>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE BACK WITH THE AUTHOR OF "A PROMISED LAND," PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF PEOPLE WHO SAY IT WOULD BE GOOD IF
REPUBLICAN HELD THE SENATE BECAUSE DEMOCRATS WILL GO TOO
FAR IF THEY CONTROL EVERYTHING.
>> I EXPERIENCED DIVIDED GOVERNMENT AND I WILL TELL YOU
THAT GRIDLOCK AND DYSFUNCTION IS A RECIPE FOR NOT ONLY NOT
SOLVING BIG PROBLEMS BUT ALSO GROWING CYNICISM AMONG THE
ELECTORATE THAT FURTHER POLARIZES FOLKS.
>> Stephen: WHY WEREN'T YOU NICER TO MITCH McCONNELL?
WHY WEREN'T YOU NICER TO HIM?
>> LET ME TELL YOU, OF ALL THE ARGUMENTS MADE DURING MY
PRESIDENCY, THE NOTION THAT MY BIG PROBLEM WAS NOT SCHMOOZING
MITCH McCONNELL ENOUGH WAS MORE OF THE MORE FRUSTRATING
ONES I HEARD BUT WAS ENTIRELY ACCEPTED.
IT'S STILL CONVENTIONAL WISDOM TO THIS DAY IN PARTS OF
WASHINGTON.
MITCH McCONNELL UNDERSTOOD, AND I WRITE ABOUT THIS
EXTENSIVELY, THAT, IF YOU THROW SAND IN THE GEARS AND STUFF
DOESN'T WORK, THE AVERAGE VOTER DOESN'T REALLY KNOW WHY IT'S NOT
WORKING, THEY DON'T KNOW WHO'S IN CHARGE, THEY DON'T KNOW THE
DETAILS OF SENATE PROCEDURE, WHAT THEY DO UNDERSTAND IS THE
PRESIDENT'S IN CHARGE, AND WE'RE STILL SEEING THE SAME ARGUMENTS
THAT WE USED TO SEE.
SO THAT'S GOOD FOR THE OPPOSITION PARTY.
>> Stephen: IF I ONLY HAD ONE QUESTION TO ASK YOU RIGHT NOW,
IT WOULD BE, WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENS NOW?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU HAVE HALF OR 70% OF THE REPUBLICANS OR
MAYBE ABOUT 40% OF THE PUBLIC THINK THAT JOE BIDEN WON BY
CHEATING?
HOW DOES HE REACH THOSE PEOPLE?
>> WELL, LOOK, I THINK HE'S IN A GOOD POSITION TO MAKE THE
EFFORT.
THE FACT THAT HE WON IS INDICATIVE OF THE MESSAGE HE
SENT OF WANTING TO UNIFY THE COUNTRY.
I DO THINK PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED BY JUST THIS, YOU KNOW, -- YOU
KNOW, WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION, CONSTANT CAGE MATCH,
AND PEOPLE JUST WANT TO FEEL AS IF A DAY PASSES WITHOUT IT BEING
DOMINATED BY SOMETHING CRAZY COMING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE OR
WASHINGTON.
>> Stephen: DON'T GET ME WRONG.
YOU ARE A GREAT PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE ACCUSED YOU OF BEING A
CELEBRITY.
THERE WERE DAYS I DID NOT THINK ABOUT YOU.
>> YOU DID NOT THINK ABOUT ME.
AND I THINK JOE WILL GET BACK TO THAT.
I THINK HE WILL HAVE SOME SUCCESS IN BUILDING BACK SOCIAL
TRUST BECAUSE HE IS NATURALLY SOMEONE WHO IS EMPATHETIC AND
CARES ABOUT PEOPLE.
BUT I THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LARGER CHALLENGE IN
FIGURING OUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS SPLINTERED MEDIA LANDSCAPE.
I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT I CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH,
WHEN YOU AND I WERE GROWING UP, YOU HAD WALTER CRONKITE, DAVID
BRINKLEY, JOHN CHANCELLOR.
IT WASN'IT WASN'T SCINTILLATING TELEVISION, BUT WHETHER YOU WERE
A CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL, YOU GOT YOUR NEWS FROM THE SAME
PLACE, SO YOU HAD SOME COMMON BASELINE OF FACTS, AND NOW YOU
DON'T.
