Stephen Colbert Hearing (VIDEO): Updates From Colbert's Visit To Congress

Scroll down for a live-blog of the hearing

Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert testified before Congress today about immigration during a hearing called "Protecting America's Harvest."

Colbert appeared with United Farm Workers (UFW) President Arturo S. Rodriguez before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. In August, the comedian spent a day working at a corn and vegetable farm in New York state after Rodriguez appeared on his show to discuss UFW's "Take Our Jobs" campaign.

The effort is intended to debunk the theory that undocumented immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens and highlight the fact the nation's food supply is dependent on these farm workers.

Watch Colbert's opening testimony today:

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Colbert's Parting Shot

Here's video of Colbert's final moment, in full, so you don't have to rely on my fast-typing quasi-transcription.

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A Moment of Seriousness

Chu asks Colbert why, of all the issues he could talk about, or bring attention to, he decided to get involved in this issue. Colbert, for the first time today, drops out of character.

"I like talking about people who don't have any power...I feel the need to speak for those who can't speak for themselves....We ask them to come and work, and then we ask them to leave again. They suffer, and have no rights."

He also quotes Matthew 25:40: "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

That would seem to be a good place to leave this, and after summing up, Zoe Lofgren adjourns the meeting.

I hereby withdraw my skepticism on the matter of whether this appearance would have any merit.

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Comments

[Michael Hacker]

07:27 PM on 09/28/2010

Some have opined that Colbert made a mockery of Congress. I suggest that Congress already does a fine job of that itself and doesn't require his assistance. His was just a finger pointing toward the moon.

M-O-O-N. That spells "Congress."

[cobradave]

09:04 PM on 09/27/2010

SHEEEEEEEITTTTT

[morrna]

05:09 PM on 09/27/2010

I never knew Colbert had this sort of compassion. That last statement of his was profound.

[Javida]

10:09 AM on 09/27/2010

Sorry Colbert. Your usual schtick of flippant, cocky, tongue-in-cheek commentary is blatantly out of place when giving a testimony on Capital Hill. Major flop here, especially given Colbert's advocating backing off illegal immigrants doing farm work when we have a chronic job crisis in the US. You're not cute, Colbert. You should've stayed home.

How can any American support illegal immigration and shout it from the hill top, so to speak, as Colbert's doing? Illegal immigration undermines our country's integrity and sovereignity and condoning it is inexcusable. And, please, none of that tired excuse that Americans won't do the work illegals do. How will we ever truly know if illegals keep these jobs?

Shame on Colbert. I sometimes watched his show, but no longer.

[BrimstoneAshe]

11:56 AM on 09/27/2010

Tired excuse? Have you not read what the "Take our Jobs" program is about? It's why he was actually there. And he's not supporting illegal immigration. If you actually listened to what he's saying you'd realize that. If you listened to his final statement you might get a tiny bit of understanding. And then listen to Lofgren's summary at the end and you'll see what this a rather big issue when you see the domino effect reform could cause.

Migrant workers are used heavily in farming. If you remove them, the farms will close. They will not open somewhere else in the US. They will move outside the US and all the other jobs associated with farming, that are held by US citizens will be lost as well. This is one of Lofgren's biggest concerns.

[AtoMike]

01:14 PM on 09/27/2010

I thought he was hilarious while making salient points....which obviously sailed past you.

[Javida]

04:08 PM on 09/27/2010

His "points" came off as pointlessand fell flat in my opinion. Colbert's immigrant dad and his colonoscopy bits were unfunny. Maybe in the context of his show it would have been funny, but not so on Capitol Hill.

[scottw]

09:54 AM on 09/27/2010

Making Congress and Fox News feel uncomfortable for listening to 5 minutes of the truth about this issue. Now back to political pontification.

[jnratliff]

09:33 AM on 09/27/2010

When I was a young boy we used to work for all the farmers around us.
We did not have such huge farms as they jave out west. But we had some patch farmers, corn, potatoes, beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, cattle, horses.
We did everything from planting to harvesting, to cleaning out the barn, spreading the manure on the fields, bailing and putting up the hay. We made 50 cents an hour. It was hard work. I could not do it now and would not want to.
I think that no matter what else happens if someone labor is required to do a task then that task has to pay a living wage or it is not a task worth doing.

