Stephen Colbert's "Late Present" crew was simply let go after invading Republican congressional places of work on the Capitol.
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS through Getty Photos
For a while now, we have now been listening to loads in regards to the grave significance of securing the Capitol, the middle of our democracy, the seat of American energy. So it was a bit odd to search out out that the opposite night time, a movie crew and a number of other comedians from Stephen Colbert’s “Late Present” had been arrested after ignoring and evading safety contained in the Longworth constructing within the Capitol advanced.
Apparently, after having been kicked out of a listening to for lack of credentials, the crew of seven simply wandered off and commenced pounding on the doorways of Republican members and yelling, all whereas filming themselves. The excellent news is that in contrast to what occurs in our massive blue cities, these seven hooligans had been arrested (although instantly launched); the dangerous information is that the incident as soon as once more shows the abject hypocrisy of the American media.
Allow us to think about, only for a second, that it was Joe Rogan’s crew that had been nabbed making a menacing ruckus outdoors Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s workplace with no required supervision or go. To begin with, they’d most likely nonetheless be in jail, fortunate to get a telephone name and a stale cheese sandwich. Second, Rogan would have been dragged over the coals, his advertisers pressured to resign him, and each haircut on lefty cable information can be sporting a really stern glare certainly. Put merely, there can be penalties.
However you see, Stephen Colbert is one of the nice guys — he’s towards Trump — so when his crew causes a scene at our most holy temple of democracy, it’s simply playful hijinks: “first-degree puppetry” was the host’s smug quip. Truly, they had been charged with “illegal entry to the Capitol.” Wait a minute — that sounds acquainted. Aren’t there a bunch of individuals in jail for that proper now?
The Capitol Police who responded won't have identified that this was a bunch of essential and privileged TV folks; they may have thought one thing extra nefarious was taking place. However see, that doesn’t matter, losing the time of these cops and making them fear a confrontation was going to occur is a worth value paying for Triumph the Insult Comedian Canine’s scorching takes on the Capitol riot. It is likely to be the final greatest probability to sway public opinion and have to be at the least as compelling because the hearings themselves.
This was no accident — in line with authorities this troupe of buffoons was straight instructed to go away the Capitol and refused to take action. Why did they do that? As a result of they knew full effectively that the principles don’t apply to them. They usually had been completely proper. They received their slap on the wrist, the media had been primarily silent, and they're again to cranking out cringe for his or her present’s dwindling viewers.
Within the grand scheme of issues, this flaunting of the principles and breaking of the regulation by Colbert’s seven mental dwarves shouldn't be an enormous deal. However having mentioned that, one difficulty the Jan. 6 committee to this point has had little interest in is the safety failures on that terrible day. Perhaps if seven folks with cameras and canine puppets can simply form of get misplaced within the Capitol, there's motive to see if protocols have to be beefed up.
In the meantime, it’s unhappy that we have now to dwell with this. It’s unhappy that two units of guidelines exist, one for Colbert, one other for Rogan, one for the left and one for the precise. However worse than that, worse than the hypocrisy, and extra maddening than unhappy, is that these folks know they may get away with it. Each. Single. Time. And till that adjustments, nothing else will.
David Marcus is a Brooklyn-based columnist and writer of “Charade: The Covid Lies That Crushed a Nation.”
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