Stephen made a point of welcoming himself back to The Colbert Report. He admitted he watched his favorite show while he was on break - The Colbert Report. (He has good taste in TV.)
One of the nation's favorite segments on The Colbert Report is Better Know a District. I have only one question for Stephen. Why is this a 434 part series? There are 435 members of the House. After some extensive research, I found out that the number changes depending on many factors, including a guilty plea.
In the 71st Installment of his 434 part series, he had on Michigan freshman Representative Mark Pocan. He represents Wisconsin's fighting 2nd District which includes Madison and the Wisconsin Dells. I have never understood how logic works and after listening to Stephen interview Mark Pocan, I still don't understand logic. I'm assuming Stephen does because he asked so many logical questions and came to so many logical conclusions. Stephen had the Official 100 Days Cupcake with 100 candles for Mark Pocan to celebrate his first 100 days in Congress. One might wonder why the smoke detectors did not go off when Stephen lit the candles. Luckily they didn't go off and luckily, Mark Pocan was able to quickly extinguish the flames. I sure hope his wish came true.
While many interviewers ask questions of Congresspersons such as "What's your idea for creating more jobs?" or "What did you know and when did you know it?" Stephen gets to those pesky questions everyone really cares about. For example, "Did John Boehner cry when he swore you in?" and "Is it true you turned tricks (as a magician) to earn a living in your younger years?" and "What have you got against bear wrestling?"
With Stephen's popular Better Know a District, is there really any reason for book publishers to publish books about how our government works? Just let the high school kids watch BKAD to learn the neat stuff that is left out of civics textbooks.
As if that wasn't enough about Congress, Stephen's guest Monday night was Congressman John Dingell of Michigan. In just a few short days, namely on Friday, June 7, Representative John Dingell will become the longest serving member in Congress. You can read more about it here at ABC World News and even find out how many days that is. It was a fascinating interview as we learned about his long career and the many accomplishments of this son of a Congressman. (True fact!) For even more interesting stuff, read further on ABC World News here and find out what cost 25 Cents Per Gallon when he was elected.
Stephen was hungry for more information and John Dingell was happy to supply him with that knowledge. Although Stephen was a bit surprised, John Dingell explained how he became a Democrat. The 1964 Civil Rights Act is the law that he is most proud of. And he told a skeptical Stephen that Compromise is an honorable word. They ended the interview with a discussion of Hawaii. If you read about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and consider that Hawaii was not always a state in the USA, you can see why Stephen Colbert holds John Dingell responsible for a lot of what is happening in our country now.
After hearing about all that Congressman John Dingell has done for our country, I think someone should give that man a cupcake.
Showing posts with label Better Know a District. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Better Know a District. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Friday, August 10, 2012
You're Gonna Make It After All
Stephen started out honoring Michele Bachmann for her unrelenting search for people who are different from her. See more about that in previous post about John McCain.
Speaking of Minnesota, Stephen is getting caught up with Better Know a District. The 67th Installment was the Fighting 5th District in Minnesota, the area that includes Minneapolis. There you can find the Hennepin Avenue Bridge crossing the Mississippi (and the Ippississim), the Walker Art Center, the Spoon Bridge, and the home of Prince. We got to see some typical winter wear for Minnesota cold winters. And Stephen sat down, in a room, with three term Congressman Keith Ellison.
Keith Ellison is a Muslim, in fact, he is the first Muslim elected to Congress. Stephen called him the very first secret Muslim. Congressman Ellison told him he is not a secret Muslim, at which point Stephen said he is the first openly secret Muslim in Congress. He then asked the Congressman to say to his friends, "Stephen's cool." Keith complied and said, "Steve's cool."
The discussion turned to Michele Bachmann and her recent hunt for the aforementioned people who are different than her. "How much infiltration is there?" asked Stephen. "None," replied Congressman Ellison. But then, apparently, Stephen caught him in some sort of weird logic trap. And I only say weird because in college I learned that when something is illogical, you can not use it to prove something logically. But I digress.
"Are you a Muslim?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you have siblings?
"Yes sir."
"So you are literally a Muslim brother."
"I guess."
"I just caught you."
Stephen went on to say that a little witch hunt never hurt anyone, however, the Congressman disagreed. "It hurts a lot of people." He believes it is better to be fair.
