Richard “Colbert wasn’t funny” Cohen surprised to find lefty bloggers hate him
posted at 10:11 am on May 9, 2006 by Allahpundit
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3,500+ e-mails and counting. Hard to disagree with some of the criticism, though:
It seemed that most of my correspondents had been egged on to write me by various blogs. In response, they smartly assembled into a digital lynch mob and went roaring after me. If I did not like Colbert, I must like Bush. If I write for The Post, I must be a mainstream media warmonger. If I was over a certain age — which I am — I am simply out of it, wherever “it” may be.
Isn’t he? Did he really not expect the “Colbert ROCKS, you MURDER” messages when he wrote that column? Doesn’t he read his own newspaper? Colbert’s shtick is sending up right-wing cable news hosts like O’Reilly; ipso facto he’s hilarious and finding him unfunny is “out of touch.” Ace has written dozens of posts about this phenomenon vis-a-vis Margaret Cho, who gets most of her laughs not because she’s so brilliantly witty but because the audience agrees with her politics and wants to signal that they’re in on “the joke.”
But that’s all beside the point. Cohen’s real offense, of course, was puncturing their little “dissident” balloon by acknowledging that speaking “truth” to power when you risk nothing by doing so isn’t quite a Nathan-Hale act of bravery. If Bush isn’t Hitler, they can’t be the Resistance. Reminding them of that probably earned him three thousand of those e-mails.
Calling them a “digital lynch mob” is stupid and offensive, though. Granted, not as stupid and offensive as Al Gore calling righty bloggers “digital brownshirts” — a slur over which, I vaguely recall, lefty bloggers had themselves a circle jerk at the time — but stupid and offensive nonetheless.
Thomas Lifson has more on leftist anger at AT. You know what the punchline to all this is? Someday, very possibly in ‘08, they’re going to take back the White House. The new president will govern, as she (ahem) must, from the center-left — and they’ll eat her alive for it. I can’t wait.
Update: The boss tells Cohen to consider himself lucky, as those metaphorical rocks being thrown at him aren’t always so metaphorical.
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When I hear an adult use the phrase “speak truth to power”, I feel embarassed for them.
Didn’t they grow up at some point?
Alan on May 9, 2006 at 10:18 AM
First off, we all know liberals don’t have a sense of humor, only shades of anger.
Second, once a media source has been “approved” by the proper liberal sources, they will followed blindly, like so many rats to the Pied Piper.
Thirdly, never EVER disagree with a liberal. They can turn venomous and strike at any moment.
Stephen Colbert can be very humorous, and I chuckled at a few jokes he made. Other than that, it was pretty dead pan.
Vincenzo on May 9, 2006 at 10:28 AM
I kinda wish that everyone in the US media would cut down on the hyperbole a bit. In other countries, journalism and politics are genuine blood sports.
Valerie on May 9, 2006 at 12:13 PM
The Left is humorless when it comes to themselves and only sees something as funny if it tears down someone else. Letterman, Colbert, John Stewart all have that arrogant, hateful atitude about “the unwashed masses” that reinforces the Left’s need to feel superior. To the Left, mean is funny, but for most of us….it’s just mean.
chetthepet on May 9, 2006 at 12:15 PM
I watched on the net some of that “comics” routine. He was simply not funny at all. He must have written the crap himself. It was just “jabs” at a President that had to sit with his wife graciously and put up with it. A cowardly action if you ask me. How many of us have ever had the forum available to us to slam someone we disagree with, in front of a public audience, and knowing that person could not and would not respond? Me?? I simply have better character than to even consider doing that, hence the “coward” name I label that so-called comic.
Off topic,I guess. Cohen must realize his fellow demos supported that 3-month-in-nam-warrior that slandered every vet that fought gallantly. Kerry got so much face time, it was a shoe-in for him to be the pol that he became. Yes, the hate is still there from the left of any military action. And the hate is propagated by those that blame America. The J.kerry’s of the left.
I expect that j.kerry and his kind would not have supported any action short of a few cruise missiles after 9/11, had there been a democrat in office.
gary on May 9, 2006 at 6:02 PM
Steven Colbert’s jokes were in bad taste. At a prestigious function with the President and First Lady in attendance, a little light humour with the proper decorum is what was called for but to derogate and disrespect two people who hold the highest office in the country, Colbert simple showed himself to possess a low cognitive ability and low white trash. As for the 3500 emails AllahPundit received, tell me where to respond and I will arrange to send another 10000 back.
Great White on May 9, 2006 at 7:06 PM
Glad I missed Colbert’s act; I realize this post is more about the liberal reaction to Cohen’s critique. Is it any wonder we mistrust their yammering, if they have a shoot first-think never policy when someone makes an honest criticism?
Remember the reporter right after the Katrina debacle who asked Nancy Pelosi about Louisiana Democratic foulups? Pelosi responded, “When did you start working for the Republican Party?”
Remember, ‘following a Party line to the Liberals’ means never confessing that their side is less than perfect, never admitting the other side is more than crap.
Doug on May 10, 2006 at 1:07 PM