Will Colbert's speech change anything?

[Paula Sims]

Like most (OK, almost all) of you I am thrilled that Colbert said what we all were/are thinking and did it in a wonderful way. My question is whether the press will do anything positive about it (I especially liked the line about taking time to write the great American fiction novel) or will they continue to sheeple their way through their jobs.

As was mentioned by Randi Rhodes last week, Bolton/Snow might take the cameras out of the Daily Briefing and I'm wondering if that, coupled with the Colbert comments, will finally hit what my husband calls "the tipping point".

Are we there yet?

:shrug: :shrug:



Paula

[uberblonde]

1. Oh yeah, something will happen.

Unless he stays out of small planes...

[Eric J in MN]

2. The Republicans gerrymandered House districts after the 1990 census.

Publicly, they said we need to concentrate blacks in their own districts, instead of letting them swing the vote in mixed districts, for the sake of the civil rights of blacks.

Privately, they called it "Operation Ratfuck." Rat=Democrat to these Republicans.

Gerrymandering has gotten even worse since then.

Without a system of drawing Congressional districts fairly, the most brilliant comedian in the world isn't enough.

[robbedvoter]

5. And, don't forget Diebold either...

But I had a sense of reprieve for 48h.....Thanks Stephen!

[Inland]

3. He won't get invited again. nt

[Telly Savalas]

26. And the person who invited him will get a promotion.

Booking Colbert to speak there was a pretty boneheaded thing to do, and the White House is very generous about rewarding boneheaded behaviour.

[tsuki]

4. Was Colbert's speech an ERMurrow moment? nt

[robbedvoter]

7. If a tree falls in the woods.....

[ruggerson]

6. Yes, it will absolutely change the world

and rightwingers will see the error of their ways en masse.

And it deserves at least 120 more threads on DU.

[robbedvoter]

11. Oh, it deserves 500 threads on DU - we need to celebrate too

Metter than the rape threads any day!
Bring on the Colbert threads!

[rocktivity]

8. It already has.

Just as Cindy Sheehan legitimized our rage at Bush's policies, Colbert has legitimized our rage at the national media that have enabled him. We can no longer be dismissed as a ragtag handful of complainers.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Cha]

9. I don't know if anything will

happen now with these lazy :scared: ostriches but Colbert's Report 8 feet away from the bushitler will go down in the annuals of time as one of the gutsiest moves in history.

[Junkdrawer]

10. If little-ole-Colbert can look * in the eye and tell the truth...

maybe, just maybe, others will follow.

A man can dream, can't he? :shrug:

[Generator]

12. I don't know but everytime one person shows some courage

and says or shows the truth-the press as been acting like STENOGRAPHERS-Colbert said that!!-AND THEY KNEW he meant it and they knew they were guitly. That's why not so funny. Oh man, anyway..it just does me good. The truth is always what's required. It changes the very structure of the atoms we breathe. Also-Colbert stood inches from the President and mocked his very being. So brilliant. He's my new personal hero. Wow.

[asthmaticeog]

13. No.

[Zen]

23. Support your negativity

His words will have no meaning to any of the media people who were sitting there?

[asthmaticeog]

29. My "negativity?"

The fact that this dinner is justifiably minor news every year and that the last notorious attack appearance, that by Don Imus, did nothing to hurt the president he attacked indicates that this is likely to have no effect. As for the journalists in the audience, their jobs are basically sinecures. They don't have to change shit. If *forced* to confront (rather than dismiss) what he said, it's much easier for them to attack him than to change they way they've done their jobs their whole lives. They're the gatekeepers of information, and even if Colbert's bit goes viral as an internet phenom (which seems to be happening, to my unabashed joy - there WAS some killer material in there), that STILL fails to reach the critical mass of people that mainstream journalism has ready access to.

And really, you expect one ten minute talk - to a crowd that was PLAINLY hostile - to do all the work for us? Grow the hell up. My "negativity" is meaningless in the face of the stupid polyannaish "OMFG HE'S TOAST" glee we see on DU every time someone famous says something against Bush. It's fucking embarassing sometimes. I give credit where it's due - Colbert had courage to heil right in der fuhrer's face, but to expect that to effect widespread social change? It won't.

My answer remains "No."

[linazelle]

14. How do you go from speaking truth to power to changing

the entire power base? Who is to know whether this speech will be the catalyst that will spark change? I haven't seen any mindreaders on DU in the years I've been here. All that we can do is appreciate that Stephen Colbert spoke up in a climate where so few do. That is the point here. This is about courage. It's about, as one DUer said, him being invited to "play nice" and opting not to because the invitations were from scum. It's really that simple.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

15. No.

Enjoyable but not regime-changing.

[Zen]

25. How about in the media?

Will the media folks who sat through that be completely unaffected by his words after they've had several weeks to sink in?

[Mabus]

16. It helped show us how divorced from reality the really media is

Everyone I have talked to about Colbert's performance thinks it is one of the most, if not the most, hysterical thing they had ever seen. Most people have watched Colbert's performance several times and they think it gets funnier with each rewatching. I agree.

But back to your question, will the press change or continue to be sheeple. Right now the answer is obvious they remain sheeple. With Bush at an all-time low (or Hindenberg high) the press are still to afraid to laugh at the Imposter-in-Chief. They are still afraid to be too critical lest their access gets cut. Worse, they may not be invited to GOP luncheons or barred from the other gratis they get. They were also too afraid to laugh because much of the criticism was aimed at them and they have yet to be held accountable or admit their complicity in this idiot's presidency and his mistakes.

[robbedvoter]

17. We are right here:

[Strawman]

18. It sure didn't hurt

It's nice to be on offense in the media against these asswipes.

[KAZ]

19. Changed a lot on DU.

And some might say, not for the better. "Eggs in one basket" comes to mind. "Eyes on the prize", is another. In my mind, "specific relief" is the most relevant. Mr. C. delivered fighting words, and I'm more than ready to fight.

[DanCa]

20. He vented for all of us!

Right in Chimpy's face. I'll take that as a win, and any win that we have nowadays, is a win that I'll gladly take without question.

[yorkiemommie1]

21. me, too

it was just nice that he got to lay it all out where chimpy and the audience could not help but pay attention. and that is what has been so frustrating- the feeling that no one would listen to what we have to say. well for 10 minutes, they had no choice. they couldn't shut off our mikes, they couldn't move us to an obscure room, they couldn't outshout us. they HAD TO LISTEN.

and that makes me feel good.

[Zen]

22. You know something - it just might.

I am not going to say that something overt is going to suddenly just jump out at us all obvious like.

But I have a feeling that the media sitting there listening to that will not be able to get it out of their heads for a long, long time.

Give it some time to sink in & look for subtle changes over time...

[shance]

24. It already has.

n/t

[NastyDiaper]

27. The president was ambushed.

Like never before. I think we've only begun to dissect this event.

The next time Bush sits still for such a steady stream of criticism, will be at his impeachment.

[Clarkie1]

28. No. The change is up to us. n/t