avoid

From LA Times:

Most politicians are as likely to pass up free TV face time before an election as they would be to refuse a campaign check.

Then again, there’s a price to be paid for looking stupid.

That’s what members of Congress have learned recently about “Better Know a District,” a sarcastic weekly skit that is part of “The Colbert Report,” a nightly half-hour on Viacom Inc.’s Comedy Central network.

Hosted by comedian Stephen Colbert, the year-old program is a spinoff of the cable channel’s wildly popular “The Daily Show Starring Jon Stewart” and one of an increasing number of political humor shows on cable that are drawing the young viewers whom advertisers covet.

Politicians covet them too for their votes. So, many lawmakers initially played along with the segments in which Colbert interviews a member of the House of Representatives, with few checks and balances on his proclivity to make fools of them. (more…)