There has been a lot of discussion on this site and others about a video of Colbert's appearing on Tom Delay's Legal Defense Fund site.
Link This video is of Stephen Colbert's interview with "Outfoxed" director Robert Greenwald on the subject of Greenwald's new film "The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress". According to the Defend Delay Web-Site, Colbert discredited Greenwald and his book.
The general consensus on the liberal blogs is that this Delay and his minions are too stupid to understand satire. While I do believe the Delay is stupid, I would like to offer another take on this subject. So follow me below the fold for an overview of some prior opinions and my rebuttal.
Think Progress had this to say about the subject:
This morning, DeLay's legal defense fund sent out a mass email criticizing the movie "The Big Buy: Tom DeLay's Stolen Congress," by "Outfoxed" creator Robert Greenwald.
DeLay thinks Colbert is so persuasive, he's now featuring the full video of the interview at the top of the legal fund's website. And why not? According to the email, Greenwald "crashed and burned" under the pressure of Colbert's hard-hitting questions, like "Who hates America more, you or Michael Moore?"
Apparently the people at DeLay's legal fund think that Colbert is actually a conservative. Or maybe they're just that desperate for supporters.
Firedoglake had this to say:
Now, why would a bunch of crony-sucking Repug thugs suddenly rush forward to embrace a known liberal satirist? BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALIZE HE'S A LIBERAL!
Now while I think Delay himself is as stupid as a rock, I find it hard to believe that after Colbert's extraordinary performance at the Press Club Dinner at least one of his minions wouldn't understand that Cobert is a liberal. So for the sake of argument, let's assume that someone behind this effort does in fact understand satire. Then the question becomes Why is the video on Delay's defense site? Here is what I believe is behind it all.
Delay and his spin machine has been so successful over the years convincing his supporters that black is white, that truth is a lie etc. that he thinks that he can sell them anything just because he says it is so. He and his minions truly believe that most Republicans are just stupid hicks that don't understand satire and they will buy into this spin. Now if I was a Republican, I would be offended by this, wouldn't you?
UPDATED: The Stephen Colbert interview has been removed from Delay's site since this diary was posted. Maybe, some Republican told him that they didn't like to be portrayed as idiots.