Colbert appearance..

[MsDoodahs]

Who else is watching?

[llamabread]

Not the same hype as the other big appearances, but I'm here.

[Texan4Life]

I hope someone who will get it on youtube ASAP! I need to watch it!.. lol.

[llamabread]

He's on now. Nice applause.

[MsDoodahs]

Here we go...

[MsDoodahs]

Whew~

He did really good I thought!

[peruvianRP]

that was good. He is gettting loose I mean more relaxed.

[dagnytaggart]

Steven Colbert actually let Ron Paul speak! He obviously loves him!

[austinphish]

Colbert treated him really well! Way better than I have seen him treat Democrats.
Wow - way to go RON!

[theblatanttruth]

That was much better, he was very laid back and stephen took him lightly and didn't challenge really at all other than is characteristic pro bush satire

He seemed very personafied and likeable, and actually pretty damn funny... he had me laughing pretty hard with the hand thing :D

Very nice.

[austinphish]

Colbert was beyond fair with him and the audience was very pro-Paul but yet polite so they didn't him interupt the show.

[zMtLlC]

I think he kind of went overboard on the raising the hand thing and didn't really articulate his ideas as well. The Daily Show Interview was a lot better.

[Godot]

I'm not sure that this was the right forum. Could be risky.

[Silverback]

Nothing very substantive, good introduction for people who don't know him yet.

He was very charismatic, it's so hard not to like the guy and that really came through in that interview.

[DjLoTi]

I think he kind of went overboard on the raising the hand thing and didn't really articulate his ideas as well. The Daily Show Interview was a lot better.

I agree with you a little bit but the energy going into the interview was so high it was kind of hard not to run off some adrenaline.

[peruvianRP]

the raising hand is a parody from the CNN debate. which I though was silly. is comedy show it can't be overboard. Like the robots article.

[SCrevolution]

I felt like I was watching a sporting event in the way I was hoping for him to make a good impression. Too bad he had to waste valuable seconds talking about UNICEF.

[mesler]

I agree with zM on the hand raising thing, but what can you do. I think he's not used to this type of publicity and he's finding his way.

I have a habit of underestimating his performances on these shows, so I'm sure it will translate into huge support. :)

[TruePatriot44]

Any TV appearance is better than none :D

[austin356]

hum, dont know what to think............ ill give it some time and watch again on youtube

[austinphish]

http://www.colbertnation.com/

throw on a comment - something nice for the host.

[Godot]

Nothing very substantive, good introduction for people who don't know him yet.

He was very charismatic, it's so hard not to like the guy and that really came through in that interview.

Glad to hear you think so.

[Bradley in DC]

no cable here now, can someone give a better description--or YouTube!

[amonasro]

Nothing very substantive, good introduction for people who don't know him yet.

He was very charismatic, it's so hard not to like the guy and that really came through in that interview.

I agree. He was very funny with the hand-raising. Although he didn't get to explain why he should abolish all of the said departments, it will get people to notice and learn more. And Colbert's audience is young, so they know how to use the internet :)

[Kandilynn]

I thought it was HILARIOUS! I think it was a great interview, especially for Colbert.

[austin356]

no cable here now, can someone give a better description--or YouTube!

The largest segment had him raise his hand for every department he would eliminate. It turns out he never put his hand down......lol

[Texan4Life]

youtube?

<starts foaming at the mouth>

[Avalon]

I'm with zMtLlC, plus I'd add that the people in general really need to hear an explanation for cutting those departments, especially the Colbert Report's audience. I think any points he won he probably lost at the end. But at least he got some more exposure and maybe people will talk/read/think about it.

[llamabread]

I thought that was one of his best yet. Looked much more relaxed. Brief summary...

Colbert says he dosn't know what to think because usually he either loves or hates the person he is interviewing, but he dosn't know what to make of Ron Paul.

He goes on to explain the basics of Ron Paul's policy, asks him if he is a Republican or not, Ron Paul says he is, but he is a Constitutionalist too. Colbert dosn't seem to know what one of those is.

