Stephen Colbert is running for president of the United States in the 2008 election.
The Facebook group 1,000,000 Strong For Stephen T Colbert has… one million members (and growing). It’s the fastest growing facebook group ever.
Many people point to his entry in the array as a turning point in American elections. No, nobody is claiming that he’ll get elected (yet), but the fact that he can garner support through the tubes faster than career politicians says something: the internet a la social networking is a powerful recruitment tool. However, it remains to be seen if voters will go to the polls.
Speaking of polls, a recent poll found Colbert “gains 13% of voters in a matchup with Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Hillary Clinton.” (Source).
In another bizarre angle on the story, Colbert is also drawing the eye of the Federal Election Commission. Colbert comes from the strange breed of politicians launched from careers in media; think Ronald Reagan, Jesse Ventura, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But he’s got his own popular television show on Comedy Central — “The Colbert Report.” His campaign raises issues regarding network and corporate sponsorship. Comedy Central is aware of the potential issues and has lawyers researching the potential issues in order to stay in line with campaign finance law.
In the end, though, will it even matter? Though he is collecting signatures to put himself on the ballot in South Carolina as both a Republican and Democratic candidate (and South Carolina is considering him, if not seriously), many are ready to dismiss him as a joke — not a surprising sentiment to express about the ubiquitous comedian.
Blogger Sonia Zjawinski (Wired) states:
While this is all very funny, I hope Colbert stops short of actually trying to take this all the way. This election is one of the most important elections we’ve had since 2000, and as we saw that year and in 2004, we really can’t fuck this up.
Deborah Netburn with the LA Times asks a potent question: “Has America lost its collective mind?
Has it?
No. With George Bush’s approval rating at at an all time low of 24% and Congress bringing in a collective 11% approval rating, what’s obvious is America’s hunger for real leadership who represents this country. While Colbert may be no answer to America’s longings, it’s no surprise many consider him as good a choice if not better than the other leading candidates.
“Don’t throw away my vote?” Is it throwing away my vote to elect a man I believe in as much if not more than the party demagogues in 2008?