Some Americans do not know where Ukraine is. Actually a lot don't know. According to one survey, only about 1 in 6 (16 percent) could put the mark in Ukraine on a map of the world. Of course, readers of this blog would do much better because they are most certainly smart and also because people from all over the world, including Ukraine, read this blog.
Some people say that "enhanced interrogation" is a great way to get information. Others say that we got little information that was useful.
But here's what Newt Gingrich had to say back in February: "Anybody who's seen Oh Dark Thirty knows that there are pretty good arguments that those interrogations gave us a lot of intelligence information..."
Jane Goodall stopped over to chat with Stephen and to encourage him to let out his inner chimp. He did it well. It was a wonderful interview and rather than detail it here, go watch the show online if you did not see it or check out some links here, or here, or here.
Showing posts with label Newt Gingrich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newt Gingrich. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
A Spit of Tea
Stephen was, to put it mildly, surprised that now that the 2012 election is all over, done, history, the pundits are, believe it or not, already talking about who is going to run for president in 2016.
Stephen's comment was something like, "Ptuuuuiiii," but with hot tea hitting his desk as the liquid rushed out of his mouth. 2016??? Who is running in 2016???? I offer Stephen my sympathy. People want to go back to the normal humdrum of life for at least a little while. Enough already with election forecasts.
So, on a more festive note, Happy Diwali! Here's a brief article about Diwali over at national Geographic Kids.
In what could be considered controversial material, Stephen had a clip of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Sesame Street. She and one of the girl characters were talking about careers. The girl wanted to be a princess. Justice Sotomayor, tried to point her away from being a princess which is more of a "pretend" career and into something that requires education and training and skills. Eventually, the little girl decides that the life of a Supreme Court Justice is the career path for her.
Thankfully, Stephen has done his research. In the entire history of the Supreme Court, only four women have made it onto the bench. (You'd think they could afford comfortable chairs, but no, it's a bench, at least that's what I keep hearing about judges.) The four women who have been or currently are on SCOTUS are Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Stephen's guest last night, and yes it was a repeat episode, so it wasn't actually last night, was Newt. Oops, my bad. His guest was Newt Gingrich, former presidential contender. So Stephen and Newt have that in common. His latest book, Victory at Yorktown, is about a guy named George Washington, who therefore has something in common with Stephen and Newt, except that this guy actually was successful in his bid to become president.
In keeping on the theme of elections, Stephen asked for Newt's analysis of the election that just happened, the one where Barack Obama won re-election and Mitt Romney was defeated. Newt replied, "We were wrong."
Note: If "Spit of Tea" is not to your liking, you can view "Spot of Tea" over here.
Stephen's comment was something like, "Ptuuuuiiii," but with hot tea hitting his desk as the liquid rushed out of his mouth. 2016??? Who is running in 2016???? I offer Stephen my sympathy. People want to go back to the normal humdrum of life for at least a little while. Enough already with election forecasts.
So, on a more festive note, Happy Diwali! Here's a brief article about Diwali over at national Geographic Kids.
In what could be considered controversial material, Stephen had a clip of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Sesame Street. She and one of the girl characters were talking about careers. The girl wanted to be a princess. Justice Sotomayor, tried to point her away from being a princess which is more of a "pretend" career and into something that requires education and training and skills. Eventually, the little girl decides that the life of a Supreme Court Justice is the career path for her.
Thankfully, Stephen has done his research. In the entire history of the Supreme Court, only four women have made it onto the bench. (You'd think they could afford comfortable chairs, but no, it's a bench, at least that's what I keep hearing about judges.) The four women who have been or currently are on SCOTUS are Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Stephen's guest last night, and yes it was a repeat episode, so it wasn't actually last night, was Newt. Oops, my bad. His guest was Newt Gingrich, former presidential contender. So Stephen and Newt have that in common. His latest book, Victory at Yorktown, is about a guy named George Washington, who therefore has something in common with Stephen and Newt, except that this guy actually was successful in his bid to become president.
In keeping on the theme of elections, Stephen asked for Newt's analysis of the election that just happened, the one where Barack Obama won re-election and Mitt Romney was defeated. Newt replied, "We were wrong."
Note: If "Spit of Tea" is not to your liking, you can view "Spot of Tea" over here.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Etch A Sketch
Stephen is back and apparently I was completely wrong about where he was and what he was doing all last week. He was actually on Spring Break, enjoying 84 degree weather while we were stuck with 82 degree weather. Although Stephen seemed to have enjoyed the pleasant weather for his Spring Break, he also seemed miffed that spring had sprung. He blamed it all on Punxsutawney Phil. Probably he should be renamed Prevaricator Phil.
Even though it was Spring Break, Stephen kept up with the news and politics. President Obama expressed sympathy for the family of Trayvon Martin. And Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich expressed outrage that the President did this. We can't ask Trayvon Martin what happened. But there is a top legal mind who fingered the real culprit - The Hoodie. According to Fox News contributor Gerlado Rivera, "The Hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was."
I know that you can find images over at Google of Geraldo Rivera wearing Hoodies, so we know he is aware of fashion. Perhaps Geraldo Rivera could write some sort of book where he gives all kinds of fashion advice of what kids like Trayvon are permitted to wear and what they are not permitted to wear. Stephen even suggested that Congress pass Hoodie control legislation.
Toys seemed to be a favorite topic tonight. That old favorite Etch A Sketch has been in the news quite a bit lately. Romney Campaign Senior Adviser Eric Fehrnstrom made a comment about political campaigns and Etch A Sketch that seemed to point out Romney's reputation as a flip-flopper. Rick Santorum said after that comment by Fehrnstrom that, "My public policy isn't written on a Etch A Sketch. It's written on my heart."
"Of course," said Stephen, "the only way to read what's written on Rick Santorum's heart is with a Trans Vaginal Ultrasound." Stephen went on to mention other toys, Mr. Potato Head, the Magical Treasure Troll, the totally smooth Ken Doll, Silly Putty, Lincoln Logs and a Lego man with a nice head of hair. Anyway, sales are through the roof for Etch A Sketch, and hopefully the other toys got The Colbert Bump and will see increased profits.
Stephen's Guest tonight was Dr. David Page, MIT Professor and Director of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. In keeping with Stephen's fondness for toys tonight, Dr. David Page brought something that seems to me is probably a toy, but I don't know the name for it. He used it as a prop for X and Y chromosomes. Last time I checked, chromosomes were much smaller than what he had on the show. He explained that we all have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Of those 23 pairs, 22 are the same in males and females. The 23rd pair is two matched X chromosomes in females, but it men, it is a mismatched X and Y chromosome. Stephen asked about his fear, based on rumors, that the Y chromosome is becoming extinct and that eventually males will not be on this planet. Dr. Page assured Stephen that he need not worry. The Y chromosome and men in general are not going to disappear.
Even though it was Spring Break, Stephen kept up with the news and politics. President Obama expressed sympathy for the family of Trayvon Martin. And Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich expressed outrage that the President did this. We can't ask Trayvon Martin what happened. But there is a top legal mind who fingered the real culprit - The Hoodie. According to Fox News contributor Gerlado Rivera, "The Hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman was."
I know that you can find images over at Google of Geraldo Rivera wearing Hoodies, so we know he is aware of fashion. Perhaps Geraldo Rivera could write some sort of book where he gives all kinds of fashion advice of what kids like Trayvon are permitted to wear and what they are not permitted to wear. Stephen even suggested that Congress pass Hoodie control legislation.
Toys seemed to be a favorite topic tonight. That old favorite Etch A Sketch has been in the news quite a bit lately. Romney Campaign Senior Adviser Eric Fehrnstrom made a comment about political campaigns and Etch A Sketch that seemed to point out Romney's reputation as a flip-flopper. Rick Santorum said after that comment by Fehrnstrom that, "My public policy isn't written on a Etch A Sketch. It's written on my heart."
"Of course," said Stephen, "the only way to read what's written on Rick Santorum's heart is with a Trans Vaginal Ultrasound." Stephen went on to mention other toys, Mr. Potato Head, the Magical Treasure Troll, the totally smooth Ken Doll, Silly Putty, Lincoln Logs and a Lego man with a nice head of hair. Anyway, sales are through the roof for Etch A Sketch, and hopefully the other toys got The Colbert Bump and will see increased profits.
Stephen's Guest tonight was Dr. David Page, MIT Professor and Director of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. In keeping with Stephen's fondness for toys tonight, Dr. David Page brought something that seems to me is probably a toy, but I don't know the name for it. He used it as a prop for X and Y chromosomes. Last time I checked, chromosomes were much smaller than what he had on the show. He explained that we all have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Of those 23 pairs, 22 are the same in males and females. The 23rd pair is two matched X chromosomes in females, but it men, it is a mismatched X and Y chromosome. Stephen asked about his fear, based on rumors, that the Y chromosome is becoming extinct and that eventually males will not be on this planet. Dr. Page assured Stephen that he need not worry. The Y chromosome and men in general are not going to disappear.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
You Can't Drive a Car With a Windmill On It
Stephen started with a music theme, threw in some religion and politics in the middle, and then ended with music. In just a few days, the Annual Pop Conference will be going on in Seattle at the EMP Museum (Experience Music Project). Now before you get too excited, it is a conference, not a concert, so just keep that in mind. That being said however, you would probably think that a musician and scholar such as Stephen would be welcomed with open arms to the Conference. But no. Stephen's work was yet again rejected. His scholarly paper did not make the cut. He had the paper there with him on the show, even read the title. It sounded fascinating and I, for one, only wish there had been time for him to read it on the air. (Note to self. Check iTunes to see if it is there in Spoken Word category.)
Pat Robertson. Stephen is worried about Robertson and his ministry. You may remember Pat from the things he says on his show. Things such as:
"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti. They got together and swore a pact to the devil."
"Islam is not a religion."
"We assume Jewish people are very thrifty."
"What about bestiality?"
"He likes to have sex with ducks."
"That guy was homo."
"Those who are involved in martial arts before they start are actually inhaling some demon spirit."
But lately Pat has been advocating something that, well, let's just say it involves the munchies. And that might include, perhaps, his age-defying protein pancakes. Yes, people could eat those pancakes. Pat eats them, so that's an endorsement right there.
