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Measuring the "Colbert Bump"
An anonymous reader writes "Democratic politicians receive a 40% increase in contributions in the 30 days after appearing on the comedy cable show The Colbert Report. In contrast, their Republican counterparts essentially gain nothing. Moreover, even a cursory analysis demonstrates that despite being a comedy program The Colbert Report appears to exercise 'disproportionate real world influence' — likely due to the 'elite demographic' of its audience." In my home we refer to Stephen as "Loud Daddy" because my child would scream bloody murder when we paused him (and only him) on screen. Even at 8 months old the kid has strange taste.
For president!
Moreover, even a cursory analysis demonstrates that despite being a comedy program The Colbert Report appears to exercise "disproportionate real world influence" -- likely due to the "elite demographic" of its audience.
I saw this news a few days ago and must confess I couldn't draw a logical conclusion from it. I find the explanation in this article to be unsatisfactory also.
... and it would take just one nutjob billionaire who loves The Colbert Report to make those donations. Or it could be like a Hollywood joke for the rich and famous to build a fund.
... ah, what am I saying, there's a real lacking sense of humor on that side of the parties in my mind.
Perhaps it's interesting but little can be learned from this 'study.' There's just too many factors to say
To expound upon the conclusion of the article, what about Democratic guests of The Daily Show which is just a half hour earlier on the same channel with (probably) the same "elite demographic"?
Maybe it's really about Democratic politicians looking really good against Colbert's over the top ultra-conservatism? Just as speculative (and easily dismissed) as the article's conclusion though. Can anyone else reason out a better explanation?
Has the study looked at shows with over the top ultra-liberal hosts interviewing Republican politicians
My work here is dung.
Not to overplay the "Republicans are a bunch of old humorless farts" stereotype, but let's face it, Republicans aren't exactly Comedy Central's chief demographic in general (and they sure aren't the primary audience of "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report"). Even when conservatives do come on Stewart or Colbert, it's generally a very uncomfortable interview (polite applause from the audience, host trying desperately to think of something good to say).
There have been a few attempts at more conservative humor. Colin Quinn used to have a show that followed Stewart that was more to the right (and very funny), but unfortunately it got cancelled after two or three seasons. And Fox News did a Daily Show-esque show called the "1/2 Hour News Hour" that was just abysmal to watch and not even close to funny (it ran for 13 episodes before the Fox conservatives abandoned their opposition to euthenasia long enough to grant it a mercy killing).
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
The first person to actually question the Bush regime said it right to his face at the press awards banquet.
And he gave Scalia the finger and made him laugh.
And then he basically called the sheep like media whores to their faces.
And everyone who had been keeping their mouths shut woke up
Shouldn't it be Democrat politicians rather than Democratic politicians. After all, whatever your views on Republican politicians, aren't they Democrati...
Ah, I see your point.
America, Home of the Brave.
That speech was the reason I started to watch the show and then the Daily Show. :)
Since I don't have cable I don't get Comedy Central.
Even if I did have cable, I wouldn't get the US Comedy Central since I live in in the NL
So now I have a daily ritual of watching TDS and TCR online the day after it aired
One of the best things of the Daily Show imho is that they call the politicians on their stupidity and hypocrisy (sp?) every time they do something they said they wouldn't. :)
Colbert is just fantastically funny, his book is funny, the Tek Jansen DVD is funny. I just love the guy
This is the sig that says NI (again)
Have there been many attempts at "liberal humor". I don't think the Daily Show counts. Jon seems to make fun of whoever would be...er... funny. It is not surprising that Bush fits the bill most of the time. Any show that plans on being funny in a "conservative" or "liberal" way is probably going to be terrible. Picking a side just reduces the possible objects of ridicule.
Clovis
^ Clovis, look! It's that guy you are!
But it is not diplomatic
And he's not a diplomat.
