Stephen Colbert, in Hunger Games attire, tries to crash Democratic National Convention
Stephen Colbert made his way onto the Republican National Convention stage last week, dressed in his Hunger Games-inspired Julius Flickerman attire and carrying his stuffed weasel, Caligula. On Monday's Late Show, he tried the same stunt in Philadelphia with the Democrats. "It might have been my fault" that the Democrats didn't fix their divisions over leaked hacked Democratic National Committee emails before the Democratic National Convention started, he said at his desk in his live post-convention special. "Truth be told, yesterday I went down to Philly to bask in the coming Democratic conflict. You know, I see it as something of a blood sport."
After walking around and making fun of various aspects of the Democratic convention arena — and Chuck Todd's goatee, with CNN's Jake Tapper — Colbert said "the one thing left to do was the one thing Democrats really didn't want me to do: Mount the podium where Hillary will be crowned." Unlike the Republicans, the Democrats would not let him on the stage, even when he enlisted the help of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. (Maybe they watch Colbert's Late Show.) But Colbert/Flickerman is nothing if not determined, and also just the slightest bit crafty. Watch his mighty, inexplicable struggle to get on stage 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.
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