DONALD TRUMP'S APPEAL: OPPORTUNITY, GREATNESS, BUSINESS GROWTH & SUCCESS (STEPHEN COLBERT)

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DONALD TRUMP'S APPEAL - OPPORTUNITY, GREATNESS, BUSINESS GROWTH & SUCCESS FOR ALL:

STEPHEN COLBERT AGREES.

2016 GOP Frontrunner Donald Trump's appeal represents more than his Bold personality and Fame.

For American voters, Vets, the U.S. Military and Wall Street Trump's appeal actually represents Opportunity, Greatness, Business Growth & Success for all.

Comedian and Political Commentator Stephen Colbert agrees with this analysis.

~ Stephen Colbert: Donald Trump's Populism 'Very Appealing'

"There is something really hopeful about the fact that, well, 36 percent of the likely voters want him so the people in the machine don't get to say otherwise," late-night host says

Over the past few months, Stephen Colbert has had some fun with Donald Trump's headlines-grabbing presidential campaign, from overdosing on Trump jokes to daring the GOP frontrunner to donate $1 million to charity to disguising Jon Stewart as the mogul. However, in a new interview with Face the Nation set to air Sunday, Colbert admitted that he admires how Trump's campaign has shifted the balance of power in the Republican party.

"There's a populism to Trump that I found very appealing," Colbert said. "The party elders would like him to go away but the people have decided that he is not going to. I may disagree with anything that he's saying and think that his proposals are a little ... well, more than a little shocking. But there is something really hopeful about the fact that, well, 36 percent of the likely voters want him so the people in the machine don't get to say otherwise. That's the one saving grace, I think, of his candidacy."

As 2016 approaches and Trump's GOP lead continues to swell, Colbert also confessed that his earlier boast that there was no way Trump could ever win the White House was shortsighted. "What I do respect is that he knows that it is an emotional appeal, and it might be emotional appeals that I can't respect, but he knows that you have to appeal to the voter. And that's why, I may be wrong - I made a big deal about there's no way he's gonna win," Colbert said before conceding, "I don't know anything about politics."

At a press event before Colbert took the helm of The Late Show, the former Colbert Report host was asked about Trump's presidential odds. "Honestly, he could, and that's not an opinion of Trump. That's my opinion of our nation," Colbert said. "You know what, there have been some great presidents and there have been some bad presidents. Having a giant swinging set of balls isn't the worst thing in the world."

Sources: CBS News, Rolling Stone, NY Times, Face The Nation, YouTube

Grover Norquist: Anti-Tax Devil! Controls GOP; Maybe Obama! (Videos)

“We will make it so that a Democrat cannot govern as a Democrat.”

"My goal is to cut government in half in 25 years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in a bathtub."

Grover Norquist

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

How Grover Norquist hypnotized the GOP

At our 25th college reunion in 2003, Grover Norquist — the brain and able spokesman for the radical right — and I, along with other classmates who had been in public or political life, participated in a lively panel discussion about politics. During his presentation, Norquist explained why he believed that there would be a permanent Republican majority in America.

One person interrupted, as I recall, and said, “C’mon, Grover, surely one day a Democrat will win the White House.”

Norquist immediately replied: “We will make it so that a Democrat cannot govern as a Democrat.”

In a way, Republicans have accomplished that. This spring, in an effort to reduce the deficit, a Democratic president proposed to cut $2 trillion in spending, much of it from domestic programs Democrats have long championed. Last week, Republican leaders withdrew from talks with the vice president on a bipartisan plan to reduce the deficit because, as another part of the solution and like every bipartisan budget deal for decades, the president proposed to raise revenue. Specifically, he proposed to raise $1 in new revenue (through closing loopholes or ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans) for every $2 in spending cuts. In response to that modest proposal, Republican leaders walked out.

It is now clear that the Republican strategy is to drive America to the brink of fiscal ruin and then argue that the only way out is to cut spending for the powerless. Taxes — a dirty word thanks to Norquist’s “no new taxes” gimmick — are made to seem beyond the pale, even as the burden of paying for our society shifts disproportionately to the middle class and working poor. It is the height of fiscal folly. It is also not who we are as a country.

