The Late Show With Stephen Colbert took a break last week, so when Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School, the titular host was unable to provide the timeliest of responses. However, a weekend of reflection was all that Colbert needed to come back with a potent monologue about those who are now leading gun control dialogue in the U.S. That is, he paid tribute to the teen survivors who are showing no mercy to lawmakers like Marco Rubio who fuel their campaigns with “blood money” from the NRA.
Indeed, Colbert has heard Emma Gonzalez, Cameron Kasky, and David Hogg all too clear, and the host is disgusted with Rubio’s stance — “if someone has decided ‘I’m going to commit this crime’ they’re going to find a way to do it” — as a means to downplay gun-control arguments. Colbert then compared Rubio to an overly-thirsty houseplant before expressing disgust at how Florida state lawmakers refused to bring an assault-rifle ban bill to a vote, and he paid tribute to the bravery of the teen survivors:
“I hope these kids don’t give up, because this is their lives and their future. There is reason for hope. Look at the #MeToo movement. A lot of men in power did not see that coming, but it proved change can happen overnight. And this is an election year.”
As Colbert articulates, he only finds hope from these resilient kids. He blasts the adults for not jumping to action after this latest massacre, yet he characterizes the teens as declaring, “Hold my root beer.” To be fair, Rubio is attempting to set matters somewhat straight by favoring strengthened background checks and bump-stock bans while also calling for a “task force,” but the Florida senator is only doing so after being called out by the younger generation.
As for the kids? They’re gonna be alright.
(Via CBS)