The blogosphere erupts! Response to the Rahm Emanuel “Colbert Report” comments

Goodness, Rahm Emanuel certainly did kick up a fuss when he told freshman congressmen to avoid The Colbert Report (reported here last night). Some reactions so far:

• Emanuel to Dems: Avoid Colbert – The Chicago Tribune: “Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central’s evening The Colbert Report — remember, that’s pronounced, ‘The Col-BEAR Re-POR’ — has been working his way through the House of Representatives with his irreverent interviews of gullible members of Congress who generally regret what’s left on the video tape when he leaves.

  Now Rep. Rahm Emanuel, architect of the Democratic Party’s takeover of the House, is warning new members to steer clear of Colbert. In this era of instant You-Tube infamy and campaigns collecting incriminating video clips, the Capitol Hill newspaper, pronounced ‘The Hill,’ reports that Emanuel (D-Ill.) is advising the people whom he helped get here that ‘it’s probably safer not to do it.’”

• Red Rover, Red Rover, Can Rover Come Over? – Firedoglake.com: “Rahm Emanuel is strong arming Democratic freshman in the House to dial for dollars, hew to the right “center” and stay off Colbert’s show. Good thing he’s not DCCC Chair anymore and the new Chair, Chris Van Hollen, is a strong, progressive voice and influence for real democracy over corrupt insider political money machines. As a result, the freshman don’t really need to listen to Rahm anymore: Van Hollen is calling the reelection strategy shots. Oh, wait, I’m getting an update in my earpiece. . . Um, yeah. Ah, scratch that last bit.”
• Advice for New Lawmakers Includes Staying Away From Colbert – Fox News: “‘He said don’t do it,’ Cohen said.

  Rep. Steve Kagen is another freshman who caught flak from Emanuel, after the Wisconsin Democrat made news for boasting to an anti-war group that he’d cornered presidential adviser Karl Rove and gave him the third-degree.

  The Hill reports that Emanuel threw a fit, hauling Kagen’s staff for lessons on damage control.”

• Rahm Emanuel Tells Dems to Stay Off Colbert (no joke) – DailyKos.com: “So let’s see here. Emanuel has advised Dems to
  
  • not appear on Colbert lest they, too, receive the mojo of the Colbert Effect;
  • not dress down Karl Rove–or even dare to pretend to dress down Karl Rove (goodness knows, even if you don’t have a spine, don’t even appear to act like you had a spine);
  • not refuse the spineless “assistance” of campaign consultants like Bob Shrum.

  I swear to the god of your choice–Emanuel must be the biggest concern troll in the Democratic Party at this point. He spends so much time telling Democrats what not to do–for their own sake, of course–that it would be nice to see him tell Democrats what to actually stand up and do for a change.

• Warning to Democrats: Steer clear of Colbert – Salon: “Rahm Emanuel’s advice to new House Democrats: Stay away from Stephen Colbert. As Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen tells the Hill, the chairman of Democratic Caucus is telling his new charges that the publicity to be won by appearing on ‘The Colbert Report’ isn’t worth the risk that one will end up looking like a fool in the process. ‘He said don’t do it … it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it,’ Cohen says.”

There are countless other blogs posting about this story, too; here’s a sample: Who’s Afraid of Stephen Colbert?, The Great Oz Has Spoken!!, Shorter Rahm: ‘Don’t display a sense of humor’, Play Along with Stephen and, finally, one whose title really says it all Cower, b!tches!