Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

I did not have telepathic declassification on my 2022 bingo card.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

Good lord, these people are nuts.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

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Reader Interactions

154Comments

  1. 1.

    Soprano2

    OH NO………….I’ll miss his character so much. I guess I should be happy for him, shouldn’t I? Do you think he’ll bring the same snarky liberal sensibility to Late Night that he has with the Colbert Report? This will make the TV e-mail newsletter I subscribe to blow up big time, those guys love David Letterman.

  7. 7.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Soprano2:

    Do you think he’ll bring the same snarky liberal sensibility to Late Night that he has with the Colbert Report?

    Yes. In fact, I think his not having to be “in character” all the time — great as that character is — will actually give him more freedom to explore other ways of being funny. I haven’t watched much late night (network) tv for several years, but I’m looking forward to this change. Good move, Tiffany Network!

  8. 8.

    Cacti

    I completely understand the career move. But I fully expect the suits at CBS will make him tone down his hard-biting satire of the right wing. I predict they’ll want more Jon Stewart, both sides do it, hip Broderism.

  11. 11.

    Schlemizel

    So this is the end of the Steven Colbert we have grown to know and love and become such a force for reveling the stupidity of the wingnuts. He will be replace by Steven Colbert the talk show host and my guess is he is nothing like that first guy.

  12. 12.

    dedc79

    I think the part that put it over the top for me was when he compared changing Bush’s mind to trying to box a glacier: ““It’s like boxing a glacier. Enjoy that metaphor, by the way, because your grandchildren will have no idea what a glacier is.”

    Colbert hit him on his obstinancy and climate change denialism all at once. Brilliant.

  13. 13.

    daveNYC

    Technically the Colbert Report is being canceled. All hail the power of the hashtag activist!

  14. 14.

    Gravie

    He’s a brilliant guy with a very evolved sense of social justice. So I think predictions about his ability — and desire — to do continue doing some political satire are premature. What CBS will let him get away with, we shall see.

  15. 15.

    Violet

    @Soprano2: I’m with you. I will miss the character so much. I’m happy for Stephen Colbert the man but his character was one of a kind.

  16. 16.

    Betty Cracker

    I will miss his Colbert Report schtick, but I wish him all the best. The few interviews I’ve seen of him out of character, he seemed surprisingly sweet and earnest but still funny.

  17. 17.

    Butch

    I have to admit that I occasionally find Colbert, and especially his interview style, grating, but I’ll definitely give him a chance here.

  19. 19.

    rikyrah

    When they poisoned the water for 1/3 of his state,

    couldn’t find his ass nowhere to be found.

    but, NOW, he can speak up?

    G-T-F-O-H

    ……………………………………………..

    Dem Senator Defends Koch Brothers: ‘They’re Not Breaking The Law’ (VIDEO)

    Caitlin MacNeal – April 10, 2014, 12:25 PM EDT

    Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Thursday morning defended the Koch brothers, the wealthy conservative donors who have been repeatedly bashed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on the Senate floor.

    “People want jobs. You don’t beat up people. I mean, I don’t agree with their politics or philosophically, but, you know, they’re Americans, they’re doing — paying their taxes,” Manchin said on “Fox and Friends” when host Brian Kilmeade asked if Reid’s speeches criticizing the Koch brothers “helps or hurts the cause for the country and for Congress.”

    “They’re not breaking the law. They’re providing jobs,” Manchin continued.

    The senator said that criticizing the Koch brothers is not going to help Democrats with voters.

    “If you’re trying to rally the base, the bases have already been rallied. The right and left bases have been rallied,” Manchin said. “It’s us in the middle that have to start making something happen here in Washington to move this country forward.”

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/manchin-defends-koch-brothers

  20. 20.

    Hill Dweller

    I’ll miss Colbert’s character. It’s consistently the best political commentary in this country. Hopefully he can strike the right balance of humor and the occasional political quip at CBS.

    OT: Angus King is hinting at caucusing with the wingnuts if they take the Senate(or get close) next year. I suspect Manchin, who is busy defending the Kochs today, will quickly follow.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    Quibble.

    He won’t be replacing Letterman, who will be retiring in 2015 after nearly 35 years of talk shows, he’ll succeeding Letterman.

  25. 25.

    Cassidy

    I only care about the bands. The Roots and Jimmy Fallon set a new standard for house bands. Seth Meyers made an inspired choice.

