# The President of the United States vs. Steve Colbert? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915 "2006-05-01T04:11:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/61 "2006-05-02T17:21:38Z")
Why is entertainment only to amuse or please? It can also send messages that would be unacceptable in a different format. (think court jester). I thought Colbert was brilliant, but I couldn’t watch it all–the tension was too high for me and the evisceration too insightful. Much as I loathe Bush et al, I was uncomfortable with their comeuppance–but that’s my general pussiness, not a fault of Colbert’s. If anything, he needs a more worthy opponent. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/62 "2006-05-02T17:23:30Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Stewart called the performace “balls-a-licious.” [/QUOTE] Now I have to scrub my brain. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/63 "2006-05-02T18:31:07Z")
Colbert is all in-your-face and roasty, roasty only because he’s secure in the knowledge that his wife isn’t a spy for the United States. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/64 "2006-05-02T22:23:12Z")
It was like a dream come true. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished that somehow I could get to tell King George what I thought of him, but Stephen Colbert did it with a lot more style. 😉 He deserves our thanks. [thank stephen](http://thankyoustephencolbert.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/65 "2006-05-02T23:44:23Z")
[Interesting interview with Colbert](http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=83674§ion=hiprofile) ---
**Author:** ![Snag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Snag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snag)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/66 "2006-05-02T23:46:53Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] Well, the point is to entertain and amuse your audience. It seemed to me that his audience wasn’t all that amused. I should also point out that John Stewart’s appearance on Crossfire was not satire. It was him getting on a soapbox. [/QUOTE] This wasn’t so much a take down of Bush IMO as a take down of the press using a litany of Bush’s f\*ups that he rarely has addressed to his face. I thought much of it was very funny, but Colbert wasn’t necessarily playing it for laughs. Maybe he was playing ‘to the back of the room’, for the people that are critical of the press, but he was being sardonic regarding the rest of the room. He was pointing the finger as much at them as the President. Although I must admit, he spent a lot of time making unflinching eye contact with Bush, not letting him off the hook either. I say, Mission Accomplished. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/67 "2006-05-02T23:58:16Z")
I’ve seen Colbert be hysterical, but it wasn’t at the Correspondent’s Dinner. There he was too dead-on and bone-chilling to be really funny, more nervous laughter than anything else. That said I’m among those who also thinks it will go down in the history books and be studied in colleges, not just for the _chutzpah_ but for what it says about freedom of speech. It’s also incredible for the “absurdity squared = reality” weirdness factor: Bush is (in)famous for using “real” media and Q&As as propaganda ops that would make Joey Goebbels blush (whether one of the “come fellate the president” rallies in the heartland or the Gannon Affair or the teleprompted soldiers, etc.) and then the “fake” news person is the first to absolutely point the nail gun and start blasting away- it’s like vintage Tarantino or the best South Park moments in that it’s fucked up and wonderful at the same time. (Of course the really sad part and reason the president wsa furious is that they had told him Stephen Colbert was the real name of Larry the Cable Guy). As far as it’s humor, I think Stephen Colbert wasn’t particularly funny in the same way that [Thomas Nast’s cartoons](http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/) weren’t particularly funny. Just because they were cartoons didn’t mean they were belly laughers, but they sure were important. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/68 "2006-05-03T06:34:03Z")
> [@](#): > > (Of course the really sad part and reason the president wsa furious is that they had told him Stephen Colbert was the real name of Larry the Cable Guy). This is almsot too funny to be true. Does anyone have a cite to this? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/69 "2006-05-03T14:55:49Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] I’ve seen Colbert be hysterical, but it wasn’t at the Correspondent’s Dinner. There he was too dead-on and bone-chilling to be really funny, more nervous laughter than anything else. That said I’m among those who also thinks it will go down in the history books and be studied in colleges, not just for the _chutzpah_ but for what it says about freedom of speech. As far as it’s humor, I think Stephen Colbert wasn’t particularly funny in the same way that [Thomas Nast’s cartoons](http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/) weren’t particularly funny. Just because they were cartoons didn’t mean they were belly laughers, but they sure were important. [/QUOTE] I think we are in agreement. From a strictly comedic perspective, no, I did not find Colbert particularly funny. But I do think it sends a strong positive statement about the power of free speach in this country. Unfortunately between Colbert and Stewart, it also sends a strong message of how the much the “fake news” of shows like The Daily Show and “real news” has merged together. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/70 "2006-05-03T15:45:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] )Of course the really sad part and reason the president wsa furious is that they had told him Stephen Colbert was the real name of Larry the Cable Guy). [/QUOTE] That’s the kind of host they’ll be hiring in the future, after this experience. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/71 "2006-05-03T16:01:51Z")
