Colbert Exposes Obama

by anna shane, Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:02:52 AM EST

I've had great admiration for Stephen Colbert since that press dinner when he mocked George Bush accurately and brilliantly. Now I have even greater respect.  With all this fluff-up over the sly bird, the arrogance, and Obama's switch from hope to distain, Colbert showed us the hearts and minds of the last three standing Democratic candidates.

Hillary was the great sport, willing to laugh at herself and play her competence. She's so prepared, and so capable, she's able to parody herself.

John is so caring for the poor, and so willing to laugh at himself, he makes a great spokesman for all of us.  Hope he's our new Attorney General and I hope his Elizabeth is Poverty Czar.  

Barack is so arrogant and and unpleasant, he took the first pot shot Stephen offered and looked down on all of us. He showed no humor, so he's clearly incapable of getting his own joke.

Colbert exposed all three, Hillary and John as funny and clear on their priorities, Barack as arrogant and lofty, without charm or real humor.  

By the way, two male friends, supporters of Barack up until last week have switched to Hillary. One because he's decided we need someone competent who will get us out of Iraq and clean up Bush's big mess, and the other because he thinks, well, in his words:

"And as for Obama, after the dust settled, I have come to believe that his financial policies would be harmful to the country, esp. capital gains. He'd like to turn us into a socialist nation, it seems. Too bad his vision of equality, etc., wasn't tempered by realistic fiscal insight."

Hope the super's were watching Colbert.  I hope Barack gets that Colbert bump, exit stage left.  




Tags: Barack Obama, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Colbert Report (all tags)

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being "On Notice" (2.00 / 2)

Is a running Colbert gag. Only a fan of Colbert would get it....and it was very funny...Grizzly Bears ARE godless killing machines you know.


by JoeCoaster on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:08:24 AM EST

Re: being "On Notice" (2.00 / 3)

Agreed. If you watched Obama and didn't get the significance of the "On Notice" board and the grizzly bear references, you missed the joke entirely. (Hello, Julie Bosman of the New York Times!)


by jdusek on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:18:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

What are you talking about? (2.00 / 2)

How did you get that?

Colbert gives Clinton a brief comic relief bit about fixing his screen.

He lets Edwards do the frickin' Word (which is his best segment).

Then he brings Obama onto the screen that Clinton "fixed" for him ("I'm sure she'll be so glad that she fixed that for you...") and then lets Obama do the final segment, putting irrelevant campaign Distractions On Notice.

Huge cheering through the credits.

How was that exposing Obama as arrogant?


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:11:13 AM EST

Barack can take over (none / 0)

once she's fixed it. that means he can wait eight years, and we'll all benefit from Hillary fixing Bush's mess, even pugs want it fixed by a real competent.  Go Colbert!!!


by anna shane on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:16:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]

real competent? (none / 0)

So we should pick the candidate who ran the more competent campaign organization...right? That would be who again? Oh yeah...Obama.


by JoeCoaster on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:23:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

That takes some parsing (none / 0)

Congratulations.  I haven't seen logic that tortured since a mathmatician was in Abu Gharib.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:35:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

right!!! (none / 0)

he can wait cause you know she is entitled!!! who cares about primaries and voters when she has to eb president now.


-- be excellent to each other
by kindthoughts on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:26:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Barack can take over (none / 0)

Wow. Impressive.


My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!
by RLMcCauley on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:04:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Oh, and your friend... (2.00 / 1)

...is a Republican.

Capital Gains Tax is his reason?  What?

Considering that Clinton's stand on health care is more socialist than Obama's, methinks that your friend is borrowing from Peter to give to Paul.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:15:28 AM EST

my friend (none / 0)

is an indie, a left leaning libertarian, and was in that group Barack once inspired. The capital gains thing is weird, even if we get more revenue with the rate capped low it hasn't enough 'fairiness' so Barack will give a tax increase that hits middle income Americans so it'll feel fair?  To most people that sounds like his sense of moral trumps 'sound fiscal policy.'  It's a lose lose, pay more, less money in taxes, what could be more 'fairie.'  


by anna shane on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:19:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: my friend (none / 0)

Not everyone believes that right-wing neoclassical economics is "sound fiscal policy."  Reagan (& Bush) was convinved that lowering taxes on the wealthy would result in more tax revenue (thanks to the graph on the famous napkin.

Didn't work out too well in the 80's or in the 2000's.  But that's the great thing about the neoclassical economists, no amount of data from the world will shake their belief in their models.

