[R-G] The Colbert Nation knows no borders

[Anthony Fenton]

The Colbert Nation knows no borders

All the major contenders in the Democratic Party race, which many see  
as the real presidential sweepstakes, have made reference to Colbert  
in recent weeks.
   	  	
http://rabble.ca/news_full_story.shtml? 
sh_itm=d4f0c58c2438f60c06114fce3fc322be&rXn=1&

 >by James Simmons
November 2, 2007

Stephen Colbert is much more than a comedy sensation. The growing  
"Colbert Nation" is also a sign of our times, and especially a sign  
of the desperation felt by many Americans and observers of U.S.  
politics.

Colbert, 43, is the host of the popular Colbert Report on Comedy  
Central. He recently announced his intention to run for President in  
2008. After hinting at a bid for the highest office, Colbert  
conveniently timed his announcement to coincide with the release of  
his new book, I Am America (And So Can You!).

On his October 16 broadcast, the comedian declared his intention to  
run as both a Democrat and a Republican, but only in his home state  
of South Carolina. Within days, aided no doubt by plenty of media  
coverage, Colbert's supposed candidacies were getting serious attention.

A Facebook group, 1 000 000 Strong For Stephen T Colbert, was quickly  
established, and it soon became the fastest growing such group. It  
reached its target number in record time and will soon be the largest  
group on Facebook.

Far from just signing up young people in Facebook-land, Colbert has  
become a factor in the "real" presidential race as well. A credible  
telephone survey, for instance, found that if the Democratic and  
Republican candidates were front-runners Hilary Clinton and Rudy  
Giuliani, 13% of people would cast a ballot for Colbert. This would  
seem to already make the comedian the most significant third  
candidate in the race since Ross Perot brought out his pointer,  
graphs and charts.

All the major contenders in the Democratic Party race, which many see  
as the real presidential sweepstakes, have made reference to Colbert  
in recent weeks. In fact, no one can afford to avoid the "Colbert  
factor" any more. They almost have to mention it just to demonstrate  
their savvy and knowledge of the show's popularity.

For instance, John Edwards' official campaign blog responded to some  
teasing by Colbert that the candidate had "abandoned" South Carolina  
when he was a toddler: "Edwards was born in South Carolina, learned  
to walk in South Carolina, learned to talk to in South Carolina, and  
will kick Stephen Colbert's New York City butt in South Carolina."

The Edwards campaign worked hard to show its sense of humour by  
"attacking" the comedian's shameless promotion of Doritos chips,  
adding, "Colbert's hands are stained by corporate corruption and  
nacho cheese. John Edwards has never taken a dime from salty food  
lobbyists and America deserves a President who isn't in the pocket of  
the snack food special interests."

Barack Obama, unable to pick up ground on Hilary Clinton of late,  
instead took aim at Colbert earlier this week. Obama said in a live  
forum, "I didn’t realize he was from South Carolina. I can't picture  
Stephen Colbert eating grits."

Finally, even Hilary has brought up Colbert. While campaigning in New  
Hampshire in early October, she said, "To paraphrase Stephen Colbert,  
that great philosopher, this administration doesn't make decisions  
based on facts, it makes facts based on decisions."

Clinton and company might do well to look in the mirror to understand  
where the whole Colbert-mania came from. While Democrats like her  
voted for the war in Iraq, or offered only token opposition, it was  
left to comedians like Colbert and Jon Stewart to channel the anger  
felt by millions of Americans. It was, remember, Colbert's roast of  
George Bush in 2006 that firmly established his massive popularity.

Perhaps Stephen Colbert will help the Democrats find their backbones.  
If not, he really may have to run in '08, and not just in South  
Carolina.

James Simmons is a resident of Victoria, British Columbia, and a  
citizen of the Colbert Nation.