AND HOW YOU CHANGE THAT FORMULA, WITH THE INTERNET AND 5,000
CABLE STATIONS AND THE DEATH OF SMALLTOWN NEWSPAPERS AND EVEN
LOCAL TV NOW BEING BOUGHT OUT BY SINCLAIR SO THAT THEY'RE NOW
PUMPING OUT SORT OF A MORE UNIFORM IDEOLOGICAL LINE ON
EVERYTHING, THAT MAKES THINGS MORE DIFFICULT, AND I THINK THAT
JOE'S PRESIDENCY WILL HELP LOWER THE TEMPERATURE, BUT THE
UNDERLYING CHALLENGE OF US GETTING BACK TO THE POINT WHERE
WE CAN AT LEAST AGREE THAT, LET'S SAY JOE BIDEN GOT MORE
VOTES, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S -- WE CAN ARGUE ABOUT WHY, WHETHER HE
DESERVED TO GET MORE VOTES, ET CETERA, BUT HE GOT MORE
VOTES.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THIS ARGUMENT, YOU SAY JOE BIDEN
GOT MORE VOTES.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: HOW COULD HE HAVE GOTTEN MORE VOTES IF THE
PRESIDENT WON?
HE WON, SO THE OTHER GUY GETTING MORE VOTES FEELS FISHY, DOESN'T
IT?
WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND HOW OTHER
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT IT.
GET OUTSIDE YOUR BUBBLE, SIR.
THINK ABOUT HOW SOMEBODY ELSE IS LOOKING AT IT.
HE WON SO WHY ARE THERE SO MANY VOTES ON THE OTHER SIDE?
>> SOMETHING'S WRONG.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU.
ON BEHALF OF SO MANY AMERICANS, I ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY.
>> I WAS TALKING TO FRIEND OF MINE ABOUT THIS AND I WAS TRYING
TO USE A SIMPLE ANALOGY THAT I THINK EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS,
WHAT'S SOMETHING WE STILL HAVE IN COMMON, AND DESPITE
CONTROVERSIES AROUND C.T., ET CETERA, PEOPLE STILT WATCH
FOOTBALL.
SO YOU IMAGINE THE SUPER BOWL AND, YOU KNOW, THE GAME'S GOING
ON AND TOUCHDOWNs ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORTH SIX POINTS WITH THE
EXTRA POINT, UNLESS YOU GO FOR TWO, AND FIELD GOALS ARE WORTH
THREE POINTS, AND YOU'RE KEEPING SCORE THE WHOLE TIME, AND THERE
ARE REFS, AND AT THE END OF THE GAME A TEAM'S WON AND SOMEBODY
SAYS, NO!
FIELD GOALS AREN'T WORTH ETHREE, OR THAT WASN'T REALLY A
TOUCHDOWN.
>> Stephen: HUGO CHAVEZ KEPT BLOCKING THE FIELD GOAL FROM THE
GRAVE!
>> WE'VE ALL BEEN WATCHING, AND I GUESS, IF YOU HAD -- THE OTHER
PEOPLE JUST REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND YOU HAD HALF
THE LEAGUE SAY WE'RE NOT SURE IT'S TRUE, YOU WOULD HAVE A
SIMILAR CONTROVERSY, BUT WHEN THAT STARTS HAPPENING, THE GAME
BREAKS DOWN AND IN THIS CASE IT'S OUR DEMOCRACY, OUR
DEMOCRACY STARTS FALLING APART.
IMAGINE IF, GOING FORWARD, EVERY SINGLE ELECTION IS TREATED THIS
WAY AT EVERY LEVEL, IMAGINE IF DEMOCRATS START ACTING THIS
WAY -- >> Stephen: IS THAT PART OF
THE DANGER THAT HE'S BROKEN THE SEAL ON THAT IDEA.
>> THAT IS THE CONCERN THAT I THINK WE ALL HAVE.
JOE BIDEN'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS IS
GOING TO BE THE NEXT VICE PRESIDENT, BUT WE DON'T
WANT TO GET INTO A PATTERN WHERE WE JUST ARE WILLING TO THROW OUT
WHAT WE'VE AGREED TO PREVIOUSLY, INCLUDING OUR CONSTITUTIONAL
STRUCTURE, JUST BECAUSE WE FIND IT POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT.