For nearly a decade, our federal government paid for two wars and a costly prescription drug benefit with borrowed money. Our government paid for the Bush tax cuts with borrowed money. Now, after exhausting the budget surplus left by the Clinton administration, the only spending Republicans are willing to discuss cutting is spending that helps the poor and vulnerable — meaning anything that does not touch the interests of large corporations and the very rich. Last December, Republican hard-liners held hostage benefits for people out of work in exchange for an agreement to extend the Bush tax cuts for those who make a million dollars or more a year. Last month, many of the same lawmakers rallied to protect special tax benefits for oil companies that have made record profits on high gas prices.

Meanwhile, some mom-and-pop stores and college students pay more in taxes than some of our largest corporations. Still, taxes are sin to the hard-liners, though they have difficulty demonstrating a correlation over the past decade between tax cuts and economic growth.

Everyone knows that we have to reduce the deficit. Everyone also knows that reducing government spending and addressing revenue shortfalls have to be a part of the plan. This isn’t partisan; it’s pragmatic. Some might even call it conservative. But Norquist and the rest of the radical right have so hypnotized the Republican leadership that they can’t come out and say it. For them, maintaining their rhetoric about spending cuts is more important than preserving the civic investments that make America stand out from the rest of the world.

That political calculus has consequences for the rest of us.

If the deficit is reduced by spending cuts alone and there is no deal to raise the debt ceiling, here’s a sampling of what happens: We stop paying our soldiers or supporting our veterans. We stop feeding the neediest children and families. We stop providing nursing-home care to seniors. We stop inoculating schoolchildren. We stop helping young people go to college. The unemployed are on their own. Roads and bridges continue to crumble. And we jeopardize the creditworthiness of our economy at one of the most fragile moments in history. All to protect the marginal benefits of the most fortunate and the political purity of the radical right.

I remember sitting in the Dunster House dining hall at Harvard with Norquist when we were sophomores or juniors in college, while he explained his view of government, or lack thereof. It sounded logical — the notion that we could live independently of each other, making our own decisions in our own self-interest. But then who puts out the fires? Who answers the calls to 911? Who educates poor children? Who helps people with disabilities?

I’d like to think that the most prosperous nation in human history can have both freedom and security. I think we have reached a point where my personal success is not threatened by a program to help our parents retire with dignity. Voters are smart enough to see that taxes are one of the ways we get those things. They are the price we pay for civilization.


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Sources: Comedy Central, The Colbert Report, Foratv, MSNBC, Washington Post, Youtube, Google Maps

Grover Norquist Hates Taxes & Grandma! (Video)

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Sources: Comedy Central, The Colbert Report

D.C.'s Voting Rights vs Obama: Decision 2012

"No Taxation Without Representation".
Patrick Henry

D.C. voting rights proponents’ faith in Obama sinks


President Obama’s arrival in the White House two years ago inspired unabashed optimism among civic leaders in the District, who had long yearned for an ally to trumpet their quest for statehood and voting rights in Congress.

As the country’s first black president, Obama’s words and biography suggested an innate appreciation for political disenfranchisement. If anyone could understand the plight of a second-class citizenry, it had to be a former community organizer on Chicago’s South Side.

That Obama has not met those expectations is disappointing enough for those who view the District’s status as nothing less than the deprivation of a basic civil right. But their frustration is magnified by who Obama is and what they wanted from an African American president residing in the nation’s most prominent and predominant black city.

“The expectations were very high that, since he had made human rights an important part of his platform, he would speak out for D.C.,” said Philip Pannell, a former member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee and longtime advocate for statehood. “It seems that President Obama’s heart and his conscience are missing in action.”

Obama is no different than his predecessors. No president has rushed to invest political capital in a city that Republicans have mocked as a symbol of urban dysfunction. What benefit could there be in championing the rights of 600,000 residents of a city with a sordid history of crime and political corruption?



Yet what distinguished Obama from his predecessors was the anticipation his arrival generated. In the past week, the same people who saw hope in Obama’s jaunts across the city just before his inauguration — remember that half-smoke he ate at Ben’s Chili Bowl? — have excoriated him for relegating the District to the status of bargaining chip in a broader budget game with House leaders.

“John, I’ll give you D.C. abortion,” Obama reportedly told House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) before reaching a deal, effectively trading away the city’s right to fund abortions for low­income women.

The District’s political leadership was infuriated.

In a city in which Obama won 93 percent of the vote, a D.C. Council member threatened to withhold her support in the next presidential election. The city’s congressional delegate shouted an invective on television. The mayor and six council members were handcuffed in a protest on Constitution Avenue.