  26. 26.

    NotMax

    Left out an important word there. No edit option, so corrected version:

    he’ll be succeeding

  27. 27.

    rikyrah

    New Rule Prohibits Voters In Miami-Dade County From Using The Restroom, No Matter How Long The Line

    [….] Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly implemented a policy to close the bathrooms at all polling facilities, according to disability rights lawyer Marc Dubin. Dubin said the policy change was in “direct response” to an inquiry to the Elections Department about whether they had assessed accessibility of polling place bathrooms to those with disabilities.

    “I was expecting them to say either yes we have or yes we will,” Dubin said. Instead, he received a written response announcing that the county would close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,” a January email stated.[….] The state’s next-most populous counties, Broward and Palm Beach, told the Sun Sentinel they would not implement this policy.

    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/10/3425252/new-rule-prohibits-voters-in-miami-dade-county-from-using-the-restroom-no-matter-how-long-the-line/

  30. 30.

    Suzanne

    I will miss Colbert Report, as I watch that, and haven’t watched Late Show in years. But he’s the man that might bring me back.

  33. 33.

    Origuy

    @rikyrah: So Dade County is going to tell people who’ve been standing in line that they can’t use the restrooms? What about poll workers? In Florida, where people shoot you if you look at them funny?

  37. 37.

    Cacti

    O/T but I guess the rumor that Nicholas Cage will take any role is true.

    He’s starring in a reboot of the “Left Behind” franchise of evangelical rapture novels/films, set for release in October.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    It will be the end of an era. Kinda sad. Who knows what Colbert will bring to the new show? Maybe some great new thing, maybe not.

  41. 41.

    StringOnAStick

    I’ll miss Stephen’s CC show, but that is countered by my thought that he’ll be helping turn the rhetorical tide for our side by having Letterman’s job. I agree with Betty Cracker’s assessment of the out-of-character Stephen, and I think he is sincere enough AND smart enough to get his POV across no matter how the suits try to constrain him. Watching Stephen do exactly that is something his fans truly enjoy so much that I can’t see that changing. The guy is driven by a sense of social justice at his very core; I don’t see a new job changing that.

    Plus, how hard it must be to play an asshole for so many years, now he gets to be himself.

  43. 43.

    WaterGirl

    I wish this had all come about sooner. That way, John Oliver could have taken over Colbert’s spot on comedy central.

  46. 46.

    NotMax

    Not surprised. Not one bit.

    You may have heard the recent stories about former President George W. Bush’s new exhibit of paintings of world leaders. There’s been plenty of chatter about the former President picking up painting as a hobby since leaving office. While many may have assumed that he used his experience in meeting with those world leaders in order to have an accurate representation of what they looked like, the truth is that he just pulled results from Google Image search result for each one. Literally. Some people have gone through and done Google Image searches on each of the subjects he painted, and discovered that the paintings were clearly all based on either the very first result, or very near the top search result. Source

    More.

  49. 49.

    The Moar You Know

    Not one person seems to have seen his Cartoon Network stuff, or y’all wouldn’t be rending the garments quite so much. Yeah, you lose the right-wing mocker. I’ll miss it too, but that shit was getting old anyway, a one trick pony and there’s not much you can do with it.

    Stephen Colbert is an incredibly gifted writer and comedian and the Colbert show doesn’t cover a tenth of what he is capable of.

    The only surprise? I am astonished that CBS had the gumption and intelligence to do this and I’m really looking forward to it.

  54. 54.

    catclub

    @kc: Somebody does NOT want to be sued, and that is the simplest solution. The decision will be re-evaluated. Somebody saw that ( right now) there is nowhere near enough money to re-fit all the bathrooms, and decides this. Soon, money will appear and the decision will be changed.

    I do not think it is to cut down on Democratic votes, or that is not the the intent, since Miami-Dade is where the big blocks of democratic votes come from in Florida.

  61. 61.

    The Moar You Know

    Couldn’t someone argue that not providing ANY bathrooms is an ADA violation anyway?

    @kc: Hilariously enough, no.

  62. 62.

    Paul in KY

    @catclub: I think it is to cut down on Democratic votes, as old people in Dade county voted predominately Democratic & also have to go to the bathroom most freequently (getting to be a personal experience).

