Stephen Colbert Asks Bernie Sanders If His “Revolution” Might Lead To Violence

Lisa de Moraes
Updated

UPDATED with video: “I love the New Hampshire primary. Every four years Iowa goes, ‘How about this?’ And New Hampshire goes, ‘No stupid – this!’,” Stephen Colbert said last night before introducing Dem White House hopeful, and New Hampshire primary winner Sen. Bernie Sanders:

“And don’t you say you saw this coming!” Colbert said of the presidential race to date. “An avowed socialist and a reality star. That’s who’s leading here!” Then, sandwiches began to happen – a nod to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes having accidentally called Sanders “Bernie Sandwiches” during his coverage of previous night’s New Hampshire primary (“In my defense I was literally watching people being served dinner when I said #BernieSandwiches Hayes tweeted):

“One candidate who did not do well” in New Hampshire one night earlier, “is the winner of the 2016 president election. Hillary Clinton. And she knows why. She’s not reaching young people, so she’s trying new tactic: disappointed mom,” Colbert snarked

One hilarious Ben Stiller interview later, Colbert brings out Sanders: “Congratulations on the New Hampshire primary. You won not only by 22 points, but you also won some 86% of people 18-24. You’re like puppymonkeybaby,” he raved, adding, “Do you know what that means?”

“Actually no,” Sanders confessed.

“Nobody does,” Colbert assured.

Deep thought thinkers – Bill O’Reilly on Colbert’s show, for instance – have said there is “similarity of appeal between you and Donald Trump,” Colbert began, noting in New Hampshire showing a sizable number of people did not make up their minds until the last minute which of the two men would get their vote. Colbert wondered if the two candidates are “two sides of the same coin.”

Sanders agreed that a lot of Trump supporters, like his, are really angry. “People are working longer hours for low wages, there are people who are really worried about what’s going to happen to their kids. But what they have done is responded to Trump’s false message, which suggests that is if we keep Muslims out of country, or if we keep scapegoating…Mexicans that somehow our country becomes better.”

“I think that’s a false solution,” Sanders said. “My view is that yes, people have a right to be angry. When we are the only major country on earth that doesn’t provide paid family and medical leave. When we have more people living in poverty today than almost any time in the history of this country, people have a right to be angry. But what we need to be is rational in figuring out how we address the problem and not simply scapegoating minorities.”

In what’s likely a late night first, Stephen Colbert asked his guest if he was concerned the “revolution” he was preaching would “end in violence.”

“We’re not talking about violence at all,” Sanders said emphatically.

“But those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable, is what John Kennedy said,” Colbert pushed back. “If your answer is not The Answer, is a violent revolution inevitable?”

“I certainly hope not,” Sanders said. “But I hope and what the goal of this campaign is all about, is to look at the civil rights movement, look at the women’s movement, look at the gay moment. Understand that when people come together, we can accomplish enormous things. But I think what people are saying is ‘Enough is enough. We need fundamental changes in our political system, and our economic system’.”

Sanders’ Victory Lap Day began with breakfast with Al Sharpton in Harlem, followed by ice cream-eating and hoop shooting with The Ladies of The View, then being patronized by Scott Pelley on CBS Evening News:

Pelley in re New Hampshire primary: You look like you were having fun.

Sanders: I was

Pelley: It might be your last one. It only get harder from here.

Sanders: No, I don’t think it’s going to be the last one.

Pelley: But New Hampshire is largely white, a more liberal population than the states you’re headed to next, South Carolina and Nevada. You’re going to be facing African Americans voters. Latino voters. How do you appeal to those people?

Sanders: The same way we appeal to all Americans. Look, if you and I were having this conversation nine months ago, what would you have said to me? You would have said, ‘Bernie nobody knows who you are. You’re regarded as a fringe candidate. You don’t have any money. You don’t have any political organization. Last poll we saw you at: 4%. How are you possibly going to do well in Iowa or New Hampshire?’ Well, a lot has happened in nine months.

On the bright side, from the time the polls closed in New Hampshire on Tuesday, through a couple hours before CBS News aired that aggravating interview with Pelley, Sanders’ campaign raise $5.2 million dollars, breaking his record.

(Giving his victory-lap speech last night, Sanders said he was going to New York but not to hold a Wall Street fundraiser, and said instead, “I’m going to hold a fundraiser right here, right now, across America” calling on viewers to send in 10 bucks, 20 bucks, or 50 bucks.)

 

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