After his release, Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) called Obama’s stance on the abortion issue disheartening. “The District should not be a bargaining chip in budget negotiations at the national level,” he said.

A once iron-clad bond was now frayed.

“This is personal,” said Donna Brazile, a Democratic political strategist. “I believe the president is sincere when he says that he believes in D.C. voting rights and home rule. But, as you know, D.C. residents like proof.”

Mark Plotkin, a WTOP political commentator who has made District statehood something of an obsession, said he sees little to distinguish Obama from his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush. Bush angered voting rights advocates by refusing to place the D.C. “Taxation Without Representation” license plate on the presidential limousine. Obama also has not added the plate to his limousine.

“The greatest assault is indifference, and he has the hubris to take us for granted,” Plotkin said of Obama. “He went to Cairo to talk about democracy. He won’t go to Brentwood or Deanwood. He has not made one utterance about D.C. to D.C. in D.C.”

Asked about Obama’s relationship with the District, Hannah August, a White House spokeswoman, said: “Given the severe impact of a government shutdown on the Washington, D.C., economy, the president is confident that the budget agreement that he reached with congressional Republicans is not just in the best interests of the American people, but also the best interests of District residents.”

In North Michigan Park, among the city’s most politically active neighborhoods, the feeling is the budget compromise left the District in a “bad position,” said Ernest Harris, a retired federal employee.

“I didn’t expect him to just be able to do everything that we might want him to do. I understood that he wasn’t just the black president,” said Harris, 74. “But in terms of D.C., he’s throwing us under the bus. He caved too easily. He should have stood up. I know statehood and full representation is a long way off, but he’s taking us for granted. And he can’t do that anymore. . . . I’m not sure if I’m going to vote for him again over this.”

Shaky relationship

Presidents have long had a tenuous relationship with their host city. Richard M. Nixon ventured into the District in the early days of his first term, when he went to inspect the remnants of the 1968 riots along Seventh Street NW. Bill Clinton, as president-elect, went for a stroll along Georgia Avenue and then spent most of his next eight years here inside the White House. For a rare night on the town, George W. Bush preferred a Mexican restaurant in Virginia.

Beyond the marbled monuments, the District has not always provided an illustrious backdrop, whether it was when Marion Barry was caught smoking crack on videotape or when the city’s homicide rate earned it the title “Murder Capital,” or when the government fell into bankruptcy and Congress ordered its spending monitored by a financial control board.

Even as memories linger, the District is not the same city it was a generation ago. Since moving to the White House, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have gone about town, whether to their daughter’s soccer games or to eat in restaurants or visit public schools.

The president has expressed support for the District’s cause, his strongest statement uttered as a Democratic candidate when he said, “Residents of Washington, D.C., shouldn’t be treated as tenants, fortunate enough to share the same space as our government.”

Obama was more cautious after his victory, describing himself as a “strong proponent” of voting rights even as he added that “this takes on a partisan flavor, and, you know, right now I think our legislative agenda is chock- full.”

A year ago, while commemorating D.C. Emancipation Day, Obama issued a statement that said in part: “I urge Congress to finally pass legislation that provides D.C. residents with voting representation and to take steps to improve the Home Rule Charter.”

That’s not enough for Robert Jenifer, 76, a Brookland resident who said he thinks that the District’s overwhelming support of Obama has not paid any dividends.

“He probably looks at the District and sees us as automatically supporting him because he’s our first black president,” Jenifer said. “But if you look, on many things, he doesn’t seem like he’s for us. So you have to look at it like your wife says to you: ‘What have you done for me lately?’ ”

A high demand

If D.C. civic leaders want more from Obama, they might be setting a demand that’s impossible to meet in this highly partisan town and for a president managing a full slate of national and international affairs, including two wars.

Even when Democrats held the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, advocates for the District were unable to advance their voting rights agenda.

“Nothing runs more deeply in American ideals than the promise of self-government and voting rights,” said American University law professor Jamie B. Raskin, a Maryland state senator from Montgomery County. “But nothing runs more deeply in American politics than the idea of keeping some people from voting and participating.”

What might be required to enact change, Raskin said, is a “mass movement of protest to test the conscience of the nation. It’s clear that President Obama does not intend to be the personal leader of a liberation struggle. He’s dealing with multiple crises. . . . This is not a crisis until the people of Washington make it one.”

Yet, Raskin added, the city’s traditional role and demographics “make it tricky.” While longtime residents make up a sizable portion of the population, many are transients, as has been the case since the District was established as the nation’s capital.