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    @kc

    Perhaps the exception there, but aren’t most polling stations nowadays in public building (schools, fire houses, community centers, etc.) which ought to already,/i> be in compliance with ADA?

    By the ‘logic’ of the decision, if a polling station has no ramp for the handicapped, then no one will be permitted to vote.

  65. 65.

    Steeplejack

    I am ambivalent about this. I will miss Colbert’s right-wing character, and I don’t see how he maintains his edge in the CBS corporate gravitational field. But, hey, I didn’t see how The Colbert Report was going to work. “He can’t sustain a one-man show four nights a week!” It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

    I hope Craig Ferguson got a big sack of money out of this, if he really did have a “first refusal” option on Letterman’s slot.

  66. 66.

    JR in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Joe Manchin is the worst pol in a state renowned for crooked politicians. He outsourced the highway department to the extent he could!!

    He’s not a Democrat at all!

    I had to shake his hand once, and I could tell from the look in his eye that he hated me almost as much as I hated him… I had a ponytail at the time.

  67. 67.

    The Moar You Know

    Can Burnspbesq chime in on this?

    @Paul in KY: A lawyer who makes his living advising high-dollar clients where to stash their money to avoid taxes is unlikely to be an ADA expert. Ask a general contractor for the state in question. They’ll know.

  68. 68.

    jrg

    I can’t imagine this is a result of the #cancelcolbert shitshow. The time frame seems too tight. This had to have been in the works for a while.

    Anyone know enough about TV to say? My experience with industry in general is that it cannot move that fast.

  69. 69.

    Tommy

    I love Colbert on many levels. I just hope he can take his writing staff with him. They IMHO are the stars of his show.

  71. 71.

    policomic

    I’m sad to hear this, because I love The Colbert Report. I don’t begrudge Colbert (the person) this career advancement, but I care more about losing the premiere satirical voice in American media for yet another interviewer of movie stars with projects to plug.

  72. 72.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    I wonder which talk show host Colbert will be lampooning in his new role? Hopefully, it will be Arsenio. That will help take a little of the edge off of this whole sorry display of white privilege.

  74. 74.

    NotMax

    Picturing Conan O’Brien (whom I cannot stomach at all as a host) furiously constructing a new voodoo doll…

  75. 75.

    mm

    People with a conservative world view cannot tell that Colbert is making fun of them.

    I wonder if the suits at CBS think they’re getting a right wing hose.

  76. 76.

    Hill Dweller

    @Tommy: Writers come and go, as evidenced by the Daily Show’s dip in quality over the years. The Colbert Report has remained consistently excellent because Colbert is actually a very good comedy writer, who sets the tone for the show.

  80. 80.

    Amir Khalid

    @NotMax:
    Oh my FSM … George Walker Bush is really Ted & Hellen!!

    Kidding aside, when you compare GWB’s portraits to the photos of the subjects, you can’t help but notice how little the painting resembles its subject. The Hamid Karzai is particularly bad. Without the photo next to it you wouldn’t know it was Karzai; the man in it looks about 15 kilos too heavy. There’s no sense that George W has an eye for people’s faces, let alone that he can see into the person behind the face. He has no talent for portraits. He should quit painting them.

  81. 81.

    Matt McIrvin

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Colbert wants to move on from his Colbert Report persona. It might not be possible to keep that up forever, and he might be wearying of the people who don’t get the irony or think he’s only pretending to be pretending.

  82. 82.

    Tommy

    @Hill Dweller: You are right. If you are a good writer, well you can write your own future in Hollywood. I don’t know how much Colbert writes, but somebody there is very good at their job. Heck my dad is a moderate Republican and I make him watch Colbert when he is at my house and he laughs out loud. When you can mock my father and he finds it funny, well you are doing something right.

  83. 83.

    Mike E

    @Cacti: I think the more pressing question will be, “Who’ll cover Stewart’s left flank after Colbert leaves?”

    @Culture of Truth: I always will stand in awe of his herculean efforts to bring Colbert Report to the teevee as a single talent. What a high wire artist.

  88. 88.

    Violet

    @policomic: Yes, exactly. On The Colbert Report, Colbert has interesting authors and scientists and various types of people that don’t usually make it to late night chat shows. I hope he can continue that but I fear he’ll have a lot more sitcom and action movie actors on his show and far fewer truly interesting types.

