Stephen Colbert seems both gleeful and oddly mad about the GOP health-care face-plant
Stephen Colbert kicked off Tuesday's Late Show with some fake sympathy for the Republican Party: "Folks, I know it's a comedy show but I have some sad news tonight. As of 10:48 p.m. Eastern last night, the GOP health-care bill was pronounced dead, of terminal sucking. I clap when I'm heartbroken, too," he said, responding to the audience reaction. "It was always a long shot, because the Republicans control only all three branches of government."
Then Colbert rubbed it in a bit. "It is hard to overstate the level of failure here," he said. "The GOP crushed their car, at 90 miles per hour, into a cliff, with a grin on their face." He followed that up with a more elaborate (and more confusing) analogy, taunted the GOP with the "you had one job!" treatment, then said not to worry, because there's a Plan B: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) "has a plan to introduce a bill simply repealing ObamaCare with no replacement. You know, just take it away and don't fix it — like how when your car gets a flat tire, you remove the tire, then cut the brake cables and push the car into a crowd of uninsured old people. Trump likes the plan," Colbert noted, but it quickly died, too.
Colbert is pretty clearly of the opinion that the GOP was trying to screw up America's health-care system, but he seemed almost angry at their failure. "So, there it is, all their plans come to naught, all their promises are lies — and not just lies to the whole American public; specifically, they lied to their voters and the people who trusted them," he said. "So they're not going to repeal and replace, and repeal-and-delay is already dead, so what's the plan?" Well, Trump had one: make ObamaCare fail, but don't own that failure. "It explains the sign on Trump's desk," Colbert said: "'Whose buck is this? I think Obama left this here.'" Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published