That complicated reality hasn’t stopped the District’s quest for autonomy, which reached a historic milestone in the early 1970s with Congress’s enactment of home rule. D.C. voters could choose their mayor and council, but the District could not enact a budget or other significant legislation without congressional review.

The quest for self-determination endures. A voting rights proposal died in Congress two years ago when Republicans made its passage contingent on repealing the city’s gun-control laws.

“Historically, it’s not an easy road, regardless of who’s in the White House,” said Douglas Patton, a former D.C. deputy mayor. “It’s just the history of presidents. Not second-class citizens.”




Eleanor Holmes Norton says budget deal shows D.C. must fight to stay self-governing

Last week was a tough one for the District of Columbia. Had the federal government shut down, city services such as trash collection would have been disrupted. But even with the short-term budget agreement reached late Friday, the city’s self-governing authority remains at risk. Imbedded in last week’s spending bill were riders specifically aimed at curtailing the District government.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s non-voting representative in Congress, spoke Sunday about the developments.

Q: You’ve said you heard from media reports about the riders. What was your first reaction?

A: Each of the [previous] short-term continuing resolutions had no riders and we were relieved. The last Republican continuing resolution has two riders, both are apparently in this final bill, although no one has seen the bill. One kept the District from spending its own local funds on abortions for low-income women. The only other rider [allowing funding for controversial school vouchers] offended us by seeming to pair us with a prohibition against bringing Guantanamo prisoners to the United States. We could not help but resent the pairing. No elected official in the District of Columbia was consulted about the D.C. vouchers. There were some rumors about the needle-exchange program. I have specifically inquired and gotten no clarification.

What did you do next?

I had been in touch with the administration and the Senate leadership all along because of two fears, the fear of the riders and the fear that shutting down the federal government would shut down the D.C. government.

Is there any chance that this can be reversed?

I am going to try my level best to reverse or mitigate any of this as much as possible. Without seeing the language in the bill it is impossible to know. Converting something into language really tells you what the deal is.

Is this fight over the fiscal 2011 budget just the warm-up?

The Republicans extracted considerably more in cuts than either the administration or the Senate indicated was acceptable. That is one reason why they should have been able to hold the line on riders affecting the District, if our own Democrats gave us any priorities in these negotiations.

Having given the Republicans more than I am sure any Democrat in the House ever envisioned, it was surely unnecessary to pile on the District of Columbia and give them some frosting on what was already a very big cake. All along they said it is about “spending, spending, spending.” How does the District of Columbia get into that equation?

What affect does this have on hopes for statehood, which were so high after the 2008 elections?

No one with any sense of what is happening would focus on our ultimate goals of voting rights or statehood because of the danger since the Republicans took power in January and their actions, which have been directed like a sword against the District’s home-rule authority. We are in a fight. The fight now that needs to engage every elected officials and resident is to keep our city from suffering the insult of a rollback of the self-governing of the city itself.


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Sources: Colbert Nation, Comedy Central, Fox News, Washington Post, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Decision 2010 Makes Voters Want To "SCREAM!" (Videos)

Charges Of Voter Fraud Ignite Accusations Of Racism Against Justice Department, Tea Party


With just 3 days to go until Election Day, charges of voter intimidation and voter fraud are flying, and the Justice Department, which has been rocked by accusations of reverse racism in its handling of similar allegations, is likely to take on as many cases as it did in the 2008 presidential year.

The Justice Department is looking into allegations of voter intimidation by poll watchers in predominantly minority neighborhoods in Harris County, Texas, during the first day of early voting. A liberal blog suggested that some of the poll watchers could be members of a local Tea Party group.

But the Justice Department has made clear that its investigation has nothing to do with the Tea Party.

"There is no investigation into any specific political organization, including the Tea Party, at this time regarding this matter," DOJ spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in a written statement.

In another set of fly-by charges, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, who is battling to capture President Obama's old U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, accused his Republican opponent, Rep. Mark Kirk, of setting up voter fraud-watch areas in Chicago in an attempt to discourage black voters.

That claim, disputed by Kirk -- he argued that Giannoulias might be the last person in Illinois to think the state doesn't have fraud problems -- could benefit Democrats among an energized urban electorate in a non-presidential cycle likely to be dominated by suburban voters.

Taken together, the complaint and the report shifts the spotlight back on past and current accusations of racism against the Obama administration and the Tea Party movement.

