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Subscribe to RSSIn an op-ed in The State newspaper today, comedian Stephen Colbert explained his offer to front $400,000 for the South Carolina Republican primary -- in exchange for the naming rights to the contest and a non-binding referendum on the ballot asking whether voters believed a) “corporations are people” or b) “only people are people.”
He wrote that the South Carolina Republican party no longer needed his money after a November Supreme Court decision ruled that counties, not the state party, were responsible for some of the costs of conducting the primary. (Before 2008, the state party paid all costs). The ruling also banned non-binding referenda from the ballot.
But, Colbert wrote, “being Southern gentlemen, [the S.C. GOP] graciously offered to still want” his offer, telling him he could still buy the primary’s naming rights. Colbert said he cut the offer in half to $200,000 but was turned down.
“They told the press that my requests, ‘were considered but were declined,’ because they, ‘were concerned about the sanctity of the primary election.'"
He added, “If nothing else good comes from this, we have at least narrowed down the exact value of sanctity — somewhere between $200,000 and $400,000."
While Colbert withdrew his initial offer, he put $500,000 back on the table after the South Carolina GOP announced last week that it would only allocate $180,000 in filing fees towards funding the primary, instead of the approximately $1 million it had hoped to raise -- putting counties on the line for the rest of the money.
“The counties need the money, and Colbert Super PAC wants to give it to you; call it a Christmas Miracle. I’ve already filled out the check, and to prove it’s no joke, I’ve written “No Joke” in the memo line. I’m going to be home in South Carolina over the holidays, so just give me a call. Both state parties have my contact info,” Colbert wrote.
In an email to NBC News, South Carolina executive director Matt Moore suggested that the party first considered Colbert’s offer as a private gesture. “Stephen Colbert, as a private citizen, called out of the clear blue and made an unsolicited offer to help his home state. We were intrigued and met with him, but also wary. We determined it was not in the State Party's best interests to accept Stephen's offer.
“Despite our repeatedly saying 'no,' Stephen Colbert, the comedian, seems intent on being involved. It's exactly why we were wary in the first place.”
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That would be real stupid to accept Colbert's money. He is not giving it just because he CARES. He is giving it so that he can go on t.v. and push his lame comedy. The man IS NOT funny.
I agree.
Who's he think he is, Sean Hannity??
2 million viewers would disagree with you ITM. What do you find funny? When people refer to the President as Odumbo? AHAHA hyuck hyuck! hooo doggie oh yea that IS good stuff /end sarc
adidas:
2 million sum total since he has been on the air maybe.
I find Bruce Bruce, Levell Crawford, Rickey Smiley, Mike Epps etc. funny. Those are comedians.
I don't laugh when they call Obama out of his name the same as I didn't think it was funny when lefties call Bush names. It is not funny at all.
The man IS funny and so is Jon Stewart -- much more intelligent and well informed than most right-wing pundits (Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, etc.). What Colbert has done, by forming a Super PAC for example, is expose what goes on behind the scenes in politics. In some ways it is better investigative reporting, just with a sense of humor. And they joke about both Parties, have guests from both Parties, and review a lot of things beyond politics--the book reviews are great.
Really "corporations are people" versus "people are people," or South Carolina was willing to sell out for "somewhere between $200,000 and $400,000," and other points made aren't jokes. Colbert also says he will sponsor a SC debate, which I would take far more seriously than The Donald.
FOX Noise viewers would learn a lot more if they watched the Daily Show and Colbert Report instead.
I say "people are people". Colbert is hilarious....he wrote "no joke" in the memo line! What would Colbert or Stewart do if the GOP actually disappeared? Laura
Colbert is one hell of a funny, smart, decent man.
Are unions people? If corporations are not, then neither is unions. As far as Colbert being funny, no. Now South park is funny. Especially the episode when the people cheer for Hilldog.
@ Kevin,
I don't remember seeing that bumper sticker "Unions are People" anywhere. South Park is juvenile.
Is Colbert funny? That depends on whether you enjoy intellectual humor and aren't thin skinned.
Actually by definition, Unions ARE People.
A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English) is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions.
@ notsojingo Your reading comprhension is horrible. Unions are made of people, they are not people. If they were, then you would be a cell, since your body is made of cells. Its the fallacy of composition.
If unions are to be considered people by that tortured logic, then so too are corporations. Neither is, they are just made up of people. Corporations and unions are identical. They are people forming an association to sell a product. GM sells cars, UAW sells labor. Labor is just a service, no different than mechanical work, or a lawyers time.
