Stephen Colbert is a master at compartmentalization.
CBS’s “Late Show” host has spent three-plus years looking the other way as President Joe Biden bumbled through his first term.
Colbert ignores the endless gaffes, senior moments and shocking inflation rates. Not to mention crazed tales of uncles eaten by cannibals.
BIDEN: "I made it clear to the Israelis — don't move on Haifa!"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 18, 2024
Haifa is a major city *IN* Israel. pic.twitter.com/BdNgoDlGkM
And, when a Special Counsel dubbed Biden “an elderly man with poor memory,” Colbert spun the awful news to Biden’s advantage.
That isn’t easy.
His job as the Democrats’ late-night propagandist is about to get even harder.
CBS has announced that Stephen Colbert will host his Late Nightshow from Chicago as the city plays host to the Democratic National Convention and will broadcast from the Auditorium Theatre in the Loop from August 19 to the 22nd.
The decision makes sense on several levels. Colbert will be able to book major Democratic players. The comedian recently joined a Democratic fundraiser to boost President Biden’s re-election chances, making his commitment to the party official.
“The Late Show” could get an energy boost from being in the belly of the political beast.
Except this year isn’t going to be a typical DNC event.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been harassing Democrats for weeks in public over the Israel/Hamas war. The far-Left contingent has no qualms attacking mainstream Democrats and disrupting events. Some dubbed the Commander in Chief “Genocide Joe” for his quasi-support for the state of Israel.
We’re seeing violent protests across cities and campuses nationwide, and the movement seeks as much media attention as possible. And it’s getting louder.
Politico, a liberal news outlet, echoed a phrase many are saying about the upcoming event.
Democrats descend on Chicago as specter of ‘68 convention looms
Here’s a refresher course from that tumultuous chapter in history which also took place in Chicago.
As delegates flowed into the International Amphitheatre to nominate a Democratic Party presidential candidate, tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the streets to rally against the Vietnam War and the political status quo. By the time Vice President Herbert Humphrey received the presidential nomination, the strife within the Democratic Party was laid bare and the streets of Chicago had seen riots and bloodshed involving protesters, police and bystanders alike, radically changing America’s political and social landscape.
That was without social media, YouTube and other ways to share information at the speed of a click. Another factor could weigh heavily this time ’round.
Then-Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley had no qualms summoning both the police and the National Guard to keep the peace.
They collectively failed.
Today, blue cities like Chicago are far less interested in law and order. Violent, anti-semitic protests are the new norm in urban pockets and academia. Those breaking the law often go unpunished.
That only emboldens them.
What happens when that energy is left more or less unchecked? What impact will it have on the national mood, let alone the November elections? Will Biden’s poll numbers suffer even greater drops as a result?
Should the authorities attempt to keep the peace it might enrage the party’s base. Plus, these protesters have no qualms about breaking the law.
Kobi Guillory, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC, says protests will happen in August whether or not organizers are able to secure permits.
The 1968 debacle followed a stunning change of leadership. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he was withdrawing from the race in March, replaced by Vice President Hubert Humphrey.
Will President Biden, diminished by age and sagging in the polls, be swapped out before the convention begins?
More importantly for pop culture watchers, can Colbert look away as the city he temporarily calls home is roiled in chaos?
Early projections expect north of 30,000 protesters to greet Team DNC.
Will he or his audience be in the mood for garden-variety “clapter” if chaos envelops the nearby convention?
What will Colbert say about the far-Left protesters, a group that will never vote for President Donald Trump or his fellow Republicans? Can he cover his ears while protesters chant, “Genocide Joe has got to go?”
Colbert has kept his political head in the sand for three-plus years. It may be impossible to do the same come Summer.