The Justice Department has been fending off charges of reverse racism ever since two former Civil Rights Division attorneys alleged that the department under Attorney General Eric Holder follows a policy of not bringing civil rights charges against black defendants on behalf of white victims.

The Tea Party movement has been repeatedly accused of harboring racist elements ever since some Tea Party activists catcalled U.S. lawmakers, including some minority members, during an anti-'Obamacare' protest on Capitol Hill earlier this year.


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Sources: CNN, Daily Beast, Fox News, Freedom Lighthouse, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Stewart/ Colbert "Sanity" Rally Draws Thousands Of Voters

Stewart's Rally For "Sanity" Draws Insane Crowd


“Good luck trying to get through that crowd to the stage.”

Those were the first words I heard within 15 minutes of joining the large crowd that flocked to the National Mall Saturday for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear hosted by comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

To say that you couldn’t see the stage, or even hear it, wouldn’t be an exaggeration— many had to climb a tree (literally) to even catch a glimpse of the one jumbo TV screen.

“We did the march-of-the-penguins walk in the crowd for about an hour,” Georgetown University student Anam Raheem told me. “But it was too crowded; we had to turn back.”

Thousands of rally goers brought signs and costumes in support of politically hot-button issues.

“I came to meet some people,” said Mark Feeney, a resident of Buffalo, New York who sported a green outfit with a sign that displayed the benefits of marijuana. “But we have to be smart, not stupid. If we legalize pot, we’ll create more revenue and jobs.”

Although Proposition 19, which would legalize recreational marijuana in California, was one of the more common issues seen on signs, other topics were equally supported, such as abortion, equality for gays, space travel, and most vehemently, backlash against the Tea Party movement.

“I came to have fun,” Pennsylvania resident Eric Hafner said, “But we need to also show people that extremism is really overblown.”

Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell was most widely targeted, with many rally goers dressed as witches or giant tea bags, holding signs that read, “Tea Party rallies need more tea.”

Despite both Stewart and Colbert’s appeal to a younger generation, there was an eclectic age range of rally goers, including marijuana-supporting seniors.

“We love both the ‘Daily Show’ and ‘The Colbert Report,'” said Diane Gatley who is 61. “Back to sanity for us. They’re truthy.”

Although the stage and entertainment was unseeable for at least half the rally goers there, there was a sense of community support that’s hard to find on a daily basis.

As one rally goer attempted to scale a tree for a better view of the stage, the crowd chanted, “Yes, you can!"










Stewart, Colbert Preside Over Light-Hearted, Star-Studded D.C. Rally


Assisted by a colorful cast of characters, Comedy Central funnymen Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held a raucous rally on the National Mall Saturday in typical fashion before a cheering throng of supporters.

Amidst all the hilarity, however, the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" carried a message about Americans turning their backs on hate and working together to make the world a better place.

Stewart and Colbert staged a mock battle, with Stewart supporting peace and sanity and Colbert promoting fear before a crowd that stretched nearly the length of the mall, most of the distance between the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

During the rally's opening, Colbert appeared on a video screen, saying he was trapped in his "fear bunker" and worried no one had shown up. Drawn by cheers, however, Colbert ascended to the stage in a device like that used to bring up the trapped Chilean miners earlier this month, wearing a superhero costume.

Former "Saturday Night Live" character Father Guido Sarducci -- played by comedian Don Novello -- provided a benediction, thanking God for "making it so easy to find parking spaces." And actor Sam Waterston of "Law and Order" fame read a poem entitled "Are You Sure?" about fears including "funnel clouds and hail/Anthrax in the mail ... someone's robbing your house/I can see through your blouse/Your mother was right, you chose the wrong spouse."

Cat Stevens, also known as Yusuf Islam, sang his song "Peace Train" as part of a duel with Ozzy Osbourne singing "Crazy Train." Stewart stopped Osbourne, rooting for Islam, as Colbert urged Osbourne on. The two compromised on the O'Jays, who showed up to sing their hit "Love Train."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and "Star Wars" robot R2-D2 showed up to provide a lesson in tolerance and against stereotyping. "We're all on the same team," said Abdul-Jabbar, referencing Colbert and Stewart's discussion about Muslims.

There were some serious notes struck during the event, however. Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow performed a musical number about changing the world, including the lyrics, "The least that I can do is care."



And as the rally drew to a close, Stewart spoke about resisting fearmongering and working together, saying most Americans don't live their lives solely as Republicans or Democrats, but as "people who are just a little bit late for something they have to do, often something they do not want to do. But they do it."