Talk about Iraq for a little bit.

Colbert asks him to raise his hand for every agency he would cut, and procedes to name about 15, including the U.N., IRS (Ron almost got out of his seat raising his hand so high), and countless others.

Lots of applause throughout, but the ending applause was alot louder than the first one.


In my opinion, one of his best appearences yet.

[LibertyEagle]

Maybe he went a bit overboard on how high he was raising his hand, but I think he did GREAT! Looked like he got a new suit too and he looked wonderful!

This was a very good appearance.

[austin356]

This was a hell of a fast response by the rpf people.

[SCrevolution]

I think Comedy Central is Viacom which has it out for Youtube/Google. I think you will not find the clips on Youtube, but rather on Comedy Central's website. I have no clue when it will be up however.

[LibertyEagle]

One thing I love about all this, is this wonderful, patriotic, man is finally getting to hear some of the praise and acceptance he has deserved for so very long. You can tell he eats it up and it just drives him on.

[angrydragon]

I think Ron knows when to act in a playful manner and how to act in serious settings.

[Rudy McRomneyson]

Well, folks... he bombed it. That hand raising thing - so passe. He isn't going to get any support from that - in fact, I won't even mention who *he* is.

Now what he should have talked about are good conservative values like raising taxes and giving more to the people. But, he didn't. So, he isn't going to have a chance... * nope *. None at all.

In fact, there's nothing to see here... nothing Don't believe me? Watch Fox and CNN tomorrow.

[Bloody Holly]

It was short, sweet and to the point. I was expecting Colbert to tear into him for some reason but he didn't.

[DjLoTi]

Well, folks... he bombed it. That hand raising thing - so passe. He isn't going to get any support from that - in fact, I won't even mention who *he* is.

Now what he should have talked about are good conservative values like raising taxes and giving more to the people. But, he didn't. So, he isn't going to have a chance... * nope *. None at all.

In fact, there's nothing to see here... nothing Don't believe me? Watch Fox and CNN tomorrow.

If you're not banned, may I suggest to everyone to please ignore this person. No use wasting your energy

[lapi7]

I just finished watching Dr. Paul on the Colbert Report.
Besides being a great Constitutionalist leader let’s add to his attributes:
Great sport.
Funny, satirical and witty.
With a lampooning, dry and self-deprecating sense of humor.
How can you not love this man?

[TruePatriot44]

If you're not banned, may I suggest to everyone to please ignore this person. No use wasting your energy

Check his username, i think he was making a joke.

[LibertyEagle]

I'm with zMtLlC, plus I'd add that the people in general really need to hear an explanation for cutting those departments, especially the Colbert Report's audience. I think any points he won he probably lost at the end. But at least he got some more exposure and maybe people will talk/read/think about it.

Yeah, this was way too short of an interview. If he'd had like 1 or 2 minutes, he could have explained why he thought these should be cut. I still think he did great though.

[austinphish]

Here is the thread on the Colbert Report if we want to show some love - don't go insane, just say thanks:

http://www.colbertnation.com/?p=919

[DjLoTi]

I thought it went really well, maybe the hand thing went a little too far, but I think at the end when he brought the hand down and was like "yeah, this is for the kids" lol... it was great.

I guess I was just so excited about the show I just wanted MORE MORE MORE but hopefully more more more comes, like a snowball, with the campaign.

[ronpaulitician]

If you're not banned, may I suggest to everyone to please ignore this person. No use wasting your energy
Sigh...

"...he should have talked about are good conservative values like raising taxes and giving more to the people..."

The sarcasm was just dripping off of that post.

EDIT: It's not like I haven't made that mistake myself (missing obvious sarcasm), but I think we could benefit from not jumping to conclusions too quickly.

[DjLoTi]

O well my bad sorry! I'm not the best at getting jokes but that's what makes me great! haha :)

O yeah and plus.. I don't really read... I just skim... unless... it's worth reading..... yes........

I am also impulsive..... :D 3rd edit :)

Ok 4th edit I"M REALLY REALLY SORRY K thx... loti out....... SORRY....

