Stephen Colbert's audience had a bit of an "We Have Always Been at War With Eastasia"moment over the Comey firing.
Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" audience initially cheered loudly on Tuesday at the announcement that President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey minutes earlier, visibly vexing the comedian
"Huge story that broke just minutes ago, less than 10 minutes ago. FBI Director James Comey has just been fired by Donald Trump," Colbert said on his CBS show, as the crowd whooped and applauded.
Colbert chuckled and looked confused, before joking, "Huge, huge Donald Trump fans here tonight."
Except of course it's his lefties who were the most invested in hanging Comey from a hook. Trump fans would be as likely attendees at a Colbert smirkfest as Sanders supporters are likely to show up at CPAC. Just days ago the left was again hyperventilating that if not for Comey, Hillary would be president.
Why wouldn't they applaud the firing of that terrible villain? But... we're always been at war with Eastasia.
In George Orwell's 1984, the party line is forever altering.
"Oceania was at war with Eurasia and in alliance with Eastasia. In no public or private utterance was it ever admitted that the three powers had at any time been grouped along different lines. Actually, as Winston well knew, it was only four years since Oceania had been at war with Eastasia and in alliance with Eurasia. But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control. Officially the change of partners had never happened. Oceania was at war with Eurasia: therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia. The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil, and it followed that any past or future agreement with him was impossible."
And there's even a Colbert moment during Hate Week. And what is Colbert and the Daily Show and all their legion of imitators from John Oliver to Samantha Bee, except Hate Week with applause signs.
And the general hatred of Eurasia had boiled up into such delirium... at just this moment it had been announced that Oceania was not after all at war with Eurasia. Oceania was at war with Eastasia. Eurasia was an ally.
On a scarlet-draped platform an orator of the Inner Party, a small lean man ...was haranguing the crowd... he speech had been proceeding for perhaps twenty minutes when a messenger hurried on to the platform and a scrap of paper was slipped into the speaker's hand. He unrolled and read it without pausing in his speech. Nothing altered in his voice or manner, or in the content of what he was saying, but suddenly the names were different. Without words said, a wave of understanding rippled through the crowd. Oceania was at war with Eastasia!
The next moment there was a tremendous commotion. The banners and posters with which the square was decorated were all wrong! Sabotage! It was sabotage! The agents of Goldstein had been at work! There was a riotous interlude while posters were ripped from the walls, banners torn to shreds and trampled underfoot.
The orator, still gripping the neck of the microphone, his shoulders hunched forward, his free hand clawing at the air, had gone straight on with his speech. One minute more, and the feral roars of rage were again bursting from the crowd. The Hate continued exactly as before, except that the target had been changed. The thing that impressed Winston in looking back was that the speaker had switched from one line to the other actually in midsentence, not only without a pause, but without even breaking the syntax.
James Comey is an enemy. No he's an ally. Firing him is great. No, you fools. Firing him is terrible. Only filthy Trump supporters think so!
That's the gist of it. Why did lefties begin getting their news from Stewart and Colbert and Oliver and Bee? Yes, they're more entertaining than Brian Williams and the rest of the media gang. But they also have solid progressive credentials to deliver the party line.
Good lefties had misread the party line. We have always been supportive of Comey. Trump is Nixonian for firing Comey. We must be outraged at this.
The Party has spoken. All good lefties must obey. And now Chris Pratt will come out to promote Guardians of the Galaxy 2 with special musical guest, Lupe Fiasco. Stay tuned for more Big Brother.