[boyd3b]

01:50 PM on 09/27/2010

Where will the wage come from? The farmers you worked for as a kid probably didn't have the capital to pay much more than they did. The farming industry is highly competitive with huge overhead costs making it very difficult to accrue large profits to pay large labor salaries. Plus, farm labor is low in skill, which means any shmoe willing to work at a lower rate can outbid you. You would then have to form federally protected unions to control labor prices, which would eventually drive the farming industry into bankruptcy, just like the auto industry.

No, I am afraid that labor wages on farms will always be low due to the nature of the industry, no matter how hard it is or how deserving the workers are.

[ClintonCounty Dems]

09:30 AM on 09/27/2010

I guess I'm weird because I thought his statement was hilarious -- even without a laugh track/audience -- "Turns out, most dirt is on the ground...Why can't we make it waist-level?" -- and with sound arguments couched in there -- "give out more VISAs for jobs without American laborers to fill them,. By having a legitimate position, Mexican laborers will be less likely to be abused & thus raise the conditions of all American workers."

[westreal]

08:16 AM on 09/27/2010

This is a travesty

[AtoMike]

01:16 PM on 09/27/2010

Didn't get the points I take it.

[punknoir]

07:26 AM on 09/27/2010

Because he was addressing Congress directly, I found him to be not funny and sharply on point. More than a few of those "best and brightest" were, no doubt, squirming in their seats. Bravo, Colbert.

[AtoMike]

01:17 PM on 09/27/2010

I laughed out loud a few time. Otherwise I agree with you.

[kate miller]

07:18 AM on 09/27/2010

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[Jennifer Hagan]

03:30 AM on 09/27/2010

It was hilarious as he as usual but he needs to be a bit more serious for this. I think a lot of people just panned what he had to say even though he said many, many important things.

[moonejes]

03:07 AM on 09/27/2010

You Rock Stephen Colbert's thank you ! I watch your show every night, from Oki Japan.

[docmark]

02:41 AM on 09/27/2010

Satirists have been commenting on and influencing political, religious and cultural views since the earliest days of our nation. From hand-copied satirical cartoons to today's high-tech info highway, satirists have been with us. The same technology that allows Fox News to spread fear, misinformation and distortion of the facts has given a broader stage to guys like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher (among others).
Colbert is funny. Actually, he would be the first to admit that he is an actor who plays the part of a stupid, misinformed Conservative talk-show host who never "gets the point". Obviously, Colbert is witty, knowledgable and very good at improv. In Rolling Stone magazine, Colbert admitted that Jon Stewart is the one who reads voraciously and has a deep understanding of the really serious issues.
John Stewart's comedy always included jokes concerning politics, religion and other issues he deemed important and worthy of his comedy.
Bill Maher is in a category of his own. He obviously has strong, informed opinions about most issues.
O'Reilly has appeared on all three of the above's shows and they have appeared on his. But, we'll never see Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell or Glenn Beck in a one-on-one with any of them. They would all be treated politely, but none would be unable to match wits with Colbert, Stewart or Maher. That's why they won't do it. Their stupidity, flawed logic, and lack of knowledge would be embarrassingly obvious and humiliating.

[BrutalEnigma]

12:06 PM on 09/27/2010

amen,
there was a satirist back in the late 19th century to the early 20th century named Thomas Nast, a cartoonist. he is responsible for the " boss tweed" incident being brought to light to the American people, and is responsible for tweed being brought to justice. Nast was hated by the political machine because of his ability to point out the absurd and broken in our government and world. I'm glad to see this tradition still rolling forward..hussar!

[AtoMike]

01:19 PM on 09/27/2010

That's right, we need today's Nasts!

[slithers]

02:40 AM on 09/27/2010

It is good to finally see a funny joke come out of congress instead of their usual sad joke.

[justmakingcomments]

02:34 AM on 09/27/2010

-it's america's comedians (colbert/stewart) that have to lead the way in the fight for justice & truth-
Good grief, they do not have to lead the way - they just have the ego's - and they have friends with money and influence but there are many, many nobodys that have lead the way and fought the good fight and they're the only reason people like Colbert and Stewart even know what's going on.