OMG! Eleanor Holmes Norton is a nutjob...anybody watching Colbert?

[ariellyn]

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. She seems OK to me.

Nutjob, how?

[ariellyn]

2. She's getting worked up and spewing that Colbert isfrom...

FRANCE! :crazy:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I think she's teasing him...

[ariellyn]

6. She seemed really angry to me...I missed the teasing.

[texasleo]

11. she seemed angry and condescending.

[ariellyn]

13. Yep...and the "vanilla man" comment??? Blatantly racist IMHO and

I'm not "vanilla."

[MichiganVote]

26. I'm vanilla and I thought that was funny too.

[AspenRose]

46. Are you for real?

Did you not see the episode a week or so ago (Julian Bond) when Colbert mentioned to a prospective female 'new black friend' applicant that they could make a great hot fudge sundae together?!?

I'm guessing Colbert would have been the (french) VANILLA ice cream in that sundae! And if Eleanor Holmes Norton happened to see that episode, that makes her comment all the more astute...and funny, IMO.

So does that make Colbert racist?

Last month there was a hispanic columnist on the show (the Colberto Reporto Gigante episode) and he was grilling Colbert about the same thing Ms. Holmes Norton was...how FRENCH sounding his last name was, and where was he from....

I don't recall people here on DU flipping out over that, though!

Quick, someone get a humor infusion to DU, STAT! :crazy:

[Hippo_Tron]

5. I think that she's just having some fun

She's probably the only congressperson he's had on that isn't being COMPLETELY owned by him. Or maybe that's just when I use the standrad of the Phil Gingrey and Lynn Westmoreland interviews.

[americanstranger]

36. I think you missed the point.

I thought she was funny as hell.

And I think she was completely aware of who she was talking to and the show he hosts.

- as

[texasleo]

4. she got her ass handed to her. wow! worst ever.

I can't wait until this hits youtube.

[OwnedByFerrets]

9. You must have been watching a different

episode than I say. She handled Steven's questions better than most anyone I've seen. I thought she pretty much handed his ass to him.

[texasleo]

14. you'll be in the VERY small minority.

[etherealtruth]

52. That segment was hysterically funny ...

I don't think any one had their a$$ handed to them.

Norton played along ... to me her tactic was the opposite of Wexler's, but equally funny.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. She's a good Democrat. Why we would we want her to have her ass

handed to her? Which she certainly didn't. I think she's just having fun with him.

[texasleo]

16. she got snippy when colbert mentioned statehood

it was all downhill for her after that.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. DC residents do get "snippy" about not having a vote in Congress.

And why not?

[etherealtruth]

53. Does the phrase "taxation w/out representation" ...

... mean anything to you?

That segment really pointed out (to any one not aware) how ridiculous it is that DC's rep don't get a vote.

[VADem11]

37. Exactly

She is a great democrat, was probably playing along, and she's clearly passionate about letting DC residents get the right to vote in congress. Her response about Colbert being from France was hillarious.

[MichiganVote]

7. Oh come on...she was playing right along with Colbert,

they were funny.

[texasleo]

8. he was funny, she was owned.

[ariellyn]

10. I agree. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. I guess I was watching a different Colbert Report.

My impression was that she was trying to make a game of it by out-Colberting Colbert. I thought she was funny in the same way Colbert is funny.

[MichiganVote]

23. Me too. Some folks take these segments too seriously.

[MichiganVote]

19. Not to me. I thought they were both funny.

[CatWoman]

57. I can't understand why folks can't see that

talking about a situation going way over one's head.......

[babylonsister]

15. After Wexler, any politician who goes on Colbert, not knowing the

law/lay of the land, has to be cuckoo!

[ariellyn]

17. You have to wonder how insulated people can be that they don't

know who he is. Anybody who gets angry at him is :crazy:.

[OwnedByFerrets]

20. If she did get "owned"

which I disagree with strongly, why the celebration? I dont get it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

25. I agree.

She didn't get "owned"; she was playing along. And even if she was, why would that be a good thing? Norton is a good Democrat who's represented DC for quite awhile.

[ariellyn]

27. The sky is blue. n/t

[MyNameGoesHere]

55. really?

It isn't where i am. Maybe you have a different point of view.

[rusty charly]

28. agreed

[babylonsister]

31. Huh? Who's celebrating? I'm saying she knew what she was doing. nt

[kaygore]

41. I agree. She's really sharp. She took control of the interview

and I think that Stephen enjoyed having a worthy "opponent." She can think on her feet and he can too.

[Lisa]

59. I think his allusion to "French vanilla" was an indication of that!

After observing a number of these congressional interviews, I suspect that he has way more fun when a) the interviewee is "in the know", or b) is a pompous person with scary motives who, because of NOT "getting it", lets them show (e.g. that rep whom he challenged to name the 10 commandments). I think Stephen, even when in character, is too decent to like tormenting someone who is genuinely nice. (Because there are a lot more vicious things he could say ... just watch the folks on FOX for examples!)

[rwheeler31]

21. Those dam democrats have a sense of humor, what's

wrong with these people?

