Of course, there is some imitation and parody going on there. But he doesn’t really seem to be doing an impression of O’Reilly.
Further, he seems to be making fun of a lot of concepts that didn’t necessarily originate with O’Reilly (“gut,” “books are all fact, no heart,” etc.).
Bonus question: Do you think Colbert’s character will evolve over time. Right now, of course, he is playing pretty much the opposite of what he believes. I find it incredibly funny, but the result is that I never get to “meet” the real Colbert. I wonder if he will start showing his real self and break character
Check is wiki, he identifies as a democrat. I love Colbert, but O’Reilly is funnier because he’s real. Kind of like my old boss. Loud, obnoxious, and a total prick.
Colbert* isn’t supposed to be O’Reilly, but it is clear that he idolizes him (along with Wilford Brimley, Dr. Gregory House, and a few others.) Colbert often lovingly refers to O’Reilly as “papa bear” (which is rather unusual, seeing as he has a hatred of bears), and appears to model himself after his hero.
*The fictional Stephen Col-bear, as opposed to the real Stephen Col-bert. In a New York magazine interview, Stephen Col-bert pointed out he himself pronounces his last name differently to refer to both himself and his fictional counterpart.
I’m not too familiar with AitF, so I’ll take your word for it that that show in some way makes explicit its writers’ views on various social issues.
But the Colbert report? I see that he is parodying right wing pundits. This causes me to suspect (though not think with any certainty) that he does not count himself as being on the political right. But “not on the political right” is a very wide category. Colbert could be a libertarian, for all I know, and he could be a socialist, for all I know. Just from watching the show, I mean.
I am wondering whether he is on the record anywhere as to what his views are like.
I haven’t watched with this question in mind, so I am sure there have been, so to speak, “telling moments” in the show that are not coming to my mind atm. (For example, jokes that only work if Colbert presumes that his audience presumes that he presumes that political view X is the correct political view.) What sort of such moments have there been, if any?
Other than that, what has he said outside his show that tells us his views?
-FrL-
You were given a link by Moe. While he doesn’t say who he voted for he does say very clearly that he has no respect for republican policies 43 mins into it.
BTW a big thanks to Moe for that link. Great stuff.