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Civics Lessons: The Comedians shall lead us. [1]

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Date: 2022-06-30

My icon: try to be the person your dog thinks you are.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert www.youtube.com/… is often a civics lesson, as are other late night shows. Stephen had Adam Kinzinger on his show last night. Why are the late night hosts and the Daily Show the only news sources I watch? Why is the leader of the Free World a Ukrainian comedian?

They tell the truth; it’s how they make their living. These civics lessons require the truth to be entertaining, so interviews like these are important teaching moments for voters. These interviews and monologues are an important part of “The Show”. I’m talking to you, James Goldston, who the Committee hired to produce this show for television. “The Show” is, to paraphrase Rep. Kinzinger, about convincing half of American voters that their votes are being counted fairly, the basic requirement for a democracy.

I’d like to see a rebroadcast of the hearings with a running commentary by Stephen, Seth, Noah, the Jimmies” and whoever else they recommend. It would be like watching a football game with the Manning Brothers. How about Mystery Political Science Theater with Trae Crowder and Beau of the Fifth Column; I’d watch that. We need “Amusing” (h/t Neil Postman) civics lessons like Triumph the Insult Comic Dog interviewing Republicans who asked for pardons. Who doesn’t want to see that?

Stephen Colbert’s monologue last night:

x YouTube Video

Is the Committee using these late night appearances purposefully? I hope so. Watch as Stephen talks to Adam about IMPORTANT STUFF! Witnesses are being threatened and memories are “improving” as the hearings proceed and the orange menace comes into focus.

The civics lesson continues as Stephen brings out Adam and thanks him for making it a bipartisan committee. I’d like to thank Stephen for helping to produce “The Show”, which must deprogram some of the 25% of our fellow citizens (my estimate, based on nothing. Adam seems to put it at less than 50%) who believe the lies that the other party has been telling them. Thanks to you both.

The praise in this segment for Cassidy Hutchinson, while well-deserved, also sends a message about witness tampering; and about what receipts the Committee holds. This helps further improve witnesses’ memories.

In the next interview segment, Adam expresses the Committee’s frustration with the DOJ. Adam’s big applause line: “When you try a Coup, you have to pay for that”. He and Stephen agreed that “Asking for a pardon is an admission of guilt.”

In the final segment, Stephen and Adam talk about why these civics lessons are important. Adam expresses their immediate importance: “We need Republicans to wake up”. He clarifies elsewhere that he means some Republicans and Independents, enough to save democracy by turning out for the midterms.

He adds “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re going to know the truth; and when your kids go to school, someday, they’re going to be taught the truth about January 6th because of the work that this committee is doing.” (emphasis mine) The effectiveness of the civics lessons seems to be moving “someday” closer to “before the midterms”.

I find Stephen to be the most insightful, but YouTube lets you cherry-pick your favorites. I recommend these late night civics lessons, e.g. Seth Meyers last night:

We need to pay attention to the comedians. They tell the truth and cross the line so the rest of us know where it is. Where is George Carlin now that the world is ready for his civics lessons?

RIP Gilbert “Too Soon?” Gottfried and Norm “It was the OJ jokes” MacDonald. They danced on “the line”.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/6/30/2107448/-Civics-Lessons-The-Comedians-shall-lead-us

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