# Colbert for President **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032 "2007-10-17T13:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/61 "2007-10-21T15:44:35Z")
Stephen Colbert is on Meet the Press for 10/21. I’m trying to decide if Russert is taking this seriously and missing the joke or if he’s playing along as a serious straight man. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/62 "2007-10-21T19:11:07Z")
Campaign site: [http://www.colbert08.org/](http://www.colbert08.org/) ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/63 "2007-10-21T23:40:25Z")
I love it! Finally, an election campaign season that I might enjoy watching… ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/64 "2007-10-22T00:02:57Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] Stephen Colbert is on Meet the Press for 10/21. I’m trying to decide if Russert is taking this seriously and missing the joke or if he’s playing along as a serious straight man. [/QUOTE] I thought Russert was playing along with the joke. Parts of mainstream America might take Colbert’s appearance at face value, however. My mother watched _Meet the Press_ this morning. She’s now convinced that Stephen Colbert is “a psycho” who wants to get rid of her Social Security. I spent 10 minutes on the phone with her this morning trying to explain that he was just playing a character. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/65 "2007-10-22T00:24:45Z")
Oh, I am **so** hoping he takes this all the way! I miss the Pat Paulsen campaigns. I was never old enough to vote for him but I remember being interested enough to follow the whole electorial seasons back then. Hell, I may even vote for him. I’ve been pulling for Billary (yeah, I said it. so there) since she announced. (I have more thoughts on that but they don’t belong in this thread) But now, Stephen Colber is my candidate of choice. I wondoer if he’ll do the smart thing and take on Jon Stewart as his runing mate? ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/66 "2007-10-22T00:39:59Z")
Tim Russert was definitely in on the joke - he knows all about the difference between Stephen and “Stephen.” There were times when both of them were trying not to crack up. To the person who asked earlier: he teaches Sunday School to first-graders. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/67 "2007-10-22T00:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] Maybe he can get Keith Olbermann to be his running mate. [/QUOTE] While your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter, that ticket could only end badly when I’m found in hotel rooms with them… (Swoons, fans self, bolts for cold shower…) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/68 "2007-10-22T01:10:51Z")
[QUOTE=anyrose] Oh, I am **so** hoping he takes this all the way! I miss the Pat Paulsen campaigns. I was never old enough to vote for him but I remember being interested enough to follow the whole electorial seasons back then. Hell, I may even vote for him. I’ve been pulling for Billary (yeah, I said it. so there) since she announced. (I have more thoughts on that but they don’t belong in this thread) But now, Stephen Colber is my candidate of choice. I wondoer if he’ll do the smart thing and take on Jon Stewart as his runing mate? [/QUOTE] Actually, the _only_ person who could be his running mate is Colbert! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/69 "2007-10-22T02:26:35Z")
[QUOTE=anyrose] I wondoer if he’ll do the smart thing and take on Jon Stewart as his runing mate? [/QUOTE] He very pointedly took out a Colbert/Stewart '08 bumper sticker and cut Stewart’s name out of it on his show last week, so I doubt he’s going to involve Jon in the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/70 "2007-10-22T02:56:58Z")
Afterall, TDS was deemed not good enough to feature his declaration… I have a Colbert Nation car sticker–we can only hope. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/71 "2007-10-25T17:48:44Z")
[Polling](http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2008__1/2008_presidential_election/comedian_colbert_reaches_double_digits_as_third_party_candidate) is now being done assessing his viability as a third party candidate: > [@](#): > > A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that Colbert is preferred by 13% of voters as an independent candidate challenging Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani. The survey was conducted shortly after Colbert’s surprise announcement that he is lusting for the Oval Office. > > The result is similar when Fred Thompson is the Republican in the three-way race. With Thompson as the GOP candidate, Colbert earns 12% of the vote… > > Colbert does particularly well with the younger voters most likely to be watching his show and therefore most aware of his myriad presidential-like qualities. In the match-up with Giuliani and Clinton, Colbert draws 28% of likely voters aged 18-29. He draws 31% of that cohort when his foes are Thompson and Clinton. _In both match-ups, Colbert has more support with young voters than the GOP candidate._ ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/72 "2007-10-25T18:03:54Z")
