article: Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots

[truthpusher]

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/news/politics/22322/index.html

from the article: Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots




Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots

The former Jon Stewart protégé created an entire comic persona out of right-wing doublespeak, trampling the boundary between parody and politics. Which makes him the perfect spokesman for a political season in which everything is imploding.

By Adam Sternbergh

(snip)

But the real reason he’s having a very good year is that we’re about to head to the polls in what the Times has characterized as “the most toxic midterm campaign environment in memory,” amid a barrage of attack ads that play out like Colbert-penned parodies. One Republican spot criticizes a Wisconsin Democrat and doctor for suing patients who hadn’t paid their medical bills and includes the line “Why don’t you just tell the truth, Dr. Millionaire?,” which is impossible to hear without imagining it in Colbert’s scolding, mock-stentorian voice. The president recently reached a compromise on torture legislation by redefining the meaning of torture. When a National Intelligence Estimate concluded that the war in Iraq had increased the terrorist threat to America, the White House’s official response was that the war in Iraq had not, in fact, increased the terrorist threat to America. Colbert’s cleverly worded political doublespeak—like the press-corps-dinner joke “Don’t pay attention to the approval ratings that say 68 percent of Americans disapprove of the job is doing. I ask you this: Does that not also logically mean that 68 percent of Americans approve of the job he’s not doing?”—could plausibly have come from the mouth of Tony Snow. Or Donald Rumsfeld. Or Karl Rove.

“Language has always been important in politics, but language is incredibly important to the present political struggle,” Colbert says. “Because if you can establish an atmosphere in which information doesn’t mean anything, then there is no objective reality. The first show we did, a year ago, was our thesis statement: What you wish to be true is all that matters, regardless of the facts. Of course, at the time, we thought we were being farcical.”

full article: http://newyorkmetro.com/news/politics/22322/index.html

[Kagemusha]

1. The last paragraph quoted makes me want to cry.

I was reading a thread on Daily Kos that started with the firm belief that even though Republicans are lying nonstop about everything under the sun as if there's no objective reality anymore, and none is needed or desired, that the American people were not stupid enough to fall for it.

And I'm like... is that your final answer?

It's sad. The joke's on us.

[LunaSea]

2. Has it only been a year?

I remember his first show. I remember thinking "he's not going to be able to make THIS work"
And in just a few months, that changed to "this guy is a comic genius of the first magnitude"
Thanks for the link.


(edited to add "comic", shouldn't give the lil' geek more credit than he deserves)

[MagickMuffin]

3. Stephen Colbert Tells It Like He Sees IT!

[AspenRose]

4. Woo Hoo, Stephen!

:yourock: :loveya:

Good article.

[lonestarnot]

5. That's my man! Yeah Stephen!

Stephen :yourock:

[Tin Man]

6. Great article - thanks for sharing - K&R

[I Have A Dream]

7. I loved this! Thanks! (Recommended.) n/t

[malaise]

8. What a great read

I love Colbert.

[The Count]

9. Must read: page 7 - advice to Dems, GOP on election

http://newyorkmetro.com/news/politics/22322/index6.html
Plan for Iraq - for Dems; not cut and run - sever and stroll
for GOP: What's Iraq?

[pacalo]

14. You're so right -- page 7 is a hoot!

And on page 5, I found this quote interesting. It's in regard to the internet's exhilaration following Colbert's performance at the WH Press Corps Dinner:

“It depresses me that there isn’t a politician who can address that frustration that was clearly evident in the reaction to what I did. Where’s the politician who can take advantage of that anger and that passion?”

here

[Laurab]

10. K & R and thank you!

I love Stephen Colbert - good article and great advice for the midterms!

[happydreams]

11. I used to think that Colbert and Jon Stewart were just funny....

but now realize they are much more than that. 5 years ago who would have predicted the evolution of the entertainment industry to become such an important vehicle for informing the public, making them feel human,and doing it with "fake news". It's brilliant beyond measure besides being funny as hell.



:crazy: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Laurab]

13. And the best part, I think

Is that their audience is quite young (try checking out the messageboard at colbertnation.com sometime). They're reaching people who NEED to be reached - young voters, who probably wouldn't know anything about this stuff if it weren't for Jon and Stephen.

I just love both of those guys, and every night, one or the other, if not both of them, have me laughing out loud at least once.

[Akoto]

12. This made me laugh:

On his show, Colbert defended Foley as misunderstood, claiming “stud” is a text-message acronym for “Strong Teenager Using Democracy,” and “horny” stands for “Happy On Reaching New Year’s.” “Every January 1,” announced Colbert in that unwavering pundit’s tone, “that is the message I send to my buddies at Stephen Colbert’s Youth Camp for Young Studs: ‘I am incredibly horny.’ ”

[hsher]

15. Advice to Stephen

>>“It depresses me that there isn’t a politician who can address that frustration that was clearly evident in the reaction to what I did. Where’s the politician who can take advantage of that anger and that passion?”

Um, thought of running? You and Jon?


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