Thank God for Stephen Colbert

[captncrzy]

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. (The chairman withdrew the request soon afterward.)

Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren of California, in her opening statement, commended Colbert for using his celebrity to draw media attention to the hearing.
"Maybe it was [President Clinton's] impeachment? But it's been a long time since we've had this kind of coverage," Lofgren said.

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

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

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

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

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

After Colbert's five-minute statement, Conyers noted that Colbert's remarks dramatically differed from the prepared testimony he submitted.
Republicans and Democrats alike challenged Colbert's presence before and even during the hearing. "Would you call yourself an expert witness when it comes to our labor issues or not?" Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) asked the talk show host. Colbert responded that he was testifying at Lofgren's invitation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[marooko]

No.

Pot, fuck you.

[Geno_g]

I thought that was hilarious, good work Colbert, "Why can't the earth be waste high?"

[Inthecolumbiagorge]

Everything Stephen Colbert does is flipping hilarious! I wear a wrist-strong bracelet and will until he takes his off! On a similar note Jon Stewart was voted the most trusted man in American Journalism in a poll by Newsweek! What does that say about broadcasting in the US??? He is a comedian and which he mentions all the time and yet more Americans trust what he is saying than major newscasters! I am actually going to try to go to DC for the rally's and I live in WA state so that is quite a way to go to make a statement for comedy! Makes more sense to me than Glen Becks rantings or to pay to see scary Sarah Palin and make her richer! Anyone other Coachella aficionados going to make it to DC to see the fun?

[miscorrections]

I know today is National Punctuation Day, but please let the exclamation points take a nap.

[Still-ill]

[weeklymix]

THE BIRD

[gaypalmsprings]

"This is America! I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American, then sliced by a Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

"I was packing corn. I was a cornpacker," he insisted. "I know that term is offensive to some people because cornpacker is a derogatory term for a gay lifestyle."

"America's farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables. Now, the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables and, you look at the recent obesity statistics, you'll see that many Americans have already started," he said.

[knytt]

Everything Stephen Colbert does is flipping hilarious! I wear a wrist-strong bracelet and will until he takes his off! On a similar note Jon Stewart was voted the most trusted man in American Journalism in a poll by Newsweek! What does that say about broadcasting in the US??? He is a comedian and which he mentions all the time and yet more Americans trust what he is saying than major newscasters! I am actually going to try to go to DC for the rally's and I live in WA state so that is quite a way to go to make a statement for comedy! Makes more sense to me than Glen Becks rantings or to pay to see scary Sarah Palin and make her richer! Anyone other Coachella aficionados going to make it to DC to see the fun?

Is this sarcasm? Because really I can't tell.

[malcolmjamalawesome]

I am considering going to the Rally.

[betao]

I may go. I've got a few friends that want to go. I don't want to imagine what the traffic is going to be like.

[PassiveTheory]

It's nice that he did this, but it's not much more than that.

Sure, maybe it'll inspire some folks to actively take up the cause. I'm not holding my breath that it will, but it's possible.

That being said, I doubt interest in the problem is going to balloon in any way. This is an issue that few politicians are willing to tackle in a thoughtful and intelligent manner, and even fewer corporations are willing to let them tackle.

[fikus222]

If I was in the area I would totally attend the rally.

I love Colbert, but I was a little taken aback at him testifying before Congress in character. He did alright, but I don't think that Congress is the proper venue for that kind of thing.

[PassiveTheory]

I love Colbert, but I was a little taken aback at him testifying before Congress in character. He did alright, but I don't think that Congress is the proper venue for that kind of thing.

The minute any form of intelligent discussion is put on television it becomes subservient to entertainment. If it's not entertaining, it's useless.

Also, previous examples of other questionable congressional testimonies include Elmo from Sesame St., so it's not exactly a sacred rite.

[GeezrRckr]

what was Conyers' fucking problem. dude, is the epitome of being "out-of-touch."

the brazilian comment was, both, brilliantly poignant and fucking hilarious.

[marooko]

THE BIRD

[DFrank]

Watch the extended clips of his speech.

"Yes i was a corn packer in the fields. I just want to apologize because i that term is offensive to some people...Because i know corn packer is a derogatory word for a gay Iowan."

[jackstraw94086]

what was Conyers' fucking problem. dude, is the epitome of being "out-of-touch."

the brazilian comment was, both, brilliantly poignant and fucking hilarious.

He could plausibly be upset about wasting taxpayer money (= time) for a publicity stunt. In some small way I agree with him. Ironically though it probably took longer for conyers to get the words out of his mouth than Colbert's 5 min.

[PotVsKtl]

[weeklymix]

Is that fucking John Lithgow doing the narration?

Edit: Yes it is.

[Starraven]

why settle when you can select... Stephen Colbert

[artiefissio]

He is a god damn genius!

[PotVsKtl]

In support of their non-candidacies, this Friday, January 20th at 1:00 P.M. at the Cistern in front of historic Randolph Hall at the College of Charleston, Colbert and Cain will co-hold “THE ROCK ME LIKE A HERMAN CAIN: SOUTH CAIN-OLINA PRIMARY RALLY." The area will open to guests starting at noon.

Together, these two unique voices will declare that they are the same man.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/...herman-cain-in

[Phenomena]

Glad to see my hometown getting some attention.

[GeezrRckr]

Just catching up on episodes. The Maurice Sendak bits were some of the best moments on TV...ever. Holy shit!

Can't wait for "I'm a Pole and So Can You" to come out. My nephews are going to love it.

[buddy]

Interesting read if you got the time.
http:www.thebaffler.com/past/the_jokes_on_you/

[samiksha]

That article has to paint fans of those shows as much stupider than I think most of them are in order to make its pretty obvious point.

[M Sparks]

Interesting read if you got the time.
http://http://www.thebaffler.com/past/the_jokes_on_you/

What am I supposed to be looking at here? I get a mostly blank page.