So, who is Congressman Keith Ellison supporting for president? He was asked three times and answered each time, "Obama." Stephen tried a different tactic to get him to change his mind. What about if Mitt Romney called Keith Ellison and asked him to be the Vice President candidate? To make it easier for the viewers, Stephen had the two of them act out the phone call between Mitt Romney and Keith Ellison. Stephen played the part of Mitt, and Keith played the part of Keith. Even so, Keith turned Mitt down. That did not seem to register with Stephen/Mitt who seemed to think that the answer had been yes. Truthiness, perhaps?
Anyway, Minneapolis is also home to Mary Tyler Moore. There was a great sing-along of the theme song from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. And then, to conclude the interview, Stephen convinced Keith Ellison to toss a hat up in the air.
It is not easy being interviewed for the Better Know a District segment, but Congressman Ellison did a fairly decent job answering Stephen's questions. I imagine we can be looking for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to show up soon on the show. Stephen must have so many questions he would like to ask her. I can hardly wait.
Who's honoring him now? Or as Stephen would say, who's honoring me now? Apparently, well he's not really being honored, more like mentioned. But, psychologists in Canada and New Zealand have found truth in truthiness. And, people are more likely to say something was true if there was a decorative picture to go along with a statement. Stephen believed the research. After all, there was a picture of him. He was uncomfortable that science was used to prove this. He would have preferred that truthinessiness proved the truth about truthiness.
Stephen's guest was Woody Harrelson. He has written and directed the off-Broadway play, "Bullet for Adolf." Lest you think he just came on the show to promote this, let me reassure you. He didn't. He just shamelessly sucked up to Stephen and then casually unbuttoned his shirt a bit where we notice what looks like a huge tattoo for "Bullet for Adolf." Stephen assumed this was the sequel to "The Sound of Music," but no, it is not anything like that show. Stephen doesn't often get gifts from the guests, but Woody Harrelson was kind enough to give him a T-shirt. And it just happened to be a "Bullet For Adolph" shirt. What's the chances of that happening, right?
Speaking of Minnesota, Stephen is getting caught up with Better Know a District. The 67th Installment was the Fighting 5th District in Minnesota, the area that includes Minneapolis. There you can find the Hennepin Avenue Bridge crossing the Mississippi (and the Ippississim), the Walker Art Center, the Spoon Bridge, and the home of Prince. We got to see some typical winter wear for Minnesota cold winters. And Stephen sat down, in a room, with three term Congressman Keith Ellison.
Keith Ellison is a Muslim, in fact, he is the first Muslim elected to Congress. Stephen called him the very first secret Muslim. Congressman Ellison told him he is not a secret Muslim, at which point Stephen said he is the first openly secret Muslim in Congress. He then asked the Congressman to say to his friends, "Stephen's cool." Keith complied and said, "Steve's cool."
The discussion turned to Michele Bachmann and her recent hunt for the aforementioned people who are different than her. "How much infiltration is there?" asked Stephen. "None," replied Congressman Ellison. But then, apparently, Stephen caught him in some sort of weird logic trap. And I only say weird because in college I learned that when something is illogical, you can not use it to prove something logically. But I digress.
"Are you a Muslim?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you have siblings?
"Yes sir."
"So you are literally a Muslim brother."
"I guess."
"I just caught you."
Stephen went on to say that a little witch hunt never hurt anyone, however, the Congressman disagreed. "It hurts a lot of people." He believes it is better to be fair.
So, who is Congressman Keith Ellison supporting for president? He was asked three times and answered each time, "Obama." Stephen tried a different tactic to get him to change his mind. What about if Mitt Romney called Keith Ellison and asked him to be the Vice President candidate? To make it easier for the viewers, Stephen had the two of them act out the phone call between Mitt Romney and Keith Ellison. Stephen played the part of Mitt, and Keith played the part of Keith. Even so, Keith turned Mitt down. That did not seem to register with Stephen/Mitt who seemed to think that the answer had been yes. Truthiness, perhaps?
Anyway, Minneapolis is also home to Mary Tyler Moore. There was a great sing-along of the theme song from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. And then, to conclude the interview, Stephen convinced Keith Ellison to toss a hat up in the air.
It is not easy being interviewed for the Better Know a District segment, but Congressman Ellison did a fairly decent job answering Stephen's questions. I imagine we can be looking for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann to show up soon on the show. Stephen must have so many questions he would like to ask her. I can hardly wait.