    I’m really going to miss The Colbert Report.

  90. 90.

    MomSense

    I’m not worried at all about Stephen Colbert as host of Late Night. He is the best thing since Mark Twain. He is also a professional who likely has goals and interests that he would like to pursue. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with his new show.

  91. 91.

    dww44

    @StringOnAStick: Unfortunately, I don’t think Colbert will be in a position to advance a liberal position when he succeeds Letterman. In fact, I predict he will mostly go unpolitical.

    As one who watches the CBS evening news with its obvious conservative spin over the last couple of years, particularly on their lead stories, and what they choose to lead with, as opposed, for example, to NBC evening news, the Tiffany network is nowhere near as objective and left leaning as it once was. It’s mostly been non-supportive of this president and choosing the most negative take on the ACA and recent developments/enrollment.

    I do hope I’m wrong, but I don’t believe he will be in a position to support “our” side.

  92. 92.

    askew

    @Cassidy:

    I only care about the bands. The Roots and Jimmy Fallon set a new standard for house bands. Seth Meyers made an inspired choice.

    Ugh, Fred Armesen was an awful choice by Seth Meyers. Of course, they were always my least favorite people on SNL. So, it’s fitting they are working together on a new project. Seth is too smug and Fred is a camera hog. He’s like the more annoying version of Paul Schaffer.

  93. 93.

    catclub

    @Paul in KY: and I as noted, Miami-Dade is the largest block of Democratic votes in the state. So your assertion makes no sense to me.

    Are you arguing that Miami-Dade is dominated by Republicans, or by Democrats who want to reduce Democratic votes?

  94. 94.

    dww44

    @WaterGirl: I agree with that. I don’t have HBO and I so miss him. He was so good last summer standing in for Stewart, that I believe that he made Jon Stewart sharper and funnier upon his return. Although, too, being away from the daily grind, could have also re-energized Stewart.

  95. 95.

    Violet

    @Mike E: I think Colbert is the best interviewer on television. Others may interview well, but he does it in character, which has to be magnitudes more difficult, and it’s very rare when a guest gets one by him. I treasure the Jane Fonda interview because she left him so utterly flummoxed. I will miss The Colbert Report something fierce.

  96. 96.

    kc

    @kc:

    From the Think Progress article:

    [disability rights lawyer]Dubin said he was “shocked” at this response, and not just because it suppresses the vote for everybody. The Americans with Disabilities Act also requires entities to make “reasonable accommodations” to those with disabilities. For those with a number of conditions, including diabetics and those taking diuretics, closing the restroom will make standing in that line impossible, and thus discriminate against disabled voters.

    I think they’re gonna have to re-think closing them completely. Unless they planning to make other accomodations entirely, which I doubt.

  97. 97.

    Tommy

    @Violet: That is maybe what I enjoy the most about his show. The guests. He had a mathican on the other day from Berkeley. Talking math. I am 100% sure I’d never have heard of the guy if it wasn’t for his show. Heck Tyson now is a rock star now with Comos, well they had him on often. I’d prefer to see a math geek more then a movie star. I like to think I am not in the minatory here, but maybe I am.

  100. 100.

    Violet

    @Tommy: I’m completely with you. It’s one of the things I enjoy greatly about The Daily Show and Colbert–the have authors and other types of people that you don’t see on the other shows. Stephen seems like a completely space geek. I hope he can keep up that kind of thing when he takes over Letterman’s spot.

  101. 101.

    gogol's wife

    @Schlemizel:

    I would never underestimate Colbert. He is brilliant. And he’s a good person too, which is rarer.

    Now I’m going to have to get used to watching TV late at night again. I used to watch Letterman regularly, but second marriage changed that. Hmmm. This will take some adjustment.

  102. 102.

    Mike E

    @dww44: If he follows in Dave’s “If I offended you, I don’t give a shit” footsteps, even if just a little, then we’ll be fine. I have no worries.

  103. 103.

    Chris

    @rikyrah:

    “They’re not breaking the law. They’re providing jobs,” Manchin continued.

    I am so fucking sick of these people talking about 1%ers “providing jobs” as if 1) it were some valuable charity they were performing out of the goodness of their hearts, 2) that somehow makes everyone indebted to them but not the other way around (they provide jobs because THEY need people to do the myriad jobs that they can’t do themselves otherwise their company collapses – Basic Fucking Economics 101), 3) that somehow excuses anything else that they do (when someone is pursued for mugging or pickpocketing, does he ever argue “but Your Honor! I work at 7/11! I provide people with cheap and quick food! I perform a valuable service! Why do you all hate me?”)

