Mike Quigley, Illinois' 5th On Colbert Report's 'Better Know A District' (VIDEO)
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Stephen Colbert pulled no punches in lampooning the district he once called home.
Wednesday night, he profiled Illinois' 5th District, "the fightin' 5th," as part of the Colbert Report's long-running "Better Know A District" series. In introducing the district, he took shots at the Cubs, Boystown ("Wrigleyville has the Cubs, Boystown has the bears"), and the Hostess Twinkie, invented in the 5th.
He also interviewed Congressman Mike Quigley, who has represented the district since Rahm Emanuel left the seat for the White House. Former representatives from the 5th include the convicted Dan Rostenkowski and the indicted Rod Blagojevich, a fact that didn't escape Colbert; he asked Quigley, "Have you decided what prison you want to go to?"
And of course, Colbert skewered the improv comedy tradition that Chicago is known for, and that he himself trained in for many years. The interview starts with a hilariously terrible improv scene between Colbert and Quigley. "Br-ring! Phone's for you. It's a snake," Colbert told him. "Accept that it's a snake."
Later, when Quigley argued that the fight for LGBT rights was much like the Civil War's fight for human rights, Colbert countered, "So you're saying we're enslaving gay people? Those are your words, not mine."
After one of Colbert's signature leaps of illogic, Quigley was forced to concede: "You have a point. It's not a good point, but you have a point."
Watch the introduction to the Fightin' 5th:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Better Know a District - Illinois's 5th | ||||
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Watch the interview with Quigley:
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Better Know a District - Illinois's 5th - Mike Quigley | ||||
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First Posted: 04/13/10 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 04:30 PM ET