Some may paint the nation as fragile and torn by hate, he said, "but the truth is ... we work together to get things done every damn day."

"There will always be darkness, and sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the promised land," Stewart said. "Sometimes it's just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together."

Stewart awarded his "Medals of Reasonableness" to recipients including Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, who lost a perfect game in June when an umpire mistakenly called what would have been the last batter safe at first base despite the fact replays showed he was clearly out. Galarraga, who lives in Venezuela, accepted via videotape, telling the audience the umpire is "a good man."

Another recipient was Velma Hart, chief financial officer for AMVETS, who challenged President Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in September; and comedian and wrestler Mick Foley; and Jacob Isom. A video of Isom telling how he swiped a kerosene-soaked Quran from would-be burners, telling them, "Dude, you have no Quran," went viral, and was set to a dance mix.

Colbert's "Medals of Fear" went to recipients including a 7-year-old girl who he said had more courage than the media organizations who did not send representatives to cover the rally out of fear they would appear biased, as well as to "Anderson Cooper's tight black T-shirt." Colbert said that when CNN's Cooper "shows up on your front yard, you know something terrible has happened in your community." A small black T-shirt was brought on stage on a hanger, and the medal hung on it.

Stewart and Colbert announced the rally in September, less than three weeks after conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck hosted a much-publicized "Restoring Honor" rally on the National Mall, urging large crowds to "turn back to God" and return America to the values on which it was founded.


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Sources: CBC, CBS News, CNN, Daily Beast, Fox News, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert Host D.C. "Sanity" Rally

Stewart, Colbert Preside Over Light-Hearted, Star-Studded D.C. Rally


Assisted by a colorful cast of characters, Comedy Central funnymen Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert held a raucous rally on the National Mall Saturday in typical fashion before a cheering throng of supporters.

Amidst all the hilarity, however, the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" carried a message about Americans turning their backs on hate and working together to make the world a better place.

Stewart and Colbert staged a mock battle, with Stewart supporting peace and sanity and Colbert promoting fear before a crowd that stretched nearly the length of the mall, most of the distance between the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

During the rally's opening, Colbert appeared on a video screen, saying he was trapped in his "fear bunker" and worried no one had shown up. Drawn by cheers, however, Colbert ascended to the stage in a device like that used to bring up the trapped Chilean miners earlier this month, wearing a superhero costume.

Former "Saturday Night Live" character Father Guido Sarducci -- played by comedian Don Novello -- provided a benediction, thanking God for "making it so easy to find parking spaces." And actor Sam Waterston of "Law and Order" fame read a poem entitled "Are You Sure?" about fears including "funnel clouds and hail/Anthrax in the mail ... someone's robbing your house/I can see through your blouse/Your mother was right, you chose the wrong spouse."

Cat Stevens, also known as Yusuf Islam, sang his song "Peace Train" as part of a duel with Ozzy Osbourne singing "Crazy Train." Stewart stopped Osbourne, rooting for Islam, as Colbert urged Osbourne on. The two compromised on the O'Jays, who showed up to sing their hit "Love Train."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and "Star Wars" robot R2-D2 showed up to provide a lesson in tolerance and against stereotyping. "We're all on the same team," said Abdul-Jabbar, referencing Colbert and Stewart's discussion about Muslims.

There were some serious notes struck during the event, however. Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow performed a musical number about changing the world, including the lyrics, "The least that I can do is care."



And as the rally drew to a close, Stewart spoke about resisting fearmongering and working together, saying most Americans don't live their lives solely as Republicans or Democrats, but as "people who are just a little bit late for something they have to do, often something they do not want to do. But they do it."

Some may paint the nation as fragile and torn by hate, he said, "but the truth is ... we work together to get things done every damn day."

"There will always be darkness, and sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the promised land," Stewart said. "Sometimes it's just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together."

Stewart awarded his "Medals of Reasonableness" to recipients including Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga, who lost a perfect game in June when an umpire mistakenly called what would have been the last batter safe at first base despite the fact replays showed he was clearly out. Galarraga, who lives in Venezuela, accepted via videotape, telling the audience the umpire is "a good man."

Another recipient was Velma Hart, chief financial officer for AMVETS, who challenged President Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in September; and comedian and wrestler Mick Foley; and Jacob Isom. A video of Isom telling how he swiped a kerosene-soaked Quran from would-be burners, telling them, "Dude, you have no Quran," went viral, and was set to a dance mix.

