After 237 seasons, the dramatic arc of the United States government came to a shocking end when it shut down at midnight Tuesday, and Stephen Colbert couldn’t wait to see what it had in store for its big finale.
“It started out as a highly sympathetic character in the 1770s, but in just 237 seasons it has transformed into an egotistical, self-destructive maniac,” Colbert said. “I am dying to know what’s gonna happen tonight!”
Colbert noted that “the bad guys are all getting eliminated” in the shutdown, including the national park service, the CDC and NASA.
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And reviews were already in, Colbert noted, heading to Rotten Tomatoes, where “top critics” Michele Bachmann called the government shutdown “exactly what we wanted and we got it,” while Calif. representative Devin Nunes said he was “all giddy about it.”
Colbert had at least one spoiler alert for shutdown fans: the Congress would continue to get paid for its work, unlike thousands of other government employees.
“That’s one of the dramatic turns! No one saw that coming!” Colbert said.
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