    … that I’m just going to end this here before this rant attains a mclarenish length.

  104. 104.

    EconWatcher

    I think that Colbert speech was the only time W experienced anything resembling accountability, in his entire pathetic life.

  105. 105.

    Chris

    @Cacti:

    He’s starring in a reboot of the “Left Behind” franchise of evangelical rapture novels/films, set for release in October.

    I have always found it funny that their version of the Antichrist ruled the world from his position as Secretary General of the UN – a person who probably has less actual power than the Governor General of the Falklands.

  106. 106.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    @kc: Now you know what it’s like to be part of the oppressed class, clown.

  108. 108.

    srv

    So batten down your hatches, a tech world civil war has started over Condi Rice’s appointment at DropBox.

    http://www.drop-dropbox.com/

    Donald Knuth old Jihad letter has been reposted.

    Peter Thiel and the Eichmanauts will no doubt be screaming shortly.

  110. 110.

    Cassidy

    I’d prefer to see a math geek more then a movie star.

    Knowing him, Colbert will get Dolph Lundgren and everyone can be happy.

  114. 114.

    StringOnAStick

    @Tommy: I’ve gotten some of my best reading recommendations from the interviews on both Colbert’s snow and TDS, so I will miss Stephen’s interviews from his show. I don’t stay up for late night TV but I hope those of us that do will post links to clips of Stephen’s new gig when he digs up a gold nugget.

    I refuse to be sad about Stephen making a choice for his future; the guy is brilliant and deserves as large an audience as he can get. The fact that all of DC media tried to destroy him over his White House Correspondents Dinner performance and he came out of that even stronger and more popular tells me Stephen is more than capable of holding his own against the suits. As to whether or not he can ‘help our side’, who would you rather see in Letterman’s slot, Stephen or a twit like Hannity? The fact they even hired Colbert says something, and I doubt Colbert would be taking a position that gives him less freedom than he has now.

    I don’t know how long John Oliver’s contract is with HBO, but I’d love to see him take over the Colbert Report’s time slot. I don’t get HBO and will not be doing so because we ditched cable for internet TV, and it makes me sad I won’t be see his new show. The whole “cut the cord – get internet TV” thing is just getting stronger, and cable-tied enterprises like HBO are not on the winning end of that deal, so maybe John Oliver will be freed up for a CC slot sooner than I think.

  116. 116.

    Paul in KY

    @catclub: The powers-that-be (right now) in Florida are Republican. The people who thought this up, want it implemented are not freinds of the scads of Democratic voters in Dade County. All the Cubans are Republican, etc. etc.

  117. 117.

    srv

    Glenn Greenwald Is Coming To America!!!!!!!!!!!

    Greenwald, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, intends to head to New York City on Friday to accept the prestigious Polk Award for outstanding journalism. He will share the award with Laura Poitras, Barton Gellman and Ewen MacAskill, all journalists who have also reported on the Snowden leaks.

    Dudebros Unite!

  119. 119.

    Shana

    @catclub: I don’t know about Florida, but here in Virginia virtually every polling place is in either a school, a rec center, a community center, or a church. Don’t tell me that all those places aren’t already ADA compliant. This is a bullshit excuse.

  120. 120.

    mike with a mic

    He certainly won’t be able to be nearly as political, partisan, or biting. But that might be what he wants at this point. He’s been in character on his show more than 90% of the time for 9 years now, and prior to that he was in and out of that character when he was on The Daily Show. At a certain point living a false personality has to get old.

  121. 121.

    Trollhattan

    @Violet: Oh gawd, when Jane gave him that big smooch…truly one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

    Like most I wonder which Stephen Colbert will show up for work at CBS. It’s primarily a chat show and the Colbert interviews, in character, are a hit-or-miss proposition. I doubt he’ll be in character as an interviewer after the switch. However, there’s an hour to kill and he might be able to drag some version of his current show across the gulf to his new gig. Bantering with a studio band? I dunno. Book music acts, yeah, he’ll be all over that–he’s a very good host to his musical guests right now.