>> Stephen: A LOT OF PRESIDENTS, ONCE THEY LEAVE
OFFICE, BECOMES FRIENDS OR ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE OTHER
PRESIDENT.
THEY LAY DOWN THEIR SWORD AND SHIELD A LITTLE BIT.
YOU'VE PLAYED GOLF WITH PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH AND
BILL CLINTON.
DO YOU HAVE A TEE TIME WITH THE CURRENT PRESIDENT YET?
>> I DO NOT.
FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, HE'S A PRETTY GOOD GOLFER.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
I UNDERSTAND, SHOCKINGLY ENOUGH, THERE ARE SOMETIMES
PROBLEMS WITH THE SCORING, AND WHETHER HE'S KEEPING TRACK OF
HIS STROKES.
>> Stephen: THAT'S HUGO CHAVEZ AGAIN.
THAT'S HIS CADDY.
>> IT'S SURPRISING.
>> Stephen: I LOVE THE PLANS OF THE OBAMA LIBRARY ON THE
SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
LOOKS LIKE STAR FLIGHT HEADQUARTERS LANDED THERE.
YOU HAVE A MUSEUM, GYM WHERE YOU CAN PLAY BASKETBALL, BUMPER
CARS, WATER SLIDE, WHAT ELSE.
>> THE BUMPER CARS, NO.
>> Stephen: YOU COULDN'T FUND THAT?
>> NO, UNLESS YOU WANT TO CONFUSE THAT.
STEPHEN COLBERT MEMORIAL BUMPER CARS.
>> Stephen: SOMEBODY PRICE IT AND I'LL THINK ABOUT IT.
>> THIS COULD END UP BEING NOT JUST -- THE GOAL IS NOT JUST
HAVE SOME MAUSOLEUM TO ME.
IT'S RATHER TO CREATE A LIVING DYNAMIC CENTER AROUND WHICH
YOUNG PEOPLE CAN GET INSPIRED AND EVEN TRY THEIR HAND AT AND
LEARN ABOUT HOW THEIR VOICES CAN BRING ABOUT CHANGE.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE DETAILS I LIKE IS THIS IS GOING TO BE
THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY THAT'S ALL DIGITAL.
THERE'S NO PAPER.
IS THAT BECAUSE AFTER THIS BOOK THERE IS NO PAPER LEFT?
>> THAT'S IT.
>> Stephen: IS THIS WHY THERE WAS A PAPER SHORTAGE IN THE
SPRING?
DID ALL THE TOILET PAPER FETE REROUTED AND RE-PULPED INTO THIS
THING?
A LOT OF PAGES, 740 PAGES.
>> 701, THE ACTUAL STUFF TO READ.
>> Stephen: INDEX IS THERE AND I'M NOT IN IT.
748 PAGES AND I DON'T EVEN GET MENTIONED IN HERE.
WE DID A BUNCH OF STUFF TOGETHER.
>> VOLUME TWO.
>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.
A LOT OF SIMILAR STORIES BETWEEN THESE TWO.
A LITTLE CROSSOVER IN THINGS LIKE THIS.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: IN HER BOOK, MEETING AND YOUR COURTSHIP TO
YOUR ENGAGEMENT, 63 PAGES.
THREE PAGES.
THREE PAGES!
>> ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME IN TROUBLE?
>> Stephen: I'M JUST SURPRISED YOUR EDITOR DIDN'T STOP YOU FROM
GETTING IN TROUBLE.
>> NUMBER ONE, I'M NOT GOING TO CHALLENGE HER VERSION TO HAVE
THE EVENTS.
SO SHE'S DONE IT, THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
ECONDLY, IN MY SECOND BOOK, I TALK ABOUT MEETING HER,
ALREADY.
SO I'VE SPREAD THE STORY OF OUR MEETING OVER THREE BOOKS AND SHE
JUST CONDENSED IT ALL INTO ONE.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER BREAK, SIR, BUT STICK
AROUND.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MICHELLE OBAMA'S HUSBAND.
♪ AT LAST ♪ ♪ MY LOVE HAS COME ALONG ♪
♪ MY LONELY DAYS ARE OVER ♪