Colbert Warns Young Democrats on the Peril of Having Sanders as a Third Party Candidate

COLBERT: "Here's the thing: Bernie's people have deeply held liberal beliefs, and they're feeling so shafted, that some have begun to push Bernie to run as a third party candidate. He's now being courted by the Green Party to join their ticket, which does make sense. Because nothing's more green than recycling an old candidate. It's in the spirit. It's in the spirit. It's in the spirit of the thing. So now thousands of disaffected Bernie supporters may be faced with a choice: Go to the green party or begrudgingly vote for Hillary -- just like Hillary supporters do. Either way, this could split the Democratic vote, which has happened before with serious consequences. Now, to you younger Sanders supporters out there, I'd like to read you the story of a man named Ralph Nader. Can I have that please. This is our new book. It's called, 'See Ralph Run.' And if you don't know the story, if you're too young to know the story, this is for you. This is a tale you're too young to remember. It began in 2000, the month of November. Young voters don't know about 'Bush versus Gore.' But trust me, this has all happened before. His name was Ralph Nader, he spoke for the trees. He put seatbelts in cars to prevent shattered knees. He led the Green Party. His speeches were soaring. And he took votes from Gore. My god, Gore was boring. He took votes from Florida! He took votes from Ohio! He took votes from Sneedle, and Wumbus, and Xylo! I know those aren't actual states. But there were a lot of voting machine irregularities that year. Okay. He even bagged the odd Florida resident, and that's how George W. Bush became president. Thanks to Ralph Nader, who gave it his all, we got Cheney, whose heart was three sizes too small. So once in that booth, vote your conscience and heart. Go with the person you've backed from the start. But think it through carefully, don't press your luck. Because, trust me, 2000 was a real cluster -- unfortunate event."