The Blue State

8/29/06 Morning Clips with Breakfast

I want to make this a routine.  Once each day, I will post a roundup of the most buzz-worthy videos that sum up the latest water-cooler talk in politics.

First Up: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert raided the Emmy Awards.  Yes, I am one day late for showing this clip -- but there was so much news yesterday.  During their presentation of the award for Best Reality Competition Program, the two reminded us why they are the perfect antidote to the Fox News channel.

Second in Line: Democratic Party ignores a potential opportunity.  Over in California, Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is under fire for giving out money in exchange for campaign contributions.  The Democrats could challenge him and aggressively fund his opponent.  But as this UNC TV report explains, even though Lewis is now being investigated by the Justice Department, the Democats are too afraid of going after someone with such high status.

Third: Katherine Harris separates mind from sanity.  Jack Cafferty reads through some interesting e-mails that CNN has been getting about Katherine Harris.  If you recall, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Florida was the one who said that "God chooses our leaders," and that not electing Christian candidates means "you are going to legislate sin."

Fourth: Hannity the hurricane man.  During a weather report on Fox's Hannity and Colmes, Hannity seemed rather interested as to whether hurricane Ernesto will to hit Cuba.  Make of it what you want.

Fifth, But Not Least: Maher meet Kos.  This is from Friday.  Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos blog appeared on the HBO show Real Time with host Bill Maher.  The two discussed how the Democrats can possibly counter the Republican noise machine.

More clips tomorrow.

Video: Stewart and Colbert give Geraldo the ultimate payback

I think the last person who thought Geraldo Rivera was a liberal left the building hours ago.  After Geraldo's tirade on the O'Reilly Factor a few weeks ago, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert messed with the Fox News reporter, who has a reputation of taking himself a little too seriously:

Click to watch video clip

---- Partial Transcript ----

COLBERT: "John, why are you closing yourself off from Geraldo?  He came to unlock the vault of your heart; and when he opened it, it was empty.  An empty vault.  And he had a camera crew -- it was very embarrassing."

STEWART: "I really don't understand why --"

COLBERT: "Well maybe if you walked a mile in his shoes."

STEWART: "What?  By fighting Danny Bonaduce for charity?  By giving away troop movements in Iraq?"

COLBERT: "No John.  By walking a mile in his mustache."

In the ongoing battle between Fox News and Comedy Central, I'd say that Comedy Central is getting the better end.

And if you don't recall how this whole thing started, here is the video.
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Other sites blogging about this story: I Never Knew, and my site!

Video: Colbert annoys Rep.

Last night on the Colbert Report, host Steven Colbert interviewed U.S. House Rep. (D) Lynn Woosley , whose district is right outside San Francisco.  Colbert did his best to challenge Woosley for her support of gay people in the military, yet her opposition for the war in Iraq.  Steven looked for a contradiction:

Click to watch video clip

--- Partial Transcript ---

COLBERT: "In a related matter, you are in favor of gay people being allowed to be in the military.  And yet, you want our troops to come home from Iraq.  But if we send gay troops home from Iraq for being gay, you would protest and say no leave them there, even though they are gay.  Aren't you trying to have it both ways?"

WOOSLEY: "Well, I wouldn't want gay soldiers to be sent home because they're gay."

COLBERT: "But isn't that putting an unfair burden on the gay soldiers, to leave only them there?"

WOOSLEY: "No, we're not going to do that.  First of all, there are supposedly no gay soldiers."

COLBERT: "There are not."

WOOSLEY: "So, there you go.  That's a moot question."

COLBERT: "I accept your apology."

Lynn Woosley was a great sport.  Colbert is one of those people that could argue any position on any issue.  That is exactly what they teach you in philosophy!

Video: Lamont and Colbert go at it

On Monday night's episode of the Colbert Report, host Steven Colbert interviewed Connecticut Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont, who leads incumbent Joe Lieberman in the polls.  Colbert did his best to attack Lamont's patriotism for questioning Bush and Lieberman during a time of war:

Click to watch video clip

-------- Partial Transcript ------

LAMONT: "I think it's our obligation to stand up as citizens."

COLBERT: "In a time of war, is that really the time to be asking whether we should be at war?"

LAMONT: "We've been over there three and a half years.  We've been over there in Iraq almost as long as our troops in World War II."

COLBERT: "Once it's over, once it's over, we can ask whether we should leave."

LAMONT: "At the pace we're going, we're going to be there for an awfully long time.  I think the best hope for us is to start bringing those troops home.  We've got to start asking those questions now.  Look, we got into this mess not because we asked too many questions, but because we asked too few.  And now is the time to start asking those questions."

