When comedians are our best defense

Why is it up to comedians to point out how much of a sham our media and political institutions are?

Stephen Colbert dissects the Right's oxymoronic tactic of simultaneously calling Obama an ineffectual milquetoast president and a great evil that is dismantling America, whatever that means.

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And Jon Stewart points out that a president trying to appeal to Americans by treating them like adults is, well, a losing battle.

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Stewart's critique of an unhinged Keith Olbermann is another relevant one to watch.

American politics is now operated through carefully-constructed PR campaigns. The government runs like a corporation. Admit no fault. Engage in reckless behavior, deny, obfuscate, move on. Our mainstream media is perfectly comfortable with this charade. In fact, it's encouraged. Our modern media apparatus has taught Americans to want theatre. Complex problems that beg for rational solutions are not sexy. They don't "play well" on cable news. Therefore in a time like the present, when this country has a lot to fix, our media and political cultures can't handle. The media won't demand accountability, so politicians are allowed to ... dither, as they say. Fiddle while Rome burns. It's a big game to our media and political classes: Who's up, who's down, and how to I stay in office? It takes comedians to point that out now.

Colbert is The Force in American socio-political humor

You want three reasons Stephen Colbert is the prime political satirist and pure entertainer of our time. These are the final three "scenes" of the four-part episode.

First, this part of tonight's "Word" as the segment's called. He essentially apes Bill O'Reilly's talking points, where the text on screen is suggestive and "summarizes" (or adds to) or Bill's thoughts. Anyway, Colbert shows his razor sharp social commentary in discussing the near expiration of some of the Patriot Act and how Obama is advocating to continue the powers, but that's just basically a further civil liberty issue Obama (and the entire party frankly) has reneged on a promise on. (The three videos all have the same preview screenshot -- with Tiger Woods -- but they should be different.)



Here, Stephen interviews Steven King in his "Better get to know a Steven" series (Stephen Colbert meets a Steven with a V). He chats with Steven King. Colbert shows why he's such a great interviewer in this absurdist character he plays. The improviser in him comes out when responding to a guest, though usually the question is just a trap and puts the guest in a no win position. But that's not always an easy feat. Plus, the horror "visions" of Stephen's are hilarious.



And here why he's also an extremely intelligent, concerned citizen watching Rome burn and wondering what the hell is happening. He's with Tom Brokaw talking about the failures of the last decade. Who's to blame? Brokaw cops out and says everyone. Brokaw also tears into the decisions that were pretty obviously impacted by the Bush administration. But he refuses to place blame. Anyway, Colbert shows his depth here, yet he never loses to comedic touch.

Why he's the best

This Colbert interview of neocon, xenophobic, drop-dead boring goober Christopher Caldwell on Muslims being the biggest "problem" for Europe right now is amazing. 'The Europeans just aren't used to these Muslims in their pure largely monochromatic in their lands,' Caldwell implies. Colbert just toys with the poor sap, out neocon-ing the guy from The Weekly Standard. You can see at the end of the interview they have the camera view from behind Colbert. I could tell being at that perspective how he was devilishly smiling at his crew, as if to say, "Wasn't that fucking awesome?!"

And then after the interview, in the closing, Colbert adds one more jab.

The stuff that wins an Emmy Award

Stephen Colbert's episode on the Senate Finance Committee's health care bill is amazing.

Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts takes it pretty hard.

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We have to have compassion; Push hard on Obama

This is a great interview. Prof. Cornell West on 'The Colbert Report.' It's the master intellect of Stephen Colbert and some amazing insight from West. I could listen to West all day. And I'd definitely watch these two talk for awhile. They should have a buddy show. Or West should just be a regular guest on the show to spar with Stephen.

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