Now that the Republican National Convention is over (and we still have Cleveland), it’s time for the Democratic National Convention to take over Philadelphia for a week of hearty (and otherwise) endorsements of the party’s nominee, Hillary Clinton. Ahead of First Lady Michelle Obama’s moving speech and Sarah Silverman’s dressing down of Bernie Sanders supporters, Stephen Colbert taped another installment of the “Hungry For Power Games.” The Late Show host easily assumed the podium post at the RNC last week, which may have prompted much tighter security in Philly.
Clad in his Caesar Flickerman getup, Colbert wanders the convention floor, admiring the all-gender bathrooms and mocking the gluten-free zone. But it’s obvious that, just like his Hunger Games counterpart, Colbert wants to address the masses from on high. As such, security and various DNC workers prohibit Colbert from taking the stage, even after he’s become one of Nancy Pelosi’s plus-ones (she probably couldn’t get him into Lollapalooza either). It turns out he doesn’t need powerful friends, though, as the limber Late Show host eventually evades security and rolls onto the stage.
The stunt, which Colbert says was not staged, was all in good fun, though it did not prove as amusing to DNC security. Maybe that’s the real “best metaphor” for this presidential race—the Democratic Party’s not going to let a joke play out on its stage, especially not one with bad hair.