Lamont was smart to go on the Colbert Report because he needs to make sure that the Connecticut youth show up at the polls on August 8th.  The only age demographic that supports Lieberman more than Lamont is those 65 and older.  That also happens to be the age group that historically shows up on election day.  Progressives are hoping that voters 18 to 30 years of age will turn out like they did in 2004.
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Other blogs writing about this issue: Stallnine, Leftword, Spazeboy, Intoxination, The New Down, The Daily Background, MyDD, News you Can Abuse, Free Press, The Rational Liberal, Rhode Island's Future, I am a TV Junkie.

Video: Steven Colbert annoys Congresswoman Norton

Steven Colbert is great at getting under people's skin.  Last night on the Colbert Report, he interviewed U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat from Washington DC.  Colbert did his best to convince Norton that she did not live in the United States:

Click to watch video clip

----------- Partial Transcript --------

NORTON: "You are the first to suggest that the nation's capital is not in the United States."

COLBERT: "I don't think it is."

NORTON: "Oh my goodness.  That's civics lesson number two.  We are a part of the United States of America."

COLBERT: "But you're not a state.  Just by definition, aren't you not in the United States?  You have to give me that.  That doesn't make much sense."

NORTON: "No, I don't give you that."

COLBERT: "Answer me this.  Were you born in the district?"

NORTON: "Born right here."

COLBERT: "So you can never be president."

NORTON: "Why not?"

COLBERT: "Because you have to be born in the United States."

Eleanor Holmes Norton was a great sport.  I hope that once the Democrats take back Congress this November they will finally give the District of Columbia a real vote.  The citizens of D.C. need a say.  This is a democracy we're talking about here.
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Other blogs writing about this Steven Colbert: Easy, Hello Kaisa!, Dynalinks, Goofyblog, Life According to Christina, Nimble Books LLC, Diary of the Mad Dragon, Innisfree, Piece of Mind, Hot Air, The Editors Blog, The Hamilton Democracy, Colbert Dedication, Wilson's Blogmanac, Goddess of Chaotic Silly, Sanity.

Video: Colbert uses O'Reilly tactics on lawyer

Mocking conservative commentators over at Fox News, last night Steven Colbert attacked Neal Katyal, a lawyer of a detainee at Guantanamo Bay who argued a case before the Supreme Court.  Colbert was outraged at the idea that Katyal believes in a system where fair trials are acceptable:

Click to watch video clip

------ Partial Transcript -----

COLBERT: "You defended a detainee at Gitmo in front of the Supreme Court.  For what reason?  Why did you do it?"

KATYAL: "Well, because simple thing: the guy wanted a fair trial."

COLBERT: "Why do you hate our troops?"

KATYAL: "I love our troops."

COLBERT: "But do you?  You got a funny way of showing it, sir."

KATYAL: "Well, the truth is that I thought I would get a lot of hate mail from people like yourself."

COLBERT: "I've been busy.  But I've been intending to."

KATYAL: "The interesting thing is for every piece of hate mail I get..I get about ten pieces of mail from troops..that says you are doing something that is defending me because when I'm out there in the field, and if I'm caught, I need the Geneva Conventions, I need international law to protect me.  And I want a fair trial."

COLBERT: "I don't think we're going to hold our own troops at Gitmo though."

KATYAL: "Absolutely."

COLBERT: "Doesn't make any sense.  It's falling apart.  Is this how you argue before the Supreme Court?...Scalia would tear this thing right apart.  He's a buddy of mine, you know?"

KATYAL: "He's a great man."

COLBERT: "Now, when did you first realize that you hated our country?  How old were you when you said to yourself, 'I'm taking this country down?'"

I bet somewhere in America there is a conservative who watches the Colbert Report every night and actually takes what Steven says literally.  For the last time, it's called satire!
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Other blogs writing about this issue: Ice Cream Headache, VOA News, Boing Boing, BTC News, Photographerno, Waynes World, At Home, Vote.com, Articles Hub.

Video: Colbert mocks GOP's Social Security privatization ideology

Last night on the Colbert Report, host Steven Colbert mocked the Republican position on Social Security, which concludes that we should leave our seniors out in the cold to fend for themselves:

Click to watch video clip

COLBERT: "I say retirement is a reward only for our most productive.  It's an incentive.  You get to retire when you've done your work.  And if you aren't rich enough to retire, you obviously still have more work to do.