The most disturbing thing about that evening were the Twin Bushes (not the daughters but Dubya and the impersonator). While comedically it worked, there’s something I find very disturbing about the president of the United States joking about how stupid, ineloquent and anti-intellectual he is. At the height of the partisan dogfights under Clinton (some of the shots from the right being quite justified), I never once heard his worst enemies question the man’s intelligence or knowledge- to me there’s nothing funny about stupidity in positions of highest power. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/72 "2006-05-03T16:03:50Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] As far as it’s humor, I think Stephen Colbert wasn’t particularly funny in the same way that [Thomas Nast’s cartoons](http://cartoons.osu.edu/nast/) weren’t particularly funny. Just because they were cartoons didn’t mean they were belly laughers, but they sure were important. [/QUOTE] Funny, I don’t find that to be an apt comparison at all. I’m sure you have different reasons for not laughing at Thomas Nast cartoons than I do, though. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/73 "2006-05-03T16:12:15Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] I think we are in agreement. From a strictly comedic perspective, no, I did not find Colbert particularly funny. But I do think it sends a strong positive statement about the power of free speach in this country. Unfortunately between Colbert and Stewart, it also sends a strong message of how the much the “fake news” of shows like The Daily Show and “real news” has merged together. [/QUOTE] Which is an indictment of the “real” journalists, not the satirists. If they were doing their jobs, then Colbert and Stewart’s antics wouldn’t be half as necessary. What’s really interesting is that Colbert’s adress wasn’t any more edgy or daring than his show. It’s the same material from the same character. Freedom of speech isn’t about saying something extraordinary, it’s about saying the stuff you’d say anyway in the face of power. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/74 "2006-05-03T16:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] I’m sure you have different reasons for not laughing at Thomas Nast cartoons than I do, though. [/QUOTE] Probably. Personally I don’t find them funny because they’re way too derivative of _Family Guy_. I would lay you odds that in the talky versions Boss Tweed would sound just like Stewey. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/75 "2006-05-03T16:36:33Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Probably. Personally I don’t find them funny because they’re way too derivative of _Family Guy_. I would lay you odds that in the talky versions Boss Tweed would sound just like Stewey. [/QUOTE] While I think they would make him sound more like my grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/76 "2006-05-03T18:12:03Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] I thought that kind of sucked too. I’m not a Bush fan or a fan of the guys on Crossfire or anything, but I think these Daily Show folks are starting to get a little full of themselves. As Stewart himself says, his show follows a show about puppets making crack calls. [/QUOTE] You didn’t like it? Wow, that is truly shocking! I wonder what **Shodan** and **pkbites** thought of it? Truly, I am on pins and needles. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/77 "2006-05-03T18:34:58Z")
I’m wondering if whoever booked Colbert for this actually had him confused with Bill O’Reilly or any of the other shitstains Colbert’s character **parodies.** ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/78 "2006-05-03T19:05:35Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] I’m wondering if whoever booked Colbert for this actually had him confused with Bill O’Reilly or any of the other shitstains Colbert’s character **parodies.** [/QUOTE] See above. He was hired for the gig by the Associated Press, not by anyone in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/79 "2006-05-03T19:27:06Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] Either someone in charge of getting the talent for this shindig pwnd the Prez, [/QUOTE] [emphasis mine] I am still amazed that one typo way back on the old the World of Warcraft _Beta_ servers has snowballed into such a mainstream term. I’m also not sure, to this day, how you’re supposed to pronounce “pwn”. 😉 (Or, for that matter, “zomg”.) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915/80 "2006-05-03T19:29:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] Personally I don’t find them funny because they’re way too derivative of _Family Guy_. [/QUOTE] I thought it was firmly established, via _South Park_, that every episode of _Family Guy_ is written by an aquarium tank full of manatees. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-president-of-the-united-states-vs-steve-colbert/354915.md?page=5)