Limbaugh's success is almost entirely due to his sense of humor. He was basically a Colbert/Stewart of the Right, before Comedy Central was a political humor channel. Now, humor is somewhat subjective, and Limbaugh has a mean streak that comes out at odd times and spoils the party. His mask only slips occasionally though, and he can usually convince his loyal listeners that he was joking or that the monster they saw was just misunderstood. (for example, when he made fun of Michael J. Fox's Parkinsons Disease, or expressed glee at the suicide of Kurt Cobain.)
Even so, Limbaugh has a great sense of the absurd, and his selective reporting of the news has been great at finding things that are both idiotic and obviously "left-inspired." Now, he's dishonest to a degree, so he'll lie, exagerate or misreport when it suits him. Still, it's actually fairly easy if you go to the right places to find some absurdity related to environmentalism or feminism. Shooting fish in a barrel, it is. Frankly, he doesn't outright lie that often, because he doesn't have to. Clowns attach themselves to any political movement that has any power.
The new young Turks of Right Wing talk haven't been humor oriented, they've been revenge oriented. So people like O'Reilly and Hannity come across as hate-filled trolls without anything resembling a sense of humor. This is all to the good, because people with no sense of humor make perfect straight men victims for satirists.
"MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
"In contrast, their Republican counterparts essentially gain nothing."
Well there's a shock. I've always thought that Republicans going on Stewart's or Colbert's show was a complete waste of time, unless their aim was to be mocked mercilessly with no benefits whatsoever. Stewart at least tries to be somewhat balanced (as much as his politics will allow him), but Colbert wastes no time with such ideas.
It'd be like a liberal Democrat going on Rush Limbaugh's program. Just what do you think you're going to get out of it? You're certainly going into hostile territory with little hope of reward. You're not going to sway that audience's opinions... they're pretty well set. I think a Republican going on Colbert's show is not only a waste of time, it's worse. He has a young liberal audience, and if anything changes their opinions, it'll be time and experience. Nothing you say is going to sway them.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
Wait till the Dems get into power in November (unless there's some awesome economic news in the next two months; they got it.). Then these shows will start making fun of them.
Also, many democrats are younger and don't have time for 'politics', but do have time for comedy.
(I moved the quotes). Politics these days is about distraction. It's about focusing on non issues, or at least, focusing on issues that a very small minority finds irrationally important. And even then, whatever comes out of any candidates mouth during a campaign is just pie in the sky.
Republicans aren't humorless, but they generally don't gravitate towards comedy writing or performing either (leading to a dearth of comedy shows with conservative writers and performers). It's unfair to blame Comedy Central for that. Republicans tend to gravitate towards business school and political science, liberals tend to gravitate towards the liberal arts and more artistic fields (including writing and comedy). There are plenty of exceptions, of course, (including the aforementioned Colin Quinn) but let's not kid ourselves. Asking Comedy Central why it has so many liberal comedy writers would be like asking Wall Street why it has so many conservative stock brokers.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Both the Colbert Report and the Daily Show are not mere news parodies or simple comedies. They're actual news shows that also happen to be funny. They don't make stuff up like SNL or the Onion, they present real news.
Sort of like the movie Shaun of the Dead. Despite what people think, it was not a parody of zombie movies, it was a real zombie movie that also happened to be really funny.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
I looked at donation records for my area in the last two elections, and to my surprise the people giving money to Republicans maxed out their donations at $2000 per person. The Democrats were way more numerous, but vanishingly few gave more than $100 each. This year the Democrats are averaging $300 each, with more $2000 donations. The Republicans aren't all maxing their donations, but a lot more of them are going to Ron Paul and a handful of non-McCain candidates. It doesn't track corporate donations or 'soft-money', but I'd imagine those tend to go Republican anyway, and besides, which corporations are going to donate more to a Republican candidate because they saw them on Colbert?
This is why Colbert 'bumps' donations to Democrats and not Republicans--individual Democrats appear to have more money to spend on donations this year.