Colbert's "Medals of Fear" went to recipients including a 7-year-old girl who he said had more courage than the media organizations who did not send representatives to cover the rally out of fear they would appear biased, as well as to "Anderson Cooper's tight black T-shirt." Colbert said that when CNN's Cooper "shows up on your front yard, you know something terrible has happened in your community." A small black T-shirt was brought on stage on a hanger, and the medal hung on it.

Stewart and Colbert announced the rally in September, less than three weeks after conservative talk-show host Glenn Beck hosted a much-publicized "Restoring Honor" rally on the National Mall, urging large crowds to "turn back to God" and return America to the values on which it was founded.


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Sources: CBS News, CNN, Daily Beast, MSNBC, Youtube, Google Maps

Stephen Colbert Cracks Jokes About Immigration Reform On Capitol Hill

Stephen Colbert Draws Attention To Self, Then Farmworkers During Hill Appearance


Stephen Colbert Host Of "Colbert Nation" brought a dose of his trademark "truthiness" in testimony before a House subcommittee hearing Friday on the conditions faced by the nation's Farmworkers.

The encounter produced some awkward moments and pointed asides -- beginning nearly at the outset, when House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers requested that Colbert refrain from testifying and submit only written comments.

(The chairman withdrew the request soon afterward.)

Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren of California, in her opening statement, commended Colbert for using his celebrity to draw media attention to the hearing.

"Maybe it was [President Clinton's] impeachment? But it's been a long time since we've had this kind of coverage," Lofgren said.

The overall tone of Friday's hearing was serious: a discussion on the future of the American farm industry, which heavily relies on illegal immigrants as workers. But Colbert -- who plays an intemperate, right-leaning Bill O'Reilly-style host on "The Colbert Report" -- remained in character, peppering his testimony with sarcastic comments, which gently mocked himself as well as the staid atmosphere of the hearing room.

Colbert joked of his "vast experience" as a farm laborer, which consisted of one day spent picking vegetables -- an experience that grew out of an on-air interview with Lofgren.

One way to address the labor ills of the agricultural sector, Colbert joked, is for Americans to "stop eating fruits and vegetables … and if you look at obesity statistics, people already have." Colbert added that his Gastroenterologist had suggested that most such food is necessary roughage. Colbert called to submit a video of his Colonoscopy into the record.

Colbert also suggested Americans find plants that "pick themselves" and raise the soil level so workers don't have to bend over.

The crowd occasionally burst into laughter during Colbert's remarks, while some Democratic members and their staff smirked from their perches in the hearing room. Most of the committee's Republican members did not appear amused.

After Colbert's five-minute statement, Conyers noted that Colbert's remarks dramatically differed from the prepared testimony he submitted.

Republicans and Democrats alike challenged Colbert's presence before and even during the hearing. "Would you call yourself an expert witness when it comes to our labor issues or not?" Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) asked the talk show host. Colbert responded that he was testifying at Lofgren's invitation.

California Democratic Rep. Judy Chu noted that Republicans have also proposed celebrity witnesses in the past, such as Loretta Swit from television show "MASH." Lofgren, for her part, compared Colbert to celebrities such as Bono and Angelina Jolie, who had also used their renown to publicize important causes on Capitol Hill.

Colbert said he was "happy to use my celebrity to draw attention" to this issue, and joked that he hoped his presence would bump coverage of the committee hearings "all the way up to CSPAN1." (The hearing was shown on CSPAN3.)

During the hearing, members and speakers addressed the United Farm Workers' "Take Our Jobs" effort, which seeks to place unemployed Americans in farming jobs. Lofgren and others said the effort has been widely unsuccessful, in part because illegal immigrants are the only ones willing to do the jobs.

But Rep. Steve King of Iowa -- the committee's ranking Republican -- and other GOP committee members argued that the real problem lies with agricultural employers who fail to provide attractive jobs that appeal to legal Americans. Americans will do the work, King contended -- "they just want to be paid a respectable wage" for it.

Conyers invited King to work together to get more Americans in farmworker jobs -- a challenge King said he would accept, even though Conyers clearly believed that such an initiative would not pan out.

And in winding down his own remarks, Colbert got serious for a moment, leaving no doubt which side of the issue he came down on. He wanted to appear before the committee in order to speak up for farmworkers, he said, because "migrant workers suffer and have no rights."


