Judiciary chairman asks Colbert to leave after statement

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: The Hill

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) asked comedian Stephen Colbert to excuse himself from a subcommittee hearing on Friday.

Conyers, during opening statements at a hearing of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, asked Colbert to submit his statement for the record and leave the hearing.

Colbert, who was visibly confused by the request, said that he would stay as long as the subcommittee's chairwoman, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), preferred that he stay.

Lofgren chimed in to say that she wished Colbert would stay and testify.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/120761-judiciary-chairman-asks-colbert-to-leave-hearing

[Kolesar]

1. Did Stephen stay in character?

What was this about anyway? His rally??

[Ruby the Liberal]

4. It was hilarious.

He offered to submit a video of his colonoscopy to the congressional record as evidence of the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables.

[Kolesar]

13. So, Stephen must have hit the big 5-0

He doesn't look a day over 40

[krkaufman]

15. He's somewhere between 45-47

(I always forget if he's a year older or younger than me)

edit: p.s. Ok, 46. 4 month older. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Colbert

[Kolesar]

28. And a bit younger than Jon

thanks

[Kolesar]

27. "I certainly hope that my star power can bump this hearing all the way up to C-SPAN 1," he joked.

Excerpts and video: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/09/24/colbert.house.immigration/

"America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables," he told the subcommittee, keeping in character with the arch-conservative he plays on television.

"Now, the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables. And if you look at the recent obesity statistics, many Americans have already started."

Colbert told the panel that "we all know there is a long tradition of great nations importing foreign workers to do their farm work."
...
"My great-grandfather did not travel across four thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean to see this nation overrun by immigrants," he declared. "He did it because he killed a man back in Ireland. That's the rumor."

[Jefferson23]

34. ROFL, Oh ma God, do I love that man! n/t

[24Fan]

68. Colbert

He's brilliant and handsome. I love him too.

[Lagomorph]

62. I think that's the problem....

We all know what a lark immigration and farm labor has been.

Well, nobody who watched could say he was taking it seriously.

He was flat out disrespectful of the workers and ignored the foreman and you could see they weren't amused.

Non-english speaking manual labors aren't his demographic and I don't think he made many fans.

Back to cable, Stephan, let the workers work.

[KakistocracyHater]

66. bull, you must have missed the part where he said he was speaking on

behalf of the weakest, who could not speak for themselves, a variation of Matthew.....something, a New Testment saying of Jesus.

[Ruby the Liberal]

Sorry - didn't answer your question

It was about immigration and farm workers.

[wordpix]

32. He was especially appropos in character since Congress is one big joke with the repukes in charge

and Dems bowing to their rules and regulations.

[MineralMan]

2. So, did he stay or did he go?

[Ruby the Liberal]

5. This one will go viral once it hits YT. It was a riot.

[montanacowboy]

3. WTF?

he was supposed to testify this morning - what is wrong with Conyers (I'll send another strongly worded letter)

Is he afraid of what Colbert might say?

These Dems just keep getting worse and worse

[Ruby the Liberal]

7. IanDavid called his office after it happened

They were as confused as the rest of us.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Yeah way to go Conyers - you gave Drudge a huge frickin' headline

And made Dems look like bigger idiots!

[shireen]

29. it may have been planned to give some cover to the committee

for dealing with critics who think they were not taking the issue seriously by allowing Colbert to testify. Conyers saying that would give the impression that 'at least someone tried ...".

[wordpix]

31. That goes along with the entire "duck for cover" Dem strategy instead of standing with a backbone

who cares if a satirist testifies? The entire Congress is one big joke anyway.

[shireen]

58. yeah, one sick joke.

:(

[Wednesdays]

6. I think it's nothing personal against Colbert...

I'll bet Conyers is looking at the calendar, and wants to keep this particular issue off the front page.


Well, it looks like he's on now. :shrug:

[Ian David]

8. Conyers had expressed concern about the footage being used on The Colbert Report.

Johnny Letter is a douchebag.

[krkaufman]

18. Johnny Letter?

[Ian David]

21. Named after the SNL character Johnny Letter, the cowboy who doesn't fight...

... but instead writes complaint letters.

That's what Conyers does.

He'll issue a subpoena, but won't fight to enforce it.

[crikkett]

64. ROFL

The cowboy who writes complaint letters...