    Am most curious about the audience demographics between the two shows, today. Even Letterman’s must skew very old (although a lot younger than Leno’s) while CC’s has to be much younger. That is CBS’s endgame here–gaining Colbert’s current viewers–so they cannot reproduce a standard issue after-your-local-news chat show and accomplish this. Hell, I’ll watch (via DVR) and I’m somebody who quit watching the nighttime chat shows back in the ’80s.

    Good luck, Comedy Central, filling the giant hole this leaves. The Report was lightning in a bottle that won’t be caught again.

  123. 123.

    Tommy

    @Shana: I vote in a school here in Illinois. The gym of a primary school. I could walk into it directly. I walk into the main entry, so I get to see all their art work. Walk through the school. Makes me think voting is important.

  125. 125.

    Davis X. Machina

    @mike with a mic:

    He’s been in character on his show more than 90% of the time for 9 years now,

    “He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits:
    This formula for drawing comic rabbits paid.
    Till in the end he could not change the tragic habits
    This formula for drawing comic rabbits made.”

    Robert Graves

  126. 126.

    Another Holocene Human

    @rikyrah: On the one hand, I’m aware that there are disabled’s rights activists who sue the government down there incessantly over ADA access issues and it’s costing them money (although, really, they shouldn’t have to be sued to do the right thing). On the other hand, it’s quite clear that overall losing access to restrooms places more burden on certain people with disabilities than having restrooms with access issues for certain people with other disabilities. And a temporary accommodation is better than non at all.

    Jesus, Dade County. Stop voting GOP. What a bunch of assholes.

  127. 127.

    catclub

    @Paul in KY: From th e linked article: “Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Elections Department quietly”

    Are you claiming that Miami-Dade County Elections department is dominated by the GOP? Or by Democrats who want to cut down Democratic votes? I do not see it.

    I still see it as: 1)Somebody does NOT want to be sued over this. 2)Somebody DOES want a stink raised so that the money will become available to change the ruling.

  128. 128.

    NonyNony

    @Cacti:

    He’s starring in a reboot of the “Left Behind” franchise of evangelical rapture novels/films, set for release in October.

    See, when I heard that my first thought was “huh – I’d be interested in seeing a ‘Left Behind’ movie where Nick Cage plays the anti-Christ. That could actually be interesting. Not necessarily good, but ‘maybe watch it when it shows up on Netflix’ kind of interesting. Like Ghost Rider (which is a fun little train wreck where Nick Cage mugs an Elvis impersonation for the whole movie) or the National Treasure movies.”

    But apparently he’s not playing the anti-Christ – he’s playing the “hero” (who is a horribly shitty person who in the book becomes Born Again and then is, if possible, an even shittier person). Meh.

    And also – apparently it isn’t an adaptation of the book at all, but a movie set in the immediate few hours of aftermath of the Rapture. Which is IIRC almost completely ignored by the novels. It makes me wonder if this movie is actually another movie and someone found the rights to Left Behind cheap at a garage sale and they’ve slapped it onto the movie.

  130. 130.

    Another Holocene Human

    @catclub: Wheelchair-accessible port-o-potties for early voting days is not anywhere near that expensive.

    They’re just being asshats.

  131. 131.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    @kc: I will remember you when I’m made a frontpager.

    #overcomelikeColbert

  133. 133.

    Another Holocene Human

    @The Moar You Know: Yeah. But that kind of thing can be covered by local codes. Which I suggest the militant sue-bunch in Dade and Broward Counties turn their attention towards next.

    HOWEVER according to a lawyer friend of mine it’s a lot harder to sue government for access/accommodation issues.

    You know one of the most annoying buildings to access in the state? Do you?

    THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING IN TALLAHASSEE.

    Imagine having to go all the way around the building, uphill, and across an access road with no curb cuts to get to the one wheelchair accessible entrance and then having TWO SPOTS in each gallery to watch the legislature in session, plus getting crap from every security guard, at entrance and at gallery entrance.

    Try taking a friend in a wheelchair there and then measure your muscle growth afterwards, it’s just that bad.

    ETA: and the elevators. those fucking elevators.

