Politics

Stephen Colbert Had a Message For Politicians On His Inaugural Show

September 9th 2015

Tuesday night marked the highly anticipated premiere of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on CBS. It's been about nine months since Stephen Colbert's Comedy Central political satire show, "The Colbert Report," left the air. And though Colbert no longer plays a blowhard pundit, "The Late Show" does not lack a political edge.

Beyond singing the national anthem, the show had two political segments, including a comparison of covering Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to eating a box of Oreo cookies:

Colbert's second guest — after George Clooney — was presidential candidate Jeb Bush. Bush, the former governor of Florida, talked about his hope to bring a more civil political discourse to Washington and even said something positive about President Obama. But Colbert questioned whether Bush really could improve the atmosphere of politics. "Everyone says they want to bring people together," but it "ends up being a game of blood sport," Colbert pointed out.

"If you start with the premise that people have good motives, you can find common ground," Bush said.

Colbert also explained his own political leanings.

"I used to play a narcissistic conservative pundit," Colbert said to Bush. "Now I’m just a narcissist."

Next week, Colbert will interview Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Vice President Joe Biden, who may be mulling a presidential run, will also appear on Colbert's "Late Show," and it was reported that two more GOP candidates, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), may soon appear on "The Late Show." (Who knows if the famed "Colbert Bump" will still work its magic?)

Share your opinion

Are you registered to vote?

No 9%Yes 91%