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I'm rather conservative. I watch both Colbert and Stewart because I find them both funny. Their bias is quite obvious, but I don't mind. The fact they are open about it (as opposed to trying to pretend to be neutral) makes me like them more.
Rarely do I not find something funny because of my views. I'll disagree with some of the things Stewart says (for example), but I don't take him seriously enough to be put off by it (and it doesn't happen that often).
What they spend most of their time doing, making fun of the media and politicians doing dumb things, works just as well for either party. If they ignored the Dems I would be turned off, but they are always right there to poke fun at Pelosi if she does something notably stupid.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Unfortunately, the joke is on us.
She loves me: 09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0 She loves me not: 09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688BF
That, and the Republicans are in power. Being in power normally provides a lot more comedy material than being in opposition. William Hague, Ian and Duncan Smith, and Michael Howard, and anything involving Boris Johnson notwithstanding.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
If you look at the charts in the original article, the bump starts around two weeks before they actually appear on the show. Which makes me suspect that the Bump is more likely due to the candidate making a round of interviews (of which Colbert is one), rather than it being due specifically to the Colbert interview.
That's the problem with conservatives, they can't approach things without an intensely partisan mindset. [...] just because it's a lot easier to make fun of republicans than democrats, that's what the shows do more of.
Funny, because that's the same thing I hear Conservatives say about Liberals and they both back it up with the same "proof".
See the point yet? They're both wrong.
The greatest thing that's wrong with politics right now is this team sport cheerleader mentality. You're either a Democrat or a Republican. You have to show up to games wearing your team colors or be chastised by the other fanatics (aka "fans") of the team. And god forbid that you might actually be a fanatic of the other team! That will result in nothing less than the tossing of stereotypical derogatory chants back and forth which, of course, will lead to some parking lot brawl.
Don't dare try to have a different opinion other than the teams party lines, otherwise, they'll try a hostel take over of your position. Just ask Joel Liberman, who supports the Iraq war and some tax cuts and was attacked by his own party by them running and financing another Democrat to take his seat.
Don't dare try to say you support the right to abortion, gay marriage or that you're agnostic or atheist, as a Republican. You'll be similarly cast down from the rank and file.
The point is, the problem with politics are people you the parent. Those people who actually THINK one side is better than the other by default. That one side a bigger joke than the other or what have you. Sadly, the true joke are these people and these are the people that Colbert and Stewart make fun of. These people are blind to the obvious and sheep of the proverbial Shepard. These are the people who make easy targets for jokes because others can clearly see their blind ignorance and stupidity on ISSUES, not political affiliation.
People who think like the parent are the one's who think with an intensely partisan mindset. They're the one's, are there are a lot of them, who keep these political charades going. Nothing is going to change until we break down the walls of party affliction and the team sport mentality. Politics are not a game that's played on Sundays and Monday nights. Competition and competitiveness only amongst people only lead to a loss for everyone as important issues get ignored for a few small mindsets of a minority of people who are bullied and repressed into taking the same stances as the party out of fear or reprisal. This is the true killer of independent thought and critical analysis, yet it'll be the last thing anyone will be willing to "fix".
" And Fox News did a Daily Show-esque show called the "1/2 Hour News Hour" [wikipedia.org] that was just abysmal to watch and not even close to funny (it ran for 13 episodes before the Fox conservatives abandoned their opposition to euthenasia long enough to grant it a mercy killing)."
Hell, I'm a conservative, and I'll be the first to tell you that show wasn't just bad, it was plain embarrassing. Bad skits. Canned laugh tracks. Every bad trick in show business you can think of, that abomination had it. It couldn't die fast enough for me.
That show was a prime example of somethings conservatives sometimes do that they never should... try to make a right wing version of a successful liberal phenomena. "Hey, we'll make a conservative Daily Show!". No, you wont. You'll make a cheap knockoff that nobody likes and is done badly. And to be fair, liberals also do this stuff as well... how many attempts have we seen to try and do a liberal version of Limbaugh's program? There's a long and distinguished list of utter failure on that front (Hello, Air America!).