"...Putting old people to work could solve another big problem: illegal immigration.  If we deport illegal immigrants, who will do the job Americans don't want to do?  Bingo, as in get those old people out of the bingo parlors and into the fields."

Sometimes it takes a comedian like Steven Colbert to expose how crazy the GOP proposal to privatize Social Security really is (obviously that part about illegal immigration was just a comedic add-on, and not really part of the GOP plan).  What Colbert did not mention was the fact that the Republican Social Security privatization scheme would add $2 trillion in transition costs to the National Debt for future generations to pay off.  Sound like a good plan?

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Other blogs writing about this issue: Blue Buckeye Blog, MyDD, Left in the West.

Video: Colbert corners Matthews on Iraq

Many conservatives who watch the Colbert Report each night have no idea that he is actually making fun of them.  During the Tuesday night show, he tried to back guest Chris Matthews into a rhetorical corner on the issue of Iraq, using the typical right-wing tactic of turning any criticism of U.S. policy into a criticism of the U.S. itself:

Click to watch video clip

--------- Partial Transcript --------

COLBERT: "You never supported the war.  Why?  Everyone else did.  Even the Democrats did."

MATTHEWS: "I thought it would end up creating more terrorism than when we started."

COLBERT: "Boy, you got egg on your face now."

MATTHEWS: "I know.  Yeah, you got me.  This has turned out to be a real winner."

COLBERT: "Well, listen.  We're fighting them there so we don't have to fight them here, right?"

MATTHEWS: "Oh, that's how it works?  There's just a limited number of them?"

COLBERT: "Do you not listen to the President?  That's what he says."

MATTHEWS: "You know, people aren't born terrorist -- they become terrorist."

COLBERT: "Mhmm.  So wait a second.  Are you blaming terrorism on the United States?"

MATTHEWS: "No, I'm saying people --"

COLBERT: "You say we made terrorists."

MATTHEWS: "No I didn't.  I said --"

COLBERT: "Oh come on Chris.  Put it together."

That rhetorical tactic worked very well against Max Cleland in 2002 and against John Kerry in 2004.  But now that a majority of the country is against this war, the tactic of labeling people as disloyal to the United States is a losing political strategy.
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Other blogs writing about this issue: A Philistine on the Sidewalk, Craker Thoughts, Inside Zebster, These are Hard Times for Dreamers.

Video: Colbert annoys Democratic Rep. DeGette

On the Thursday edition of the Colbert Report, host Steven Colbert interviewed Democrat Diana DeGette, a member of the U.S. House who represents the city of Denver, Colorado.  They covered everything from her district to female presidential candidates.  Colbert, not surprisingly, accused her of being flip-flopping:

Click to watch video clip

--------- Partial Transcript -------

DEGETTE: "Name one person who is qualified to run for president?  I would say --"

COLBERT: "Let me throw out some names -- a woman for president."

DEGETTE: "Okay."

COLBERT: "Condi Rice."

DEGETTE: "What do you want me to --"

COLBERT: "I want you to say she's qualified and she'd be great."

DEGETTE: "Well, I think Condi Rice would be qualified.  I don't think she'd be a great president."

COLBERT: "So Condi Rice is qualified for president?"

DEGETTE: "Yeah."

COLBERT: "Okay, thank you for that endorsement.  Can you think of any women who'd be a great president."

DEGETTE: "I would support Hillary Clinton."

COLBERT: "And what about Condoleezza Rice.  Do you still support her?"

DEGETTE: "No, I wouldn't support her."

COLBERT: "Do you see how you're flip-flopping?"

Diana DeGette was a great sport.  Here is Diana's Congressional web site.

Video: Colbert argues with himself about Guantanamo

As activist groups continue the fight to close down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, others conclude that it would be the equivalent of letting a bunch of prisoners of the state run free.  But if they are prisoners, why have they not been charged?  On "The Colbert Report," host Steven Colbert argued with his alter ego about the Guantanamo Bay issue:

Click to watch video clip

---------Partial Transcript---------

COLBERT #1: "...but holding men without trial, isn't that unamerican?"

COLBERT #2: "Evidently not."

COLBERT #1: "Isn't America supposed to be the number one defender of human rights?  These man are being held under terrible conditions."

COLBERT #2: "Terrible Conditions?  Gitmo's in the Caribbean.  It's like Club Med."

COLBERT #1: "Where you're kept in a tiny cell, you're told what to do all day, and if you don't eat you're forced fed?"

COLBERT #1: "Okay, it's more like a cruise ship."

Great cruise ship analogy.  You'd have to drag me to get on one of those things!