Stephen Colbert Wonders If It’s Hard for George Stephanopoulos to Hide His Bias: ‘You’re a Democrat’

Good Morning America co-host George Stephanopoulos appeared on Tuesday’s Colbert Report and had to deal with questions about his past as a Democratic operative. Comedian Stephen Colbert bluntly explained, “You’re a Democrat, okay? You worked for the Clintons.  I cannot imagine it must have been easy to sit there for the past year and watch Democrats get hammered so mercilessly by the Republicans.”

Colbert jokingly followed-up: “Did you ever want to just jump across the table to one of the Democrats and say, 'Fight back! Fight back, you fools! They’re eating you alive'”? (NewsBusters readers will know that Stephanopoulos has hardly hid his affection for Democrats since joining the show.)

Colbert even quizzed the ABC journalist as to whether taking the morning show job was simply a way for him to become anchor of World News. The comedian grilled, “Is it like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do GMA for a few years and flip the blueberry pancakes and then I get the chair?’ Is there a quid-pro-quo here with you and ABC News?” (Video below the fold - h/t Story Balloon)

After trying to avoid the question, Stephanopoulos proclaimed of current World News host Diane Sawyer: “A lot of people who people who have done the job go onto to do the evening news. But, this is Diane’s for as long as she wants it.”  This careful answer prompted some laughter from the studio audience.

To see a recap of Stephanopoulos’ bias through the years, check out the MRC’s Profile in Bias.

A partial transcript of the February 9 segment, which aired at 11:17pm EST, follows: 

STEPHEN COLBERT: You’re a Democrat, okay? You worked for the Clintons.  I cannot imagine it must have been easy to sit there for the past year and watch Democrats get hammered so mercilessly by the Republicans. Did you ever want to just jump across the table to one of the Democrats and say, “Fight back! Fight back, you fools! They’re eating you alive'"?

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: [Laughs] That’s why they want you for the job.

COLBERT: Do they?

STEPHANOPOULOS: They do.  This Week With Stephen Colbert.

COLBERT:  Wow. I’m not- I’m not what’s known as a morning person. Now, we got two guys in there right now. We got Terry Moran and Jake Tapper. 

STEPHANOPOULOS: Jake Tapper. They’ve both done well. Jon Karl’s on this Sunday.

COLBERT: Who do you think is going to take that?

STEPHANOPOULOS: No, I- [pause] I don’t think anybody’s decided yet.

COLBERT: Who do you think? Come on.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I don’t think they’ve decided. Stephen Colbert.

COLBERT: Really? ‘Cause I say Jake Tapper. I say Jake Tapper. Jake’s a friend.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You do? Jake’s a good guy.  Terry’s a good journalist.

COLBERT: I don’t think he’s qualified.  But, he’s a friend, so I want to put it out there.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Loyal guy.

…

COLBERT:  You took over for Diane Sawyer. When are you going blond?

STEPHANOPOULOS: [Touches his hair.] There’s a little bit right there.

…

COLBERT: She was at GMA and then- now she’s got the anchor job at World News. Charlie Gibson was on GMA and then he got the evening news. Is this tit-for-tat? Is it like, “Yeah, I’ll do GMA for a few years and flip the blueberry pancakes and then I get the chair?” Is there a quid-pro-quo here with you and ABC News?

STEPHANOPOULOS:  It all depends how good the pancakes are.

COLBERT: Really? But it does seem like people say the heavy-hitter political stuff is on Sundays, but this is the live path to seriousness.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  A lot of people who people who have done the job go onto to do the evening news. But, this is Diane’s for as long as she wants it. [Some laughter in the studio audience.]