[sbc04c]

jhijk,

[austinphish]

For those who thought the Colber show wasn't that good, you need to take it in perspective with how the Colbert interview goes. Any other Republican he would have just thrashed. I mean any of these guys can bring up a littany of things that we don't want Ron talking about (racism, civil war - which is actually brilliant, but it just adds flames to the racist fire).

So my point is that the Colbert interview was very solid.

[lapi7]

Well, folks... he bombed it. That hand raising thing - so passe. He isn't going to get any support from that - in fact, I won't even mention who *he* is.

Now what he should have talked about are good conservative values like raising taxes and giving more to the people. But, he didn't. So, he isn't going to have a chance... * nope *. None at all.

In fact, there's nothing to see here... nothing Don't believe me? Watch Fox and CNN tomorrow.


Ummmm... I think this comment was meant to be a little "tongue in cheek"
Very clever.

[Rudy McRomneyson]

If you're not banned, may I suggest to everyone to please ignore this person. No use wasting your energy

Uhh... that was my attempt at humor at how Ron Paul is "not" growing at all. I mean, with appearance on:


The Daily Show
NPR
Colbert Report


etc.

He obviously gets no support at all. ;)


PS: For future reference, this is my attempt to "Colbertize" the other republican neocons.

[scbissler]

I too was worried about Colbert tearing into him but it seemed fairly obvious to me that Colbert likes/respects Ron. As far as the interview being too short and not very in depth, they seemed to toss out the basics of a lot of Ron's ideas - a good intro for those who haven't heard them yet, and now hopefully some will explore further.

[angelatc]

If you're not banned, may I suggest to everyone to please ignore this person. No use wasting your energy

I hope our mods don't ban people for mere dissent. That's sooooo not us.

The show: I have never seen Colbert let a guest talk more than Colbert talks. That alone was awesome.

But now I have nothing to look forward to. :)

[DjLoTi]

Ya Colbert is a really tough interviewer, so as far as Colbert fans goes, he probably did awesome (seems like it to me), plus he got the Colbert bump, which apparently means he's got Colbert's vote. :D :D :D !!!

[austinphish]

Uhh... that was my attempt at humor at how Ron Paul is "not" growing at all. I mean, with appearance on:


The Daily Show
NPR
Colbert Report


etc.

He obviously gets no support at all. ;)


PS: For future reference, this is my attempt to "Colbertize" the other republican neocons.


When was he on NPR?

[torchbearer]

I thought bump was refering to the polls and donations.

[scbissler]

The New Hampshire Public Radio interview the day of the last debate. If you haven't seen or heard it I highly recommend it.

[angrydragon]

The new MSM name I bet. Rudy McRomneyson hehe

[DjLoTi]

He was on NH NPR a few weeks ago or maybe last week oslt.

According to another poster who is a fan of Colbert, a 'bump' means a 'vote' oslt.

[scbissler]

Torchbearer, I believe you are correct on the "bump".

[SCrevolution]

For those who thought the Colber show wasn't that good, you need to take it in perspective with how the Colbert interview goes. Any other Republican he would have just thrashed. I mean any of these guys can bring up a littany of things that we don't want Ron talking about (racism, civil war - which is actually brilliant, but it just adds flames to the racist fire).

So my point is that the Colbert interview was very solid.

Thanks for the regular viewer's perspective. I read an article some time ago, where somebody had recommended politicians of any stripe steer clear of Colbert. Basically they said that it is a no-win situation because of the nature of the show/character. This is my first time watching the show, and it seems like he got out of there without losing much at all.

The appearance was a gamble, but I think the exposure was worth the risk, especially for a campaign with a good message, but little mainstream coverage. I would say that overall it was a good move for the campaign.

[Godot]

I remember what the media did to Howard Dean after his "War Whoop"... and Ross Ross Perot. These media boys and campaign managers watch for any opportunity to paint a non-anointed candidate as a wacko.... but I'm the nervous type.

