The prospect of Democratic National Convention not having the same grotesque circusy magnetism in the media as the RNC might be worrisome given that, thus far, so much of the American public seems to be giving into the circus, and the ways in which it reflects, say, the bizarrerie and emotional absurdity of reality TV more than an election. Thus far, the DNC happens to be objectively less circus-like, a lot better put-together, and from my of course subjective stance so very much less horrifying and apocalyptic. But Stephen Colbert’s introduction to it on The Late Show seems to have been a good job of compensating with some fetchingly Carnivalesque entertainment. Thankfully, it was also smart, unafraid to critique just about anyone, unafraid to note the grey areas for Hillary enthusiasts and people who supported Bernie alike, and was followed-up by a quick recap of all the speeches.
Colbert began his coverage of the event with a psychedelic musical number, with his grasp on reality having been altered by a suspicious Philly Cheesesteak, that reality suddenly becoming a projection of conservative views of orgiastic hippieish liberal culture… of the hyper-moderate Democratic party. He welcomed viewers to the “DNC, a dimension of sight, sound and Hillary.” He gave a rundown of all the people who’d be speaking, noting the corporatism of the event (of Clinton, he said, “this power girl will change the world if her donors all agree”) as it contrasts to the hippieish visual ideal — or conservative nightmare — of progressivism:
Following the introduction of course was actual coverage, with Colbert recapping what’d gone down on the first night of the Convention. He spoke of Bernie’s speech in which he endorsed Hillary Clinton and emphasized even to the “Bernie or Bust” people that this really isn’t the time to be so vocally divisive (he also noted that Bernie supporter Sarah Silverman had the same advice for the “Bernie of Bust” people, who she said were being “ridiculous”). He gave a rundown of the Democratic National Committee’s email scandal, saying that the fact that they’d decided to keep Chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz on through the convention was “like finding out there’s a turd in the punch bowl and then telling them, ‘Don’t worry, we’re getting rid of the turd as soon as the party’s over.'” He recalled the power of Michelle Obama’s speech, saying it was so good he “want[s] to hear it again. When is Melania doing it?”
Watch his recap: