Colbert for President of South Carolina

Colbert for President

I am not sure how many of you actually watch the Colbert Report on Comedy Central but it has to be one of the funniest shows on TV. Where Jon Stewart hosts Daily Show and aims at political awareness, calling politicians out their BS (yes, even the dems), Stephen Colbert drifts the fine line of satire. Colbert overtly plays the Regan-loving, right-wing, egomaniac conservative to a mockery. But where his character ends and the man underneath the suit begins is uncertain. And now he is running for president (as both a democrat and republican) in his home state of South Carolina. Colbert’s popularity is limited to viewers of his cable show and the far too brief appearances at White House press corps dinner, the Emmys, and recently, his book tour interviews – each and every time in character.

What better person to make a mockery of the political election system than a person who enters a race exemplifying many of the same characteristics as the current contenders. Straddling the fence to appeal to the center, reaffirming the status as a republican by sucking up to the religious right, self-praise for accomplishments and accolades presented to them by public commissions and/or media publications, playing a character that is rarely representative of the actual person in hopes to appeal to a mass audience, and charisma in front of an audience and/or camera. Oh, and has written a book about America…that’s critical. In fact, Colbert has a leg up on all those other hopefuls…his own half-hour TV time slot, albeit on cable and off-prime hours. Granted Colbert intends to only run in South Carolina and seldom celebrities make even a minor impact on elections (primary or otherwise). Certainly some celebrities have reached national government, heck, even Colbert’s “idol”, Regan, reached the Presidency but this happens most often after years of lower level public service and pandering to the political machine. Now the Colbert Nation is revving up for a push to make a splash in the SC primary. Whether this is to boost his TV show or actually bring attention to the importance of the primary process (or maybe mutually beneficial), Colbert has already received main stream media coverage on his announcement, which in itself was self-scripted. Either way, Colbert’s entrance into the political fray, satirical or not, will bring much needed humor to a field lacking in everything Colbert can bring.