Stephen Colbert Takes His Shenanigans To Capitol Hill
On the heels of announcing his March To Keep Fear Alive on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert has taken to the halls of Congress to address the issues of migrant farm workers in the U.S.
While he did not pull a Lady Gaga and attempt to use his celebrity to make a serious and solemn political statement while looking weird and awkward, he did manage to get off quite a few jokes at the expense of…well, all of us.
Although he was obviously out of place, Colbert was invited by House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Security chairwoman Zoe Lofgren to speak before the committee about what he learned after participating in the United Farm Workers’ Take Our Jobs program, which allows a person to spend a day working alongside migrant workers in their same working conditions in an effort to shine a light on the lives of these undocumented farm laborers. You can find out more about the program here.
One would think Congress would know what to expect from Colbert, as he never breaks character in public. His stint at the White House during the Bush administration should prove this.
Nevertheless, Colbert was allowed to take center stage at the committee meeting and it was all caught on tape. Of course, we have the clip for you right here in case you missed it (unless, of course, you’ve been watching C-SPAN).
Before Colbert even began, he was asked by Congressman John Conyers to leave and allow the committee to do its work.
Of course, the whole spectacle drew criticism from quite a few politicians who say they were mocked and Colbert undermined the political process.
What do you think? Is Stephen Colbert overexposed? Did his trip to the Capitol take things too far or does everyone in D.C. just need to lighten up a bit?
While I appreciate his humor and his support of an important cause, I think he could have been more appropriate. It seemed too much like a skit on his show…
If the committe chair invited Mr. Colbert to the hearing. Who are they to criticize his antics. I watched his testimony and found it to be informative and entertaining. He was not disrespectful to the plight of migrant workers in this country, and brought to light that something should be done to make conditions better. I think that the stone face arrogance of committee members who think that Mr. Colbert made a mockery of the proceedings is a clear sign that the intention of inviting him there was to make it a show about him. I, for one, was not fooled.
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