You know there are many reality shows on TV. People that are "Real" and people at the "Shore". A recent one, "All American Muslim" on TLC, won't be back for a second season. Apparently they are too normal. Seems like you need to be "real" instead of "normal" to make it in TV land.
But, enough about religion. Stephen reminded us that bears are always a threat and then he touched on politics a little bit. It's yet again another primary, this time in Mississippi and Alabama, along with Hawaii and American Samoa. All the usual issues come to light such as climate change, drilling, and other energy related stuff. Mitt Romney said that you can't drive a car with a windmill on it. (Duh.) Stephen asked the obvious question, "Because then where would the dog go?" And Newt Gingrich, while fond of Newtland on the Moon also speaks of Cloud Cuckoo Land where algae is used for fuel. "You can't make this stuff up," said Newt.
Apparently, ExxonMobil is actually doing this, to the tune of some $600 million to develop this technology!
And back to music to end the show. Andrew Bird was the guest tonight. He is not "famous", but now needs to be ready to be "super famous" as a result of being on The Colbert Report (you know, the famous Colbert Bump). He sang the song Eyeoneye from his latest album Break It Yourself.
~~~~~~~~~~
By the way, I noticed over at the Wikipedia page about Andrew Bird that he went to Northwestern University. Don't we know someone else that is on the list of Alumni from Northwestern University? Someone with the initials S.C.?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you notice, most of my postings are done late at night when I am so very tired. And so sometimes there will be words that are typed or spelled wrong. Typically I find them when I read them in a more alert state and change them a day or two later. I have made one correction today. It makes the humor much funnier when the words are right. Hopefully my readers are either more alert or if not that, then forgiving when Eye dew make these unintentionel errars.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Stop Colbert
Oh, no! Stephen and The Colbert Report are off this week and look what happens:
Nancy Pelosi vs Stephen Colbert.
In this YouTube video, Nancy Pelosi rips Stephen Colbert to shreds in support of the DISCLOSE Act. She wants a Better Tomorrow Today!
Nancy Pelosi vs Stephen Colbert.
In this YouTube video, Nancy Pelosi rips Stephen Colbert to shreds in support of the DISCLOSE Act. She wants a Better Tomorrow Today!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Stephen and Stefon
I watched Saturday Night Live Saturday night and enjoyed the opening skit with Newt Gingrich, Moon President. It's seeming more and more likely that we will soon have our 51st state up there. (Note the poll in right hand column. Be sure to cast your vote.)
There's also been news lately of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood. I also found this concerning Ari Fleischer and Komen.
All of this made me think of previous posts about John Kyl and Planned Parenthood.
MythBusters Meet John Kyl
Not Intended to be a Factual Statement
It is Enough That It Be Truthy
Anyway, to bring all this together with the title of this post, I happened upon this about Stephen Colbert at Gawker. You can watch Stephen talking about John Kyl and his "not intended to be a factual statement" statement. It's about four minutes long and at times, Stephen has a difficult time keeping a straight face. It reminded me of Stefon on Saturday Night Live. He also often has a difficult time keeping a straight face. You can watch this clip at hulu of Stefon giving his suggestions for fun Valentine ideas. That also runs about four minutes.
It's fun to watch both Stephen and Stefon trying to keep straight faces but laughing as they speak into the camera. Once a person starts laughing, it is not easy to get back to being serious.
There's also been news lately of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood. I also found this concerning Ari Fleischer and Komen.
All of this made me think of previous posts about John Kyl and Planned Parenthood.
MythBusters Meet John Kyl
Not Intended to be a Factual Statement
It is Enough That It Be Truthy
Anyway, to bring all this together with the title of this post, I happened upon this about Stephen Colbert at Gawker. You can watch Stephen talking about John Kyl and his "not intended to be a factual statement" statement. It's about four minutes long and at times, Stephen has a difficult time keeping a straight face. It reminded me of Stefon on Saturday Night Live. He also often has a difficult time keeping a straight face. You can watch this clip at hulu of Stefon giving his suggestions for fun Valentine ideas. That also runs about four minutes.
It's fun to watch both Stephen and Stefon trying to keep straight faces but laughing as they speak into the camera. Once a person starts laughing, it is not easy to get back to being serious.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Alex Rigopulos
It's Groundhog Day and so of course Stephen mentioned the Puppy Bowl. It's what we all are waiting to watch this Sunday. And then he mentioned Candlemas which really got him going on and on. (Both Groundhog Day and Candlemas come around each year on February 2.)
One thing that is really dear to Stephen is his Super PAC. He has raised about a million dollars! There were 31,595 donors. There were 1600 people who gave $1 - wow! And there was one person, Alex Rigopulos, who donated $9600 ! ! ! He was the biggest donor. I'm glad I didn't try for that distinction. I couldn't even come close to that amount. Ham Rove made a very brief appearance and then Stephen talked about how popular his Super PAC was in Google and about how much more popular he wants it to be.
I should have written this down. He wants his Super PAC to show up in Google as a mixture of campaign funding ... that is ... politics. That's basically what he said. Plans for the Super PAC now are for cat breading.
Newt, Newt, Newt. What will you come up with next? Apparently Newt Gingrich, author (or co-author) of many copyrighted books, is being sued for using the song "Eye of the Tiger" for some years now. It is a copyrighted song. He has been asked to stop it. Time will tell, but for now, for tonight, we got to listen to Dave Bickler putting one of Newt's books to music and singing it for our enjoyment. Well, now, the shoe's on the other foot, isn't it?
Tonight's guest was Christiane Amanpour and the interview was as different from last night's interview (with Ameena Matthews) as an interview could be. Much of the time Stephen and Christiane were talking at the same time. On the one hand, that does save time and make for a shorter interview, but on the other hand, it makes it hard to understand what either of them was saying. They did talk about Iran and eventually got around to this:
Amanapour: "Some people are actually talking about potentially using nuclear weapons."
Colbert: "I just did (talk about that), --- now."
Amanpour: "But serious people."
Audience: "Gasp! GASP!"
Colbert: Utter silence. Wide eyes. Sad look on face.
And then when Stephen came back from commercial to say, "Good Night," he also added , "We are off for the next week."
Off next week? Is it because of Valentine's Day? Or were his feelings hurt by not being considered a serious person with actual opinions and thoughts?
I feel so bad for Stephen. I just hope lots of people will vote for New Colbertland in the poll (upper right had corner) before he gets back to the show. It would make him feel better to have yet something else named after him. Let's see, an eagle, a mascot, an ice cream flavor, a turtle, an aeroplane, a spider, and a treadmill. So, yep, that future state up on the Moon should be named after him. Cast your vote soon.
One thing that is really dear to Stephen is his Super PAC. He has raised about a million dollars! There were 31,595 donors. There were 1600 people who gave $1 - wow! And there was one person, Alex Rigopulos, who donated $9600 ! ! ! He was the biggest donor. I'm glad I didn't try for that distinction. I couldn't even come close to that amount. Ham Rove made a very brief appearance and then Stephen talked about how popular his Super PAC was in Google and about how much more popular he wants it to be.
I should have written this down. He wants his Super PAC to show up in Google as a mixture of campaign funding ... that is ... politics. That's basically what he said. Plans for the Super PAC now are for cat breading.
Newt, Newt, Newt. What will you come up with next? Apparently Newt Gingrich, author (or co-author) of many copyrighted books, is being sued for using the song "Eye of the Tiger" for some years now. It is a copyrighted song. He has been asked to stop it. Time will tell, but for now, for tonight, we got to listen to Dave Bickler putting one of Newt's books to music and singing it for our enjoyment. Well, now, the shoe's on the other foot, isn't it?
Tonight's guest was Christiane Amanpour and the interview was as different from last night's interview (with Ameena Matthews) as an interview could be. Much of the time Stephen and Christiane were talking at the same time. On the one hand, that does save time and make for a shorter interview, but on the other hand, it makes it hard to understand what either of them was saying. They did talk about Iran and eventually got around to this:
Amanapour: "Some people are actually talking about potentially using nuclear weapons."
Colbert: "I just did (talk about that), --- now."
Amanpour: "But serious people."
Audience: "Gasp! GASP!"
Colbert: Utter silence. Wide eyes. Sad look on face.
And then when Stephen came back from commercial to say, "Good Night," he also added , "We are off for the next week."
Off next week? Is it because of Valentine's Day? Or were his feelings hurt by not being considered a serious person with actual opinions and thoughts?
I feel so bad for Stephen. I just hope lots of people will vote for New Colbertland in the poll (upper right had corner) before he gets back to the show. It would make him feel better to have yet something else named after him. Let's see, an eagle, a mascot, an ice cream flavor, a turtle, an aeroplane, a spider, and a treadmill. So, yep, that future state up on the Moon should be named after him. Cast your vote soon.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
GOP, BFF, and Credible Messenger
First off, the Republican primaries are moving right along. Stephen was prepared to call the Florida election and he called it for Mitt Romney. It helped a lot that all the votes were in and counted. Newt Gingrich came in second, but it was not a close second, so Mitt did really well. But there does seem to be a little bit of conflict or animosity. Some would even dare to call it negativity or nastiness. Mitt Romney has an answer to all of that. While some say this will hurt the party, he says that "a competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us."
As a fellow conservative, Stephen is ready to help. He set up a new Twitter account, #preparethem, and sent these on his show even as we watched.
"Newt's only hope for your vote is if you've been in a coma for 20 years and if you have he probably divorced you. newt2012"
"Mitt Romney is not a vulture capitalist. Vultures only eat things that are dead. romney2012"
Everyone should help prepare these two candidates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sadly, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack Ice Cream seems to be selling better than Stephen's Americone Dream. This is very disturbing to Stephen, partly because the two of them used to be Best Friends Forever (for 6 months). Luckily, now Stephen's will be sold in a "Superpack". Not only that, but it is collectable. You know this because, 1) Stephen said so and 2) it says right on the pack "2012 Collectable Election Year Package." Stephen suggests that we buy this valuable container. Don't open it because then it would not retain its collectable value. Put it in your safe deposit box along with your most valuable papers and documents.
