By Meredith Blake
As regular viewers know, "Better Know a District" is one of the most reliably hilarious recurring segments on "The Colbert Report" -- that is, the few times a year Stephen Colbert manages to get a member of the House of Representatives to sit for an interview that's virtually guaranteed to make him or her look a tiny bit ridiculous.
The 71st and latest sacrificial lamb is Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan, a freshman from Wisconsin's 2nd District, whose "Better Know a District" segment aired Monday on "The Colbert Report." Unlike other participants who probably rue the day they got a phone call from Colbert's producers, Pocan performed quite well, saying nothing that should cause embarrassment or offense.
He also took Colbert's increasingly ludicrous questions in stride. No, the Affordable Care Act would not result in "Hunger Games"-style death panels; no, the fact that Pocan is married to another man would not threaten Colbert's "God-sanctioned marriage"; and no, Wisconsin's famed cheese curds didn't seem "gay" because they squeak when you bite them.
For those of you keeping track, this is the second "Better Know a District" in recent weeks, following an interview with another Wisconsin Democrat, Rep. Gwen Moore. A few years back, the bit was on the verge of extinction, thanks to a ban instituted by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Thankfully for viewers, our elected officials in Washington appear to have rediscovered their sense of humor.
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