I'm glad to hear most of you feel he came off warm and humorous. I'm way too biased to be impartial.

[daniel]

I think it took alot of &@(($ to do that, I would like to see Hillery, binladen or
mc,cane go on a show like that !

[Rudy McRomneyson]

When was he on NPR?

Yes... exactly! When was he on NPR? It certainly wasn't in New Hampshire. I mean, come on, if the fair and balanced Fox ente...news doesn't report it, then it obviously isn't real.

Just look at the polls! (But, please ignore the "unscientific" ones on the Internet that, actually, don't even exist)


And just to add: Unscientific, unscientific, unscientific, spammers, spammers, spammers.

BUT PLEASE: STOP CALLING US!

[ksuguy]

I thought it was a great appearance.

[MsDoodahs]

lol at Rudy McRomneyson.

[Blowback]

Is a YouTube up yet... I can't find it if it is.

Pleasseeee... for the love of God, some of us don't have cable and we have been waiting to see it all day! ahhhh

Youtube?????

[SCrevolution]

The New Hampshire Public Radio interview the day of the last debate. If you haven't seen or heard it I highly recommend it.

I couldn't agree more. Luckily, I have it on the DVR, and I intend to convert it to .mpg. There is a very good 5 minute segment or so. At that point, it looks to me like he wins over the NPR host. I know they have it on CSPAN's website as well (google "CSPAN Road to the White House", first link, first clip (for now))

[DjLoTi]

I would love to see other candidates try to take Colbert on. They would get ultra burned.

If anyone doesn't know how Colbert interviews politicians, I highly recommend watching ' Better know a district ' . You will be amazed at some of the people who actually take a seat and place a vote in office. It is extremely humorous and sad, sometimes. Always funny.

[angrydragon]

Is a YouTube up yet... I can't find it if it is.

Pleasseeee... for the love of God, some of us don't have cable and we have been waiting to see it all day! ahhhh

Youtube?????

I'd like to watch too.

[angelatc]

Who was the woman they had on lasr week, about the food stamps? He was merciless, and I was very afraid for my beloved Dr when I saw that.

[cujothekitten]

I made a thread with a video of tonight’s show :D

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=3157

[scbissler]

I read an article some time ago, where somebody had recommended politicians of any stripe steer clear of Colbert. Basically they said that it is a no-win situation because of the nature of the show/character.

That is often true, and Colbert said at the beginning of show that the guest was Ron Paul - the only presidential candidate who will speak with me. But Ron did grgreat in the situation.

[Swmorgan77]

I thought the apperance was superb comming from the viewpoint of a fan. However, from someone not familiar with RP I think the abolishment of all those departments would lead me to think "whacko!!!". I know because I hate to say it, but the first time i heard about all that I thought the same thing. It wasnt until i did a bit of research on why he wanted to do this that it made sense. Hopefully some people will look him up though and see what its really about

Well, you did it and hopefully they will too. :)

[maiki]

The Colbert Bump refers to how politicians who have been on the Colbert Report got re-elected (or elected if they were candidates) in 2006. Which means politicians that talk to Colbert are more likely to get elected, according to him.

Secondly, it was Nancy Pelosi who said it was a bad idea for politicians to talk to Colbert. She was wrong on this point however, given his track record in the last elections.

I think the interview was a mixed bag: some positive support, some not, but definitely will give everyone something to think about.

[torchbearer]

Digg the Interview
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Ron_Paul_on_The_Colbert_Report_2

[Kandilynn]

By the way, did anyone noticed they talked about Ron Paul on The Daily Show. They had that segment where Jon Stewart checks in on Colbert, and they used it to mention that Ron Paul would be on the Colbert Report.

Colbert: Tonight, republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.
Stewart: Terrific interview, we had him on last week. Tremendous..
Colbert: Oh! Well, then! I guess there's nothing more to ask him, is there?
Stewart: No, Stephen, that's not what I'm saying...
Colbert: No, I'll just cancel. Why bother? Pope Jon-O the second has exhausted all the questions.

And then they continue to argue for a few seconds.