Valentines Special - Stephen did say that there will be free Americone Dream at participating Ben & Jerry's. I don't have details, but if you live close to a Scoop Shop, check it out on February 14 and see if you are one of the lucky ice cream lovers.
Interesting tidbit. If you go to Ben & Jerry's Fun page at their website, you can play the game To The Moon. I don't think this has anything with Newt's plan to go To The Moon, but it would help prepare all of us for eventually going into space to colonize the Moon.
Be sure to vote for your favorite name for the Moon state in the right hand column at the top of the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen's guest tonight was Ameena Matthews. She is a CeaseFire Violence Interrupter working to end gang violence. She is featured in the documentary, "The Interrupters" to be shown on Frontline on pbs on February 14 at 9 p.m. (check local listings).
It's always interesting to see who will be the guest each night. Sometimes it is someone who is a performer, such as Björk last night. Sometimes it is a politician. Sometimes a journalist. But always interesting. Occasionally funny even. Tonight, Stephen was in finer form that usual. He had many great questions, and (dare I say it? sure why not...) not so many interruptions (ironic) and not so many one-liners as usual. We really did get to hear quite a bit of what Ameena Matthews had to say.
He did show a short video clip of her talking to a group of young men, all of whom were listening intently. "Why are those young men listening to you?" was Stephen's question.
"Because I'm considered a credible messenger." She said that she is not lecturing to them, she is having a conversation. She is finely tuned in to what is happening. She considers violence a disease.
The fact that she could hold Stephen's attention, and that he kept asking questions and listening to her answers, speaks to her talent and skill to use her voice in a very powerful way.
As a fellow conservative, Stephen is ready to help. He set up a new Twitter account, #preparethem, and sent these on his show even as we watched.
"Newt's only hope for your vote is if you've been in a coma for 20 years and if you have he probably divorced you. newt2012"
"Mitt Romney is not a vulture capitalist. Vultures only eat things that are dead. romney2012"
Everyone should help prepare these two candidates.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sadly, Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Snack Ice Cream seems to be selling better than Stephen's Americone Dream. This is very disturbing to Stephen, partly because the two of them used to be Best Friends Forever (for 6 months). Luckily, now Stephen's will be sold in a "Superpack". Not only that, but it is collectable. You know this because, 1) Stephen said so and 2) it says right on the pack "2012 Collectable Election Year Package." Stephen suggests that we buy this valuable container. Don't open it because then it would not retain its collectable value. Put it in your safe deposit box along with your most valuable papers and documents.
Valentines Special - Stephen did say that there will be free Americone Dream at participating Ben & Jerry's. I don't have details, but if you live close to a Scoop Shop, check it out on February 14 and see if you are one of the lucky ice cream lovers.
Interesting tidbit. If you go to Ben & Jerry's Fun page at their website, you can play the game To The Moon. I don't think this has anything with Newt's plan to go To The Moon, but it would help prepare all of us for eventually going into space to colonize the Moon.
Be sure to vote for your favorite name for the Moon state in the right hand column at the top of the page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen's guest tonight was Ameena Matthews. She is a CeaseFire Violence Interrupter working to end gang violence. She is featured in the documentary, "The Interrupters" to be shown on Frontline on pbs on February 14 at 9 p.m. (check local listings).
It's always interesting to see who will be the guest each night. Sometimes it is someone who is a performer, such as Björk last night. Sometimes it is a politician. Sometimes a journalist. But always interesting. Occasionally funny even. Tonight, Stephen was in finer form that usual. He had many great questions, and (dare I say it? sure why not...) not so many interruptions (ironic) and not so many one-liners as usual. We really did get to hear quite a bit of what Ameena Matthews had to say.
He did show a short video clip of her talking to a group of young men, all of whom were listening intently. "Why are those young men listening to you?" was Stephen's question.
"Because I'm considered a credible messenger." She said that she is not lecturing to them, she is having a conversation. She is finely tuned in to what is happening. She considers violence a disease.
The fact that she could hold Stephen's attention, and that he kept asking questions and listening to her answers, speaks to her talent and skill to use her voice in a very powerful way.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Björk
Today was the Florida Primary. I hope everyone in Florida took the opportunity to vote. We got to find out who endorsed whom and who probably won. It's confusing but let me try to fill in all the blanks. Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich but would be comfortable with Mitt Romney. Stephen endorsed Cain's endorsement of Newt. Duke Cunningham has endorsed Newt and has said, "I have 80% of inmates that would vote for you." And finally, Sarah Palin has endorsed Newt, at least, I'm pretty sure that's what she was talking about. But maybe not. Hard to tell. Just ignore what I wrote about Sarah Palin and wait until I find out for sure. She will probably speak again.
Founding Fathers - I didn't even know they were lost! Those were those guys who lived a long time ago and started this country with all that liberty and freedom stuff. Turns out lots of them owned slaves which would kind of be the opposite of liberty and freedom. We learned that some folks don't like that stuff in the history books. They don't like talking about it. For example, Stephen had a clip of a news team (I'm not sure who the guy and gal were) reporting this: "The Tennessee Tea Party is telling state politicians we need to tone down talk of slavery and stop making it about race."
You can read about changes to history books here. Or read about it here. Maybe they can just take the word "history" out of the title, that might work. Just call them books. They can get the Grimm brothers to write the books.
Björk - I don't typically give a fashion update on Stephen's guests, but I would be remiss if I did not say something about Björk. She was wearing blue and had very fluffy red hair with blue, green and purple highlights.
It was a short but interesting interview. Stephen accused her of combining science and music. She probably even threw in some math. Just go look at her website and have some fun. I am impressed, I will admit that. Very interesting animation. (Click and move mouse.)
She sang for us and of course the good news is that if you didn't watch tonight, you can watch on Colbert Nation tomorrow. But of course you already knew that didn't you?
Update: If you want to get the maximum enjoyment from her website, I recommend using a regular computer. On an iPad it is cute, but nowhere near the detail and experience as on a full screen device. Also, Björk is Icelandic. If you are looking for a wonderfully different vacation destination, look no further than Iceland which was my suggestion for Stephen Colbert's vacation for August 28, 2011.
And if you are wondering why this artist just uses her first name, here's one possible explanation.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is her full name. Not that difficult to pronounce, (click on the speaker icon in the box with her name) but still probably a smart decision on her part.
Founding Fathers - I didn't even know they were lost! Those were those guys who lived a long time ago and started this country with all that liberty and freedom stuff. Turns out lots of them owned slaves which would kind of be the opposite of liberty and freedom. We learned that some folks don't like that stuff in the history books. They don't like talking about it. For example, Stephen had a clip of a news team (I'm not sure who the guy and gal were) reporting this: "The Tennessee Tea Party is telling state politicians we need to tone down talk of slavery and stop making it about race."
You can read about changes to history books here. Or read about it here. Maybe they can just take the word "history" out of the title, that might work. Just call them books. They can get the Grimm brothers to write the books.
Björk - I don't typically give a fashion update on Stephen's guests, but I would be remiss if I did not say something about Björk. She was wearing blue and had very fluffy red hair with blue, green and purple highlights.
It was a short but interesting interview. Stephen accused her of combining science and music. She probably even threw in some math. Just go look at her website and have some fun. I am impressed, I will admit that. Very interesting animation. (Click and move mouse.)
She sang for us and of course the good news is that if you didn't watch tonight, you can watch on Colbert Nation tomorrow. But of course you already knew that didn't you?
Update: If you want to get the maximum enjoyment from her website, I recommend using a regular computer. On an iPad it is cute, but nowhere near the detail and experience as on a full screen device. Also, Björk is Icelandic. If you are looking for a wonderfully different vacation destination, look no further than Iceland which was my suggestion for Stephen Colbert's vacation for August 28, 2011.
And if you are wondering why this artist just uses her first name, here's one possible explanation.
Björk Guðmundsdóttir is her full name. Not that difficult to pronounce, (click on the speaker icon in the box with her name) but still probably a smart decision on her part.
I Raised that Money From a Baby
The best part of The Colbert Report happened at the end of The Daily Show. Jon Stewart was wrapping up (a bit early if you ask me) when who should appear but Stephen Colbert in the flesh! He was desperately trying to get his Super PAC back from Jon. Jon had gotten quite used to it and did not want to give it up. A chase ensued and, well, with some shenanigans, Stephen was able to get his Super PAC back. By Tuesday, I would think you could go watch the episode of The Daily Show online.
On the actual Colbert Report, Stephen talked about his Super PAC and also that January 31 is the deadline for reporting about Super PACs. We will be able to find out just how much money the Super PAC has and who the donors (of $200 and more) actually are. In fact, Stephen read a few of the donor names. Imagine the surprise of those people to hear their names being read on TV!
Stephen did report on a few stories making the rounds in the journalistic world, such as dolphins and cocaine (actually dolphins, and also cocaine, not dolphins using cocaine, different stories). But then he got into the interesting stuff, politics. It seems there just hasn't been enough politics lately on the news shows. We need to hear more about the candidates, their wives, their affairs, their birthplace, and so I was reminded of why so many people watch Stephen on TV.
He talked about Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney courting the Latino vote. And they should be able to get it because I have heard both of them say who they are in Spanish. One little problem for Newt though. Here is what he said in 2007:
"We should replace bilingual education with emergence, with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and so they learn the language of prosperity, - - - not the language of living in a ghetto."
Did you catch what he did there to help people learn English? He pretended to use the wrong word (emergence) and then used the correct word (immersion) when talking about bilingual education. Already, just by listening to him speak one sentence, people will have learned that although those two words sound very similar, the meaning is very different. We are so lucky that Newt Gingrich knows his English language so well. I can feel myself getting smarter already.
For some reason, certain people have taken offense to that statement he made in 2007. I guess it has something to do with an attitude that people who may speak with an accent live in a ghetto. Or that in order to prosper, you must speak English. However, if you were to ask Newt Gingrich if that was offensive, I am sure he would say, "no."
