WELL. I perfectly understand if you prefer to stick your fingers in your ears while singing “lalalalala!” or even simply discuss the existence of these candidate-scented candles (comes in Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin and anti-Donald Trump), but I had a fabulous time with Stephen Colbert and friends. We all watched the debate beforehand, while we were in line and waiting in our seats, and I could not have asked for better company. My friend and I were six rows back, right in front of the interviewing desk, which I thought was fantastic until the filming started and I realized that the camera or the stage manager was directly blocking my entire view of the action the whole way through.
That said, I did get to see Rob Lowe dash shirtless across the stage in the theater where the Beatles played for Ed Sullivan, so cross that off the bucket list.
A note about watching Colbert in person: completely inspiring. Just — what a gentleman, really. He was utterly engaged, utterly enthusiastic and totally committed to his guests and his audience. He was grateful, polite, kind and so professional you could only tell he was working by the smoothness of his actions. I’m so impressed by what I saw, and so inspired to be that kind of boss and that kind of team member, no joke. We all could learn a lot from watching him behind the scenes, at least from what I saw in front of a theater full of fans.
Meanwhile. Meanwhile.
Vox: “The first debate featured an unprepared man repeatedly shouting over a highly prepared woman“; “Donald Trump trying to play off a silent audience revealed the reality star’s biggest weaknesses”
NPR: “Fact Check: Trump And Clinton Debate For The First Time”
The Atlantic: “Hillary Did What She Needed to Do”
The New York Times Magazine: “The Reverse-Gaslighting of Donald Trump”
See you again on Oct. 9. These next few weeks are going to be wild.
Esther Bergdahl 