[Bloody Holly]

By the way, did anyone noticed they talked about Ron Paul on The Daily Show. They had that segment where Jon Stewart checks in on Colbert, and they used it to mention that Ron Paul would be on the Colbert Report.

Colbert: Tonight, republican presidential candidate Ron Paul.
Stewart: Terrific interview, we had him on last week. Tremendous..
Colbert: Oh! Well, then! I guess there's nothing more to ask him, is there?
Stewart: No, Stephen, that's not what I'm saying...
Colbert: No, I'll just cancel. Why bother? Pope Jon-O the second has exhausted all the questions.

And then they continue to argue for a few seconds.

yes, that part cracked me up

[MsDoodahs]

That may not be just "according to him."

A Pew research study a couple of years ago showed that roughly 25% of voters get their info on candidates from comedy/late night shows such as Daily Show, Colbert, Leno, etc.

Dr. Paul is reaching that demographic with these appearances. :)

Same study also showed that another 25% use the internet to get info on candidates.

The rest use MSM.

Remember, that study is a couple of years old now.

I believe even MORE are using the internet now. ESPECIALLY with the MSM continually shooting themselves in the foot (mishandling the debates by MSNBC, FAUX news and CNN, continually pumping bullshit like the Paris Hilton crap, etc, etc).

[maiki]

I thought that was probably the best part of it, actually, lol. People never quite know whether Colbert is being sarcastic or truthful. But John Stewart is straight forward, so it helps clarify their support for him. Or at least his willingless to appear on their shows. lol. :p

[mtbaird5687]

I think he looked great. Very laid back and calm.

I just worry about him cutting all the departments. People who don't know much look at all that and get freaked out and think we won't be able to cope with all those departments cut. That was a tough question for Paul. I wish he would keep that for later, after some primaries.

[randolphus maximus]

What? nobody has put it on google video yet!!!lol

[Marceline88]

I thought it was really funny. He is just a sweet old guy with a silly side too. I love him to pieces.

That being said it wasn't intended to be a real in-depth platform interview, it's a comedy show that usually skewers politicians with a quick wit that exposes their flaws in logic and sanity. You could tell that Colbert likes Ron alot, but he played the dry-humored devil's advocate as he typically does. Dr. Paul played along with the theme of irony and was quite funny.

[ronpaulitician]

I thought the lowering of the hand for Unicef was perfect.

[angrydragon]

None of youtube's recent videos work.

[angelatc]

I think that they keep COlbert pretty tightly confined to Comedy Central and Itunes

[Duckman]

I thought the interview was going quite well until the hand raising part... I have the same objections to that that I have in the regular debates... if you don't have an opportunity to defend your answer when you against majority opinions it can be very damaging. But the response on the Colbert forum has been extremely positive, even more positive than this thread, and it came to me that perhaps to people who aren't necessarily opposed to these things on principle, but rather think the current system is so broken and useless that it just need to be scrapped and rebuilt, could have found something positive in the hand raising?

Just my thought...:confused:

[CurtisLow]

http://img483.imageshack.us/img483/4244/intermissionsmis9.jpg

[RPR-omaha]

Curtis that graphic is simply badass.
:cool:

[UCFGavin]

i personally loved it. i thought it was great that dr. paul rolled with colbert so well. he came off very intelligent and very genuine at the same time. the best thing i think about the hand raising part was the fact that the crowd was so into it, i think the people watching will have to do some research. i watch the show quite a bit....and nobody gets crowd love like dr. paul got.

[LizF]

Just watched it on You Tube. :)

I thought RP did quite well, especially given the format. I'm hopeful that his appearance will pique the interest/curiosity of those who'd never heard of RP before.

[ChooseLiberty]

Just watched the show and as a regular watcher I'd say for Colbert it was a great interview - almost pandering to Dr. Paul. Frankly, I got the impression Colbert probably agrees with him on most points. The hand raising? - c'mon it's a comedy show after all.

The audience response was unusually loud and positive for Dr. Paul. Usually they just applaud when Colbert skewers someone.