For whatever reason... one sides' success.... The Daily Show, Limbaugh, pick your example... just doesn't seem to translate well to the other side. Any attempts to "reverse engineer" it and make your own seems destined to fall on it's face.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
"That's the problem with conservatives, they can't approach things without an intensely partisan mindset"
Uh, some can, some can't. Are you actually going to claim liberals are any different? Because I'd love to point you to several major liberal websites where the denizens will readily prove to you that if it ain't liberal, it's downright evil. No room for gray areas. Democratic Underground, Daily Kos, Truthout, Alternet... there's a pretty long list here. So if I were you, I'd reconsider this notion that liberals are all capable of tolerant, non-partisan thinking. They're just as human as the conservatives they oppose.
Life is hard, and the world is cruel
I thought it was painfully obvious that his Republican character he portrays is a joke to espouse his actual Liberal views. It scares me that this might not be obvious to some.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
He mocks everyone constantly, but there is a bit of a difference in how he does it that betrays his bias.
His mockery of republicans is usually along the lines of "what are those crazy people thinking?"
Whereas against democrats he tends to be more "come on, guys, I was counting on you and then you sucked."
He doesn't give anyone a free pass (which I greatly appreciate) but he does betray his bias a bit.
Although he makes fun of both sides, it is much easier to make fun of the republicans - since their politics (under introspection) aren't very good.
Nah, it's not a Republicrat/Democan thing. Both sides are equally stupid, and equally easy to make fun of. It's just easier to make fun of the party in the White House, because they're the most visibly active.
Back when Clinton was in office, Rush Limbaugh was often hilariously funny with the way he made fun of the Democrats. After Bush got into office, he had to switch to supporting his side rather than making fun of the dems because there was so much less material available. At that point, he became a lot less funny.
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Dude, *lighten up*. Stephen Colbert is a comedian and satirist. Is roasting China along with everyone else in the room him being undiplomatic or him doing his thing?
If China can't take some ribbing from a comedian, what kind of super-power does that make them? Remember when that guy got a monkey to throw up just like Bush? Hilarious! Did we get on his case for lacking in diplomacy?
The only "misstep" diplomatically was putting Colbert in the room with that many powerful people, and then handing him a mike and asking him to do his thing. If the people in that room couldn't handle some humor, then he shouldn't have been asked to do the speech.
And frankly, I'm getting tired of everyone pussy-footing around China. Welcome to the World stage, China! You wanted to be a super-power? You wanted recognition and a bigger say in how things go? Well guess what, my Chinese friends? Along with greater visibility and decision making power comes a lot more criticism, outrage, and being mocked.
Welcome to our world. People have been beating on the US for years. Sometimes it was just whining (hey, I wanted to be in charge instead of you!), and sometimes it was because we used our power to run rough-shod over people. Regardless, the world didn't spare us anything--and they shouldn't.
But China? Oh, poor China! Everyone is so insensitive, so judgmental! Poor, poor China! They only own everyone on the planet through trade imbalances or by owning the country's debt. When people start to complain about China's policies, a Chinese representative reminds them that China owns them lock stock and barrel, and then an apology along with copious amounts of back pedaling ensues (see US toy makers after the lead paint fiascos).
So pardon me if I don't feel sorry for them. No one in the rest of the world is treated with as much fear and trepidation as China. And when they don't feel they get enough respect, they come down on people hard. They are big-boy country. They can clearly take care of themselves.
"Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs." -- Switchfoot, Ode to Chin
Even when conservatives do come on Stewart or Colbert, it's generally a very uncomfortable interview (polite applause from the audience, host trying desperately to think of something good to say).
Eh, John McCain did pretty well on The Daily Show, and when I saw him a few years ago Bob Dole was absolutely awesome.