Who's honoring him now? Or as Stephen would say, who's honoring me now? Apparently, well he's not really being honored, more like mentioned. But, psychologists in Canada and New Zealand have found truth in truthiness. And, people are more likely to say something was true if there was a decorative picture to go along with a statement. Stephen believed the research. After all, there was a picture of him. He was uncomfortable that science was used to prove this. He would have preferred that truthinessiness proved the truth about truthiness.
Stephen's guest was Woody Harrelson. He has written and directed the off-Broadway play, "Bullet for Adolf." Lest you think he just came on the show to promote this, let me reassure you. He didn't. He just shamelessly sucked up to Stephen and then casually unbuttoned his shirt a bit where we notice what looks like a huge tattoo for "Bullet for Adolf." Stephen assumed this was the sequel to "The Sound of Music," but no, it is not anything like that show. Stephen doesn't often get gifts from the guests, but Woody Harrelson was kind enough to give him a T-shirt. And it just happened to be a "Bullet For Adolph" shirt. What's the chances of that happening, right?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
E=mc Scared
Congress is getting dumber. Ahhhhh. What does that mean? It just means that the speeches they deliver now are geared towards a 10th grade audience rather than the previous 11th grade audience. Personally I think that Congress is just trying to be more inclusive and get younger people interested in all the wonderful things that Congress has accomplished these past few years.
The Word for Monday's show was Sink Or Swim. (Technically Word Word Word.) The seas are rising and are anticipated to rise a meter, which is a metric measurement and so we may not have to worry about it here in the mathematically progressive USA. However, that's quite a bit of water. If you have ocean-front property, you may be in trouble. Luckily, North Carolina Republicans have come up with a sweet solution. They simply want to outlaw the data. That's right, they have a new bill that would outlaw the climate models. (Sea, no evil.) This is a brilliant solution. Another would be to stick your head in the sand. Of course, you would want to have a friend nearby to tell you when the water is rising and getting too close to you.
BKAD, or Better Know a District, is one of Stephen's most patriotic segments of the show. By now he should have been able to breeze through all the Districts. Sadly, there are way too many that we don't know. In fact, there are whole states that we know absolutely nothing about. Stephen is of course fixing that. He made an agreement with Nancy Pelosi to support her Disclose Act. She, in return, would encourage Democratic Representatives to come on The Colbert Report to be interviewed by Stephen. It is proven fact that anyone on The Colbert Report gets the famous Colbert Bump.
So anyway, Stephen has two Democrats booked for this summer. Yea!!! But he needs more. That's where you come in. Head over to Colbert Nation. Do you see Stephen's smiling face up in the right hand corner? It says Better Know A District. Click on that. It's the Represent-O-Map 6000. Then click on your Congressional District. If you don't know your District, use the Search Box-Thingy 4500 below the map of the USA. Either click or search and you will get a nice photo of your Representative and a form email (the best kind) to send. Get your Representative on the show. Make him or her famous. Send your Representative an actual email. You can also view The Archives to see if your Representative was already better known.
The most popular Representative seems to be Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton which is interesting. As popular as she is, she has the worst voting record, having never cast a vote. It is a fascinating interview and valuable civics lesson. And we can see Stephen flatter himself.
To remind us all of what BKAD is all about, Stephen interviewed Representative John Lewis for BKAD and also as the guest. Representative John Lewis is from Georgia's 5th District. John Lewis knew the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr since he was 18 and John Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. In 1965, he led marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a historical event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Stephen mentioned that he also was at the 1963 March on Washington and may have been the youngest attendee since he was with his mother in that she was pregnant with him.
Stephen and Representative Lewis also discussed the new book that John Lewis has written - "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." You can get this book at most bookstores or download it from iTunes.
The Word for Monday's show was Sink Or Swim. (Technically Word Word Word.) The seas are rising and are anticipated to rise a meter, which is a metric measurement and so we may not have to worry about it here in the mathematically progressive USA. However, that's quite a bit of water. If you have ocean-front property, you may be in trouble. Luckily, North Carolina Republicans have come up with a sweet solution. They simply want to outlaw the data. That's right, they have a new bill that would outlaw the climate models. (Sea, no evil.) This is a brilliant solution. Another would be to stick your head in the sand. Of course, you would want to have a friend nearby to tell you when the water is rising and getting too close to you.