:rofl:

[harun]

9. As far as I see it this is no more or less of a staged circus than Congress puts on any other day.

[Ian David]

22. Republicans have invited Clint Eastwood, Hotlips Hoolihan, and Elmo to testify. n/t

[Honeycombe8]

10. I love Colbert, but I thought he should have refused the request to appear.

It was cringe-worthy. Our Congress people, I would think, have very important, serious matters to consider, that there never seems to be enough time for. It made me uncomfortable that they took time to hear a personal comedy routine about what is a serious matter.

I'm always up for humor. A little laugh goes a long way. But in this case, I think the invitation shouldn't have been made, or Colbert should've known better and should've refused.

[krkaufman]

24. Yeah, except it seemed to have accomplished what was intended.

It brought a LOT of attention to the issue, where likely there would have been none. Colbert's speech was, what, less than 5 minutes? How much of an impact would that be on the agenda?

I have to agree with the "cringe-worthy" aspect, though. It's not the right venue for comedy/satire, even if the underlying message is more relevant and true than the typical testimony.

[Ian David]

11. Stephen Colbert is a trending topic on Twitter now!

http://twitter.com/#!/search/Stephen%20Colbert

[66 dmhlt]

16. Lightning destroyed that "Touchdown Jesus" statue

You probably knew, but this June lightning struck Solid Rock Church's "Touchdown Jesus" - and it was burnt to a skeleton, causing over $700,000 in total damages:





One clear take-home message:
Don't make big, expensive structures out of fiber glass and foam.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100615/NEWS01/306150004/-Touchdown-Jesus-statue-at-Solid-Rock-Church-on-I-75-destroyed-by-lightning-fire

[krkaufman]

19. I think there's probably a message about "idols" in there, too.

[Ian David]

25. Probably...

[Ian David]

23. Yes, I know...

Touchdown Jesus On Fire, Ohio Statue Destroyed By Lightning
Topic started by Ian David on Jun-15-10 09:09 AM (55 replies)
Last modified by Crowman1979 on Jun-16-10 10:57 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=475621

6-story Jesus statue in Ohio struck by lightning (burns to ground)
Topic started by DuaneBidoux on Jun-15-10 01:51 PM (23 replies)
Last modified by saltpoint on Jun-16-10 01:14 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8562881

Touchdown Jesus Destroyed By....Jesus?
Topic started by NeedleCast on Jun-15-10 10:25 AM (25 replies)
Last modified by gatorboy on Jun-15-10 09:13 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8561315

MONROE, Ohio - The famous King of Kings statue at the Solid Rock Church in Monroe has been destroyed
Topic started by LaurenG on Jun-15-10 05:08 AM (38 replies)
Last modified by DemReadingDU on Jun-15-10 01:10 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8560305

Fight erupts in church over "Touchdown Jesus"
Topic started by theHandpuppet on Jun-17-10 05:26 PM (62 replies)
Last modified by Posteritatis on Jun-18-10 08:31 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8582301

What will replace the Giant Butter Jesus? (aka Touchdown Jesus, aka Quicksand Jesus) Dial-up Warning
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=214&topic_id=250723&mesg_id=250723

That's why they're building a fireproof one... to thwart the will of god.

[bitchkitty]

14. Video of statement here:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/09/24/5171385-jokester-colbert-goes-to-washington-

[HoraceX]

17. The democrats must want to lose.

Regardless of Colbert's abilities, most American's don't want to see their representative body turned into a platform for a stand-up comic.

Get ready for ads with "America, do you think the challenges facing our country are a joke? Nancy Pelosi and her House Democrats do."

[krkaufman]

20. Yes, that is the problem with his appearance ...

... regardless of the substance of his comments.

[wordpix]

33. oh, geesh, we're gonna lose b/c Colbert goes to Congress, which is one big joke anyhow

Colbert has a right to speak as much as anyone else. Give it a rest.

[jberryhill]

36. Sure, he has a right to speak

But he does not have a right to make jokes as "testimony" before a committee that doesn't consider itself to be a joke.

I'm a die-hard Colbert fan, and tivo his show so I don't miss one, but I can't say I'm comfortable with Congressional hearings as performance art.

[joeglow3]

63. He has as much of a right????

I will believe that when I get to speak to Congress regarding my views on Immigration. The simple fact is that this was a HUGE fucking brain fart by our "leaders." His appearance was AWESOME if it was a live edition of his show.

But, in fucking COngress??? And people don't think this will be brought up over and over again and NOT bite us in our ass??? FUCK!!!! Sometimes I think I am the ONLY person who doesn't want to hand the whole government over to the thugs.