And of course both should be able to retain the right to their free speech, you do not lose that right by excercising your right to associate. Just because two or more people get together does not dimish their rights. Should union members lose their right to a writ of habeus corpus if they are engaging in union activities? Of course not, nor should the have to give up their natural right to freedom of speech either. And the same goes for corporations and advocacy groups. Do seniors not have a right to band together to lobby the goverment for interests they care about? Don't veterans? Don't sellers of specfic labor or sellers of specfic goods? Especially when laws affecting them are debated? Or does everyone but those being affected get to be heard?
Thanks robtzu,
Your tutelage means so very much to me. Comprised of, made up of, not made of people. People Preserves would be made of people, right smart guy?
But since you are a teacher, I am sure you have apples to polish.
Peace
Jon Stewart has 17 years and counting with his show and Colbert has 8 years and counting.
No matter who you are, or what channel it is, you do not stay on the air if you do not have viewers.
Obviously there are plenty of people that enjoy their shows.
They mock everyone. Hell, Jon Stewart stood up for Bachman when they did that horrid cover page of her. Don't mistake these two for Democratic shills. I ahve seen both of them mock Obama as well. When the right is fielding several cannon fodder candidates, you just can't sit by as a comedian though. You strike when the iron is hot.
That's comedy 101.
I agree IntheMiddle.
In this case Colbert's comedy is not funny.
It is intended to be ILLUSTRATIVE.
He's trying to make a point, and if you don't get what point that is,.... then you are beyond redemption.
And what the GOP has done to corporate identity / reality is a perversion of righteousness.
I don't need redemption from any man. I know who I am.
Maybe if he was a serious person and didn't be so partisan, more people would listen to him. The only people he has cheerleading is lefties and his little charade is not going to change anything.
He has a huge following among younger viewers. The under 25 set have built in BS detectors so they steer clear of Fox and talk radio. This bodes poorly for the future of the republican party.
Mr. Middle
If you are right it confirms my suspicion Republicans lack a sense of humor. It is hilarious that Stewart and Colbert can satirize the Fox clowns and the Republicans don't get the joke.
And Neo-Pagan/Pseudo Liberals lack a sense of dignity, with all of the hypocritical INTOLERANCE AND BIGOTRY AND STEREOTYPING AND THE HATE etcetc.... May we suggest they trade in half of their sense of humor for some dignity. It won't be an even trade, but even the scrap of dignity you get out of the deal will serve you in good stead.
LOYALTEXAN, at first I was agreement with you that Republicans have no sense of humor, but then I remebered PERRY's news conferences and then I realized that thats actually what the hole bunch are, a bunch of clowns, every last one of republican.
Thank you, GOPisextinct for putting it so succinctly. And recall how many conservatives thought a few years back that Colbert was serious. Fool them once, shame on...wait, fool them twice...won't get fooled again...?!?
Steve:
No one thought Colbert was ever serious but lefties who sent him money. I do not know anyone who was paying attention to Colbert.
ITM, Colbert seems to have struck a nerve with you though.
Thank you, "In The Middle", for proving the old adage true...
He who laughs last didn't get the joke.
Unfortunately, for you to understand Colbert's humor requires an expansion of your mind that you are either incapable or unwilling of making. You think he's a liberal hack? He's taken shots at both sides.
...but, no, you'd rather stick to your own narrow view. So be it.
IntheMiddle seems like such an icon of a Republican knuckledragger. Just out of curiosity, I looked up his selection of comedians. Here's some actual "laugh" (??) lines:
Bruce Bruce: Is it warm in here? I'm sweating like a pimp with one ho.
Lavell Crawford: They always ask you dumb questions. 'Do you wanna be fat?' 'Oh yes, yes, I do. I wanna sweat for no reason.' Every time I breathe, they like, 'Why you breathing so hard?' 'So I can live.'
Rickey Smiley: I looked down -- my thing was as hard as trigonometry
Mike Epps: I want to turn my life over to God but it is hard as hell. Every time something happens to us, that's what we do: 'Oh God, please don't do it to me, I'll tell ya, this is it, I'm leaving these niggas alone, all these bitches, I'll tell ya.
(All jokes from Jokes.com ... just do a name search.)
Porter Rockwell: I want to turn my mind over to IntheMiddle, Texas but it is hard as hell. Every time he writes something, it's so stupid that I just gotta say, "Oh Redneck, I can't go with something as dumb as that. Stupid stuff like that turns yo brain to cold grits, I'll tell ya."
Conservatives have a hard time with the humor thing. You can't make jokes about cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, food stamps, Social Security, and tax breaks to millionaires and remain funny. That's why Beavis and Butthead and South Park have such a huge following among conservatives. It is cruel, bullying "humor" that is not funny.
inthemiddle Well all you righties know he's right about everything he says. Thats why you don't like him. The Daily Show & The Clobert Report for fake news shows they tell it better than the real news & love to point out faux news lies.
