The Godfather of House Democrats has issued an edict: Stay away from Colbert.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the Democratic Caucus chairman, has told new Democratic members of Congress to steer clear of Stephen Colbert, or at least his satirical Comedy Central program, “The Colbert Report.”
“He said don’t do it … it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it,” said Rep. Steve Cohen. But the freshman lawmaker from Tennessee taped a segment that last week was featured in the 32nd installment of the “Better Know a District” series. Colbert asked Cohen whether he was a black woman. He isn’t.
Eyes (but thankfully, not heads) roll in Emanuel’s office when other freshmen stumble, such as the time Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) got into a debate about the merits of throwing kittens into a wood-chipper, or when Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio) explained that he is not his predecessor, convicted felon Bob Ney (R).
Emmanuel’s dictatorial style isn’t going over well on with bloggers. Kim Priestap, noting the recent fleeing from the FOX debate in Nevada, writes, “Sheesh, the Democrats are afraid of everything and everyone. Why don’t they just boycott every single show on television and be done with it.”
The left is even more harsh. My Left Wing‘s Thereisnospoon terms it “idiocy.” Preemptive Karma‘s Becky wants to know, “Who wants their representatives to be a bunch of stiff, perfectly coifed politicians, anyway?” And over at CorrenteWire, Chicago Dyke proposes to engage in action with Emmanuel that would seem contraindicated by her pen name, preferably using power tools.
Having watched a few of these segments, most notably Colbert’s “interview” with DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Emmanuel has a point. There are a few people in Congress so stupid one wonders how they manage to breathe. Still, unless they’re total dolts, gaining the national exposure that Colbert’s popular program offers likely offsets any short-term embarrassment over being bested by a professional comedian at his own game.