Looks like Colbert is running into real problems with the election laws, just as I predicted. [No Joke: Colbert’s Campaign May Run Afoul of Law](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=3766656&page=1) > [@](#): > > If his campaign plays out the way he’s indicated that it will, Comedy Central and Colbert’s sponsor, Doritos, could be violating federal laws that bar corporations from backing political campaigns, election law experts say. … > > Federal law bars corporations from contributing to candidates, either through donations or in-kind contributions such as free use of goods or services. … > > “The real problem comes in the fact that he actually has his own show, talking about his campaign, paid for by a network,” Noble said. “These are the kind of things on slow days you’d debate until the late afternoon at the FEC, but there are serious questions that come up. In theory, he could end up having some campaign finance problems.” … > > After being alerted to a possible election law violation, he and the network dropped plans to post signature forms on Comedy Central’s Web site, and instead created a bare-bones Web site for official campaign activity, [www.colbert08.org](http://www.colbert08.org). … > > Noble said it would pretty clearly violate the law for the owner of a cable station to decide to give a talk show – or otherwise hand over editorial control of a program – to a favored candidate. … > > “Everybody is very cautious, not wanting to take this too seriously, or to say that campaign finance laws are going to stop satire, or what is clearly a joke,” he said. “But he’s trying to get on the ballot, and he could in fact affect the election.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/73 "2007-10-25T18:13:55Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] Looks like Colbert is running into real problems with the election laws, just as I predicted. [/QUOTE] He did some great stuff Thursday contrasting what he can say as a talk show host (waxing enthusiastic about Nachos) and as a candidate (just eating them). The red line down the center of the screen was a nice touch. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/74 "2007-10-25T19:09:35Z")
[QUOTE=article posted by Exapno Mapcase] “Everybody is very cautious, not wanting to take this too seriously, or to say that campaign finance laws are going to stop satire, or what is clearly a joke,” he said.\*\* “But he’s trying to get on the ballot, and he could in fact affect the election.”\*\* [/QUOTE] emphasis mine That to me sounds like a whiney little kid who doesn’t like the game and is going to change the rules to suit his needs. Aren’t cable stations exempt from the Equal Air Time law/act/whatever-it-is? eta: IOW isn’t that EXACTLY what he’s trying to do? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/75 "2007-10-25T19:51:13Z")
[QUOTE=anyrose] Aren’t cable stations exempt from the Equal Air Time law/act/whatever-it-is? [/quote] I think it’s about Viacom giving a candidate a talk show and hosting a site related to his campaign, not about equal time in terms of air time. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/76 "2007-10-25T19:52:55Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] I think it’s about Viacom giving a candidate a talk show and hosting a site related to his campaign, not about equal time in terms of air time. [/QUOTE] I thought the whole point of setting up “[Colbert08.com](http://Colbert08.com)” was to have a site NOT hosted by Viacom? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/77 "2007-10-25T20:12:18Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] I have a Colbert Nation car sticker–we can only hope. [/QUOTE] I’ve got “Stewart/Colbert '08: Godfearing Men in Nicely-Tailored Suits” I guess I need to update it. I also got [this](http://www.cafepress.com/buy/godless%20killing%20machine/-/pv_design_prod/p_storeid.138544717/pNo_138544717/id_19932756/opt_/pg_/c_/fpt_). ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/78 "2007-11-02T17:38:48Z")
I thought the Edwards campaign showed wit in their response: [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:Wr7MB9SJ-W4J:politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/28/colbert-campaigns-in-sc-edwards-camp-attacks-doritos-link/+edwards+colbert+doritos&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us](http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:Wr7MB9SJ-W4J:politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/10/28/colbert-campaigns-in-sc-edwards-camp-attacks-doritos-link/+edwards+colbert+doritos&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us) > [@CNN](#): > > Edwards spokesperson Teresa Wells also ribbed Colbert for his ties to the snack food industry. Colbert has said his campaign will be sponsored by Doritos. > > “What is more troubling than his quest for a status his own mother won’t grant him (favorite son) are his ties to the salty food industry,” Wells said. “As the candidate of Doritos, his hands are stained by corporate corruption and nacho cheese. John Edwards has never taken a dime from taco chip lobbyists and America deserves a President who isn’t in the pocket of the snack food special interests.” OTOH, Katon Dawson, the chairman of the S. Carolina GOP [comes off as an ass:](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/18/arts/television/18colb.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) > [@nytimes](#): > > “My advice,” he said in an interview, “is that he could probably have more fun buying a sports car and getting a girlfriend.” Typical GOP Family Values, suggesting that a married man with small children get a sports car & a girlfriend. In any case… > [@](#): > > “There is nothing in our filing that would prohibit him from running on both ballots, if he chose to pay the filing fees,” he said. > > And what is that fee? It is $35,000, Mr. Dawson said. > > “The great thing about America,” Mr. Dawson said, “is, if you can meet the constitutional requirements to run for president of the United States, you can do so. In Mr. Colbert’s case, we look forward to his paying the filing fee before Nov. 1.” Yep, “if you can meet the constitutional requirements.” :rolleyes: That’s pretty much true of any constitutional regime. If you can prove you’re next in line, you can become Prince of Wales. So let’s look at the GOP’s “requirement”: $35,000 in one of 50 states? Shall we expect someone to have to spend $1,750,000 to make a _bid_ for the GOP _nomination?_ That’s not the Presidency, that’s just a nomination. This is why I consider the GOP a party of bribery. ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/79 "2007-11-02T17:51:40Z")
Colbert is just annoying… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032/80 "2007-11-02T18:12:47Z")
Annoyingly Lincolnish and truthy! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colbert-for-president/423032.md?page=5)