Stephen Colbert shows Republicans how to draw a crowd

[n2doc]

By David Horsey
January 21, 2012, 8:16 a.m.
Reporting from Charleston, S.C. -- Under the looming live oaks at the College of Charleston on Friday, Stephen Colbert delivered a clinic on how to produce a whiz-bang political rally. Significantly, not one of the Republican candidates this year has exhibited the star power to bring off such an extravaganza themselves.

Thousands of students packed into the old college’s walled central yard. Many had waited for hours to see Colbert and they cheered wildly when the comedy genius from Comedy Central marched in. Cheerleaders and a marching band led the way. A gospel choir was poised to sing with Colbert onstage.

An ex-presidential candidate had also been convinced to join the parade – Herman Cain, the Herminator, the Pizza Man, he of the 9-9-9 plan. Colbert’s latest stunt was to urge his South Carolina fans to cast a vote for Cain, who is still on the ballot, as an expression of support for Colbert’s own candidacy for “president of the United States of South Carolina.”

Colbert’s farcical campaign follows from his establishment of a personal "super PAC." All of this is an elaborate satire of the Supreme Court’s 2-year-old Citizens United ruling that declared corporations are entities akin to people and, therefore, have the same rights to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political speech. The results of this decision have been abundantly evident in the 2012 campaign. Super PACs working in support of, but independent from, several candidates have spent mountains of money on attack ads trying, often successfully, to do damage to opposing campaigns.

Colbert’s latest gimmick was to turn his super PAC over to his comedy confederate, Jon Stewart, and pretend the super PAC will now operate independently from Colbert’s “I am Herman Cain” campaign.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/topoftheticket/la-na-tt-stephen-colbert-20120121,0,235700.story

[Spazito]

1. Stephen (Herman Cain) Colbert beat Perry in South Carolina...

He got 6324 votes in total while Perry got 2491! I love it.

Look at Charleston:


Source: South Carolina State Election Commission



Charleston

Gingrich 15271

Romney 16904

Santorum 6831

Paul 6510

Cain 1089

Perry 130

Total 46899



http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jan/22/south-carolina-primary-data-mapped?newsfeed=true

[mucifer]

2. wow about 50,000 votes in all. Not much of a turnout. Especially with all the hooplah.

Seriously, why should these 50,000 votes count to narrow the field so that there are less choices for people in other states. The system is so messed up. Why Iowa? Why New Hampshire?