But that's The Daily Show, which has a slant sure but is perfectly willing to tear Democrats and liberals a new one whenever its appropriate. I think mostly it's because Stewart and the show came unto their own during a period when Republicans were in power and thus provided the majority of the targets. Stewart is liberal in his politics, but I don't think that dominates the show which is mostly about deriving humor from the news. It's not the same as 'liberal' or 'conservative' talk shows.
Colbert Report, though, is obviously dominated by its slant. There's no avoiding it, as his character is a caricature of a conservative talk show host. He "praised" the President to his face for going with his gut instead of facts, saying "reality has a well-known liberal bias".
But yes, even though they're different shows, I don't doubt that their demographics are largely the same, and that it doesn't include a lot of Republicans.
The enemies of Democracy are
You must not be watching the same show that I am. Jon Stewart is an extremely kind/generous/softball interviewer. I've seen him conduct a 'contentious' interview maybe two or three times (one of those was Feith). Colbert is contentious and slightly in-your-face (with everyone), because he's impersonating Bill O'Reilly's evil twin. The venom you see there is necessary, if one is going to pretend to be a conservative.
Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
Could the appearance on Colbert's show be part of a wider ranging media blitz by some of these candidates? Could they be appearing on Colbert, Leno, Letterman, Meet the Press, The Muppet Show, and Larry King all over the course of a week or two? Then following it up with a few high profile public publicity events coordinated with a few big fund raising events?
Its called a media blitz.
If there is a 'Colbert Bump' then we need a controlled experiment. Have a Democrat and a Republican appear on Colbert's show, and make no other public appearances for a month after word. Then measure the outcome.
I think it is just an artifact of campaign style differences between the two parties. The Democrats have been fond of the Madison Avenue marketing blitz style for a while (lots of flash and no substance). Republicans are more of the smoke filled back room style. (Have third parties funded by wealthy friends and talk radio media figure-heads smear your opponent with a constant feed of lies and innuendo).
I really doubt the bump in donations is attributable to an appearance on Colbert's show alone.
What scares me is that you were modded "insightful". The executive producer of the The Daily Show, Ben Karlin (a former The Onion editor), is quoted as saying that the principal goal of the show is comedy. "If you have a legitimately funny joke in support of the notion that gay people are an affront to God, we'll put that motherfucker on!" source. It's just an example, but the Republican policy positions are much easier to make fun of, in this case due to their hypocrisy because several Republicans are homosexual.
Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
-- likely due to the "elite demographic" of its audience."
Nice job feeding into the media narrative that Republicans are pushing: That liberals are elistist snobs. Slashdot should not do politics.
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Bill Clinton's policies were fine
Including the Communications Decency Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Right, next you'll be saying that the greatest threat to America isn't Bears.
Perhaps this is the only way to get young people interested in Politics - to make the stupidity that goes on at capitol hill equally accessible to everyone... through satire.
The reason I watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report (as someone from the younger generation) is that underneath their hyperbolic lies, they seem more honest. The current state of American news seems to be geared towards irrationally demonizing liberalism or leftist view to such an extent that it makes the bile rise. I can understand being fiercely against raising taxes for social projects (hey I hate taxes too), but when the foundation of an argument boils down to they're liberal, it loses all sense of weight and content. At least on those comedy shows, they back up their absurdity with a logical chain of examples to show that their comments have some grain of truth. For instance, they might show a series of clips of newscasters copying one another as a comment on the laziness of news in general. I like those shows because they're a bit more honest and because my faith in the quality of other (American) news channels has been degrading. (Though, I've found CNN and BBC news ok from time-to-time.)
Am I the only one bothered by an 8 months old being close enough to a TV for long enough to be noticeably affected by it?
That's a growing consumer, alright...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
The funniest thing that Limbaugh ever did was call for harsher penalties for drug users then get himself busted for being an oxycodon addict.
The icing-coated irony was delicious for everyone.