Also interesting - they framed Dr. Paul with an eagle statue next to him in the background. Don't think I've seen that before. Is it random or was Colbert or somebody on the show sending a message. Hmmm.

All in all very positive.

[Nash]

I thought he came off really well in the interview. Especially in the context of a comedy show. He got a lot of his points across (piecemeal of course) and Colbert was really helpful in outlining his views.

If I was an uninitiated viewer I would know that:

- Ron Paul voted against the Patriot Act
- Voted against the Iraq War
- Doesn't like Taxes
- Doesn't like Gun Control

And he also doesn't like a host of federal programs, especially the IRS (he got big applause on that one).

He comes off as an affable likable old guy. Remember this is comedy. He's not supposed to be "serious" and he even got some really good points in about living free and safe and respecting the constitution.

Frankly I don't think this could have gone much better.

[rockfree33]

I thought the interview was awesome. I also went on Ron Paul's website and it was loading slowly which means a lot of people checked him out! I think we may even see a bump in the number of members here from that appearance.

[Dary]

I loved it.

The look on Ron's face when he said that he had run away from the president and won was priceless.

His timing was perfect.

Another high point was when he said that you could live and be free at the same time.

What I would like to see now is the other candidates asked the same question about which departments they would work to eliminate.

Actually I think that they already were asked in the first debate and none of them could (or would) answer.

But what the hell, ask them again.

This interview should at least put to rest the question as to who is the conservative in this race.

[Eric B]

As a regular view I was nervous for Dr. Paul. I thought it went absolutely great. Many interviewees get confused or can't play along with Colbert's humor. RP handled it brilliantly. Taken in context I think the hand raising was good. But we all know what the MSM is capable of. I am honestly a little worried about a "Dean" moment taken out of context. I was very proud of my candidate. I think Colbert's show usually reruns in the early evening the next day, so you can probably catch it again if you missed it.

[peruvianRP]

RxON PAUL did GRRRRREAT!

[noblekale]

i did like the jon stewart interview better. but either way, i love the fact that hes consistent.

[vertesc]

This is AWESOME! Way better than his appearance on Stewart. I thought he was funnier, more friendly, and clearer on the issues. Colbert gave him platform to talk about liberty, which is his best subject. The audience clearly loved him. I thought the hand raising bit was great, too... a very good VISUAL way to show that Paul is for cutting the hell out of government!

He came off 10 years younger than he is, energetic, passionate about liberty, and as a conservative who disagrees with the president. That's the Paul message right there, folks.

I do think he missed a great opportunity though, when colbert said that he would rather be alive than free and dead. He could have mentioned that our forefathers didn't feel that way - they were willing to fight and die for liberty.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it. "
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. "
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. "
"We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed."
- Thomas Jefferson

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. "
- Samuel Adams

"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny." -Aeschylus

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin

Paul could have used any of these quotes, or anything like them, to answer Colbert's comment. Still, it was a very strong interview.

[TyTodd]

I though this was a strong showing, highlighting Congressman Paul's sense of humor and his energy / commitment. Colbert's intense sarcasm and dry sense of humor can overwhelm or confuse guests, but Dr. Paul really rolled with the punches. I get the feeling that both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert respect Dr. Paul, at least in the context of comparisons to other politicians they encounter.

With regards to the hand raising bit and departments that Dr. Paul would remove... although amusing it doesn't really do justice to Paul's concept of government programs vs. private market (free enterprise) nor did it offer Paul a chance to emphasize that these programs - especially entitlement programs such as welfare and social security - can't be cut off immediately like a water spigot... they have to be phased out with those who are dependent either guided through the duration of their needs or gradually weaned off support. That said, that hand raising bit was amusing and highlighted Dr. Paul's commitment to eliminating government largesse in these departmental institutions. How that plays in middle America or on the liberal side of the political fence is questionable. I think it might come off a bit as in the 'tin hat' category, but hopefully Dr. Paul will have other forums for more in depth discussion of these issues. I agree with others here who have suggest that Paul's major tent poles should be: non interventionist (end Iraq war), eliminate big government (focus on IRS), and protect individual liberties (reverse patriot act).