BKAD, or Better Know a District, is one of Stephen's most patriotic segments of the show. By now he should have been able to breeze through all the Districts. Sadly, there are way too many that we don't know. In fact, there are whole states that we know absolutely nothing about. Stephen is of course fixing that. He made an agreement with Nancy Pelosi to support her Disclose Act. She, in return, would encourage Democratic Representatives to come on The Colbert Report to be interviewed by Stephen. It is proven fact that anyone on The Colbert Report gets the famous Colbert Bump.
So anyway, Stephen has two Democrats booked for this summer. Yea!!! But he needs more. That's where you come in. Head over to Colbert Nation. Do you see Stephen's smiling face up in the right hand corner? It says Better Know A District. Click on that. It's the Represent-O-Map 6000. Then click on your Congressional District. If you don't know your District, use the Search Box-Thingy 4500 below the map of the USA. Either click or search and you will get a nice photo of your Representative and a form email (the best kind) to send. Get your Representative on the show. Make him or her famous. Send your Representative an actual email. You can also view The Archives to see if your Representative was already better known.
The most popular Representative seems to be Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton which is interesting. As popular as she is, she has the worst voting record, having never cast a vote. It is a fascinating interview and valuable civics lesson. And we can see Stephen flatter himself.
To remind us all of what BKAD is all about, Stephen interviewed Representative John Lewis for BKAD and also as the guest. Representative John Lewis is from Georgia's 5th District. John Lewis knew the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr since he was 18 and John Lewis was the youngest speaker at the 1963 March on Washington. In 1965, he led marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in a historical event that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Stephen mentioned that he also was at the 1963 March on Washington and may have been the youngest attendee since he was with his mother in that she was pregnant with him.
Stephen and Representative Lewis also discussed the new book that John Lewis has written - "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." You can get this book at most bookstores or download it from iTunes.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Better Know a District
What could be more popular than the "Better Know a District" segment on The Colbert Report? But, due to recent events, I think that could all come to a screeching halt.
Perhaps my word choice is too extreme. Maybe it will just change a bit. You see, we had the census in 2010. One of the many important reasons we conduct a census is to find out how many people live in each state and where in the state they live. Then we find out how many Congressional Representatives each state will have. And then we find out where the district boundaries will be. Right now, states are redrawing congressional districts so as to equalize the number of people in each district. People are finding out that while they used to live in one Representative's district, because of redrawn boundaries, they will be "assigned to" a different district.
Stephen has already "known" many of the districts and has put those districts up on his map. Now he will have to get a new map and maybe re-interview some Representatives he has already had on the show because they represent different districts. And horror of horrors, there may be some districts now that do not have a current Representative living there. By the time elections roll around on November 6, someone will either have to move into that district in order to run for re-election, or someone currently living there who is not a Representative will have to decide to run for Congress from that district.
How will this all play out? I don't know, but this much is for sure. "Better Know a District" will change. Stephen could just adjust the lines on his map and color in the new districts (if he actually had interviewed the Representative who still lives within the new boundaries) and go on from there. Or he could scrap the map and start all over again. I don't know how he could possibly hope to interview all the Congressional Representatives, what with there being 435 members of the House. He better get started soon and maybe do two or three Representatives per week.
Will we end up with a new segment such as "Better Get Briefly Acquainted with a District?" or "Better Start All Over Again in New Districts Getting to Know That District?" Will he stop getting to know the people who are running this country? If he doesn't get to know them, how can we ever hope to know them?
Sooner or later Stephen will have to address this issue. He can't go on much longer with the status quo because the status quo as Bob Dylan so melodically said, is changing. Tell us what you are going to do Stephen. Let my people know.
Perhaps my word choice is too extreme. Maybe it will just change a bit. You see, we had the census in 2010. One of the many important reasons we conduct a census is to find out how many people live in each state and where in the state they live. Then we find out how many Congressional Representatives each state will have. And then we find out where the district boundaries will be. Right now, states are redrawing congressional districts so as to equalize the number of people in each district. People are finding out that while they used to live in one Representative's district, because of redrawn boundaries, they will be "assigned to" a different district.