Stephen's guest was Laurence H. Tribe. As you can see here and here, he teaches at Harvard and so he must be smart. He and Stephen talked about Constitutional Law. They talked about the importance of the Constitution. Stephen wanted to know if it really is important, and how it affects him every day. It was great to see Stephen discussing the very framework of our government with someone so knowledgeable. But when it came right down to it, Stephen realized he was just as smart as Tribe.
"Freedom to be free. Is that so tough? I should teach at Harvard."
On the actual Colbert Report, Stephen talked about his Super PAC and also that January 31 is the deadline for reporting about Super PACs. We will be able to find out just how much money the Super PAC has and who the donors (of $200 and more) actually are. In fact, Stephen read a few of the donor names. Imagine the surprise of those people to hear their names being read on TV!
Stephen did report on a few stories making the rounds in the journalistic world, such as dolphins and cocaine (actually dolphins, and also cocaine, not dolphins using cocaine, different stories). But then he got into the interesting stuff, politics. It seems there just hasn't been enough politics lately on the news shows. We need to hear more about the candidates, their wives, their affairs, their birthplace, and so I was reminded of why so many people watch Stephen on TV.
He talked about Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney courting the Latino vote. And they should be able to get it because I have heard both of them say who they are in Spanish. One little problem for Newt though. Here is what he said in 2007:
"We should replace bilingual education with emergence, with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and so they learn the language of prosperity, - - - not the language of living in a ghetto."
Did you catch what he did there to help people learn English? He pretended to use the wrong word (emergence) and then used the correct word (immersion) when talking about bilingual education. Already, just by listening to him speak one sentence, people will have learned that although those two words sound very similar, the meaning is very different. We are so lucky that Newt Gingrich knows his English language so well. I can feel myself getting smarter already.
For some reason, certain people have taken offense to that statement he made in 2007. I guess it has something to do with an attitude that people who may speak with an accent live in a ghetto. Or that in order to prosper, you must speak English. However, if you were to ask Newt Gingrich if that was offensive, I am sure he would say, "no."
Stephen's guest was Laurence H. Tribe. As you can see here and here, he teaches at Harvard and so he must be smart. He and Stephen talked about Constitutional Law. They talked about the importance of the Constitution. Stephen wanted to know if it really is important, and how it affects him every day. It was great to see Stephen discussing the very framework of our government with someone so knowledgeable. But when it came right down to it, Stephen realized he was just as smart as Tribe.
"Freedom to be free. Is that so tough? I should teach at Harvard."
Sunday, January 29, 2012
To the Moon Newt, To the Moon
As you may remember, Newt wants to go to the Moon. And he wants other people to live there. And then he wants the moon base to become a state.
This would be great. We can stop thinking about making Washington D.C. a state, or Puerto Rico, and let the Moon jump to the top of the list of places that want to be the 51st State in the United States.
Of course with 13,000 residents, there would need to be a lot of amenities and infrastructure to get people interested in living there. First of all, a Starbucks. That goes without saying. Probably a few bus stops since not everyone will have a car to get around. A large grocery store and maybe a small one with a good deli. Two elementary schools, one combined middle and high school and a small college, something such as Greendale Community College.
Additionally, there will need to be places to live. For single folks, some studio and 1 bedroom apartments. A variety of houses from one-bedroom up to four-bedroom houses. And then some really nice houses, the kind suitable for people like Stephen Colbert, maybe even some lakefront property. (Lakes to come later when we get enough water to the Moon.)
When these people are all settled up there on the Moon, they can start a government. I think they should have two political parties, the Moonbeams and the Sunbeams. They can choose a mayor for now. Then representatives for some kind of council, probably thirteen representatives, one for each 1,000 people.
First order of business: Naming the state. That may prove to be a difficult task, so I'm going to make it easier by offering the future residents some suggestions and even conducting a non-scientific poll to find which name seems to be most popular. Here's my list. If you think you would like to go live on the Moon by the year 2020, you can vote in the poll. Here's the choices in no particular order:
New Colbertland
Newtizona
Mittigan
Santorumfornia
West Paulina
Perryland
Bachmannouri
Hermantown
Huntsmanville
Tpawbama
South Buddyton
Thaddeusota
Lunarchusetts
Once a name is decided by the residents, then someone will have to decide other important matters. What will the ZIP code be? Will they get one Representative and two Senators for Congress? Will taxpayers pay for them to travel to and from Washington D.C.? Or will the elected representatives have to foot the bill for each trip. (That could be expensive.)
Will they have a high school football team? Will they play all their games away, you know, on Earth? Something that many people haven't thought of: What about TV, radio and Internet connections? For goodness sakes, how will the people in (new state name goes here) watch The Colbert Report? Has anyone thought of that? Has Newt Gingrich thought of that?
That could be the stumbling block that makes his whole "To the Moon" plan crumble. Who on Earth would willingly give up their daily fix of Stephen Colbert?
Not me, that's for sure.
This would be great. We can stop thinking about making Washington D.C. a state, or Puerto Rico, and let the Moon jump to the top of the list of places that want to be the 51st State in the United States.
Of course with 13,000 residents, there would need to be a lot of amenities and infrastructure to get people interested in living there. First of all, a Starbucks. That goes without saying. Probably a few bus stops since not everyone will have a car to get around. A large grocery store and maybe a small one with a good deli. Two elementary schools, one combined middle and high school and a small college, something such as Greendale Community College.
Additionally, there will need to be places to live. For single folks, some studio and 1 bedroom apartments. A variety of houses from one-bedroom up to four-bedroom houses. And then some really nice houses, the kind suitable for people like Stephen Colbert, maybe even some lakefront property. (Lakes to come later when we get enough water to the Moon.)
When these people are all settled up there on the Moon, they can start a government. I think they should have two political parties, the Moonbeams and the Sunbeams. They can choose a mayor for now. Then representatives for some kind of council, probably thirteen representatives, one for each 1,000 people.
First order of business: Naming the state. That may prove to be a difficult task, so I'm going to make it easier by offering the future residents some suggestions and even conducting a non-scientific poll to find which name seems to be most popular. Here's my list. If you think you would like to go live on the Moon by the year 2020, you can vote in the poll. Here's the choices in no particular order:
New Colbertland
Newtizona
Mittigan
Santorumfornia
West Paulina
Perryland
Bachmannouri
Hermantown
Huntsmanville
Tpawbama
South Buddyton
Thaddeusota
Lunarchusetts
Once a name is decided by the residents, then someone will have to decide other important matters. What will the ZIP code be? Will they get one Representative and two Senators for Congress? Will taxpayers pay for them to travel to and from Washington D.C.? Or will the elected representatives have to foot the bill for each trip. (That could be expensive.)
Will they have a high school football team? Will they play all their games away, you know, on Earth? Something that many people haven't thought of: What about TV, radio and Internet connections? For goodness sakes, how will the people in (new state name goes here) watch The Colbert Report? Has anyone thought of that? Has Newt Gingrich thought of that?
That could be the stumbling block that makes his whole "To the Moon" plan crumble. Who on Earth would willingly give up their daily fix of Stephen Colbert?
Not me, that's for sure.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
To Boldly Go
Today is Day 4 of the Colbert Super PAC crisis. It is taking a toll on Stephen, but he tries very hard to put on a good face. Meanwhile, continue to send in generous donations to the Colbert Super PAC.
The GOP debates are going quite well. As soon as they get up to 20 debates, they will get a free debate. When you have this many debates, there is a natural tendency for them to start getting boring. Luckily, the candidates are doing their utmost to keep them exciting. For example, Newt Gingrich promised to go back to the Moon.
"By the end of my second term we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American. We will have commercial near Earth activities that include science, tourism, and manufacturing. When we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state."
(That is quite an undertaking. I know for certain, in my heart of hearts, that Congress will be all thumbs up for this plan and will quickly pass whatever legislation is necessary to accomplish this lofty goal. Because after all, Congress is known for getting things done.)
Even as the debates keep getting better and better, we keep hearing that the GOP is scared to death of Newt becoming The Nominee. The thinking is that it would mean other Republicans would not be able to keep their seats in the House or Senate if Newt is the Republican candidate for President. How can they know that? Can they see into the future? Do they know something we don't know? Have they asked everyone how they will vote? Until all those questions are answered, it really is still up in the air. Way up in the air. In fact, you could even say it is up in the air all the way to the Moon.
Stephen had The Great Available Panel on the show tonight as well as some small footballs. This is the first time he has had a panel like this on. Joining him were John Harwood, Chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC, Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, and David Cassidy, aka Keith Partridge. They discussed the upcoming Florida Primary and who they thought would win it. (The four remaining candidates exchanged thoughts about each other at a recent debate. Read more about that here.) John Harwood predicted Mitt Romney would take Florida and win the nomination. Next question that Stephen asked was which is the best pie. All three got that one wrong. The answer is blueberry.
After so much intellectual, political, and culinary discussion, there was a complete change in direction with guest Drew Barrymore. You may remember here as Gertie in the movie E.T. about an alien coming to Earth. Stephen most certainly remembers her. I got the feeling that she was a fan of Stephen Colbert and he was a fan of Drew Barrymore.
You may have seen previews on TV lately for the movie that stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski - Big Miracle. If not, Stephen had a clip on The Colbert Report. This was quite rare. As a matter of fact, Drew commented that it was rare and she was honored. Anyway, the story is about three trapped whales that went from being a local news story to an international phenomenon. This is the perfect movie to watch this winter. It will warm your heart.
The GOP debates are going quite well. As soon as they get up to 20 debates, they will get a free debate. When you have this many debates, there is a natural tendency for them to start getting boring. Luckily, the candidates are doing their utmost to keep them exciting. For example, Newt Gingrich promised to go back to the Moon.
"By the end of my second term we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American. We will have commercial near Earth activities that include science, tourism, and manufacturing. When we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state."
(That is quite an undertaking. I know for certain, in my heart of hearts, that Congress will be all thumbs up for this plan and will quickly pass whatever legislation is necessary to accomplish this lofty goal. Because after all, Congress is known for getting things done.)
Even as the debates keep getting better and better, we keep hearing that the GOP is scared to death of Newt becoming The Nominee. The thinking is that it would mean other Republicans would not be able to keep their seats in the House or Senate if Newt is the Republican candidate for President. How can they know that? Can they see into the future? Do they know something we don't know? Have they asked everyone how they will vote? Until all those questions are answered, it really is still up in the air. Way up in the air. In fact, you could even say it is up in the air all the way to the Moon.