Happy Holidays!!!!
College professors tell their students to watch Daily Show and Colbert to get their news. It actually is a great place to go to get a thumbnail sketch of what is going on.
Stephen Colbert....... You are my Hero.....xoxo.
What's the problem South Carolina GOP, is Colbert Super PAC money no good? It spends the same as Wall Street, Big Banks, Hedge Fund Managers or the wealthy 1 %!!!!
Wall Street and Big Banks were Obama's largest corporate donors in 2008.......If they are in bed with the GOP....the jump happened very recently.
Nice 'bumper sticker' statement there, 1Hiram, but it lacks truthfulness, and detail. The largest donor to his 2008 campaign was The University of California. As for details, the totals include the money that came from the organizations' PACs, their individual members or employees or owners, and those individuals' immediate families. In other words, the lowest mail room employee making minimum wage was counted as part of the corporate donation.
Here are a few links that show how silly your comment is:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/indus.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638
The website that the above links take you to, also shows that 'Wall Street and Big Banks' give to both parties ('hedging' their bets . . . get it? sorry, couldn't help myself), but consistently give much more to the Republican/TP inc. party.
Wall Street owned Obama......ever heard of Goldman Sachs??? You are wrong.....
I did say Wall Street and Banks.......U of Ca??? They were #1 at $1.6 Million.......Goldman Sachs gave Obama just over a Million and gave McCain $240,000
Go back to your list and add up wall street, big banks, and financial firms.........
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cid=n00009638
They give to the Party they think will take their interests the furthest in DC. And then they give some more.
K Street - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
K Street Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lobbying Database | OpenSecrets
in 2008 Wall Street and Banks gave over 30% more to Obama than McCain.......any shift has occurred very recently. I would still say Goldman Sachs gives more to the DNC than GOP....and has since 2008.
Think it is a coincidence that President Obama also won the Presidential Race over McInsane/Failin by a similar proportion?
Colbert should stick to comic relief and stay out of politics.
We have enough " jokers" in Washington already..........
especially when you think about the Democrats........Nancy "insider trading" Pelosi, Joe "gaffe machine" Biden, Harry "Whorehouse" Reid, Charlie "tax cheat" Rangel, Barney "gay prostitute ring" Frank and Anthony "Sexting" Weiner ( OH WAIT, he had to resign).
Mr. Porter, a knuckle dragger is some one like kambon kamau who calls for the extermination of the white race, or those who are all over you tube calling for the head of a particular Fox News personality's head to be on a stick of for him to be beaten. We don't hear what you Neo-Pagan/Pseudo liberals call "knuckle dragging repugs" calling for extermination or beatings and killings like you hypocrites do. How do you people reconcile the hypocrisy? I have been asking this question over and over and not one person has stepped forward to clarify the issue. What are you afraid of? ... After all, the intellectual and moral high ground has your flag staked in it..... You here, are showing us evidence of stereotyping, bigotry, intolerance..... Never ceases to amaze us, this thing you have going on... You people spew bile and foam at he mouth over perceived intolerance and then react in a way that is barbaric .... Really...?
Sheesh Leona, what about the group running for Republican candidate for president? Now THAT is a JOKE! EVERYONE of them, the only one with half a brain (Huntsman) isn't even up for consideration (too smart apparently)
Well....you folks are from SC, so I cant really comment on your ACCURACY about ,well, pretty much ANYTHING...since I LIVE and WORK among you...LOL!!... but, Colbert's got it right, if the money doesnt MATTER, what's it matter where it COMES FROM???
I don't believe most Republicans are knuckle dragging racist but both sides have their share of far right or far left squeaky wheels. I just think it takes most Republicans a little more time to come around to realizing that the world isn't going to stay the same and that change isn't always a bad thing. Take for instance the changing of the gay policy of the military. That policy change would have happened eventually because the younger generation is much more open minded than most of our people in Congress. If Senator McCain had been elected that issue would have been a festering sore for another four to eight years. The world is becoming a global community whether we are comfortable with that or not and it will require us to become more tolerant.
Common theme I keep seeing here is "Who does he think he is?" Well, I'm just guessing here, but I'd go with an American citizen exercising his right to freedom of expression and maybe having a little fun with some rather oddball rules. The bottom line is there are a lot of rules like that in campaign finance, and in the the way our government actually conducts business. Things like the weird exemptions from insider trading for members of Congress and the Senate. Doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat either way it's time to wake up and realize we've got the foxes guarding the hen house and do something about it.
Colbert, go get, them good old boys.