Sources: C-Span, Colbert Nation, Comedy Central, Yahoo News, Youtube

Obama Appeared In 1993 Rap Video? "Whoomp! (There It Is!)" (Videos)

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"Whoomp! (There it is)" And Barack Obama, The Anatomy Of A Meme


Was Barack Obama an extra in the 1993 rap video hit for "Whoomp! (There it is)"?

Of all the conspiracy theories that have attached themselves to the president like sticky oil globs to a beach, the one that surfaced online this week based on the grainy YouTube of a 17-year-old music video by the Atlanta duo Tag Team has to be the most mischevious -- and harmlessly fun. Proof, if anyone needed it, that even in These Serious Times summer silly season goofs will still be had.

Gawker kicked off the speculation on Saturday when it picked up on the musings of conservative site Tennessee Sons of Liberty and some minor discussions on hip hop music boards to spin out one of its unique online investigations -- basically a ton of Googling plus close reading -- and concluded that the answer was no, "Sorry, Internet, it's not Obama. But as far as conspiracy theories go, it's way better than that whole secret Muslim thing."

A dominoes-playing extra wearing gold rings and a Compton hat (so early '90s!) at 1:02 in the video was not, in fact, the 31-year-old Harvard Law School graduate, but rather someone who looked a bit like the America's first black president as a young man only because the resolution on the YouTube video was so poor and the screenshot from it first posted was captured at a moment of fleeting resemblence later video moments undermined.

But in the new media environment, a funny question without a definitive answer can be too good to check -- and by Monday the idea had been picked up by CNN, The Fox Nation and variety of other outlets, both MSM and blog.

"I don't think it is, but it would be quite a story if it was him in the video...Obama does like rap music, and if you remember, Jay-Z was recently at the WH, sitting down in the Situation Room. Obama also met with Ludacris before becoming President," HotAirPundit opined.

Gawker came back to the subject on Wednesday:

This past weekend we examined the evidence for and against an Obama cameo and reached the conclusion that, no, Obama did not take time out in 1993 from his career as a community organizer in Chicago to film a 2-second cameo with an Atlanta rap duo.

But this is the Internet, where conspiracies die harder than Bruce Willis in a series of 1990s action films. Over 200,000 people have read our original post; thousands of other outlets picked it up. CNN actually asked the White House for a comment. They "did not immediately respond."

A suspicious silence! And Obama's potential cameo is now in the Wikipedia entry for "Whoomp (There it is)" which means it is a true fact for all of eternity. Pandora's box has been opened, and the Whoomper Conspiracy will probably never die: Says commenter patlippert "I won't believe it's not him until he shows us his resume, which if he did and it proved me wrong, I'll claim it was faked."

At this point, of course, someone had to come in and referee the situation with more than Internet evidence. Enter Politifact, the truth-squadding site now working with ABC's "This Week" to fact-check the Sunday talkers. They reported:

We tracked down half the Tag Team, the rapper DC the Brain Supreme who also goes by the name Cecil Glenn. He first heard of the Obama video rumor on Saturday, and has since received calls from New York magazine and Inside Edition.

"This is like an episode of South Park," Glenn said. "You can't pay for that kind of publicity."

Glenn recounted the taping of the video in Atlanta, saying he gathered extras through word of mouth. A friend also put out an open invitation on a local radio station. The video was filmed at an Atlanta fairground.

Glenn said he doesn't think the man in the video is Obama. "It doesn't add up. It's hard to say he was in Atlanta and said, 'Ooh, I want to be in the Whoomp! (There It Is) video.' "

But, Glenn said, "I can't be for sure because that was a real big video shoot and thousands of people showed up." ...

Finally, the White House put the issue to rest. Spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield declared the rumors untrue.

"It is not him," she said.

But by then the meme was off and by nightfall Tuesday, it hopped to "The Colbert Report":

And once it was on Colbert, well...

Wednesday morning saw stories on ABC News "For the record, I have never asked Gibbs about the 2 Live Crew song, but then again, we haven't had a briefing in several days," Jake Tapper wrote -- and elsewhere across the Web.

And now, of course, The Washington Post.


Sources: Comedy Central, CNN, Fox Nation, Gawker, HotAir Pundit, The Colbert Report, Washington Post Youtube,

Stephen Colbert Gets Angry At BP & Obama (Videos)

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Sources: Comedy Central, Huffington Post, The Colbert Report, Google Maps