Stephen had The Great Available Panel on the show tonight as well as some small footballs. This is the first time he has had a panel like this on. Joining him were John Harwood, Chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC, Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, and David Cassidy, aka Keith Partridge. They discussed the upcoming Florida Primary and who they thought would win it. (The four remaining candidates exchanged thoughts about each other at a recent debate. Read more about that here.) John Harwood predicted Mitt Romney would take Florida and win the nomination. Next question that Stephen asked was which is the best pie. All three got that one wrong. The answer is blueberry.
After so much intellectual, political, and culinary discussion, there was a complete change in direction with guest Drew Barrymore. You may remember here as Gertie in the movie E.T. about an alien coming to Earth. Stephen most certainly remembers her. I got the feeling that she was a fan of Stephen Colbert and he was a fan of Drew Barrymore.
You may have seen previews on TV lately for the movie that stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski - Big Miracle. If not, Stephen had a clip on The Colbert Report. This was quite rare. As a matter of fact, Drew commented that it was rare and she was honored. Anyway, the story is about three trapped whales that went from being a local news story to an international phenomenon. This is the perfect movie to watch this winter. It will warm your heart.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Once Upon a Time
It is Day Two of what's come to be known as the Colbert SuperPAC Hostage Crisis. Jon Stewart has the money and took off in his Zeppelin to avoid having to give it back to Stephen. The only possible solution is for everyone to send money to Colbert Super PAC and to give recklessly.
Politics continues to be a favorite topic. In last night's show, Stephen mentioned the possibility of a wet t-shirt contest. He was convinced that Newt Gingrich would win that contest.
Stephen ventured into the world of children's literature (Kiddy Lit as it is sometimes called). He thinks he should get into that venue since so many celebrities are writing books. And Stephen is a celebrity, so he should be able to write a children's book and make lots of money.
We had the pleasure of seeing Stephen interview Maurice Sendak, well-known author of children's books. He now has a new book out - Bumble-Ardy. Stephen and Maurice had a very lively discussion. Although Maurice has kept busy writing children's books, he still has time to closely follow the career of Newt Gingrich. He shared some of his observations of Gingrich. Stephen and Maurice went on to talk about another of Maurice Sendak's book, "In the Night Kitchen." Stephen approved of that book so much, he improved it.
Be sure to keep watching The Colbert Report to see the conclusion of Stephen's interview with Maurice Sendak.
Stephen also mentioned that he is a huge fan of Rick Santorum, because the name Santorum is synonymous with leadership. If you have been paying attention to the news you will know that Rick Santorum was in a bit of a sticky spot recently. A woman in the audience at one of the events Santorum was at said this:
"I never refer to Obama as President Obama because legally he is not. He is an avowed Muslim. He has no legal right to be calling himself President."
When asked about this on Morning Joe, about why he did not correct the woman who said that, he had an excuse. "This was an elderly lady. She was there leaning on a cane. She was quite wobbly. Uh, and I'm not going to sit there and, and slam an older lady, uh, because she has some way-out, you know, some, some bizarre beliefs."
"Bravo," said our fearless host. "You cannot correct an old person every time they say something offensive." Well, as luck, or maybe misfortune, would have it, there just happened to be an elderly lady with a cane in the audience. And she spoke her mind with no opposition from anyone.
"I know for a fact that Rick Santorum runs a white slavery ring." She seemed to have the facts to back it up, and even if she was wrong, she had a cane, no wait, 2 canes. Stephen was very hesitant to correct her until she said something that was way out of line. She then received prompt and courteous assistance of two men who were willing to help her walk off into the sunset.
The actual real sit-down guest was Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Beast. He wrote the cover article in the January 23 issue of Newsweek entitled "Why are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" That did not sit well with Stephen.The discussion became so lively and yes, even loud some times. Here's some of what the two men said:
"Checkmate."
"It is the truth."
"Who cares what's true?"
"Let's go with what feels right."
Stephen was willing to repeat things he (Colbert) said so that they could then be considered to have more truthiness. If anyone would know about truthiness, it is Stephen Colbert.
Politics continues to be a favorite topic. In last night's show, Stephen mentioned the possibility of a wet t-shirt contest. He was convinced that Newt Gingrich would win that contest.
Stephen ventured into the world of children's literature (Kiddy Lit as it is sometimes called). He thinks he should get into that venue since so many celebrities are writing books. And Stephen is a celebrity, so he should be able to write a children's book and make lots of money.
We had the pleasure of seeing Stephen interview Maurice Sendak, well-known author of children's books. He now has a new book out - Bumble-Ardy. Stephen and Maurice had a very lively discussion. Although Maurice has kept busy writing children's books, he still has time to closely follow the career of Newt Gingrich. He shared some of his observations of Gingrich. Stephen and Maurice went on to talk about another of Maurice Sendak's book, "In the Night Kitchen." Stephen approved of that book so much, he improved it.
Be sure to keep watching The Colbert Report to see the conclusion of Stephen's interview with Maurice Sendak.
Stephen also mentioned that he is a huge fan of Rick Santorum, because the name Santorum is synonymous with leadership. If you have been paying attention to the news you will know that Rick Santorum was in a bit of a sticky spot recently. A woman in the audience at one of the events Santorum was at said this:
"I never refer to Obama as President Obama because legally he is not. He is an avowed Muslim. He has no legal right to be calling himself President."
When asked about this on Morning Joe, about why he did not correct the woman who said that, he had an excuse. "This was an elderly lady. She was there leaning on a cane. She was quite wobbly. Uh, and I'm not going to sit there and, and slam an older lady, uh, because she has some way-out, you know, some, some bizarre beliefs."
"Bravo," said our fearless host. "You cannot correct an old person every time they say something offensive." Well, as luck, or maybe misfortune, would have it, there just happened to be an elderly lady with a cane in the audience. And she spoke her mind with no opposition from anyone.
"I know for a fact that Rick Santorum runs a white slavery ring." She seemed to have the facts to back it up, and even if she was wrong, she had a cane, no wait, 2 canes. Stephen was very hesitant to correct her until she said something that was way out of line. She then received prompt and courteous assistance of two men who were willing to help her walk off into the sunset.
The actual real sit-down guest was Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Beast. He wrote the cover article in the January 23 issue of Newsweek entitled "Why are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" That did not sit well with Stephen.The discussion became so lively and yes, even loud some times. Here's some of what the two men said:
"Checkmate."
"It is the truth."
"Who cares what's true?"
"Let's go with what feels right."
Stephen was willing to repeat things he (Colbert) said so that they could then be considered to have more truthiness. If anyone would know about truthiness, it is Stephen Colbert.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Can I Get An Amen?
The South Carolina Primary was very good to Stephen Colbert and Herman Cain. They came in at Number 1, well, okay, actually number 1%, so almost the same thing. Stephen listed the percentages for each of the major contenders, a list that he got from the AP.
Newt Gingrich 40%
Mitt Romney 29%
Rick Santorum 17%
Ron Paul 13%
Interestingly enough, Herman Cain got 45 votes in the Iowa Caucus, he got 160 in New Hampshire, but he got a whopping 6,324 votes in South Carolina. That means he got more votes than Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann combined!
It's just proof of how powerful the Colbert Bump is.
Although it seems like we just had a major announcement, Stephen had another one tonight. Since he didn't do very well in South Carolina, he is going to suspend his campaign. And end his exploratory committee. That's it. He won't be running for president. And since he won't be a candidate, he can get his PAC back. He coordinated with Jon Stewart and long story short, Jon is sitting at his Daily Show desk counting stacks of money. That can't be a good sign.
Shifting gears just a bit - Stephen showed footage of the Rally. (Watch it over at Colbert Nation.) It was wonderful. Signs such as "Skipping Class for Stephen Colbert" were visible in the crowd. There was a choir on stage with Stephen. There were cheerleaders. There were Marching Bands. And it was a great crowd of thinkers and good looking people. Stephen complimented the intelligence of the crowd by telling them, "I don't have to pander to the most beautiful people in the world!"
Next Herman Cain came on stage and talked a bit and sang a bit. Both men were quite inspirational. Herman Cain even called Stephen a "brother from another mother." And yet there is doubt and ridicule from the pundits. They claim Stephen is a joke and his run for office is a joke. Well, if it's all a joke then they are saying our entire campaign finance system is a joke.
Stephen's guest was Bruce Bueno de Mesquita who brought his book, "The Dictator's Handbook - Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics." I actually went over to Amazon and read some excerpts plus looked at a few reviews online. I'm glad I did because it gave me such a different view of what the interview was about. I thought Bruce had said that dictators and Democrats are not really that different - they want to stay in power. But what he said was that dictators and democrats are not really that different - they want to stay in power.
Did you catch the subtle difference? Okay, I'll tell you. It was the difference between Democrats and democrats. The first one refers to people of one political party. The second one refers to people in a democratic society. He also made some predictions. He predicted that Newt Gingrich will be nominated but that he won't win the Presidency. The audience applauded wildly at his willingness to make predictions.
Newt Gingrich 40%
Mitt Romney 29%
Rick Santorum 17%
Ron Paul 13%
Interestingly enough, Herman Cain got 45 votes in the Iowa Caucus, he got 160 in New Hampshire, but he got a whopping 6,324 votes in South Carolina. That means he got more votes than Jon Huntsman, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann combined!
It's just proof of how powerful the Colbert Bump is.
Although it seems like we just had a major announcement, Stephen had another one tonight. Since he didn't do very well in South Carolina, he is going to suspend his campaign. And end his exploratory committee. That's it. He won't be running for president. And since he won't be a candidate, he can get his PAC back. He coordinated with Jon Stewart and long story short, Jon is sitting at his Daily Show desk counting stacks of money. That can't be a good sign.
Shifting gears just a bit - Stephen showed footage of the Rally. (Watch it over at Colbert Nation.) It was wonderful. Signs such as "Skipping Class for Stephen Colbert" were visible in the crowd. There was a choir on stage with Stephen. There were cheerleaders. There were Marching Bands. And it was a great crowd of thinkers and good looking people. Stephen complimented the intelligence of the crowd by telling them, "I don't have to pander to the most beautiful people in the world!"