I was in a class in grad school on interdnational development and a fellow student wanted to do a paper on capital controls and why they were effective.  The professor wouldn't let him do the paper, because it was clear that was the case.  The student argued that all the neoclassical economists argue against it.  Sure, was the response, but thats because they have a close to religious faith in their theories.


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:35:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Calling Obama a "socialist" (2.00 / 2)

mydd becomes more and more like redstate every day.


by xtrarich on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:17:22 AM EST

he's a comedian? (none / 0)

are comedians always socialists?  (I didn't know that)  


by anna shane on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:21:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Calling Obama a "socialist" (2.00 / 1)

funny, that's exactly the same word my very conservative Rush Limbaugh-listener sister used to describe Obama.  I see some overlap here.


by the mollusk on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:28:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Calling Obama a "socialist" (none / 0)

And we've got another diary sliding into oblivion that's calling him a Republican. Which is it folks; Right or Left?
by Capt America on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:00:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Calling Obama a "socialist" (none / 0)

they've never been able to make up their minds.


by the mollusk on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:07:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Calling Obama a "socialist" (none / 0)

Right, but normally you have one person calling him too far to the right and someone else saying too far to the left.  That at least makes sense, "why should I held responsible for what some other person thinks."  What is unusual is one person saying both in the same thread.


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:16:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (1.00 / 1)

pathetic,  who has republican friends these days?


Unable to rec or rate

Read this: http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/5/15/1427 30/254

by GeorgeP922 on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:19:24 AM EST

Obama (none / 0)

Obama has pug friends, he brags about it. He'd take Bush senior as a trusted adviser?  Last I looked, that guy was a pug?


by anna shane on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:23:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama (2.00 / 1)

You are all over the place.  Republicans are on the political right wing.  Socialism is on the left.  You can't argue that he is too far to the right and too far to the left at the same time.


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:36:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

"That guy" (none / 0)

Bush Sr. was head of the CIA and, when president, had a better excuse to be in Iraq and DID NOT get us mired in eternal war.

I'm not going to say that H.W. Bush was a good guy, but the guy knows international politics like the back of his hand.

On a seperate note, Obama's Republican friends support him because they realize what a hash the W. Bush administration has made of the country and are willing to roll the dice against their own social and economic interest on someone who will bring some moral character back to the White House.  Clinton, for all of her strengths, does not run her campaign on a "moral character" platform.  She says that she's a "fighter," which disinclines Republicans to support her... except for those who think that McCain can win against her more easily or think she's doing a bang-up job of harming the leading nominee, Obama.


In this avalanche, the pebbles get to vote.
by Dracomicron on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:42:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (2.00 / 1)

lol Obama is a republican because he would might increase capital gains taxes?

hahahahahahahaha


Congratulations to Barack Obama, the presumptive Presumptive Democratic Nominee
by TruthMatters on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:20:11 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

Pugs would remove all taxes if they could, or have a flat tax that is the same for the rich as for the rest of us.  Where did you get such an idea?  


by anna shane on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:24:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

From you diary, did you forget what you wrote.  You pointed out that your friends were now going for Clinton because they didn't like his position on capital gains taxes.

Libertarians also want taxes to nothing, even more so than Republicans.  Need a road, private enterprise will take care of it...


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:40:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (2.00 / 1)

Heh.

"HIALLRY IS ALWAYS TEH FUNNY! OBAMA SUX0RZ!"


Hooray for John McCain!
by ragekage on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:22:34 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (2.00 / 1)

And as for Obama, after the dust settled, I have come to believe that his financial policies would be harmful to the country, esp. capital gains. He'd like to turn us into a socialist nation, it seems.

Hillary's healthcare plan puts her a good bit closer to socialism (at least in that regard) than Obama.

Everyone is always so down on socialism. Pity. It's a marvelous idea, especially in theory. I'm not saying we should become a socialist nation, but if we could move steadily in that direction for awhile, we'd be better off.


Support forced pregnancy? Vote John McCain 2008!
by sricki on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:25:14 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

I, for one, don't want 60% of my income taxed to pay for a million social programs.

Full disclosure, I'm an Obama supporter and I realize he has floated the idea of raising taxes on the middle class to pay for said programs.  But, m'eh..


by XoFalconXo on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:42:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

At least he is floating the idea of how to pay for them...  I keep reading promise after promise from the candidates, last one was Clinton's 100 day plan... and I keep wondering, how on Earth are you going to pay for this?