[Blowback]

What made this interview great for the Ron Paul newbie was the fact that it must have been incredibly intriguing.

I can just see average-joe sitting there saying...
"Wow, I can be free AND safe??"
"Wow, we don't need all those programs?"
"Huh, a Republican who disagrees with Bush?"

An interesting dialogue like the one we saw last night delivered by someone with energy and charisma like Ron Paul is guaranteed to make people want to look him up online.

Overall, great interview!

[CAKochenash]

I'm not sure that this was the right forum. Could be risky.

I really think Colbert made it known that he supports RP during that interview. Also, alot of Colbert are loyal to him and his ideas. I think the interview went really well. I think we all are witnessing something we will be telling are children and grandchildren. This is soooo fuggen sweet.

[Erazmus]

I thought it was a great interview and think Ron Paul's message is so powerful that people are drawn to it.

[specsaregood]

I really think Colbert made it known that he supports RP during that interview. ...... This is soooo fuggen sweet.

I would counter that with the argument that Comedy Central has realized that THEIR target demographic likes Ron Paul and have chosen to cater to their customers.

Hopefully he will not be limited to Comedy Central and other key demographics groups will demand coverage of him from THEIR media favorites.

Edit: I do agree with the "This is soooo fuggen sweet" part though.

[NewEnd]

That was excellent, IMHO.

[Spirit of '76]

I do think he missed a great opportunity though, when colbert said that he would rather be alive than free and dead. He could have mentioned that our forefathers didn't feel that way - they were willing to fight and die for liberty.

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it. "
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. "
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. "
"We are not to expect to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed."
- Thomas Jefferson

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. "
- Samuel Adams

"Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny." -Aeschylus

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin

Paul could have used any of these quotes, or anything like them, to answer Colbert's comment. Still, it was a very strong interview.

I respectfully disagree. Given the audience and today's soundbite-obsessed society, the "I'd rather be alive AND free" thing will probably have more impact.

[Spirit of '76]

Excellent commentary on the Colbert appearance here:
http://thecrossedpond.com/?p=785

[GoRonPaul]

Nice article!

"Substantively, Paul is blazing a path on how to present the liberty message to a mass audience."

AMEN

[Bob Cochran]

"I'd rather be alive AND free"
If we're all being honest -- who DOESN'T feel this way?

Many of us would die for our country and our family if we had to, but we'd prefer to have our cake and eat it, too. There's nothing bad about saying we want liberty, peace, general enjoyment of life. And because we want those things for ourselves, and value them so much, we also want those things for the ones we love, and that's why we'd be willing to die for them.

[maggiebott]

I loved it, made the very enthusiastic side of Ron Paul come out! Think about the amount of young people that watched the show, it was speaking to them and they get it!
He's about the only person that makes me smile these days and no....I'm not young.

[sunny]

a great article on dr. paul.......i totally agree! he jumped in with the sense of humor but got his message out as best he possibly could in what 6 minutes???
dr. paul has got this thing about him that is soooooo appealing........he's just do darn wise, kind, committed and respectful of others.
i think it is awesome how he is jumping right in there with maher, stewart and colbert and seems to really enjoy it and play right along with them. he seems to be getting bolder as he goes along. it's a real pleasure to watch and he always seems to come out smelling like a rose!
boy o boy - i just LOVE this man!

[sunny]

oops! i forgot - every time and i mean every time i watch him i realize that i'm just sitting here with this stupid grin on my face!

[ADGettis]

dr. paul has got this thing about him that is soooooo appealing........he's just do darn wise, kind, committed and respectful of others.

I think it comes at least partly from being in medicine – a lawyer or a career politician (like most of the others) is most effective when (s)he is forceful and aggressive, but for a doctor, just try being frosty to a patient and see how well your business does!

(First post, by the way. Been a RP supporter for a few months, but only became really interested after the debates.)