Next Herman Cain came on stage and talked a bit and sang a bit. Both men were quite inspirational. Herman Cain even called Stephen a "brother from another mother." And yet there is doubt and ridicule from the pundits. They claim Stephen is a joke and his run for office is a joke. Well, if it's all a joke then they are saying our entire campaign finance system is a joke.
Stephen's guest was Bruce Bueno de Mesquita who brought his book, "The Dictator's Handbook - Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics." I actually went over to Amazon and read some excerpts plus looked at a few reviews online. I'm glad I did because it gave me such a different view of what the interview was about. I thought Bruce had said that dictators and Democrats are not really that different - they want to stay in power. But what he said was that dictators and democrats are not really that different - they want to stay in power.
Did you catch the subtle difference? Okay, I'll tell you. It was the difference between Democrats and democrats. The first one refers to people of one political party. The second one refers to people in a democratic society. He also made some predictions. He predicted that Newt Gingrich will be nominated but that he won't win the Presidency. The audience applauded wildly at his willingness to make predictions.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Kids vs. Janitors vs. Newt
You may have heard Newt Gingrich talk about his plan for replacing one out of two janitors in a school with 37 kids. He says it would be good idea. It's not. For one thing, you would need to supervise these kids. Obviously. I mean, when the kids are in class, there's teachers supervising the kids, right? Will there just be one janitor spending all his (or her) time supervising these kids and telling them what needs to be done? If nothing else, someone has to say, clean the floor in this room, the floor in that room has already been done, and by the way, someone threw up in the cafeteria, any volunteers to go get a mop?
But, just for fun, I made a Top Ten List of Reasons Why Newt's Plan is Dumb. See what you think.
10. Kids should be in class interacting with their peers and forming friendships and relationships.
9. There are too many chances for a kid to get injured either by using equipment such as lawn mower or snow blower or from exposure to hazardous cleaning solutions.
8. Janitors often have to clean up after a kid throws up. Having kids clean up this little mishap would most likely start a chain reaction of kids throwing up when they see the vomit on the floor and then that kid throws up and the next kid who is called to clean it up throws up and on and on. (That's similar to what happened in The Goonies.)
7. If a school has two janitors, there will be two brooms, two vacuum cleaners, etc. Replace one janitor with 37 kids and you may need to buy lots more brooms and vacuum cleaners for all of them.
6. Often a class gets cleaned on a rotation schedule when each class goes out to recess. Will one kid clean and vacuum the room in that amount of time, or will you have 37 kids with 37 brooms in that room?
5. Will the kids skip reading class to clean out the kitchen and cafeteria after lunch? But then how will they know how to read the cautionary label on the cleaning supplies that will be used?
4. Will they be skipping class time to work as a janitor or will they be skipping after-school time when they should be doing homework, getting tutoring help, learning team building skills at basketball or football practice or going home to babysit younger siblings while Mom or Dad is at work?
3. Are they really qualified to be a janitor? In my town, janitors need a boiler license to operate the furnace.
2. Janitors have master keys to every lock in the school. Considering the amount of books, mittens, and even shoes in the Lost and Found, are you going to give the kids the keys to the school and trust that these keys won't get lost?
1. Have you ever tried to get a kid to clean his bedroom? And now you want him to clean a school. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding?
But, just for fun, I made a Top Ten List of Reasons Why Newt's Plan is Dumb. See what you think.
10. Kids should be in class interacting with their peers and forming friendships and relationships.
9. There are too many chances for a kid to get injured either by using equipment such as lawn mower or snow blower or from exposure to hazardous cleaning solutions.
8. Janitors often have to clean up after a kid throws up. Having kids clean up this little mishap would most likely start a chain reaction of kids throwing up when they see the vomit on the floor and then that kid throws up and the next kid who is called to clean it up throws up and on and on. (That's similar to what happened in The Goonies.)
7. If a school has two janitors, there will be two brooms, two vacuum cleaners, etc. Replace one janitor with 37 kids and you may need to buy lots more brooms and vacuum cleaners for all of them.
6. Often a class gets cleaned on a rotation schedule when each class goes out to recess. Will one kid clean and vacuum the room in that amount of time, or will you have 37 kids with 37 brooms in that room?
5. Will the kids skip reading class to clean out the kitchen and cafeteria after lunch? But then how will they know how to read the cautionary label on the cleaning supplies that will be used?
4. Will they be skipping class time to work as a janitor or will they be skipping after-school time when they should be doing homework, getting tutoring help, learning team building skills at basketball or football practice or going home to babysit younger siblings while Mom or Dad is at work?
3. Are they really qualified to be a janitor? In my town, janitors need a boiler license to operate the furnace.
2. Janitors have master keys to every lock in the school. Considering the amount of books, mittens, and even shoes in the Lost and Found, are you going to give the kids the keys to the school and trust that these keys won't get lost?
1. Have you ever tried to get a kid to clean his bedroom? And now you want him to clean a school. Really? Seriously? Are you kidding?
Thursday, January 12, 2012
I'm Doing It
"Nation, I have a major announcement to make. For over a day now the people of South Carolina have been crying out for someone who can restore our Nation's greatness to its current perfection. Well, America, that someone is now. I am proud to announce that I am forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for the President of the United States of South Carolina.
"I'M DOING IT! AND WITH YOUR HELP AND POSSIBLY THE HELP OF SOME SORT OF OUTSIDE GROUP THAT I AM NOT COORDINATING WITH, WE CAN EXPLORE TAKING THIS COUNTRY BACK. THANK YOU. GOD BESS YOU ALL. AND GOD BLESS CITIZENS UNITED."
Balloons all over and the audience went crazy.
Stephen promised a major decision tonight and he did not disappoint.
But first I should tell you what went on at the beginning of the show, before this major decision. After showing a webcam video of himself exercising and pointing out his stylish gold curlicue toe slippers, Stephen talked about the various Super PACs that candidates have. No, wait - that's wrong. What I mean to say is that candidates do not have Super PACs. That would be illegal. He talked about the Super PACs that support, but do not coordinate with, the candidates.
Mitt Romney benefits from Restore Our Future which was started by Romney's lawyer, Charles R. Spies.
Newt Gingrich benefits from Winning Our Future which is run by Newt's former staffer Becky Burkett.
Rick Perry (Parry) benefits from Make us Great Again started by Mike Toomey, who once was Governor Perry's (Parry') chief of staff AND co-owner of a resort island with Dave Carney, chief strategist for the Perry (Parry) campaign.
So, that brought about a difficult decision for Stephen. He was joined by friend of the show, Trevor Potter. All he wanted was a simple answer to this question: "Can I run for president and keep my Super PAC?"
"No." There you have it, a simple answer from Trevor Potter for Stephen.
If you did not see the show tonight, you may want to head over to Colbert Nation tomorrow and watch it. It is fascinating because of all the ins and outs of the legal system as it pertains to election law. Plus there seemed to be some magic that happened.
Long story short, Jon Stewart will be taking over as head of the Colbert Super PAC, he will still get to retain all the staff currently working for the PAC, and the Super PAC can now, legally, run ads for Stephen and attacking potential opponents.
All they need to do is to make sure that Jon (and staff) doesn't coordinate with Stephen.
For fans of crossword puzzles, there was a segment about Will Shortz. Stephen was a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle back in October of 2010, so he most likely has a warm spot in his heart for crossword puzzles.
Tonight's guest was Mike Allen of Politico which was quite appropriate for such an important show. Even as the two men were shaking hands, Mike told Stephen that Politico had a story about Stephen's candidacy already posted on Politico. That is so impressive. It's like they just wait for news to happen and then write about it right away!
Mike Allen recently wrote the eBook, "The Right Fights Back," which is available for $2.99.
"I'M DOING IT! AND WITH YOUR HELP AND POSSIBLY THE HELP OF SOME SORT OF OUTSIDE GROUP THAT I AM NOT COORDINATING WITH, WE CAN EXPLORE TAKING THIS COUNTRY BACK. THANK YOU. GOD BESS YOU ALL. AND GOD BLESS CITIZENS UNITED."
Balloons all over and the audience went crazy.
Stephen promised a major decision tonight and he did not disappoint.
But first I should tell you what went on at the beginning of the show, before this major decision. After showing a webcam video of himself exercising and pointing out his stylish gold curlicue toe slippers, Stephen talked about the various Super PACs that candidates have. No, wait - that's wrong. What I mean to say is that candidates do not have Super PACs. That would be illegal. He talked about the Super PACs that support, but do not coordinate with, the candidates.
Mitt Romney benefits from Restore Our Future which was started by Romney's lawyer, Charles R. Spies.
Newt Gingrich benefits from Winning Our Future which is run by Newt's former staffer Becky Burkett.
Rick Perry (Parry) benefits from Make us Great Again started by Mike Toomey, who once was Governor Perry's (Parry') chief of staff AND co-owner of a resort island with Dave Carney, chief strategist for the Perry (Parry) campaign.
So, that brought about a difficult decision for Stephen. He was joined by friend of the show, Trevor Potter. All he wanted was a simple answer to this question: "Can I run for president and keep my Super PAC?"
"No." There you have it, a simple answer from Trevor Potter for Stephen.
If you did not see the show tonight, you may want to head over to Colbert Nation tomorrow and watch it. It is fascinating because of all the ins and outs of the legal system as it pertains to election law. Plus there seemed to be some magic that happened.
Long story short, Jon Stewart will be taking over as head of the Colbert Super PAC, he will still get to retain all the staff currently working for the PAC, and the Super PAC can now, legally, run ads for Stephen and attacking potential opponents.
All they need to do is to make sure that Jon (and staff) doesn't coordinate with Stephen.
For fans of crossword puzzles, there was a segment about Will Shortz. Stephen was a clue in the New York Times crossword puzzle back in October of 2010, so he most likely has a warm spot in his heart for crossword puzzles.
