Stephen Colbert bids his Hunger Games adieu to Christie, Fiorina, Santorum, and that other guy

Stephen Colbert bids his Hunger Games farewell to the New Hampshire victims

(Image credit: Late Show)

last updated 18 February 2016

Stephen Colbert set up Wednesday's edition of his Late Show "Hungry for Power Games" with a little media criticism regarding the 2016 presidential race: "For people on TV, conflict is our bread and butter, and America is both gluten and lactose intolerant. But we don't care — others must suffer for us to have our blood sport." Then he slipped into his Caesar Flickerman outfit and let the solemn mockery begin.

He started off by noting that the 2016 presidential "field is getting almost as small as LGBT voters for Ted Cruz," then caught up on old business, the withdrawal from the race of Rick Santorum. "Of course as a good Catholic, withdrawal is the only method he approves of," Colbert/Flickerman quipped, before blaming the joke on his new sidekick, a stuffed ferret named Caligula. Then he bade a brief Hunger Games farewell to the tributes culled by the New Hampshire primaries — the candidates to whom "voters in the Live Free or Die State said, 'Um, die!'"

The first one to get the Flickerman sendoff was New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who spent weeks in New Hampshire mingling with voters and holding events. Well, "evidently to know him is to him, no," Colbert said. He then turned to Carly Fiorina: "The voters' reaction to the former Hewlett Packard CEO was control-alt-goodbye." And finally he marked the "tragic" departure of "a man who has, from the very beginning of the race, been the frontrunner of last place," former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore. After flashing the image of each fallen tribute on the dome of his theater, Colbert/Flickerman gave them a final salute: "Your campaign valor will not be forgotten, and your campaign debts will not be forgiven." Watch the latest installment of "The Hungry for Power Games" below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.