In promoting the upcoming Democratic presidential debate Saturday night on CBS with moderator John Dickerson, Stephen Colbert lamented during Thursday’s Late Show that Republicans have a reputation of “roughing up the referee in these debates, like the CNBC guys got slapped around a little bit by the Republican candidates” and wondered if he “expect[ed] the Democrats to do the same?”
Speaking remotely from the debate hall in Iowa, Dickerson commiserated by responding that Democrats “don’t really have that tradition” and pointed to Newt Gingrich’s 2012 campaign that included him “beating up the press and it worked really well for him.”
Dickerson added that it’s “not really so much been the case for them [Democrats], so hopefully, that will continue to be true after Saturday night.”
For liberals, readers of this site and the MRC over the years know that them having the media on their side means that’s never really been a problem.
Moments later, Colbert seemingly changed his mind about how the GOP had badgered the CNBC moderators on October 28 and wanted to know from Dickerson if he would resort to asking Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley any “gotcha stuff” like they did:
How about questions you will not ask the candidates? Are you going to do any of that CNBC stuff where you ask them really insulting questions like “Bernie Sanders, do you have the ability to feed yourself?” Like — cause CNBC got criticized for trying to stir up animosity between the candidates. Are you going to do any of that gotcha stuff, John?
<<<Click on the image below to help us with your tax-deductible gift>>>
<<<Thank you for your support!>>>
Promising that there would not be “any animosity stirring,” Dickerson emphasized that he will ask “some questions that are not your garden variety questions, but we're not going to be trying to get them to pick any fights.”
The rather straightforward act of corporate synergy ended with a bizarre turn when the pair joked about how Sanders’s appearance on Sunday’s Face the Nation will require Dickerson and the socialist candidate to “bunk in together” and “cuddle” on the stage for the Sunday morning show:
DICKERSON: Well, we have Bernie Sanders the very next day. So he will be on to talk about how he did the night before and so, we're looking forward to that too.
COLBERT: Is he going to leave or will you just going to bunk in together that night?
DICKERSON: We might just get hot coca and just stay on the stage, tell old stories, just kind of cuddle.
COLBERT: Like a slumber party? Paint each other's toe nails.
DICKERSON: Exactly.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on November 12 can be found below.
CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
November 12, 2015
11:46 p.m. Eastern
STEPHEN COLBERT: Now, John, the — the — John, the Republicans are known for roughing up the referee in these debates, like the CNBC guys got slapped around a little bit by the Republican candidates. Do you expect the Democrats to do the same?
FACE THE NATION ANCHOR JOHN DICKERSON: No, they don't really have that tradition. In 2012, you remember Newt Gingrich ran a campaign that was at various times basically focused on beating up the press and it worked really well for him, but in the Democratic Party that’s really not really so much been the case for them, so hopefully, that will continue to be true after Saturday night.
(....)
COLBERT: How about questions you will not ask the candidates? Are you going to do any of that CNBC stuff where you ask them really insulting questions like “Bernie Sanders, do you have the ability to feed yourself?” Like — cause CNBC got criticized for trying to stir up animosity between the candidates. Are you going to do any of that gotcha stuff, John?
DICKERSON: I don’t think there’s going to be any animosity stirring. There might be some questions that are not your garden variety questions, but we're not going to be trying to get them to pick any fights.
COLBERT: Are you going to the questions that are really on anybody's mind like do they believe the pyramids were used to store grain or would they kill baby Hitler, the real questions that concern the Iowans?
DICKERSON: Yeah, well, that’s — and those may come in through Twitter, so that is why we will be monitoring it so closely.
COLBERT: Well, good luck, John. Who do we have on Face the Nation this weekend?
DICKERSON: Well, we have Bernie Sanders the very next day. So he will be on to talk about how he did the night before and so, we're looking forward to that too.
COLBERT: Is he going to leave or will you just going to bunk in together that night?
DICKERSON: We might just get hot coca and just stay on the stage, tell old stories, just kind of cuddle.
COLBERT: Like a slumber party? Paint each other's toe nails.
DICKERSON: Exactly.