Tonight's guest was Mike Allen of Politico which was quite appropriate for such an important show. Even as the two men were shaking hands, Mike told Stephen that Politico had a story about Stephen's candidacy already posted on Politico. That is so impressive. It's like they just wait for news to happen and then write about it right away!
Mike Allen recently wrote the eBook, "The Right Fights Back," which is available for $2.99.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Mountaintop
Tonight we learned about anchor babies and grappling babies and apparently there is a difference between the two of them. I also think they both are very different from baby anchors.
The memory is a wonderful thing. It allows us to go back in time and recall what was happening. But it can't match the ability of someone with a host of interns to do research and shed light on how it affects the present and the future. Case in point. Newt Gingrich has a lot of good ideas, or so it would seem to the casual observer. However, Stephen had an in-depth look at Newt Gingrich and many of the James Bond movies that starred Pierce Brosnan. What seemed like a lot of good ideas at first glance ends up being the same ideas that many of the villains in those movies had. So, is a good idea still a good idea if it's the villain's idea? Something for us all to ponder. Thanks, Stephen for reporting on this.
And in what can only be called a sad shame, Norway has a severe butter shortage. Seems like they have a fad diet that lets you eat lots of butter and now it's all gone. (How will they be able to make Christmas cookies?) It's gotten so bad that butter can actually cost $740 for one pound of butter. With prices like that it was inevitable that butter would be smuggled across the border from Sweden. While Norway suffers from lack of butter, Stephen suffers from lack of common sense. One of Stephen's favorite ways to eat butter is the summer favorite butter on the cob. With those cute little holders on each end of the stick of butter, and some nice butter spread on the stick of butter, it makes for a tasty treat. It's easy to see why butter would be an important component of a great diet plan. Stephen really appreciated the commercials tonight.
Samuel L. Jackson was on the show tonight and it was somewhat ironic. You see, Samuel L. Jackson is portraying the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Broadway Play, "The Mountaintop." And Stephen Colbert was osmotically at King's March on Washington back in 1963.
There's also something I wondered about just as Stephen was dashing over for the interview. Samuel L. Jackson was tweeting, apparently for the benefit of Stephen's audience. What would the March on Washington have been like back in 1963 if the internet and Twitter would have been available? That sounds like a book that someone should write. It could be either science fiction or historical fiction, or a combination of the two.
The memory is a wonderful thing. It allows us to go back in time and recall what was happening. But it can't match the ability of someone with a host of interns to do research and shed light on how it affects the present and the future. Case in point. Newt Gingrich has a lot of good ideas, or so it would seem to the casual observer. However, Stephen had an in-depth look at Newt Gingrich and many of the James Bond movies that starred Pierce Brosnan. What seemed like a lot of good ideas at first glance ends up being the same ideas that many of the villains in those movies had. So, is a good idea still a good idea if it's the villain's idea? Something for us all to ponder. Thanks, Stephen for reporting on this.
And in what can only be called a sad shame, Norway has a severe butter shortage. Seems like they have a fad diet that lets you eat lots of butter and now it's all gone. (How will they be able to make Christmas cookies?) It's gotten so bad that butter can actually cost $740 for one pound of butter. With prices like that it was inevitable that butter would be smuggled across the border from Sweden. While Norway suffers from lack of butter, Stephen suffers from lack of common sense. One of Stephen's favorite ways to eat butter is the summer favorite butter on the cob. With those cute little holders on each end of the stick of butter, and some nice butter spread on the stick of butter, it makes for a tasty treat. It's easy to see why butter would be an important component of a great diet plan. Stephen really appreciated the commercials tonight.
Samuel L. Jackson was on the show tonight and it was somewhat ironic. You see, Samuel L. Jackson is portraying the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Broadway Play, "The Mountaintop." And Stephen Colbert was osmotically at King's March on Washington back in 1963.
There's also something I wondered about just as Stephen was dashing over for the interview. Samuel L. Jackson was tweeting, apparently for the benefit of Stephen's audience. What would the March on Washington have been like back in 1963 if the internet and Twitter would have been available? That sounds like a book that someone should write. It could be either science fiction or historical fiction, or a combination of the two.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
I Did No Lobbying
There was a lot about politicians tonight, mostly those who tend to be somewhat overweight and older and with white or whitish hair. Actually, it was mostly about two politicians, Newt Gingrich and Barney Frank. They seem to have at least one thing in common. They have the same opinion of each other.
There was just a short bit about Newt Gingrich, and thus he gets the title of the post. Newt Gingrich charges $60,000 for a speech and he gives a lot of speeches. Hopefully using one of his quotes for the title here will make him feel like he got equal time on the show tonight.
Stephen stopped for a quick taste of Bud Light Lime. And then a few more sips. He had a good reason for doing so, but I wonder if he was trying to send a message to Newt Gingrich to lose some weight. It seemed a little bit pointed to me to be drinking light beer immediately after talking about Newt Gingrich.
Barney Frank is retiring. Stephen talked about Barney Frank, about his acting career as one of the stars in Wizard of Oz, and then we really lucked out tonight. Stephen showed an encore presentation of one of his first segments of Better Know a District. It was the one with Barney Frank. This was one of my favorite BKD segments. For one thing, both men were much younger then. Basically, more abs, less flab, if you know what I mean. And Stephen was more serious back then.
We got to hear Stephen ask Barney Frank, an admitted left-handed liberal, if he thought Bush (that would be George W. Bush) was a great president or the greatest president. Barney Frank answered, "I think he's been a disaster," which is code for great.
"I'll put you down for great," is what Stephen said. There was more talk and then at one point Stephen apologized and then felt compelled to apologize for apologizing. That is interesting. First, because Stephen apologized. Usually it's the guest that apologizes and Stephen always accepts the apology. But, isn't apologizing for apologizing similar to using a double negative in a sentence? I don't not know the answer to that puzzling question.
As a real treat tonight, we got to see Stephen and Barney Frank walking down a hall, perhaps the halls of Congress, I'm not sure. But I am sure that just the simple fact of walking in the halls of Congress automatically makes a person more dignified. When I think of Stephen Colbert, I think of dignity.
The guest tonight was Stephen Sondheim. He wrote the book, "Look, I Made a Hat," which is most likely not an instructional book on hat making. The two Stephens have some history together. Stephen invited Stephen and Stephen accepted Stephen's invitation to be in "Company." Stephen asked for Stephen's opinion.
"My performance of Harry, --- great interpretation of Sondheim or the greatest interpretation of Sondheim?"
I don't remember what Stephen told Stephen, but Stephen said, "OK, I'll put you down for great."
There was just a short bit about Newt Gingrich, and thus he gets the title of the post. Newt Gingrich charges $60,000 for a speech and he gives a lot of speeches. Hopefully using one of his quotes for the title here will make him feel like he got equal time on the show tonight.
Stephen stopped for a quick taste of Bud Light Lime. And then a few more sips. He had a good reason for doing so, but I wonder if he was trying to send a message to Newt Gingrich to lose some weight. It seemed a little bit pointed to me to be drinking light beer immediately after talking about Newt Gingrich.
Barney Frank is retiring. Stephen talked about Barney Frank, about his acting career as one of the stars in Wizard of Oz, and then we really lucked out tonight. Stephen showed an encore presentation of one of his first segments of Better Know a District. It was the one with Barney Frank. This was one of my favorite BKD segments. For one thing, both men were much younger then. Basically, more abs, less flab, if you know what I mean. And Stephen was more serious back then.
We got to hear Stephen ask Barney Frank, an admitted left-handed liberal, if he thought Bush (that would be George W. Bush) was a great president or the greatest president. Barney Frank answered, "I think he's been a disaster," which is code for great.
"I'll put you down for great," is what Stephen said. There was more talk and then at one point Stephen apologized and then felt compelled to apologize for apologizing. That is interesting. First, because Stephen apologized. Usually it's the guest that apologizes and Stephen always accepts the apology. But, isn't apologizing for apologizing similar to using a double negative in a sentence? I don't not know the answer to that puzzling question.
As a real treat tonight, we got to see Stephen and Barney Frank walking down a hall, perhaps the halls of Congress, I'm not sure. But I am sure that just the simple fact of walking in the halls of Congress automatically makes a person more dignified. When I think of Stephen Colbert, I think of dignity.
The guest tonight was Stephen Sondheim. He wrote the book, "Look, I Made a Hat," which is most likely not an instructional book on hat making. The two Stephens have some history together. Stephen invited Stephen and Stephen accepted Stephen's invitation to be in "Company." Stephen asked for Stephen's opinion.
"My performance of Harry, --- great interpretation of Sondheim or the greatest interpretation of Sondheim?"
I don't remember what Stephen told Stephen, but Stephen said, "OK, I'll put you down for great."
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
JFK
We find out from Stephen the best way to learn about Foreign Policy and World Economics. Go on a luxury cruise the way Newt Gingrich did. That's how Newt researched the current situation in Greece. It makes me want to study global finance because I think I could get used to the "classroom" if you know what I mean.
While Ron Paul is busy getting a calendar made for 2012, complete with very attractive young women for each month, some of the other presidential candidates are declaring their support for waterboarding.
Stephen talked about recent reports of police using pepper spray on protesters. He has no problem with that because pepper spray is not that bad. He even had quotes to back up this belief. But sometimes just saying something is not good enough. A demonstration is much better. Stephen is just the man to be willing to back up his words with action. He demonstrated right on his show how perfectly harmless pepper spray is.
"Jimmy, send in the 10 year-old boy!" It was a good demonstration. It went about the way I expected it would. I'm just glad he didn't demonstrate waterboarding.
Chris Matthews was on the show tonight for the interview. He has written another book, maybe you've already heard about it. "Jack Kennedy - Elusive Hero." Most of us know that John F. Kennedy was the 35th President and that he was assassinated. Some even know he was a war hero. But there is so much more about Kennedy that is truly important in understanding his life. The book by Chris Matthews does sound interesting and intriguing. So, now I should decide if I want a calendar or a book in my Christmas Stocking this year.
As a special treat tonight, Stephen read a bedtime story. It had all the usual characters but their names were quite confusing to me.
Note: Chris Matthews was on The Colbert Report back when Donald Pellview was filling in for Stephen. You can read that post here.