Stephen has already "known" many of the districts and has put those districts up on his map. Now he will have to get a new map and maybe re-interview some Representatives he has already had on the show because they represent different districts. And horror of horrors, there may be some districts now that do not have a current Representative living there. By the time elections roll around on November 6, someone will either have to move into that district in order to run for re-election, or someone currently living there who is not a Representative will have to decide to run for Congress from that district.
How will this all play out? I don't know, but this much is for sure. "Better Know a District" will change. Stephen could just adjust the lines on his map and color in the new districts (if he actually had interviewed the Representative who still lives within the new boundaries) and go on from there. Or he could scrap the map and start all over again. I don't know how he could possibly hope to interview all the Congressional Representatives, what with there being 435 members of the House. He better get started soon and maybe do two or three Representatives per week.
Will we end up with a new segment such as "Better Get Briefly Acquainted with a District?" or "Better Start All Over Again in New Districts Getting to Know That District?" Will he stop getting to know the people who are running this country? If he doesn't get to know them, how can we ever hope to know them?
Sooner or later Stephen will have to address this issue. He can't go on much longer with the status quo because the status quo as Bob Dylan so melodically said, is changing. Tell us what you are going to do Stephen. Let my people know.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
They Now Know You Know They Know
It is the beginning of Lent and Stephen appropriately has given up something for Lent. Unfortunately it looks like he will be tempted often.
Tonight's Word was Surrender to a Buyer Power. Retailers know a lot about us - their customers. They know more that you perhaps realize. A story in the New York Times had this to say recently, "Target knows your age, whether you are married and have kids, which part of town you live in, how long it takes you to drive to the store, your estimated salary, whether you've moved recently, what credit cards you carry in your wallet and what Web sites you visit."
Stephen commented that if you are watching The Colbert Report on the Web now, then "they now know you know they know!"
It's been a while since Stephen has done his "Better Know a District" series. Tonight we were lucky and yes it did happen to be Nancy Pelosi's district. Stephen had a short video clip of Nancy Pelosi telling him she wouldn't come on his show and then Voila! she's on his show tonight! What a treat.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Nancy Pelosi and Stephen talked abut the D.I.S.C.L.O.S.E. Act. Nancy Pelosi thinks it is important to disclose where the money is coming from and then to pass an amendment to overturn Citizens United.
The two of them also discussed women's reproductive health. While Nancy does think five guys are qualified to make hamburgers, she doesn't think five guys should be deciding health care options for women.
After Stephen asked her why women are so obsessed with controlling their own bodies, he went on to make a deal with her. If he throws his weight behind the D.I.S.C.L.O.S.E. Act, if he supports it, will she be willing to encourage the Democratic members of the House of Representatives to do Stephen's "Better Know a District" series?
Hurray! She said, "It's a deal," and shook on it with Nancy Pelosi. This could get very interesting, and fun.
Surprisingly, the two of them did not discuss Kittens.
Tonight's Word was Surrender to a Buyer Power. Retailers know a lot about us - their customers. They know more that you perhaps realize. A story in the New York Times had this to say recently, "Target knows your age, whether you are married and have kids, which part of town you live in, how long it takes you to drive to the store, your estimated salary, whether you've moved recently, what credit cards you carry in your wallet and what Web sites you visit."
Stephen commented that if you are watching The Colbert Report on the Web now, then "they now know you know they know!"
It's been a while since Stephen has done his "Better Know a District" series. Tonight we were lucky and yes it did happen to be Nancy Pelosi's district. Stephen had a short video clip of Nancy Pelosi telling him she wouldn't come on his show and then Voila! she's on his show tonight! What a treat.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Nancy Pelosi and Stephen talked abut the D.I.S.C.L.O.S.E. Act. Nancy Pelosi thinks it is important to disclose where the money is coming from and then to pass an amendment to overturn Citizens United.
The two of them also discussed women's reproductive health. While Nancy does think five guys are qualified to make hamburgers, she doesn't think five guys should be deciding health care options for women.
After Stephen asked her why women are so obsessed with controlling their own bodies, he went on to make a deal with her. If he throws his weight behind the D.I.S.C.L.O.S.E. Act, if he supports it, will she be willing to encourage the Democratic members of the House of Representatives to do Stephen's "Better Know a District" series?
Hurray! She said, "It's a deal," and shook on it with Nancy Pelosi. This could get very interesting, and fun.
Surprisingly, the two of them did not discuss Kittens.
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