Stephen Colbert Meet the Press Interview Video: Colbert Hopes Obama and Romney Are Not a Big Cruel Joke

Culture

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert sat for the first time with David Gregory from NBC's Meet the Press in a fun but candid interview where the host of The Colbert Report said he hopes there is a difference between Obama and Romney or else "we're all part of a big and cruel joke."

Colbert opened up about his role as a political satirist and how sometimes people confuse him with either a real newsperson or a politician. "I like to play games," Colbert said. "And I can see how people would take me as a partisan person or even an ideologue," he added. 

He highlighted that his performances can irritate both Democrats and Republicans, such as when he testified about immigration on Capitol Hill or launched a presidential exploratory committee and started his own Super PAC. 

Like most political shows guests, Colbert talked about his latest book. "It's about time," he joked when Gregory brought it up toward the end of the interview. Colbert also jabbed the Meet the Press host for clearly not reading America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t or any of his previous books. "Why another book?" was the best question Gregory could come up with regarding Colbert the author. 

But the best part was Colbert's refreshing views on Election 2012. On Romney, Colbert said he seems genuine both as a moderate and also as a "severe conservative." "Maybe Romney governs as a technocrat if he is elected," Colbert said. "He's like the Pepsi guy who goes on to run GM, a practical guy. You just don't know how is he going to proceed until he sees the books," Colbert concluded. On Obama, he said, "I hope the president has a more aggressive second act [if elected] ... I also hope he keeps some of the promises he didn't keep during his first term."      

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