I find it odd that Obama and Bill Clinton feel the need to offer their opinions publicly. Kind of feels like meddling in the affairs of a sovereign state. Also, it kind of feels like they are speaking on behalf of RBS, and whoever else stands to potentially lose money. What other stake do they have in Scotland's fate? Or maybe they are just trying to tell the South that they can't really still secede. Also, if you have 15 minutes, watch this. It's amazing.
He's really enthusiastic, in a way different from Colbert. He's passionate about what he's actually talking about, or at least acts like it. That's what makes the difference for me. Colbert just wants to nail the poop joke, which may or may not be a result of him no longer giving a shit about the show.
Veterans of the Daily Show will remember Colbert filling in for Jon Stewart a few times way back in the early days of Stewart's tenure. It was before Colbert had the act, and it was pretty raw, unembarrassed stance taking. It was the kind of thing you watched and said, "Why can't the Daily Show be more like this all the time?" Finally, there's an offshoot of that franchise (kind of--using the word loosely) who doesn't have to give a fuck about advertisers.
So brilliant. Daily Show and later Colbert kind of became victims of their own success in some respects. They got popular, and started to act like they were popular--the mean girls effect, I suppose. Daily Show pre-2004 election was a thing of absolute television beauty.
You have no idea how much reading this thread warms the cold cockles of my mean little heart. (Former roommate was obsessed with Colbert, to the point where she was going to write her PhD thesis - well she'd have to get accepted somewhere first - about his show and style, only to collapse in tears under the futility of her "years of research" falling out beneath her when he announced he was leaving the show. Lesson: Don't plan your future on something whose future depends on contractual renewals every year or two. Lesson Two: Don't overspecialize.)
Colbert and Stewart don't want to take any political responsibility in their shows. Which is fine, I mean they're on Comdey Central and that's what they want to do, even if their claims that they just have "comedy shows" is a little disingenuous.