Help Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films prepare for his appearance Thursday on The Colbert Report

by Ken

Writing about Paul Krugman on the occasion of his Nobel award sent me shivering and quivering back to those awful dark years of the dawn of the century, when we liberals huddled in our caves in the face of the extreme-right-wing's seeming stranglehold on public discourse.

I don't know how I would have gotten through that time without the uncowed voices of Krugman, Frank Rich, and Jon Stewart. Oh, I'm sure there were other brave, unbloodied media heroes scattered around, and by all means add them to the list, but the mere fact that we can make a list of the voices for sanity reminds us how dark public discourse was in those awful years -- not to mention the awful consequences, starting with having the country bullied and hornswoggled into the catastrophic Iraq adventure.

>Happily, a lot has changed since then. Right now I would like to salute one important difference-maker is the emergence of Robert Greenwald and his Brave New Films organization as an indefatigable video truth-telling and rapid-response team. We all know only too well how preposterous the right-wing shibboleth about "liberal media" is. I don't think it's possible to overestimate how valuable it has been to have Robert and his team ever ready to blow the whistle on the conventional wisdom being spewed by the far-right-wing Infotainment News Media.

Now Robert has issued an appeal on the BNF website:

Help Robert Greenwald Nail Stephen Colbert This Thursday

I'm going to be on The Colbert Report this Thursday night, October 16, and I need your help.

As well prepped as I thought I was the last time I appeared on the show, Colbert caught me off-guard with his very first question: "Who hates America more, you or Michael Moore?" So now I implore you all, what questions do you think Colbert will ask me this time around? Which of our videos will he want to discuss? Will he ask about our most recent video, Tell McCain to End the Politics of Hate? Will he mock McCain's anger in John McCain's Rage Is a National Security Concern? Or will he ask about McCain's YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare, which is about to top a staggering 7 million views? And perhaps more importantly, what questions do you think I should ask Colbert? That is, if I get the chance.

Post your questions and any advice in the comments section below. Help me nail Colbert on Thursday! Then, watch the show Thursday night at 11:30pm on Comedy Central. And after the show, check our website for an exciting new contest about John McCain.

I've thrown in my two cents' worth:

Ken from DWT commented less than a minute ago:

Hey, Robert, as many commenters have already suggested, HAVE FUN with him.

I don't think I saw your earlier appearance, but I hope you busted a gut laughing at the Michael Moore question and then explained how much you have to love America to do what you and MM do.

One thing I would keep in mind is that Stephen is the one who gave us the concept of TRUTHINESS, as the common public substitute -- especially on the Right -- for truth. What is your work about (and MM's too) if not trying to bludgeon truthiness with truth?

I promise to watch this time!

Ken

Really, what could be more flattering to a dedicated truth-teller than to be bracketed with Michael Moore? Of course there's an important difference in their professional pace. Although Michael maintains a constant presence with his brilliant e-essays and public appearances, his medium is feature films, which have to be carefully targeted in subject matter and even at their fastest appear on the stately schedule of, well, feature films. BNF fills that gap with its dazzling barrage of carefully researched yet rapidly produced videos.

Anyway, I've had my say on the BNF website. Feel free to add yours. I hope Robert has a ball with Stephen tomorrow, and as I promised, I'll be watching.
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