[Recursion]

24. *shrug* I thought she was playing along

She's a really funny lady. You have to have a sense of humor when you represent 500,000 taxpaying, jury- and military-serving US citizens in Congress but don't get to vote there.

[Lisa]

62. that part where the voting bell went off ...

... was very well-played, by both of them.

[niyad]

29. missed colbert tonight--but norton is one of the most intelligent,

and articulate and caring people in politics. at least, if we are both talking about the rep. from DC.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. Well, you really missed something

because apparently the Congresswoman Norton from D.C. who was on Colbert's show this evening was strident, humorless, racist, clueless and unfunny. :sarcasm: Although the person I saw on some alternative-universe Colbert Report did a cleverly deadpan version of Colbert's own shtick. Guess it depends on which show you saw.

[MichiganVote]

32. :):):):) LOL, God is that the truth. Well done ocelot, :):):)

[babylonsister]

33. ocelot, perfect! nt

[OwnedByFerrets]

34. Thank you Ocelot.

You nailed it.

[kaygore]

39. I agree with you. I loved her. She has passion and takes no gruff

from anyone. I think that Stephen really liked her, too. She gave him a run for his money and kept him on his toes. She made him great with her no nonsense approach.

[jasmeel]

35. She and Colbert were BOTH FUCKING HILARIOUS

seriously, watch it again if you missed it or misunderstood.

[AspenRose]

45. Best. Better-Know-A-District. EVER.

What Jasmeel said.

[liberalpragmatist]

38. I couldn't tell whether she was really angry or not

I could easily be wrong, but she seemed genuinely pissed off to me.

And we know he's pissed off a few people; Barney Frank apparently was furious and has called the humor "juvenile and tasteless" or something to that effect.

[Gabi Hayes]

40. some of her responses were scripted, or else she's VERY funny.

that stuff about Colbert being French, or from the environs of Paris were hilarious, as was his stuff about her not being from the USA, because she's not from a state, therefore not eligible to be president

that was at least as funny as the Westmoreland interview, and Norton was DEFINITELY hip to what was going on.

one of his best, which is saying something.....

[Gabi Hayes]

42. and to those who thought she was angry.....man, time for a visit

to the sense of humor clinic...TOO funny, folks!

[Roy]

43. Yup... they both were having a ball....

It was very plain to see that she was having a difficult time not busting out laughing.

It was a good show and Colbert knew it, I think you can count on a return visit real soon.

[Libby2]

44. I think she was very much in on the joke

and gave as good as she got.

[GoldenOldie]

47. She is a very sharp lady......she has to be to work with those Con's

She knew full well that she would be playing against Colbert. She was terrific and played it to the hilt.

She suceeded in convincing a few posters that she was the angry black woman.

[Simeon Salus]

48. No nutjob! She prepared really well for the interview; made all her points

She stole laughs from Stephen, and as a good improv artist, he let her get away with it, even going so far as aiding and abetting in moments. It looked like they were both having a very good time together; he toyed with her and she wasn't pushed around, even poking him a few back. It was talking-point sparring, it was hysterically funny, and it was a wonderful statement on what constitutes a political interview these days. I fell out of my chair, and the studio audience were apparently laughing crazily (CR doesn't use a laugh track).

I agree the funniest and best clash in any of his series interviews so far.

A "nutjob" is a fellow who insists on placing the Ten Commandments in public venues and can't even recite them when a faux-journalist asks the obvious question.

[Judi Lynn]

49. Thanks for calling this event to our attention.

I have ALWAYS listened to what she has to say with great interest. She's an excellent person.

Anyone wanting to take a kick at her is saying a great deal about him/herself.

[Judi Lynn]

50. DU'er Colbert viewers who saw the interview might find this wikipedia

new entry interesting:

Norton was featured on the July 27, 2006 Better Know A District segment of The Colbert Report. She defended the District of Columbia's claim to being a part of the United States. Columnist Andrew Sullivan referred to watching the segment as having "just witnessed the most brilliant and surreal televised political interview in my life."
(snip)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Holmes_Norton

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Judi Lynn]

51. Kick!

:kick: :kick: :kick:

[Marie26]

54. I thought it was hilarious

You might as well scream OMG! That Colbert is a nut job! That's the point. The interview was totally absurd & ridiculous & she matched Colbert step for step. It's the first time I've seen a politician really "get" Colbert's language. Colbert - "Are you really an American?" Norton: "Are you from Paris or its environs?"

[Arkansas Granny]

56. I did not see the show, but Eleanor Holmes Norton is far from a

nutjob. I have seen her on several other interviews and on several round table discussions in the past. She is very passionate about women's rights, civil rights and voting rights. She really knows her stuff and can hold her own with anyone. She also possesses a wonderful sense of humor and is not afraid to laugh at herself.

[WinkyDink]

58. She was, how you say, DEAD-PAN!! She was colberting Colbert!

Lawsy days!

[Nutmegger]

60. She was just playing along.

She rocks!

[Lisa]

61. "thank you for taking out time from not voting!"

The two of them sure made the point about DC's being deprived of proper representation. They'd be a very entertaining (and well-informed) political panel -- better than some of the twosomes appearing on most cable commentary shows!