While Ron Paul is busy getting a calendar made for 2012, complete with very attractive young women for each month, some of the other presidential candidates are declaring their support for waterboarding.
Stephen talked about recent reports of police using pepper spray on protesters. He has no problem with that because pepper spray is not that bad. He even had quotes to back up this belief. But sometimes just saying something is not good enough. A demonstration is much better. Stephen is just the man to be willing to back up his words with action. He demonstrated right on his show how perfectly harmless pepper spray is.
"Jimmy, send in the 10 year-old boy!" It was a good demonstration. It went about the way I expected it would. I'm just glad he didn't demonstrate waterboarding.
Chris Matthews was on the show tonight for the interview. He has written another book, maybe you've already heard about it. "Jack Kennedy - Elusive Hero." Most of us know that John F. Kennedy was the 35th President and that he was assassinated. Some even know he was a war hero. But there is so much more about Kennedy that is truly important in understanding his life. The book by Chris Matthews does sound interesting and intriguing. So, now I should decide if I want a calendar or a book in my Christmas Stocking this year.
As a special treat tonight, Stephen read a bedtime story. It had all the usual characters but their names were quite confusing to me.
Note: Chris Matthews was on The Colbert Report back when Donald Pellview was filling in for Stephen. You can read that post here.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Manatee of the Airwaves
Join Now!
Of course that could mean two different things from tonight's show. First of all and most important, if you join Stephen's Colbert Super PAC, and if you donate some money, cha-ching, your name will at some time crawl across the bottom of the screen while The Colbert Report is on the TV Machine in what Stephen calls a Cash Crawl.
The other thing it could mean is to Join Now at Newt Gingrich's website. But the really strange thing about that is that when Stephen was showing us what New Gingrich's website looked like, it was a bit different from what it looks like now, just a short time later.
For one thing, the photo is a bit different. Gingrich looks happier now. He's wearing a blue shirt and red tie, not quite as good as wearing the American Flag for a tie, but still, it is the right color combination. And it has a lot of donate buttons, but one of the buttons is different. Instead of saying Donate Now, it says Join Now! Did that get changed because Stephen talked about it tonight? Or is it just a case of website updates occurring at random times?
Also, the wording is different. Instead of saying "Support Newt today to help make sure our winning message reaches all voters" it says "Join the Campaign to get the latest news, announcements, event information and exclusive updates." And of course, the website I'm looking at now has a very nice American flag in the background instead of the word Conservative (okay okay, onservative but I assume it would be Conservative if I could see the whole word).
Now that makes me wonder. You can "join now" and get exclusive updates. But if anyone can join now, and it looks like everyone can, it doesn't seem very exclusive to me.
Great, now Stephen has gotten me so interested that I'm looking all over the Gingrich website. Now I'm looking at the Gear you can Get. And before you say, "whoopie I wanna get some gear" you need to know there are flaws, well some flaws. You can get a yard sign, but when I look at it, it's so small it would work out better as a Blue Hat sign. But ouch! Those two metal poles would need to be poked into your hat and thus into your head. And then there's t-shirts, but they are all wrinkly at the bottom. There are also Newt buttons, but they are actually more like body armor. I'm looking at the images on the website right now and the buttons are bigger than the t-shirts! It would get the message across to everyone who sees you, because the button stretches all the way across your chest. If it was up to me, I would have the buttons be smaller so that they just took up a small amount of space on the t-shirts. I would make the yarn signs much bigger, about 30 times bigger than the hat.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Okay, you want to look at the Gear, don't you. Fine, I'll put the link up. But, you have to promise to play the guessing game that I made up. It works on my computer so I hope it will work on yours. Go to the Newt Store (not the one at the Nature Center) and pick one item, any item. Memorize its location. Hit the refresh button on your browser a few times. Did the items change place? Okay then you can play the game. Try to guess where your selected item will be the next time you hit Refresh. Keep track of how many times you are correct. It's harder than you think to predict where the items will move to.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
But I digress way too much. Back to what Stephen talked about. He did say that Gingrich owes $800,000 for his website. What? Are you kidding me? I would have done it for a mere $100,000 and I would have given him way more Donate buttons. Stephen did sort of mention that the website is full on Donate buttons: Donate, Donate Today, Donate Now, Donate to support the campaign. (Oops, he forgot the plain old link at bottom of page that just says Donate. That's okay Stephen. Maybe it wasn't there earlier today.)
You know what, here's a free Donate button that Gingrich can use. That would help save money on his website cost. And if Gingrich had hired me to do his website, I would have done a much better job of getting good domain names and getting all the necessary domain names.
Stephen had a lot more stuff on the show about different guys with really interesting things to say. For example, Rick Perry said this on July 16, 2011:
"I'm getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do."
And on July 18, 2011, he had this to say:
"There's a lot of different ways to be called. My mother may call me for dinner."
(I hate to break it to Rick Perry, but hasn't Michele Bachmann already been "called" to run for POTUS?)
And Rush Limbaugh, the famous "Manatee of the Airwaves", had this to say recently: "Obama's out there pushing this August 2 deadline to get this thing done. That's because," (wait for it....) "Ramadan is August 1."
However, Representative Louie Gohmert (R - TX) had this to say on July 17, 2011:
"I can't help and be a little cynical here. Because we find out the president has a big birthday bash scheduled for August the 3rd, celebrities flying in from all over, and lo and behold, August 2nd is the deadline for getting something done so that they can have this massive maybe the biggest fundraising dinner in history for a birthday celebration."
Uh oh. Someone is a little bit peeved. Take a look at this Wikipedia page on Louie Gohmert and pay special attention to the part, right after his name, that says born August 18. Yep, someone is afraid his birthday won't get any attention. And is it my imagination or does that photo of Louie Gohmert look like he could be Stephen's identical twin brother?
Of course that could mean two different things from tonight's show. First of all and most important, if you join Stephen's Colbert Super PAC, and if you donate some money, cha-ching, your name will at some time crawl across the bottom of the screen while The Colbert Report is on the TV Machine in what Stephen calls a Cash Crawl.
The other thing it could mean is to Join Now at Newt Gingrich's website. But the really strange thing about that is that when Stephen was showing us what New Gingrich's website looked like, it was a bit different from what it looks like now, just a short time later.
For one thing, the photo is a bit different. Gingrich looks happier now. He's wearing a blue shirt and red tie, not quite as good as wearing the American Flag for a tie, but still, it is the right color combination. And it has a lot of donate buttons, but one of the buttons is different. Instead of saying Donate Now, it says Join Now! Did that get changed because Stephen talked about it tonight? Or is it just a case of website updates occurring at random times?
Also, the wording is different. Instead of saying "Support Newt today to help make sure our winning message reaches all voters" it says "Join the Campaign to get the latest news, announcements, event information and exclusive updates." And of course, the website I'm looking at now has a very nice American flag in the background instead of the word Conservative (okay okay, onservative but I assume it would be Conservative if I could see the whole word).
Now that makes me wonder. You can "join now" and get exclusive updates. But if anyone can join now, and it looks like everyone can, it doesn't seem very exclusive to me.
Great, now Stephen has gotten me so interested that I'm looking all over the Gingrich website. Now I'm looking at the Gear you can Get. And before you say, "whoopie I wanna get some gear" you need to know there are flaws, well some flaws. You can get a yard sign, but when I look at it, it's so small it would work out better as a Blue Hat sign. But ouch! Those two metal poles would need to be poked into your hat and thus into your head. And then there's t-shirts, but they are all wrinkly at the bottom. There are also Newt buttons, but they are actually more like body armor. I'm looking at the images on the website right now and the buttons are bigger than the t-shirts! It would get the message across to everyone who sees you, because the button stretches all the way across your chest. If it was up to me, I would have the buttons be smaller so that they just took up a small amount of space on the t-shirts. I would make the yarn signs much bigger, about 30 times bigger than the hat.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Okay, you want to look at the Gear, don't you. Fine, I'll put the link up. But, you have to promise to play the guessing game that I made up. It works on my computer so I hope it will work on yours. Go to the Newt Store (not the one at the Nature Center) and pick one item, any item. Memorize its location. Hit the refresh button on your browser a few times. Did the items change place? Okay then you can play the game. Try to guess where your selected item will be the next time you hit Refresh. Keep track of how many times you are correct. It's harder than you think to predict where the items will move to.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
But I digress way too much. Back to what Stephen talked about. He did say that Gingrich owes $800,000 for his website. What? Are you kidding me? I would have done it for a mere $100,000 and I would have given him way more Donate buttons. Stephen did sort of mention that the website is full on Donate buttons: Donate, Donate Today, Donate Now, Donate to support the campaign. (Oops, he forgot the plain old link at bottom of page that just says Donate. That's okay Stephen. Maybe it wasn't there earlier today.)
You know what, here's a free Donate button that Gingrich can use. That would help save money on his website cost. And if Gingrich had hired me to do his website, I would have done a much better job of getting good domain names and getting all the necessary domain names.
Stephen had a lot more stuff on the show about different guys with really interesting things to say. For example, Rick Perry said this on July 16, 2011:
"I'm getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I've been called to do."
And on July 18, 2011, he had this to say:
"There's a lot of different ways to be called. My mother may call me for dinner."
(I hate to break it to Rick Perry, but hasn't Michele Bachmann already been "called" to run for POTUS?)
And Rush Limbaugh, the famous "Manatee of the Airwaves", had this to say recently: "Obama's out there pushing this August 2 deadline to get this thing done. That's because," (wait for it....) "Ramadan is August 1."
However, Representative Louie Gohmert (R - TX) had this to say on July 17, 2011:
"I can't help and be a little cynical here. Because we find out the president has a big birthday bash scheduled for August the 3rd, celebrities flying in from all over, and lo and behold, August 2nd is the deadline for getting something done so that they can have this massive maybe the biggest fundraising dinner in history for a birthday celebration."
Uh oh. Someone is a little bit peeved. Take a look at this Wikipedia page on Louie Gohmert and pay special attention to the part, right after his name, that says born August 18. Yep, someone is afraid his birthday won't get any attention. And is it my imagination or does that photo of Louie Gohmert look like he could be Stephen's identical twin brother?
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