[slay]

26. Sorry but I'm not going to spend my life censoring myself and worrying about Republican propaganda

and neither should Colbert or the Dems - we want them to stand up and be strong, not afraid. Fuck the Republicans and start representing the American people again - that's a winning formula. And who says we can't have fun while we do it. :P

[Jefferson23]

35. Yep! n/t

[jberryhill]

37. Really, what's next? Electing Al Franken to the Senate?

Ummm.. wait....

[XemaSab]

61. .

:D

[The Night Owl]

30. Might I suggest a subcommittee hearing to explore ways to remove...

...the stick lodged up the chairman's ass?

[Doremus]

38. Conyers needs to go find his sense of humor.

Maybe it's wherever he left his backbone years ago.

[Politicub]

39. What a deliciously postmodern moment

In this ocassion the avant-garde was more effective in bringing attention to the issue than a hundred witnesses.

[cory777]

40. Stephen Colbert draws attention to self, then farmworkers during Hill appearance

Source: Yahoo

Stephen Colbert brought a dose of his trademark "truthiness" in testimony before a House subcommittee hearing Friday on the conditions faced by the nation's farmworkers. The encounter produced some awkward moments and pointed asides -- beginning nearly at the outset, when House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers requested that Colbert refrain from testifying and submit only written comments.

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

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

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

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100924/pl_yblog_upshot/stephen-colbert-draws-attention-to-self-then-farmworkers-during-hill-appearance

---

ACTIVIST NEWS http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[Common Sense Party]

41. Swing and a miss.

[Ian David]

43. At least he filled the seats in the stadium for a change. n/t

[Common Sense Party]

45. That's true. He can pack 'em in.

But today's material was definitely lacking.

[Ian David]

46. The opening and the closing were weak. The middle was excellent. n/t

[daylan b]

42. ?

Call me dense but what exactly is he fighting for? A guest worker program?

[marshall]

55. He's fighting for ratings

He's making his living.

[EC]

44. Well, he accomplished something if he got a repub to say this:

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


This is something they haven't admitted before...

[old mark]

48. That is quite a concept for a republican to grasp!!! nt

[Hello_Kitty]

53. Something a lot of Dems won't admit either.

Cheap exploitable labor has fans in both parties.

[zipplewrath]

47. You'd think a broadcast professional would know to turn on the mic

He probably normally has "people" to do this.

[TrogL]

49. I watched his show last night when he attempted to work as a "migrant worker"

Picked about a 1/4 basket then threw out his back and demanded his limo.

Excellent parody.

[lobodons]

50. And not to mention Gay Iowan's

Gotta throw some love to them Iowa corn packers!!

[customerserviceguy]

51. Now the right wingers

get to invite "American Dad" to testify?

Congress is enough of a circus as it is, without adding a few clown cars.

[pettypace]

52. Look at the NY Times front page

Of course they painted Colbert appearance as honorable and just.

[KamaAina]

54. My Colbert number just went down to three

Zoe Lofgren represents much of San Jose. I have met with one of her staff members, who presumably knows her. And now she knows Colbert. Q.E.D.

[lunatica]

56. So did Colbert's teabaggerati fans get upset?

Is Conyers getting emails from them raging about his disrespect for Colbert?

[lunatica]

57. dupe

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

59. Anyone catch Keith punk Chuck Todd?

KO to Todd: "Lighten up, Francis."

Chuck Todd hosted Hardball tonight and pined over Colbert's appearance today saying that it tarnished the institution of Congress and (as far as he knew) was unprecedented. He even went all Fox on Colbert, editing the footage to show it in the worst possible light, then gasping after each clip. (I have to say, however, I was disappointed to see Lawrence O'Donnell get sucked in.)

Then Todd throws it to Keith, who commends Colbert for his appearance, adding that he gave the most hilarious opening statement ever and noting--something Todd and Fox did not--that there was a very serious point to Colbert's testimony. Keith then goes on to show several long excerpts from Colbert's testimony, and you know what, it was funny! and poignant at the end. Then, Keith trots out footage of a Muppet, guest of Duke Ellington (R-CA), giving testimony and recalling Casey Stengel's ramblings (schtick/act) during an anti-trust hearing.

Chuck Todd is a royal twit, as I've long suspected.

[Kolesar]

60. He didn't call him Francis, did he?

That would be cool.

I wish they were repeating it, but it is cell block fright night

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

67. lol I guess I meant that figuratively, not literally--It was still a smackdown :)

[madokie]

65. You see Representative Conyers

has his balls being clutched, (squeesed I suspect would be the right word,) tightly by the powers to be. He compromised himself sometime back and he's but a shadow of what he once was.