  134. 134.

    hilts

    Rush Limbaugh isn’t taking this news very well:

    “CBS has just declared war on the heartland of America,” Limbaugh fumed. “No longer is comedy going to be a covert assault on traditional American values, conservatism. Now it’s just wide out in the open. What this hire means is a redefinition of what is funny, and a redefinition of what is comedy. They’re blowing up the 11:30 format… they hired a partisan, so-called comedian, to run a comedy show.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/rush-limbaugh-stephen-colbert-assault_n_5127182.html?utm_hp_ref=media

  137. 137.

    David in NY

    @DougJ: A little late here, but Scalia is really the only funny person on the Supreme Court. And he can be very funny, and not necessarily with a political edge. Doesn’t make him any nicer though (though he and RBG get along, and who’d ‘a thunk it).

  138. 138.

    Another Holocene Human

    @catclub: catclub, I have news for you. This is the same county elections department that tried to prevent people from voting in the presidential election just last year, people who waited in line overnight to vote.

  139. 139.

    David in NY

    @hilts:

    Rush Limbaugh isn’t taking this news very well

    Interesting that Rush realizes Colbert is not a conservative. A recent study showed that conservatives who watched the show thought he was funny and that he agreed with them. That is, they don’t know satire when it kicks them in the teeth.

  141. 141.

    Paul in KY

    @catclub: I am claiming that the Commision is dominated by the GOP, or stealth-GOP members.

    I lived in Dade county for 3 years 1982 – 1985.

  143. 143.

    cokane

    I’m not sure this is a good thing. There’s an expectation of shit on this kind of show, whereas there were no expectations on the Colbert Report. I think a censored version (which is what will happen) of Colbert just won’t be that funny. Bill Maher is an excellent example of cutting political humor not working out on network tv — and he had his own show.

  144. 144.

    GregB

    @catclub:

    Making voters in line miserable, in Democratic districts? This is such an apparent attempt at making voting long and impossible.

    Bring in some fucking handicapped porta-potties on election.

    Fixed, done.

  145. 145.

    Heliopause

    White dude. Not only that, a white dude who’s been playing the character White Dude for the past decade.

    Mind you, I like his current show, but will his new venture be yet another anodyne late night talk show with anodyne topical humor and anodyne celebrity guests? What’s going to happen to the character and the biting social and political satire?

  146. 146.

    JoeShabadoo

    I like Colbert but have no interest in the late night show format. He had something relatively unique with his Colbert character and with the Daily Show being his only real fake news competition.

    Throw him in a late night show and I just don’t care.

  147. 147.

    WaterGirl

    @JoeShabadoo:

    Throw him in a late night show and I just don’t care.

    Unless Colbert takes that format and does something unexpected. It’s Colbert – we’ll just have to wait and see.

  149. 149.

    Annamal

    I love Colbert but my god the character must be so much work.

    I would love to see another Daily show alumnus take over that slot. Larry Wilmore is amazing as is Wyatt Cenac (I miss him)
    and I’ve been super impressed by Jessica Williams (that skit with the camera directed shopping was amazing).

    I don’t know that Samantha Bee or her husband could carry an entire half hour and Asif Mandvi is a little shouty (but has also done some amazing stuff).

    Basically I trust a lot of these people and their writing team and would like to see what they can do.

  152. 152.

    Wally Ballou

    @hilts: Collect Limbaugh’s tears in a bowl and add some fresh veggies for a delicious, delicious soup.

  153. 153.

    Jay in Oregon

    @Chris:

    I have always found it funny that their version of the Antichrist ruled the world from his position as Secretary General of the UN – a person who probably has less actual power than the Governor General of the Falklands.

    That’s because Tim LaHaye is a dyed-in-the-wool Bircher.

    The books are terribly anti-Semitic, too. In Nicolae: Rise of the Antichrist, one of the main characters sneaks into Israel to rescue a friend, a Jew who converted to Christianity, from being murdered; his friend’s family has already been beheaded. Because that’s what Jews do, y’know, and apparently the only place that’s safe to be a Christian is in the world-spanning empire of the Antichrist!

    Any discussion of the quality of the Left Behind series must include Fred Clark’s thorough fisking of the series over at Slacktivist:

    http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/category/left-behind/

  154. 154.

    sweetgreensnowpea

    YESYESYES and BRAVO!
    listening to pharrell williams “happy” thinking of how excellent it is.
    the dalai lama, pope francis, george carlin, jon stewart, stephen colbert
    the best people in the world need to go mainstream right now.
    people are hungry for it.

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