[Therion]

Is there going to be another battery of interviews soon, or was Maher-Stewart-Colbert it for a while?

[R_Harris]

Maybe it is just me, but I thought Ron came off looking kind of goofy. The "raise your hand" segment was somewhat juvenile in my opinion.

I really think a candidate for President of the United States should come across a little more professional than he did. Is everything now considered nothing more than a light hearted joke to people?

[Tin_Foil_Hat]

Maybe it is just me, but I thought Ron came off looking kind of goofy. The "raise your hand" segment was somewhat juvenile in my opinion.

I really think a candidate for President of the United States should come across a little more professional than he did. Is everything now considered nothing more than a light hearted joke to people?

Jokes are what they do....it was on Comedy Central.

[LizF]

Maybe it is just me, but I thought Ron came off looking kind of goofy. The "raise your hand" segment was somewhat juvenile in my opinion.

I really think a candidate for President of the United States should come across a little more professional than he did. Is everything now considered nothing more than a light hearted joke to people?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, although in fairness, he was just playing along with Colbert's mocking of Blitzer's style of questioning during the CNN debates.

I agree with another poster (I believe it was in this thread) who felt that RP struck a good balance between seriousness (e.g. signaling some of his political stances) and humor. It was a comedy show after all, so to have come off as overly serious would have backfired, particularly given the demographics of the audience.

Moreover, the "Boxers or Briefs" question Clinton was asked during the '92 election, was worse. Although I feel bad that Clinton was asked such an asinine question, I don't think his answering it appeared very professional either.

Anyways, welcome to the Forum R_Harris.

[austinphish]

If RP could have made the decision to do the Colbert Report today, he wouldn't do it. But when they did decide to do it, his campaign was looking for any national media attention available. I bet he picks his shows from here on a little more stringently.

As far as him beeing goofy goes, well it is Comedy Central. Comedy being the operative word.

[Korey Kaczynski]

If RP could have made the decision to do the Colbert Report today, he wouldn't do it. But when they did decide to do it, his campaign was looking for any national media attention available. I bet he picks his shows from here on a little more stringently.

As far as him beeing goofy goes, well it is Comedy Central. Comedy being the operative word.

How do you know this?

[drinkbleach]

If RP could have made the decision to do the Colbert Report today, he wouldn't do it. But when they did decide to do it, his campaign was looking for any national media attention available. I bet he picks his shows from here on a little more stringently.

As far as him beeing goofy goes, well it is Comedy Central. Comedy being the operative word.


What are you basing that on? All the interviews I've seen RP do were well done.

[slantedview]

he was just playing along with Colbert's mocking of Blitzer's style of questioning during the CNN debates.

agreed.

[Spirit of '76]

If RP could have made the decision to do the Colbert Report today, he wouldn't do it. But when they did decide to do it, his campaign was looking for any national media attention available. I bet he picks his shows from here on a little more stringently.

I don't know where you got that idea. He did very well in connecting with that show's target audience and gained a lot of exposure.

Moreover, I think he enjoyed doing it, and one of the most unique and appealing things about him is that he appears to be enjoying this race and the way it's helping him to spread his message of Liberty. Most of his opponents, on the other hand, just come across as the same old slick, polished politicos we all know and loathe.

[Blowback]

I don't think the interview could have gone better. Colbert would have shredded any other candidate.

Ron Paul held his own and provided intriguing answers that will hopefully motivate the r tard couch patatoe Americans to get the hell up and take back their country. (I hope.)

Ron Paul is serious in EVERY other interview. I think it makes sense to show a softer side when on a channel that used to in Stewart's words "have puppets making prank phone calls".

The interview was hilarious and insightful. Not much more you can ask.

[GoRonPaul]

I also thought it was an excellent interview. I've seen the Colbert report many times and don't remember a politician, let alone a Republican, come off as well as Paul did...

I think it might've been a breakthrough for Paul in terms of adopting a quicker sound-byte big-media-friendly style than some of his more academic sort of interviews...

[DjLoTi]

So far it seems to have been generally successful. :D