Like the nominee, don't like the nominee... Our nominee is still better than John McCain...
by JenKinFLA on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:54:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

I'd prefer it if he promised to cut social programs.  But then, I'm a left-leaning libertarian, not a liberal.


by XoFalconXo on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:03:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (2.00 / 1)

Not sure what show you were watching, the On Notice bit was pretty funny, especially when he said Grizzly Bears aer the biggest threat to the nation. What a weird diary. Thought it was snark until the end and the story about your friend who thinks reaising capital gains is socialism.


by AHunch on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:25:57 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

I always thought Colbert should play up the "bear" in his name... like Stephen Colbert: Bear in his name, but Eagle in his heart.

I think this shows why I am not a comedy writer.


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:44:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

I've always thought that was part of the joke.


by Gimmeliberty on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:54:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Here's a link.... (none / 0)

with to Cobert/Clinton video - Colbert/Edwards video - Colbert/Obama video

http://video1.washingtontimes.com/bellan toni/2008/04/obama_and_edwards_crash_cli nto.html

You're right; Edwards was great, Clinton's skit was pretty good...Obama sounded like he was complaining about the media -"distractions."


by soyousay on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:33:57 AM EST

Re: Here's a link.... (none / 0)

Edwards was by far the best. Clinton seemed kind of wooden to me, like she was very uncomfortable with the situation. Obama seemed right at home and had the crowd eating from his hand.
by Capt America on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:03:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Here's a link.... (none / 0)

I gotta agree, he also had the best material.  The jet ski stuff was hilarious.


by labor nrrd on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:07:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Here's a link.... (none / 0)

What a whiner. No one should whine about the media treatment right?


My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!
by RLMcCauley on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:07:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

So is Obama a socialist or a crypto-Republican? (none / 0)

'Cause as convenient as it would be for the whole demonization trip, he can't actually be both.


by Progressive Witness on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:41:57 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)


by Progressive Witness on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:42:07 AM EST

BO broke the first law of comedy.. (none / 0)

he tried to be funnier than the really funny person (Colbert) instead of being a straight man.  Result is looking incredibly unfunny and goofy.


by Molee on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 10:56:49 AM EST

Re: BO broke the first law of comedy.. (none / 0)

Colbert plays the straightman, he just does it for laughs. It's hard to play off of, and that's where a lot of the show's humor comes from; it makes his guests uncomfortable. Obama did great for being on a satilite link, look at Clinton on the Daily Show before Ohio; she failed to even seem like she was paying attention, much less acting personable.
by Capt America on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:05:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: BO broke the first law of comedy.. (none / 0)

Colbert IS the straight man. That's his bit.


My candidate lost fair and square. So did yours. Get over it and let's kick McSame's ass!
by RLMcCauley on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:08:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

One of the most delusional diaries I have ever seen.
Colbert was great, the show was one of the best - every one watch it and understand the core message then go and vote as per his intructions.
by dbeall on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:19:24 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

Talk about rose colored glasses!

I knew Hillary was going to be on the show, but when Edwards showed up, I felt bad because he completely upstaged her with his performance.  

Hillary and Obama were good.  Edwards was great.  I really enjoyed the show.


Donate to Obama, Today!
by freedom78 on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:27:28 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

Uhh... honestly, what were you watching to get that idea???  I uhh... wow, I can't even make an argument right now because I am so confounded by how you got those impressions...
>_<
Vote Change in '08!
by iowa dem on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 11:56:51 AM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (2.00 / 1)

they were all great, especially my guy (Edwards).

Really, what a sad diary. May be you should stick with writing about the grassy knoll. Not everything is a conspiracy.

A paranoid person is right once in awhile, not all the time.


by IowaMike on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:05:18 PM EST

Yes, the Superdelgates were certainly waiting... (none / 0)

...for the Colbert Show to make their final decision.


by Lieber on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:33:19 PM EST

Raising capital gains tax 5-10% (none / 0)

is socialist? God forbid those poor billionaires pay their fair share. WTF.


by TheSilverMonkey on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 12:56:59 PM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

John Edwards was great.  I really wish he was still in the race.  I have a lot of respect for him and his dedication to progressive causes.  


by JustJennifer on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 01:32:55 PM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

You'll be sorry when a bear gets you


by wrb on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 01:45:10 PM EST

Re: Colbert Exposes Obama (none / 0)

I wish I could put lame MyDD diaries on notice.


by Rumproast on Fri Apr 18, 2008 at 02:42:18 PM EST


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