Stephen Colbert Shares Thoughts on Delayed Election Results
Stephen Colbert on the Silver Lining of Delayed Election Results: "It's Actually a Good Thing"
Stephen Colbert is finding the silver lining amid the delay in presidential election results. The Late Show host aired his own election night special on Showtime Tuesday evening, and in his closing remarks, he posed what he referred to as a "controversial" opinion: "It's actually a good thing we don't know who won yet," he said, instigating a flurry of computer-generated "boo's" in the background. Yes, it may be frustrating and anxiety-inducing to wait on pins and needles for official word on the outcome as thousands of mail-in votes continue to be counted across the country, but in Colbert's eyes, that's just democracy at work.
"I know we've all got what it takes to wait just a little bit longer."
"The truth is, the reason it's taking so long to declare a winner is because we've had such a massive voter turnout," the late-night host said. "This year, millions of you braved the pandemic, an army of poll watchers, even the post office just to make sure you got to vote. Each and every one of those ballots deserve to be counted." He added, "We've been able to wait for this moment since November of 2016, and many of you waited in line for hours to make your voices heard. I know we've all got what it takes to wait just a little bit longer."
Joe Biden echoed similar sentiments while delivering an optimistic speech early Wednesday morning at a drive-in event in Wilmington, DE. "We knew because of the unprecedented early vote and the mail-in vote, it was going to take a while. We're going to have to be patient until the hard work of tallying of the votes is finished. It ain't over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted," the presidential candidate said. He added, "It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who's won the election. That's the decision of the American people."
Should you need something to soothe your nerves this week, Colbert provided a compilation of "satisfying" videos at the end of his election night special. Watch each clip unfold above for some momentary relief.
