Don’t be scared of Stephen
This makes no sense to me:
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the Democratic Caucus chairman, has told new Democratic members of Congress to steer clear of Stephen Colbert, or at least his satirical Comedy Central program, “The Colbert Report.”
“He said don’t do it … it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it,” said Rep. Steve Cohen.
Luckily it seems like the freshmen are ignoring the advice:
<a xhref='http://ad.thehill.com/adclick.php?n=a5f6dd33' target='_blank'><img xsrc='http://ad.thehill.com/adview.php?what=zone:33&n=a5f6dd33' border='0' alt=''></a>
Eyes (but thankfully, not heads) roll in Emanuel’s office when other freshmen stumble, such as the time Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) got into a debate about the merits of throwing kittens into a wood-chipper, or when Rep. Zack Space (D-Ohio) explained that he is not his predecessor, convicted felon Bob Ney (R).
The freshmen respect Emanuel, but they don’t always follow his orders. On the other hand, avoiding the kind of publicity that only “The Colbert Report” can confer on a lawmaker may be the only advice from Emanuel that freshman Democrats are ignoring.
This was all offered somewhat tongue in cheek style in an article that goes on to illustrate Rep. Emanuel's influence but I still don't get why Congressmen (and women) would be encouraged not to go on the show. Its all in good fun; yes the interviews make the subjects look ridiculous but thats the point. The "Better Know a District" segment is my favorite part of the show and no matter how ridiculous the Congressperson comes off looking, with rare exception (that Republican who couldn't name the 10 commandments being one) I end up liking/respecting them more.
Holla at me