!

[Clarkie1]

55. delete - dupe.

[Clarkie1]

56. Sorry, but saying Colbert was "brave" is just silly.

I saw the audience snapshots. Some liked what he was saying by the looks on their faces, and some didn't.

It was delightful having Colbert do his act in from of Bush and the press corp., but to say he exibited some kind of exceptional bravery is just ludicrous, and that is taking nothing away from Colbert. He was doing an act he was hired to do!

It was great, but I can't believe how some people are worshipping this fellow.

[glarius]

59. Saying he was "brave" is not silly....IMO

"He was doing an act he was hired to do", yes, but the content of that act was up to him and he certainly did display courage to lace into Bush and the powerful press the way he did. Do you honestly believe they knew he was going to say the things he said?...I'm sorry, but I do think it is brave to put oneself on the line the way he did before the world's most powerful (though ridiculous) man!....He must have known he was possibly risking his job, considering what Karl Rove and his ilk have done in the past to other perceived "enemies."
As for the audience reaction ("I saw the audience snapshots. Some liked what he was saying by the looks on their faces, and some didn't")...well...I watched it on TV and sitting in my living room, I could feel the tension in the room. Some did applaud and laugh, of course, but most of those who applauded seemed nervous about doing it. He certainly did not receive a rousing reception by any account...I do not take back my words. I think he was brave!...So there!...:)

[Keseys Ghost]

57. TRUE GRIT!

[Norquist Nemesis]

60. The audience was probably scared of Bush's reaction

and thinking, "Oh, great. We're going to bomb Iran for sure now!"

[OxQQme]

63. My take on those balls...

I think they are hugh and they must be made of an extremely rare element called
"Unobtanium" which only a few have access. Mr Colbert must have found the mother lode.
Seriesly

[glarius]

62. I see on CNN they are splicing some of the least offensive Colbert jabs

into their latest presentation of...See George make fun of himself. Isn't he a good sport?....CNN must have received a lot of emails about the one-sidedness of their coverage of this.

[myrna minx]

64. I just watched it and wow, I must say it was incredible.

He never broke character. He is a brave genius! :applause:

[Lisa]

66. "truthiness" to power!

I bet that, even if the audience didn't roar (out of fear of punishment by BushCo, or because they felt that they too were implicated) -- every stifled titter or nervous laugh would have sounded like 90 decibels, to Bush. He is so sensitive about criticism that even a quiet response would be, to him, like open rebellion, among people he thought were his supporters (or at least, co-opted or intimidated into silence).

Mission accomplished.