I thought it was even funnier that his doctor shopping got a slap on the wrist, thus illustrating the way the law operates differently for the Haves and Have Mores than for the rest of us.
Well, no, that wasn't funny... that was more stomach turning than funny.
"MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
^ Written by someone who obviously never watched The Daily Show during Clinton's administration.
Xenon, where's my money? -Borno
Although he makes fun of both sides, it is much easier to make fun of the republicans - since their politics (under introspection) aren't very good. All he does is bring it to the front.
It's sad that people actually interpret the situation this way, no matter what you think "introspection" means. It has been easier to make fun of republicans because, for the most part, they've been the ones in power for the last 8 years. That's what Jon Stewardt has been saying forever now, and I'm sure Colbert is in the same line of thinking but you never see him talk out of character.
I think left-leaning politos should put a check on themselves with their self-indulgent tripe.
Lets be clear: humor is most often, but not always, about laughing at absurdities. Now, what a person happens to consider absurd depends on what they've been accultured to. Liberals, suprise suprise, simply have different standards on what they consider absurd and normal than conservatives. Trust me, conservatives have their moments when they can be funny also. The sad thing is when someone from one side simply can't find any humor in the jokes of the other side. Liberals: Just so you know, Ann Coulter is funny! And I don't even mean in that overly sarcastic way you mean it.
And the first one to assume I'm a conservative/Republican is a doofus.
Nah, it's not a Republicrat/Democan thing. Both sides are equally stupid, and equally easy to make fun of.
Sorry, but that's just not true. The democrats are not a perfect liberal party, but insofar as they are liberal they are less stupid than conservatives. The majority view among intelligent, educated people always supports liberal positions which is why it is liberal, not conservative, politics that shares the label "progressive." Historical trends through the last two centuries have born this out worldwide: liberal views/values/norms steadily become adopted over time while those of conservatives are abandoned. It is overwhelmingly likely that this trend will continue. Just as we now think it was barbaric and grotesquely stupid to enslave black people and deny women the right to vote 150 years ago, we will progress to hold similar views about gay marriage and religion 150 years from now. Any person of nominal intelligence will grant this as indisputable.
A-Bomb
I wonder if Colbert (The Character) is going to switch sides. I could see him leaning whichever way the wind is blowing. He might turn into a hippy Air-America pot smoking liberal after the elections in November.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
It's "Nip it in the bud." That's not a spelling error, so you should feel happy about that. Butt-nipper.
I didn't detect much of a partisan air back then---they made fun of Clinton a lot, but it didn't come across as if they were conservatives or anything. And in 2000 they were pretty equal-opportunity in attacking both Gore and Bush. These days they come across as distinctly left-leaning; even as a left-leaning person myself it's sometimes a bit uncomfortable when they seem to lapse from humor into some sort of political monologue. So I'm not sure they can successfully, given the corner they've painted themselves into, go back to the previous, less-partisan approach of just making fun of whoever's in power.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
He *has* thrown some jabs at Obama and Clinton lately, but audience reaction was not great. (After making fun of Obama for flip-flopping on public financing: "It's okay to laugh at him, y'know.") He may be forced by his audience to veer left.
Oh I don't know, he lampooned the whole Obama vs Clinton campaign pretty regularly. (Both shows did actually.)
And Bill Clinton in particular has been pot-shotted a fair bit, as has Congress's non-binding resolutions, giving into Bush, and so on.
But Obama, its true, he hasn't taken the same beating the other canditates have on Stewart/Colbert, but quite simply, that's because Obama HAS managed to appear less ridiculous less often, and more importantly, the ridiculous stuff he does do is so thoroughly overblown by the media that the comedy shows are almost forced to lampoon the media, indirectly siding with Obama.
I mean the 'terrorist fist bump'? 'barack HUSSEIN obama' repeated ad nauseum? the loony drama with his preacher?... I think these would have been fair game for Stewart/Colbert punchlines but after the mainstream media got through with them, the media was the much more juicy and pathetic target.